Chapter 176: Summoning Card

The silence returned, more final this time. The threat had been eliminated.

The battlefield was littered with the scars of the confrontation—craters in the earth, the faint smell of scorched magic, and the lingering echo of energy that refused to dissipate. Rambo approached, the last traces of the blood bomb’s power still fading from his fingertips.

“That was close,” Ethan said, wiping blood from the edge of his sword.

“She was stronger than expected, not only were her talents incredibly powerful. Her experience…it was insane. Without the ability to control darkness and light, it would have b been impossible to fool her. Luckily, yin-yang saved me.”

…

<Devour>

Ethan approached the fallen Princess. Her ethereal beauty remained intact despite the devastating injuries that had ended their legendary encounter.

The process was activated with a familiar process as he devoured her High-Saint essence that exceeded all previous enhancements by substantial margins.

<You have evolved the talent Accuracy Enhancement (F+) → Archery (S-)>

<+700 Intelligence>

The evolutionary breakthrough from F+ grade accuracy to S- rank Archery represented a qualitative jump that redefined his combat entirely. He was now able to be just as lethal at long range compared to the short range.

“Seven hundred intelligence from High-Saint consumption,” Ethan observed with amazement as enhanced mental faculties activated throughout his consciousness.

His analytical capabilities had evolved beyond normal Saint-rank limitations while pattern recognition, tactical assessment, and magical comprehension reached higher levels.

The intelligence boost that came from the Princess was unlike anything he had experienced throughout his advancement.

Enhanced mana manipulation scanned her body with thoroughness that left no biological system unexplored, searching for the High-Saint core that should have contained massive attribute enhancement potential.

But the scan revealed disappointing results. No mana core existed within her ethereal physiology. He had expected it; however, humanoid creatures do not seem to have cores.

“No core present,” he noted with mild frustration. “Lost several hundred potential attributes, but advancement opportunities don’t always align with expectations.”

With nothing to be done about missing enhancement materials, he simply ignored the limitation while focusing on achievements that had been successfully completed through their devastating encounter.

[FLOOR 25 COMPLETE][RECORD BROKEN!][FIRST CLEARANCE IN HISTORY!][UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED]

The tower’s recognition systems blazed with intensity that exceeded all previous reward calculations. Floor twenty-five completion represented breakthrough that transcended established parameters while proving individual capability could surpass theoretical limitations through superior methodology.

[LEGENDARY MILESTONE ACHIEVED][REWARD CLASSIFICATION: TIER 9]

[You have gained a Summoning Card x1]

[Summoning Card – Elven Princess]

[Tier: 9]

[Details: Summons the defeated Elven Princess as a permanent combat companion. Once activated, she becomes bound to your service with full retention of High-Saint capabilities and S+ grade talents. The Princess can be manifested for combat support or stored within the card for convenient transport. No time limitations or usage restrictions apply. Complete loyalty and coordination guaranteed through magical binding.]

The card materialised as an artefact that pulsed with contained life force, its surface displaying the Princess’s image with perfect clarity.

“Tier 9 summoning card,” Ethan said with deep appreciation as he examined the legendary reward. “Permanent High-Saint companion with dual S-rank talents. I’ve just gotten more powerful.”

The implications were staggering. Partnership with someone whose capabilities had nearly defeated him, now bound to his service through magical compulsion that guaranteed absolute loyalty.

“High-Saint Archery and Elemental Manipulation added to our combat potential,” he continued while processing tactical applications. “The Princess’s legendary capabilities now complement rather than oppose our advancement.”

Rambo chirped with obvious interest from his perch.

The card suggested combat effectiveness that would make higher tower floors more manageable.

“Twenty-five floors completed with unprecedented victory,” Ethan announced with satisfaction that transcended simple achievement recognition. “First clearance in tower history while gaining permanent High-Saint companion.”

…

With Floor Twenty-Five behind him, Ethan wasn’t about to stop now.

The thrill of victory hadn’t faded. If anything, it had intensified.

He stepped forward, ascending to Floor Twenty-Six—his senses sharpened, his mana stabilised, and his new powers still fresh and humming beneath his skin.

A gust of heat greeted him. Molten cracks split the floor beneath his boots. Columns of obsidian jutted upward like broken teeth, and a haze of steam drifted across the field. The scent of scorched stone and brimstone filled the air.

A new challenge awaited.

[Welcome to Floor 26]

[Enemies Detected: High-Saint Minotaur (Titanium Skin – S+), Low-Saint Salamander x2 (Flame Manipulation – S-)]

He read the floor prompt in a glance and smirked.

