Limitless Summoner: Rise of the Soul God

Ethan took a deep breath and stared at the grimy cauldron. According to the newfound knowledge, burning the inside of the cauldron would clean it perfectly—better than washing with water.

Steeling himself, he set the cauldron on its side and cleared the area around it. With cautious determination, he focused on his mana, feeling the familiar warmth surge through him. Slowly, he summoned a controlled burst of flame, channeling it directly into the cauldron's interior.

Ethan watched intently as the fire licked away the stubborn ink and grime, leaving behind a glowing, clean surface. The fumes coming out were magically absorbed into a rune in the ceiling of the workspace.

He stared at the process with awe. Another thing for him to learn. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he focused intently, ensuring the flame stayed under control, and soon the cauldron was spotless.

With the fire dying down naturally, Ethan carefully returned the cauldron to its upright position. He wiped his sweaty palms on a rag and paused to admire his work—a clean, gleaming cauldron ready for a fresh batch of talisman ink.

"He He. Not bad." His smile became wider as he next used his water skill to fill the cauldron up with water. The once grimy vessel now shone with a clean, clear glow, and the gentle sound of water sloshing against its sides filled the quiet workspace.

He paused to take it all in and then glanced around at the clutter of ingredients—small jars of rare minerals, bundles of dried herbs, and a vial of glowing resin. Each item was a piece of the puzzle in creating the talisman ink.

With steady hands, Ethan uncorked the resin and dropped a precise amount into the water. As it mixed in, the liquid shimmered, swirling with colors that danced like fireflies.

Next, he measured out a pinch of finely ground minerals and a dash of dried herbs. Carefully stirring the mixture with a wooden spatula, he watched as the water transformed into a slowly glowing ink.

Then came the next batch of herbs. The instruction said to leave it like that for a couple of hours. The fresh herbs, with their soft rustling and delicate aroma, sank into the glowing ink, their essence slowly blending with the other ingredients.

With the ink bubbling gently and the colors swirling in the water, Ethan leaned back and took a seat. The quiet waiting period gave him a moment to reflect. He was not sure where, but he was finally headed somewhere.

He opened his system interface to take a look at his skills when suddenly he noticed an unopened notification waiting for him. Did he get it before when he was running away from all that mess?

He willed it to open, and the next instant, his eyes widened in shock.

[Ding! You have leveled up.]

[Ding! You have gained +5 free stat points.]

Huh? Ethan was confused. He was already at the threshold, and he was stuck there since he couldn't level his minions, so how could he have gained another level?

He looked closely at the details and then saw that his status screen now had two levels, level 25 and level 1, one level for each type of class.

Ethan froze for a moment as realization slowly dawned on him. Does this mean he was going to get double the stats? This was insane.

By the time he crossed level 25, he would be almost as strong as someone of level 35 or perhaps even level 40.

And this difference would only continue to grow. Especially since one of his classes was an SSS-rank class, the stat gain at the higher levels was going to be absolutely explosive.

Ethan's eyes flicked back to the cauldron, where the ink continued to bubble gently.

The steady, swirling colors reminded him of all the small victories he had achieved today—cleaning the cauldron with his fire skill, mastering the water magic, and now this unexpected level-up. It felt like a turning point.

With a deep breath, he reached for the interface controls. Carefully, he considered how to allocate his new stat points. Every point could mean more strength, more agility, or a sharper command of his magical talents.

After thinking about it for a while, he decided to dump the points in intelligence and wisdom.

He could always allocate the other points equally on all the remaining stats and keep the bonus points stacking onto intelligence and wisdom. This would increase his mana pool and help him get more control on mana.

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Closing the interface, he returned his gaze to the cauldron. The ink continued to bubble gently. The next two hours went by quickly and the ink was finally ready. The old hag verified his work after which he bottled up all the ink into the glass bottles.

He tried to use spirit magic to do it but five more stat points didn't make that much of a difference. He got tired pretty quickly and finished the rest with his hand. By the time he was done it was already late in the night.

Lia served him food and he was ready to collapse. However, he couldn't sleep because there was something weighing heavily on his mind. He came back down the stairs and entered the old hag's study room.

He looked at the dusty bookshelf and once again tried to read the titles on the book, except this time he could read. Not just read, he could also understand them.

He reached out and pulled one from the shelf. "Autobiography of Krissela, the water mage." He sat down in a worn leather chair and began reading intently. It was a detailed book talking about a lot of things including her early years.

The pages spoke of Krissela's early struggles with water magic: the countless hours of practice, the missteps that left her drenched and frustrated until she finally mastered the element. It talked about the epic battles she participated in wielding water as an indomitable weapon.

Ethan's eyes widened as he drank in everything greedily.