《The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion》
Chapter 1 - 01: Enter Apocalypse - 1
Chapter 1: Chapter 01: Enter Apocalypse - 1
It was just another typically unfortunate day in Damian''s life.
He followed his usual hated routine: waking up in his one-bedroom apartment and ncing around the cramped, congested room before letting out a deep sigh.
The apartment was minuscule, no more than an eight-by-eight room.
Hey on the hard floor, with only a thin sheet between him and the cold surface.
A small table fan spun noisily beside him, emitting an irritating dddrrrrr sound as its stic des scraped against one another.
On the other side of the room, a mountain of unwashed clothes towered in a corner.
Though Damian was a rtively clean person, the apartmentplex allowed its tenants to use themunal washing machine only once every two weeks.
Worse, he didn''t have any enclosed space to store the smelly, unwashed clothes.
So, he had no choice but to keep them in the open.
Even though he''d tied them up in aundry bag he''d purchased, the pungent odor still filled the air, rendering the small room almost uninhabitable.
Suddenly, Damian''s blue pupils dted, and he began coughing violently.
The fitsted for a minute, and even after it subsided, a burning sensation lingered in his chest.
"I just have to endure a little longer," he muttered to himself.
As if mocking his resolve, the room was soon filled with the eerie sounds of creaking and groaning, caused by a small tremor that shook thend beneath his feet.
Damian closed his eyes and waited for the tremor to pass.
It wasn''t the first time he''d experienced something like this.
After a few minutes, the shaking subsided.
The power, however, didn''t return.
The room grew stiflingly hot in the absence of the fan.
Damian sighed and turned to look out the dirty and blurry window.
For the past week and a half, the weather had been nothing short of chaotic.
A few minutes ago, the sun had zed fiercely overhead, sending relentless waves of heat through the city.
The scorching temperatures had even sparked multiple forest fires in the surrounding areas.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
But after the tremor, the oppressive heat seemed to vanish.
In its ce, dark, raging storm clouds rolled across the sky, their shadows broken by shes of lightning that illuminated the city below.
Gusts of intense, icy wind rattled the windows.
The abrupt shift from blistering heat to bone-chilling cold took mere minutes.
"I guess it really is the end of the world," Damian muttered.
The thought didn''t sadden him; after all, he was already dying.
Damian was a twenty-year-old orphan, raised in an orphanage until the age of fourteen when he was sent out to fend for himself.
Now, he lived a lonely and impoverished life, resigned to his fate.
After being left to fend for himself, he did whatever he could to survive, taking up hourly wage jobs.
Though the pay was meager, it was just enough to afford him three meals a day.
Back then, he lived under bridges or at bus stops, anywhere the rain couldn''t reach him.
Life was harsh.
With his abnormally weak body, he couldn''t hold down a job for long.
Constantly changing jobs, he was forced to skip from one town to another.
When he turned sixteen, he met a man who was willing to take him in.
The man taught him simple typing skills and gave him a basic-level job as a novel editor.
The pay was enough to rent a small, low-cost studio apartment, allowing him to live a slightly better life.
Things were going much better than before.
He would wake up, go to work for about 13 hours, return home, buy something from the supermarket to eat, and sleep.
This monotonous but secure life continued, until it didn''t.
At eighteen, he was diagnosed with advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a progressive lung disease that causes airflow obstruction.
He also learned that there was no cure for the disease, and even the treatments to slow its progression were far too expensive for someone like him.
He didn''t even attempt the treatments and simply resigned himself to his fate.
Over the next two years, the disease worsened, causing chest pain even during simple breaths.
As if his life wasn''t tragic enough, strange phenomena began urring across the globe about a week and a half ago.
It started with erratic weather patterns, with intense rains apanied by dangerous lightning storms, followed by scorching heat waves.
Then came earthquakes in random locations, sowing turmoil and destruction.
Natural disasters seemed to strike one after another: hurricanes,ndslides, volcanic eruptions, floods, and even meteors falling unpredictably from the sky.
The government offered various exnations for the chaos, such as maic pole reversal, crustal discement, pr wander, and tectonic te movements, but it was clear they had no fucking idea what was really happening.
They had no real idea what was causing these apocalyptic events.
Spections ran rampant among the public.
Some dered it the end of the world, others spoke of Armageddon or even divine retribution.
Damian, however, didn''t care about such things.
Whether the world ended or not, he had to work to afford his next meal.
No matter how destructive the environment became, those who needed to work kept working.
Only the rich had the luxury of staying safe at home.
If Damian didn''t pay his rent for the uing month, he''d be evicted.
Homeless once again, he''d have to face the full brunt of the unnatural changes in the environment.
Not to mention, he had to earn money to buy medication to help him sleep through the pain and cope with the constantly changing temperatures.
And so, he did what he always did.
After staring out of his window for a few minutes, he got ready, grabbed his umbre, and headed to the office.
It might have been because his luck had already maxed out, but the ce where he lived didn''t get affected by the strange phenomena too much, so his day-to-day life wasn''t interrupted all that often.
After twenty-five minutes of walking through the rain pouring down the streets, he reached the office, but his expression quickly turned sour.
Chapter 2 - 02: Enter Apocalypse - 2
Chapter 2: Chapter 02: Enter Apocalypse - 2
Damian arrived at the office, but an unsettling feeling gnawed at him.
Something was undeniably wrong, though he couldn''t pinpoint what it was.
"What is this feeling...? Is it the air? No, it''s something different," Damian muttered, ncing around uneasily.
The rain had stopped pouring, but the dark clouds lingered ominously, heavy and unmoving.
The streets remained empty, as people hadn''t yet ventured out after the downpour.
On the surface, everything seemed normal, but Damian could feel it on his skin.
Something was off... or perhaps, strangely, something was very right?
"Maybe I''m imagining things because of all the medications I''ve been taking," Damian said, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts.
"Someone, please help... help!"
Just as he was about to step into the office, a woman''s scream pierced the quiet.
Snapping his head in the direction of the voice, Damian saw a woman standing in front of the burger shop beside his office.
She was holding onto a man, likely her boyfriend, whoy on the ground, convulsing violently as though in the throes of a severe seizure.
"Help... somebody help!" the woman cried, clutching the man tightly.
"I would help, but I''m in no condition to assist anyone..." Damian muttered to himself, sighing deeply.
He couldn''t even call for help due to the strange phenomenon that had gripped the world over the past week and a half, rendering all forms of wirelessmunication useless.
Damian, with his frail body and limited strength, felt powerless to act.
Then, that unsettling sensation from earlier returned, creeping over him.
It was as though the very air around him shifted.
A cold wind rushed past him, followed closely by a warm breeze.
His heartbeat quickened for a few moments, erratic and intense.
And then, to his utter shock, a blue, transparent prompt appeared before his eyes.
[An unawakened sr system with a viable star ands has been identified in the Milky Way gxy in Sector Omega-8.]
[Locating lifeforms capable of awakening evolutionary traits...]
[Twos housing lifeforms with evolutionary traits have been found.]
[Registering the sr system with its star, referred to as ''Sun'' by the inhabitants, into the database.]
[Arousing thes in this sr system to release otherworldly essences into the atmosphere simultaneously...]
Damian stared at the series of messages disyed in the system prompt, his expression a mix of shock, confusion, and fear.
At that moment, he noticed waves of transparent energies of various colors such as purple, red, ck, gold, yellow, green, and all remaining colors emanating from the ground like a mist rising from the Earth.
The gaseous energies surged upward like a vast sea, reaching the highest point in the sky before disappearing as though they had never been there.
But their effects were far from inconsequential.
These gas-like energies blended seamlessly into the atmosphere and began seeping into the skin of every living being on Earth and another red within the sr system.
Damian felt a strange sensation ripple through his body, a mix of cold and heat spreading simultaneously.
It wasn''t exactly ufortable, but it didn''t feel pleasant either.
It was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Concurrently, Damian felt an intense tremor as if an earthquake had suddenly struck the city.
The ground beneath him quaked violently, forcing him to abandon his thoughts about the strange phenomenon he had just experienced.
"What is happening?"
"It''s an earthquake!"
"I''m going to d-die"
Damian could hear the panicked voices of people around him, but he was in no position to focus on their distress.
He had to prioritize his own survival.
Without hesitation, he darted away from the office building. Instead of entering, he ran toward an open space, away from vehicles and buildings that could copse during the quake.
Finding a clear area, Damian sat down cross-legged, clutching his head and covering his ears.
The cacophony of screams and the rumbling of the earth felt unbearable.
He gritted his teeth, trembling with fear for his life as the quake rattled his body and soul.
When the shaking finally ceased, Damian opened his eyes, only to be struck by a new wave of shock and disbelief.
"What... what is that?"
Before him stood an enormous cylindrical tower, rising ominously into the sky at the center of the city, and the sky turned darker.
"What the hell is that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the murmurs and cries of the crowd.
"What is that thing?"
The terrified murmurs of the people nearby mirrored his own thoughts.
Everyone stared at the colossal tower that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
It stood silently, menacingly, with no apanying sound or explosion save for the earthquake that had preceded it.
And it wasn''t just the city Damian lived.
Simr ancient, cylindrical towers had materialized every hundred kilometers across the world, appearing onnd, sea, and even remote wildernesses.
At that moment, every single person across the five oceans, seven continents, and 195 countries was united in confusion and terror, all staring at these mysterious towers.
As the panic reached its peak, a series of iprehensible messages appeared in everyone''s field of vision, delivered by an unknown entity calling itself The System:
[The System has arrived on your habitable, known as ''Earth,'' and has forced its inhabitants to undergo metamorphosis. You have gained the right to evolve.]
[In five seconds, monsters from countless realms will invade Earth.]
[Remaining Time: 5 seconds.]
[Kill monsters, and you might survive.]
[Remaining Time: 4 seconds.]
[You can now view your attributes, talents, abilities, and skills by simply thinking about them.]
[Remaining Time: 3 seconds.]
"Monsters?"
"Is this some kind of sick joke?"
The people of Earth were overwhelmed with stress and disbelief, unable to fullyprehend or ept the horrifying reality unfolding before them.
[Remaining Time: 2 seconds.]
Damian''s breathing quickened as the pain in his chest grew sharper due to his heavy breathing.
Panic wed at his mind, and his instincts screamed at him that an unimaginable danger was about to descend.
"The System?" he murmured.
Although he had never encountered anything like this before, an inexplicable sense of familiarity stirred within him.
[Remaining Time: 1 second.]
"W-What is that?" a man beside Damian stammered, pointing toward the road.
Damian followed the man''s gaze and saw a massive green ring, glowing with sparks, materializing out of thin air.
It resembled something out of a science fiction movie, a portal pulsating ominously with energy.
"This... this isn''t good," Damian muttered.
[Remaining Time: 0 seconds.]
[Monster invasion has begun. Good luck.]
Damian''s face turned ashen as he noticed the man who had been convulsing with seizures earlier now standing unnaturally still.
The man''s skin had turned a dark, blood-red hue, his nails elongated into deadly ws, and his eyes were pitch ck, bleeding at the edges.
An inhuman expression had twisted his once-human features.
Gggrrr
A low growl emanated from the man.
But the terror didn''t end there.
From the portal, monstrous beasts resembling wolves on two legs emerged, their enormous yellow teeth gleaming, and their sharp ws glinting menacingly.
They growled and snapped, surveying Damian and the people nearby with predatory hunger, as if deciding which prey to pounce on first.
Beside the demon-looking man, a woman sobbed uncontrobly.
She had been holding her boyfriend earlier, the same man who had now transformed into something monstrous.
Tears streamed down her bloodshot eyes as she reached out, attempting to touch him, a decision that sealed her fate.
Without warning, the transformed man lunged forward, sinking his jagged teeth into her neck and ripping away a massive chunk of flesh.
Blood spurted violently as he swallowed the flesh in one grotesque gulp.
The woman crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Or so it seemed.
Momentster, the woman''s body convulsed.
Her limbs twisted unnaturally, and she began to transform, her skin darkening, her nails elongating, and her eyes turning ck.
She, too, had be a monster.
The horror that followed could only be described as a massacre.
All over the world, chaos erupted.
On one side, Humans and animals transformed into grotesque beings, attacking those around them.
On the other side, beasts of unimaginable savagery and Indescribable horrors poured from the portals known as Gates, indiscriminately ughtering everything in their path.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
Earth, as humanity had known it, was no more.
Chapter 3 - 03: The Realization - 1
Chapter 3: Chapter 03: The Realization - 1
Three years had passed since the arrival of the mysterious entity known as "The System" on the called Earth.
Damian sat at a bus stop in front of a very expensive-looking building, looking extremely ill.
His skin was pale, and his gaunt frame hinted at weeks of malnutrition as if he hadn''t eaten in days.
Damian sighed, his voiceced with bitterness.
"I guess it''s only natural they''d fire me. After all, I might drop dead any day now." Damian muttered before looking at his stats.
________________________________
[Awakner: Damian Ignatius]
[level: 12]
[Job: None]
[Titles: None]
[Talents: None]
[Innate Abilities: None]
[Strength: 9 ¨U Agility: 9 ¨U Vitality: 7 ¨U
Stamina: 7 ¨U Perception: 15 ¨U Stat Points: 0]
[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Archery]
________________________________
It all started when the System descended, it unleashed mystical energies into Earth''s atmosphere, triggering a metamorphosis across all living things.
Animals, birds, insects, and even nts began to mutate in unprecedented ways.
Humans, however, didn''t mutate.
Instead, they experienced something far more remarkable.
They evolved, or more urately, a dormant trait awakened within them, enabling the possibility of Evolution.
People came to call the day the System descended "The Day of Awakening."
On that day, the world was drenched in blood.
Beasts and monsters, some so alien they defied naming, rampaged across the globe, ughtering countless lives.
Even some humans transformed into monstrous beings themselves, known as Corruptants.
The System ssified these as individuals unable to withstand the metamorphosis.
Damian was one of the fortunate ones who survived the metamorphosis, but to him, it was nothing to celebrate.
Those who withstood the metamorphosis gained incredible strength, leveling up by hunting Corruptants and the monsters that emerged from otherworldly portals.
With each kill, they grew stronger, acquiring supernatural abilities, skills, and talents that evolved alongside their levels.
Empowered by the System, humanity gradually regained the upper hand, driving back the monsters.
Yet, even after monsters ceased to emerge from the portals, humanity''s challenges were far from over.
That''s when humanity turned its attention to the Towers.
The Tower was a gateway to countless realms scattered across the universe, brimming with opportunities for evolution.
Within its depths, humans could evolve to unimaginable heights and even change their very race.
Once a person reached a certain level and awakened their ss, they could freely enter and exit the Tower.
But none of this mattered to Damian.
Despite surviving the metamorphosis, he never awakened a talent.
No matter how much effort he poured into leveling up, he had teaued at Level 12.
With no talent to speak of, he was no match for the beasts, Corruptants, or other Awakeners.
It took humanity a year and a half to eradicate the monsters infesting cities and settlements.
Afterward, an organization called the Awakener''s Society was established to regte and monitor Awakeners, ensuring they didn''t misuse their newfound powers.
The society also aimed to protect low-level Awakeners and the talentless, people like Damian.
But protection? Damian scoffed at the idea.
In truth, the talentless were nothing but liabilities.
To those with power, they were an unnecessary burden, extra weight to be carried simply because they were human.
In this new world ruled by thew of the jungle, survival of the fittest, there was no ce for the weak.
At the very least, the Awakener''s Society was considerate enough to offer jobs to low-level Awakeners.
That was how Damian ended up working for the Society, tasked with recording data about the System, Awakeners, monsters, Corruptants, gates, talents, skills, abilities, and evolutions collected from those who climbed the Tower.
Yet, Damian''s sickness had worsened.
Even these simple tasks, reading and typing, became insurmountable.
He was eventually fired.
After all, there were plenty of healthier, more capable individuals to rece him.
"If only I had talent," Damian muttered, his voice trembling with frustration, "I could have grown stronger and cured my sickness."
His gaze drifted to the dark, ancient Tower piercing the night sky at the heart of the city.
His expression soured.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Fuck this," he spat bitterly. "There''s no use worrying about what could''ve been. It''s not like I asked to be born talentless or to have this sickness ruining my life."
Damian clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening with suppressed rage.
"Now what do I do?" he whispered. "I have no money left. I spent everything on pain medication. I''ve lost my job, and no one''s going to hire a weak bastard like me."
He sighed, his voice barely audible.
"Do I have no choice but to wait for death? At this rate, I''ll die of hunger long before this sickness kills me."
Damian suddenly felt an ominous sensation near him.
Before he could fully grasp what was happening, a strange, shimmering portal began to form, the air around it thick with condensed mana.
A red gate appeared, its light casting eerie shadows around him.
"A-A red gate? Here of all ces? Seriously?" Damian muttered, a mix of frustration and dread washing over him. "I guess my luck was already maxed out just surviving until now."
He barely had a moment to consider his next move before a horrifying figure emerged from the gate.
A grotesque monster, its body adorned with writhing tentacles and three ghastly heads, lumbered forward.
Its six vertical, glowing yellow eyes fixed on him, each gaze more chilling than thest.
Standing at an imposing thirteen feet, the creature exuded an aura of pure terror.
"This... this can''t be real," Damian stammered, his throat dry, his legs refusing to move no matter how desperately he willed them.
He was frozen in ce, staring helplessly as the abomination advanced.
"I''m going to die," he thought grimly.
With trembling hands, he pulled out the small knife he carried for protection.
It felt pitifully inadequate in the face of the monstrosity before him, but it was all he had.
Mustered by sheer survival instinct, Damian forced himself to lunge toward the red emergency button on the wall of the bus stop.
His hand mmed against it, and a piercing siren immediately red through the streets, echoing endlessly to alert the authorities of the gate''s sudden appearance.
"High-level Awakeners will arrive in two minutes," he thought desperately, his pulse pounding in his ears.
"I have to run as fast as I can."
But before he could take a single step, a massive tentacle mmed into the bus stop with devastating force.
BOOM!
The impact obliterated the structure, sending Damian hurtling across the road.
His body skidded and rolled, finallying to a painful stop on the cold asphalt.
"Ugh..." He coughed, blood spilling from his mouth.
His hand instinctively clutched his ribs as pain radiated through his entire body.
"I... I have to run," Damian thought, his vision blurring.
His will to live burned fiercely, but his body refused to obey.
He couldn''t stand, couldn''t even crawl.
It was a miracle that he was still in one piece.
If he hadn''t been a Level 12 Awakener, the impact would have reduced him to a pool of blood.
Even so, his current state was dire.
"Come on... stand up," Damian whispered through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse with desperation.
Summoning every ounce of strength he had left, he forced himself onto his feet.
But the monster was already closing the distance, its massive tentacle poised to strike again.
Just as the tentacle was about to snatch his broken body, a giant ball of fire streaked through the air, crashing into the creature with a deafening explosion.
The impact sted both Damian and the monster in opposite directions, leaving him sprawled further away.
"It''s a red gate?" a man d in armor appeared, wielding a massive longsword with practiced ease.
"It''s been a while since we''ve seen a red-grade gate," a woman in a flowing robe replied.
Without hesitation, she conjured another enormous fireball and hurled it at the monster, incinerating one of its tentacles in a fiery st.
However, within seconds, the tentacle began to regenerate, reforming before their eyes.
"It can regenerate... This might be a problem," the woman said grimly.
Her gaze shifted briefly, and she noticed Damian lying on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.
He was barely clinging to consciousness.
"There''s a low-level Awakener caught in the crossfire. We need to get him medical attention immediately," she said, her voiceced with urgency.
"He must have been the one to notify the officials about the gate," the man remarked, sparing Damian a brief nce. His face twisted into a snort of disdain.
"He''s just a low-level Awakener. We can''t afford to spare any time. The monster takes priority," he said firmly, cutting off any protests.
"But he¡ª"
"No!" the man barked. "Not until reinforcements arrive. We need to hold the line."
The woman hesitated, clearly torn, but eventually nodded.
"I''m sorry," she whispered under her breath, her expression heavy with guilt.
She turned her focus back to the battle,unching a relentless barrage of spells at the monstrous creature to keep it at bay.
Chapter 4 - 04: The Realization - 2
Chapter 4: Chapter 04: The Realization - 2
"I''m sorry," she whispered under her breath, her expression heavy with guilt.
She turned her focus back to the battle,unching a relentless barrage of spells at the monstrous creature to keep it at bay.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
Damian might have been in a vegetative state, but he could clearly hear the woman in the robe speak.
"She''s sorry, huh? What a joke," Damian murmured, a faint smile curling his blood-covered lips, revealing crimson-stained teeth.
Other than his face, he couldn''t feel anything.
That was when he realized his end hade.
He was finally dying for good.
"I don''t me her or the man. It''s to be expected. There was no merit in saving a half-cripple like me," Damian thought as he felt his throat grow dry.
The sensations in his head were fading, just like the rest of him.
His ears rang with a relentless Zzzzzzz... sound, drowning out the battle''s echoes in the background.
Damian couldn''t think straight.
He didn''t even fully understand what was happening right now, except for the certainty that his heart would stop at any moment.
"At least I was able to alert the officials as soon as the red gate appeared before dying..."
Damian reflected as the pain in his broken bones, his sick lungs, his cracked skull, and the burning in his nerves all began to fade.
He felt nothing now. He felt... peace.
"Peace?"
Tears formed in his blood-soaked eyes, the red streaking down his face, mixing with the tears to leave crimson trails.
"This is not peace... death is not peace," Damian''s partially functioning braintched onto this thought, repeating it over and over.
He had been an orphan, abandoned by the parents who birthed him, and left at an orphanage when he was only five years old.
It frustrated him even more that he couldn''t remember anything before joining the orphanage.
He had lived the life of a poor, sickly man, never finding true happiness or fulfillment.
He had never treated himself to a delicious meal, nor made a worthwhile friend.
He had been looked down upon, discriminated against, and trampled upon, all the way to the bitter end of his life.
Even when a miraculous gift to humanity appeared, the entity called the system, Damian remained powerless, for he had not awakened any talent or ability.
He could have cured his sickness by leveling up, but he had been far too weak to even hunt monsters.
He didn''t me anyone but himself for the life he had.
It was his fault for not awakening any ability or talent.
It was his fault for getting sick.
It was his fault for not trying harder.
Even now, he didn''t me the high-level Awakeners for not providing him medical assistance. Why would they?
He was a weak, frail, sick man, useless, a liability, an unnecessary burden.
Even though, in reality, he couldn''t have known that these things would happen to him, he needed someone... someone to me.
He didn''t me others because he knew they didn''t do this to him... It was Fate.
Fate did this to him.
But Fate didn''t have a physical form, so he had no choice but to me himself for everything that happened.
Damian had countless regrets, but the most significant one was this: not truly living.
Only a few seconds remained before Damian''s heart would stoppletely.
He had already lost consciousness, his body devoid of life, with his heart making a desperate, final effort to pump blood.
But even that was fading, and it was only a matter of seconds before it, too, would give out.
Nearby, the fierce battle raged on.
Dozens of high-level awakeners shed with monstrous, tentacled creatures, theirbat shaking the earth with every exchange.
Overhead, a helicopter hovered, its des slicing the air as a cameraman filmed the chaos, broadcasting the event live to the world.
The cameraman didn''t bother to nce at the lifeless body lying in the dirt near the battle''s epicenter.
And then, everything stopped.
The battle halted mid-swing.
The awakeners froze, their weapons mid-strike.
The monstrous creatures paused, their writhing limbs suspended in eerie stillness.
The helicopter''s des ceased spinning.
The winds fell silent, the clouds hung immobile, and even the turning of the earth ground to a halt.
Time itself froze.
A crack appeared in the sky, fracturing space like a fragile ss pane.
The jagged fracture spread rapidly before shattering into a million pieces, each disintegrating into nothingness.
From the void left behind, a woman appeared.
She was a vision of power and grace.
Her glowing blue eyes radiated an ethereal light, and her long, flowing hair gleamed like the pale white moon against the night sky.
d in a regal white dress that covered herpletely from neck to toe, she seemed untouchable, yet her presence carried a profound sorrow.
From hundreds of meters above, her glowing eyes immediately locked onto the boy''s lifeless body on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, she was there.
Unperturbed by the frozen battle, she knelt beside him.
Gently, she lifted his bloodied head and ced it on herp, her pristine white dress stained with crimson.
She didn''t care.
cing her hand over his chest, she closed her eyes, listening intently to the faint, slowing rhythm of his heart.
"Forgive me, my beloved," she whispered, her voice trembling with restrained fury. "I should have realized they would do something like this to your soul behind my back."
Her expression twisted with anger.
"How dare they seal your talents, your bloodlines, your capabilities, your abilities? How dare they act against you? I will show them the true meaning of hell when I return."
She took a deep, shaky breath, her face softening into one of profound sadness.
Tears welled in her glowing eyes and slipped down her cheeks as she gazed at the boy.
"I can only imagine the hardships you must have endured," she murmured, caressing his pale, blood-streaked cheeks. "I don''t want you to suffer anymore, but for what muste, this has to happen."
She leaned closer, her finger glowing faintly with light as she traced it along his cheek.
"I will unseal all of your capabilities, talents and abilities locked within your soul."
The light flickered, traveling from her hand to his chest, seeping into his heart, which, strangely, continued its faint rhythm despite the frozen world around them.
Raising her other hand, she summoned a blue, transparent object shaped like a prism.
It materialized out of thin air, floating gently above her palm.
"The Time Lords would freak out if they knew I brought this for you... well, it''s not like they can do anything to me or you," the woman snorted.
She brought it closer, letting it hover just above his lifeless body.
The prism began to spin horizontally, emitting a soft hum.
"I should havee sooner," she whispered, her voice tinged with regret.
"The seal on your soul masked your presence, but it also hid you from them. Because of that, they didn''t find you and kill your soul before you rise again. It seems even fate cannot change your destiny."
As the prism''s rotation grew faster, sparks of energy crackled around it, lighting up the frozen battlefield.
"I will send your divine soul back to the day the system descended upon this mortal world," she said, her tears flowing freely now.
The prism spun faster and faster, generating a vast surge of energy.
Lightning-like arcs erupted from it, and then, with a final burst, it disintegrated into pure energy, which surged into the boy''s body, making him glow with an intense, radiant light.
"Strength without struggle will notst, nor will it be enough."
"Grow stronger," the woman said, her voice steady and filled with determination.
"Grow stronger and kill anything and anyone who stands in your way on your path to invincibility."
"Be the absolute best at everything. Make every being, every race, every existence kneel before you."
"Grow strong... strong enough to dominate even the system itself."
She smiled softly as she watched the boy''s soul begin to separate from his body, glowing faintly as it ascended.
"I will always be with you," she whispered as his soul drifted away.
Chapter 5 - 05: The Lost Returns - 1
Chapter 5: Chapter 05: The Lost Returns - 1
Have you ever experienced a dream where you are falling from a great height into a dark hole so deep you couldn''t see the bottom?
You keep expecting to hit the ground at any moment, but you don''t.
Instead, you just keep falling until, when you least expect it, you finally hit the ground.
This was exactly how Damian was dreaming at that moment.
Except, there was a key difference.
He wasn''t falling into a dark hole; instead, he was rising, soaring into a sky painted in endless darkness.
Damian could move his eyes, but the rest of his body felt frozen, numb as if it no longer existed.
It was as though his physical body had vanished entirely.
The speed of his ascent grew faster and faster.
In the distance, his vision caught a tiny white dot, flickering against the vast void.
As he rose, the white dot grewrger andrger, expanding continuously until, in a blinding moment, his body collided with it.
"Argh!" Damian gasped, jolting awake.
His eyes were watery, his chest and back drenched in sweat.
The annoying sound of stic rustling against itself grated on his ears, making his head throb.
"Damn it, my ears are killing me," Damian muttered as his vision began to clear.
Looking around, he froze, confusion clouding his mind.
"Isn''t this the ce I lived three years ago before the Day of Awakening? How did I get here? Why does it look exactly the same after three years? Didn''t this entire area get destroyed by the monsters?" Damian''s thoughts raced, a storm of disbelief brewing in his mind.
"More importantly, how am I alive? Did those high-ranked Awakeners actually save me after defeating the red-gate monsters? Then why am I here instead of in a hospital? And where are my wounds?"
He vaguely remembered the horrifying scene of the tentacle monster attacking him, shattering what felt like most of his bones.
He knew healing potions wouldn''t have worked on him because hecked any magical affinities.
Consumable magical remedies simply wouldn''t activate within his body.
"Something is very wrong... Everything feels different," Damian murmured, a growing unease settling into his gut.
Suddenly, a faint tremor shook the ground.
The studio apartment around him shuddered slightly, the objects inside vibrating softly.
Damian didn''t feel fear.
He had experienced far worse.
Instead, he felt confusion mingled with an inexplicable wave of nostalgia that struck him like a blow to the face.
"This... this isn''t right," he whispered, his expression twisting into a grimace as an unbelievable thought crept into his mind.
But he refused to entertain it; it was far too absurd.
"Status," Damian muttered, hoping for the system interface to appear.
But to his dismay, nothing happened.
"This cannot be happening... There has to be a mistake," he said, panic rising in his chest.
He quickly got up, only to realize that his chronic chest pain had returned, a familiar ache from years before.
He grabbed the calendar hanging on the wall and looked at the clock beside it.
And that''s when the realization struck him like lightning.
He had regressed.
Back to three years ago.
Just an hour before the system descended upon Earth.
"Wait, how is this possible? No matter how many unimaginable phenomena emerged from the system and the tower, there was never anything rted to time travel or regression," Damian muttered to himself, disbelief etched across his face.
He would know, he had worked for the organization that oversaw everything connected to awakeners, the towers, and the system.
He had been directly involved in the team responsible for recording such phenomena in the database.
"Maybe it''s not regression that I''m experiencing. Maybe... everything from the day of the awakening to the day the red gate appeared was all just a dream," Damian spected, though he quickly shook his head to dismiss the thought.
"No, that can''t be right. If it was just a dream, then how do I exin the unstable weather? The strange, erratic conditions that urred before the day of the awakening are happening again," Damian thought as he nced out of the blurry, dirt-streaked window.
Outside, the weather shifted unpredictably.
Intense heat waves radiated from the sun one moment, followed by torrential rain apanied by gusting winds the next.
"Today is definitely the day of the awakening. I don''t know how, but somehow it''s true. How is this even possible?" Damian rubbed his chin in thought.
"Wait... does this mean I''m the only person on Earth who knows what''sing?" He crossed his arms, his mind racing.
"In my past life, I couldn''t level up as quickly as others because Icked talent. I didn''t awaken any abilities on the day of the awakening that would help me hunt monsters efficiently. But I could havepensated for that with the achievement system, which offered special rewards."
"The real problem was my weak body. With a frail constitution, I could never even dream of earning an achievement," Damian reflected bitterly.
He began recalling all the information he had gathered in his previous life when he worked as a data recorder for the Awakener''s Society.
"Maybe I can earn some achievements and boost my stats topensate for myck of ability. And since the system hasn''t descended yet, I might actually have an edge this time," he mused.
Though Damian couldn''t remember every detail of his life before this apparent regression, the first few weeks after the day of the awakening were seared into his memory.
He had suffered countless nightmares about those chaotic days.
Then there were the records.
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He had been privileged to ess ssified information during his tenure in the department that managed data on the system, towers, dungeons, monsters, and more.
That ess was reserved for low-level awakeners, who were easier to control and less likely to leak sensitive information.
Damianbed through every piece of knowledge he could recall about the day of the awakening and the subsequent events he knew had urred.
"If this is really happening, then I have to do everything I can to survive and cure my illness. But to do that, I first need to ovee myck of talent. The best way to start is by earning the first four achievements from the achievement system," Damian resolved, ncing at the clock.
On this day before his regression, he had been standing in front of his office when the first dungeon break urred.
This time, he vowed, things would be different.
"I remember I was heading to the office. I had just reached there, and a few minutester, the system descended," Damian thought as he grabbed the $650 he had saved up for pain relief medication.
He proceeded to put on a half-sleeve T-shirt and a pair of unwashed track pants.
"It would be a waste to use it all on medication... Instead, I should buy some things to help me kill low-level monsters."
Without further thought, he left his studio apartment, not even bothering to lock it properly.
Stepping onto the apartment porch, he began searching for something.
"Found it," he muttered, holding up a small rat trap.
Inside, a live rat was frantically trying to escape the cage.
With that, he headed to a nearby supermarket to buy supplies.
Damian grabbed a chef knife, a Nakiri knife, a cleaver, a carving knife, a butcher knife, few water bottles and, finally, an axe.
As he ced the items on the counter, the cashier raised an eyebrow and nced at him suspiciously.
"Is he some kind of serial killer? Why would anyone need so many different knives?" the cashier wondered but chose not to say anything.
After paying and packing the weapons into the backpack he had brought, Damian made his way to a nt shop.
There, he purchased a small flytrap sapling in a bottle.
Clutching the bottle tightly, he began running, breathing heavily as he headed toward his office.
Chapter 6 - 06: The Lost Returns - 2
Chapter 6: Chapter 06: The Lost Returns - 2
There were still at least ten to fifteen minutes until the system finally descended upon Earth.
When it did, countless portals would manifest all around the world.
These portals served as pathways to unknown dungeons from countless worlds across the universe.
Monsters from these dungeons would invade Earth through these portals, which the system referred to as gates.
There were two types of gates: red gates and blue gates.
The difference between them was significant.
Blue gates allowed a grace period before a dungeon break urred, giving time for preparation or intervention.
Red gates, however, provided no such respite.
The moment a red gate appeared, monsters would begin pouring out of the dungeon immediately.
On the day of the Awakening, the gates that appeared across the world were all red gates.
This was one of the primary reasons the monsters caused such catastrophic chaos so quickly.
Humanity was blindsided, unable toprehend the messages the system provided or grasp the scale of the danger.
This unpreparedness led to the deaths of three billion people.
"The poption of 8.2 billion will soon drop to 5 billion. It''s unfortunate, but it can''t be stopped. I just need to focus on my survival," Damian thought as he arrived at the exact spot he had stood before his regression.
It was here, at this precise moment, that the system had descended, unleashing untold horrors and countless opportunities.
The rain was still falling, just as it had in his previous timeline.
But it would stop soon, right about now, and people would begin to emerge.
That was when it would happen.
Damian nced at the small burger joint beside his former office building where he had once worked.
"That couple... they should be stepping out any moment now."
As if he had foretold the future, a couple exited the burger shop just as the rain ceased.
He remembered clearly. When the metamorphosis process began, the boyfriend had been unable to withstand it.
The result? He mutated into a Corruptant.
A cold gust of wind rushed past Damian, followed closely by a warmer breeze.
"He should be having a seizure right about now," Damian murmured, a smile tugging at his lips.
Sure enough, as though his words were a prophecy, the man suddenly copsed to the ground, writhing in the throes of an intense seizure.
His girlfriend screamed for help, tears streaming down her face.
What most people didn''t understand before his regression to the past was that the metamorphosis had already begun before the system descended.
That was why the man was experiencing a seizure, as his body couldn''t handle the metamorphosis.
Then, as Damian had anticipated, a system prompt appeared before his eyes, followed by a rapid series of messages.
[An unawakened sr system with a viable star ands has been identified in the Milky Way gxy in Sector Omega-8.]
[Locating lifeforms capable of awakening evolutionary traits...]
[Twos housing lifeforms with evolutionary traits have been found.]
[Registering the sr system with its star, referred to as ''Sun'' by the inhabitants, into the database.]
[Arousing thes in this sr system to release otherworldly essences into the atmosphere simultaneously...]
Damian grinned, sweat rolling down his cheeks. "The system is really here... it''s true. I really have regressed."
Though Damian had already epted the possibility that he had regressed and that everything he experienced wasn''t a dream, a small part of him had held onto doubt.
Now, seeing the system prompt before his eyes, that doubt vanished entirely.
As the system messages faded, he noticed the peculiar flow of various types of energies leaving the earth and merging with the atmosphere.
At the same time, a new sensation gripped him. "What is this I''m feeling? I didn''t feel like this before my regression."
He chose to ignore the strange feeling for now and quickly prepared himself.
He pulled out a 10-by-10-inch cage containing a live rat and, in his other hand, gripped the axe he had purchased earlier.
His breathing quickened, a wave of nervousness stirring in his chest as he carefully moved behind the boyfriend and girlfriend duo.
The boyfriend was still convulsing from the seizure.
Then, the ground began to shake violently.
"This is it. This is when the towers will manifest," Damian thought, his eyes fixated on the boyfriend.
He could already see the transformation beginning.
The man''s body was starting to turn into a Corruptant, though the process was iplete.
Within seconds, the earthquake subsided, and the Tower of Evolution had manifested at the heart of the city.
Another wave of system messages appeared before his eyes.
[The System has arrived on your habitable, known as ''Earth,'' and has forced its inhabitants to undergo metamorphosis. You have gained the right to evolve.]
[In five seconds, monsters from countless realms will invade Earth.]
[Remaining Time: 5 seconds.]
[Kill monsters, and you might survive.]
[Remaining Time: 4 seconds.]
[You can now view your attributes, talents, abilities, and skills by simply thinking about them.]
Damian nced at the rat inside its cage.
Blood trickled from its mouth, and its five-inch body was expanding rapidly.
His gaze shifted to the flytrap sapling he had bought in a bottle.
The nt, too, was responding to the metamorphosis.
Its leaves began to spread, its stem thickening as sharp teeth bloomed along its edges.
[Remaining Time: 3 seconds.]
"Come on, just two more seconds," Damian muttered nervously, eyes fixed on the countdown.
He couldn''t kill it just yet.
The system had to deliver the final message before the leveling and achievement functions became active.
Only after that could he act.
Timing was everything.
If he struck too soon, his efforts would fail.
[Remaining Time: 2 seconds.]
Damian''s hands trembled.
He was painfully aware that he was the weakest person here.
If he let even a second slip, the man, already close to finishing his mutation into a Corruptant, wouldplete it in a few seconds.
Once the mutation wasplete, the Corruptant would go on a killing spree.
There was no margin for error.
He had to act decisively and kill the Corruptant in a single strike.
If he failed to kill the Corruptant in one shot, he would be the one to get killed instead.
[Remaining Time: 1 second.]
"It''s here," Damian whispered, swallowing hard as a red gate began to materialize just a few meters in front of him.
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The rat had grown to the size of a cat, the cage struggling to contain its grotesquely erged body.
Two sharp fangs jutted from its mouth, its bloodshot eyes glowed with malice, and spikes had formed along its elongated tail.
The flytrap sapling had alsopleted its mutation.
Its roots burst through the stic bottle, anchoring themselves into the ground and piercing the asphalt below.
Meanwhile, the man who had fully transformed into a Corruptant stood ominously still.
His former girlfriend cowered nearby, paralyzed with fear at the monstrosity before her.
[Remaining Time: 0 second.]
"Shit," Damian hissed under his breath, his heart pounding as the final moment approached.
...
[A/N: Come on, everyone! You''ve made it this far, so why not add my novel to your favorites? And if it''s not too much trouble, please leave a review or drop some POWER STONES!]
Chapter 7 - 07: The Achievement Trail - 1
Chapter 7: Chapter 07: The Achievement Trail - 1
[Remaining Time: 0 seconds.]
"Shit," Damian hissed under his breath, his heart pounding as the final moment approached.
[Monster invasion has begun. Good luck.]
"It''s time."
Damian ignored the red gate that had manifested behind him and the wolf-like monsters standing on two legs emerging from it.
He hoisted the axe he had carried on his back, disregarding the sharp pain coursing through his frail body.
Not even two seconds had passed since the system''sst message appeared, and the rat, the flytrap nt sapling, and the corruptant had already finished their metamorphosis.
The leveling and achievement system had finally activated for the first time on Earth, or rather, the second time for Damian.
The corruptant had yet to open its eyes, and the woman standing beside it was reaching out to touch it.
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At the same time, Damian''s axe was mid-swing, its de arcing toward the creature''s neck.
Using every ounce of strength his weak body could muster, Damian swung the axe with all his might.
The de struck the creature''s neck, slicing halfway through.
Blood sttered across Damian''s face and onto the corruptant''s horrified girlfriend, who stared in shock.
To her, it wasn''t a monster being attacked; it was her boyfriend.
The impact was enough.
The corruptant''s neck snapped, and it copsed lifelessly to the ground.
[You have killed a Level 1 ''Corruptant'' that was much stronger than you.]
[Extracting the life force of the ''Corruptant'' that was much stronger than you and using it as experience to level up.]
[Every time you kill a being, their life force will be absorbed and used to level you up.]
[You have reached Level 1.]
[For every level, your physical attributes will gain a point.]
[Congrattions! You are the first person on Earth to kill a Corruptant.]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Killer of Corruptants.]
[Reward: +5 Free Stat Points.]
Damian had no time to rest. There were still three more achievements he needed to unlock.
To gain all four, he had to be the first person on Earth to kill a corruptant, a mutated nt, a mutated beast, and a gate monster. Time was of the essence.
Before his regression, while working for the Awakener''s Society, he had learned about these achievements and how they could be unlocked.
Those who had achieved them in his previous life reported they were obtained mere minutes after the system''s descent.
He had just imed the [First Killer of Corruptants] achievement mere seconds after the system descended.
"No time to read the system notifications," Damian muttered.
Ignoring the warm sensation spreading through his body as he leveled up, he grabbed the knife from his pocket and turned toward the mutated rat struggling to escape from its cage.
