With determination and fury coursing through him after losing three of his spirits to the [Corrupted Archbishop], Karl charged forward, his [Spectral Blade] gleaming in his hand.

His emotions were raw, but his mind was sharp.

He knew that if they didn't act quickly, more spirits—or even one of them—could fall.

This wasn't just about revenge; it was about survival.

Karl was determined to end the fight here and now.

"Celeste, keep him in check! Don't let him use any more skills!"

Karl shouted as he sprinted toward the boss.

His voice was firm, but his mind was already racing, issuing silent commands to his spirits.

Frappy, Wolf, come with me.

The [Frenzied Rabbit], perched on Celeste's head, leaped onto Karl's in a single bound, its tiny body trembling with energy.

The [Alpha Dire Wolf] fell into step beside him, its powerful frame radiating readiness.

Elite Lizard Soldier, fire your arrows from afar.

The humanoid lizard obeyed instantly, nocking an arrow and taking aim at the floating boss.

Sovereign Wolf, charge up your energy attack.

It might not reach him in time, but you can't get close anyway.

Sovaryn, the [Sovereign Wolf], began gathering energy, its body glowing faintly as it prepared the same devastating attack it had used before.

As for the [Infested Undead Skeleton] and [Ghoul Zombie], Karl wasn't entirely sure what they were capable of.

The skeleton's infested nature and the zombie's ghoul-like claws were still a mystery to him.

Testing their abilities would have to wait—right now, the priority was taking down the boss.

Karl's focus shifted to one last spirit: the [Shadow Golem].

He hadn't given it any orders yet, and for good reason.

This spirit was going to play a crucial role in his plan.

"Shadow, get ready!"

Karl called out.

The golem immediately positioned itself, its massive arms joining together to form a platform.

Karl didn't hesitate.

He leaped onto the golem's hands, which were more than sturdy enough to support him.

"GO!"

The [Corrupted Archbishop] was floating high above, clearly unwilling to descend and engage in close combat.

If the boss wouldn't come to him, Karl would go to it.

With a powerful heave, the [Shadow Golem] launched Karl into the air, propelling him toward the hovering boss.

The [Frenzied Rabbit] clung to Karl's head, its tiny claws digging into his hair, while the [Alpha Dire Wolf] gripped Karl's back, using him as a springboard.

Together, they soared through the air, closing the distance to the boss in seconds.

"Hey there," Karl grinned as he reached the boss's level.

The [Corrupted Archbishop] turned its hollow eyes toward him, its staff already glowing with dark energy as it prepared to cast another spell.

But before it could, a bolt of lightning struck from below.

"Thunder Strike!"

Celeste's voice rang out, her spell hitting the boss and stunning it momentarily.

Karl didn't waste the opportunity.

He swung his [Spectral Blade] twice in quick succession, releasing waves of energy that slammed into the boss, causing it to stagger.

But Karl knew better than to rely solely on these attacks.

He had a plan, and the [Alpha Dire Wolf] was a key part of it.

While still in midair, the wolf used Karl's shoulders as a platform and leaped onto the boss, its powerful jaws clamping down on the archbishop's neck.

The sudden weight and force caused the boss to lose control of its flight, and it began to plummet toward the ground.

"Your turn, Frappy!"

Karl shouted as he started to fall.

The [Frenzied Rabbit] leaped from Karl's head, following the boss's descent.

Karl himself landed gracefully on the back of the [Sovereign Wolf], which had instinctively moved to catch him.

The boss, however, hit the ground with a thunderous crash.

But even then, it wasn't dead.

"Holy hell, it doesn't want to die—"

Celeste started to complain, but her words were cut off by a swift, decisive action.

Fwish! Slash!

The [Frenzied Rabbit], using the momentum of its fall, extended its claws and delivered a precise, lethal strike.

The boss's head was severed cleanly, rolling away as its body crumpled to the ground.

Ding!

[You have slain the "Corrupted Archbishop."]

[You have defeated the second floor's boss.]

The notification brought a wave of relief, but it was quickly followed by another.

Ding!

[You have reached level 20. You have gained 2 stat points for each of your stats.]

Both Karl and Celeste leveled up simultaneously, finally reaching level 20.

This was the threshold [Starlight Academy] had likely expected them to achieve during this task.

And with this milestone came a new opportunity.

[Please check out the specialized class tab for more information.]

"Did you get that too?"

Celeste asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Yeah," Karl replied, already opening his status panel.

[You are qualified to obtain your specialized class, but to do so, you must prove yourself.]

'Of course,' Karl thought.

Nothing was ever handed to them easily.

[Your specialized class will forge how you will use your profession, meaning that the choice will be up to you.]

Karl's eyebrows shot up.

This was unexpected.

The system wasn't going to assign him a class—he would get to choose.

[You will complete a quest, and upon completion, several options will appear before you. Choose the one you think is most suitable.]

[Or... you may simply decide to not participate in the quest and receive a random specialized class now.]

Karl glanced at Celeste, who was also reading through her own notifications.

He could see the gears turning in her mind as she weighed her options.

But for Karl, the choice was clear.

The [Reaper] had told him that his profession's true power was shackled, waiting to be unleashed.

If he wanted to grow stronger, he couldn't afford to leave his fate to chance.

"I'll participate in the quest," Karl declared, his voice firm.

[Very well...]

Celeste's face lit up with a wide smile as she heard him.

"Same as him," she said, her tone resolute.

They weren't going to let luck decide their destinies.

They would carve their own paths.

But neither of them expected just how far this "quest" would take them.

[Your quest to determine your specialized class' options is the following:]

[Reach floor five: The Awakened City.]

'Huh?' Karl blinked, surprised by the simplicity, and the challenge, of the task.

[You will be judged on that.]

[Good luck.]

The panels disappeared, leaving Karl and Celeste to process what they had just read.

Celeste frowned slightly, "It said it would analyze how I reach the fifth floor."

"Same here," Karl replied, realizing they had both received identical quests.

Maybe every student at [Starlight Academy] would be given this task.

Their performance, speed, and strategy in reaching the fifth floor would determine the options available for their specialized classes.

It was a daunting prospect.

How would they be judged?

What criteria would the system use?

Karl didn't have the answers, but he knew one thing: they couldn't afford to waste time.

And beside that new panel, one more had appeared before him.

[The distance limit for your spirits has increased from 100 meters to 300 meters!]

'Good.'

This meant he could have his spirits fight from thrice the distance as before without risking them going back to the cemetery.

Before they could discuss their next steps, another notification popped up.

Fwish! Ding!

[You have received a special chest for completing this floor on "Nightmare" difficulty.]

"Oh?!"

Karl and Celeste exclaimed in unison.

A dark chest materialized before them, its surface adorned with intricate white metal designs.

It glowed with a mystical energy, as if beckoning them to open it.

The duo exchanged glances, their earlier tension replaced by curiosity and excitement.

This was bound to be good.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.