NOVEL WEB Chapter 119: Jester Spirits, Fifth Floor
Just like when Sam killed the [Rune Dragon] and unlocked the [Forsaken Spirits] skill, three crimson-colored spirits floated above the corpses of the jesters he had just slain.
Each one looked exactly like they had in life, masks and all.
Mirla, Vinn, and Grint, still in their haunting, twisted appearances, now stared blankly through their spectral forms.
Sam slowly stepped forward, eyes narrowing on them.
He already knew what this was.
[You have three slots to recruit spirits, and a single attempt, otherwise their spirits will disappear.]
Since the [Rune Dragon] was gone, Sam had exactly three open slots.
Everything lined up perfectly. No hesitation.
He walked straight toward Mirla's spirit first.
She was the most animated out of the three, her ghostly form twitching slightly, as if trying to resist whatever was coming.
But Sam didn't slow down.
He stopped in front of her, extended his hand, and spoke.
"Join me. We'll fight your master."
As his hand made contact with her spirit, a powerful jolt shot through his entire body.
A shockwave pulsed in all directions, making the very air vibrate around him.
It was just like what happened when he claimed the [Rune Dragon]'s spirit, but this one was stronger.
His body tensed. His soul felt pressure, like two wills clashing inside a storm.
Sam gritted his teeth.
'The more loyal they were in life, the harder it is to break them,' he realized.
Mirla's loyalty was absolute. Even in death, her spirit still tried to protect Jevil.
But Sam didn't care. He didn't even flinch.
Because the thought of bringing his own disciples to fight him, and having them fight Jevil to the death to grow stronger.... fueled him with determination.
His eyes burned with intensity.
"Your loyalty means nothing," he said in a low voice.
The moment he said it, he felt something inside Mirla shift.
Her resistance began to waver, just a bit.
A crack forming in her once-impenetrable loyalty.
That was all Sam needed.
He shoved his will through the crack like a blade, slamming it against hers over and over.
And then—
Ding!
[You have overpowered "Mirla, The Smiling Jester", and tamed her spirit.]
[Primordial Spirits: 1/3]
Sam grinned, eyes gleaming with quiet satisfaction as Mirla's spirit settled beside him.
He turned toward the next two.
Vinn and Grint didn't make it easy either, especially Grint.
His spirit felt like a wall with no door, completely silent, empty, and stubborn.
But Sam's determination had no equal. Not in this realm.
He didn't need to understand them.
He only needed to win. And after a few more grueling clashes of willpower—
Ding!
---
[You have overpowered "Vinn, The Weeping Jester" and tamed his spirit.]
[You have overpowered "Grint, The Blank Jester" and tamed his spirit.]
[Primordial Spirits: 3/3]
---
Just like that, all three jesters were his.
The system of [Primordial Spirits] was simple: you didn't ask them to serve.
You shattered their old beliefs, overpowered their resolve, and made them yours.
It was about willpower. And Sam had the strongest will in the entire realm.
No one could compare to his determination.
The best part about taming these spirits was that they didn't just retain their powers from before.
Under Sam's command, they would grow even stronger, boosted by his aura and the affinities he controlled..
With all three spirits bound, Sam turned toward the center of the floor and took a step.
But something made him stop.
He glanced at the [Forsaken Clone], who was still standing tall and unshaken.
Then, without much thought, Sam said, "Let's wait."
The clone nodded.
They both understood.
[Eternal Barrier] had a thirty-minute cooldown.
From the moment the first blow landed on it, it needed that full time to recover.
Sam already knew that barrier was the only reason he wasn't dead.
These beings were too strong to fight raw.
Without it, he'd be dust. Or at least... that's what logic said.
But honestly? Sam wasn't so sure anymore.
His barrier protected his body.
But his determination had started to feel like something real.
Sam had the feeling that even without the barrier, his determination would have found a way to push him enough to win.
He remembered how the others always spoke about the Primordials.
They never mentioned affinities. Never praised skills.
No... they talked about one thing only: "Determination."
It made Sam wonder.
Did the Primordials before him have the same class? The same affinities?
Did they also have [Primordial Evolution] to help them evolve all their skills?
And if they did... why did they all die?
They were more experienced. Stronger. Smarter.
So how? Why was he the only one of them alive?
That thought stayed with him.
It was a quiet warning: if all those before him still fell, then he couldn't afford even a single mistake.
Eventually, the thirty minutes passed.
Sam opened his eyes, calm and focused.
The clone smirked beside him.
Then—
Fwish!
He jumped into the glowing portal that had appeared, transporting him to the final floor.
The world around him shifted.
[You have entered the "Fifth Floor" of the "Rune Tower."]
[It is the "Final Floor."]
Sam's feet landed on stone.
He looked up, and grinned.
He was standing at the top of the tower, with bright blue skies stretching endlessly above.
The Rune Tower's peak shimmered like a crown, and wind whipped past his face.
This was it. The final trial.
If he cleared this floor, he wouldn't just clear the [Rune Tower].
He'd become the first human to ever complete the fifth layer.
He knew that, somewhere, others would be watching.
News of his feat would spread.
And even though Sam often worked alone, he knew that what he was doing might just give humanity the hope it needed.
The sky was clear, but the air felt heavy.
The pressure here was different, stronger.
This was the [Rune Tower] at full power.
Sam took a breath and looked at the floor's objective, expecting something absurd, something nearly impossible.
He wasn't wrong.
[Fifth Floor: Game Over, Primordial.]
"...Huh?"
SMASH!
Without warning, Sam's body was flung backward by an invisible force.
He didn't even have time to react.
SWASH!
His [Eternal Barrier] activated instantly, but even then, the impact left him stunned.
He was hurled straight through a stone wall at the edge of the tower's platform.
The fall was endless.
He couldn't even see the ground below.
Only clouds, light, and then, a figure.
Hovering at the edge of the tower's peak was a tall being.
A mask covered its face, half of it smiling, the other half weeping.
Sam's eyes widened.
'Jevil...'
Then, just as he recognized the figure, a strange voice echoed in his head, playful and mocking.
[Let us go to my domain, child~]
The masked figure laughed, waving its hands.
[I'll kill you before you can do anything else~]
Sam looked down, and saw a tear forming in the air beneath him.
A slice through reality itself. The void opened wide.
And then—
Fwish!
He fell through it.
Reality bent, space twisted, and suddenly, Sam was somewhere else.
He landed hard, grass beneath his feet, wind around him, and strange energy humming in the air.
"What the fuck just happened…" he muttered, pushing himself up.
He looked ahead, and groaned.
"You've got to be shitting me."
Because what stood in front of him was another tower.
But this one… it made the [Rune Tower] look like a toy.
The aura it gave off was crushing, at least ten times more powerful than anything he had felt before.
Then, just as expected, a panel appeared.
Ding!
[You have entered the Sub-Layer.]
[Fifth Sub-Layer: "The Jester Tower".]