Without hesitation, he stabbed the rat, plunging the de deep into its body.
[You have killed a Level 1 ''Mutated Beast'' that was stronger than you.]
[Your experience has increased.]
[You have reached Level 2.]
[Congrattions! You are the first person on Earth to kill a ''Mutated Beast.'']
[Achievement Unlocked: First Killer of Mutated Beasts.]
[Reward: +5 Free Stat Points.]
Damian yanked his axe free from the corruptant''s neck and turned to the mutated flytrap nt, now standing four feet tall.
He swung his axe repeatedly at its stem, striking it a dozen times until the system''s notification confirmed its demise.
[You have killed a level 1 ''Mutated Vine.'']
[Your experience has increased.]
[Congrattions! You are the first person on Earth to kill a ''Mutated Flora.'']
[Achievement Unlocked: First Killer of Mutated Flora.]
[Reward: +5 Free Stat Points.]
Damian breathed heavily.
He could feel himself growing stronger and faster, but the pain in his chest hadn''t lessened in the slightest.
He had achieved the first three milestones with rtive ease, thanks to the preparations he''d made in advance.
The real challenge, however,y ahead: the moment he had to kill the monster emerging from the gate.
It wasn''t going to be easy.
For others, ying such creatures and iming the achievement might have been more straightforward.
But the system imposed strict conditions for recognizing an achievement, making the process far moreplex.
Take the "First Killer" achievement as an example: the kill must be made using your own strength.
Firearms, or any weapons that don''t rely on physical effort, were strictly prohibited.
Any kill made without personal bodily strength wouldn''t count.
That''s why, even though hundreds of people might have been capable of killing these creatures as soon as they appeared, they didn''t receive the achievement.
Damian, on the other hand, used only a knife and his own physical prowess to eliminate the monsters.
It was this reliance on his own strength that allowed the system to acknowledge his achievement.
Rules like these were also the reason Damian had yet to use the free stat points he had earned.
They were reserved for leveling up.
Even leveling up came with its own set of conditions.
While experience points could be earned by killing beings, certain factors influenced how much experience was gained.
Meeting these conditions maximized the experience obtained.
For instance:
1. The fewer the number of Awakeners contributing to the hunt, the greater the experience earned.
2. The battle power of the Awakener had to be lower than that of the opponent.
3. There were also special condition that can improve the experience gained.
Battle power was calcted based on the total attributes of an Awakener rtive to the average attributes or power level of the opponent.
Notably, the battle power calction didn''t ount for enhancements from techniques, talents, abilities, or titles.
If Damian had used his free stat points to increase his attributes, the difference in battle power between him and the monster would have diminished, reducing the experience he could gain.
Two minutes had passed since the System descended.
"That person from Japan who earned the achievement [First Killer of Monsters] was said to have killed the monster seven minutes after the System''s descent," Damian thought, ncing at the cracked watch on his wrist.
He still had about five minutes left to im that achievement, an achievement that, in his previous life, had gone to the Japanese man.
"Monsters areing!"
"Run... run away!"
"Run for life!"
Damian looked around. People were screaming and scattering in all directions, panic consuming the streets.
His gaze turned to the monsters emerging from the red gate.
They resembled wolves, with long muzzles and pointed ears, though their monstrous features set them apart.
Quadrupedal and unnervinglyrge, their yellowish fangs glistened as they snapped, and their oversized ws gleamed like razors.
Their dark, soulless eyes radiated menace, locking onto the humans with a ravenous hunger.
"I need to kill one of them within the next four minutes," Damian muttered to himself as he hid in a corner, observing the chaos.
The beasts were savagely attacking, tearing flesh from the still-screaming humans.
It was a grotesque, unforgettable sight, a cacophony of pain and terror.
The carnage stirred his hesitation, the horror momentarily overwhelming his resolve.
After a tense moment of searching, Damian''s eyesnded on a lone, vulnerable-looking monster.
________________________________
[Name: Nameless Savage Lycan]
[Level: 3]
[Origin: Lupinoria]
________________________________
"It''s a level 3 monster," Damian thought. "That''ll be easier to handle for my current self, but the problem is, it''s not alone."
He clicked his tongue in frustration.
Three more level 4 monsters surrounded the weaker one, feasting on a human whose blood-curdling screams were growing weaker by the second.
Chapter 8 - 08: The Achievement Trail - 2
Chapter 8: Chapter 08: The Achievement Trail - 2
"Nameless Savage Lycan..." Damian muttered.
This particr breed of lycan originated from a world known as Lunaris.
Lunaris was home to a unique race of supernatural beings called werewolves.
Among them, the Nameless Savage Lycans were the lowest on the hierarchy.
These creatures were werewolves with minimal intelligence, relying solely on instinct to survive.
Their savage nature earned them the disdain of the higher-ranked werewolves who viewed them with contempt.
Nameless Savage Lycans typically hunted in packs, adhering to a strict hierarchy.
The Beta Savage Lycans followed the orders of the Alpha Savage Lycan, conducting the hunts while the Alpha remained in itsir, waiting.
As Damian observed the red gate, he noted that all the Savage Lycans emerging from it appeared to be low-level monsters.
"The Alpha Savage Lycan must be hiding inside the gate," Damian mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"This could work out well," he muttered to himself. "If I push myself a little harder, I might be able to secure two more achievements."
With that, Damian''s gaze shifted to the Level 3 Savage Lycan standing and eating a human alive together with three Level 4 monsters.
Damian grabbed the axe and moved quietly toward the Level 3 Savage Lycan.
Without hesitation, he leaped forward.
Gripping the axe with both hands, he swung it in a wide arc from behind, aiming directly at the creature''s neck.
The axe de struck true, cleaving through flesh and bone, severing the monster''s neck cleanly and beheading it in an instant.
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You Have Reached Level 3]
[You Have Reached Level 4]
[Congrattions! You Are the First Person on Earth to Kill a Gate Monster.]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Killer of Gate Monsters.]
[Reward: +5 Free Stat Points]
"Two more achievements to go," Damian muttered to himself, but his body remained tense, his eyes narrowed at the three Savage Lycans ring at him with menacing, glowing eyes.
They emitted a low, guttural growl, their hostility palpable.
"This is going to be painful," he muttered.
Though he had leveled up to Level 4, it wouldn''t make much of a difference.
His base stats were already low before his awakening, and gaining four levels had only added four points to his attributes.
He could use the free stat points from the reward to strengthen himself immediately, but doing so would lower the efficiency of the experience he gained.
He had no choice but to push himself to his limits, determined to defeat all the monsters that emerged from this red gate.
This was precisely why he had chosen this location for grinding achievements.
Nameless Savage Lycans were instinctively paranoid and wouldn''t venture far from the red gate, making them easier to hunt inparison to other monsters.
However, when threatened, Lycans would call for reinforcements, summoning every remaining Lycan to attack the perceived danger together.
The three Level 4 monsters currently facing him were stronger than him in terms of stats.
Damian held the axe in one hand and a chef''s knife in the other, keeping it hidden behind his back.
His wary eyes observed the Lycans closely, waiting for the right moment to counterattack.
One of the monsters, losing patience, charged at him. Damian braced himself.
As the Lycan leaped at him, Damian raised his axe to block its snapping jaws.
Using the knife in his other hand, he stabbed the creature deep in the ear, driving the de in until the Lycan''s body stilled and its breathing ceased.
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You Have Reached Level 5]
Seeing theirrade fall, the remaining two Lycans growled ferociously, their glowing eyes filled with rage as theyunched themselves at Damian in unison.
Damian leveled up five times, feeling his power surge exponentially, though the persistent pain in his chest remained unchanged.
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With his stamina increased by five points, he found himself capable of continuing the battle against the savage lycans.
One of the lycan monsters leaped at him, knocking him to the ground with a powerful blow.
Gritting his teeth, Damian grabbed another knife and drove it into the creature''s eye.
Using his legs, he pushed the lycan backward, sending it thrashing and writhing on the ground, howling in pain from the knife embedded in its eye.
Before Damian could recover, another lycan lunged at him from his right. Reacting swiftly, Damian swung his axe upward, shing its jaw.
Chunks of flesh sttered onto the ground, though the lycan didn''t die.
It staggered, momentarily distracted by the searing pain.
Seizing the opportunity, Damian summoned all his strength and struck the creature''s head with his axe.
The blow shattered the lycan''s skull, splitting it in two.
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You Have Reached Level 6]
The remaining lycan, the one Damian had stabbed in the eye, growled weakly and let out a pitiful, pain-filled cry.
Howl.
Its one remaining eye caught sight of Damian hurling the axe straight at it.
Strike!
The axe embedded itself fully into the lycan''s remaining eye, causing a fountain of blood to gush forth.
Still, the creature refused to die. With one final, full-powered sh of his axe, Damian cleaved through the top of its skull, killing it instantly.
[Experience Gained]
Damian wiped the blood off his face, his gaze shifting toward a specific direction.
There, hidden in the shadows, he spotted a man with a phone pointed at him, recording everything Damian had just done.
Snorting, Damian sprinted toward the man.
"Shit!" The man froze as Damian approached, bloodstained axe and knife in hand.
The sheer sight of Damian''s tattered, blood-spattered appearance caused the man''s throat to go dry, his heart pounding with terror.
Damian leveled the axe at the man''s neck. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded coldly.
"I-I... I''m sorry..." the man stammered, unable to form a coherent answer.
"Did you just record me killing those monsters?" Damian pressed, holding the knife against the man''s throat with the threat of violence clear in his voice.
"I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to offend you! I only did it because... because you''re like a superhuman! I''ve never seen anyone fight like that!" The man''s voice was trembling, yet his excitement overpowered his fear, seemingly oblivious to the knife at his neck.
"Delete it," Damian ordered sharply.
"I... I can''t. It''s live-streamed."
"What?" Damian''s eyes narrowed dangerously, the de pressing slightly against the man''s skin.
"Wait! Wait! Hear me out! I knew something like this might happen, so I used AI to blur your face!" the man eximed in a rush.
"You think I''ll believe you?" Damian growled, his voice icy. "If you do, you''re mistaken."
"I''m telling the truth! Look! I''ll show you!" The man hurriedly opened the social media app he was using to stream.
Sure enough, the video showed Damian''s blurred face, and the livestream had already amassed over three thousand viewers.
"Hm. It seems wirelessmunications have been reestablished," Damian muttered, grabbing the phone from the man''s hands and hurling it into the distance.
"That''s my phone!" the man protested.
"I don''t care," Damian snapped, his voice sharp.
Then, his expression darkened as he sensed multiple presences closing in on him.
Chapter 9 - 09: Damian’s Confusion
Chapter 9: Chapter 09: Damian''s Confusion
"That''s my phone!" the man protested.
"I don''t care," Damian snapped, his voice sharp.
Then, his expression darkened as he sensed multiple presences closing in on him.
Damian grabbed the man by his cor, his voice cold and sharp. "Listen carefully... This ce is extremely dangerous. I assume you''ve already read what the system said?"
"I... yes," the man stammered, fear evident in his voice.
"Then get the hell out of here! If you don''t have the ability to kill a monster on your own, you''ll never survive," Damian barked, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Hearing Damian''s words, the man''s expression shifted, and a great wave of fear washed over him.
His heart pounded, his face pale.
"What should I do?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"It''s simple. Get the fuck out of here! Find a monster and kill it. After that, you''ll figure out what to do next," Damian growled, delivering a firm kick to the man''s backside to send him running.
With the distraction gone, Damian turned his attention back to the presences he had sensed approaching.
In the distance, he spotted fifteen nameless savage Lycans, their hostile growls reverberating through the air as they red at him menacingly.
Among them, ten were Level 4 monsters, while the remaining five were Level 8.
Damian''s confidence surged. He knew he could kill every single one of them.
His initial n was straightforward: target the weaker monsters first to gain experience and level up, then confront the stronger ones with his improved strength.
But thereiny the challenge.
He couldn''t choose which monsters to attack.
The entire pack would pounce on him simultaneously.
"I guess I''ll just have to give it a shot," Damian muttered under his breath, tightening his grip on the axe in one hand and the ten-inch ded knife in the other.
"I''ll stab them in the ears, eyes, or neck. Those are their weak points," he thought.
Even if striking those spots didn''t kill them instantly, it would significantly hinder their ability to fight.
Given their low intelligence, the Lycans would act on instinct, crying out in pain when injured, making his strategy all the more effective.
Time was running out.
Damian had already achieved the Four aplishments he was aiming for, but there was a chance to unlock two more.
The rewards for these additional achievements would be far more useful than mere stat points at this stage.
Taking a deep breath, Damian sprinted forward in a straight line, heading directly for one of the nameless savage Lycans.
He was faster than the monsters, a surprising advantage. Lycans were known for their powerful bodies, but their speed wascking.
As soon as he reached the first one, Damian executed a vertical sh with his axe, the de cleaving through its skull and killing it instantly.
[Experience gained]
Sensing movement to his side, Damian leaped back just in time to avoid a Lycan pouncing at him.
As soon as hended, another Lycan lunged toward him.
This time, instead of dodging, he swung his axe directly into the creature''s open mouth, tearing it apart in a gruesome disy.
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You have reached Level 7]
Spinning on his heel, Damian used the momentum to sever the head of another Lycan that had been closing in from behind.
[Experience gained]
He continued his relentless assault, dispatching the remaining Level 4 Lycans one by one with precision and brutality.
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached Level 8]
[Experience gained]
[Experience gained]
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached Level 9]
Damian had leveled up to level 9 after hunting the remaining level 4 nameless savage lycans.
He then turned his attention to the five level 8 nameless savage lycans.
They lowered their heads and red at him menacingly, a clear disy of their wariness.
They wouldn''t make their move until Damian acted first.
Damian, in turn, matched their re with equal, if not greater, intensity.
However, his focus wasn''t on them. It was on the system panel.
________________________________
[Awakner: Damian Ignatius]
[level: 9]
[ss: None]
[Titles: Regressor]
[Achievements: First Killer (Corruptants, Mutated Beasts, Mutated Flora, Gate Monster)]
[Talents: Elementalist ]
[Unique Abilities: Extraction(Level: 1)]
[Strength: 14 ¨U Agility: 15 ¨U Vitality: 15 ¨U
Stamina: 15 ¨U Perception: 24 ¨U Mana: 0 ¨U
Stat Points: 20]
[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Archery]
________________________________
"What the hell? I have a talent and a unique ability?" Damian muttered, rubbing his forehead as if gued by a splitting headache.
The very reason he hadn''t survived the apocalypse or managed to cure his illness before was simple: hecked even a single talent.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
Without talent, his strength couldn''t progress beyond leveling up, and the minimal stat increases he earned weren''t nearly enough to contend with the monsters from the higher stages of the towers.
There was a limit to how much the flesh could be strengthened without supernatural intervention.
To make matters worse, his illness had steadily deteriorated his vitality, causing his strength to wane rapidly.
This was why, despite reaching level 12 before his regression, his stats had remained pitifully low.
But now, staring at his status panel and seeing a unique ability and a talent, one that, judging by its description and the appearance of the [Mana] stat in his attributes, seemed rted to magic, Damian was at a loss for words.
First, there was his regression back to the day of the awakening.
And now, he had awakened a talent and a unique ability he hadn''t possessed before his regression.
"Why are these things happening to me?" he thought, his mind a whirlwind of questions.
Even if he attributed the awakening of his talent and ability to the regression phenomenon, what could exin the regression itself?
Something had to have caused it.
Damian firmly believed in the principle of cause and effect.
Everything happened for a reason, and he was certain his regression had a cause, but what it was eluded him, and that gnawed at him.
"Now''s not the time to dwell on this," he decided, pushing the thoughts aside. "I need to earn two more achievements. Only then can I afford the time to reflect."
Damian didn''t even spare a moment to examine his talent and ability.
As for the title [Regressor], it didn''t surprise him in the least.
His sharp eyes focused on the five level-8 nameless savage lycans circling him, their weak growls and menacing postures a futile attempt at intimidation.
It had been about 45 minutes since the system descended and the red gate opened.
Chapter 10: Damian’s Talents
Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Damian''s Talents
Damian gripped his axe and long knife tightly, his sharp blue eyes fixed on the five Lycans circling him, their growls echoing as they attempted to intimidate him.
nting his left foot forward and his right foot back, Damian channeled his enhanced strength and speed,unching himself toward one of the Lycans.
The Lycan barely had time to react, but as Damian appeared near it, the creature lunged with its long fangs, aiming to crush his skull.
However, Damian''s reflexes had sharpened significantly since his recent level-up.
He swung his axe in a powerful upward arc, striking the Lycan''s head and shattering it into dozens of pieces.
[Experience gained]
Wasting no time, Damian leaped to dodge another Lycan that lunged at him from behind.
With a swift motion, he brought the axe down from above, cleaving the creature''s head cleanly in two.
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached Level 10]
[Ding!]
[Conditions have been met]
[Your body has been strengthened enough to unlock the second talent]
[Talent Unlocked: Martial Lord]
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"A-Another talent?" Damian muttered, stunned.
But there was no time to dwell on the system message.
He still had to deal with the remaining lycans and prepare to enter the gate to confront the Alpha-lycan.
It took only five more minutes to eliminate the rest of the Level 8 lycans.
With each strike, Damian fought with precision and determination, and his efforts bore fruit as he leveled up once again.
[Experience gained]
[Experience gained]
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached Level 11]
"As expected, I have to kill the dungeon boss, the Alpha Lycan," Damian muttered, noticing that there was no system notification about the achievement.
Damian sighed, grabbing a water bottle from his bag, which he had ced in the corner.
He sshed the water on his face to wipe away the blood and drank a few mouthfuls to quench his thirst.
Damian nced at the red gate. "The Alpha should have sensed that its bait is dying. It should be very angry and wary of the hunter."
Without hesitation, Damian stepped through the red gate.
[You have entered the Savage Lycan Dungeon]
As soon as he entered, he found himself in a jungle that stretched for about a kilometer in radius.
"The Alpha must be at the center of the jungle," Damian muttered, summoning his status panel.
"Should I use the free stat point I saved up? Since this time it''s not about leveling up, but about rewards from the achievement system," Damian thought as he analyzed his stats.
His eyes then moved to the ability and talent section.
He focused on the unique ability he had awakened: [Extraction].
Abilities can be ssified into four types:
Unique abilities ¨C Abilities people are born with, unique to the individual.
Inherited abilities ¨C Abilities gained from another awakener at the cost of their life, or by losing their abilities permanently.
Bloodline abilities ¨C Abilities passed down through family bloodlines, though there is no guarantee that children will awaken these abilities.
Acquired abilities ¨C Abilities developed through experience, triggered by certain conditions such as body condition, energy, limits, time, ce, techniques, constitutions, blood, bones, etc.
[Unique Ability: Extraction]
[An unknown ability unique only to the user, Damian Ignatius. The extent of this ability''s growth is still unknown.]
[Effects: Allows you to extract any sort of energy from anything.]
As soon as he saw the description of his unique ability, everything he needed to know about it instantly filled his mind.
"I can extract energy, huh?" Damian thought, continuing his walk deeper into the jungle.
His attention then turned to the two talents he had awakened.
Talents refer to a natural ability or aptitude that allows the awakener to master an art, technique, or power.
This can manifest as affinity, learning capability, physical aptitude, potential,petence, the ability to learn skills, or ess to a set of skills rted to evolution, techniques, abilities, and more.
[Talent: Elementalist]
[A talent possessed by genius mages that opens up many possibilities for rising into an amazing mage.]
[Effects:
1. Your dormant Mana Core bes active after awakening this talent.
2. Grants threefold Elementalprehension ability.
3. Grants your elemental affinity to four elements: me, Water, Wind, and Earth.
4. Increases your sensitivity to Mana threefold.]
[Talent: Martial Lord]
[A talent that makes an awakener a great martial artist]
[Effects:
1. Grants you a Dantian with 30% spiritual energy-absorption efficiency
2. Grants you threefold sensitivity to spiritual energy, known as Qi
3. Grants you 30% increased efficiency in mastering all forms of martial weapons
4. Grants you 30%prehension ability to learn all forms of martial techniques]
"These talents... do I really have them? Then why didn''t I awaken them before my regression?" Damian rubbed his forehead.
He sighed and sprinted deeper into the jungle.
Soon, he came across a clearing where a couple of lycansy dead.
The w marks on their bodies were unmistakable.
Damian narrowed his eyes in the direction where he sensed a pair of red eyes watching him.
It was another lycan, simr in appearance to the ones he had dealt with before.
The others were about five feet tall, but this one stood at eight feet, with arger head, massive ws, and bulging muscles, standing on two powerful legs that clearly showcased why it was the Alpha of this dungeon.
_____
[Name: Nameless Savage Lycan (Alpha)]
[Level: 15]
[Origin: Lupinoria]
_____
"Level 15, huh?" Damian wondered if his current strength was enough to kill it or if he should use his free stat point to increase his attributes.
He thought for a few seconds before a thought suddenly entered his mind.
"Strength without struggle will notst, nor will it be enough."
A thought, one he couldn''t exin, emerged from the depths of his mind.
"No struggle, no power, huh?" Damian grinned.
"Fine. I know it''s stronger than me, but hunting it while it''s still stronger will give me enough experience to level up multiple times."
That''s how the system worked. It only rewarded those who deserved it.
That''s how the leveling system operated: if he defeated a stronger opponent, he would gain more experience and level up faster.
Chapter 11: Damian’s Title
Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Damian''s Title
Damian stared into the eyes of the Alpha Lycan, his expression serious and unyielding.
"I wonder if this axe can even withstand the blows of a Level 15 monster," Damian mused, noting how the weapon had already struggled to pierce the flesh of the lower-level lycans.
While Damian analyzed his strategy for defeating the beast, the Alpha Lycan red at him with a mix of ferocity and wariness.
It could smell the blood of its pack on him, blood spilled by this lone human.
Unlike other prey, Damian wasn''t seen as a victim.
He was a hunter, one the Alpha couldn''t afford to run from.
Its instincts screamed that devouring this human would grant unimaginable power.
Then, as if to confirm its desires, the voice of the System echoed in its mind, promising strength if it consumed this puny human.
Consumed by greed and driven by instinct, the Alpha Lycan wasted no time.
Saliva dripping from its maw, itunched itself at Damian with deadly speed.
Damian raised his axe to defend himself. "Defend, then attack."
The moment the Lycan closed the distance, it swung its massive ws at him.
Damian blocked the blow with his axe, but the creature''s raw strength flung the weapon aside with ease.
Undeterred, Damian counterattacked with the knife in his other hand, aiming for the creature''s neck.
The Lycan dodged, making Damian raise an eyebrow in frustration. Its tail whipped toward him with blinding speed.
"Shit!" he cursed, barely managing to raise the axe in defense.
The impact sent him crashing to the ground.
The Lycan didn''t relent, pouncing on him with fangs bared, aiming to crush his skull.
Damian grabbed its massive head, struggling to push it away, but the creature''s overwhelming strength was rapidly gaining the upper hand.
Lycans were renowned for their brute force, and this one was no exception.
"Haaah!" Damian grunted, struggling for a few agonizing seconds.
Finally, he mustered the strength to kick the creature in the stomach, forcing it off him.
Without a moment''s hesitation, Damian grabbed his axe and shed at the Lycan''s face before it could regain momentum.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
The axe arced swiftly, striking one of the Lycan''s dark eyes.
The orbs burst like a balloon, releasing a torrent of blood.
Damian didn''t stop there.
Taking advantage of the Lycan''s pain and distraction, he channeled all his strength into another blow, aiming for its neck.
Just as the de was about to sever the creature''s throat, the Lycanshed out with its ws, deflecting the axe.
Despite being blinded in one eye and grievously wounded, the Alpha didn''t falter.
Relying purely on instinct, it lunged at Damian again.
Grrrr!
It shed wildly with its ws and whipped its tail, forcing Damian into a defensive stance.
"Why the fuck does it feel like it''s gotten stronger all of a sudden?" Damian wondered, gritting his teeth as he deflected another powerful w strike.
No matter how much he tried to dodge or counter, the Lycan seemed to anticipate his movements, adjusting its attacks to corner him.
The relentless assault began to take its toll.
Damian could feel the sharp pain of ws raking across his arms and the strain in his muscles as he tried to keep up.
His defenses were faltering, and he knew it.
"If this keeps up, it''s going to kill me," he thought, his determination hardening.
Pushing himself to his limits, Damian unleashed a barrage of axe strikes with everything he had left.
[Basic Axe Techniques: Skill Created]
Grrrr!
The Lycan growled intensely, the sound so powerful it caused Damian''s ears to ache.
But he didn''t stop.
After what felt like an eternity of trading blows, Damian spotted an opening.
He kicked the Lycan with all his might, sending it crashing to the ground.
Before the creature could recover, Damian leaped into the air, aiming directly at its massive body.
As he descended, his axe, now imbued with his full strength, swung in a deadly arc, striking the Lycan squarely between the eyes.
The de embedded itself halfway into its skull, but the creature refused to die.
Its massive body thrashed weakly as it struggled to throw Damian off.
Gritting his teeth, Damian yanked the embedded axe free and struck again, this time driving the de deep into its brain.
Even then, the Lycan didn''t sumb.
Though its movements slowed to a crawl, its monstrous vitality allowed it to cling to life.
Damian attempted to pull the axe free once more, but the handle snapped, leaving the de buried in the creature''s head.
Panting heavily, Damian drew his only remaining weapon, a small knife, and stabbed the beast repeatedly in the chest, aiming for its heart.
swoosh!
Blood sprayed in all directions as he drove the de in a dozen times.
Finally, the creature stopped moving.
Itsbored breathing ceased, and a familiar notification echoed in Damian''s mind.
[Experience gained]
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached Level 12]
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached Level 13]
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached Level 14]
[Experience gained]
[Congrattions! You are the first Awakener on Earth to kill a Boss-Type monster.]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Boss Killer]
[Reward: +10 Free Stat Points]
[Congrattions! You are the first Awakener on Earth to clear a Dungeon.]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Dungeon Clearer]
[Reward: +10 Free Stat Points]
[It has been detected that you are the first person on Earth to clear a Dungeon solo, without the use of any power, ability, or the assistance of another Awakener.]
[Calcting rewards...]
[Reward 1: You have earned the title ''Solo Hunter.'']
[Reward 2: +5 Free Stat Points]
[Reward 3: Two passes to freely choose from ''Equipment,'' ''Skill,'' or ''Knowledge.'']
"Hehe," Damian smiled through hisbored breathing as he read the rewards he had gained.
"As expected, the more struggle I put in, the more gracious the system is in rewarding me. It''s totally worth it," Damian muttered under his breath, wiping the blood from his eyes with his hand.
His gaze then fell on thest reward.
"This is new... I''ve never heard of a third reward for clearing a dungeon solo. I guess I''m lucky," he murmured as he read through the three rewards one by one.
The first two rewarded him with ten free stat points each, but the final reward stood out.
It offered him three separate items.
Among these, the most notable were a [Title] and the privilege to choose two options from ''Equipment,'' ''Skill,'' or ''Knowledge'' directly from the system.
He first turned his attention to the title.
[Title: Solo Hunter]
[A title given to those who remain unfazed in the face of danger and invade the territory of their prey. It doesn''t matter how many monsters stand before them, the hunter will always be the hunter.]
[Effect: When facing more than ten opponents, your physical attributes increase by up to 10%.]
"This is good. With this, solo hunting just got a lot easier," Damian thought with a grin.
Chapter 12: Damian’s Choice
Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Damian''s Choice
[You have two passes to choose either ''Equipment,'' ''Knowledge,'' or ''Skill'' from the system.]
"I can choose two options from either ''Knowledge,'' ''Equipment,'' or ''Skill,'' huh?" Damian muttered to himself, hesitating beforeing to a decision.
He decided to assess his current situation first.
At present, he had already earned all the [First Timer] achievements rted to monsters.
There would still be some time before the next opportunity to gain more achievements arose, so he could afford to spend a moment considering his options.
"First, I''ll obviously choose equipment," he decided, selecting one of the two passes for ''Equipment.''
As soon as he made the choice, another interface appeared.
[You may choose one piece of ''Equipment'' from the options below:]
1. Dagger
2. Shield
3. Gauntlet
4. Spear
5. Leather Armor
6. Helmet
7. Double-Edged Sword
8. Single-Edged Sword
9. Cloak of Protection
10. Halberd
"Of course, I''ll choose the [Double-Edged Sword]," Damian said decisively.
As soon as he made his selection, a sword materialized out of thin air andnded before him.
Damian grasped the sword, finding it moderately heavy but still manageable.
He unsheathed the weapon, exposing the de.
The metal was a sleek, gleaming gray, and its sharp edge gave off an intimidating gleam.
The handle was intricately adorned with blue engravings, adding an air of mystique.
_____
[Name: Monster yer]
[Origin: Arcane]
[Description: A double-edged sword forged from one of the rarest metals in the world of Arcane, Orichalcum. Known for its high energy-conducting properties, Orichalcum is a favored material among Aura Masters in the world of Arcane.]
_____
"Orichalcum... This is a good sword. I can probably use it for a long time," Damian mused, appreciating the weapon''s quality.
Orichalcum was one of the sturdiest metals used by Awakeners between levels 35 and 60, even after obtaining their sses.
Its high energy-conducting properties and resilience against high-level monsters made it highly coveted during the first year and a half following the Day of Awakening.
"What should I do with the second pass? I''m not going to choose another piece of equipment, so it''s either skills or knowledge," Damian thought as he nced at his Status.
"Skills are out of the question... I can develop those on my own."
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Many awakeners in the earlier stages often mistake skills for abilities or talents.
To put it simply, they are very different, but at the same time, they can influence each other.
Talents are innate; they are something we are born with and cannot be created, except in rare cases, such as by being reborn, changing one''s race, or evolving to a higher race.
Abilities, while simr to talents, are either inherited through bloodlines, acquired from another awakener, or developed by meeting certain unique conditions.
Skills, on the other hand, are entirely different.
They are learned through practice and experience.
Talents and abilities can influence the growth of skills, but skills cannot influence the growth of talents or abilities.
Take Damian''s [Martial Lord] talent, for example.
It increases his efficiency and proficiency by 30% when creating techniques or wielding weapons rted to martial arts.
At this moment, skills are not as crucial, though they will eventually be vital to the point that wars will likely break out over them in the future.
For now, the priority is knowledge.
"I choose knowledge," Damian decided.
[You may choose one piece of ''Knowledge'' from the options below:]
1. Knowledge of ss
2. Knowledge of Mana
3. Knowledge of Qi
4. Knowledge of Elements
5. Knowledge of Control
6. Knowledge of Tactics
7. Knowledge of Aether
"This is tough... I have to think this through," Damian murmured, rubbing his chin.
He had already awakened his affinity to both Mana and Qi, thanks to his [Elementalist] and [Martial Lord] talents.
With an active mana core and an active dantian, he was progressing steadily.
The best choice would likely be either [Knowledge of Mana] or [Knowledge of Qi].
"Both of them seem equally important right now," he mused.
"With [Knowledge of Mana], I could learn how to cultivate my mana core and manipte the mana within me, which would help me create spells.
"Since my talent gives me an affinity for four elements, I could be a highly skilled mage."
"Meanwhile, acquiring [Knowledge of Qi] would allow me to increase my efficiency and proficiency in martial-rted skills."
Damian found himself torn between the two options.
"Let''s look at it from another angle," he thought. "Right now, I''m a close-range fighter who relies on a sword, but I don''t want to limit myself."
After several minutes of deep contemtion, Damian finally came to a decision.
"Between [Knowledge of Mana] and [Knowledge of Qi]... I choose you."
[You have chosen ''Knowledge of Mana.'']
[All basic knowledge rted to mana, its applications, uses, cirction, and more has been transferred to your mind.]
"Ugh..." Damian closed his eyes as a torrent of foreign information flooded his mind.
A dull ache formed in his head, but it wasn''t unbearable.
"With this, I can be both a close-range and long-range fighter," Damian smiled in satisfaction before summoning his status panel once again.
________________________________
[Awakner: Damian Ignatius]
[level: 14]
[ss: None]
[Titles: Regressor, Solo Hunter]
[Achievements: First Killer Titles, First Dungeon Clearer]
[Talents: Elementalist, Martial Lord]
[Abilities: Extraction(Unique)]
[Strength: 19 ¨U Agility: 20 ¨U Vitality: 20 ¨U
Stamina: 20 ¨U Perception: 29 ¨U Mana: 0 ¨U
Qi: 0 ¨U]
{Stat Points: 45}
[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Archery, Basic Axe Techniques]
________________________________
"Wait, I still haven''t checked the effects of the title [Regressor]." Damian''s eyes widened as he focused his attention on the title.
_____
[Title: Regressor (Passive)]
[A title given to those who have broken the rules of time and space to confront their fate, an uncertain and undecided future.]
[Effect: Your luck has increased several fold.]
_____
"What does ''undecided and uncertain future'' mean?" Damian wondered, a bad feeling rising in his chest as he read the description.
"Well, the effects are certainly impressive... increasing my luck several fold," Damian sighed, unsure whether to feel relieved or uneasy.
It had been three hours since the system descended onto Earth.
Damian was still inside the Red Gate, preparing to exit, yet he had no idea what the consequences of his actions were... how his interference in the sequence of events after his regression might have altered the future he remember.
Meanwhile, the video of the man who had streamed his fight with the savage Lycans had gone viral.
Perhaps it was due to the calm that had settled over the world, following the sessful descent of the system and the towers.
The atmosphere and other abnormalities had stabilized, and with the return of normalmunications, news was spreading fast.
On social media, the footage of Damian''s battle, where he seemed to grow stronger and faster with each monster he killed, was being shared and discussed endlessly.
...
[A/N: Come on, everyone! You''ve made it this far, so why not add my novel to your favorites? And if it''s not too much trouble, please leave a review or drop some POWER STONES!]
Chapter 13: The Thrill Of Blood
Chapter 13: Chapter 13: The Thrill Of Blood
Eric Walcrown was a man whose name resonated across the globe.
A wildly popr streamer, his reputation had reached international heights.
Anyone who immersed themselves in the world of online entertainment knew of him.
Streaming wasn''t just Eric''s career; it was his gateway to a life of freedom.
The money he earned allowed him to travel the world without worrying about the burdens ofbor or routine responsibilities.
Yet, it wasn''t just his charisma or high production quality that drew audiences in.
It was the sheer danger in every video he created.
Eric had built his fame on the edge of peril.
Every video he posted featured him tackling life-threatening challenges under the guise of exploration and adventure.
Nobody truly knew whether these stunts reflected his genuine personality or if they were meticulously crafted for views.
Regardless, people were addicted to watching him flirt with death.
The audience didn''t care about the task itself.
They weren''t invested in the danger or the purpose behind it.
What they craved was the spectacle.
Would Eric meet a grisly end while performing a reckless stunt?
Or would he survive yet another trial by fire?
To his millions of subscribers, it didn''t matter.
Their only desire was to be entertained.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
For Eric, it was simple.
He didn''t care about his subscribers, their lives, or even their fascination with his content.
What he wanted was their money, the fuel for his freedom.
He understood what the masses wanted, and he gave it to them without hesitation.
But there was a deeper truth.
Eric didn''t engage in dangerous activities solely for the money.
He did it because he loved the adrenaline, the raw thrill of putting his life on the line.
The rush, the exhration, made him feel truly alive.
The electric pulse of danger coursing through his veins was an addiction he couldn''t resist.
And then the world turned upside down.
It happened without warning: a cascade of inexplicable phenomena erupted across the globe.
The impossible became reality.
The world as humanity knew it twisted into something strange and terrifying.
For most, it was the beginning of a nightmare.
But for Eric, it was paradise.
As chaos unfolded, Eric found himself on the way to a burger shop.
Amid the panic and confusion, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind, a cold, otherworldly presence.
[The System has arrived on your habitable, known as ''Earth,'' and has forced its inhabitants to undergo metamorphosis. You have gained the right to evolve.]
[In five seconds, monsters from countless realms will invade Earth.]
In the blink of an eye, towering structures appeared across the world.
They seemed to pierce the heavens, ominous and unyielding.
Alongside them came the Gates, portals from which nightmares emerged, monsters from realms beyond humanprehension.
Eric didn''t run.
Fear pulsed through his heart, but it was drowned by something stronger: exhration.
The things he had only read about in books or seen in anime were now real, standing before him in all their terrifying glory.
How could he turn away?
His eyes widened as bloodthirsty creatures poured out of the Gates, their predatory gazes locking onto the helpless humans nearby.
The streets erupted into chaos.
Screams filled the air as monsters feasted on the living, their ws tearing through flesh, painting the ground in vibrant red.
Eric''s breath hitched, his heart pounding in his chest.
The sight of people being ripped apart should have frozen him in fear.
But instead, it awakened something primal inside him.
The danger, the carnage, was intoxicating.
And then, he saw him.
A man stood amidst the chaos, unyielding and resolute.
Armed with nothing but a knife and an axe, he cut through the monsters like a force of nature.
Blood sprayed in every direction, and yet the man remained unfazed, his movements precise and merciless.
The ground beneath him was a sea of crimson, littered with lifeless bodies, chunks of flesh, and the mangled remains of those who had been devoured.
Around him, the fallen painted a grotesque masterpiece of death.
Eric''s hands trembled as he streamed the scene to his audience, his voice barely above a whisper. "Is he... a superhuman?"
He couldn''t tear his gaze away.
This man, this unstoppable force, was unlike anything Eric had ever seen.
The way he stabbed, shed, and tore through flesh without hesitation made him seem like the most powerful person in the world.
Eric had never felt such fascination in his life.
The blood, the violence, the pure, unrelenting survival, was everything he had ever dreamed of witnessing.
His heart raced, his excitement surging as he continued to stream the scene, his audience equally captivated by the madness unfolding before them.
For Eric Walcrown, this was no nightmare.
This was a dreame true.
It didn''t take him long to annihte all the monsters that emerged from the gate.
Eric was about to end his livestream when the man he had been recording fixed him with a predatory gaze, one that was no different from the eyes of the very monsters he had just in.
Before Eric could react, the man was suddenly in front of him, an axe in hand, its bloodstained de resting dangerously close to his neck.
"What the hell are you doing?" the man demanded, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
"I-I... I''m sorry..." Eric stammered, his words strangled as if an invisible hand had wrapped around his throat.
"Did you record me killing those monsters?" The man''s expression was icy, his displeasure palpable. The faint pressure of the axe''s edge against Eric''s skin made his blood run cold.
"I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to offend you! I only did it because..." Eric babbled, his thoughts a chaotic mess.
He struggled to speak, overwhelmed by a mix of fear and awe. "Because you''re like a superhuman! I''ve never seen anyone fight like that!"
The man''s piercing gaze didn''t waver. "Delete it," hemanded sharply.
"Oh, shit..." Eric muttered. Despite the panic roiling inside him, a nervous smile tugged at his lips, entirely out of ce given the situation.
"I... I can''t. It''s live-streamed," he admitted, the smile still inexplicably stered across his face.
"What?" The man''s eyes widened in fury, and for a moment, Eric thought his life was over.
Desperate, he blurted out the only defense he could muster.
"Wait! Wait! Hear me out!" Eric pleaded. "I knew something like this might happen, so I used AI to blur your face!"
The man''s expression remained stone-like, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "You think I''ll believe that? If you do, you''re mistaken."
"I''m telling the truth! Look! I''ll show you!" Eric hurriedly pulled up the livestream on his phone.
Sure enough, as the man inspected the footage, his face waspletely obscured.
After a tense moment, the man snorted in annoyance and withdrew the axe from Eric''s neck.
Without another word, the man''s attention shifted.
Eric followed his gaze and felt a chill run through him.
A dozen more monsters had emerged from the gate, their feral eyes fixed on the two of them.
"Get the hell out of here!" the man growled, his tone dripping with disdain. "If you can''t kill a monster on your own, you''ll never survive."
"What should I do?" Eric asked, his voice trembling.
The man red at him, his annoyance barely contained. "It''s simple. Get the fuck out of here. Find a monster and kill it. After that, you''ll figure out what to do next."
With that, he kicked Eric square in the backside, sending him sprawling.
Then, without a backward nce, he strode forward, resuming his brutal ughter of the monsters.
"Kill a monster, and you''ll know what to do." The man''s words echoed in Eric''s mind, refusing to be ignored.
Shakily, Eric nced at his phone and realized it was still streaming.
In his panic, he had forgotten to turn it off.
Thankfully, the face-blurring function was still active.
Millions of viewers watched as Eric stumbled to his feet.
Every single one of them had heard the mysterious man''s words.
Among the countless people tuning in, there was no doubt that thousands, perhaps more, shared a dangerous, thrill-seeking nature.
The idea of facing monsters head-on ignited something primal within them.
Excitement coursed through the audience.
Hearts raced.
Adrenaline surged.
And in that moment, a dangerous thought unified them:
They would do it.
They would hunt monsters.
Just like the man in the stream.
They would kill.
Chapter 14: The Forest Heart Creeper.
Chapter 14: Chapter 14: The Forest Heart Creeper.
Damian calmly stepped out of the red gate.
As soon as he cleared its threshold, the gate began to fade, slowly vanishing until it disappeared entirely.
He looked up.
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The sky was tinged with a dusky hue, though it was afternoon.
Damian remembered that the atmosphere and weather would eventually return to normal in a few days after the Day of Awakening.
Around himy dozens of lifeless bodies, their decapitated and crushed remains scattered across the ground.
The road was stained a deep crimson with the dried blood of the fallen.
