Karl spent his time in the [Spirit Cemetery] like always, trapped in that eerie place every time he fell asleep.

And it wasn't by choice.

He was forced to be here.

He had tried leaving before, closing his eyes and whispering the words to break free, hoping to drift into proper sleep instead.

But every time he muttered "Spirit Cemetery", all that happened was his real body waking up.

That confirmed two things:

First, no matter what he did, sleep would always bring him back to this place.

Second, if most people simply experienced a void while unconscious, an absence of time and awareness, then his "void" was the [Spirit Cemetery].

A place where he remained fully conscious, left to wander among the spirits.

And, as far as he knew, he might be the only one who experienced it this way.

Sitting on the cold grass, Karl sighed.

He had nothing to do.

His summons were free to roam here since the cemetery was where they lived.

He didn't need to manage them.

He also didn't have enough spirits to form a new summon, meaning he had no work to do.

So all he did was wait.

His gaze drifted to the spirits wandering the cemetery, some floating aimlessly, others resting near the old gravestones.

Silent, waiting, much like him.

[Summon Cemetery: 12/50]

Karl frowned.

'It's barely increasing at all...'

It wasn't that his spirits were weak, they were powerful, but he kept losing more than he gained.

That was the problem.

If every new summon he obtained was a boss-type, the situation would be different.

But so far, he only had two of those.

The rest were normal.

Still, Karl was relieved that the [Spirit Cemetery] had a cap of 50 now.

If it were unlimited, he doubted he'd ever manage to climb the [Tower of Trials] properly.

Then, another thought came to mind.

Speaking of the tower...

"Reaper!" Karl called out suddenly. "Are you here?"

A moment later, a figure appeared several meters away.

The [Reaper].

This time, it wasn't in its towering, monstrous form.

Instead, it took on its "smaller" shape, though its eerie presence remained unchanged.

The spirits in the cemetery immediately backed away as it appeared, as if fearful of the entity standing before them.

[Yes?] The [Reaper]'s hollow voice echoed, [Did you need something?]

Karl wasn't surprised. He already suspected that the [Reaper] was always watching him.

[Indeed, I am,] the entity confirmed, reading Karl's mind effortlessly. [You want to ask about the "Authority of the Tower" and the "Concepts" those figures spoke of, correct?]

Karl nodded.

He had gotten used to the [Reaper] responding to his thoughts.

The entity lifted its scythe slightly, tapping the handle against the ground as if thinking, [Hmm...]

Karl's eyes narrowed.

Just from that hesitation, he knew there was a lot he didn't understand about this tower.

And, for that matter, what even was the [Reaper]?

[Guardian of the World of Spirits,] the entity answered. [And one of the "Calamities" of the Underworld.]

Karl frowned.

He hadn't heard of that before either, "Calamities?"

[Yes, plural.] The [Reaper] gave a faint grin. [There are more of us.]

Then, just like that, it began to vanish into white mist.

[If you want more answers, clear some of the trials of the "World of Spirits."]

And with that, it was gone, not even answering his first question.

Karl crossed his arms, storing the conversation in the back of his mind.

It wasn't much, but it was something.

Still, the night passed quietly.

Karl could hear the faint sounds of the real world from within the cemetery, if he focused.

But all he heard at that moment was Celeste's snoring.

"...Right," he muttered, shaking his head as he ignored it.

...

Eight Hours Later…

Karl woke up, eyes slowly adjusting to the dimly lit room.

Celeste was still asleep. Probably exhausted from yesterday's fights.

But her [Smartwatch] was beeping relentlessly.

"Nurah~" she grumbled in her sleep, groggily reaching for the device and tapping it without opening her eyes.

An unfamiliar voice came through the watch.

Karl tilted his head.

An audio message…?

[Hey, Cely!] A woman's voice greeted cheerfully. [Me and your father heard about your admission! We'll meet soon, just keep climbing the tower!]

The message ended, and the [Smartwatch] shut off.

Karl glanced at Celeste.

She was still half-asleep. She clearly hadn't processed what was just said.

"Hm."

Karl leaned back slightly, thinking.

Celeste had mentioned her father before.

But she had never said anything about her mother.

Judging by the way the woman spoke, though, she was probably alive.

And if they were important enough to get special permission to visit… they were definitely strong awakeners.

It made sense.

After all, Celeste herself was already far beyond most people her age in terms of ability.

Still, Karl wasn't concerned about it. It was only 7 a.m. He had time.

Lazily, he grabbed his own [Smartwatch] and started messing with it again.

The device had a holographic screen, functioning similarly to a phone.

He had already figured out how to use most of its basic features.

But he still explored it, testing out different functions.

Two hours passed before Celeste finally woke up.

"Morning…" she muttered, stretching as she sat up.

Her long white hair was an absolute mess.

"Hello," Karl responded, sitting up as well. "Your parents left a message. They said they're gonna see you."

Celeste yawned. "Alright."

That was it. No excitement, no surprise. Just a simple response.

Karl wasn't sure if she just didn't care or if she was still too tired to process it.

Either way, she didn't seem against it.

In this world, communication was based on [Smartwatch] IDs.

Unlike phones, there were no numbers, just a unique identifier tied to each person's device.

The watch was linked to its owner.

That's why people could be contacted without knowing their exact details.

Karl found it efficient.

It made things simple.

After freshening up and showering, he and Celeste left their dorm.

The academy was lively.

Other students crowded the hallways, all heading toward different areas, most of them toward the central plazas, where groups gathered before challenging the next floors.

Karl observed them as they passed.

Some of these students were still stuck on the second or third floors.

Others were already advancing further, aiming for higher trials.

A quick breakfast later, Karl and Celeste found themselves standing at the entrance of the next trial ground.

The fourth floor.

Once they cleared it, they'd finally reach the [Awakened City], at least, according to the [Specialized Class] panel.

Karl exhaled slowly, and Celeste stretched her arms.

"Ready?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

They had already seen where the [Fourth Floor's Square] was last night, so finding it was rather easy.

And there, they didn't see anybody except for Sylas.

"I knew you two would come here," the red-haired man grinned, "Well, see you on the fifth floor," he waved as he entered the portal.

'Did he wait just to tell us that?' Karl wondered, 'Huh.'

Celeste also seemed a bit confused, but she quickly moved on as they knew they couldn't afford to be distracted.

And so they both turned toward the towering gate ahead of them.

Time to see what awaited them next.

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