The Forsaken Awakening

Inside the Tower of the Forgotten – Floor 5

Jinhyuk stepped onto the next floor, his new summon—the Cursed Knight—walking silently beside him.

Unlike before, where he had to constantly dismiss and resummon his shadows, the knight now existed independently, his blackened armor gleaming faintly under the eerie glow of the Tower's light.

This was a game-changer.

Jinhyuk had never been able to store and recall a permanent summon before.

Now, he had a B-Rank warrior at his command—one that retained all of its previous combat skills and instincts.

[ Skill Progression: Shadow Summoning (B-Rank) Updated! ]

Summon stored creatures at will without consuming extra mana.

Summons retain their skills and intelligence.

Limited to one permanent summon (For Now).

Jinhyuk smirked.

"Let's see what you can do."

---

The Fifth Floor's Challenge – The Crimson Arena

The moment they entered the Fifth Floor, a new trial began.

The environment was completely different from the previous floors.

Jinhyuk and the Cursed Knight now stood in the middle of a massive arena, surrounded by rows of stone bleachers.

Above them, a dark red sky churned, crackling with faint arcs of energy.

A notification flashed.

---

[ Trial of the Fifth Floor: Survive the Arena ]

Objective: Defeat three waves of enemies.

Failure Condition: Being overwhelmed.

Bonus Condition: Do not take any direct damage.

---

Jinhyuk cracked his neck.

"Three waves? Sounds easy enough."

Then—the gates of the arena opened.

And the first wave poured out.

---

Wave One – The Undead Swarm

A horde of rotting, skeletal warriors emerged, their hollow eye sockets glowing with faint green flames.

[ Monster Identified: Bonewalkers (C-Rank) ]

Mindless undead foot soldiers.

Slow but overwhelming in numbers.

Weak to precision attacks and fire.

Jinhyuk exhaled.

"Alright, let's test you out."

He gestured forward—

And the Cursed Knight surged ahead.

---

The Cursed Knight in Action

Jinhyuk watched closely as his summon engaged the Bonewalkers.

The Knight's movements were terrifyingly precise.

A single sweep of its greatsword sent multiple undead flying.

It dodged, parried, and countered without wasted movement.

When surrounded, it simply stepped forward—never hesitating.

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

"He's not just some mindless summon. He fights like an actual warrior."

Then, the Bonewalkers started reforming, their shattered bones pulling back together.

Jinhyuk smirked.

"Let's push the skill further."

He activated Shadow Summoning, his mana surging—

And four Mist Stalkers materialized from his shadows.

The wolf-like creatures growled, their red eyes gleaming as they lunged into the fight.

The arena became chaos.

The Cursed Knight and Mist Stalkers fought side by side, cutting through the undead forces.

Jinhyuk himself hardly needed to intervene.

---

Wave Two – The Twin Beasts

The moment the last Bonewalker crumbled, the second gate opened.

A deafening roar echoed across the arena.

Two massive creatures emerged—towering werewolf-like beasts with black fur and glowing red runes across their bodies.

[ Monster Identified: Bloodfang Direwolves (B-Rank) ]

Fast and highly intelligent pack hunters.

Possess regenerative abilities.

Weakness: Decapitation or complete body destruction.

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.

"This is more like it."

The wolves didn't rush in blindly.

Instead, they circled the battlefield, studying their opponents.

Jinhyuk raised his hand—and the Mist Stalkers instantly faded into the shadows.

He commanded the Cursed Knight to hold position.

This time, he wanted to see if he could coordinate his summons effectively.

---

A Coordinated Assault

One of the Bloodfang Direwolves lunged—

But before it could reach the Knight, a Mist Stalker intercepted, clamping its jaws onto its leg.

The Direwolf snarled, shaking violently—but that moment of hesitation was enough.

The Cursed Knight stepped in, its greatsword flashing.

SHUNK!

The wolf's head hit the ground, its body collapsing instantly.

Jinhyuk smirked.

"One down."

The second wolf realized the threat and charged toward Jinhyuk directly.

But that was a mistake.

Jinhyuk teleported behind it, extending a shadow spear from the ground.

The spear impaled the wolf mid-charge.

Before it could break free, the Cursed Knight delivered the final blow—

Severing its spine with a single downward slash.

---

Wave Three – The True Test

Jinhyuk barely had time to breathe before the final gate opened.

And this time… only one opponent emerged.

A hulking, armored figure stepped forward, standing nearly three meters tall.

Its entire body was encased in ornate, spiked armor, a massive war axe resting on its shoulder.

A system notification appeared.

---

[ Final Opponent: The Black Executioner (B+ Rank) ]

A warrior created purely for execution.

Absorbs damage and grows stronger in prolonged fights.

Weakness: Heavy, slow movements—attack its exposed joints.

---

Jinhyuk felt a familiar chill.

This thing was stronger than anything else in this arena.

And for the first time—

He decided to fight side by side with his summons.

"Knight. With me."

The Cursed Knight nodded, stepping to Jinhyuk's side.

Together, they charged into battle.