This was not the only ce where the red gates had appeared.
They had opened all around the world.
Damian considered himself fortunate.
He had managed to find a low-level red gate nearby, one he could use to gain system achievements as soon as the system descended.
In the days following the Day of Awakening, high-level monsters would soon overrun most major cities.
Even the city where Damian currently lived would fall to the monsters.
Nearly 65% of the poption would be killed before the awakeners began to understand the gravity of the situation and started to fight back, leveling up as they did.
What followed would be the ssic apocalypse narrative: humanity would fight back and slowly reim the lost territories.
It would take roughly one and a half years for humanity to retake all the major cities from the monsters.
There would also be regions where monsters wouldpletely im thend as their own.
These monsters were so powerful that awakeners would have to reach the First Tower realm before they couldpletely eradicate the creatures that had overtaken those ces on Earth.
"I need to kill as many monsters as I can," Damian thought, closing his eyes for a moment to focus his senses.
He could hear the sounds of distant screams and the sh of battle.
Following the noise, he leapt onto a building and began jumping from rooftop to rooftop, finally arriving at the source of themotion.
"Interesting," Damian murmured with a curious expression as he observed the scene.
A group of people were engaged in a desperate fight against monsters resembling giant, seven-foot-tall rabbit-like creatures, emerging in droves from a red gate.
At least seventy of these creatures were flooding the area, and more were continuing to pour out of the gate.
"These rabbit-like monsters are responsible for killing nearly 50% of the people in this city because their numbers astronomical," Damian muttered under his breath.
There were two other red gates in different parts of the city, each releasing the same type of monstrous creatures.
"People are already starting to fight back and level up," Damian thought, ncing toward the person who was killing the most monsters.
"Oh, it''s that bastard who streamed me fighting the savage lycans... wait, isn''t he that famous streamer who does all those ridiculous stunts?" Damian had no particr fondness for him.
"Well, good for them, I guess." Damian gave the situation a passing nce before moving on, heading toward another location where he knew another red gate would continue to spawn an endless supply of monsters.
Soon, he arrived at an old indoor stadium, or at least it used to resemble one.
Now, it looked more like an abandoned mansion overtaken by a dark forest.
Damian had leapt from building to building, much like Spider-Man, on his way here.
During his journey, he had already in at least thirty low-level monsters using the [Monster yer] sword, earning enough experience to level up.
[You have reached level 18.]
"The experience I get from low-level monsters is no longer enough," Damian thought. "I need to kill as many monsters as possible, level up to level 20, and then start climbing the Tower."
Damian surveyed the scene in front of him.
The indoor stadium was now covered in thick, writhing vines that sprouted from the ground, growing like a dome around the arena.
"These vine monsters should be enough to get me to level 20," Damian thought, walking toward the structure.
He was still about hundred and fifty meters away from the stadium.
Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath his feet.
Without hesitation, Damian leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the danger.
The earth cracked open, and a giant vine shot up from the ground, striking the exact spot where Damian had just been standing.
Like a snake, the vine coiled and extended, growing longer and longer, its tendrils slowly creeping outward, spreading across the area.
"Ha, it''s growing too fast. I have to find its source core fast," Damian thought.
Damian had already formted a n to deal with everything using the knowledge he had gained prior to his regression.
The first stage was acquiring the six [First Timer] achievements from the system.
That stage had gone better than expected.
Not only did he gain four of the achievements, but he also managed to unlock a surprising achievement that rewarded him with multiple valuable items.
The second stage of his n was leveling up as much as possible before entering the First Tower Realm.
To qualify, he needed to clear the first twenty floors of the tower.
Everything had been proceeding ording to n, but an unexpected variable had emerged.
Damian had awakened talents and abilities.
Since that was the case, Damian had to make adjustments to his ns, especially to fully utilize his talents.
Unfortunately, he couldn''t recall anything from his memories that could help him make immediate use of his [Martial Lord] talent.
Moreover, he hadn''t chosen the [Knowledge of Qi] reward when he solo-cleared the Red Gate yesterday.
The reason he had skipped the [Knowledge of Qi] reward was simple: there was currently nothing in the city he could use to improve his martial powers.
On the other hand, he did know a way to enhance his magical abilities, which is why he hade to this particr Red Gate.
"I have to locate the source core of this vine monster," Damian muttered to himself.
Unlike other Red Gates, this one didn''t spawn countless monsters. Instead, it had birthed a single creature called the Forest Heart Creeper.
The Forest Heart Creeper began as a two-foot-tall nt-like entity, but upon entering Earth, it started devouring energy from thend and atmosphere.
It grew rapidly, expanding infinitely and covering entire cities in mere weeks.
And it didn''t stop there.
Once it adjusted to its environment, it gained the ability to absorb energy from water bodies as well.
This invasive species grew endlessly, devouringary energy.
Cutting its vines did little good since they regenerated almost instantly, and burning them was equally futile as the monster healed and regrew at an rming rate.
In his previous life before his regression, the Forest Heart Creeper had grown so massive that itpletely turned this city into an imprable forest.
Not even other monsters emerging from the gates could survive on thisnd.
As it grew, it distinguished between neither living nor non-living things.
It pierced through everything. Living creatures caught in its path were drained of energy until they were reduced to lifeless husks.
Worse yet, the Forest Heart Creeper consumed atmospheric energy as it grew, leaving the environment barren.
This made it exceedingly difficult for Awakeners to cultivate or strengthen their powers.
It was a dangerous, world-altering monster.
But Damian didn''t care what happened to the city.
His sole interesty in the reward he would receive for killing it.
To defeat this creature, he had to destroy its source core.
The monster used its massive vines and roots to absorb energy from the earth and atmosphere, storing it in the source core for future use.
"The problem is that the source core is located at the center of the indoor stadium," Damian murmured.
It had been one and a half days since the Red Gates opened, and the Forest Heart Creeper had already established its domain, covering a radius of 100 meters around the indoor stadium.
Chapter 15: Damian’s Maximum Effort
Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Damian''s Maximum Effort
"Maybe I can make use of the [Martial Lord] here," Damian thought as an idea began to form in his mind.
"System, allocate 10 points to Agility and 10 points to Stamina," Damian said.
[Agility Increased: +10]
[Stamina Increased: +10]
Damian felt a wave of warmth and coldness assault his body, followed by an itching sensation spreading throughout.
"Let''s get back to work," Damian said as he unsheathed his sword and sprinted toward the vine-covered dome of the Forest Heart Creeper.
The dome, spanning roughly 150 meters in radius, had transformed the entire area into a dense forest.
Damian wasn''t afraid of the vines.
They only became dangerous if they managed to ensnare him.
As long as he kept cutting through them, he could advance toward the center of this vine domain, find the Source Core, and destroy it.
The real challenge was that the vines regenerated almost instantly.
He needed to cut through them continuously to make progress, but he couldn''t afford to waste time.
From the start, he had to go all out.
However, Damian also didn''t want to use all his stats to boost his battle power too much.
Overpowering the Forest Heart Creeper would decrease the total amount of experience he''d gain after defeating it.
"This Forest Heart Creeper is the only monster in this particr Red Gate. Defeating it means clearing the entire dungeon," Damian muttered, grinning like an idiot as he imagined the rewards he might earn.
As he approached the vine-covered domain, the vines began to move,unching dozens of tendrils toward him in an attempt to capture their prey.
Damian gripped his sword with both hands and struck the nearest vine, cutting it into pieces.
However, the severed vine regrew within five seconds.
"Five seconds to regrow, huh?" Damian observed, narrowing his eyes as he began to approach the center of the domain.
CUT!
CUT!
CUT!
He shed through hundreds of vines, but the deeper he ventured, the more vines emerged, attacking from all directions.
If not for the points he had allocated to Agility, he wouldn''t have been able to react quickly enough to avoid their speed.
Increasing the Agility stat improved his movement speed, attack speed, reaction time, and even the processing capabilities of his brain.
Meanwhile, the Stamina stat governed how long an Awakener could sustain physical and mental tasks.
By increasing Stamina, Damian not only improved his endurance but indirectly enhanced other stats.
It also directly influences essential processes like training, focus, and attention.
In Damian''s opinion, these two stats were the most critical.
Particrly Stamina, which extended the amount of time he could spend training.
After all, the longer he trained, the better the results.
With every point increase, the effects of the stats grew stronger.
Damian knew that, in the distant future, even a single-point increase would significantly impact his overall battle power.
Right now, Damian didn''t want to waste any of his stats.
He wanted to save them for future use.
He had three immediate goals.
First, to improve his sword skills as much as possible by using the attacking vines that came at him from every direction.
Second, to test his ability [Extraction] and defeat the vines, earning the rewards for clearing another dungeon solo.
Finally, he intended to spend time practicing magic using the reward [Knowledge of Mana] he had received for clearing the Savage Lycan Dungeon and begin developing new spells.
But before focusing on all of that, Damian needed to reach the center of the vine domain and locate the source core of the Forest Heart Creeper.
"Damn it, there are so many vines!" Damian snorted in annoyance as he swung the [Monster yer] in every direction, shing at the endless barrage of vines.
As he pushed about a hundred meters deeper into the vine domain, the number of vines and their speed increased significantly.
Damian found himself struggling to keep up.
"Come on!" Damian gritted his teeth as his sword techniques became faster and more refined.
Hundreds of vines wereshing out at him one after another.
Each time he swung his sword, every cut he made revealed mistakes in his movements.
Yet Damian quickly corrected himself without pausing the fight.
[Your basic-level swordsmanship skill has leveled up to intermediate-level swordsmanship.]
A warm feeling spread through Damian''s body and mind.
His sword suddenly felt lighter in his hands, and every swing flowed with ease.
It wasn''t as though his physical strength had improved, but he felt an increased mastery over his weapon.
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Not only was his movement more fluid, but his precision and uracy had also improved significantly.
His strikes were faster, sharper, and more efficient.
The vines that had overwhelmed him moments ago now struggled to keep up with his advanced swordsmanship.
Damian surged forward, breaking through the tangled mass, closing in on the source core.
"This just got a lot easier. I hope this doesn''t affect the rewards I get," Damian muttered as he shed at a snake-like vine thatshed out from the ground.
Within a few minutes, he had covered a considerable distance.
Only twenty meters now separated him from the center of the vine domain.
The hundreds of vines that kepting at him were no longer as much of a threat.
Each vine took about five seconds to regenerate after being cut, giving Damian just enough time to overpower the Forest Heart Creeper using only his sword skills.
With a final burst of effort, Damian reached the center of the vine domain.
Before him stood the massive trunk of the Forest Heart Creeper.
At its center, embedded in the thick wood, was a glowing blue crystal the size of an exercise ball.
It radiated an intense light, illuminating the vine-covered domain with a soft blue hue.
It was the Forest Heart Creeper''s source core, the very heart of its mana.
Damian found the core strangely beautiful, but he couldn''t afford to admire it for long.
His stamina was running out, and as it depleted, his movements would grow slower and weaker.
He had to finish this quickly.
shing through another wave of vines in a desperate burst, Damian pointed his hand at the source core, preparing to activate his unique ability for the first time.
[Warning!!]
[The Forest Heart Creeper feels threatened by the hunter and is entering a berserk state.]
"Shit!" Damian''s eyes widened as the system warning shed in his vision.
The moment he heard it, a vine shot toward him at an incredible speed, faster than he could react.
It struck him with tremendous force, sending him flying and crashing into another vine.
Before he could recover, the vines coiled around him with snake-like agility, trying to constrict him and drain his energy.
Damian quickly shed through the vines with his sword, freeing himself, but the severed vines regenerated within 2.5 seconds.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Damian cursed under his breath as an evenrger wave of vines surged toward him from every direction, moving faster than he could handle.
Every time he cut one vine, two more would take its ce.
If he cut two, four more would attack.
The vines seemed endless,ing at him relentlessly from all sides.
Even the ones he severed regenerated almost instantly and continued their assault.
The vine domain itself seemed to be shrinking, as if all its energy was focused on crushing the intruder.
With no other choice, Damian pushed himself to his absolute limit.
Using all his strength, he shed at everything in his path, struggling to get closer to the source core.
He leaped from vine to vine, using them as tforms while cutting through every tendril that came at him.
His hands burned, his legs ached, and his lungs strained to provide enough oxygen to sustain him.
Damian didn''t care.
He pushed past his pain and exhaustion, driven by his determination to defeat the dungeon monster no matter what.
As he closed in on the source core, the vines seemed to grow even more furious.
Theyunched themselves at him in a final, coordinated attack.
His movements were halted as vines gripped his legs, arms, neck, and even his sword, tightening with crushing force.
"I won''t let this happen!" Damian roared, but his defiance was short-lived.
The vines coiled around himpletely, enclosing him head to toe.
The domain fell silent, its once furious movement stilled.
No sound or sign of life could be seen inside the vine-covered domain.
Damian had vanished entirely, swallowed by the Forest Heart Creeper.
Chapter 16: Damian’s Massive Power Up
Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Damian''s Massive Power Up
The domain fell silent, its once furious movement stilled.
No sound or sign of life could be seen inside the vine-covered domain.
Damian had vanished entirely, swallowed by the Forest Heart Creeper.
[Conditions Met]
[You have awakened the inherited ability, [Warrior''s Will]]
[Your understanding of swordsmanship has increased]
[Your Swordsmanship (Intermediate) has leveled up to Swordsmanship (High)]
[You have broken through your physical limits]
[Your Strength increased: +2]
[Your Stamina increased: +2]
[Your Agility increased: +2]
Out of nowhere, the dozens of vines encapsting Damian began to vibrate violently.
Suddenly, the vines burst apart like an overfilled balloon, shattering into hundreds of pieces.
A dark sword pierced through the vines and shed them apart like a whirlwind, sending the fragments flying in all directions.
From within the mass of broken vines, a figure shot out and gracefullynded on the ground, a sword gleaming in his hand.
"Time to cut through," Damian muttered sharply.
Gripping the sword tightly with both hands, he twisted his body at full speed andunched himself toward the source core ahead of him.
The Forest Heart Creeper wasn''t done yet.
Hundreds of vines shot toward Damian, moving like serpents attempting to ensnare their prey and stop him in his tracks.
But Damian no longer cared.
With his stats increased and his swordsmanship leveled up, his battle power had risen significantly.
He shed his sword relentlessly, cutting through dozens, no, hundreds of vines as they surged toward him.
Finally, he arrived in front of the source core.
Without wasting a single moment, Damian pointed his palm at the core and activated his unique ability.
[Extraction: Unique Ability Activated]
A colorless, almost gray aura emerged from Damian''s hand before condensing into a vortex that unleashed an intense suction force.
The suction didn''t affect anything else in the vicinity but instead pulled vast amounts of energy directly from the Forest Heart Creeper''s source core.
A blue energy began streaming out of the source core, getting extracted with a speed akin to smoke being sucked out by an exhaust fan, only far faster.
[Your Mana increased: +1]
[Your Mana increased: +1]
[Your Mana increased: +1]
[Your Mana increased: +1]
...
..
.
[Your proficiency in your unique ability, [Extraction], increased.]
[Your Mana increased: +4]
[Your Mana increased: +4]
[Your Mana increased: +4]
...
..
.
[Your proficiency in your unique ability, [Extraction], increased.]
[Your Mana increased: +8]
[Your Mana increased: +8]
[Your Mana increased: +8]
...
..
.
Damian felt waves of mana surging into his active mana core, rapidly filling it.
It felt as though a floodgate had been opened after relentless rainfall, releasing torrents of water that crashed through everything in their path, pulled downward by the unstoppable force of gravity.
Damian''s unique ability, [Extraction], sucked every ounce of mana from the source core like a tornado consuming everything in its vicinity.
Inside Damian''s inner world, his mana core spun furiously, absorbing the waves of mana rushing into it like a ravenous beast that had finally found its prey.
Damian could feel his unique ability growing stronger as it extracted all the energy from the source core.
As the proficiency of his unique ability increased, the amount of energy it could extract also grew rapidly.
In just a few minutes, almost all the mana from the source core had been extracted and absorbed into Damian''s mana pool.
Meanwhile, as soon as Damian began extracting energy from the Forest Heart Creeper''s source core, the monster noticeably started to grow weaker.
Its attacks slowed considerably, its regeneration gradually declined, and after a few minutes, its ability to regeneratepletely stopped.
Damian''s extraction ability drained the monster''s stored mana far faster than it could recover.
Within a few minutes, all the mana in the monster''s source core had beenpletely extracted and used to enhance Damian''s mana core.
Soon, the entire source core was emptied.
The once-radiant source core lost its vitality, crumbled to the ground, and shattered into hundreds of pieces.
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached level 19]
[You have reached level 20]
[You have reached level 21]
[You have reached level 22]
[You have reached level 23]
[You have cleared the ''Forest Creeper'' Dungeon]
[Reward: +10 Free Stat Points]
[It has been detected that you are the first person on Earth to clear a second Dungeon solo, without the use of any power, ability, or the assistance of another Awakener.]
[You have gained an additional reward]
[Reward: +10 Free Stat Points]
[You have absorbed an enormous amount of mana in a short amount of time.]
As soon as the series of notifications finished, Damian felt a slight throb in his heart.
The throbbing quickly spread throughout his entire body, first to his bones, then to his internal organs, muscles, brain, and finally, his eyes.
At the same time, he could feel his blood heating up.
It was as if something ignited out of nowhere, causing his blood cirction to elerate at an unnatural speed.
"Ugh..." Damian clutched his chest as an unbearable pain surged through his heart, as though his blood was boiling.
The intense agony made it nearly impossible for him to breathe.
The heart-wrenching pain soon spread to every part of his body.
Every organ, bone, muscle, and even his skin and eyes burned with an unquenchable agony.
"Aaahhhhhhhh..." Damian held his head and fell to his knees, unable to withstand the overwhelming pain.
It was as though his body had been thrown into moltenva, and all his bones were being shattered simultaneously.
"Hhhaaaaa..."
The pain wasn''t the only sensation he felt.
A strange feeling of stretching, tightening, arching, and tensing swept across his entire body, forcing him to twist and contort uncontrobly in response to the changes.
After what felt like an eternity, the pain suddenly disappeared, and everything returned to normal.
It hadsted only a few seconds, but to Damian, it felt like years.
"Shit... just what the fuck... fuck..." Damian panted heavily, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
His head still throbbed, and a ringing noise echoed in his ears.
[The excessive mana that could not be absorbed by your mana core has been used to improve your constitution.]
[As a side effect, your physical body has been significantly cleansed, reconstructed, and modified.]
[Your Vitality increased: +15]
[Your Stamina increased: +5]
[Your Strength increased: +5]
[Your Agility increased: +5]
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[Your Perception increased: +10]
[Your body has reached the peak of the Body Refinement realm of martial cultivation.]
[Your body has reached the most optimum condition to draw in Qi.]
[You have met all the conditions to practice magic.]
"Bloody fuck..." Damian muttered, ncing at the notifications.
Despite the lingering ache in his body, a grin crept onto his pale face.
After a few minutes of panting and letting the pain subside, Damian stood up.
"This is..." Damian murmured, standing still as he spread his arms, observing the changes in his body.
He could feel an overwhelming difference in strength as he closed his eyes and basked in the sensation.
A faint, light aura seeped out of him, making his presence appear more imposing than ever.
...
[A/N: Come on, everyone! You''ve made it this far, so why not add my novel to your favorites? And if it''s not too much trouble, please leave a review or drop some POWER STONES!]
Chapter 17: The Changes
Chapter 17: Chapter 17: The Changes
While Damian was keeping himself busy thinking about his next course of actions, the rest of the world was also very busy.
It was understandable, given that they were experiencing an apocalypse.
It had been two months since the day of the awakening, and there had been many significant changes on Earth.
The first major change was the metamorphosis process, which awakened the dormant traits of Earth''s inhabitants, enabling them to evolve and unlocking supernatural powers, abilities, talents, and even secret bloodlines that had been sealed within their blood.
However, metamorphosis did not ur in everyone.
It only affected people above the age of 15.
For those below the age of 16, the system informed them that they could undergo metamorphosis once they reached the age of 16.
The total poption of Earth was 8.1 billion.
People below the age of 16 made up 25%.
People between the ages of 16 and 65 made up 65%.
People above the age of 65 made up 10%.
The number of people who had undergone metamorphosis was 75%.
The number of people who survived metamorphosis was 65%.
The number of people who failed to survive the metamorphosis and turned into Corruptants was 10%, with most of these individuals being above the age of 65.
About 25% of the total poption of Earth had been killed in the apocalypse on the first day.
These estimates were made by Earth''s leaders, and the number was still rising, though at a much slower rate.
Meanwhile, the number of people turning 16 and leveling up was increasing at a faster rate than the mortality rate.
The second major change in these two months was, of course, the leveling up of people by hunting Corruptants, mutated beasts, and dungeon monsters emerging from the Red Gates.
In these two months, about 65% of Earth''s total poption had be familiar with the system and started hunting monsters to level up.
Most of these people were between the ages of 15 and 65, while the remaining poption consisted mostly of children who had not yet turned 16 and the elderly who were unable to hunt monsters.
Little did they know, they could easily reverse their age if they leveled up and evolved.
Many smart senior citizens realized this and did their best to hunt monsters and level up.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
Earth was progressing rapidly on the path of evolution, at a much faster rate than before Damian''s regression.
This wasrgely due to a video that quickly became a viral sensation, watched by millions of people all around the world, regardless ofnguage or race.
The video, streamed by a famous influencer who was immensely popr among the youth, showed a weak, sickly-looking man ughtering monsters that had emerged from a Red Gate.
The video became so popr that it was watched by over a hundred million people.
This video inspired many passionate individuals to confront the monsters head-on, rather than flee.
As a result, tens of thousands of people began fighting back against the monsters.
Those who watched these brave individuals fight also gained the confidence to hunt monsters themselves.
This video, along with other simr events, caused a chain reaction that encouraged 45% of Earth''s poption who had sessfully undergone metamorphosis to start leveling up.
There were even people voluntarily entering dungeons to face the monsters.
After two months, the number of people who had grown unnaturally strong began to dominate society, even though it was still in shambles due to the ongoing apocalypse.
The biggest challenge arose for the government, which found itself unable to control the increasingly powerful individuals appearing across the globe.
Governments and world leaders have always enjoyed their positions of power.
They wielded influence, amassed wealth, andmanded respect, not because they earned it but because their positions made it necessary for people to listen to them.
While some world leaders did good things, they rarely acted without ensuring some benefit for themselves.
Most people believed the government was a scam, favoring those with money and power.
It was unfair, but it was the harsh reality.
Damian shared a simr opinion.
In his view, these leaders simply took advantage of the opportunities given to them.
He believed it was human nature to exploit power for personal gain.
If he were in a position of power, he admitted he would likely do the same.
That is just how the world worked, simple and cold.
Now, with people gaining the ability to achieve near-immortality, the government could no longer control them, not even with military force.
You might wonder why the government did not resort to nuclear weapons for extermination.
The answer lies in the strange phenomenon caused by the system''s descent.
The release of supernatural and otherworldly energies into Earth''s atmosphere rendered all nuclear materials inert.
Fissionable isotopes decayed as if they had aged tens of thousands of years, much to the horror of governments that had hoped to use nuclear weapons against the monsters swarming the.
With this development, the government had no choice but to rely on the leveling system and the awakened individuals to handle the extermination.
However, this reliance on the awakened came at a price.
The government''s authority over the people was rapidly eroding.
Why would people listen to a government when they could now gain the power to do as they pleased, independent of any external authority?
In this new world, government, money, and social position had be irrelevant.
Power and strength were all that mattered.
As the government''s influence waned, other forces began to rise.
Each country produced awakened individuals who were unnaturally strongpared to others at the same level.
These awakened individuals began to attract followers, people who wanted to grow stronger or at least align themselves with the strong.
These groups evolved into organizations known as guilds.
Guilds were collectives of awakened individuals who took on the responsibility of clearing gates and hunting mutated beasts and corruptants.
The term "guild" was borrowed from numerous games that dealt with dungeons, apocalypses, zombies, and monsters.
Supposedly, the earliest guilds were formed by high-level gamers.
These gamers, surprisingly, became some of the strongest awakened individuals on Earth, so strong in fact that their power made governments deeply ufortable.
The influence of these guilds grew rapidly, and the government, unable to control them, found itself increasingly overshadowed.
Damian was sitting on a couch, making himselffortable as he watched a documentary summarizing everything that had happened since the Day of Awakening.
A frown appeared on his face.
"What the hell? It''s only been two months, and they''re already forming guilds all over the globe?" Damian rubbed his chin with a confused expression.
He clearly remembered from his past life, prior to his regression, that guilds had only begun to appear six months after the Day of Awakening.
"And this isn''t the only thing that''s different," Damian thought.
The number of people who had died in the past two months was significantly lower than he remembered, and the number of individuals leveling up and hunting monsters had increased drastically.
"Everything is happening much faster than it''s supposed to. Could it be because I''ve changed the sequence of events too much? Is the entire future starting to shift?" Damian wondered, an uneasy feeling rising in his chest.
"I don''t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Will something happen to me? Will someonee after me? Changing the future and altering facts based on memories from before my regression... this isn''t a simple matter. Shouldn''t there be a higher force preventing me from doing this? Am I not viting thews of time itself? Aren''t there consequences for my actions?"
Chapter 18: Mentally ill In An Apocalypse
Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Mentally ill In An Apocalypse
Damian shook his head, reminding himself that it was useless to dwell on matters like this.
It didn''t matter what consequences his actions might bring; he just had to grow strong enough to face them all.
"Let''s just think about what I should do next," Damian said as he nced around the room he was in.
Since the day of Awakening, he had been living in random empty houses he stumbled upon.
He had found dozens of such abandoned homes.
The house he was currently in appeared empty at first, but his exploration had uncovered a gruesome secret in the basement.
There, he found several corpses, their hands bound with chains and their mouths and legs tightly wrapped with tape.
At least fifteen bodies hung by their wrists, lifeless.
These people hadn''t died from monsters or mutated beasts.
They had bled to death from deep shes on their necks and wrists, and their fingers had been severed.
"This isn''t the work of a monster," Damian thought with disgust. "This is the work of a human... a very disturbed, crazy, psychotic... a serial killer."
He examined the evidence of torture on the dead bodies.
He could see various cuts and shing marks all over them.
Damian hoped that this person didn''t survive because if they had no qualms about killing people, they certainly wouldn''t hesitate to kill awakened ones to level up.
After all, killing awakened ones would be far more beneficial than hunting monsters.
It was the easiest way to level up and grow stronger, but it came at a price.
Damian, of course, knew about it.
Before his regression, he remembered that the Awakener''s society had been hunting a few individuals who were constantly killing other awakened ones to grow significantly stronger than their peers.
The desire to kill others to be stronger was somewhat understandable, even though it was a crime and punishable by the Awakener''s society.
But imagine someone who needed to kill, who wanted to kill to satisfy their emotions, or even worse, who wanted to kill just for the sake of it.
People like that could be a serious problem.
"It''s as if this person enjoys cutting off the skin of their victims..." Damian muttered, shaking his head.
"For the sake of all that is good, I hope this mentally-ill person didn''t survive the apocalypse."
He shook the disturbing thoughts from his mind before leaving the house.
The ce disgusted him to his core, and he didn''t want to spend another second there.
Once he uncovered the horrific secrets of the house, he left immediately.
To push the image of the bodies from his mind, he began to think about his progress and what he should do next.
In these past two months, all he had done was focus on leveling up and practicing magic, and he had sessfully be a 1st-circle mage.
Damian nced at his status on the system panel.
________________________________
[Awakener: Damian Ignatius]
[level: 26]
[ss: None]
[Martial Cultivation: Body Refinement Realm(Peak)]
[Magic Cultivation: 1st Circle(Shade)]
[Titles: Regressor, Solo Hunter]
[Achievements: First Killer Titles, First Dungeon Clearer]
[Talents: Elementalist, Martial Lord]
[Abilities: Extraction(Unique), Warrior''s Will(Inherited)]
[Strength: 38 ¨U Agility: 49 ¨U Vitality: 47 ¨U
Stamina: 49 ¨U Perception: 51 ¨U Mana: 108 ¨U
Qi: 0 ¨U]
{Stat Points: 45}
[Spells: me, Wind, Earth, Water]
[Skills: Swordsmanship(High), Archery(Basic), Axe Techniques(Basic)]
________________________________
In the past two months, Damian leveled up only three times, not because he didn''t work hard but because he devoted his time to developing his magical abilities and spells.
Cultivating magic is a long and arduous process, even with the knowledge of mana he received as a reward from the system.
Unlike martial cultivation, which can be advanced by training and absorbing Qi, magic cultivation requires mages to deepen their understanding of the elements and magic itself to progress in their realm.
Despite dedicating two months to this pursuit, Damian had not yet be a full-fledged 1st Circle mage, though he could sense he was very close.
Sitting cross-legged, Damian focused his mind.
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After a few minutes, his consciousness entered his inner world, also known as his sea of consciousness.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on an endless expanse of water that resembled an ocean, but the water was grey in color.
Above him, the sky stretched endlessly, mirroring the ocean''s grey hue, creating a surreal, boundless space.
In the distance, his eyes caught sight of something unusual.
He walked toward it, each step sending calm ripples across the surface of the water.
Soon, he stood before the object he had spotted, a small, strange nt growing out of the grey ocean.
It was unlike anything he had ever seen.
The nt was not green but dark blue, from its stem to its leaves.
It stood about a foot tall and bore a dozen or so leaves.
"I wonder what this represents," Damian mused, aware that a person''s inner world is a reflection of their true self.
He sighed as he sensed the atmosphere around him.
The gentle warmth and soft wind brushing against his cheeks gave the space a peaceful, tranquil feel.
After a moment, his consciousness returned to the real world.
Refocusing, Damian invoked his mana core.
Four streaks of light shot out from his chest, materializing before him as four transparent circr rings, each a different color: earth brown, reddish orange, light blue, and sky white.
These rings represented his progress in the elements he had an affinity for.
In magical cultivation, a mage''s level is determined by how many elemental circles they have sessfully formed for their respective affinities.
For instance, if a mage has an affinity for the me element, forming aplete me elemental ring signifies that they have reached the level of a 1st Circle mage.
Creating a second me elemental ring advances them to a 2nd Circle mage.
As more circles are formed, the power and potency of the associated element grow significantly stronger.
The only way to create elemental circles is by deepening one''s understanding of the elements and elemental magic as a whole.
There are three stages in forming an elemental ring:
1. Outline Formation ¨C The mage creates the initial outline of the ring.
2. Shading ¨C The outline is gradually filled in.
3. Perfection ¨C The magepletes the final, perfected elemental ring.
Damian''s innate talent granted him affinity to four elements: Wind, Water, Earth, and me.
Over the past two months, he had advanced his understanding of all four elements to the second stage.
As soon as he perfected one of these elemental rings, he would be a 1st Circle mage.
But Damian was ambitious.
He wasn''t content with mastering just one element.
He aimed to perfect the elemental rings of all four elements, pushing himself to achieve what few could.
Damian wants to take everything for himself.
He was certainly not going to stop until he became the best in everything he does.
As for magic, of course, he was aiming to be the best mage in all the realms of the tower.
Chapter 19: The Legends That Will Become Reality
Chapter 19: Chapter 19: The Legends That Will Be Reality
Five dayster.
Damian sat cross-legged, his focus unwavering.
In front of him floated four elemental rings, each representing the elements for which he had an affinity.
The elemental rings were in the second stage, but they were already showing signs of nearing perfection.
Above Damian''s head, a small me burned without any fuel.
Suddenly, it began to grow until it reached the size of a football.
One of the elemental rings, the reddish-orange one representing the element of me, began to flicker.
The shaded ring started to condense, transforming until it became a solid elemental ring.
[Your understanding of the me Element has increased.]
[Your perception has increased: +2]
[You have formed the perfected me Elemental Ring.]
[You have be a 1st Circle Mage.]
Damian didn''t open his eyes.
He was already in a heightened state, and with his [Elementalist] talent, which increased hisprehension ability by 30%, his cognizance was stronger than ever.
The me above his head suddenly turned into a gust of wind that swirled with increasing intensity.
After a few minutes, the swirling wind became faster and stronger.
At the same time, the sky-white elemental ring floating next to the perfected me elemental ring, which represented the Wind element, began to condense.
Within moments, it reached perfection.
[Your understanding of the Wind Element has increased.]
[Your perception has increased: +2]
[You have formed the perfected Wind Elemental Ring.]
The gust of wind disappeared, and in its ce, a ball of water began to float.
Within a few minutes, the ball of water grewrger until it reached the size of a football.
The deep blue Water elemental ring, floating next to the Wind elemental ring, began to condense.
In mere moments, it transformed into a perfected Water elemental ring.
[Your understanding of the Water Element has increased.]
[Your perception has increased: +2]
[You have formed the perfected Water Elemental Ring.]
After a few more minutes, the same process urred with the Earth elemental ring.
[Your understanding of the Earth Element has increased.]
[Your perception has increased: +2]
[You have formed the perfected Earth Elemental Ring.]
"I''m a 1st Circle Mage now," Damian said with a smile of satisfaction.
He was genuinely surprised that he had managed to achieve this in just two months.
It was all thanks to his talent, [Elementalist].
Although it wasn''t as powerfulpared to the talents of other high-level mages in the Second Tower Realm, it was still an exceptional talent.
It granted him a 30% increase in magicprehensionpared to normal mages.
He knew he could have be a 1st Circle Mage even faster if he had focused on perfecting just a single element instead of cultivating all four elements simultaneously.
While this approach might not allow him topete with the most powerful mages above the Second Tower Realm, it would likely make him better than the average mage, even among the elite.
However, things might change if he factored in the benefits of his other talent, [Martial Lord].
Just like [Elementalist], the [Martial Lord] talent granted him a 30% increase inprehension, but this time in Qi cultivation and the mastery of all martial weapons.
This talent was already on par with those possessed by high-level martial artists in the Second Tower Realm.
If he dedicated himself to developing both his magical and martial skills, he might surpass even the strongest high-level mages and martial artists.
"In about a couple of weeks, the system will open the ss assignment process. After that, all that''s left is to climb the tower and dominate the Tower Realms," Damian thought with a grin, clenching his fists tightly.
"Last time, I wasn''t able to obtain a ss because I didn''t meet the basic requirements. There are several factors that contribute to the ss one can acquire," he murmured, deep in thought.
"The major ones are stats, the skills we''ve learned, the path of evolution we''ve taken, the talents we''ve awakened, and finally, the personality we possess," Damian pondered.
"Additionally, things like an awakener''s willpower, mental strength, determination, courage, discipline, dedication, ambition, tenacity, and even faith can influence the ss we obtain," he reflected.
Damian nced at his status panel, carefully reading through his talents, skills, the path of evolution he had chosen, and his current stats.
He reviewed everything he had done up to this point.
"I don''t care what ss I obtain, as long as it''s something useful that can make me stronger. For now, I need to find a way to increase my Qi reserves and start my martial cultivation. But unlike magic, this will require a proper cultivation technique, which will be the hardest part," Damian mused as he nned his next steps.
After pondering for a few minutes, Damian couldn''t recall anything immediately essible that could help him with martial cultivation.
Although he couldn''t remember any specific techniques or ces where he could begin his martial cultivation, he did recall something that could be helpful.
"Most of the Awakeners who follow the martial cultivation path of evolution on Earth originated from Asian countries," Damian thought.
He remembered this easily because it was a widely discussed and controversial topic before his regression.
"There were a lot of theories, but the most convincing one was that Asian countries, throughout their history, had practiced martial arts extensively. This practice was recorded in their genes, which is why they were able to awaken talents and abilities rted to martial cultivation. There were even Awakeners who could obtain Qi as soon as the metamorphosis waspleted."
There were also families in Asia that inherited techniques and martial skills through generations.
Before the Day of Awakening, these things were nothing more than museum attractions.
But after the awakening, many discovered that these techniques and skills actually worked when fused with Qi or supernatural energies.
That''s how many powerful martial arts families, simr to guilds, rose to prominence.
Damian thought about the ims of these families. "Some of the leaders of these families even imed they had always known about supernatural energies, but humanity had lost the ability to pursue them."
"As a result, these inherited techniques and skills were treated as mere artifacts. However, once the ability to use Qi returned, they became invaluable."
He sighed, thinking further. "Although simr urrences happened all over the world, Asia wasn''t the only continent with great supernatural stories and legends."
"It turned out that many of these myths were true; humanity had simply lost the ability toprehend such things. Over time, these truths faded into mere legends and stories."
Speaking of stories, there were even Awakeners iming that mythologies about gods were real.
They said they met these gods after reaching the third Tower Realm.
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Although there was no concrete proof because only a small number of Awakeners reached the third realm, given everything that has happened, it''s highly usible.
He sighed again. "I guess I''ll have to visit the Asian countries."
Damian resolved to observe martial artists there, hoping he might find something useful for his cultivation journey.
Chapter 20: The Strongest Among Us
Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The Strongest Among Us
Damian jumped off a building andnded gracefully in front of a massive ten-story structure.
What was once an apartmentplex had now been converted into the headquarters of a guild.
"So, they''re already starting to im ownership of the gates, huh," Damian muttered with a snort of annoyance.
Beneath this buildingy a gate that acted as a portal, instantly transporting those who entered it to the secondrgest country in Asia.
Damian had intended to use it, but it seemed his n was wed.
The gates were already being seized and imed by guilds.
The guild that had imed ownership of this location was called the United Swords Guild.
Damian couldn''t tell if it was pure coincidence, but the guild members seemed to primarily wield swords as their weapons.
"Wait, now that I think about it, even before the Day of Awakening, weren''t there novels and games rted to apocalypses and systems?" A realization struck Damian, his expression shifting to one of puzzlement.
"What the hell? Is everything we thought was fiction bing reality? Just what is going on here?" He narrowed his eyes, shaking his head in displeasure.
A hint of regret surfaced as he recalled how disinterested he had been in such stories before the Day of Awakening.
"Maybe that''s why the people who yed those games or read fictional novels about apocalypses became some of the strongest awakeners. Reality turned out to be eerily simr to their fantasies," Damian sighed.
"Well, at least I have my memories from before my regression. That should give me an advantage over most others," he muttered as he shifted his gaze to the guild office of the United Swords Guild.
"Now, how should I approach this? They''re definitely not going to let me use the gate easily," Damian thought, his irritation evident on his face.
Though many monsters had emerged from the gates, their numbers weren''t nearly enough for awakeners to level up significantly.
The amount of experience gained from killing them would decrease drastically over time.
When the system''s invitation for ss Assignment appeared, the strongest awakener on Earth had only reached around level 35.
Damian hadn''t been at that level before his regression, but his stats were leagues ahead of others atparable levels.
In terms of raw stats, he was on par with someone between levels 40 and 45, but his mana stat had already surpassed 100.
If hebined his magic with the inherited ability he awakened, Damian was confident he could take on anyone on Earth.
And let''s not forget, he still had over 45 free stat points he could allocate at any time.
This alone gave him confidence in his ability to stand against anyone.
However, one issue remained.
"I might have trouble with the guild leaders. Supposedly, they''ve awakened incredibly powerful talents and abilities that make them exceptionally strong," Damian mused.
He could vividly remember a dozen or so individuals who awakened the most overpowered abilities imaginable.
These abilities were so formidable that no one could stand against them except for one another.
Most of these individuals eventually rose to be leaders of the greatest guilds in the world, guilds that dominated the Earth in the aftermath of the Day of Awakening.
There were many Awakeners with abilities that granted special effects, significantly increasing their stats or other physical capabilities.
If Damian encountered someone like that in the United Swords Guild, he might face trouble dealing with them.
Damian considered this with a stern expression for a few moments before irritation shed across his face.
"Forget it. Let''s just deal with it head-on," Damian snorted, striding through the front door of the guild''s headquarters as if he owned the ce.
As soon as he entered, he immediately caught the attention of everyone inside.
His appearance was striking, and it was impossible to ignore him.
After extracting all the mana from the Forest Heart Creeper''s source core, the unabsorbed excess mana had been used to reconstruct and refine his physical body.
The transformation was profound.
All the abnormalities in his body had been corrected, and his chronic sicknesspletely cured.
His body had reached peak condition, which greatly enhanced hisprehension abilities, strengthened his bones, and increased his height to an impressive 6''3".
The blemishes on his skin vanished, leaving it pale yet healthy.
His naturally blue eyes had deepened into a vivid sapphire shade, and his dark ck hair now looked clean, shiny, and softer, styled in a casually messy, medium length.
Wearing a full-sleeved, hooded brown t-shirt paired with ck pants and sneakers, Damian looked undeniably handsome.
He was turning heads wherever he went, though he seemed entirely unaware of it.
Even if he had noticed, he wouldn''t have cared.
Now, as he entered the headquarters of the United Swords Guild, he became the immediate center of attention.
At least twenty people were inside, going about their business, but something else quickly caught Damian''s notice, making him raise an eyebrow.
"Why are there so many Asian people here?" Damian wondered silently. "I suppose the guild must have extensive interactions with Asian countries. If that''s the case, it''s possible the members here might also possess Qi cultivation methods."
Damian pondered this briefly as he walked toward the receptionist, who greeted him with a warm smile.
"Wee, sir. How can I help you today?" the receptionist asked politely.
"Not much," Damian replied casually. "I just want to use the Gungeon Gate you''re hiding in the basement."
"...What?" The receptionist blinked, certain she had misheard him.
