Karl and his group stood amidst the battlefield, breathing steady despite the relentless battle they had just endured.

The icy cavern was now littered with the frozen corpses of monsters, their forms twisted in unnatural poses from the impact of powerful blows.

The cold air carried the lingering scent of battle, mixing with the fading essence of the defeated creatures.

After nearly ten minutes of nonstop fighting, they had finally cleared out every single monster that had come for them.

It had been an overwhelming wave—feral beasts, frost-bound creatures, and spectral wraiths, all trying to tear them apart.

But in the end, Karl and his summons emerged victorious.

There were no casualties, thankfully, but the [Dire Fox] had taken a hit.

A shallow wound marred its front leg, crimson staining its otherwise pristine fur.

Karl clicked his tongue and approached the fox, crouching down to examine the injury.

Though minor, it still bothered him.

'I need a way to heal my spirits… If they keep getting injured like this, it won't be viable long-term.'

His summons were his greatest strength, but he had no way of restoring them mid-fight.

It was a glaring flaw in his strategy, one he needed to fix as soon as possible.

Celeste, who had been perched atop the [Sovereign Wolf] for most of the battle, hopped down and came to his side.

Her sharp blue eyes scanned the fox's wound with curiosity.

"Do you think a healing spell would be enough?" she asked, tilting her head.

"There might be a chance I unlock something like that later."

Karl considered her words, but ultimately shrugged.

"Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on whether healing magic works on spirits in the first place."

If spells or potions could heal them, it would solve a major problem.

But he had no way of knowing until he tested it himself.

For now, all he could do was move forward.

Ding!

[You have reached Level 22. You have gained 2 points for each attribute.]

Karl smirked slightly as he felt the familiar rush of power from leveling up.

The fight had been intense, and he and his spirits had taken down over a hundred monsters.

The rewards were well worth it.

'Good. This should be enough for a few more summons.'

And that meant one thing—he could finally attempt to [Link] the [Corrupted Archbishop] and the [Mantis Lords].

Just the thought sent a rush of excitement through him.

There was something deeply satisfying about merging spirits, like the rush of a gambler hitting the jackpot.

The anticipation, the mystery of what he'd get—it was addicting.

He wasted no time, stepping over the icy terrain to collect as many [Spirit Orbs] as possible.

Since Celeste was in his party, he could also pick up the spirits from the monsters she had killed, which made it even more worthwhile.

[+42 Glacierfang Worg]

[+37 Frostspine Serpent]

[+29 Shatterfang Yeti]

By the time he was done, both his [Spirit Cemetery] and [Spirit Storage] were completely full.

"You know the drill," he said with a small smirk, glancing at Celeste.

She nodded, already expecting what was coming next.

"You still haven't told me anything about that place..." she mused.

"Is it... beautiful?"

Karl thought for a second before shaking his head.

"Not really. It's just… a cemetery. Like the name suggests."

Celeste's lips curled into a small pout.

"I wish I could see it."

"Maybe someday," Karl replied with a faint smile.

Closing his eyes, he muttered, "Spirit Cemetery."

The world around him faded instantly.

When Karl opened his eyes, he found himself once again in the familiar, eerie landscape of the [Spirit Cemetery].

Dark gravestones stretched as far as the eye could see, each one marked with the essence of spirits he had collected.

The air was thick with an unnatural mist, swirling around like lost souls whispering in the void.

His summons from the real world appeared alongside him, automatically transferring over as always.

The [Sovereign Wolf] sat nearby, its massive form imposing even in the ghostly light, while the [Dire Fox] limped slightly as it took its place among the other spirits.

Karl cracked his neck and walked towards the graves, his mind set on one goal.

This time, he had a choice to make.

He could either merge all three [Mantis Lords] and the [Corrupted Archbishop] in the same batch along with the frost-based spirits, or he could separate them into two different groups.

One option guaranteed a powerful new summon, while the other carried the risk of getting two lesser but still formidable boss-like spirits.

After a moment of thought, Karl made his decision.

He went all in.

It was his first time using four boss-tier spirit orbs in a single [Link].

The sheer potential of what could come from it was too tempting to ignore.

Raising his arm, he activated the skill.

"Link."

Fifty spirits, including the four bosses, emerged from their graves.

They hovered above the ground, their forms flickering as an eerie mist surrounded them.

The merging process began, tendrils of energy twisting and fusing them together, shifting, changing, growing.

Then—

A wave of chilling air swept through the cemetery.

The mist parted, revealing the new summon.

[Frosted Mantis]

Karl narrowed his eyes at the towering figure before him.

It was a monstrous humanoid mantis, its body covered in jagged blue ice and corruption.

Its scythe-like arms gleamed with frozen edges, sharp enough to cut through steel, and black cracks ran across its exoskeleton, leaking an eerie blue mist that pulsed with energy.

Its hollow, glowing eyes locked onto Karl, clicking ominously.

Even the other spirits seemed intrigued by it, shifting closer to observe.

The [Frosted Mantis] didn't react with hostility—if anything, it appeared proud.

It spread its arms wide, displaying its imposing form for all to see.

Karl smirked.

"Not bad."

With the new summon secured, it was time to head back.

Closing his eyes once more, he muttered the usual words and returned to reality.

Karl opened his eyes and immediately noticed Celeste circling around him.

She was inspecting him—no, more like studying him.

Her hands moved over his legs, knees, and even his back, poking and prodding with curiosity.

"I'm back," he said, making her jolt in surprise.

She quickly took a step back, trying to play it off.

"Y-Yo! Since your body 'dies' each time you go to the cemetery, I wanted to experiment!"

Karl chuckled slightly but didn't mind.

He knew that while in the cemetery, his body became more of a shell—he couldn't feel anything unless he focused on outside stimuli.

It made sense that Celeste would be curious about how it worked.

"Alright," he said, getting back on track.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned his team again.

This time, he replaced the injured [Dire Fox] with the newly acquired [Frosted Mantis].

Celeste's eyes immediately lit up.

"Whoa!"

She rushed to its side, inspecting it closely.

"It actually looks like the [Mantis Lords]... but different."

Karl nodded.

"Yeah. It should have frost-based abilities, and maybe even magic from the [Corrupted Archbishop]. I'll need to test it out."

Another boss spirit added to the collection.

His team was getting stronger.

With that, Karl and Celeste—now back on the [Sovereign Wolf]—along with the spirits, made their way up the mountain leading to the cavern of the fourth floor.

The climb was uneventful, which Karl was grateful for.

But as soon as they stepped inside the cavern, new enemies appeared.

[Level 23 Frigid Stalker]

A stealthy, humanoid ice creature with elongated claws emitting freezing mist.

It moved silently through the caverns, striking from the shadows.

[Level 24 Hoarfrost Wraith]

A spectral entity formed from lost souls, draining warmth from anything nearby, leaving victims sluggish and frostbitten.

Karl's eyes sharpened.

"Get ready," he called out.

His spirits took their battle stances.

Celeste raised her staff.

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