“This won’t take long.”

The leap in difficulty was barely noticeable after the High-Saint Elven Princess. A single tanky minotaur accompanied by two lower-ranked lava salamanders? Nothing his new lineup couldn’t handle.

Without hesitation, he activated the summoning card.

A silver glow pulsed in his hand, and reality twisted slightly as if the air itself acknowledged the weight of power being called.

From the light, the Elven Princess stepped forth—elegant, composed, and already battle-ready. Her flowing hair shimmered like starlight, and her bow radiated magic. Her eyes, once wild with defiance, now reflected only calm, focused loyalty.

“Master,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “Awaiting orders.”

“Stay on the Minotaur,” Ethan commanded. “We’ll handle the salamanders.”

At his side, Rambo, the Blood Monarch Dragon, snarled with anticipation, his scales glittering. He cracked his neck and spread his wings slightly.

The battle began the moment they stepped forward.

The two salamanders launched streams of molten fire from their maws, bathing the arena in blazing arcs. The temperature spiked, but Ethan and Rambo didn’t flinch. Fire immunity had long been baked into their build.

Ethan blinked forward, his body trailing streaks of darkness and light. He reappeared behind the first salamander, his blade singing as it sliced cleanly through its spine. The creature howled, lava spilling like blood, but the fight was over before it began.

Rambo pounced on the second, his jaws clamping around its neck and crushing it in one swift motion. The lava beast struggled for half a second before dissolving into ash.

Two seconds. Two kills.

They turned to the real fight.

The Minotaur stood like a wall of armour. Eight feet tall, plated from horn to hoof in gleaming titanium-like flesh. His talent—Titanium Skin (S+)—rendered him nearly impervious to physical damage. Even low-level saint attacks would barely scratch him.

The Elven Princess stood away gracefully, her bow flashing with arrows. The arrows struck the minotaur with fail, unleashing Elemental Manipulation—ice arrows to slow his movement, earth arrows to disrupt his footing, wind arrows to chip away at weak joints.

None of it pierced deep. The Minotaur roared, swinging his warhammer with tremendous force. She danced away effortlessly, her agility allowing her to evade even the most brutal of strikes.

“His defence is ridiculous,” Ethan muttered, watching carefully. “One S+ talent, but he’s using it well.”

Ethan moved in, blades cloaked in Yin-Yang synergy, the twin energies weaving around his weapon like living serpents. His strikes targeted the Minotaur’s pressure points—knees, elbows, neck joints—anywhere the armor bent or folded.

But even then, the Titanium Skin talent regenerated microscopic damage before any meaningful penetration could occur.

The Minotaur bellowed and slammed his hammer down. The ground cracked in a hundred places, sending both Ethan and the Princess flying backward.

Ethan flipped mid-air, landing in a crouch. “We need to isolate him.”

“On it,” the Princess replied.

She whispered a spell, and a shimmering barrier dome encased the Minotaur, limiting his space to manoeuvre.

Ethan closed his eyes. He extended his senses—light and dark—drawing in every trace of mana around the arena. The Minotaur had no ranged attacks. His strategy was simple: outlast, overpower, survive. And against most enemies, that would work.

But Ethan wasn’t part of most enemies.

“Rambo, flood the arena with blood mist.”

The dragon roared, and his scales pulsed. From his mouth, he exhaled a dense crimson fog, thick with parasitic mana and corrosive energy. It engulfed the dome.

Inside, the Minotaur roared—unable to see, his regeneration slowing as the blood mist ate away at his magical resistance.

“Now!” Ethan dashed forward, leaping through the mist.

The Elven Princess followed suit, her bow channelling amplifier,d piercing magic. Together, they launched a synchronised strike.

Ethan’s blade struck the Minotaur’s ribs just as the Princess’s arrows shattered the surrounding air pressure. A narrow gap formed—tiny, but enough. His sword plunged in, bypassing the armour through sheer technique and precise energy control.

The Minotaur let out a deep, wounded growl, staggered for the first time.

“Good hit,” Ethan muttered. “But not enough.”

The beast retaliated. With a mighty stomp, he triggered a localized quake, and fragments of stone shot upward like spears.

The Princess blocked one with a shield of wind. Ethan was grazed across the cheek but barely flinched. Rambo pounced from behind, aiming for the Minotaur’s exposed back.

But Titanium Skin protected his spine like a fortress.

Rambo’s teeth didn’t penetrate, but they distracted.

Enough for Ethan to blink above the Minotaur and plunge his blade downward, this time using pure yin energy.

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