"S-Sir, I think you''re mistaken. We''re a guild that handles monster and Corruptant hunting missions. We don''t provide services like that, and we certainly don''t own a gate," she replied, maintaining her professional smile.
"Is that so?" Damian frowned, studying her expression for a moment.
"It seems she genuinely doesn''t know about the gate in the basement," Damian thought. "That''s understandable. A gate capable of enabling global travel would be highly valuable and could attract unwanted trouble. It''s no wonder they''ve kept it hidden."
A sly grin spread across Damian''s face.
"Why do I feel so uneasy all of a sudden?" the receptionist thought nervously as she looked at him.
Damian leaned forward slightly. "I''d like to meet the Guild Master."
"The Guild Master?" The receptionist raised an eyebrow, her polite demeanor slipping for a moment.
Around the room, other Awakeners, many of them armed with swords, turned their attention to him, their gazes narrowing.
"Yes, the Guild Master," Damian repeated, ignoring the stares of the dozens of Awakeners who were now focused on him.
"The Guild Master is very busy," the receptionist said hesitantly.
"May I take a message to deliver to him?"
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Before Damian could reply, he felt a firm handnd on his shoulder.
...
[A/N: Come on, everyone! You''ve made it this far, so why not add my novel to your favorites? And if it''s not too much trouble, please leave a review or drop some POWER STONES!]
Chapter 21: They Always Make It Complicated
Chapter 21: Chapter 21: They Always Make It Complicated
"The Guild Master is very busy," the receptionist said hesitantly.
"May I take a message to deliver to him?"
Before Damian could reply, he felt a firm handnd on his shoulder.
Damian ignored the receptionist and turned his head to face the man who had dared to interrupt his conversation.
It was a burly man with a sword hanging on his back, and from his expression, it was clear he wasn''t friendly.
"Who the hell are you? What business do you have with the guild master?" the man demanded, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
"Like you said, I have business with your guild master, not you. So why don''t you go fetch him for me instead of trying to intimidate me? Which, by the way, isn''t working." Damian patted the man''s shoulder, smiling lightly.
The man''s eyes widened in fury.
He did not appreciate Damian''s casual, dismissive tone.
Right then, as if unable to restrain his hot-headedness, the burly man reached for the sword hanging by his waist and shed at Damian without warning.
His intent to cut Damian into pieces was clear.
However, instead of his de striking flesh, it collided with another sword, one that had swiftly blocked the attack and then shoved him back.
Not stopping there, Damian stepped forward and shed again, sending the man crashing to the ground.
"You bastard..." the man eximed in shock.
In terms of pure physical strength, he was far from weak.
In fact, he was considered above average and was next in line to join the first-rate raid party of the United Swords Guild.
Yet, just now, when he attacked, it felt as if he had struck a solid brick wall.
His hands throbbed, his nerves felt as if they were on fire, and the force of the sh had left him trembling.
"Why is it so hard for people like you to listen?" Damian said, shaking his head in displeasure.
"I said I just wanted to meet your guild master. It''s a simple thing; it wouldn''t even take five minutes. Why do you guys have to make it soplicated?"
"You bastard! You''re not leaving here in one piece," the burly man growled.
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It seemed Damian''s words had offended all the guild members present.
One by one, they simultaneously drew their swords and began to advance on him.
"Seriously?" Damian sighed, genuinely baffled.
He didn''t understand what he had done wrong.
He had entered the guild office respectfully through the front door, gone to the receptionist, and politely asked to meet the guild master.
If the receptionist had said the guild master was busy, he would have left quietly.
After all, he remembered something that could help him with a Qi cultivation technique, and he didn''t need to go to Asian countries to find it.
But did things go smoothly?
Of course not.
Instead, they escted into chaos.
And now, swords were being pointed at him.
Damian was not someone who actively sought trouble, but that didn''t mean he would back down when trouble came for him.
Six men, all armed and clearly intent on hurting him, rushed toward Damian.
He narrowed his eyes in irritation.
The moment their swords entered his reach, Damian made a simple horizontal sh.
Though it was a basic attack, the six men felt as though they had been struck by a speeding car.
Their des shattered all at once, their arms trembling and breaking under the force.
Unable to withstand the impact, they stumbled back in shock.
"This guy is strong."
"He might be as strong as the guild master," murmured some of the guild members who had been watching and chose not to interfere.
Two months had passed since the day of the Awakening.
Many of the Awakened had already surpassed level 30.
The guild master of the United Swords Guild was one of them, though most high-level Awakened belonged to major organizations or guilds.
Looking at Damian, however, it was clear he was not affiliated with any organization, guild, or martial arts family from the Asian countries.
The fact that someone like him had grown so strong, seemingly on his own, was shocking.
It should be noted thatpared to the monsters found in the tower realms, the monsters invading Earth were little more than ythings.
The highest-level monsters that appeared in the six months following the Awakening ranged from levels 50 to 60.
As monsters grew stronger and gained more abilities with each level, they became significantly tougher to defeat.
This made leveling up increasingly difficult for the Awakened.
Low-level monsters were nearing extinction, and hunting them yielded diminishing returns.
Awakened individuals were forced to seek out high-level monsters, which were far more dangerous.
Facing such creatures alone was almost impossible.
This challenge was one of the main reasons guilds were formed in the first ce, to help Awakened individuals hunt high-level monsters more effectively.
Even then, the system was strict about distributing experience points among group members, with contribution determining the share of experience each person received.
For Awakened individuals without high-level abilities or talents, joining a guild was essential for leveling up.
Even the guild master of the United Swords Guild, despite leading hunting parties, had only reached level 35.
That was why it was so astonishing for the guild members to witness Damian''s strength.
He exhibited power on par with their guild master, a feat almost unheard of for someone seemingly unaffiliated with any major group.
Damian didn''t care about what the bystanders were saying about him.
"I''ve had enough of this nonsense. I''d rather be out hunting monsters than wasting time fighting with a bunch of Awakeners who wouldn''t even force me to use my full power," Damian said with a frown, ncing at the men struggling to stand on trembling legs after enduring his attack.
Make no mistake, he wasn''t belittling or ridiculing them. He was merely stating a fact.
There was no benefit in fighting them, especially when the reasons they used to point their swords at him were both senseless and wrong.
Damian turned toward the front door he had used to enter and was about to leave when he suddenly sensed a strong presence appearing a short distance away.
His perception stat was the second highest after his mana, and ever since he began practicing magic, it had only grown sharper.
His heightened senses immediately registered that this new presence was powerful, far stronger than the weaklings he had just defeated.
"I wonder if I''m strong enough to give you a proper fight," came a confident voice.
Damian turned his head, spotting a man stepping out of the elevator.
He was dressed in a sharp red suit, a long sword hanging by his waist.
"It''s the guild master!"
"The guild master is here!"
"He''s going to teach this guy a lesson for messing with our guild!"
Hearing the guild members'' excited chatter, Damian''s expression changed.
"So, he''s the guild master, huh?" Damian muttered, observing the man carefully.
"And what the fuck do they mean I messed with them? They messed with me first. I''ve been respectful from the start."
Irritation flickered across his face as Damian focused on the guild master of the United Sword Guild. "What the fuck do you want? I was just leaving."
"A battle, of course," the guild master replied with a grin.
"You said no one here is strong enough to make you use your full power, didn''t you? I''d like to see how much of that is true."
He grabbed the hilt of his sword, pointing it at Damian. "Now let me ask you something. Do you have the guts to prove it, or are you all talk and no dick?"
The guild master didn''t even wait for an answer.
But before he could react further, Damian''s figure blurred and appeared right in front of him, sword shing toward his target.
"That''s more like it," the guild master grinned, meeting Damian''s attack.
Chapter 22: You Can Never Win Against Me
Chapter 22: Chapter 22: You Can Never Win Against Me
The guild master didn''t even wait for an answer.
But before he could react further, Damian''s figure blurred and appeared right in front of him, sword shing toward his target.
"That''s more like it," the guild master grinned, meeting Damian''s attack.
When their swords met, they released a small shockwave that sent vibrations through their arms, but neither of them was pushed back.
"It seems we are equally strong," the guild master smiled, seemingly satisfied.
N?v(el)B\\jnn
Damian remained silent.
He didn''t even want to talk; he just wanted to end this.
He no longer felt like he could gain anything useful here, or by going through the gate in the basement of the United Sword Guild to go to China in search of a Qi cultivation method.
From what he could tell, the guild had long been inmunication with martial artists and martial artist families.
If that was true, they must have been exchanging resources from their respective countries, and that likely included cultivation techniques.
Even if they were sharing techniques, the guild members should be stronger than they were, but they weren''t.
This made Damian wonder if the techniques they had received from China weren''t worth the effort of going through all this trouble.
Not to mention, Damian could easily obtain many techniques once he entered the first tower realm.
Right now, Damian regretteding here to ask for help from the guild.
He considered it a waste of time.
Damian continued exchanging sword shes with the guild master, though he wasn''t using his full strength.
If he had, the guild master would have been defeated in a single blow.
"This man should be around level 35, but unfortunately, my stats areparable to level 45. There''s no way he could beat me," Damian thought, shaking his head mid-battle with the guild master.
The guild master raised an eyebrow, unable to believe that this man dared to shake his head in the middle of a fight with such a strong opponent.
Just how arrogant must he be?
"You must be hiding your true strength if you dare provoke me so arrogantly," the guild master said with a grin, jumping back into a stance, preparing to attack Damian.
Damian tilted his head in confusion. "What the hell is he talking about? When the fuck did I provoke him?"
"I''ll show you my true strength!" The guild master held his sword in both hands, his gaze sharp.
"Oh, he''s going to bring out the big guns," Damian thought with a smile as he also got into a stance.
His eyes narrowed as he sensed a strange energy emanating from the guild master.
The guild master''s body was surrounded by a light blue energy that quickly flowed into the sword, making the entire de glow with an intense blue light.
"You''re a Qi cultivator, huh?" Damian muttered, preparing to defend himself.
"Let me see how long you can keep up that arrogant facade," the guild master said,unching himself at Damian with his sword raised.
Damian narrowed his eyes.
He might be physically stronger than the guild master, but he didn''t know how much of a difference the Qi covering his sword would make.
The guild master shed at Damian.
He didn''t use anyplicated techniques to increase the power, speed, or explosiveness of his strike; it was just a simple sword sh with Qi enveloping his body.
Damian raised his [Monster yer] sword to defend.
When the guild master''s Qi-covered sword collided with his de, a booming sound resonated throughout the room.
Unable to withstand the impact, Damian was sent flying, crashing through the receptionist desk, which broke in two, and he mmed into the brick wall, leaving spiderweb-like cracks.
Damian slowly raised his head and looked at the guild master again, his sword still covered in Qi.
"This is what you get for messing with the United Sword Guild," the guild master said, his voice filled with arrogance.
"As expected, he was all talk and no action. He can never win against the guild master."
"Win? Pfft... He can''t even handle a single Qi-covered strike from the guild master."
A vein popped in Damian''s forehead.
He would even ept being defeated, but he couldn''t stand the trash talkers.
It made him want to punch them right in the nose.
"Want to ept defeat? You can never win against me. A normal sword can never hold against a Qi-covered sword. Although it seems your sword is holding up well... I guess it has special properties and is made from rare metal?" the guild master said, looking down at Damian with curiosity.
"How about you ept defeat and hand over that sword to me aspensation for damaging things in my office, and I''ll let you go?" the guild master smiled.
"Don''t think you''ve won just because younded a blow... Actually, I let yound that blow," Damian said, getting back on his feet and ncing at the guild master with a small smile.
"You LET mend the blow? Did I hear that right?" the guild master chuckled, thinking Damian was still acting arrogantly, refusing to ept defeat.
Then, a bad feeling started to rise in the guild master''s chest.
He blinked and found Damian had disappeared from his spot, only to appear right in front of him, shing his sword.
The guild master quickly raised his Qi-covered sword to defend, but unlike what he anticipated, Damian''s sword didn''tnd on his Qi-covered sword.
Instead, Damian''s sword struck him directly in the gut.
The force sent the guild master tumbling to the ground.
"You bastard!" The guild master''s face turned red with pain.
He immediately shed his sword horizontally, releasing a ray of sword Qi that rushed at Damian.
"So, you can also use it as a projectile weapon, huh?" Damian said, a smile forming on his lips. "Well, you''re not the only one who can do that."
Damian''s [Monster yer] sword began to glow with blue energy.
"This bastard... He was hiding his abilities. He can also use Qi!"
"I can''t believe this," the onlookers muttered, clearly displeased.
Most people here had hoped to rise through the ranks within the guild and earn the privilege of learning Qi cultivation techniques, but this man had somehow gotten his hands on it on his own.
"No... it''s not Qi. This feels different," the guild master muttered to himself.
The blue energy soon covered Damian''s sword, turning into a reddish-orange hue.
As soon as it did, Damian shed his sword.
A reddish-orange ray of energy shot out, colliding with the guild master''s sword Qi.
When the two energies shed, a small explosion erupted, canceling each other out.
Damian didn''t wait.
He quickly covered his sword with mana, turning it into a me element.
Moving at top speed, he vanished from everyone''s sight and appeared before the guild master, shing his sword.
The guild master barely had time to react but was still able to raise his sword to defend.
Damian''s me-covered sword collided with the guild master''s sword, and the impact exploded on the spot, sending the guild master flying.
The force of the blow was simr to the one earlier when Damian had allowed the guild master tond a blow on him.
The guild master crashed into the wall.
The guild master''s sword broke into dozens of pieces, and when he stood up, burn marks all over his body, he nced at Damian''s burning hot sword, now dangerously close to his neck, ready to burn and cut his flesh.
"I... I ept defeat," the guild master stammered, his voice trembling.
...
[A/N: Come on, everyone! You''ve made it this far, so why not add my novel to your favorites? And if it''s not too much trouble, please leave a review or drop some POWER STONES!]
Chapter 23: Search For The Mysterious Person
Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Search For The Mysterious Person
After the first few months following the Day of Awakening, many strong and unknown forces began to make their presence known across various countries.
One of the more prominent nations affected was China.
China has always boasted a rich ancient history of battles and martial arts, with many practitioners leaving their mark over the centuries.
Numerous families and ns trace their roots back to these ancient eras.
For generations, these families guarded ancient techniques and scriptures, preserving them as heirlooms or symbols of their heritage.
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However, after the Day of Awakening, these families began to actively use the techniques and scriptures passed down by their ancestors.
They quickly grew stronger, bing powerful enough to dominate anyone who opposed them.
As their strength increased, so did their influence.
They attracted countless followers who trained under their tutge.
This led to the current state of China, where four families have be so powerful that they now dominate the country.
A young Chinese mannded in front of an elder who appeared to be in his sixties.
Despite his age, the elder looked no older than forty.
His toned, burly muscles exuded an intimidating presence, and the sword in his hand glowed with intense, sharp spiritual energy known as Qi.
This man was the patriarch of the Zhao Family, one of the four martial families of China.
"You better have a good reason to interrupt my training, Mo," the patriarch said, turning his face toward the young Chinese man.
"Master, I was in Italy and encountered another talented swordsman, far more skilled than Lorenzo Rossi," Mo replied.
"Oh? More talented than Lorenzo, huh? Who is he? Is he a top-level Awakener who could rival our country''s best? Is he a member of an organization? What is his level? Tell me everything about him," the patriarch asked, his curiosity piqued.
He was someone who deeply valued Awakeners with exceptional swordsmanship talent.
This was one of the main reasons he became a supporter of the United Swords Guild, providing them with resources, techniques, and skills to cultivate more martial artists.
"He is just a level 26 Awakener, but I believe his true strength far surpasses that," Mo said.
"He defeated Lorenzo with a single blow. Moreover, I don''t think he used his full strength. He was too overwhelming... I suspect that despite his low level, he might possess strength rivaling yours, Master." Mo''s tone grew fervent, as if he were talking about his favorite actor.
The United Swords Guild wasn''t one of thergest organizations on Earth, but it was a formidable force, ranking among the top 100 organizations globally, including major guilds, families, and other Awakener groups.
The guild master of the United Swords Guild, Lorenzo Rossi, might not be the strongest Awakener in the world, but he was certainly in the top 80.
The main reason for his rise was the Qi cultivation method he had obtained from the Zhao family.
Although Lorenzo''s level was only 35, his cultivation level was nearing thepletion of the thirdyer of the Body Refinement Realm.
He could utilize Qi, and while his Qi reserves were minimal, he still managed to enhance his sword attacks with it.
Additionally, reaching the thirdyer of the Body Refinement Realm had significantly boosted his physical strength, making himparable to a level 40 Awakener.
To defeat an Awakener of a much higher level, who was also a Qi cultivator, while being only level 26, was not something Patriarch Zhao could overlook.
He had to learn more about this individual.
"Did he use Qi? Is he a Qi cultivator?" the Zhao family head asked, crossing his arms.
"Well... I don''t think he is a Qi cultivator, but..."
"But what? Spit it out."
"He didn''t use Qi, but he used something else. Another type of energy, perhaps? I don''t know, but it''s definitely not Qi. That I''m sure of," Mo replied earnestly. "He used that energy to enhance his sword with me element."
"It''s entirely possible that he was using another kind of energy. While it might share some characteristics with Qi, it could be fundamentally different. Remember, there are numerous types of energy besides Qi."
"The Saintess of the Vatican, for instance, uses a different type of energy called Holy Power," the Zhao family head exined.
"What did Lorenzo say? Does he know who this Awakener is?"
"No... He''s never seen this person before, nor has anyone else. It''s truly surprising how such a strong Awakener has gone unnoticed," Mo said, shaking his head.
"Yes, it really is interesting how someone this powerful could remain hidden," the Zhao family head mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
It was worth noting that all the gates that had appeared, as well as the areas already under the control of gate monsters, were closely monitored by the Awakener Society and other major forces on Earth.
These organizations oversaw those entering and exiting the gates and kept a close watch on their leveling progress.
If an Awakener with unparalleled strength for their level emerged, the news would have spread worldwide like wildfire.
This constant surveince was one reason why high-level Awakeners, especially those affiliated with prominent forces like the Saintess of the Vatican, became so famous.
"Go back to Italy and stay with the United Swords Guild. Inform us about everything that happens there and try to gather as much information as you can about this mysterious Awakener," the Zhao family head instructed.
"We must recruit this person before anyone else does, especially not Italy''s Awakener Society. I don''t want such a talented Awakener to go to waste by joining their ranks."
"But what if I manage to uncover his identity and he still doesn''t want to join us?" Mo asked hesitantly.
"Use every resource at your disposal. Offer him anything he wants," the family head replied, narrowing his eyes.
"If even then he refuses to join us, I will personally challenge him, beat him into submission, and force him to form a System contract to ensure his allegiance to us."
"Master, forgive me for asking, but is it truly so important for us to make him join?" Mo asked, swallowing hard.
"Of course it is. Times have changed. People are growing stronger and stronger, and we have no idea where it will end. The reason the major forces on Earth are recruiting powerful individuals is because of a prediction made by an Awakener with the ability to foresee the future."
"It was foretold that Earth will soon encounter another phase of change, bringing battles and rewards far greater than anything we''ve faced since the Day of Awakening. To face these thorns ahead, we need strength, specifically the strength of Awakeners. Crossing through these challenges will benefit those who make it through."
The Zhao family head nced at Mo with a small smile. "As long as we, the Zhao family, stand at the forefront as the strongest, we will reap thergest rewards."
...
The Awakener Society of Italy
The Awakener Society was an organization formed by the government andposed of powerful Awakeners.
Its primary role was to regte Awakeners, manage existing gates, handle newly appearing gates worldwide, and decide who could enter these gates and who could not.
Each country had its own Awakener Society, named ordingly.
For instance, Damian''s country, Italy, had the Italian Awakener Society.
The Italian Awakener Society oversaw all activities within Italy, setting regtions and guidelines on how Awakeners should deal with gates, gate monsters, corruptants, and mutated beasts.
If any organization or guild wished to clear a gate or hunt down a dominion of gate monsters, they were required to obtain permits from the Italian Awakener Society and other major forces within Italy.
Not even the Vatican could bypass this system, as the Awakener Society had powerful Awakeners who weremitted to enforcing these rules.
Even if others tried to defy these regtions, they would have no choice but to contend with the might of the society, an endeavor that would cost far more than any potential gains.
The Awakener Society had eyes and ears all over Italy, embedded within every major force.
It was through these channels that the president of the Italian Awakener Society learned about a certain individual who had effortlessly defeated the guild master of one of the fastest-growing guilds in the country.
"So, an unregistered Awakener strong enough to go toe-to-toe with a high-level Awakener has appeared, huh?" The president tapped his fingers on the desk casually.
The seemingly minor action caused dents to form in the desk, and soon cracks spread across its surface.
"Try to find out as much as possible about him. We need to recruit him into our ranks." The president nced at the Awakener standing before him, arms sped behind his back.
....
The Wild Phantom Guild.
The Wild Phantom was another rapidly growing guild in Italy, and its guild master was famous not only within Italy but across the globe.
There were two main reasons for this fame.
First, before the Day of Awakening, he was a very popr streamer known for engaging in all kinds of nonsensical antics.
Second, he was the only person to meet the first individual who leveled up and killed gate monsters on their own.
He was the only one who had ever seen that person''s face.
It was the thrill and inspiration he gained from that encounter that gave him the confidence to hunt monsters on his own.
Not just him, but everyone who watched the video of that mysterious individual felt a surge of determination to stand against the monsters and level up.
Among the younger generation, the man who streamed that encounter on the Day of Awakening, Eric Walcrown, became one of the strongest.
He went on to establish the Wild Phantom guild, which now ranks among the top 50 guilds in the world.
At that moment, a man burst into Eric''s office in urgency.
"Guild Master, we have some information about Awakener Zero!"
The world had already recognized the mysterious individual as the first-ever Awakener to level up, and they had been given the title Awakener Zero.
"What is it?" Eric Walcrown, the guild master, asked, his expression lighting up with excitement.
"Although we have no way to confirm if this is the same person as Awakener Zero, I''ve received information from our informant in the United Swords Guild."
"Apparently, a mysterious, unregistered Awakener recently entered their guild office, defeated every single member, including the guild master, in a single strike, and left dissatisfied as if he didn''t get the action he was looking for."
If Damian were present, he would have punched thisckey and whoever leaked this false information right in the nose for defaming his reputation.
"Defeating a group of powerful Awakeners in a single strike? It''s definitely him. Quick, gather more information about him. Find his whereabouts. We have to bring him into our guild as soon as possible and make him our guild master."
Ever since that fateful day, Eric had be a devoted fan of Damian.
He hoped to follow the man for life after proving himself worthy.
That was why, ever since founding the Wild Phantom guild, he had been searching for Damian.
Unfortunately for Eric but fortunately for Damian, he had never seeded in finding him.
Chapter 24: Emotional Trauma? Seriously?
Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Emotional Trauma? Seriously?
"Let me ask a question before we get to whatever it is you came to our guild for," the Guild Master of the United Swords Guild said, his gaze fixed on the man who had defeated him in a single move.
The man was overwhelming, even for him, a fighter ranked among the top 100 awakeners in the entire world.
Based on the sheer power he had disyed during his fight with the Guild Master, everyone in the United Swords Guild was left wondering where this mysterious individual would rank among the world''s elite awakeners.
Could he be in the top 50? The top 20? Perhaps even the top 10?
Of course, most members of the United Swords Guild dismissed the idea of Damian being one of the top 10 strongest awakeners on Earth.
Whatever the case, this mysterious rogue, an unregistered awakener, was undoubtedly among the top 50 if not higher.
"What do you want to know?" Damian asked, his voice calm.
The Guild Master and all his guild members knelt before him, while Damian satfortably on a couch, gazing down at them with a small smile as if watching a group of harmless rabbits milling about.
"If you possess such a powerful ability, simr to my Qi, why didn''t you use it from the beginning and stop me fromnding that blow on you?" the Guild Master asked, his voice tinged with both curiosity and disbelief.
"Well, no particr reason. I knew you were using Qi. I wanted to see what you could do with it. I wanted to assess just how useful Qi really is," Damian replied calmly.
"Is this guy insane? He let himself get hit by my Qi-covered sword just to gauge its strength? Who is this bastard? What kind of hellhole did he crawl out of?"
The Guild Master, who had initially felt ted at the chance to fight a high-level swordsman, now deeply regretted his earlier enthusiasm.
He was beginning to realize he might be dealing with a lunatic.
"What business do you have with our guild?" the guild master, Lorenzo Rossi, asked with a firm expression.
He was already regretting entertaining this lunatic.
He needed to get this man to leave as soon as possible.
What made him even more nervous was the unsettling feeling that if this man wanted to, he could kill every single one of them before they could retaliate.
They couldn''t even call for help since this lunatic had forced them to close all their exits and turn off allmunication devices.
Not that they had any intention of trying, as it was clear Damian would kill them the moment they attempted anything.
His constant, oppressive killing intent left no room for doubt.
"What do I want, huh?" Damian rubbed his chin in thought for a few seconds before ncing at the people kneeling before him.
The grin on his face made him look like an actual madman.
"Let me think. I came here very respectfully through the front door and politely asked the receptionist for a meeting with the guild master. And what did I get in return? Swords pointed at me? I''m hurt. I''m mentally hurt."
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"I have never faced such humiliation before. You guys have topensate me for the emotional damage you''ve inflicted on me. I''m the victim of emotional trauma that might stunt my progress for years!" Damian''s eyes watered as his body shuddered, as if reliving a deep emotional wound.
"What the hell is this guy going on about?"
"Emotional trauma? Seriously?"
"This guy is definitely insane."
"Jesus Christ, this man could win an Oscar for his acting."
The members of the United Swords Guild could only curse inwardly as they watched Damian, the lunatic who had destroyed everything and humiliated the guild master by defeating him in a single move.
If anyone here was a victim of emotional trauma, it had to be the guild master.
Yet the audacity of this lunatic to im otherwise... He was definitely crazy.
"W-What... what do you want?" the guild master asked, his voice shaking. He didn''t like where this was going.
It was obvious this man intended to rob them under the guise ofpensation for emotional trauma.
Lorenzo could only hope the demands would be reasonable.
"There is nothing in the world that canpensate for the humiliation and emotional damage I''ve endured," Damian said, covering his eyes as if on the verge of tears.
Then, abruptly, his theatrics stopped. His expression shifted to a cold, unhinged grin as he stared down Lorenzo Rossi.
"What I want is simple. I want every single technique and skill you have. When I say everything, I mean everything, including the stuff you''re importing from China. And I don''t want to hear any excuses as to why you can''t do that." Damian''s narrowed eyes bored into the guild master.
Of course, a lunatic would speak, act, and demand like a lunatic.
It was naive of Lorenzo to expect anything else.
"But the techniques we got from the Zhao family... we will be held responsible¡ª" The guild master attempted to protest but was cut off by an intense pressure that made it hard for him to speak.
"Did I forget to mention that I don''t want to hear any excuses? You know, I could easily kill every one of you and take my time looting this ce myself. But I''m not a killer. I''m just asking forpensation for what you did. So why don''t you understand that and give me what I want? Once you do, I''ll be on my way, and you can go back to whatever useless things you were doing." Damian shook his head as though dealing with an unbearable headache.
"Fine..." With no other choice, the guild master gritted his teeth and agreed to hand over everything they had in their possession, though it wasn''t much.
After a few minutes, the guild members gathered and handed over everything to Damian.
"There''s one more thing," Damian said, raising a finger.
"What?" the guild master growled, his face red with veins throbbing.
He was barely containing his rage from the humiliation this lunatic had heaped on him.
If only he were strong enough, he would be the one dishing out the humiliation.
"I want the high-endptop you guys have and all the information you''ve collected about gates, monsters, awakeners¡ªeverything from A to Z. I want it all."
...
After a few more minutes, Damian left with everything he had obtained from the United Swords Guild.
The guild master remained fixated on the door Damian had used to leave, the humiliation he had suffered reying in his mind like a broken stereo.
In a fit of rage, he punched a nearby desk, sending it flying a dozen meters before it shattered into hundreds of pieces. "That bastard! I won''t let him live! Just wait until I level up and reach a higher rank, then I''lle for you!"
Not far from him, a Chinese man observed the scene with an indifferent expression.
"I need to report all of this to the Zhao family head," he muttered in Chinese before leaving the area.
He headed to the basement, using a specialized ID card to ess the portal, and crossed through it to enter China.
It wasn''t just him.
Another man, originally a member of the Awakener Society, had also been present.
He returned to the Awakener Society office to report everything that had happened to the president.
Unbeknownst to Damian, news of his actions against the United Swords Guild had already reached the ears of three major powers: the Zhao family, the Awakener Society, and the Wild Phantom Guild.
Meanwhile, Damian walked on with a happy expression, as cheerful as a child who had just received a piece of candy, heading toward a ce where he could test his magic.
Chapter 25: The Prism Of Reversion
Chapter 25: Chapter 25: The Prism Of Reversion
After plundering everything from the United Swords Guild, Damian made his way to the other side of the city to ensure he wasn''t being followed.
Although he knew he was already strong enough to be among the top 100 Awakeners in the world, he would likely be ced somewhere in the top 50 to 60.
This was because, unlike him, others were constantly leveling up, and forces like the Zhao family in China were increasing their power through Qi cultivation.
Even with his strength, he could still be killed if he crossed paths with those monsters.
He was particrly concerned about the Zhao family of China, the true backers of the United Swords Guild.
They were a family of monsters, with every member likely being a high-level Awakener.
Of course, Damian knew he would die if he faced them at this point.
Damian was fortunate that the United Swords Guild was a rtively new guild, so not many Awakeners had joined.
This might also be due to the fact that the guild only seemed to ept swordsmen.
"Well, it''s not like they are weak. Even though they''re fairly new, they''ll be one of the top five guilds in Italy in two years with the help of their backing," Damian muttered.
"I just hope they forget about what happened today and don''te after me... for their sake, of course."
Damian shook his head and began to look through the things he had plundered from the United Swords Guild.
To his disappointment, it wasn''t much.
He had only acquired three sword skills and a Qi cultivation method.
It might seem like nothing, but considering that the Awakeners on Earth hadn''t even started climbing the tower or entered the Tower Realm yet, it was already quite impressive that this guild had them.
There were even some top guilds that didn''t possess any martial techniques but instead relied purely on their self-developed skills, techniques, and innate Awakener abilities to rise through the ranks.
"The United Swords Guild was very fortunate to have one of the five martial families from China as their backer," Damian mused.
He was sure the guild master had received these techniques from the Zhao family.
The Zhao family wasn''t a simple family; their history with martial arts was long-standing.
As their influence and power grew, they would likely even go on to create their own techniques.
Damian then looked at the remaining items he looted from the guild.
His eyes fell on a book that contained the [Knowledge of Qi] from the system, simr to how he had received [Knowledge of Mana] as a reward.
"Very interesting. Someone even obtained [Knowledge of Qi] as a reward from the system... People are growing too fast, much faster than before my regression," Damian muttered, rubbing his chin.
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Just like Damian, someone from China, probably a member of the Zhao family, had likely made an achievement that the system rewarded them with [Knowledge of Qi].
This person had graciously written it down and even shared it with the United Swords Guild.
Next, his gazended on the dagger he had acquired.
"This is nice... shoulde in handy," he thought, inspecting it.
He then grabbed theptop the guild had given him, which contained all the information they had on the current state of the world.
"Time to read," he said, finding a quiet spot to sit alone and started reading through everything.
He first opened the file titled "Awakeners" and skimmed through the profiles of the top-level Awakeners.
He didn''t read everything; he only made himself familiar with their names and general information, nothing more.
It took him about an hour to get through the basic information in the file.
It was too difficult to absorb all the details, as each profile was too extensive.
At one point, his head started to hurt, but he didn''t stop.
[Conditions have been met.]
[You have awakened a unique talent, ''Rumination rity.]
[Unique Talent: Rumination rity]
[Gives you unparalleled ability to learn, understand, andprehend anything in the shortest amount of time your body and mind are capable of.]
{Effects: 1. Gives you perfect memory and recall; anything you memorize, you can remember for the rest of your life.
2. Increases learning speed to an unparalleled level, ording to what your body and brain are capable of handling.
3.Passively increases your mental power.}
Damian blinked as he stared at the system notification, his face filled with surprise. "Did I just awaken another talent? What the actual fuck?"
"The very reason I was so helpless before my regression, why I died in such a pathetic way, was because I didn''t have a single talent. But now, not one, not two, but three talents¡ªand that''s not even counting the unique ability I awakened to boot?"
"Just why is this happening to me? If I had talents, why didn''t they awaken before my regression? What''s so different now? Could my regression be the cause, perhaps?" Damian felt a wave of frustration wash over him.
He desperately wanted to understand the reason behind his regression, why these talents hadn''t appeared before, and what, or who, was responsible for all of this.
Far away, in a world many timesrger than Earth, stood a castle stretching for hundreds of kilometers.
Within its vast throne room, a mature woman of otherworldly beauty sat alone.
Her hair was a pure, silvery white, and her deep blue eyes glimmered with an ethereal light.
She wore an opulent royal robe of unparalleled craftsmanship, and a silvery-gold tiara shaped like a majestic firebird rested elegantly on her head.
Leaning her face against her hand on the throne''s armrest, she exuded an aura of boredom.
The room was utterly silent, as she had dismissed everyone earlier.
Suddenly, a small frown appeared on her pale, wless face. "Why do I feel like someone is talking shit about me?"
"Whatever... I wonder how he''s doing," she murmured, a wistful tone in her voice as she thought of a certain child.
"I want to be by his side, but it''s still too early for him to know about us. I will wait until he reaches level 200 or something before I even consider letting others know that I''m aware of his whereabouts. Until then, I have to keep him safe. Maybe I will go to the Towers Realm and protect him from the shadows," she sighed again, her expression tinged with weariness.
Her musings were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a presence materializing out of thin air.
Another woman emerged, this one with flowing silver hair cascading down to her waist and eyes that shimmered with a mysterious glint.
Like the white-haired woman, her beauty was otherworldly, on par with her counterpart.
"Lenora... what brings you here?" the white-haired woman asked with a small smile.
Even though the white-haired woman had asked the question, she already had a good idea of why Lenora was here.
Lenora observed her for a few seconds before speaking. "I have memories of an alternate version of my life, which shouldn''t be possible unless someone changed the past, and I''m now living in a rewritten future."
"Maybe your dimensional awareness is acting up again... or perhaps you''re just imagining things?" the white-haired woman replied with a smile.
Lenora sighed. "Ma''am, as the head of the household, it''s your responsibility to share whatever is happening. You''re the one person in the entire universe who has that artifact."
"An artifact with the power to rewrite the past and future without disrupting the rivers of time. The artifact he gifted you," Lenora added.
The white-haired woman sighed. "Fine. I should have known your dimensional awareness would pick up on the fact that someone changed the past... But it''s not as though I did anything wrong. After all, he gifted it to me, and I can use it however I see fit."
It was clear to Lenora that the mistress of the household wouldn''t reveal much more, and there wasn''t much she could do about it beyond asking.
"What did you do with the Prism of Reversion, Family Head?" Lenora pressed.
"Let''s just say what I did was necessary." The white-haired woman rose from her throne, casting a final nce at Lenora.
"I simply corrected what was wrong, what those Time Lord bastards meddled with... Everything will be fine now. Everything will go smoothly."
Chapter 26: Entering the Spider’s Nest
Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Entering the Spider''s Nest
After Damian awakened his third talent, [Rumination rity], his speed in processing information skyrocketed to an entirely new level.
All it took was a single nce at a page, and he could memorize its contents as if capturing a photograph with his mind.
He could recall the information anytime he wanted as if his brain had transformed into a highly efficientputer.
Like his other talents, [Rumination rity] was a passive ability.
Its effectiveness depended on how much effort he put into using his mind.
The more he pushed his mental faculties, the more powerful the talent became.
However, there was a limit; overuse caused mental strain, leading to exhaustion.
Despite this limitation, the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks.
With this talent, he gained a real photographic memory and the ability to record everything he saw and heard withplete precision.
Within just a few hours, Damian had finished reviewing all the information about gates, gate monsters, corruptants, mutated beasts, and top-level Awakeners.
He didn''t bother with low-level Awakeners, as they held little significance to him.
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Additionally, he studied the major forces in the world, including organizations, Awakener associations, prominent Awakener families, and, of course, guilds.
He didn''t stop there. Damian also delved into the [Knowledge of Qi] from a book he had obtained and learned three techniques looted from the United Swords Guild.
[You have learned the technique ''Serpentine Dual Flow.'']
[You have learned the technique ''Wind Dance.'']
[You have learned the technique ''Soundless Lotus Cuts.'']
"Serpentine Dual Flow is a dual-sword technique, which isn''t usable for me now since I use a single double-edged sword," Damian muttered.
"And Soundless Lotus Cuts is more suitable for katana users. That leaves me with the Wind Dance technique," he added with a click of his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"I''ll need to acquire a katana and another double-edged sword and master them to the best of my abilities."
He also studied a cultivation method he had obtained.
[You have learned the low-level cultivation method, ''The Titan Body Refining Art.'']
"Low-level cultivation method?" Damian muttered, his expression unimpressed.
It was one of the most basic methods avable, but he had little choice for now.
Until he entered the First Tower Realm, where he could ess higher-level cultivation methods, this would have to suffice.
"There are still two weeks until the ss Selection begins. Until then, I have to be as powerful as I can," Damian muttered.
"The best way to grow stronger right now is obviously Qi cultivation. It will significantly enhance my physical strength. To increase my magic, however, I need experience and enlightenment, which isn''t possible at the moment."
To advance his magic and be a 2nd-circle mage, Damian didn''t need to cultivate in the traditional sense.
He simply needed to gain a deeper knowledge of magic, which could onlye through practice and experience.
Unfortunately, using magic openly would attract too much attention.
On top of that, the Unified Sword Guild was probably hunting him for revenge, which would be a hassle to deal with right now.
Thus, Qi cultivation remained his best option. It could enhance his physical attributes significantly, but the process was slower. Moreover, since he only had a low-level cultivation method, the efficiency of Qi absorption would be lower, even though his talent granted him a 30% increase in Qi absorption efficiency.
"Well, before that, I need to create spells," Damian mused with a smile, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he left his current location and moved to another far-off ce.
Eventually, he arrived at the heart of Rome.
Not far from his position was Vatican City, but that wasn''t his destination.
Instead, he was heading toward the Colosseum, situated in the center of Rome.
Once a historic site where ancient Roman diator games were held, it had be just another tourist attraction in modern times¡ªuntil everything changed on the Day of Awakening.
On that day, a Red Gate had opened directly inside the Colosseum.
From the gate, thousands of monstrous spiders had emerged, each the size of an elephant.
They spit poisonous saliva, and their webs were unnervingly tough.
The entire area around the Colosseum fell to the danger posed by these gate monsters.
It was dered a red zone and evacuated of all civilians.
The Vatican took responsibility for clearing out the monsters, and while they might have seeded under normal circumstances, the sheer number of these creatures made it impossible.
The weakest spider monsters were level 25, while the strongest reached level 45, and there were hundreds of them.
In his current timeline, the Vaticancked the strength to handle such a threat.
They had yet to be as powerful as Damian remembered them being before his regression.
"The Vatican is as arrogant and stubborn as ever," Damian clicked his tongue, recalling how they had attempted to resolve the spider monster situation before his regression.
Unlike now, the forces before his regression were not as rapidly developing, and the same applied to the Vatican.
At that time, the Vatican couldn''t do much to clear the monsters from this Red Gate.
Within a year, the monsters hadpletely taken control of nearly 75% of Rome, growing increasingly powerful.
Fortunately, these monsters only absorbed energy from the air to grow and didn''t actively hunt for food.
However, they would ferociously attack any intruders who entered their domain.
After a full year, following the day of awakening, When the Vatican had finally grown strong enough to handle these monsters, theyunched a relentless assault led by the Saintess.
But this time was different. After his regression, many things were unfolding differently.
The Vatican had been developing much faster than before.
Even so, they still hadn''t grown strong enough or gathered enough awakened individuals to clear the Red Gate.
Damian had sneakily entered the area and could sense hundreds of spider monsters not too far from him, clustered around the Colosseum.
"This should be a good ce to test my power and level up as much as I can right now," Damian said, smiling as he grabbed his sword and leaped forward.
Within seconds, he had entered the spider monsters'' domain, a grotesque realm woven entirely from spider webs.
Inside the domain, all the abandoned buildings and vehicles were covered in thick webs, giving the entire ce a gloomy and ominous atmosphere.
A pungent, decaying smell assaulted Damian''s nose, making him grimace.
Damian looked around, ensuring the monsters had not yet discovered him.
"Time to create spells," Damian muttered, extending his hand forward.
As a 1st Circle Mage, he could create spells within the boundaries of the 1st Circle.
The knowledge he had gained upon achieving this rank resurfaced in his mind, each detail clear and precise.
Simultaneously, hisrge mana pool began to flow outward.
Above his hand, a small spark of me appeared, gradually growing until it reached the size of a football.
[You have created the spell ''Fireball (1st Circle)'']
Damian threw the fireball like a baseball, the ming orb arcing gracefully through the air beforending in the center of the Colosseum.
As soon as it touched the ground, the fireball erupted into a powerful explosion, incinerating everything within a ten-meter radius.
The explosion disrupted the eerie silence, awakening hundreds of spider-like monsters.
Their eyes glowed red in the shadows, and an ugly stretching noise echoed as they began to stir.
Damian''s gaze swept across the darkness, where countless pairs of crimson eyes stared back at him.
