Awakening: I Became a Legendary Spirit Summoner-Chapter 23 - : Grinding the First Floor, Sovereign Wolf’s Strength

"Level 15 party looking for a fighter to attempt First Floor Hell-Level!"

"I only need one more to reach Level 14, please someone accept me!"

"Looking for a powerful duo, only motivated awakeners aiming for Starlight Academy."

The plaza near the [First Floor Gate] was as lively as ever, filled with people recruiting, bargaining, and preparing for their next attempts.

Some aimed for their first clear, while others, like Karl, had been grinding for days.

It had been six days since Karl first conquered the [First Floor].

As expected, the cooldown for reattempting the floor was 24 hours, meaning he could only enter once per day.

The monsters respawned each time, but while waiting for the cooldown, he was locked out of forming or joining any parties.

This meant Karl had spent the past six days doing the same thing: waiting, entering, clearing, and repeating.

And it had paid off.

Every attempt at the Hell-Level [Goblin Nest] became easier, to the point where he barely needed to put in effort anymore.

He also noticed more players soloing the floor, meaning he wasn't the only one getting stronger.

The [Empire Rank] leaderboard included everyone in the empire, not just awakeners from his city.

Each city had its own [Gate] leading to the [First Floor], scattered across different locations.

Karl took a deep breath.

"Alright, final time," he muttered.

He was about to step into the swirling vortex when a familiar voice called out.

"Karl!"

Turning around, he saw Celeste approaching him, a bright smile on her face.

[Celeste Frost - Level 15]

She had caught up to him in levels.

That meant she had likely cleared the [First Floor] on Hell-Difficulty too.

Karl also quickly noticed something different: she was holding a new staff.

[Mana Scepter: Uncommon-level staff. Mana +10, Mana Regeneration increased. Can be equipped at level 14.]

"I learned from my mistakes during the trial," Celeste grinned, tapping the staff against her palm.

"Now my mana won't run out so fast!"

"Yeah..." Karl nodded, glancing at her gear.

"Hello, buddy~" she giggled, reaching over to pet the [Frenzied Rabbit] resting on Karl's shoulder.

He didn't bother stopping her.

The rabbit didn't seem to mind either.

"Well, I'll get going now," Celeste stretched, "This is our last day before the [Entrance Examination] after all."

Karl nodded.

"See you later."

"See ya!" she waved before stepping into the portal, "And don't die!"

"I won't. Duh."

She disappeared, leaving Karl alone.

Shaking his head, he stepped forward.

[Which difficulty do you want?]

[Normal] [Hell]

"Hell."

[Teleporting...]

Once again, Karl appeared inside the [Goblin Nest].

This had become routine by now.

Over the past few days, he had cleared the first floor multiple times, and now, he was Level 15.

[Level: 15 (79.00%)]

He was confident this would be his final run before the exam.

Some awakeners had already hit Level 16, which surprised him.

He wasn't sure how they managed it, maybe they cleared additional dungeons along with the [First Floor]?

It didn't matter much to Karl.

His multiple clears had granted him decent rewards.

First, he had obtained more summons:

[+3 Armored Goblin Guards.]

He had put the [Goblin King Spirit Orb] inside of the mix with all the others, but surprisingly, he got the same result as if he put only goblins.

Was the Goblin King's spirit really just that weak?

Or did the composition of the [Link] affect what the spirit became?

These were theories Karl needed to test.

Second, he had gained decent stat boosts from [Absorbing]:

[Strength increased by 6.]

[Stamina increased by 4.]

[Mana increased by 1.]

[Agility increased by 5.]

However, there was one issue.

Once Karl reached Level 14, he could no longer gain [Spirit Orbs] from the [Goblin Nest] since all common enemies inside were capped at Level 13.

The [Spirit Orb] system only allowed him to absorb spirits from enemies at same level or higher-leveled than him.

Despite that, he was still satisfied with his progress.

The system forced him to challenge stronger enemies instead of endlessly farming weaker ones.

He quickly checked his summon-related stats:

[Spirit Cemetery: 4/50]

[Summon Cemetery: 15/50]

[Spirit Storage: 19/100]

He always kept spare spirits in storage, though he hadn't used them much.

After all...

"Come forth, Sovereign Wolf."

A massive wolf emerged from the void, gripping the [Voidblade] in its mouth.

"Get rid of them."

The [Sovereign Wolf] let out a low growl before dashing forward, tearing through the goblins with ease.

As for Karl, he just sat down and watched.

There was no need for him to do anything.

The [Sovereign Wolf] could solo the entire floor by itself.

[You shouldn't be so confident,] the reaper's voice echoed in his mind, amused.

"I know."

He was aware this was temporary confidence.

Right now, his summon was strong enough to carry him through the first floor.

But this advantage wouldn't last forever.

He had been lucky to acquire such a powerful summon early on.

It had helped him significantly, but there was a major drawback: if the [Sovereign Wolf] ever died, it would be sent to the [World of Spirits].

And if Karl ever went there, whether to increase his Spirit Capacity or if he died, he would be forced to fight it.

He wasn't sure if he could win.

Now he understood why the reaper had said:

"A summoner should always be stronger than their summons."

Still, Karl vowed to never let the [Sovereign Wolf] die.

...

15 minutes later...

The goblins were gone.

[Level: 15 (98.00%)]

Only the [Goblin King] remained.

Karl stepped into the [Boss Room], seeing the familiar throne.

The [Goblin King] was sitting there.

Unlike before, it didn't even bother standing up.

"Skkrkgrrr (Just get it over with already...)"

It remembered.

Or maybe it just recognized the [Sovereign Wolf] and knew it had no chance.

A single slash of the [Voidblade], and the Goblin King was dead.

[You have slain Level 15 Goblin King.]

Ding!

[You have reached Level 16. You have gained 2 stat points for each of your stats.]

Karl didn't get any drops since he had already obtained the Hell-Level [Goblin King Core], but he didn't mind.

By the way, he could get the spirit orbs of bosses as many times as he wanted.

[You have acquired the "Goblin King Spirit Orb"]

Level 16 was enough for him.

This was the usual requirement for Starlight Academy, the most prestigious school in the world.

Karl clenched his fist.

'I'm ready.'

"Good work, Wolf."

The [Sovereign Wolf] nodded before disappearing back into his summoning space.

And now, it was time for the [Entrance Examination].

Karl exited the [First Floor], stepping back into the plaza.

Immediately, he noticed several players had already reached Level 16, standing around with eager expressions.

They were all aiming for the same thing.

Off to the side, he spotted Celeste, casually sitting on a bench.

"Hey there," she waved, smirking, "You took your time!"

Karl blinked, "...?"

What? How?

How did she clear it faster than him? Hadn't he finished in twenty minutes?

Karl frowned.

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What the hell did she do?