A confident smile spread across his face.
"Time to level up."
...
[A/N: Come on, everyone! You''ve made it this far, so why not add my novel to your favorites? And if it''s not too much trouble, please leave a review or drop some POWER STONES!]
Chapter 27: Burning the Spider’s Nest
Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Burning the Spider''s Nest
"Time to level up."
[You are facing more than ten opponents.]
[The effect of the title ''Solo Hunter'' has been activated.]
[All your physical attributes will temporarily increase by 10%.]
Damian held the [Monster yer] in both hands and sprinted forward.
As soon as he appeared before one of the [gue Silk Spiders], he slid under its belly, moving swiftly between its eight legs.
With a precise strike, he stabbed directly into its underside, tearing apart the soft flesh.
Green blood spurted out in all directions, yet the gue Silk spider didn''t die, even though he had attacked its weakest point.
These spider monsters had a strong exoskeleton with armor-like scales covering most of their bodies, except for their vulnerable underbellies.
As long as Damian moved quickly and dodged their poisonous spit and thick, rope-like webs, he could defeat them with rtive ease.
However, there was a problem.
These spiders always attacked in groups.
Like a horde, they coordinated to overwhelm their prey, making it impossible to focus on them all at once.
Damian, however, wasn''t the type to enter a fight without some form of preparation.
Without pausing, Damian shed a dozen more times at the spider''s exposed belly until it finally sumbed.
[Experience gained]
Damian had no time to catch his breath as another group of gue Silk Spiders appeared.
He leaped into the air,nding on top of one spider before propelling himself higher with another jump.
While airborne, he summoned a fireball the size of a football in his hand and hurled it toward the clustering spiders below.
BOOM!
The fireball exploded on impact, engulfing the group of spiders in mes.
The intense st incinerated everything within a one-meter radius, instantly killing six of them.
[Experience gained x 6]
Damiannded on the body of another spider, but before he could react, a second spider spat a ball of poisonous venom toward him.
He immediately sprang away, evading the attack, and dashed toward the highest point of the Colosseum.
As he ran, dozens of spiders pursued him.
With his high-level swordsmanship, Damian managed to fend off the attacking spiders, shing at them and inflicting deep wounds.
However, he couldn''t kill them outright, only injure them severely.
Suddenly, the de of his [Monster yer] began to radiate heat, growing hotter and hotter until it was fully engulfed in roaring mes.
Damian had channeled a surplus of his mana into the sword, igniting it with a fiery ze.
Spotting a spider preparing to spit poison at him, Damian shed his sword through the air.
A searing ray of mes shot forth, colliding with the poisonous projectile.
The venom ignited on contact, burning away like dry kindling.
With the burning sword in hand, Damian sprinted forward and drove the de into the spider''s eye.
The mes consumed the creature from within, incinerating its insides and killing it instantly.
[Experience gained]
Without stopping his momentum, Damian continued his assault, killing the spiders left and right.
He killed them by either attacking their underbellies or using his sword, enhanced with me elemental magic, to stab and burn the insides of their heads.
Damian had fortunately discovered that not only was their spit highly mmable, but their entire bodies, especially their blood, were also extremelybustible.
Stabbing them with his burning sword ignited the core in their heads, killing them instantly.
[Experience gained x 4]
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached level 27]
Damian was already much stronger than the spiders, which ranged mostly between levels 25 and 38.
Despite being only a level 27 Awakener, his stats wereparable to a level 45, if not higher, and his mana stat had even crossed the threshold of 100.
Not to mention, the effects of his title [Solo Hunter] were active, increasing his physical attributes by 10%.
With his current strength, he could even take on monsters above level 50.
The only problem was stamina.
Even though his stamina stat had reached 50, it was still far from enough to kill every single gue Silk spider in this Red Gate.
Initially, Damian had only nned to test some of his skills and create one or two spells.
However, as he fought, he changed his mind.
Now, he was determined to clear this gate on his own, kill every monster, and level up as much as possible.
"I have to reach the top if I''m going to execute my n," Damian thought with annoyance as he stabbed a spider in its abdomen, burning its insides before tearing his sword through its flesh from its underbelly to its thorax while mes consumed it.
The battlefield was already filling with smoke and the pungent smell of burning organic matter, making Damian feel increasingly ufortable.
[Experience gained]
[Experience gained x 7]
Damian pushed forward, sprinting with all his strength to break through a group of spider monsters.
He reached the highest point of the colosseum and looked down to see hundreds of spiders crawling toward him.
"Time to wrap this up," he muttered.
Raising his hand, Damian conjured a fireball the size of a football.
Pouring his surplus mana into it, he threw the fireball toward the nearest cluster of spiders.
BOOM!
As the fireball struck its target, it exploded, killing a group of spiders.
Burning chunks of flesh flew in all directions, somending on other spiders still crawling upward, spreading the mes further.
[Experience gained x 6]
If mages were to be assigned levels, a 1st Circle mage''s power would beparable to that of a level 35 Awakener.
A 2nd Circle mage''s power, in turn, would rival that of level 75, and so on.
Without pausing, Damian conjured another ball of intense me and hurled it toward another group of spiders.
Another explosion erupted, killing the cluster instantly.
BOOM!
[Experience gained x 7]
[Experience limit reached]
[You have reached level 28]
Damian continued to use his me magic relentlessly, creating explosions of fire that killed dozens of spiders with each st.
His experience and levels climbed rapidly.
Thanks to hisrge mana pool, he was able to sustain the continuous use of me magic, but even that had its limits.
His mana core was nearly empty.
As Damian felt his mana depleting, he narrowed his eyes and pointed his palm at the hundreds of spider corpses littering the battlefield below.
He activated his unique innate ability.
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
[Extraction: Unique Ability activated]
A rapidly spinning vortex of bluish energy extended from the top of the colosseum, where Damian stood, to the ground below.
The source cores inside the spider corpses released their stored energy, which flowed into the vortex and directly replenished Damian''s mana core.
[Your mana core is replenishing]
[Your mana core is replenishing]
[Your mana core is replenishing]
[Your mana core ispletely replenished]
[Your proficiency in your unique ability, Extraction, has increased]
Fully replenished, Damian resumed his assault, raining fireballs from above and killing spiders rapidly.
The more he used me magic, the more proficient he became, and his understanding of the me element deepened.
[Your understanding of me magic has increased]
[You have formed the Outline(1st Stage) of the Second me Elemental Ring]
As Damian''s mastery grew, the size, power, and casting speed of his fireballs increased.
Like a madman in a dodgeball match, he continued throwing fireballs, creating explosions that annihted dozens of spiders at a time.
"If I keep usingrge explosive fireballs, the entire colosseum will copse... Let''s try something new," Damian muttered.
His mind worked rapidly as his talent [Rumination rity] activated, allowing him to process vast amounts of information about magic.
He took a deep breath and retrieved knowledge buried in the depths of his mind.
Above his hand, a fireball began topress, losing its chaotic energy as it transformed into a condensed, spear-like form.
[You have created the spell ''me Spear (1st Circle)'']
Damian gripped the spear and threw it at a spider monster.
The spear struck its target, piercing its body before exploding.
While not as powerful as a fireball, it was enough topletely obliterate the spider and spread mes to nearby monsters.
"It''s not as efficient as the fireball spell for killing groups of spiders," Damian grumbled.
Another idea quickly formed in his mind.
Taking another breath, Damian''s thoughts elerated.
He analyzed every movement of his mana and every detail of his spellcasting process, piecing everything together.
Above his hand, a me spear appeared.
A few secondster, a second spear materialized, followed by a third.
[You have learned the skill, Multicasting]
Damian pointed his hand downward.
The three me spearsunched simultaneously, each hitting a spider monster.
He continued to conjure me spears, killing monsters left and right.
With the speed of his attacks, his proficiency in [Multicasting] rapidly increased, allowing him to create more me spears at once.
Chapter 28: Colosseum In Flames
Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Colosseum In mes
While Damian was incinerating the entire swarm of gue Silk Spiders that had emerged from the Red Gate, his relentless barrage of fireballs and me spears created an orchestra of explosions that echoed through the once-crowded city of Rome.
These deafening sounds did not go unnoticed.
The Vatican City, located close to the Colosseum where Damian''s fiery onught was unfolding, took particr note of the chaos.
Not only was Damian annihting the monstrous spiders, but he was also inadvertently destroying one of Rome''s most famous touristndmarks.
It was midnight, and the sky was shrouded in darkness, with the moon hidden behind a veil of clouds.
In this foreboding atmosphere, dozens of explosions erupted, while the acrid smoke from the burning corpses of the gue Silk Spiders filled the air.
The mes had begun consuming the webbed domain, producing dense, suffocating smoke that could be seen even from far away, alerting onlookers that something was happening in the abandoned Colosseum area.
"What in God''s name is going on?"
"Have the monsters begun emerging from their domains?"
The Vatican''s lesser-ranked awakened stared at the Colosseum in horror, murmuring among themselves.
They were among the weaker members of the Vatican''s forces, with the more elite personnel scattered across the globe.
Around three hundred people were stationed in Vatican City, as the others were engaged in missionary work, helping followers of their faith survive the apocalypse.
Thanks to the arrival of the system and the ensuing chaos, the Vatican''s influence had been growing steadily.
It was on its way to bing one of the most formidable forces in the world.
Suddenly, the entire cathedral hall fell silent.
The two hundred believers parted to make way for a single figure.
A woman with long, curly blonde hair and piercing blue eyes strode forward.
She wore a ck, form-fitting tactical outfit adorned with a hoodie and a veil thatpletely covered her hair, leaving only her eyes visible.
Her attire included belts, straps, and holsters carrying twin daggers on either side.
On her back rested a gleaming silver spear.
The ensemble looked highly functional, designed for agile movement.
Her outfit also bore religious elements: crosses on her shoulders, a golden cross pendant around her neck, and the Vatican''s emblem on her arms.
"Make way for the Saintess," someone whispered reverently.
Behind her followed a group of women dressed simrly, their faces mostly hidden except for their eyes.
However, their uniforms were far less ornate than the Saintess''s.
The Saintess cast a nce toward the Colosseum, where she could sense a powerful presence locked in battle with the invading monsters.
"Where are the generals? Have they been informed?" she asked without looking at the others.
"Three of the generals have gone to the World Council of Churches to discuss church affairs, and the other four are apanying the Pope to the Anglican Communion," one of the warrior nuns replied.
The Saintess narrowed her eyes, then turned her attention back toward the Colosseum.
"It is the Vatican''s sacred duty to protect its people and its home. If whatever is happening in the Colosseum is deemed a threat, it is our responsibility to eliminate it," she dered.
"With the generals absent, the duty falls to us, the warrior nuns."
"Let''s go," shemanded before leaping forward, sprinting toward the Colosseum.
The warrior nuns followed closely behind, their movements swift and disciplined.
Damian was unaware that one of the Vatican''s most powerful factions was now heading straight for him.
Having exterminated all the spiders within the Colosseum, Damian stood face-to-face with the gate''s boss monster.
[Name: gue Silk Spider Lord
Level: 50
The sole evolved gue spider in the entire nest. Having devoured its kin to ascend, it possesses more potent venom, stronger webs, and exceptional adaptability to its environment.]
"Why doesn''t the system ever include their weaknesses in the descriptions?" Damian muttered to himself.
He summoned six me spears, which materialized from a glowing reddish-orange magic circle.
As he watched, a massive spider emerged from the gate.
It was at least twice the size of any he had faced before.
Its grotesque mouth, bristling with thorn-like appendages, dripped venom as it charged furiously toward him.
"Go," Damianmanded with a wave of his hand.
The me spears seemed to have a mind of their own as they elerated, streaking through the air and hurtling directly at the monster''s face.
As soon as the me spearnded on the spider''s face, it exploded, causing minimal damage and making the monstrous creature writhe in pain.
"Tch, its scales are even tougher." Damian narrowed his eyes in annoyance, sprinting toward the spider.
He jumped onto its massive carapace-like head under the veil of smoke, drawing his sword from behind him and shing at the spider''s eyes.
Thick green blood spurted from the wound, but before Damian couldnd another blow, one of the spider''s legs, covered with sharp ws,shed out, trying to pierce his body.
Damian reacted quickly, leaping away from the attack.
He gripped his sword with both hands and raised it above his head as hended on the back of the monster''s head.
His legs didn''t touch the ground first; instead, the de of his sword made contact, sinking into the creature''s skull.
Using every ounce of physical strength he had, aided by gravity pulling him downward, Damian shed directly at the center of the spider''s head.
With a teeth-rattling sound, the sword pierced the exoskeleton, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
GROWL!
The monster didn''t die immediately.
Instead, it writhed in pain and went into a frenzy, attacking blindly and spitting its venomous saliva everywhere, even onto itself.
This gave Damian the opening he needed.
Damian took a deep breath, vanished from his spot, and reappeared under the spider''s belly.
He pointed his palm upward, and one by one, eight reddish-orange magic circles appeared in the air.
From these circles, fireballs manifested and shot themselves at the spider from below.
As soon as they made contact, they exploded with tremendous force, sending the spider tumbling a few meters into the air.
But Damian didn''t stop.
He continued to summon fireballs, preventing the spider fromnding, and each time the fireballs exploded against its body, they rapidly destroyed chunks of its exoskeleton.
Damian only stopped when he saw thousands of pieces of the spider''s flesh raining down around him, showering him with green blood.
That''s when the system notification appeared before his eyes.
[Experience limit reached]
[You have leveled up]
[You have yed the Boss of the Dungeon]
[You have cleared the ''gue Silk'' Dungeon]
n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
[Reward: +10 free stat points]
[It has been detected that you are the first person on Earth to clear a third Dungeon solo]
[Additional Reward: +10 free stat points]
Damian didn''t even nce at the system notifications.
His attention was focused on the boss monster''s corpse and the remaining bodies of the other monsters.
He extended his palm and activated his unique innate ability.
[Extraction: Unique Ability activated]
A blue vortex made of pure energy manifested from his hand, drawing in the energy stored in the source core of all the monster spiders.
The energy was absorbed into the vortex and flowed directly into Damian''s mana core.
[Your mana core is replenishing]
[Your mana core is replenishing]
[Your mana core ispletely replenished]
[Your mana increased: +12]
Unlike his physical attributes, his energy stats such as mana and Qi could only be increased through cultivation.
Normally, to increase his Mana stat, Damian would need to absorb energy from the atmosphere.
But thanks to his unique ability, [Extraction], he could directly absorb energy from a target and make it his own.
Afterpletely absorbing the monsters'' mana, Damian sighed as the exhaustion from the battle began to set in.
[Your proficiency with your unique ability has increased]
[You have unlocked a sub-ability of your unique ability, ''Extraction'']
But just as fatigue started to overwhelm him, he sensed a presence approaching.
Behind that presence, there were other presences following close behind.
Chapter 29: The Saintess Of The Vatican
Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Saintess Of The Vatican
Damian narrowed his eyes as he sensed a presencend about ten meters away from him, originating from the direction of Vatican City.
Behind this presence, a few kilometers away, he felt a group of other strong presences approaching.
They weren''t as powerful as the one nearby, but they were undoubtedly formidable.
Damian sighed.
He had a pretty good idea of who this person was, and he could only hope they wouldn''t waste time on something as futile as threatening or attacking him.
Slowly, Damian turned to face the presence.
He saw a figure whose body shape suggested a woman dressed in dark attire.
Her outfit,plete with a hood and veil, reminded him of the female assassins often depicted in movies.
As someone born in Italy(Assumed) and raised in Rome, Damian immediately recognized the Vatican''s insignia emzoned on her arms and chest.
The woman also carried a spear in her hand, her stance indicating she was ready to attack him at any moment.
The woman raised an eyebrow as she observed the lone intruder standing amidst the domain of the gue silk spiders.
Her eyes scanned the hundreds of charred and burning spider corpses strewn across the area, and her grip on her spear tightened.
"This man is dangerous," the woman thought, narrowing her eyes as she noticed Damian standingpletely still, like a statue.
"Who are you?" Damian asked calmly, seeing that the woman wasn''t inclined to speak first.
The woman didn''t answer his question.
Instead, she pointed her spear at him in a threatening manner. "Who are you? What are you doing here in the territory of the Vatican Church?"
"Territory of the Vatican Church? Are you serious?" Damian replied, his voice calm butced with disdain. "As far as I remember, this is Rome, not Vatican City. You have no im over thesends, and you certainly don''t have any right to question me about what I do with the monsters here."
The woman didn''t respond to what he said.
There might not be any people living in Rome right now because of the gue silk spiders that had made this area their domain.
The Vatican might have proimed they would clear this area, but that didn''t mean thend was theirs to rule.
In fact, anyone was wee to fight monsters here.
It wasn''t exclusive to the Vatican.
However, many in the Vatican still thought that, because of their deration, the entirend had fallen under their authority.
Was it arrogance or wishful thinking? Damian couldn''t decide.
Still, he was very interested in learning more about the Saintess, the woman said to have received the true blessing of the Heavenly Father, the one who awakened the holy power, rose to prominence, and became one of the strongest Awakeners and the leader of one of the most powerful factions in the future.
In Damian''s opinion, the Saintess had everything: resources, wealth, followers, status, and beauty.
"But the most important thing she had was power," Damian thought.
He had a very good impression of the Saintess of the Vatican.
Not only was she truly powerful, but she was also someone who never strayed from her beliefs and philosophies.
Unlike most Awakeners who, after growing stronger, began misusing their power for personal gain, she genuinely helped those in need.
She was someone who had truly earned the respect she enjoyed.
"Even within the corrupted Vatican, she was truly a light bringer," Damian thought.
His face, however, betrayed no emotion as he patiently waited for the Saintess to speak.
After a full minute of contemtion, the Saintess finally lowered her spear, though she remained on guard.
"Good, she really is sensible," Damian thought.
"Who are you?" the Saintess asked, her mind racing as she tried to figure out who this mysterious Awakener could be.
As far as she could recall, there were no Awakeners in Rome who were this strong, almost unnaturally strong to the point of clearing an entire high-level dungeon''s worth of monsters on their own.
She couldn''t even make out his face, as he was entirely covered in the green blood of the monsters.
The only visible features were his dark ck hair and his glowing blue eyes, which shimmered in the dark night.
"You don''t need to know, Saintess. You won''t have to deal with me again," Damian replied, just as he sensed the arrival of a group of presencesnding behind the Saintess as she asked her question.
The group of women dressed in outfits simr to the Saintessnded behind her, fixing Damian with threatening gazes as if he were someone they needed to eliminate.
"The Warrior Nuns, huh?" Damian muttered to himself.
He could remember from his past life before his regression that the Vatican had several powerful factions.
Among them were the Seven Vatican Generals and their guilds, and, finally, the Warrior Nuns.
While not officially recognized as an organization, they were as formidable as one and would grow even stronger in the next two years, or perhaps sooner, as Damian''s regression had already altered many events.
"Saintess, is this the intruder?" one of the Warrior Nuns asked, gripping her sword tightly.
"Yes," the Saintess replied calmly.
The moment the Saintess gave her answer, the Warrior Nun didn''t hesitate.
She abruptlyunched into an attack, rushing at Damian with the clear intention of severely injuring him.
"Wait! No!" the Saintess tried to stop them, but her voice fell on deaf ears.
The Warrior Nuns charged into striking range of Damian, their swords, spears, and daggers poised to strike.
But none of their weapons managed tond a blow.
A sudden burst of intense heat enveloped the area as a burning ball of light materialized and exploded in an instant.
The Saintess could only watch in wide-eyed shock as a zing red energy appeared out of thin air, detonating as soon as it formed.
The eight Warrior Nuns who had attacked Damian were sent flying back in the direction they hade from, crashing heavily into the ground.
"Ahhh!"
"It burns..."
The Warrior Nuns writhed in pain, though it was fortunate for them that Damian had not unleashed the fireball''s full power, or they would have been killed on the spot.
The Saintess rushed to herrades, raising her hand as silvery-white energy emanated from her palm, gradually healing the burns on their bodies.
"Is that the so-called holy power?" Damian wondered silently as he observed her actions.
The Saintess nced at Damian with a narrowed gaze. "You... you didn''t have to do that."
"Are you serious, Saintess? They attacked me first. I was just defending myself." Damian shrugged, his toneced with irritation.
"I won''t let you get away with hurting my Warrior Nuns," the Saintess said coldly.
She stopped healing midway, grabbed her spear, and looked ready to unleash her full might against him.
"Think before you act, Saintess," Damian said, narrowing his eyes.
His presence shifted, bing so ominous and dangerous that the Saintess instinctively froze.
"Look around," he continued, his tone cold andmanding. " I came here alone and ughtered every single monster you Vatican people are too afraid to hunt in one night. What makes you think you''re even remotely capable of fighting me unless you have a death wish?"
He tilted his head slightly, crossing his arms with a confident smirk.
"Besides," Damian added, his voice sharpening, "it was your Warrior Nuns who foolishly attacked me without understanding the situation. And instead of reprimanding them, you turn your aggression toward me? I didn''t realize the great Saintess of the Vatican was such a hypocrite."
Every word Damian spoke struck a chord with the Saintess.
She didn''t want to admit it, but he was right.
He hadn''t done anything to them or anyone else, yet her Warrior Nuns had attacked him blindly, and now she was acting irrationally.
Lowering her weapon, the Saintess returned to healing herrades with her holy power, her expression conflicted.
Damian shook his head, as if finding the entire ordeal amusing, and walked away without another word.
The Saintess watched him leave with an indifferent expression, though a question lingered in her mind:
"Who is this person? Where did this persone from?"N?v(el)B\\jnn
Chapter 30: The Unregistered Awakeners
Chapter 30: Chapter 30: The Unregistered Awakeners
The Next Day.
The headquarters of the Italian Awakener Association.
A man in a formal suit knocked on the thick metal door, which bore the name [President''s Office] in bold letters.
"Come in," a strong voice called from behind the door.
The suited man opened it and entered, bowing respectfully.
"Have you found anything about the person who fought with the United Sword Guild?" the president asked, resting his face on his hand as he set aside the reports he had been reading.
"Um, we haven''t. This person has been staying off the grid. It''s really difficult to locate someone based solely on the description provided by the United Sword Guild. We have sent this individual''s profile to all the Awakeners affiliated with us. As soon as anyonees into contact with someone matching the description, we will be informed immediately," the suited man replied.
The president frowned. "Come on, how hard can it be to find a single person, especially someone as strong as him? Are your guys really keeping track of all the Awakeners entering and leaving the Red zones?"
Red zones are areas overrun with gate monsters and mutated beasts.
These regions have been dered uninhabitable unless the monsters are cleared entirely.
The Awakeners'' Association monitors any changes that ur within these zones.
"Yes, Association President. Without an associated registered ID, no one can enter the zones. Anyone attempting to do so without proper registration is reprimanded, and their information is added to the association''s database," the suited man continued.
"As soon as this person tries to enter any red zone, we will catch them."
"Mark, this is so confusing. We''ve been monitoring the red zones for nearly a month now. In the two months since the Day of Awakening, if this person had entered a red zone to level up, we would have known. But we didn''t. This means he hasn''t been hunting monsters in the red zones. So how did he grow so strong?"
Growing as strong as a top-level Awakener wasn''t unheard of in today''s world, but anyone achieving such strength would surely attract significant attention due to their talent and power.
All red zone areas are popted with Awakeners constantly entering and leaving to hunt monsters.
If someone this strong had shown up, they would have surely been noticed by other Awakeners.
Yet, none of that had happened with this individual.
"How did he grow so strong without hunting monsters?" the president muttered, his brows furrowed in thought. "We monitor high-level monsters continuously through the association. Does he know something that we don''t?"
Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to his assistant, Mark. "Why did youe to see me? New reports?"
"Yes. The people from the Vatican Church are here, including the Saintess and a General. They want to meet you," Mark said.
"The Vatican?" The Association President raised an eyebrow. "What do they want to talk to me about?"
"They said that the [gue Silk Spider Dungeon] was clearedst night," Mark replied, repeating the information he had received from the Vatican representatives.
"Oh, so the Vatican finally made their move, huh? The gue Silk Spiders are extremely dangerous."
"Their spit is venomous, their webs are as strong as ropes, and even those can be managed, but their numbers are overwhelming."
"Without a hunting party of high-level Awakeners, the dungeon can''t be cleared. Have the Vatican''s forces grown so much stronger?"
The President rubbed his chin thoughtfully before turning back to his assistant.
"Was it the Saintess who cleared the dungeon, or one of the Seven Generals?" he asked.
"They didn''t say," Mark replied with a shake of his head. "They refused to answer any more questions and are demanding to meet with you."
Inwardly, Mark grumbled about the Vatican''s arrogant demeanor.
"They always act like they have all the authority in the world. Only Jesus knows how many times I''ve wished I didn''t have to deal with them," he thought.
"Hmm..." The President sighed. "Bring them to the meeting hall."
...
"So, the Vatican forces didn''t clear the [gue Silk Spider Dungeon]?" the president asked, looking at the tall man with brown hair dressed in a pristine white coat resembling a cardinal''s robe.
A cross hung around his neck.
This man was one of the seven cardinal generals of the Vatican and the leader of [The Gentle Path Guild], a group iming to embody one of the seven heavenly virtues, Kindness.
"No, we didn''t. We are still in the process of increasing our followers. Initially, we nned to clear it by forming a group of two or three cardinal generals led by our warrior nuns in about two weeks, but it seems someone beat us to it," replied the Cardinal General of Kindness, Benedetto Marco Giuliani, in a calm tone.
"And it was cleared by a single person in a single night..."
"What? Is this a joke?"
The president initially thought the cardinal general was jesting, but he quickly dismissed the notion upon seeing the seriousness etched on his face.
"Who is this powerful awakener?" the president asked.
"I was hoping you would tell us," the cardinal replied indifferently.
Then the saintess spoke up. "we, the warrior nuns encountered this man just before he left. We couldn''t identify him as we have never seen him before. He is certainly not a registered awakener, or we would have recognized someone that powerful," the saintess said, crossing her arms.
"An unregistered awakener? Could he be the same person we''ve been searching for?" wondered the president of the Awakener Association, wide-eyed, a thought shared by his assistant, Mark.
"Do you have any description of this person?"
The saintess nced at her warrior nun, recalling the scant details they managed to observe about the man.
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"He had dark ck hair and blue eyes. He was a me magic user, very tall, around six feet, and he wore a hoodie. He carried a sword with a dark de," the saintess sighed as she spoke.
"Yes, it''s very possible it''s the same guy," the president said, ncing at his assistant, who nodded in agreement, confirming his suspicion.
"Do you know that while many unregistered awakeners exist, most of them are not strong enough to concern us? However, there are a few who are growing stronger and could pose a threat to bothmon people and even the Vatican."
The Awakener Association''s job is to ensure that powerful awakeners do not abuse their power against the weaker ones.
The president exined. "We need to ount for every single awakener and their position in the world rankings."
"We enforce rules and regtions on how awakeners should act, protocols to follow when clearing dungeons or monster domains. I''m sure the Vatican itself has its own sovereign rules," the president continued.
"It''s crucial to maintain order among the awakeners. Without order and rules, we are nothing more than mindless beasts."
"Recently, there have been rumors circting among Awakener Associations around the world about an unregistered organization recruiting those who abuse their power. Although no such rumors have surfaced in Italy, we are aware of two individuals growing so strong that they may rival the top awakeners in the country."
The president nced at Mark, who handed two papers to the saintess and the Cardinal General of Kindness.
"One of these two unregistered awakeners is someone named Carlo Domenico Verdi. He is currently the highest priority for the Awakener Association."
"Why? What did he do?" the saintess asked, looking at the picture on the paper.
"Nothing, except that he has tortured and killed about three dozen awakeners. He''s been on a killing spree, taking the lives of at least half a dozen awakeners in the past five days just for fun," the president of Italy''s Awakener Association exined grimly.
"As for the second unregistered individual, we suspect he is the same man you came to me about, Saintess."
"Who is this person? What is his level?" the Saintess asked, narrowing her gaze.
The president paused for a moment. "Saintess, would you believe me if I told you this person''s level hasn''t crossed 30?"
"Ridiculous. That''s impossible. When I observed his magic up close, I felt his pressure suppressing me. He should at least be level 50," the saintess said, unable to believe what she was hearing.
Such an assertion was beyond absurd.
It was already difficult for the saintess to ept that a single awakener had wiped out hundreds of monsters alone in a single night.
To make matters worse, this individual was allegedly only level 30?
Nothing could be more preposterous.
"Believe it or not, just a few days ago, this unregistered awakener battled the guild master of the United Swords Guild and defeated him with a single strike. His level? It was 26," the president stated tly.
...
After Damian cleared the [gue Silk Spiders] that emerged from the Red Gate andpletely overran the Colosseum of Rome and its surrounding areas, he had the unfortunate encounter with the great warrior nun of Vatican City.
However, the leader of the warrior nuns, the Saintess, was remarkably sensible.
She wasn''t like those brainless characters often seen in novels who attack someone simply for not showing respect or because they feel the person needs to be eliminated for stepping into their territory.
After considering the situation for a few seconds, the Saintess decided against doing anything rash.
She had no valid reason to attack Damian, and even though he had injured some of her warrior nuns while defending himself, she restrained herself.
Despite her desire for revenge on behalf of herrades, she acted rationally, unlike those impulsive, hot-headed individuals.
After finishing his business in Rome, Damian left and arrived in Settecamini, where he found an abandoned home with a cozy bed and functioning bathrooms.
As soon as he discovered the ce, he went straight to bed. Only now did he wake up.
"God, I didn''t realize that even though I can replenish mana by absorbing it, it still takes a toll on my body," Damian muttered, holding his head as a slight tingling pain pulsed through it.
Wiping his eyes, he looked at the mobile phone he had found in the abandoned building, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the date.
"Damn, I slept for two whole days?"
...
[A/N: Come on, everyone! You''ve made it this far, so why not add my novel to your favorites? And if it''s not too much trouble, please leave a review or drop some POWER STONES!]
Chapter 31: Qi Cultivation
Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Qi Cultivation
"Like I thought, even if I can infinitely use magic as long as I absorb mana from different sources, it still exhausts my mind," Damian murmured, closing his eyes.
"And that''s not the only side effect. I can feel my mind bing clearer and lighter, and my understanding of magic seems to have improved as well."
"Shit... there are only six days until the ss selection begins," Damian muttered, pping his forehead and shaking his head.
He stood up and nced outside.
It was still dark, and the sun had yet to fully rise and grace Italy with its light and warmth.
Damian recounted everything that had happened before he fell asleep, a sleep that hadsted two days.
It had been two days, and the news of someone clearing the [gue Silk Spider Dungeon] must have already reached the ears of the Awakeners'' Association.
"If the saintess is the same as the one I knew before my regression, then she must have gone to the association to find out my identity. The association should also be aware of my existence, although I don''t know what they''ve managed to uncover about me," Damian mused, crossing his arms as he calmly watched the sun rising.
"I should assume they''ve found everything about me. I just hope they won''t disturb me," Damian thought to himself, closing his eyes.
He began reflecting on everything he knew, both from before his regression and after.
"Well, I guess there''s nothing to do but wait for the ss selection now," Damian said with a slight smile.
"Since there''s nothing to do, I might as well start my Qi cultivation," he added, recalling something. "A sub-ability of ''extraction''?"
Damian''s eyes widened as he remembered he hadn''t checked his status in a while.
He knew that from hisst battle, he had gained many things.
"Status," Damian called out.
The system immediately manifested his status, projecting it into his field of vision where only he could see it.
________________________________
[Awakener: Damian Ignatius]
[level: 33]
[ss: None]
[Qi Cultivation: Body Refinement Realm(Peak)]
[Magic Cultivation: 2nd Circle(Outline)]
{me - 2nd Ring(Outline)
Wind - 1st Ring(Perfect)
Earth - 1st Ring(Perfect)
Water - 1st Ring(Perfect)}
[Titles: Regressor, Solo Hunter]
[Achievements: First Killer Titles, First Dungeon Clearer]
[Talents: Elementalist, Martial Lord, Rumination rity]
[Abilities: Extraction(Unique), Warrior''s Will(Inherited)]
[Strength: 45 ¨U Agility: 56 ¨U Vitality: 54 ¨U
Stamina: 56 ¨U Perception: 66 ¨U Mana: 120 ¨U
Qi: 0 ¨U]
{Stat Points: 65}
[Spells: Fireball, me Spear]
[Skills: Swordsmanship(High), Archery(Basic), Axe-Wielding(Basic), Spearmanship(Basic), Spellcasting, Multicasting]
[Techniques: Serpentine Dual Flow, Wind Dance, Soundless Lotus Cuts]
[Cultivation Method: The Titan Body Refining Art]
________________________________
"Damn, I only leveled up seven times after killing hundreds of monster spiders?" Damian sighed, feeling as though his heart had been broken.
He then shifted his focus to his unique ability, Extraction.
[Unique Ability: Extraction]
[An unknown ability unique only to the user, Damian Ignatius. The extent of this ability''s growth is still unknown.]
[Effects:
1. Absorption - Allows you to extract and absorb energy from any target.
(Conditions: I. The target must have a physical form.
II. Only energy you already possess can be absorbed. Any energy that you don''t already possess cannot be absorbed.)
2. Assimtion - Allows you to incorporate new types of energy you don''t already possess into your body through absorption.
(Conditions: You must have physical Attunement with the energy.)
"Assimtion? I can assimte new kinds of energy into my body, huh." Damian rubbed his head as the information about this sub-ability flooded his mind, his lips curling into a grin.
"This is great! I can''t wait to try this out," Damian muttered to himself. "But before that, I need to get ready to enter the first Tower Realm."
[Cultivation Method: The Titan Body Refining Art]
N?v(el)B\\jnn
[Rank: Mortal]
[Effect: Allows your body to absorb 1 Qi per 10 seconds.]
Hisputer-like mind swiftly processed the details about [The Titan Body Refining Art] while simultaneously recalling everything he had learned about Qi from the [Knowledge of Qi], a book he had obtained from the United Sword Guild.
The information, including how to start cultivating, cultivation levels, and the requirements for breaking through each realm, resurfaced in his mind.
Thanks to his [Rumination rity] talent, his enhanced mental acuity allowed his brain to organize the knowledge efficiently.
[Conditions to Begin Qi Cultivation]
1. Active Dantian (Cleared)
2. Qi Attunement (Cleared)
"I meet all the conditions to start Qi cultivation," Damian muttered as his mind pieced together the details of the first cultivation realm.
[1st Qi Cultivation Realm: Body Refinement Realm]
[The first Qi cultivation realm requires the user to refine their body using Qi to prepare for higher levels of cultivation. This realm is divided into fiveyers, each corresponding to specific parts of the body:
1. Skin Refinement
2. Flesh Refinement
3. Bone Refinement
4. Organ Refinement
5. Marrow Refinement]
"I''ve already reached the peak of the Body Refining Realm," Damian said with a satisfied smile.
This achievement had urred when Damian attempted to absorb the enormous mana from the source core of the [Forest Heart Creeper].
The surplus mana that couldn''t be stored in his mana core had automatically been redirected to temper his body.
His skin, flesh, bones, organs, and marrow had all been refined simultaneously.
The overwhelming pain had forced him to roll on the ground in agony, but the results were worth it.
His body had grown stronger, his appearance had be strikingly beautiful, he had gained a few inches in height, and his stats had improved significantly.
"Now that I think about it, refining each organ with Qi would have taken a lot of time, but it would''ve been a slow and painless process. Since that massive amount of mana tempered my entire body all at once, I had to endure that excruciating pain," Damian realized.
"Wait. The [Knowledge of Qi] stated that only Qi can be used for cultivation. So how did my excessive mana refine my body?" Damian wondered, his brows furrowing as he reviewed everything he had learned from the system reward [Knowledge of Mana].
"Mana and Qi are simr forms of energy, but they''re fundamentally different. Their effects are distinct, yet they share some simrities."
Damian''s mind processed the information about mana and Qi simultaneously, searching for connections between the two energy types.
Despite his efforts, he couldn''t uncover anything new.
"This is fascinating. I''ll need to learn more about mana and Qi when I get the chance," Damian mused.
He could sense he was on the verge of some kind of breakthrough, but the feeling slipped away, leaving him frustrated.
"It''s like missing a fleeting moment... the moment has passed." Damian sighed, shaking his head.
"Now, to continue my Qi cultivation," Damian muttered.
To breakthrough to the second cultivation realm, Damian had to refine every part of his body, which he had alreadypleted.
He was now in peak condition to cultivate Qi.
[2nd Qi Cultivation Realm: Qi Condensation Realm]
[There are 20 meridians in your body, with 12 primary meridians and 8 extraordinary meridians, all corresponding to the acupoints (Qi points).]
[Breakthrough condition: Open all 12 primary meridians using the Qi obtained from breathing.]
Chapter 32: Opening Meridians
Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Opening Meridians
[2nd Qi Cultivation Realm: Qi Condensation Realm]
[There are 20 meridians in the human body, with 12 primary meridians and 8 extraordinary meridians, all corresponding to the acupoints or Qi points.]
[Breakthrough condition: Open all 12 primary meridians using the Qi obtained from breathing.]
"Let''s start, then," Damian said as he sat down in the lotus position, cing his hands in front of his Dantian.
He straightened his posture and began regting his breathing, as instructed in [The Tital Body Refinement Art].
He closed his eyes, his breathing deepened, and a rhythmic sound emerged in harmony with his steady inhales and exhales.
At this moment, Damian could not yet absorb Qi into his body.
To do so, he needed to open his meridians.
Opening the meridians required ingesting Qi and channeling it through them, and the only source of Qi avable to him now was from the air he breathed.
Qi, a form of energy, existed everywhere, in the atmosphere, in water, in the wind, and in the soil... in everything, everywhere.
Ideally, Damian could have used a Qi elixir to elerate the process, but without one, his only option was to slowly extract Qi from the air using the breathing technique described in [The Titan Body Refinement Art].
After about an hour of focused effort, Damian had gathered enough Qi inside his body to attempt opening his first meridian.
Concentrating, he began directing the Qi toward the first meridian.
As the Qi continuously flowed through, the meridian started to open.
A shiver coursed through Damian''s body as he felt the Qi forcing its way through.
As more and more Qi surged through the meridian, it began to expand.
Damian felt as though he were being submerged in ice-cold water, the chill prating deep into his being.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the meridian fully opened, and the sensation of cold was instantly reced by a soothing, pleasurable warmth that radiated throughout his body.
Damian opened his eyes and let out a deep breath.
"Damn, it took me three hours just to open my first meridian," he muttered, frustrated.
He nced at the time. "There are only five days and five hours until the system announces the countdown for ss selection. I wonder if I can even reach the next cultivation realm before then."
Damian closed his eyes again and continued his cultivation.
Fortunately, since he had opened his first meridian, he could now absorb Qi directly into his body without having to gather it from the air through breathing.
The efficiency of absorption was much slower, but it was still far faster than gathering Qi through breathing.
The efficiency of his Qi absorption would rapidly increase as he opened more and more meridians.
After an hour, he managed to gather enough Qi to open his second meridian.
Although the efficiency of his Qi absorption increased after opening his first meridian, the amount of Qi required to unlock subsequent meridians also increased significantly.
Additionally, the meridians themselves began to resist being opened the more he progressed.
Time remaining until ss selection: 4 days.
Damian was still sitting in the lotus position, continuing to unlock his meridians using the Qi he absorbed from the open ones.
By now, he had opened a total of 4 meridians.
Even though the speed of his Qi absorption had increased several fold, the amount of Qi required to open the following meridians had also increased exponentially.
Moreover, each meridian offered more resistance to being unlocked.
Time remaining until ss selection: 3 days.
After two days of continuous and vigorous cultivation, Damian had unlocked a total of 7 meridians.
There was no upper limit to how many meridians a person could open before starting actual Qi cultivation, but the more meridians a person opened, the more efficient their future Qi absorption would be.
The maximum number of meridians a person could open was determined by their talent and constitution.
Even if someonecked talent or constitution, they could still open up to 12 primary meridians through pure hard work, and this would already ce them above average among cultivators.
The first 20 meridians of the body were known as the 12 primary meridians.
After these came the extraordinary meridians, which were the hardest to open.
No matter how hard some people worked or how many resources they consumed, they simply couldn''t open all 20 meridians.
That was just how it was.
Damian had no choice but to try and open as many meridians as possible.
However, there was a high possibility that he would not be able to open more than 10 primary meridians.
If he managed to open all 12, it would already be considered exceptional among cultivators.
Damian knew he was reaching his limit, but he refused to give up. He persisted, determined to continue pushing his boundaries.
Time remaining until ss selection: 22 hours.
After four and half days of cultivation, Damian had opened up to 9 Primary Meridians.
He grabbed hisptop and went through the remaining information about the Awakeners, particrly those from Italy, as he might have to deal with them soon.
He listed the top Awakeners in Italy, focusing on the top ten, to familiarize himself with them.
1. Pietro Grimaldi ¨C The strongest awakened in Italy and the master of The Ivory Lance Guild.
"From 2nd ce to 8th ce, the positions are taken by the seven generals of the Vatican Church, each representing one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues," Damian muttered.
2. Benedetto Marco Giuliani ¨C The Cardinal General of Kindness and the master of The Gentle Path Guild.
3. Stefano Barone ¨C The Cardinal General of Temperance and the master of The Bnced me Guild.
4. Matteo Bianchi ¨C The Cardinal General of Diligence and the master of The Unyielding Forge Guild.
5. Antonio Romano ¨C The Cardinal General of Humility and the master of The Quiet Step Guild.
6. Teresa Lombardi ¨C The Cardinal General of Patience and the Guild Mistress of The Stilled Water Guild.
7. Elisabetta Ferrara ¨C The Cardinal General of Chastity and the Guild Mistress of The Pure Heart Guild.
8. Caterina Mancini ¨C The Cardinal General of Charity and the Guild Mistress of The Benevolent Hand Guild.
9. Giuseppe Santis ¨C The Chairman of the [Guild Name].
10. The Saintess of The Vatican
11. Eric Walcrown ¨C Although he was supposed to be the 8th-ranked awakened in Italy, he was the master of the second strongest guild, The Wild Phantom Guild.
12. Lorenzo Rossi ¨C The Guild Master of The United Sword Guild.
After learning about the top awakeners of his country, Damian returned to his cultivation.
After about 21 hours of continuous effort, he finally managed to open the 10th meridian.
He only stopped cultivating when he noticed the system notification appearing before his eyes.
Damian opened his eyes with an irritated expression, as if he could no longer hold back his frustration. "Damn it, is this my limit?"
N?v(el)B\\jnn
Without changing his expression, Damian nced at the system notification.
[The ''Adaptation'' period is over.]
[In five minutes, you will be transported to the Hall of Ascension, where you will undergo your ss selection.]
Chapter 33: The Hall of Ascension
Chapter 33: Chapter 33: The Hall of Ascension
[The ''Adaptation'' period is over.]
[In five minutes, you will be transported to the Hall of Ascension, where you will undergo your ss selection.]
[Remainign Time: 00:00:04:12]
Damian looked at the system counting down the time until it would transport everyone who had reached level 20 to the Hall of Ascension, where they would be assigned a ss.
Damian sighed.
He was already feeling frustrated by the fact that he had only managed to open 10 meridians.
The resistance he faced when trying to open the 11th was overwhelming, like trying to break through a giant rock wall with a small metal knife.
But Damian wasn''t going to let this discourage him.
He believed that once he started climbing the tower, he would be able to ovee this limit.
After all, there were thousands of undiscovered opportunities on each floor.
All he had to do was find them.
"Right now, I should focus on the ss selection," Damian muttered as he nced at his physical attributes.
---
[Strength: 45 ¨U Agility: 56 ¨U Vitality: 54 ¨U
Stamina: 56 ¨U Perception: 66 ¨U Mana: 120 ¨U
Qi: 0 ]
{Stat Points: 65}
-----
"I need to bnce my attributes and reserve some for emergency use," Damian thought quietly as he began distributing his attributes.
For a few seconds, Damian pondered with hisputer-like mind.
Physical attributes were one of the key factors the system considered when assigning sses.
The type of ss assigned would determine the kind of growth an Awakener would experience in the future.
While it was ultimately impossible to predict the exact ss one would receive, it was possible to exert some degree of influence.
One way to influence the ss assignment was through physical attributes, as well as the skills, techniques, and talents an Awakener had developed through their own experience.
These factors could significantly sway the type of ss they would obtain.
This was precisely why Damian had held onto his free stat points until now.
He wanted to use them strategically before the ss selection process to maximize his chances of obtaining a ss that matched his preferences and strengths.
"If I set aside my magic, I''d like to see myself as a close-range fighter who uses a sword, relying on swift movements and endurance rather than sheer physical strength."
"At the same time, I have heightened senses, but without enough strength to deliver decisive strikes, my speed and stamina will be meaningless. So, I need to ensure I have considerable strength and vitality as well."
Clicking his tongue, Damian began assigning his free stat points with precision and focus.
-----
[Strength: 60 ¨U Agility: 70 ¨U Vitality: 60 ¨U
Stamina: 70 ¨U Perception: 70 ¨U Mana: 120 ¨U
Qi: 0 ]
{Stat Points: 12}
-----
"This should be good enough," Damian said with a satisfied look.
"There are also the magic spells I''ve learned, which can greatly influence the ss I get..."
Usually, Awakeners follow a single path of evolution, like magic cultivation or Qi cultivation.
However, Damian was cultivating both paths simultaneously.
This dual cultivation might also y a significant role in determining his ss selection.
Damian looked around, preparing himself for ss selection.
He packed a few items he might need: the [Monster yer Sword], a dagger, and a spear he had stolen from one of the warrior nuns.
He dressed in a dark, full-sleeved hoodie, matching dark track pants, sneakers, and a biker''s mask that only revealed his eyes, all of which he had picked up from an abandoned store.
He nced at the countdown timer.
[Remaining Time: 00:00:00:56]
[Remaining Time: 00:00:00:35]
[Remaining Time: 00:00:00:22]
[Remaining Time: 00:00:00:09]
[Remaining Time: 00:00:00:00]
[You will now be transported to the ''Hall of Ascension'' to get assigned a ss.]
As soon as the countdown hit zero, Damian felt his vision blur for a moment.
When his sight cleared, he found himself in an unfamiliar ce.
He was standing in a grand hall that looked as if it belonged in a fantasy novel.
The entire structure seemed to be made of gold, with dozens of massive pirs lining either side.
Between the pirs, Damian saw statues of various figures holding all sorts of weapons; some even had wings of various shapes.
The ceiling of the hall rose so high it seemed as if it touched the sky.
At the front of the hall stood a massive crystal, resembling a miniature mountain.
It was at least 50 feet tall and 50 feet in diameter.
Behind the crystal, the wall was intricately carved with an enormous mural depicting a wide array of beings: dragons, giant wolves, a humanoid figure with bat-like wings, others with pigeon-like wings, beings with imposing horns, and many more creatures Damian couldn''t even identify.
Damian also noticed hundreds of people who had appeared alongside him.
Although it might have seemed like they were transported here against their will, they were free to leave if they wished.
Still, Damian was surprised to see that so many people chose to stay.
"Before my regression, when I came here, I couldn''t obtain any ss because I wasn''t worthy. But this time..." Damian narrowed his eyes, staring at the giant crystal with an indifferent gaze.
There were around 70 or 80 people standing alongside him.
Even with the intervention of his regression, not many people had managed to reach Level 20.
These individuals belonged to the area surrounding the tower near Damian.
Using the towers as a link, the system transported everyone within a tower''s range to its corresponding Hall of Ascension.
Near the Vatican, where Damian had been, there was a tower, so everyone who had reached Level 20 within its range was sent to this particr hall.
For every tower around the world, there was a corresponding Hall of Ascension.
People within the range of each tower were sent to their respective halls.
That was why there weren''t many people in the Hall of Ascension where Damian now stood.
Suddenly, Damian narrowed his eyes as his heightened senses alerted him to a pair of eyes watching him from nearby.
He didn''t need to turn his head to know who it was.
"The Saintess..." Damian muttered, recalling that she was one of the few individuals who had obtained a powerful ss.
He could feel her presence standing not far from him.
"It''s you."
"What business do you have with me, Saintess?" Damian asked indifferently.
"What''s your level?"
Damian stared at her for a few seconds, deciding that there was no harm in sharing this information. "Thirty-three," he replied.
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"...Thanks for telling me," the Saintess said.
She stood in silence for a moment, as if digesting his words, before giving a slight bow and leaving without turning back.
Her warrior nuns, who stood nearby, gazed at Damian with a mixture of fear and hostility.
Damian didn''t bother sparing them or the seven Cardinal Generals a nce, even though they, too, were watching him with varying expressions.
Most of the people present were affiliated with the Vatican.
"The Vatican is already growing powerful," Damian thought, his gaze returning to the Prism Crystal. "Once they begin climbing the Tower, they''ll be even stronger."
His attention shifted to a striking figure.
A towering woman, nearly seven feet tall, stood in the Hall of Ascension.
Her long, straight, dark hair cascaded down to the floor, and she wore an elegant ck Gothic dress with red ents.
The dress fully covered her except for her head.
Her piercing red eyes scanned everyone in the hall with an unnerving calm.
"Wee to the Hall of Ascension. I will be your host for ss selection," the woman announced, her voice cold and detached.
Then, her eyes narrowed threateningly.
"I will warn you in advance. This ce exists solely for you to obtain your ss. I am here only to oversee the process, and I will not tolerate any misconduct."
"Obtain your ss, begin climbing the Tower, or leave. If you refuse to obey the rules, you will be erased."
Her tone was absolute, brooking no argument.
She gestured toward the crystal, which began to radiate a brilliant white light, almost as if it were alive.
"Now, one by one, touch the crystal and obtain your ss," shemanded, her voice echoing through the hall.
<<<>>>
[A/N: If you enjoyed this Chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones, maybe some GOLDEN TICKETS, or even a gift! The author may be a little naive, but your support means the world to me. Arigato!]
Chapter 34: Class Selection
Chapter 34: Chapter 34: ss Selection
Absolute silence engulfed the Hall of Ascension for a few minutes until the Saintess approached the crystal.
As soon as she stood near it, the crystal began to glow faintly.
When the Saintess ced her hand on the crystal, a series of notifications appeared before her eyes:
[You have met all the criteria to obtain a ss.]
[Analyzing your physical attributes...]
[Analyzing your path of cultivation...]
[Analyzing your constitution...]
[Analyzing your self-learned skills...]
[Analyzing your talents...]
[Analyzing your personality...]
[Analyzing your faith...]
[Analyzing your will...]
[Analyzing your experiences...]
[Analyzing your life...]
[Creating a suitable ss for the Awakener ''Maria Lucia Augustine.'']
At the same time, the saintess''s figure began glowing with a silvery-white energy, making her appear as if she were enveloped in divine mes.
Her long, curly blonde hair floated upward, defying gravity and giving her an ethereal appearance akin to that of an angel.
Damian watched this with an intrigued expression, feeling a mild heat even from where he stood.
From her radiant appearance alone, he could guess that she was obtaining a powerful ss.
[Congrattions! You have obtained the ss ''Holy Spear Maiden.'']
[ss: Holy Spear Maiden]
The Holy Spear Maiden is a divine warrior chosen by the Heavenly Father to wield the power of Holy Energy. With grace and unwavering devotion, she stands as a beacon of light in the darkest of times. Her spear, imbued with holy power, glows with radiant energy, striking down those who would bring harm to the innocent.
-Increases efficiency in mastering spear and spear-rted techniques and skills by 30%.
-Increases attack power of holy power-infused attacks by 25%.
-When defending those who are weaker than you, physical attributes increase by 20%.
-When fighting against Awakeners or beings possessing Dark Power, your holy power and physical attributes increase by 35%.
-When fighting against monsters, your physical attributes increase by 20%.
-When fighting against the beings of the Night, your physical attributes increase by 20%.
-When battling alongside Holy Knights for the same cause, the effects of your holy power and that of the Holy Knights are significantly enhanced.
-When fighting for your own beliefs and philosophies, your overall abilities will increase by 30%.
...
..
.
-You have awakened the ability [Knight of Faith].
-You have obtained a Holy Energy Cultivation Manual.
The Saintess opened her eyes, revealing her shining blue irises, as she read the details about her ss, [Holy Spear Maiden], and its effects.
She could feel her holy power bing significantly stronger.
Alongside this, knowledge of a unique cultivation method, which utilized the energy known as Holy Power to cultivate, entered her mind.
[To enter the First Tower Realm, you must clear the first twenty floors of the Tower of Evolution.]
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the first floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
Maria, the Saintess of the Vatican, read the notification.
The host, a seven-foot-tall woman, spoke suddenly. "After you obtain your ss, you will have the option to start climbing the Tower."
"Once you clear the first twenty floors, you will gain ess to the First Tower Realm, known as Srta."
"The difficulty of each floor is divided into four levels: Normal, Hard, Nightmare, and Hell. Let me give you some advice... choose wisely.
"Trust me when I say this: with each increasing difficulty, the trials be significantly tougher."
"The system never makes mistakes. If it says the difficulty is Nightmare, then it will be a nightmare."
The host''s tone grew sterner. "Clearing Hard difficulty will already be a great challenge."
"It will leave you in a near-dead state if you somehow manage to clear Nightmare difficulty."
"As for Hell difficulty... even the greatest Awakeners of the Upper Realms consider it close to impossible to conquer... I suggest you pretend Hell difficulty doesn''t even exist."
"Completing the trials on each floor will reward you with items or enhancements rted to your ss. The higher the difficulty you choose, the better the quality of rewards you''ll receive."
[Choose the level of difficulty for the trial of the first floor.]
[Normal] < [[Hard]] < [[Nightmare]] < [[Hell]]
Maria, the Saintess, turned toward the host. "Based on my ss and physical attributes, what difficulty level would you suggest I choose?"
The host''s red eyes glowed briefly as she analyzed the Saintess''s status.
"Mmm... you might encounter some difficulty with Hard mode. If you give it your absolute best effort, you may have a chance to clear Nightmare difficulty," the host stated indifferently.
She had seen countless people of simr strength and ss attempt Nightmare difficulty and fail miserably.
Many of them had asked her the same question, seeking false reassurance.
As for Hell difficulty... the host didn''t even want to entertain the thought.
No one in the Hall of Ascension was remotely qualified to attempt it.
Even Nightmare difficulty was a dead end for the vast majority of participants.
Still, she thought, perhaps the Saintess could seed. After all, her ss, [Holy Spear Maiden], was very powerful.
"Once you have chosen the difficulty of the trial, you will be immediately transported to the trial realm."
"Your level will be temporarily reverted to level 20, but you will retain all stats gained from sources other than leveling up, such as achievements or cultivation," the host exined.
"You can only leave the trial area afterpleting the trial."
The Saintess thought for a few seconds before selecting her difficulty.
[You have chosen the ''Nightmare'' difficulty.]
[You will now be transported to the trial realm of the first floor.]
As soon as the Saintess saw the notification, her figure instantly disappeared from the Hall of Ascension.
"The Saintess... she disappeared!" someone eximed.
The other Awakeners in the Hall of Ascension stared at the spot where she had vanished, their expressions filled with shock and disbelief.
None of them knew what had happened after she touched the crystal, apart from the powerful aura that had surrounded her and the exnation given by the woman who imed to be the host about trials and their difficulties.
One by one, the Awakeners stepped forward, obtained their sses, and selected their trial difficulties.
Each of them disappeared in turn after making their choice.
Few exuded as much presence as the Saintess did when acquiring their sses, except for the Warrior Nuns and the Seven Cardinal Generals, who also seemed to have obtained powerful sses.
While perhaps not as powerful as the Saintess''s, their sses seemed certainly formidable.
Finally, when every single person had obtained their ss and disappeared, Damian remained at the very back, watching everything unfold with an intrigued expression.
Now, it was his turn to step forward and im his ss.
Damian stepped forward and stood before the crystal while the woman watched with an indifferent expression.
As far as she was concerned, he was just another Awakener.
Damian took a deep breath and ced his hand on the crystal.
He wouldn''t deny that he was a little nervous.
The crystal felt warm, and he could sense some sort of energy flowing into and out of his body through his hand.
His eyes began to glow with a neon blue hue, and his entire essence started to emanate a blue aura, making him look as though he were standing in the midst of blue mes.
"Another special ss?" The woman raised an eyebrow.
Although she had witnessed thousands of people acquiring special sses, seeing more than one person in a hall of ascension obtaining them simultaneously was extremely rare.
And the ss this man seemed to be obtaining appeared to be even more special than the one the Saintess had acquired.
In Damian''s field of vision, a series of system notifications appeared one after another.
[You have met all the criteria to obtain a ss.]
[Analyzing your physical attributes...]
[Analyzing your path of cultivation...]
[Analyzing your constitution...]
n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
[Analyzing your self-learned skills...]
[Analyzing your talents...]
[Analyzing your personality...]
[Analyzing your faith...]
[Analyzing your will...]
[Analyzing your experiences...]
[Analyzing your life...]
[Creating a suitable ss for the Awakener ''Damian Ignatius''...]
Damian felt as though he were floating in an empty, white space.
It was a sensation very simr to being inside his inner world.
He sensed a massive presence approaching him at an rming speed.
As soon as it mmed into him, the presence disappeared as though it had never existed.
At the same time, he could feel multiple other presences drawing closer to him, but they stopped after reaching a certain distance.
Then, his consciousness returned to the real world.
[Congrattions! You have obtained the ss ''True Magic Swordsman.'']
[ss: True Magic Swordsman]
A ss created by thebination of three rare sses: [Elemental Mage], [Sword Master], and [Martial Artist].
The True Magic Swordsman is a legendary warrior who has achieved the perfect fusion of swordsmanship and magic, mastering both disciplines to an unprecedented degree. With a sword in one hand and magic in the other, he can seamlessly adapt to any environment and ovee any challenge.
The True Magic Swordsman is an unstoppable force, capable of facing even the most overwhelming foes with precision and strategy. No challenge is insurmountable, and no enemy is too powerful. As the pinnacle of both martial and arcane prowess, he embodies a living legend, dominating the battlefield with unmatched power and versatility. Where others see impossible odds, he sees opportunities for victory.
-Increases efficiency in mastering sword and sword-rted techniques and skills by 35%.
-Increases efficiency in mastering all forms of martial weapons by 20%.
-Increases efficiency in magic practice by 35%.
-Increases your mental power by 25%.
-When fighting against beings 15 levels higher than you, your attributes will increase by 20%.
-When fighting more than 20 opponents, your physical attributes will increase by 20%.
-When fighting against non-humanoid being, your physical attributes will increase by 20%.
-Your adaptability to the environment increases by 30%.
A True Magic Swordsman is a lone warrior but also a mercenary. He does not affiliate with anyone but himself.
He does not involve himself in the wars of others but ensures he gains as many benefits as possible when participating in someone else''s battlefield.
-While on such battlefields, all your physical abilities will increase by an additional 20%.
-You have awakened the unique talent ''World Tree''s Blessing.''
-You have awakened the unique ability ''Eyes of rity.
-''You have gained the [Codex of Qi].
-You have gained the [Codex of Mana].
-You have gained the [Qi Cultivation Manual].
Damian felt a colossal amount of information flood into his mind all at once.
Slowly, the aura surrounding him dissipated, and Damian opened his eyes with a grin before ncing at the system notification.
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the first floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
Damian pondered for a few moments before turning his attention to the woman standing nearby.
"What''s your level?" Damian asked casually.
"...What?" The woman blinked, thinking she had misheard him.
"I said, what''s your level?" Damian repeated.
"..."
The woman was speechless.
She had seen millions of people across the universe obtain their sses, but this was the first time anyone had ever asked her such a question.
She certainly never imagined she''d be questioned like this by an Awakener from one of the lowest-ranked worlds.
"You know what? Don''t bother telling me your level," Damian continued, unfazed. "Just answer this instead: if I were to reach level 100 with the full effects of the ss I just obtained, how would I fare against you? Would you even spare me a nce?"
"No," the woman replied indifferently.
"Thanks," Damian said, nodding.
[You have chosen the ''Hell'' difficulty.]
[You will now be transported to the trial realm of the first floor.]
Chapter 35: Hunting Scaled Forest Vipers
Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Hunting Scaled Forest Vipers
The seven-foot-tall woman, who called herself the host of the ss selection, watched Damian disappear with an indifferent expression that slowly shifted into one of bewilderment.
"Wait, did he just choose the Hell difficulty?" the woman muttered.
"This man... does he have a death wish? Didn''t I make it clear that it''s impossible to clear Hell difficulty?"
She shook her head dismissively.
Then her red eyes glowed faintly as the system instantly sent all the information about Damian directly to her mind.
"True Magic Swordsman? A perfected version of the Magic Swordsman ss, huh? The system wouldn''t grant such a special ss unless he truly deserved it... But even with this ss, I don''t think he can survive this trial."
A strange expression appeared on her face as she continued reading through all the information.
Her eyes eventuallynded on a particr talent he possessed.
"The World Tree''s Blessing?"
"It couldn''t be... could it?" Her eyes widened in astonishment.
"I need to keep a close watch on this man. System, put this man on the top priority watch list."
[Order received.]
[Moving the profile of the Awakener ''Damian Ignatius'' to the high-priority Watch List.]
"Keep me updated on everything he does from now on... well, if he manages to survive the Hell mode trials."
[As you wish, Administrator.]
...
Damian felt his vision blur for a moment before finding himself standing in the middle of a dense forest.
[You have entered the first floor of the Tower of Evolution, The Lair of the Scaled Vipers.]
[1st Trial Condition: Hunt down the Scaled Forest Viper King.]
Damian read the notification and sighed. "Scaled vipers? Snakes? I have to hunt down snakes in this dense forest?"
As someone who relied on speed and agility to eliminate his targets, fighting in such a restrictive environment would significantly hinder his movements.
Moreover, he had no prior experience battling in a setting like this.
He looked around, taking in his surroundings.
All he could see were trees, bushes, and nts, some of which were entirely unfamiliar to him.
"I''ve also awakened another talent and ability, haven''t I?"
[Innate Ability: Eye of rity]
[Effects:
-Grants the ability to perceive the flow of energy.
-Reveals the ''truth'' of the world.
-Increases visualprehension by 30%.
-Significantly enhances eyesight.
-Provides perfect vision, even inplete darkness.
-Passively boosts mental acuity and perception by a small margin.]
As Damian activated his new ability, his eyes began to glow with a faint neon blue hue.
[Eye of rity: Innate Ability Activated]
The world around him transformed, as if painted in shades of blue.
He could discern the flow of different types of energy, like the wind currents weaving through the forest.
Not far from where he stood, he spotted a presence radiating energy from a sphere inside its body.
Deactivating the ability, Damian unsheathed his [Monster yer] sword and headed toward the location of the presence.
When he arrived, he finally saw the creature up close.
"This thing is at least 50 feet long... Do I seriously have to fight this?"
The creature was a massive python-like snake, its body as thick as a small car.
Its long fangs jutted out menacingly, and its scaled body shimmered in the dim light.
The snake''s narrow, vertical slit eyes locked onto Damian, hissing threateningly.
-----
[Name: Scaled Forest Viper]
[Level: 55]
-----
Damian nced at his own stats.
-----
[Level: 20]
[Strength: 47 ¨U Agility: 57 ¨U Vitality: 47 ¨U
Stamina: 57 ¨U Perception: 57 ¨U Mana: 120 ¨U
Qi: 0 ]
{Stat Points: 12}
-----
After regressing to level 20 temporarily, his stats had decreased, though the points gained from cultivation and free stat allocation remained intact.
"From level 33 to level 20... Each of my stats got reduced by 13 points." Damian''s eyes locked with the viper''s.
As soon as he made the slightest movement, the viper opened its massive mouth and let out a loud hiss, its colossal body swaying before it lunged at him with astonishing speed.
Wasting no time, Damian leaped into the air to meet the attack head-on.
Holding his sword with both hands, he aimed a powerful sh at the creature''s mouth.
CLANK!
The sound of metal striking metal echoed as Damian felt like he had just hit a steel wall.
The viper''s massive body crashed into him, flinging him backward and mming him into a tree, which shattered upon impact.
"Damn, its scales are too strong... even tougher than the gue Silk Spiders''," Damian muttered, his eyes wide with concern.
Landing on the forest floor, he steadied himself and stared at the snake. "Shit, These trees are getting in my way... Let''s try this."
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
His sword erupted in mes as he poured his energy into it.
nting his foot firmly on a tree branch, Damianunched himself at the viper like a zing projectile.
Moving faster than he ever had before, Damian outpaced the viper''s reactions.
Though it tried to snap at him, its massive head was too slow.
Sliding under its gaping maw, Damian drove his ming sword into the soft underside of its neck.
"Haaah!" he yelled, using all his strength to drag the de through the viper''s flesh.
The scales finally gave way, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
The snake writhed in agony, its enormous body thrashing wildly.
Damian pulled his sword free and leaped into the air,nding with a powerful downward sh that severed through the scales and struck deep into the creature''s body.
Fresh, cold blood spurted everywhere as the viper''s vitality drained away, its movements slowing until it finallyy still.
[Experience Gained]
Damian sighed in exhaustion. "I can''t believe it took so much effort to take down a single viper... and it''s so not worth it. I didn''t even level up. Is it because, even though I''m reverted to level 20, my true level is still 33?"
Damian activated his [Eye of rity] once again and quickly located three more vipers of simr size a little distance away.
Using the densely packed, tall trees as stepping stones, Damian leaped from one branch to another with ease.
Soon, he appeared before the vipers.
This time, the vipers had coiled themselves tightly around the thick branches of a tree.
For some reason, the sight made Damian uneasy, as if a hidden phobia was surfacing.
A shiver ran down his spine.
"Fuck it, I''ll burn everything!" Damian growled.
Channeling his mana, he raised his hand, and a dozen reddish-orange magic circles materialized above him.
From these circles, a barrage of long, zing me spears emerged.
Following Damian''s hand gesture, the projectiles shot toward the coiled vipers with immense force.
Damian didn''t stop there.
Without pausing to see the results of his initial attack, he repeated the spell.
Another dozen me spears materialized andunched toward the vipers.
BOOM!
What followed was an unrelenting chain of explosions.
Waves of searing heat radiated outward, engulfing the area.
Damian continued his assault without hesitation, spamming [me Spear] three more times.
Only when a notification appeared before his eyes did he finally stop.
[Experience Gained]
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You Have Leveled Up]
"It took three of those damn vipers just to level up once," Damian muttered with a bitter smile.
Landing gracefully beside the charred remains of the vipers, Damian extended his hand toward the corpses. "Extraction."
[Extraction: Unique Ability Activated]
The mana stored within the vipers'' source cores was rapidly drained, flowing directly into Damian''s mana core and replenishing his depleted mana pool.
"I wonder how many times I can use this method to kill these vipers," Damian mused, closing his eyes and sharpening his senses.
With his naturally high perception stat, the enhancements provided by his ss, and the passive boost from [Eye of rity], Damian''s awareness reached an entirely new level.
He could feel the energy signatures of all living beings within the forest.
"10... 23... 44... 53? There are at least 53 vipers in this forest, not including the Scaled Forest Viper King," Damian murmured to himself. "It has the strongest presence among them all."
His brow furrowed as he focused on the most powerful aura. "The Viper King is at least level 80, and it''s established its territory at the far end of the forest. The other vipers are scattered everywhere else. If I want to take down the king, I''ll have to eliminate the rest of them first."
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Damian smirked faintly.
"Well then, time to spam spells."
Chapter 36: Power Of The True Magic Swordsman
Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Power Of The True Magic Swordsman
Damiannded on another branch of a towering tree that stretched above the dense forest, its canopy blocking the sunlight from reaching the ground.
"About 54 vipers, and the Viper King is above level 80," Damian muttered as he looked down.
From where he stood, he could see a giant crater below that resembled the aftermath of a meteor crash.
The hole was teeming with vipers, around two dozen writhing inside.
"I''ll keep spamming full-powered fireballs until every single one of them is dead," Damian dered.
Raising his hand, a dozen me magic circles materialized above his head.
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From each circle, a fireball began to form, each onepressed with a massive amount of mana.
Since Damian''s cultivation in the me element had reached the middle stage of the 2nd ring, his me spells now carried the strength of a middle-stage 2nd-circle mage.
Each fireball, approximately three feet in radius, resembled a miniature sun aze with intense mes.
Following Damian''s hand gestures, the fiery orbs moved andunched themselves into the crater, directly targeting the vipers below.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One explosion after another rocked the area.
Damian continued to unleash his [Fireball] spells relentlessly.
The shrieks and hisses of the vipers echoed through the crater, their cries of agony piercing through even the deafening sound of explosions.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The explosions reverberated across the small realm, which served as the site of the tower''s first trial.
As time passed, the cacophony of destruction only grew louder and more intense.
Damian wasn''t simply spamming [Fireball] spells.
With his talent, [Rumination rity],bined with the immense boost from his ss, [True Magic Swordsman], and his ability, [Eye of rity], hisprehension and cognizance abilities had reached an entirely new level.
While his hands unleashed spells without pause, his neon blue, glowing eyes worked like a supeputer.
He constantly analyzed his me spells, identifying ws and gaps in his current level of magic cultivation.
In real-time, he devised solutions, correcting imperfections and making rapid progress in both his spells and me magic cultivation.
Suddenly, behind his head, four elemental rings of different colors appeared each floating beside the other.
Each ring represented one of the four elements to which he had an affinity.
Above the reddish-orange ring representing the me element, the outline of another, slightlyrger ring began to form.
The outline grew denser and more defined until it solidified, bing identical in structure to the first me elemental ring.
[Your understanding of the me Element increased significantly]
[You have formed the Perfected 2nd me Elemental Ring.]
[You have be a Perfected 2nd Circle Mage.]
The explosion suddenly grew even more intense, the sound reverberating throughout the entire 1st trial realm.
Even the remaining vipers across the realm became alert to the presence of an intruder who had appeared to hunt down their entire race.
The Scaled Forest Viper King, resting inside a pond of blue water radiating thick energy, opened its reddish eyes.
It had sensed the distant explosion and the deaths of its kind, one after another.
Back with Damian, his fireball had already annihted two dozen vipers inside the giant hole they had made into their nest.
Now, the nest was no more, reduced to a charred ruin filled with the smoldering remains of giant forest-scaled vipers.
In his relentless barrage of spells, Damian hadn''t even noticed that his [Fireball] spell had sparked a forest fire.
The acrid smell of burnt flesh mingled with the smoke of the burning forest, painting the entire area dark with mes and ash.
Dust and particles floated in the air as Damian walked on the ashes of the woods and the charred remains of vipers.
[Experience gained]
[Experience limit reached]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
Damian raised his hand, activating his unique innate ability, [Extraction].
[Extraction: Unique Innate Ability Activated]
Immense energy materialized from his palm, siphoning the stored energy from the vipers'' source cores.
The energy flowed into Damian''s constantly rotating mana core, instantly replenishing it.
Even in death, a monster''s source core doesn''t immediately lose the energy stored within it.
Instead, it takes a significant amount of time for the energy to naturally disperse.
Monsters do not discriminate when absorbing energy; their source cores collect all types of energy avable in the environment.
The more energy they absorb, the stronger they be.
Among these energies, Mana and Qi are the mostmon.
Since Damian hadn''t fully begun cultivating Qi, he chose not to absorb it from the vipers'' source cores.
His ability allowed him to select the type of energy he wished to extract.
[Your mana core is being replenished]
[Your mana core is being replenished]
[Your mana core ispletely replenished]
[Your mana increased: +5]
[Your mana increased: +5]
[Your mana increased: +5]
Damian turned his head, sensing movement.
All the vipers in the realm were converging, as though being summoned to the same location.
His focus sharpened as he sensed the strongest presence in the entire 1st trial realm.
"The Scaled Forest Viper King... it''s summoning all the other vipers to itsir," Damian muttered, narrowing his eyes as his neon blue gaze gleamed with intensity.
Without hesitation, Damian sprinted at full speed.
Within fifteen minutes, he arrived at the location where the Viper King''s presence was strongest.
Standing atop a ridge, he peered down and saw a massive cave below.
In front of the cave, about 25 forest vipers were coiled and swirling their bodies, their levels ranging from 50 to 65.
Each of them was as strong as the ones he had fought before.
Then Damian sensed another presence approaching.
Emerging from the forest was a viper farrger than any he had faced so far.
If the ones he had fought until now were akin to teenagers, this one was a full-grown adult.
"Oh, shit," Damian muttered as he saw all the vipers standing, their scaled Forest Viper King positioned at the center, ring at him with a dangerously threatening gaze.
Its hiss was guttural and menacing, and every one of the vipers was focused solely on him.
[The Scaled Forest Viper King senses your presence.]
[The power of the Viper King increases the strength of the other vipers by 15%.]
Damian felt the intense killing intent emanating from all the monsters within this 1st trial realm.
It was suffocating, like a tidal wave about to swallow him whole.
"So, the Viper King has the ability to empower its underlings, huh?" Damian muttered, narrowing his eyes as a grin spread across his lips.
"Well, you''re not the only one with the ability to enhance your power."
Damian leaped down from the tree branch,nding on the ground in a perfect superhero pose, his knees absorbing the impact with ease.
[You are facing more than 10 opponents. The effect of ''Solo Hunter'' is activated. All your physical attributes will be increased by 10%.]
[You are facing monsters that are 15 levels higher than you. All your physical attributes will be increased by 20%.]
[You are fighting more than 20 opponents. All your physical attributes will be increased by 20%.]
[You are fighting non-humanoid beings. All your physical attributes will be increased by 20%.]
[Due to the overwhelming effects of your sudden increase in physical attributes, your adaptability to the environment has enhanced significantly.]
In the dense forest, a powerful aura exploded from Damian as he felt his strength surge at an rming rate.
His light blue aura began to radiate outward, pushing back the oppressive killing intent of the monsters around him.
Damian tightened his fists and red at the vipers with neon-blue eyes that weren''t just glowing¡ªthey emanated an aura of their own.
His power was rising to levels he had never experienced before.
It wasn''t just his physical strength.
Damian felt all his skills, techniques, and spells enhanced significantly.
The overwhelming surge made him feel so powerful that he believed he could take on and defeat all of Earth''s top Awakeners on his own.
"So this is the power of a true Magic Swordsman," Damian murmured, his grin widening into an almost foolish smile as he gazed at the vipers.
Their hostile res had shifted, now tinged with something unexpected¡ªfear. Even the Scaled Forest Viper King seemed apprehensive.
His muscles bulged, and a searing heat radiated from him, making him feel as though he were standing under a scorching waterfall.
Damian unsheathed his weapon, [Monster yer], and as he did, the de ignited with intense mes far more powerful than ever before.
The heat radiating from the sword scorched the nearby nts and trees, leaving them charred and smoldering.
"My sword hungers, and I''m going to let it feast," Damian said, his voice filled with unshakable confidence.
He drove his foot into the ground,unching himself forward with explosive force.
The ground beneath him cracked from the pressure, and his figure became a streak of blue lightning as he closed the distance between himself and the vipers in an instant.
The vipers saw nothing but a blur before Damian''s sword shed through the air.
mes, empowered by his [ss], erupted from the de in an intense, fiery arc, cutting through the scales of the first viper and incinerating it.
The zing ray didn''t stop there; it struck the vipers behind it, killing them instantly as well.
Chapter 37: Slaying The Viper King
Chapter 37: Chapter 37: ying The Viper King
In the dense forest of the First Trial Realm, an intense battle was raging.
It was a sh between a true magic swordsman and the deadly snake monsters known as Scaled Forest Vipers.
One by one, the vipers fell to the burning sword in his hands, a weapon radiating mes powerful enough to slice through their hardened scales, incinerate their flesh, and leave them lifeless.
In the heart of the forest, just in front of a massive cave from which the Scaled Forest Viper King had emerged, a blue streak of light shed from ce to ce in a zigzag pattern.
Each time it stopped, the body of another viper copsed to the ground, sliced into pieces, with its insides consumed by an intense, unrelenting me.
Damian had already in more than ten vipers, but he could feel the battle growing harder.
The vipers were moving faster, striking at him from all directions.
They lunged with their gaping mouths, intent on devouring him whole.
[As ast resort, the vipers are entering their berserk state. In this state, their strength will be significantly enhanced.]
Damian braced himself as he felt the change.
The vipers attacked with unrelenting fury, their movements rough and uncoordinated but filled with pure rage.
They swarmed him from every side, burying him under their massive, writhing bodies.
For a moment, it seemed like the vipers'' onught would be the end of Damian.
He was suffocating beneath theirbined weight.
The air grew still, and even the vipers'' guttural hisses faded into silence.
Then it happened.
A searing light burst forth from under the mountain of vipers suffocating Damian, growing brighter with each passing moment.
BOOM!
BOOM!
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BOOM!
BOOM!
A series of explosions erupted from beneath the vipers.
The Scaled Forest Vipers, which had buried Damian under their enormous forms, were suddenly engulfed in mes that tore through their bodies, sending them flying in all directions.
When the smoke cleared, Damian stood in the epicenter of the carnage, his body a grotesque sight.
Third-degree burns covered him from head to toe, and half of his face had been scorched away, leaving him grotesquely disfigured like a certain DC viin, known as Two-Face.
All his clothes had been burned away except for the fabric at his waist, and his exposed body bore horrific injuries.
Blood oozed from countless wounds, and one of his eyes had melted away entirely, leaving him with a single, glowing blue eye radiating an intense neon light.
Blood flowed freely, and patches of his scalp were bald, revealing burned skin beneath.
"Arghhh..." A distorted, agonized growl escaped his lips.
[Warrior''s Will: Inherited Ability Activated]
[All your Abilities will increase by 15%.]
The already overwhelming aura Damian exuded grew even more intense.
Ignoring the unbearable pain and the blood dripping from his wounds, he moved.
His figure blurred as heshed out from his position, leaping onto the massive body of one viper and using it as a stepping stone to propel himself into the air.
As he soared above the battlefield, he pointed his burned and bloodied hand forward.
Smoke rose from his charred flesh as several me magic circles, approximately twenty, materialized in midair.
[Your multicasting skill has improved.]
The fireballs forming from the magic circles were massive, muchrger and hotter than any spells Damian had conjured before.
Under the influence of his True Magic Swordsman [ss], the fireballs radiated destructive power far greater than anything he had ever wielded.
Suddenly, Damian felt his heart throbbing painfully, as though it might explode.
Yet, a dozen more magic circles appeared alongside the first set.
[Your multicasting skill has forcibly improved at the cost of Mana-nerve damage, and as a result, you won''t be able to use magic until you healpletely.]
The high-power fireballs, rivaling the might of third-circle spells, unleashed their wrath.
They rained down upon the vipers, detonating in fiery explosions that incinerated everything in their path.
The intense heat burned through scales, flesh, and bone, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.
Amidst the fiery carnage, Damian''s glowing eye locked onto the Scaled Forest Viper King.
The beast stood in the center of the devastation, its massive body barely harmed by the mes.
Fury surged through Damian as he focused every ounce of his strength and resolve.
With the effects of his [ss], title, and inherited ability amplifying his power, Damian could feel his abilities strengthening, even if only by a fraction, as he maintained the ability.
Like a streak of blue light, his figure elerated to its utmost limit.
Damian ignored the pain coursing through his battered body, the loose charred flesh hanging from his limbs, and the blood pouring from his wounds.
Using every bit of strength and speed he possessed, he closed the distance between himself and the Viper King.
"Haaaahhh!" he roared, his fist, stripped to the bone and burning, driving forward with unrelenting force.
The punchnded squarely on the Viper King''s massive head.
The impact shattered its thick scales into countless fragments, the sheer force driving through its skull.
BOOM!
A sonic boom echoed through the forest as the Viper King''s head exploded like a bursting watermelon.
Blood, flesh, and bone sprayed in every direction.
The creature''s headless body writhed briefly before copsing to the ground, lifeless.
[You have yed the Scaled Forest Viper King.]
[You have cleared the 1st trial of the Tower of Evolution.]
[You are one of the few people in the lowest sectors of the entire universe to sessfully clear the 1st trial on [Hell Mode].]
[Calcting rewards...]
[1st Reward: +15 free Stat Points]
[2nd Reward: +1 pass to obtain one piece of equipment from the system.]
[3rd Reward: +1 pass to obtain a technique.]
[4th Reward: +10,000 Gold.]
[Your rewards have been sent to your inventory.]
[You can either move on to the 2nd trial or return to your home.]
Damian''s vision blurred as the effects of his title, ss, and inherited abilities deactivated.
His bulging, enhanced body returned to its normal state, and with it came the full force of the pain from his charred, disfigured form.
Without any strength to support himself, his endurance gave out, and he copsed onto the lifeless body of the Forest Viper King, helpless.
Though still conscious, the overwhelming pain made it impossible for him to think clearly.
Even his talent, [Rumination rity], which should have amplified his mental acuity to an unknown degree, failed to function properly.
All he could feel was pain, and he couldn''t even process the system notifications.
Only a deafening siren-like noise filled his ears.
Some parts of his body were so broken and burnt that the bones were exposed.
"Come on... stand up," Damian groaned in his mind, which was filled with nothing but pain.
Half of his face had already been burnt away, leaving only his teeth and some flesh barely covering his skull.
There was no way to tell what kind of expression he was making when there was nothing left on his face.
If it weren''t for his body having grown much stronger through cultivation and leveling up, there would be no way he could still be alive in the state he was in.
Even in this condition, where more than half of his body was burnt away and covered in third-degree burns, his mind still didn''t give up.
Something inside him wouldn''t let him quit, something that couldn''t ept anything but victory and sess.
Summoning everyst ounce of energy, he struggled to rise, dragging his broken body toward the cave from which the Forest Viper King had emerged.
After what felt like an eternity of dragging himself, about fifteen minutester, he reached the pond where he had sensed arge quantity of energy.
But before he could allow himself to copse into the water, his legs gave out, unable to withstand the strain, and he fell to the ground.
With great effort, Damian raised his hand, which was covered in third-degree burns.
As he observed the injuries, he saw in real time that they were beginning to heal.
The ces where chunks of his flesh were missing were already regrowing.
[You have awakened the talent ''Boundless Refinement.'']
[Your resistance to fire is slowly improving.]
[Your resistance to pain is slowly improving.]
[Your vitality is slowly improving.]
Damian heard a series of notifications as his hearing gradually returned after three hours of self-healing.
His remaining eye cleared, though his other eye, still in the process of reforming, had yet to fully recover.
Then he let go of his consciousness, and everything became enveloped in dark.
<<<>>>
[A/N: If you enjoyed this Chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones, maybe some GOLDEN TICKETS, or even a gift! The author may be a little naive, but your support means the world to me. Arigato!]
Chapter 38: Pushing Past The Limit
Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Pushing Past The Limit
It had been five days since Damian''s body entered a hibernation-like state, aplete unconscious repair mode designed to heal his severely burned and damaged body.
While Damian was recovering, the other Awakeners who had obtained their sses had already passed through more than four trials and were well on their way toward reaching the First Tower Realm, [Srta].
During these five days, Damian''s body had fully healed, his mind was rapidly recovering, and his consciousness was beginning to resurface.
After a few moments, Damian finally opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry at first, but within seconds, it cleared, and the dim interior of the cave came into view.
"Jesus Christ, I can''t believe that really happened," Damian muttered, touching his left eye, the same eye that had melted away during the series of explosions.
The memories came flooding back.
He recalled the swarm of Forest Vipers that had buried him beneath their massive bodies, crushing and suffocating him.
In that moment of despair, Damian had felt an intense, uncontroble fury rise from within his heart.
He had desperately tried to devise a solution, using all his mental strength and even his talent, [Rumination rity], but no n seemed viable.
His raw strength wasn''t enough to break free, as he couldn''t gather power in his hands.
Left with no other option, Damian resorted to the most reckless decision possible.
He unleashed his most powerful [Fireballs] directly in front of him, fully aware that he would be caught in the resulting explosion.
The st was enough to break through the vipers'' suffocating hold, but the cost was devastating.
However, the aftermath was devastating.
His body had been disfigured to a grotesque degree, and the pain was beyond anything he had ever experienced.
It was almost impossible to believe he had managed to stay conscious through it all and continue fighting, eventually killing the Forest Viper King.
Damian sighed in relief.
It seemed all the burns and wounds covering his body had healedpletely.
Even his melted eye had recovered, as though it were brand new.
"That ability I inherited from my parents... I didn''t think its effect would be this strong," he muttered.
[Inherited Ability: Warrior''s Will]
An ability, or a variation of the ability, possessed by one of your parents that you have inherited.
[Effects:
-When the ability is activated, all your physical abilities will increase by 15%.
-While active, all your senses will be heightened to an extreme degree, and your focus will be entirely directed toward the ongoing battle.
-When active, all emotions will be nullified except for the resolve to fight for your goal.]
"This ability is really strong... If I didn''t have this ability, I don''t think I could have defeated the Forest Viper King," Damian muttered.
Gently standing up, he examined his body.
Aside from the dust and dirt covering him, his skin appeared smooth and wless.
All his wounds had healedpletely.
In fact, his skin seemed better than it was before the burns.
It was as though the healing process had reconstructed it, making it superior in every aspect.
Even his sense of touch felt more sensitive.
"Mmm, I remember before I lost consciousness, the system was buzzing in my ears," Damian said, quickly opening the system logs.
[You have awakened the talent ''Boundless Refinement.'']
[Your resistance to fire is slowly improving.] x5
[Your resistance to pain is slowly improving.] x10
[Your vitality is slowly improving.] x5
[Your vitality increased: +8]
"I''ve awakened another talent?" Damian stared in disbelief.
[Talent: Boundless Refinement]
[Effects:
-Increases your ability to adapt to any environment, conditions, circumstances, setting, state, or biosphere by 75%.]
"Another ridiculous talent" Damian sighed.
He didn''t know how, but he kept awakening talent after talent.
This was already his fourth.
Damian had also discovered that these talents awaken under specific conditions.
For instance, his talent [Rumination rity] had awakened when he pushed hisprehension and cognizance to their absolute limits.
This new talent, [Boundless Refinement], had awakened when his body was adapting to the pain and fire.
As soon as it activated, his body''s ability to recover improved rapidly, increasing his resistance to fire and enhancing his vitality.
Vitality referred to his overall physical health and how quickly his body could heal from injuries.
The more his vitality increased, the greater the injuries his body could withstand without failing.
"Ha... and I''m naked," Damian sighed again.
He stepped outside the cave and picked up the dagger and spear he had dropped during the fight, surveying the carnage around him, the lifeless bodies of the vipers, and the Viper King.
[Extraction: Unique Innate Ability Activated]
A dark blue vortex of energy materialized from his hand, drawing every ounce of energy from the monsters'' source cores.
The energy surged into him, rapidly expanding his mana pool.
[Your Mana increased: +25]
Still unclothed, Damian re-entered the cave and nced at the pond, its water teeming with highly concentrated natural energy.
"Many, afterpleting the trials, won''t stay in the trial realms for a single second. After all, there''s no apparent reason to stay."
He sat by the pond, mulling over his thoughts.
"Most Awakeners are too focused on climbing the towers faster than others. They don''t even consider using the realms to their advantage."
The trial realms are isted dimensions created solely to test Awakeners as they ascend the tower.
More often than not, these realms are designed to be incredibly disadvantageous to participants.
What many Awakeners either don''t realize or don''t care to explore is that the trial realms can actually be used to their advantage.
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The resources within these realms, while not consumable or portable outside the realm, are immensely valuable for cultivation.
They can enhance one''s physical abilities or attributes through rigorous training or by adapting to the harsh conditions of the realm.
The higher the difficulty of the trials, the more disadvantageous the trial realms be.
With greater challengese greater rewards, as these realms offer more potent resources to those willing to endure.
Even though the system notifies Awakeners that they can leave, either to return to their home or proceed to the next trial, it doesn''t mandate departure.
In fact, Awakeners can stay as long as they wish.
Damian, for instance, had been in the first trial realm for about five days, even though he could have left at any time.
He chose to remain because he was determined to squeeze every drop of potential from the resources in this realm.
He wanted to strengthen himself as much as possible before taking on the second trial.
"First things first, I have to open up my remaining meridians," Damian muttered, thinking about everything he had obtained when he received his [ss].
One of the things he had gained was the [Qi Cultivation Manual], which contained five Chapters.
The first Chapter granted him a Qi cultivation method known as [The Path of the Sacred Arts].
"The [Titan Body Refinement Art] is nothingpared to [The Path of the Sacred Arts]," Damian smiled in satisfaction.
The [Titan Body Refinement] techniques he had obtained from the United Sword Guild were only useful for reaching the peak of Qi condensation, which involved opening his meridians.
After that, the technique would no longer be useful.
But [The Path of the Sacred Arts] provided techniques Damian could use for much longer, allowing him to reach higher cultivation realms with a much higher efficiency in Qi absorption.
Sighing inwardly, Damian began to absorb Qi through the 10 primary meridians he had already opened.
He directed the Qi through the 11th meridian, feeling resistance from it.
However, strangely, it was much lower than when he had first obtained the [ss].
After about two hours, he sessfully opened the 11th meridian.
He didn''t stop there and continued circting the Qi towards thest primary meridian, the 12th meridian.
Unlike the 11th, the 12th meridian showed much more resistance, and it took Damian about four hours to finally open it.
[You have sessfully opened your 12 Primary Meridians and have reached the Peak Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.]
"Mmm... I have reached the Peak Stage of Qi Condensation Realm, huh?" Damian muttered, but there was no satisfaction on his face.
It was as if he felt it wasn''t enough.
"This is not enough. This is not enough for me. I won''t be like others. I won''t let this be my limit..."
"I... I will open all of my meridians."
Damian''s eyes began to glow with an intense neon blue hue as he pointed his palm toward the pond, which contained dense natural energy.
An intense vortex of energy appeared, sucking in about ten gallons of Qi from the pond water.
Damian felt the immense surge of Qi flooding into his inner world, expanding uncontrobly, as if it would make him explode.
[You have a surplus amount of Qi without a ce to store it.]
[You must either dissipate or cultivate the Qi as soon as possible, or your body will implode from unstable Qi inside you.]
"I know that already," Damian gritted his teeth as he felt the Qi raging inside him, like a wild fire, uncontroble and overwhelming.
All the veins in his body popped out, and his skin turned beet red as if his blood were pushing against his skin, trying to break free.
Damian immediately used the techniques from [The Path of the Sacred Arts] and began circting the raging Qi he had ''Extracted'' from the pond water.
It felt as if he were circting a massive river of Qi, directing it toward the 13th meridian.
What Damian was doing was extremely dangerous.
From the 13th to the 20th meridians, they were known as the [Extraordinary Meridians], because they were close to impossible to open.
The more extraordinary meridians he attempted to open, the harder it would be, pushing the limits of what seemed possible.
Damian was trying to forcefully open them by pushing too much Qi through them.
If anything went wrong, not only would he fail to open them, but he could alsopletely destroy all the meridians altogether.
It felt like the river of Qi was crashing into a giant wall.
The more it collided with the barrier, the more the resistance broke down, eventually opening the 13th meridian.
[Your resistance to pain is improving.]
[Your meridians are strengthening.]
[Your meridians are strengthening.]
After an hour, Damian sessfully opened the 14th meridian.
[Your Qi cirction is improving.]
[Your nerves are strengthening.]
Time passed, and Damian remainedpletely still, continually circting the raging Qi inside him.
Another ten days passed just like that.
Chapter 39: Effects Of The New Talent
Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Effects Of The New Talent
Damian had already opened his 12 primary meridians.
Over the following ten days, he utilized nearly one-sixth of the pond water infused with thick natural energy, pushing himself with utmost concentration and mental power to force open the 8 extraordinary meridians.
The entire process was excruciating.
It felt as though he was submerged in boiling water, his blood boiling from within, pressing against his skin as if trying to escape.
His nerves screamed in agony, as though they were being continuously electrocuted.
For ten days, Damian endured this torment.
However, his talent, [Boundless Refinement], greatly enhanced his adaptability to all forms of conditions and environments.
This allowed him to gradually develop resistance to the pain.
His body, nerves, skin, and organs rapidly adjusted to the relentless strain, growing tougher and more resilient with each passing moment.
Deep within the cave, where arge circr pond about 35 meters in diametery, the air was thick with dense, hot steam, making it difficult to see.
In the center of this suffocating environment, a figure sat cross-legged in a lotus position, his intense breathing echoing through the space.
With every exhale, streams of Qi and hot air escaped his lips.
His body was drenched in sweat, and as his lips parted slightly, a pair of intensely glowing neon-blue eyes appeared.
[You havepletely opened the 20th meridian.]
[Your resistance to pain has significantly improved.]
[Due to continuous expansion caused by arge amount of unstable Qi, your Dantian has significantly expanded.]
[Due to continuous expansion caused by arge amount of unstable Qi, your meridians have significantly expanded.]
[Your nervous system has been significantly strengthened.]
[Your energy nerves have been significantly strengthened.]
[Your spiritual circuits have been significantly strengthened.]
[Congrattions, you havepletely opened up all the meridians in your body.]
[Your Qi absorption efficiency has increased by 200%.]
[You have reached the highest stage of the Qi Condensation Realm that is physically and spiritually possible.]
[You have reached the hidden stage of the Qi Condensation Realm that is considered impossible to achieve.]
[You have reached the Supreme Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.]
"I did it... I opened all 20 meridians," Damian said with a grin, his breaths deep and steady as he felt the incredible transformation coursing through him.
"Supreme stage, huh? So, this is the highest stage possible? Does that mean for every cultivation realm, there is a supreme stage beyond the peak stage?"
A crazy thought began to form in Damian''s mind, and the grin on his face grew wider.
"Time to start cultivating."
[3rd Cultivation Realm: Foundation Establishment Realm]
[In the Foundation Establishment Realm, the cultivator must form a seed inside their dantian. The growth of the seed is ssified into four stages of the realm:
-Lower Stage: Drawing the seed
-Middle Stage: Filling the seed with Qi
-Upper Stage: Forming the seed shell
-Peak Stage: Condensing the entire seed]
[Once you reach the peak stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, you can break through to the 4th cultivation realm.]
Damian nced at the pond, and his figure blurred as he appeared at its center, sitting cross-legged and letting himself submerge.
Although the pond was about 35 meters in diameter and very deep, its water level was surprisingly low.
Sitting cross-legged, the water barely reached Damian''s neck.
"Wait a minute, why do I even have to cultivate like others when I can simply extract Qi and increase my cultivation?"
A strange expression formed on his face as he activated his extraction ability.
[Extraction: Unique Innate Ability Activated]
The water level of the energy-filled pond began to decrease as Damian''s extraction ability absorbed about one-sixth of the remaining water.
A surplus amount of Qi surged into Damian''s dantian.
Unlike thest time, his dantian didn''t feel pressured, as it had already expanded significantly.
Following the directions of the [Path of Sacred Arts] cultivation method, Damian circted the Qi throughout his body.
The Qi flowed like a river, reaching every part of his body: organs, bones, skin, and down to the cells.
Everything was strengthened before the energy gathered at the center of his dantian, rapidly beginning to take the shape of a seed.
[You have reached the Lower Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[Your Strength increased: +1]
[Your Stamina increased: +1]
[Your Agility increased: +1]
[Your Vitality increased: +1]
[Your Perception increased: +1]
[Your Qi increased: +2]
Damian ignored the system notifications and the warm sensation spreading through his body.
The surplus Qi he absorbed was far from being fully utilized.
He continued circting the Qi in his dantian like a whirlpool, filling the seed rapidly until it could take no more.
[You have reached the Middle Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[All Your Physical Attributes increased: +1]
[Your Qi increased: +2]
Damian didn''t stop for a moment.
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The Qi flowed unhindered, as if there were no obstacles or shackles within him.
The seed began to form a shell, encased by the dense Qi.
[You have reached the Upper Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[All Your Physical Attributes increased: +1]
[Your Qi increased: +2]
Finally, the Qi in his dantian began to coalesce and poured directly into the shell of the seed.
The seed grew stronger, condensing further until it reached its limit.
[You have reached the Peak Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[All Your Physical Attributes increased: +1]
[Your Qi increased: +2]
Damian didn''t stop.
Instead of breaking through to the next cultivation realm, he began to do something extraordinary; he started forming additional Seeds.
[You have formed the 2nd Foundation Seed.]
[You have formed the 3rd Foundation Seed.]
.
.
.
[You have formed the 9th Foundation Seed.]
[You have reached the Supreme Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[Your Strength increased: +8.]
[Your Stamina increased: +8.]
[Your Agility increased: +8.]
[Your Vitality increased: +8.]
[Your Perception increased: +8.]
[Your Qi increased: +8.]
"Ha," Damian let out a long sigh of relief.
After forming the 1st Foundation Seed, every subsequent seed up to the 9th provided him with only a single-point increase in each stat, unlike the 1st Seed, which had increased his stats by 4 points and his Qi by 8 points.
"The Supreme Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm," Damian said, a grin spreading across his face.
Then, suddenly, a series of notifications appeared before his eyes.
[You are the first person to reach the supreme stages of two consecutive cultivation realms.]
[You have taken the path of a Supreme Cultivator.]
[Your physical body has been refined to the highest degree and has taken the first step toward the path of human evolution.]
[You are slowly stepping closer to evolving into the next stage of human evolution.]
[You have triggered the mission function.]
[Mission: Walking the Road of Human Evolution]
[You mustplete the following conditions:]
[Increase Your Level: 45/150]
[Defeat Awakeners 50 levels higher than you: 0/20.]
[Obtain Source Cores of Monsters 50 levels higher than you: 0/30.]
[Increase your Vitality: 92/200]
[Increase your Perception: 94/200]
"Jesus Christ, have I already grown that strong? To think I would receive a system mission to evolve my race!" Damian''s eyes widened in surprise.
He was well aware of the concept called Human Evolution.
Before his regression, he had heard of some humans from his homeworld triggering the system to grant them such missions.
Uponpleting these missions, they would evolve into an entirely different race.
Humans were one of the weakest species.
Their only racial ability was a slightly enhanced capacity to adapt.
While this might seem like a beneficial trait, it paled inparison to the abilities of higher-level races.
These races could fly, regenerate limbs, spit fire, or possess skin as tough as armor.
By contrast, humans were often considered insignificant.
However, humans could also acquire racial abilities by evolving.
And now, Damian was staring at such a mission.
The conditions for the mission were not exactly what he had anticipated.
"These mission conditions... am I tripping, or do they seem way too easy?" Damian rubbed his head in confusion.
From his knowledge before his regression, he knew these missions were supposed to be extraordinarily difficult, yet to him, they seemed almost manageable.
Just What''s happening?
???
<<<>>>
[A/N: If you enjoyed this Chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones, maybe some GOLDEN TICKETS, or even a gift! The author may be a little naive, but your support means the world to me. Arigato!]
Chapter 40: The Sacred Mantras
Chapter 40: Chapter 40: The Sacred Mantras
It took Damian about fifteen days to reach the supreme stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Although he could absorb an enormous amount of Qi in an instant, he still needed to circte it within his body before he could sessfully cultivate.
No matter how talented one is, cultivating takes time.
This was an unbreakable rule.
Considering Damian''s exceptional ability to extract Qi and his high-level talent, which allowed him to adapt to conditions that significantly improved his meridians and dantian, Damian might already rival, if not surpass, the geniuses of higher realms and worlds.
Despite his rapid progress, Damian could no longer cultivate.
Reaching the supreme stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm in such a short amount of time through the forceful induction ofrge amounts of Qi meant his body, mind, and cultivation required time to stabilize.
If he had cultivated like others, it might have been manageable, but as a supreme path cultivator, Damian needed even more time than most to stabilize his foundation.
Fortunately, Damian could stabilize his cultivation through physical training, and that''s exactly what he was doing.
He held the spear he had taken from one of the warrior nuns during their confrontation and began his rigorous training.
[ss: True Magic Swordsman
Effect: Increases efficiency in mastering all forms of martial weapons by 20%.]
[Talent: Martial Lord
Effect: Grants a 30% increase in efficiency in mastering all forms of martial weapons.]
Damian fully utilized the effects of his [ss] and the additional benefits of his talent [Martial Lord] as he trained with the spear.
But that wasn''t all.
Damian''s other talents, [Rumination rity] and [Boundless Refinement], were also passively boosting his efficiency with martial weapons.
[Rumination rity], which gave him unparalleled abilities to learn, understand,prehend, instantly memorize, and recall perfectly, made it effortless for him to identify and correct the mistakes he made while swinging his spear.
If he noticed ws, imperfections, or gaps in his technique, they would be imprinted in his memory, ensuring he would never make the same mistake again.
Meanwhile, [Boundless Refinement], which provided an incredible 75% increase in his body''s ability to adapt to any conditions or environment, refined his physical form.
This talent allowed him to be proficient with the spear in an incredibly short time.
Soon, using the spear felt like second nature to him.
[Your body has adapted to using the spear.]
[Your understanding of spearmanship has increased.]
[Your Spearmanship (Basic) has leveled up to Spearmanship (Intermediate).]
Damian didn''t stop for a single moment and continued practicing his spearmanship.
He aimed to at least reach the high-level stage in spearmanship before transitioning to practicing his dagger skills.
His eyes began to glow with a neon blue hue.
n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
[Eyes of rity: Innate Ability Activated]
The world around him turned a vibrant shade of blue, and everything appeared to move slower within his field of vision, as though time itself had decelerated.
With the effects of [Eyes of Truth], which greatly enhanced his eyesight and visualprehension, Damian identified ws in his spear techniques even faster.
Even if his spearmanship reached the higher stage, he had no intention of stopping.
He pushed himself to see just how far his stamina could take him and how long he could fight without rest.
[Your understanding of spearmanship has increased.]
Three days passed. Damian didn''t stop training, not even for a second.
His spearmanship continuously improved, and his body no longer resisted or felt the weight of the spear.
It hadpletely adapted to the art of spearmanship.
After training continuously for three days, Damian finally felt exhaustion wash over him as he stopped and reflected on his progress.
His spearmanship had reached a higher level, and after leveling up his skill to an advanced stage, he moved on to training with his sword, quickly bing highly proficient in it as well.
However, he noticed something peculiar: unlike with his spear and sword, using a dagger didn''t create any rted skill.
It seemed that weapons like daggers, sabers, katanas, and odachis all fell under the category of swordsmanship.
When Damian improved his proficiency with the dagger to the same level as his swordsmanship, he noticed a subtle improvement in his understanding of swordsmanship.
Damian was puzzled as to why, despite all his training, his swordsmanship skill wasn''t leveling up.
It seemed he had finally found his answer.
To level up his swordsmanship to the next level, he needed to be proficient in all sword-like martial weapons.
"I need to find a saber, an odachi, a katana, and train with them as much as I can. I also need to find someone who uses a sword and fight with them. Training by myself won''t give me any more experience,"
Damian clicked his tongue in frustration.
The higher Damian''s proficiency in his skills, the more effective he became at using techniques rted to those skills.
For instance, the higher his swordsmanship skill, the more he could unlock the potential of sword-rted techniques.
Damian nced at the [Qi Cultivation Manual], which contained five Chapters.
[Qi Cultivation Manual: The Sacred Mantras]
[Chapter 1: Path of the Sacred Arts (Cultivation Method)
Chapter 2: Walking the Sacred Passage (Movement Technique)
Chapter 3: Dance of Sacred de (Sword Technique)
Chapter 4: Armor of Sacred Light (Defense Technique)
Chapter 5: Rain of Sacred mes (Offensive Technique)]
This [Qi Cultivation Manual: The Sacred Mantras] came with five techniques that covered every aspect of battle.
The 1st Chapter of The Sacred Mantras granted him the cultivation method known as [Path of the Sacred Arts], which aided in his cultivation.
The second Chapter, Walking the Sacred Passage, was a movement technique.
[Movement Technique: Walking the Sacred Passage
Effect: Increases your movement speed by 30%.]
Damian held his sword and began circting his Qi, following the instructions in the Walking the Sacred Passage technique.
The Qi flowed from his heart to his arms and then to his legs.
He took a step, and his figure blurred as he released a burst of energy.
Each time he moved, a spark of energy was released, causing his form to disappear, only to reappear in a blue sh in front of arge tree.
Damian shed the tree, cutting through it before disappearing once more, reappearing in front of the cave.
[Sword Technique: Dance of Sacred de
Effect: Increases the sharpness of your sword while increasing its weight, which amplifies its destructive power by covering the de with Sword Qi. This can also be used as a projectile attack in the form of a ray of sword Qi.]
Damian circted his Qi into his sword, covering the de with Sword Qi.
He then shed horizontally, and a ray of Sword Qi shot from the sword, cutting through the forest.
The de sliced through all the thick trees in its path without stopping.
[Defense Technique: Armor of Sacred Light]
Damian circted his Qi, and it began to cover his body, forming a dense, blue armor.
His entire body was enveloped in Cuirass, Shoulder Armor, Arm Armor, Greaves, and a helmet, leaving only his neon blue eyes exposed.
[Offensive Technique: Rain of Sacred mes]
He raised his hand, and Qi surged from his body, transforming into a rain of mes.
These mes shifted into a hundred sword-shaped projectiles that rained down upon the forest, destroying what remained of it.
"The system''s rewards are always impressive," Damian smiled with satisfaction, though he couldn''t use all the techniques from The Sacred Mantras yet, as his Qi reserves were still limited.
"It''s time to take on the 2nd trail of the tower," Damian said. "But before that, let''s check out my reward forpleting the first trial."
-----
[Rewards for clearing the 1st Trial of the Towers]
1st Reward: +15 Free Stat Points
2nd Reward: +1 pass to obtain one piece of equipment from the system
3rd Reward: +1 pass to obtain a technique
4th Reward: +10,000 Gold
-----
[You have used the pass to obtain one piece of equipment from the system.]
[Since youpleted the trial in Hell mode, you get the privilege of requesting any kind of equipment.]
"Let''s see... I want a double-edged sword," Damian said.
[You have obtained the equipment: The Eclipse Sword]
As soon as he made his decision, a sword materialized in front of him andnded on the ground.
[Name: The Eclipse Sword
Type: Double-edged sword
A sword made from a special metal that can only be found in the world of Murim.]
[You have used the pass to obtain a technique.]
[Since youpleted the trial in Hell mode, you get the privilege of requesting any kind of technique.]
"Give me a spear technique, then."
[You have obtained the technique: Thousand Armor Impale]
A wave of foreign information flooded his mind.
Damian quickly grabbed his spear and circted his Qi, which began to cover the spear.
The spear glowed with an intense blue light.
He thrust the spear forward, and the Qi covering the spear left it, transforming into a thick, powerful spear.
The thrust impaled a tree in its path, piercing through not only the tree but all the others in its way, leaving a hole where it had passed.
"This technique is strong enough to pierce through a thousand armors if I train it to the grandmaster level," Damian muttered.
The techniques Damian had used so far were all at the intermediate proficiency level, while the spear technique he had just used was at a basic proficiency level.
The proficiency of skills and techniques are ssified as follows:
Basic > Intermediate > High > Master > Grandmaster.
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Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Nuns On The Run - 1
Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Nuns On The Run - 1It has been 35 days since the class selection, and many significant events have occurred.
One notable development is that many of the Awakeners from Earth have climbed more than 15 floors.
If they ascend five more floors, they will finally gain entry to Solarta, the first realm within the tower. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
These Awakeners have chosen the difficulty of the trials as either [Normal] or [Hard].
Only a handful of individuals from each country have managed to clear the trials on [Nightmare] difficulty.
Those who dared to enter the trials in [Hell] mode have never been seen again.
These individuals are presumed dead, and the terror of the [Hell] mode trials has already spread across the globe.
In Italy, one of the few who managed to clear the trials on [Nightmare] mode is the Saintess of the Vatican, also known by her esteemed title, the Holy Maiden of the Vatican Church.
She recently returned to Earth after successfully completing the 17th trial of the Tower of Evolution.
Vatican City, Italy.
The Saintess was resting in her personal quarters, cultivating using her Holy power, following the [Holy Energy Cultivation Manual], which used her own holy energy to strengthen her body.
It was very similar to the [Qi Cultivation Method] that Damian used, except his version used Qi to cultivate, while her version used Holy energy.
Her concentration was disturbed when someone knocked on the door.
The Saintess spread her senses outside her quarters and found two of her warrior nuns standing outside, sensing Holy energy emanating from them.
All the warrior nuns had access to Holy energy, which they gained after obtaining their class, all of which were related to the Holy powers, much like the Saintess.
"Come in, please."
The warrior nuns heard the voice of the Saintess and gently opened the door.
They entered the room and looked at their leader, the Saintess.
"Saintess, the¡ª"
"Stop." The Saintess stopped the warrior nun before she could speak of her reason for coming here.
"Didn''t I say you should stop calling me Saintess? Just call me by my name," the Saintess said, slightly pouting.
"I-I understand," the two warrior nuns nodded.
"Anyway, why did you come to me?"
"M-Maria, Father asked us to bring you," one of the warrior nuns, who had dark black hair, said.
"He said he has something important to tell us," the other warrior nun, who had brown hair, added.
Maria sensed something was wrong when she saw the expressions of the two nuns.
Her expression changed dramatically. "Let''s go."
Without wasting any more time, the Saintess and the warrior nuns entered a large room.
There was a huge bed on which a man with grey hair, an old man, lay.
He looked as if he were barely hanging onto his life.
He wasn''t alone; around him were ten warrior nuns, their hands behind their backs, looking at the old man with worried and saddened expressions.
The door opened, and the Saintess ran inside.
She knelt beside the bed, looking at the old man with the same worried expression as the other warrior nuns.
"Father," the Saintess gently called out.
The old man slowly opened his eyes, revealing eyes that were reddened, as if they were too tired to open.
"M-Maria... y-you are here," the old man smiled as he tried to sit up, but he couldn''t, as his body refused to obey him.
It was too weak.
"Father... you are too weak. Please don''t strain yourself," the warrior nun said with a worried expression.
"I-It''s alright..." With the help of the warrior nuns, the old man gently sat up, resting his back on the headboard.
"Please, Father, you should conserve your energy," the Saintess said.
"There is no reason to save energy... my time has come," the old man said, coughing violently.
"Please don''t say that... Nothing is going to happen to you."
"Don''t worry about me... This old man no longer matters," the old man, whose identity was the Pope of the Vatican, the most powerful person in the entire Vatican Church, said.
"I will die any moment now..."
"I don''t want to waste what little time I have left thinking about what could have been... I just want to speak to my daughters."
The old man coughed a few times, and a green substance began to drip from his nose before he continued. "All my life, since the day I became the pope, I always tried my best to guide the people in the way of Christ, to save them from doing bad things, to make the world a better place."
"But now, as I am on my final breath, I realize I didn''t accomplish anything. I failed. I failed my predecessors. I failed to spread the good. I couldn''t even save those who are beside me from falling into corruption."
"It''s not true. Please don''t speak like that, Father..."
The Saintess'' eyes became moist as she thought about everything that had happened up until now.
She was an orphan, having lost her parents and brother in a fire.
Fortunately, she survived, although half of her face became a victim to the flames.
At the time, she had been nothing more than a little girl, no older than eight years old.
She was sent to an orphanage, but her life didn''t improve there.
She was bullied, discriminated against, and made fun of because of her burnt face.
She couldn''t forget the nights she stayed up crying, imagining what her life would have been like if her family hadn''t been killed, if Christ had saved them.
She began to fall into despair, lost in the deep darkness of her thoughts.
The faces of those who were disgusted by her, the expressions of the other children her age pointing fingers at her, whispering, and the faces of those who pitied her¡ªthese memories tormented her day and night.
It became too difficult to remember the last time she smiled. Her face had lost the sensation of smiling a long time ago.
Then, her despaired world turned upside down when she awakened a power known as holy power.
Yes, the Saintess was someone who had awakened her power long before the day of awakening, a power that healed her face completely and made her beautiful.
That was when she caught the eye of the Vatican Church, who wanted to make her a symbol for the Church and spread the religion.
But in truth, it was never about spreading faith¡ªit was all about religion and money.
That was when she met the pope, the old man who was the kindest person she had ever met.
He took her in and raised her like his own daughter, along with other children whom he adopted.
These children would later become the warrior nuns.
He taught her about the world, both the good and the bad.
He taught her about life.
He wasn''t like the fake people who wanted to use her for political reasons.
He wanted her to live her own life, to have a normal life, under the protection of the Heavenly Father.
Little by little, things began to get better.
With the support of the pope and her adopted siblings, she slowly rose from despair and became a pillar of support for the pope and for the Vatican.
She dedicated her life to the good cause, helping those in need, teaching the true meaning of Christ, and spreading happiness and empathy.
Then the day of awakening came, and once again, things started to take another turn.
But this time, it was for the worse.
The seven cardinal generals, who were meant to represent the seven heavenly virtues, became enticed and fell into selfish ways.
They began to use their newfound power for their own desires, all while claiming they were following the words of Christ.
They even went as far as to try and kill the one person who stood in their way¡ªthe pope.
They poisoned him, and with the pope dying, the seven cardinals began to take control of the power within the Christian community.
They also sought to take control over the warrior nuns because they knew the warrior nuns had more influence over the followers of the religion.
With the pope out of the picture, if they could also gain control of the warrior nuns, they would completely take over the Vatican, the strongest force on Earth.
"I have little time left..." The pope said, looking at all of his daughters with a tear overflowing from his red, sick eyes.
"No..." The warrior nuns cried out.
"My daughters... I have many regrets in my life, but you are not one of them. I don''t know if I have done good things in my life as the pope. I don''t know if my ways have helped people or placed them on the right path, but I do know that I did everything I could for you."
"You did... you did, Father." The Saintess held his hand as tears flowed from her eyes.
"All my life, I tried to see the good in people but ended up seeing the bad... I just hope that you, my daughters, will never stray from your paths." The pope placed his sick hand on each of the warrior nuns'' heads as if blessing them one last time.
Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Nuns On The Run - 2
Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Nuns On The Run - 2"All my life, I tried to see the good in people but ended up seeing the bad... I just hope that you, my daughters, will never stray from your paths."
The pope placed his sick hand on each of the warrior nuns'' heads as if blessing them one last time.
"Listen to me now," the old Pope said, pausing for a few seconds. "I want you, my daughters, to leave the Vatican."
"Father, what are you talking about?"
The saintess and her siblings had never imagined the Pope would say such a thing.
As far as they could remember, they had lived their entire lives in the Vatican, filled with happy, wonderful memories.
This was their home.
"I know what I am asking is too much, asking you to leave your home, but it is for the best. The Vatican has changed. It is no longer a place where people come seeking salvation, redemption, or Christ."
"I am done being Pope. I am done with the religion. The only thing I want now is to ensure, before I pass, that my daughters are no longer part of this world. That is why I want you to leave the Vatican."
"I..." Maria glanced at her fellow warrior nuns, who all nodded, silently agreeing to follow whatever decision she made on their behalf.
"Okay... we will listen to you, Father. But where would we go?" the saintess asked hesitantly.
"Climb the tower and reach the First Tower Realm. There, you will create a new home for yourselves," the Pope said, smiling faintly.
"I am sure you will meet people who will share your faith."
"We will do as you say, Father. We will¡ª"
Before the saintess could continue, she saw her father, the Pope, shaking his head.
His expression revealed that she had misunderstood.
"My daughters... in my state, it is already impressive that I have managed to speak this long. There is no place for me in the tower."
"You must go on without me."
Then, suddenly, the Pope''s eyes began to glow with a purple hue.
The nerves around his eyes bulged, as if unable to handle the strain.
The Pope''s vision changed, and a series of real-life images flashed before him: seven people moving toward his location.
These seven individuals seemed to have reached a conclusion, for if they hadn''t, his ability would not have activated on its own.
"What did you see, Father?" the Saintess asked.
She and the warrior nuns were well aware of the ability the Pope had awakened on the Day of the Awakened.
This particular gift granted him the ability to see glimpses of the future.
However, the future was not set in stone¡ªit constantly shifted depending on the choices people made.
Every time a person he was tracking made a decision, the future would alter again.
That was when his ability activated.
Just now, the Pope had seen the seven cardinal-generals reach a decision¡ªa decision he had expected them to make long ago.
It seemed they could no longer afford to wait.
"A decision has been made," the Pope said, looking at his adopted daughters with a small, strained smile.
"There isn''t much time left. You must leave this place."
"No! We won''t leave you," the Saintess and the warrior nuns protested, shaking their heads.
"You have to go¡ just go," he urged, his voice heavy with both command and sorrow.
...
The door to the large chamber opened, and four men and three women entered, all dressed in pure white clothing with crosses hanging around their necks.
As they stepped inside, their eyes immediately fell on the old man lying alone on the bed.
His labored breathing filled the silence of the room.
"How are you, Father?" one of the seven cardinal generals asked with a small smile.
"Father? Do you even understand the meaning of the word, Antonio?" the pope replied with a weary sigh.
"Of course we do, Father. If we didn''t, we wouldn''t be here to put you out of your misery," Antonio answered with a calm yet chilling tone.
"You know what? It''s useless to even talk to you," the pope grunted.
"Go on, go on and do what you came here to do. You''re here to finish me, aren''t you?"
"We will, once you tell us where the warrior nuns are," Stefano demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"I don''t know," the pope replied flatly.
But the truth was, he had already convinced the warrior nuns to flee.
He had foreseen that the seven cardinal generals had made up their minds to end his life and seize complete control of the Vatican.
The Vatican, now one of the strongest powers not just in Italy but in the entire world, held sway over millions of believers.
"Come now, Father, don''t make this harder than it already is," Caterina, one of the female cardinals, pleaded with a sad expression.
"Please, for the love of Christ, just tell us what you told them to do and where they are. Don''t make it any more painful than it already is." Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"You, whom I have trusted all my life as friends and comrades in spreading the word of Christ and love, now stabbing me in the back, doing selfish things, and hurting innocent people. That pain is already far worse than anything else," the pope said indifferently.
"It doesn''t matter what you say, Father," Antonio interjected.
"We''ll find them eventually. Even if they''ve gone to the Tower Realm, they can''t run forever."
"There''s no convincing you, is there?" Stefano clicked his tongue in irritation.
"If only you''d been a little more open-minded, you could have had immense power and riches. You could have done anything. You could have gained countless followers. We could have brought millions more into the faith in no time."
"That''s not the way of our religion," the pope said firmly.
"That''s not how faith grows."
"People should join the faith because they seek spiritual growth, a better life, and a path to understanding and happiness."
"They should find themselves in our Lord and live in harmony with all people, without discrimination. That is the way of Christ."
"Using power, control, and force to make people believe? That''s not faith, it''s blasphemy. Without free will, a religion can never truly grow."
"Oh, great Father," one of the cardinal generals sneered, rolling his eyes.
"All those lofty ideals will take time and effort."
"Then so be it," the pope replied sharply.
"There are no shortcuts, not in faith, not in life. Anything gained through shortcuts will not last. That will be your downfall."
The pope sighed deeply, then looked at the cardinal generals with a small, pained smile. "I hope you understand this before it''s too late."
"Goodbye, Father," Stefano said coldly.
"I hope you reach Heaven."
...
The Saintess and her twelve warrior nuns finally became convinced by their father''s words.
They left the Vatican and fled as far as they could.
They only stopped after about an hour when the Saintess suddenly halted in her tracks.
Her eyes grew moist before tears flowed down her cheeks.
She felt the weight of her father''s departure from this world.
However, she wiped her tears away, refusing to let the grief overwhelm her, and continued her run.
During their journey, no one spoke of what might have happened to their adopted father.
At this point, they could do nothing but pray for his soul in their hearts.
While most of them were deeply saddened and moved to tears, others were filled with a burning fury for vengeance, swearing to take revenge.
The Saintess was among them, though she kept such thoughts hidden, her expression calm and composed.
For her, responsibility came before revenge.
She bore the burden of caring for her sisters, protecting them, and ensuring they grew stronger together.
Only when the time was right would she consider seeking retribution.
Right now, her priority was keeping her siblings safe.
They couldn''t remain in Italy.
The Vatican had eyes and ears all over the country.
They had to escape to a place far away because, as long as their presence threatened the seven Cardinal Generals, the pursuit would never stop.
"We''ll leave Italy and find somewhere safe," the Saintess said, looking at her sisters. "We''ll take our time, clear the remaining trials, and gain entry to the Solarta."
<<<>>>
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Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Clearing The 2nd Trial
Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Clearing The 2nd TrialDamian had no idea what had transpired in the world during the 35 days since the class selection.
He had spent the time resting, training, cultivating, and growing stronger.
In these 35 days, Damian''s strength had increased significantly.
He had managed to open all 20 meridians, and in the process, due to the prolonged expansion of unstable Qi inside his dantian, his talent, [Boundless Refinement], adapted his body to the changes.
Both his Meridians and Dantian expanded significantly, naturally enhancing his already high Qi absorption efficiency.
After successfully opening all the meridians, he proceeded to cultivate further, managing to form nine foundation seeds, which elevated him to the Supreme Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
This also transformed Damian into a Supreme Path Cultivator.
Remarkably, he achieved all of this in just 30 days, a feat that would be considered absurd even by the standards of prodigies of the higher-level realms.
Damian wasn''t merely cultivating to reach the peak stage of each level and moving forward.
Instead, he repeated the entire process from the beginning each time he reached the peak, starting over again and again until he could no longer sustain it.
That''s how he was able to form 9 Foundation seeds that represent his Foundation Establishment Realm.
Even forming one foundation seed would be enough to be considered a Peak stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, but forming nine foundation seeds made him a Supreme Stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.
This kind of repeated cultivation cycle would normally take months, even years.
However, with his unique ability, [Extraction], Damian completed it all in just one month.
Cultivation wasn''t the only thing he focused on.
Damian also trained extensively in all the techniques he obtained when he selected his class.
He leveled up several of his skills, gained proficiency in using his abilities, and learned how to utilize his awakened talents to their full potential to further enhance his strength.
In summary, Damian had grown ridiculously strong, especially for someone originating from a low-tier world in the vast universe, and a human at that.
If only the people climbing the tower or the awakened beings from the higher realms knew that a monster had been born, rapidly ascending in power...
Damian glanced at the remaining natural energy-rich water in the well.
He pointed both hands at the pond and activated his unique innate ability.
[Extraction: Unique innate ability activated]
The water level in the pond began to drop rapidly, and the energy within the water was extracted, flowing into his hands and directed straight into his Mana Core.
[You Mana Increased: +25]
________________________________
[Awakener: Damian Ignatius]
[level: 45]
[Class: True Magic Swordsman]
[Qi Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Realm(Supreme)]
[Magic Cultivation: 2nd Circle(Perfected)]
{Flame - 2nd Ring(Perfected)
Wind - 1st Ring(Perfected)
Earth - 1st Ring(Perfected)
Water - 1st Ring(Perfected)}
[Titles: Regressor, Solo Hunter] S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[Achievements: First Killer Titles, First Dungeon Clearer]
[Talents: Elementalist, Martial Lord, Rumination clarity, World Tree''s Blessing, Boundless Refinement]
[Abilities: Extraction(Unique), Warrior''s Will(Inherited), Eyes Of Clarity(Innate)]
[Strength: 84 ¨U Agility: 94 ¨U Vitality: 92 ¨U
Stamina: 94 ¨U Perception: 94 ¨U Mana: 185 ¨U
Qi: 16 ¨U]
{Stat Points: 27}
[Spells: Fireball, Flame Spear]
[Skills: Swordsmanship(High), Archery(Basic), Axe-Wielding(Basic), Spearmanship(High), Spellcasting, Multicasting]
[Techniques: Serpentine Dual Flow, Wind Dance, Soundless Lotus Cuts, The Sacred Mantras(Five Chapters), The Thousand Armor Impale]
[Cultivation Method: The Path Of The Sacred Arts]
________________________________
"System shop," Damian said, and another system prompt appeared before him, displaying several options:
-----
[Remaining Gold: 10,000]
[1. Resources]
[2. System Market]
[3. Public Market]
[4. Chat]
[5. Public Auction]
-----
He selected [System Market], and numerous items appeared in front of him.
Scrolling through the list, he stopped and clicked on an attire set in his preferred color.
A set of robes resembling those worn by awakeners from the world of Murim materialized in front of him.
The set included innerwear, an over-robe, a belt, shoes, and even a pair of metal bracelets that completely covered both his forearms.
Satisfied, Damian shifted his gaze back to the system prompt floating nearby, seemingly abandoned.
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 2nd floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Yes," Damian said with a firm nod.
A new prompt immediately appeared.
[Choose the level of difficulty for the trial of the second floor.]
"Of course, I choose [Hell] difficulty," Damian declared.
As soon as he made his decision, his vision blurred momentarily.
When his surroundings became clear again, he found himself standing in an entirely foreign environment.
[You have entered the Second Floor of the Tower of Evolution]
[Second Trial: Prove your ferocity by killing five higher-level monsters within the given time limit. Upon failure, you will restart the Second Trial immediately without time for rest or rejuvenation.]
[Monsters Killed: 0/5]
[Time Limit: 00:00:20]
As soon as the notification appeared, the countdown began in the next second.
[Remaining Time: 00:00:19]
Damian spotted five monsters resembling lions, except they stood at an intimidating 20 feet in height.
Their large white fangs extended outward by at least a foot and a half, and their massive frames moved with a menacing elegance as they advanced.
Each step they took was accompanied by a guttural growl, exuding a sense of imminent danger.
He raised an eyebrow as the system displayed their information.
-----
[Name: Red-Striped Mutated Lions]
[Level: 100]
-----
"Level 100? Isn''t this a little excessive for just the second trial of the Tower?" Damian thought, a trace of disbelief flashing through his mind.
He now fully understood why the [Hell] difficulty was often labeled as impossible to clear.
Class selection begins when an awakener reaches level 20.
After obtaining a class, awakeners can start climbing the Tower, meaning most participants attempting the second trial are likely around level 25.
With difficulty levels offered as Normal, Hard, Nightmare, and Hell, the challenges seem tailored to the awakener''s progression.
"But how could a level 30 or 35 awakener, even after gaining some levels in the first trial, possibly take on level 100 monsters and kill them within just 20 seconds?"
Damian couldn''t help but recall the horrors of the first Hell-mode trial, where he was forced to battle against nearly 60 Forest Vipers, each at least 40 levels higher than him, as well as the Viper King, whose level reached the 80s.
Some might think leveling up outside the Tower before starting the trials could solve the difficulty problem.
But that was a flawed assumption.
The system wasn''t so easily fooled.
If an awakener gained too many levels before entering, the system would simply adjust the trial''s difficulty to match the awakener''s level.
There was no escaping the challenge.
"How does anyone survive this difficulty?" Damian muttered under his breath, his sharp gaze fixed on the advancing lions.
"No wonder so few manage to clear the Hell-mode trials."
There was another harsh reality tied to the Hell difficulty.
If an awakener didn''t choose Hell difficulty during the first trial, the system would strip them of the option in subsequent trials.
It might not seem significant at first, but the system''s rewards were always based on the effort expended.
Naturally, clearing more difficult trials meant receiving greater rewards.
Damian clenched his fists.
[Remaining Time: 00:00:17]
[You are facing a non-humanoid being. Your physical attributes will increase by 20%.]
[When fighting against beings 15 levels higher, your physical attributes will increase by an additional 20%.]
[Eyes of Clarity: Innate ability activated.]
[Warrior''s Will: Inherited ability activated.]
[All effects of your abilities and physical attributes will increase by 15%.]
Damian''s vision became tinted in a blue hue, and his body throbbed with energy, followed by a surge of warmth.
His skin turned red, and his muscles seemed to expand slightly, growing a few centimeters larger in an instant.
Gripping his swords, [The Eclipse Sword] and [Monster Slayer], Damian began invoking two techniques from [The Sacred Mantras]:
[Walking the Sacred Path: Movement technique activated.]
[Your movement speed will increase by 30%.]
[Dance of the Sacred Sword: Sword technique activated.]
[The sharpness and power of your sword attacks will increase by 30%.]
Both double-edged swords in his hands became shrouded in a thick light-blue aura as the Sword Qi radiating from them amplified their power.
[Remaining Time: 00:00:14]
With a small leap, Damian''s figure blurred and disappeared, leaving behind a faint spark of energy.
He reappeared before one of the [Red-Striped Mutated Lions] and, without hesitation, slashed at its front legs.
A ray of Sword Qi shot from his blade, cleanly severing the lion''s legs.
[Remaining Time: 00:00:13]
Deprived of the support of its legs, the lion collapsed to the ground, roaring in pain.
Its movements were completely compromised.
Wasting no time, Damian moved in a blur once more, leaving another spark of energy as he reappeared before a second lion.
With a swift strike, he slashed at its leg, slicing it cleanly along with a chunk of flesh.
The remaining lions, enraged by the incapacitation of their comrades, roared and lunged at Damian from three sides.
[Remaining Time: 00:00:11]
Damian''s figure blurred again as he leapt onto the back of another lion.
Using all his strength, amplified by his class''s boost, his inherited ability and gravity''s acceleration, he swung his swords downward in a devastating arc at it''s neck.
With a single clean motion, he decapitated the beast instantly.
[Experience gained.]
[Remaining Time: 00:00:09]
Accelerating to his full speed, Damian slashed both swords vertically in arcs of light that pierced through the lion''s thick hide and shattered its skull.
Twin rays of Sword Qi shot out from the back of its head as the beast''s breathing stopped.
[You have leveled up.]
[Remaining Time: 00:00:07]
Without losing momentum, Damian repeated the motion with another lion.
This time, he slashed his swords upward from beneath its belly, sending Sword Qi rays cutting through its vital organs.
The precise strike pierced its heart, ending the lion''s life.
[Experience gained.]
[Remaining Time: 00:00:04]
Damian then leapt into the air, pointing his hand toward the incapacitated beasts from earlier.
In an instant, three dozen flame magic circles appeared in the sky.
Each one unleashed a blazing [Fireball] that rained down upon the lions.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
A series of explosions erupted, sending waves of searing heat through the battlefield.
The mutated lions let out their final roars before succumbing to the devastating blasts.
[Experience gained.]
[Experience gained.]
[Experience gained.]
[Monsters Killed: 5/5]
[Remaining Time: 00:00:02]
[Congratulations, you have completed the 2nd trial of the Tower of Evolution.]
[You have proved your ferocity.]
[Your rewards have been transferred to the system storage.]
[Rewards:
+15 Free Stat Points
+15,000 Gold
+1 Epiphany Card]
Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Acquiring Physical Traits
Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Acquiring Physical TraitsDamian deactivated all effects of his class and abilities as he calmly exhaled hot air filled with thick Qi, watching as his bulging body returned to its normal state.
[Your body''s adaptation to sudden increases in power for short periods has significantly improved.]
Unlike before, his body had already adjusted to the sudden bursts of overall power from the effects of his class and his inherited ability to a certain extent.
At first, every time he stacked all the effects of his class and deactivated them, his body would hurt like hell, especially his inherited ability, [Warrior''s Will].
Not only did it increase the power of his abilities and physical attributes, but it also seemed to enhance the effects of his class.
On top of that, he also used his [Eyes of Clarity], so the consequences of using so many power-boosting effects and abilities simultaneously were overwhelming.
It felt as though his body was being battered from all directions.
As time passed, with his talent, [Boundless Refinement], which significantly enhanced his ability to adapt to any conditions, he no longer felt as much pain as he did before.
However, stamina consumption was still a big issue, though it slowly improved as his proficiency increased.
Damian sighed before pointing his palm at the bodies of the five mutated monsters and activating his unique innate ability, [Extraction].
All the energy stored inside the source cores of the monsters was quickly emptied as it rapidly entered Damian''s mana core, replenishing his mana reserves.
"Well, the second trial was much easier than the first trial... Is it because I have grown stronger after cultivation, or because I''ve already gotten used to the hell-mode trials?" Damian mused to himself.
Damian''s talent, [Boundless Refinement], not only increased his body''s ability to adapt to any conditions but also enhanced his mind.
Every time he pushed his mind to its limit, his mental strength and willpower increased slightly as his mind adapted to work under stress.
Damian was also surprised to find that every time his mental power increased, his other talent, [Rumination Clarity], which boosted the processing power of his brain corresponding to his body and brain''s capabilities, also increased by a small margin.
Damian looked around.
It was a forest, but not as dense as the one in the first trial.
He activated his [Eyes of Clarity] and spread his senses as far as he could, but he couldn''t find anything useful like the energy-filled pond he discovered in the first trial.
"There''s nothing, huh?" Damian was disappointed.
There was nothing in this place that could help him grow stronger for the time being.
Since his cultivation hadn''t fully stabilized yet, he couldn''t cultivate to the next Qi cultivation realm either.
Damian sat down, staring at the dead bodies on the beach, and a smile appeared on his face.
He cut off a chunk of one of the monsters'' flesh and cooked it under the flame he conjured using his flame magic.
After it cooked, he began to eat, filling his stomach.
"It tastes like chicken," Damian muttered, eating until he felt full.
Afterward, he took a nap that lasted about nine hours, during which Damian fully recovered his stamina.
He stretched before glancing at the system notification.
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 3rd floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Yes."
As always, with a blur of his vision, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar, very dirty, and smelly environment.
He was standing in a swamp covered in brackish water, reeds, marsh, and all sorts of filth.
The smell of something rotting or ruined reached his nose, and the feeling of his legs submerged up to the knees in cold swamp water sent chills down his spine ¡ª the disgusting kind.
"Do I have to hunt down monsters in this place?" Damian couldn''t help but sigh.
He was fine with fighting any kind of monsters, but fighting in a swamp made him a little uncomfortable.
[3rd Trial: Survival]
[Trial Condition: Survive the venomous and poisonous nature of the Sludge Demon Swamp for 7 days and prove your will to survive.]
[Remaining Time: 06(D):23(H):59(M):57(S)]
"Survival, huh?" Damian muttered.
As soon as he saw the notification, he felt a cold sensation seeping into his skin from his legs.
Damian narrowed his eyes as he saw his legs turning green, as if they were beginning to rot slowly, and he started to lose any sensation in them, along with the coldness.
[You have been affected by the Murkmoss Toxin in the swamp water.]
[Effects: Skin Necrosis, Nerve Damage, Hastened Energy Dispersal, Swelling/Inflammation, Hypothermia.]
(Caution: Prolonged exposure will significantly increase the severity of the symptoms until death.)
Then, his lungs began to hurt, similar to how they had before the day of his awakening.
His eyes started to burn slightly and watered more as time passed.
He also felt his nose grow cold and stuffy, and his breathing became harder.
[You have breathed in the air of the Sludge Demon Swamp.]
[You have been affected by the Fenshade Toxin in the air.]
[Effects: Throat Irritation, Disorientation, Nausea, Vomiting, Eye Irritation, Sputum Production.]
(Caution: Prolonged exposure will significantly increase the severity of the symptoms until death.)
"So, this is what it means by survival? I have to stay in this place for seven days? Wow, the system really wants to kill the participants, huh?" Damian sighed, struggling to deal with the overwhelming symptoms attacking his body.
Damian spread his senses, ignoring the effects wrapping around his body.
He began to search for any presence that could pose a threat, but all he found were some normal-sized snakes, insects, mutated vines of different shapes in all the corners, and some fish or deformed fish-like organisms in the swamp water, some of which he could feel just under his feet in the swamp.
[You have been bitten by a Putrid Fanged Trout.]
[You have been affected by the Putrid Fanged Trout''s venom.]
[Effects: Local Necrosis, Hallucinations, Severe Muscle Paralysis, Excruciating Pain, Respiratory Distress, Loss of Motor Control, Metabolic Shutdown, Sepsis and Blood Infection, Fever and Chills.]
At the same time, Damian felt as if all the symptoms of all the diseases hit him at once.
His whole body was assaulted with pain. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Jesus Christ... how does the system even expect anyone to survive in this place?" Damian gritted his teeth, feeling his legs go numb, the pain covering his entire body as his control over his limbs slipped away.
Slowly, he lost all sensation as everything began to go numb.
His breathing staggered, becoming more difficult, and every time he forced himself to breathe, his chest hurt.
His heart was racing rapidly.
Just when he tried to move, he felt something slithering behind him.
He couldn''t react as fast as he should, and he allowed the gray-green snake creeping in the swamp water to jump and bite his leg.
Before he could turn around, another snake, this time red and brown in color, jumped and bit his arm.
[You have been bitten by a Corrosive Swamp Snake.]
[Effect: Immediate Flesh Corrosion, Sepsis, Paralysis, Hemorrhaging, Delirium, Corrosive Blood, Cognitive Disintegration, Distorted Vision, Excruciating Muscle Contractions, Slow, Agonizing Death, Severe Muscle Weakness, Corrosive Blisters.]
[You have been bitten by a Rusty Swamp Snake.]
[Effect: Hemotoxic Decay, Neurotoxic Paralysis, Blood Corrosion, Vision Disturbance, Rotting Lungs, Severe Muscle Weakness, Intense Pain, Bloodshot Eyes, Swelling, Septic Shock, Chest Constriction, Toxic Blisters.]
[Remaining Time: 04(D):15(H):35(M):28(S)]
[Your body has adapted to different kinds of toxins.]
[Your resistance to all different kinds of toxins has significantly increased.]
[Your pain tolerance has greatly improved.]
[Your health regeneration has significantly increased.]
[Your fatigue regeneration has significantly increased.]
[Your vitality increased: +5]
[You have met the conditions to awaken a special constitution.]
[Congratulations, you have awakened the physique, Unyielding Warrior''s Physique.]
[Constitution: Unyielding Warrior''s Physique]
A physique born from tempering the physical body through various conditions.
[Effects: - Gives your physical body the ability to temper your body by pushing it to its limits.
-Gives your physical body the ability to acquire countless physical trials.
-Increases your physical body''s ability to adapt to any physical condition by 30%.]
[You have acquired the physical trait, Pain Tolerance.]
[You have acquired the physical trait, Toxin Resistance.]
[You have acquired the physical trait, Fire Resistance.]
"Another interesting thing," Damian grinned as he read the description of the [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique].
Then he looked at the water he was standing on.
Without hesitation, he took a bottle from the system storage, filled it with swamp water, and drank it completely.
[You have been affected by the Murkmoss Toxin in the swamp water.]
[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Toxin Resistance, increased.]
Damian didn''t stop.
He filled the bottle again and drank it, repeating the process a dozen times.
[You have been affected by the Murkmoss Toxin in the swamp water.] x 10
[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Toxin Resistance, increased.] x 10
[Remaining Time: 02(D):09(H):25(M):33(S)]
After that, he located a nest of snakes nearby.
Intentionally, he stepped into it and allowed all the differently colored mutated snakes, each with various venoms and reactions to their bites, to bite him from all sides.
[You have been bitten by a Putrid Fanged Snake.] x 7
[You have been bitten by a Corrosive Swamp Snake.] x 5
[You have been bitten by a Rusty Swamp Snake.] x 8
[You have been bitten by a Striped Mutated Snake.] x 4
[You have been bitten by a Rotted Swamp Snake.] x 5
...
..
.
Damian''s skin turned completely green, violet, red, black, and brown in patches all over his body as he was affected by the toxins, poisons, and venoms from the snakes.
Blood began to flood from his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and other openings.
Green and black substances appeared over his skin like sweat.
His eyes became completely blurred, shaded with red and black.
His mind buzzed with intense pain, and his muscles constricted as if being pulled in all directions.
Numbness took control of his limbs as he completely lost motor function and collapsed onto the mud-covered ground.
But he didn''t panic for a single second.
He knew what would happen before he did it.
This was necessary.
This process would increase his pain and toxin resistance, which would be highly useful in battle.
It was nothing but a side quest in his path to invincibility.
[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Toxin Resistance, increased.]
[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Toxin Resistance, increased.] x 18
[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Pain Tolerance, increased.] x 15
[Your health regeneration increased.] x 12
[Your fatigue regeneration has significantly increased.] x 14
...
..
.
Soon, he used everything that was poisonous, venomous, or toxic in the swamp, drinking it, eating it, or lying in it until his body was filled with symptoms that could have killed a low-level Awakener in a few hours.
But Damian, after two days, had increased his resistance to toxins to an extreme degree.
He could no longer get anything from the swamp.
"Well, the swamp wasn''t that useless. I managed to awaken a constitution and acquire high-level pain resistance," Damian sighed as he looked at his skin.
It was perfect, no blemishes, no symptoms, nothing.
It was as clear as the sky.
"Ha, this might be the easiest trial yet," Damian muttered as he waited for the remaining time to run out.
[Remaining Time: 00(D):00(H):15(M):20(S)]
<<<>>>
[A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones, maybe some GOLDEN TICKETS, or even a gift! The author may be a little naive, but your support means the world to me. Arigato!]
Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Rising Storm In Italy
Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Rising Storm In ItalyWhile Damian was clearing the third trial of the Tower of Evolutions, events of significance were unfolding in Italy, particularly among the top guilds of the country.
In a vast meeting hall, a man with shoulder-length brown hair sat with a commanding presence.
His body was large, muscular, and burly, matched by a rugged face.
This was Pietro Grimaldi, the guild master of the second-strongest guild in Italy, the [Ivory Lance Guild], and the strongest recorded Awakener in the country.
He sat on one of the chairs surrounding a massive round table, glancing at a middle-aged yet powerfully built man seated at the head of the table.
This man was Giuseppe Santis, the chairman of the Italian Awakener Association.
"Why did you summon us, Association Head?" Pietro Grimaldi asked, crossing his arms.
The room was not empty.
Alongside Pietro Grimaldi and the association chairman were several notable figures.
Among them was Eric Walcrown, the master of the [Wild Phantom Guild], the third-strongest guild in Italy. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Also present was Lorenzo Rossi, the guild master of the [United Swords Guild], which had recently risen to equal footing with the Wild Phantom Guild thanks to backing from the Zhao Martial Arts Family of China.
Marco Santis, the chairman''s son and a powerful Awakener whose strength rivaled that of the guild masters, was also in attendance.
Additionally, Laura Fontana, the guild master of the [Emerald Bloom Guild], a women-only guild recognized as one of Italy''s strongest, attended the meeting with her vice guild master, Angela Rinaldi.
Together, the [Ivory Lance Guild], [Wild Phantom Guild], [United Swords Guild], and [Emerald Bloom Guild] represented four of the most powerful forces in Italy, aside from the seven guilds controlled by the Vatican''s Cardinal Generals.
The Vatican''s guilds, while separate, were unmatched in influence and power.
These four guilds maintained a professional relationship with the Awakener Association, and though some guild masters didn''t get along personally, they could set aside their differences when necessary.
"He called us here to talk about the Vatican''s Seven Generals and their activities. Isn''t that right, Association Head?" Eric Walcrown said with a smirk, resting his chin on his hand.
"Yes, that''s exactly why I''m here too," Laura Fontana said sharply, narrowing her eyes in irritation.
"The people from those seven Vatican guilds are constantly interfering with my guild''s business. I want the Association Head to make them back off."
"Believe me, Laura, I understand... If they keep pushing, I''m ready to wage war on the Vatican, if that''s what it takes to stop them from meddling in our affairs," Pietro Grimaldi said with visible irritation.
"Calm down, Pietro. Don''t make any rash decisions. The Vatican is currently the strongest force in Italy," Giuseppe Santis replied, scanning the monthly reports submitted by the four guild masters.
"We might not win," Pietro retorted, smirking, "but I''ll make sure to take at least three of those Generals down with me before I fall."
"I''m sure you would," Giuseppe replied with a nod as he continued reviewing the sections of the reports concerning the guilds'' trials.
"Association Head, the Vatican is spiraling out of control," Laura said, her tone firm. "If you don''t stop them diplomatically, we''ll have to handle them ourselves, the hard way."
"I''m with Laura on this," Eric Walcrown added, narrowing his eyes.
"They''re getting far too annoying. You''re turning a blind eye to the damage they''re causing."
"And what exactly do you want me to do? Huh?" Giuseppe responded, spreading his hands in exasperation.
"I can''t just go and order them to stop everything they''re doing. The Vatican has millions of followers worldwide. If I confront them, they could turn the entire globe against the Awakener Association... Then I''d have to answer to the World Awakener Association for that!"
"So what you''re saying is that we have to endure all their harassment, bullying, and abuse with our hands tied behind our backs? Is that it?" Laura asked, crossing her arms.
"Well..."
"Oh, lord... you''re the Association Head, and yet you''re asking us to lower our heads to them like this?" Laura said, rolling her eyes.
"I agree with her, Father. We can''t let them do whatever they want. If we do, the Awakener Association will become a laughingstock. Just think of what the other country''s associations would think of us," Marco Santis, the son of the Italian Association Head, added, glaring at his father.
"It''s not that simple. We don''t have enough force in the association to stand against them if they retaliate. If they suddenly decide to battle for supremacy, what then?" Giuseppe replied, shaking his head in frustration.
"Then let us join forces," Eric Walcrown suggested, raising a finger.
"The four strongest guilds and the association together. Surely, we can do something about them."
"I agree. Even though it''s such an annoyance to work with the other guild masters, it''s necessary," Pietro Grimaldi said with a grin.
"If joining forces is what it takes to put the Seven Vatican Guilds in their place and stop their harassment, then we, the [Emerald Bloom Guild], will give our full support," Laura declared firmly.
"No..." Giuseppe Santis shook his head.
"The Seven Vatican Guilds are not a threat. You all keep talking about them as if they are a danger to the country, but they''re not. Until they do something that poses an actual threat to the country, we''re not having this conversation. I''m not about to risk the lives of countless awakeners over something so trivial," Pietro Grimaldi said, shaking his head vehemently.
"A trivial matter? This is about pride and self-respect! Of course, I''m offended by this and ready to fight. Just because you think it''s trivial doesn''t mean it''s trivial to us. I won''t let some nobody walk all over me. I''m not that weak!" Laura shot back, glaring.
The Italian Association Head sighed deeply.
"Just don''t do anything rash, okay? Wait until I try to negotiate or make some sort of arrangement with them. Don''t act hastily," Giuseppe Santis pleaded.
"That aside, have you heard the rumors? People are saying the Warrior Nuns perished while climbing the Tower," Laura remarked, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial tone.
"Of course, those are just rumors. There''s no way it''s a coincidence that the day the Pope died of a ''heart attack,'' the Warrior Nuns suddenly disappeared while climbing the Towers," she added with a snort, as if the Vatican''s actions were utterly ridiculous to her.
"They probably reached the first tower realm and are hiding from the Seven Vatican Generals there," Angela Rinaldi, the Vice Guild Master of the [Emerald Bloom Guild], said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin.
"It might actually help if we found them first and made them join forces with us against the Seven Vatican Generals."
"After all, the main reason their religion grew so much in the past few months was because of them. If we had them, we could lure in their believers to stand against the Seven Generals," Lorenzo Rossi added.
"Pfft, we don''t need anyone but the Great Master. If we had him with us, I believe he could defeat all seven generals in one go," Eric Walcrown declared proudly.
Everyone who heard this raised their eyebrows, especially Laura Fontana, Angela Rinaldi, and Pietro Grimaldi, who had never heard of this person.
Lorenzo Rossi, however, narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased with the mention of the Great Master.
He had fought this person once and lost miserably.
Ever since then, he had been training and leveling up like a madman, determined to claim victory in a rematch.
As for Eric Walcrown, he was eagerly waiting for the Great Master, whose name he didn''t even know, to take control of the force he had created, the [Wild Phantom Guild].
What Eric didn''t realize was that the United Sword Guild had issues with the same person he was calling the Great Master.
"Who is this ''Great Master'' you''re talking about?" Laura asked curiously.
"He''s my master, the strongest hunter to ever exist," Eric replied with reverence.
"The strongest?" Pietro Grimaldi raised an eyebrow.
He was the strongest person in Italy and had never met anyone stronger within the country.
His curiosity was piqued.
"It''s the person in that video that went viral on Awakening Day. I''m sure you''ve seen it," Eric said.
"Oh, yes, that video. The sickly-looking man killing those wolf-like monsters? That''s your Great Master? How is he? How have I not heard of him before?" Angela Rinaldi said, suddenly remembering.
"Well, I haven''t met the Great Master since that day either, but I''m sure he''s out there somewhere, growing stronger and waiting for the right time to showcase his excellence and brilliance to the world," Eric shrugged confidently.
The others looked at him as if he''d hit his head.
"Eric, the Association has placed his profile on a high-priority list in the World Awakener Association. If he was out there somewhere, someone would have encountered him by now," Giuseppe Santis said calmly.
"Yeah, he probably died or became some monster''s dinner," Lorenzo said with a smirk.
"Say what you want and believe what you want, but I know he''s out there. You''re just afraid to accept that there''s someone more powerful than you," Eric shot back defiantly.
...
[Remaining Time: 00(D):00(H):00(M):02(S)]
[Remaining Time: 00(D):00(H):00(M):01(S)]
[Remaining Time: 00(D):00(H):00(M):00(S)]
[You have survived the Sludge Demon Swamp.]
[You have proven your will to survive.]
[You have completed the 3rd trial of the Tower of Evolutions.]
[Rewards: +20,000 Gold]
"...."
"That''s it? Where are the rest of my rewards?"
"My lord, the system is stingy... I just completed a hell-mode trial, and it didn''t give me anything except the gold?"
"Well, it''s not like I can do anything about this," Damian sighed, shrugging his head in dissatisfaction.
Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Fire Essence - 1
Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Fire Essence - 1[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 4th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Please."
The next second, Damian found himself standing in a foreign environment.
[Welcome to The Infernal Mount, a fiery, flame-elemental-infested land owned and abandoned by Pheynix, one of the 72 key rulers of Hell, holding the 37th position in the biblical Hell.]
[Infernal Mount: A place that is home to everything of the flame element. It has fire running through its currents, houses fire elemental beings birthed, soaked, and raised in the essence of fire.]
[4th Trial Condition: Retrieve the Fire Essence Stone from the deepest part of the Infernal Mount.]
"This place is hot."
Damian''s foot felt as if he were standing on molten metal, even though he was still in the outermost areas of the Infernal Mount.
He was standing on jagged, charred wastelands with molten rivers crisscrossing the surface.
They looked like veins with blood flowing through them, except it wasn''t blood; it was pure, liquid lava streaming from the dark, charred, rock-filled mountains.
Even the rocks were blackened and brittle, often glowing with molten veins.
Geysers of superheated steam and flames erupted sporadically, adding to the realm''s fiery nature.
Damian felt a slight vibration under his feet, as if something dangerous lurked underground.
The air was unbreathable, thick with ash, soot, and poisonous fumes.
Everything was hot.
It smelled hot, it felt hot, a land of unbearable heat, and it would only grow hotter if he ventured deeper, where the temperature would feel like walking on pure lava.
"It''s better to be naked," Damian muttered, quickly removing all his clothes until he was entirely bare, storing them in the system''s storage.
He didn''t want to risk burning his clothing in this fiery realm and wasting the gold he had earned.
He planned to use his gold in the first Tower Realm, Solarta, so he was determined to save as much of it as he could.
As Damian read through the description of this place, his eyes widened.
"Biblical Hell? Hell, Heaven, gods, demons... everything really does exist, huh?" Damian took a deep breath.
He had already heard of these things in reports during his time working for the Italian Awakener Association before his regression, but he had always been skeptical.
However, seeing the message from the system and the name of one of the demons, he couldn''t deny the truth anymore.
The orphanage where he was raised was a Christian institution, and he had grown up as a Christian.
Moreover, he had always had a great interest in learning about various mythologies.
The name ''Pheynix'' was familiar to him.
He remembered reading about the demon in a book called Ars Goetia.
Supposedly, Pheynix was one of the 72 key rulers of the biblical Hell, a demon with dominion over flames and Resurrection.
"Let''s get going then," Damian said as he began to walk toward the peak of the mountain visible in the distance.
The land was hot, but not unbearably so for him.
His talent, [Boundless Refinement], had adapted his body to withstand fire and pain, and his constitution, [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique], granted him the [Fire Resistance] trait.
This combination gave him incredible resistance to fire.
For Damian, this heat was manageable, but for an average Awakener, enduring such conditions would be extremely challenging.
Damian was elated to discover that his talent, [Boundless Refinement], and his constitution, [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique], complemented each other perfectly and had exceptional compatibility.
[Boundless Refinement] gave Damian the ability to adapt to anything that pushed his physical or mental limits.
The more he was exposed to a challenging condition, the better his body and mind adapted to it.
It was akin to building endurance through repeated exposure, like running progressively longer distances to improve stamina.
Each time he faced the same challenge, he could handle it better and longer.
This talent worked on virtually anything that affected him: reading, thinking, processing, enduring pain, or anything else.
As long as it impacted him, he could slowly develop greater proficiency in dealing with it.
On the other hand, [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] specifically affected his physical body.
It allowed his body to endure and grow stronger under extreme physical stress.
For example, punching a brick wall repeatedly would eventually harden his fists and bones over time.
The main distinction between the two was that [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] was a constitution and only enhanced his physical body, while [Boundless Refinement] was a talent that influenced every aspect of his being, including his physical body, mind, and internal energy systems.
For instance, [Boundless Refinement] could help Damian adapt to intense mental stress, increasing his mental fortitude and power, something beyond the scope of his physical body.
Another example would be the constant circulation of energy in his dantian.
With [Boundless Refinement], his efficiency in energy circulation would improve over time, enhancing his energy circuits in his inner world.
Meanwhile, [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] would strengthen his body''s resilience against external conditions, granting it various traits to endure and thrive.
"It''s getting increasingly hotter now," Damian muttered, narrowing his eyes as the heat began to feel like a genuine nuisance.
He was still about a kilometer away from the heart of the Infernal Mount, a fiery region located at the center of the lava-producing mountain.
Observing his surroundings, he noticed vein-like cracks on the ground, seemingly formed by the flow of lava.
The oppressive heat intensified abruptly, as if something burning was approaching him from the side.
Sensing danger, Damian quickly leaped away from his spot.
A giant flaming rock crashed where he had been standing moments before, shattering on impact and exploding violently.
Damian''s senses heightened as he detected presences closing in on him.
He turned to see a dozen beings that resembled humanoid figures but were made of rocks, with streams of lava and flames coursing through their veins.
-----
[Name: Earth Flame Elemental Spirits]
[Level: 105]
[Description: These beings are an amalgamation of rocks and earth flames, formed from the condensed essence of earth flames gaining sentience. Highly territorial like all elemental spirits, they possess the ability to generate high-temperature earth flames from their bodies.]
-----
Damian''s eyes narrowed in alertness as he observed the twelve Earth Flame Elemental Spirits.
Each one was distinct in form; some resembled humanoid figures, while others took on the shapes of animals.
Gripping his twin swords tightly, Damian dashed toward one of the spirits and slashed at its head with full force.
Clank!
The sound of metal striking solid rock echoed, but Damian''s attack failed to penetrate.
"Let''s try using just my physical strength without relying on the effects of my class or techniques," Damian muttered, a smirk forming on his face.
He wanted to gauge his raw strength, unassisted by his class abilities or techniques.
Even though he was only Level 47, his stats were comparable to those of a Level 100 warrior.
With his body''s resilience enhanced by his talent, [Boundless Refinement], he was confident he could hold his own against these Level 105 creatures.
Damian didn''t even channel Qi to strengthen his body as he put some distance between himself and the spirits.
Attempting the same strike again, this time with his full physical strength, he swung his sword at the creature''s head.
This time, his blade managed to cut through the rock, though not very deeply.
Before Damian could retrieve his sword, another flame spirit attacked, spitting a blazing fireball from its massive mouth.
Damian dodged swiftly and retaliated, targeting the same spirit he had attacked before, only to realize something alarming.
The wound on the creature had already healed.
"Damn, they can regenerate," Damian muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He burst forward with incredible speed, his figure blurring as he leaped onto the flame spirit.
With both swords, he swung with all his might.
This time, he managed to sever the creature''s head.
But his brief satisfaction vanished as he noticed the system had not notified him of a kill.
The spot where the head had been severed began to shift.
Rocks and flames coalesced, forming a new head with burning eye sockets.
Damian cursed under his breath.
"I guess this isn''t the time for holding back," he said grimly.
[Dance of the Sacred Sword: Sword Technique Activated]
Damian''s Qi surged from his Dantian, enveloping his twin swords in a shimmering light blue aura.
The blades gleamed with enhanced sharpness.
[Walking the Sacred Passage: Movement Technique Activated]
His figure blurred again as he released a spark of Qi, dashing toward the flame spirits.
In a flurry of motion, he slashed from all directions, severing chunks of rock from their bodies until a glowing fiery-red core was exposed in one of them.
Damian struck decisively, destroying the spirit''s body entirely.
However, as he observed the remains, he saw the rocks beginning to reform rapidly, returning the spirit to its original state.
"Damn it. They regenerate too fast," Damian muttered, dodging another fireball.
Jumping from spot to spot, he tried to come up with a strategy.
The spirits'' regenerative abilities were draining his stamina rapidly.
Each strike required his full strength to penetrate their rocky bodies, and the constant exertion was wearing him down.
"Hmm... I think that might work," Damian thought aloud.
Activating both [Dance of the Sacred Sword] and [Walking the Sacred Passage], he released a wisp of energy and leaped onto one of the flame spirits.
Moving with precision, he slashed relentlessly, dismembering its body entirely until the glowing source core was fully exposed.
Without hesitation, Damian reached into the chunks of rock and grabbed the core. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The moment he removed the source core, the flame spirit''s movements ceased entirely.
[You have killed a Earth Flame Elemental Spirit.]
[Experience gained.]
[You have Leveled Up]
"So, I just have to remove their source cores to kill them, huh?" Damian muttered, a grin spreading across his face.
"Easy."
Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Fire Essence - 2
Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Fire Essence - 2Damian learned that to kill an elemental spirit, he had to either destroy their source core or remove it from their body.
Pointing his hand at the remaining four Earth Flame Spirits, Damian channeled his Mana, creating flame magic.
As his Mana surged, three dozen flame magic circles appeared above his head.
From each circle, a spear of flame, approximately 14 feet in length, materialized and launched toward the spirits.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
A series of explosions erupted as the spears struck their targets, leaving destruction in their wake.
The force of the blasts ignited volatile materials beneath the ground, triggering another wave of explosions.
The chain reaction spread dangerously, even reaching the area where Damian was standing.
"Jesus Christ, walking through this place is like walking on a bomb. Everything is either burning or exploding!" Damian muttered under his breath.
When the dust and smoke cleared, he saw that the Flame Spirits were completely unharmed.
The explosions hadn''t damaged them beyond a few broken chunks of their rocky bodies, which were already regenerating.
"Well, I guess they have incredible immunity to flames since they''re flame spirits," Damian observed with a grimace.
Switching tactics, Damian grabbed his two swords and charged at the flame spirits.
His body became a blur of motion as he zigzagged around them, a blue streak of light enhanced by the technique [Walking the Sacred Passage].
Blinking from one position to another, he slashed through chunks of their rocky bodies with precision while dodging the streams of fire spewing from their large mouths.
After seven minutes of relentless battle, Damian defeated all four flame spirits, removing their source cores from their rocky forms before they could regenerate.
[Experience Gained] x 3
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You Have Leveled Up]
"Ha!" Damian exhaled deeply, catching his breath as he gathered the twelve source cores he had obtained from defeating the Earth Flame Spirits.
Each core was slightly larger than a basketball.
-----
[Name: Earth Fire Essence Core]
[Description: This core contains the essence of the lowest-ranking flames, the Earth Flames. It was formed through the condensation of large amounts of Earth Fire Essence and holds surplus pure fire energy.]
[Uses: -Can be used as an energy storage unit.
-Awakeners with flame affinity and constitution can use the energy inside to enhance their cultivation.
-Can be used as a power source for formations.]
-----
"Earth Flame Essence... i wonder how can I use it?" Damian wondered aloud, his gaze fixed on the glowing cores in his hands.
Awakeners use different types of energy to cultivate, strengthen, and evolve.
Damian had talents [Elementalist] and [Martial Lord], which granted him the ability to practice both cultivation and magic.
This allowed him to cultivate two types of energy: [Qi] and [Mana].
There were other awakeners who utilized different types of energy to cultivate, such as the Saintess, who used [Holy Energy] for her cultivation.
Each energy type had unique effects and enhanced different aspects of the awakeners.
For instance, [Mana] enabled elemental creation, while [Qi] was focused on enhancement and strengthening.
Similarly, there were awakeners with talents and affinities to use the essence of various elements to cultivate.
Elemental essence, being a type of energy, granted powers related to its element.
For example, cultivating fire essence would grant fire-related abilities to the cultivator.
However, to cultivate a specific type of energy, the cultivator needed both talent and affinity for it.
If a cultivator without the necessary talent or affinity tried to use fire essence, the essence would turn hostile and destroy the cultivator''s body.
Damian, of course, did not have a specific talent to cultivate using fire essence.
However, he possessed a unique talent that granted him the ability to cultivate using any type of energy.
[Talent: World Tree''s Blessing]
[A unique talent belonging only to the Awakener ''Damian Ignatius'']
[Effects: Grants the ability to obtain an affinity for any kind of energy]
Damian activated his unique ability, pointing his hand at the twelve [Earth Fire Essence Cores].
[Extraction: Unique innate ability activated]
An intense swirling vortex of energy appeared from his hand as it rapidly absorbed the fire essence within the twelve [Earth Fire Essence Cores].
Fiery, reddish-orange energy erupted from the cores as Damian''s [Extraction] continuously drew the essence from them.
The cores, initially the size of basketballs, shrank rapidly to the size of footballs, then baseballs, and finally dwindled to the size of coins before completely disappearing into the vortex of [Extraction].
Damian sat down, unbothered by the burning hot rock beneath him, and concentrated on stabilizing the volatile energy now surging within him.
[Warning: Your body has absorbed a large amount of unstable Fire Essence. If not removed, it could destroy your body.]
Although Damian lacked a specific talent or affinity for fire essence, his talent [World Tree''s Blessing] activated.
[Your talent [World Tree''s Blessing] is taking effect.]
[You have gained complete affinity with the energy known as Fire Essence.]
As the [Fire Essence] coursed through his body, it began to violently burn him from the inside.
He had no control over the energy, but as soon as the effect of his talent activated, he finally managed to exert control over the vast amount of fire essence he had absorbed.
He began circulating the energy through all his energy circuits, spreading it throughout his body before directing it to the location of his [Mana Core], which glowed and circulated like a blue star.
The [Fire Essence] he absorbed converged near the [Mana Core].
Mirroring the structure of his [Mana Core], Damian forced the [Fire Essence] into a single point.
The point began to grow, eventually forming a core that resembled his [Mana Core], though it was reddish-orange in color, unlike the light blue hue of his original core.
[You have formed the Fire Essence Core.]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +1]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +1]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +3]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +3]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +7]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +7]
...
..
.
The newly formed [Fire Essence Core] was much smaller compared to his [Mana Core].
Once the [Fire Essence Core] was complete, the remaining fire essence entered it, gradually filling it with energy.
The [Fire Essence Core] functioned similarly to his [Mana Core].
As it stored more energy, it began to grow in size.
Slowly, his existing energy circuits connected to the newly formed core, allowing the [Fire Essence] to circulate through them, just as [Qi] and [Mana] did.
The effects of the [Fire Essence] circulating within his energy circuits, flesh, bones, and blood began to take hold.
His body grew noticeably warm, but instead of discomfort, Damian felt a profound sense of ease and comfort, as though the heat was an intrinsic part of him now.
[Your understanding of the Fire element has increased.]
[Your Constitution [The Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect]
[Due to the creation of the Earth Fire Essence Core and the Earth Fire Essence coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered.]
[You have awakened a constitution: ''Eternal Earth Flame Physique.''] S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[Effects: -Grants you [Earth Fire Essence Core], allowing you to store Fire Essence.
-Grants you a body that will remain abnormally warm.
-Grants you 100% immunity to Earth Flames.
-Allows you to create Earth Flames from your body using the Fire Essence stored in your [Earth Fire Essence Core].
-Enhances healing capabilities.
-Passively Increases vitality the more your Fire Essence increases.
-Grants your body the ability to burn toxins or foreign substances entering your body, as long as they are not stronger than the [Earth Fire.
-Unlocks an ability called [Flame Avatar]].
[Your Vitality Increased: +5]
Damian sighed deeply, his eyes opening slowly as he finished absorbing every ounce of [Earth Fire Essence] he had extracted from the fire spirits.
His eyes, no longer their usual color, glowed with a reddish-orange hue, while his entire body radiated an aura of Earth Flames.
Taking a deep breath, Damian calmed himself, causing the fiery aura to dissipate and his eyes to return to normal.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA..." Damian''s laughter began as a low chuckle before erupting into full-blown hysterics.
"This is unbelievable," he muttered, staring at his hand, which burned like a blazing torch.
Yet, all he felt was a soothing warmth, as if the fire were a part of him.
Unable to hold back the irony of the situation, Damian slapped his forehead with his burning hand, leaving no mark on his skin.
"All my life, I hated myself for being weak, for having no talent, for being completely helpless. And now... look at me!"
Memories of his life before and after his regression flooded his mind.
He had spent so much time frustrated, paranoid, and suspicious of the circumstances surrounding his regression.
It all felt like an intricate conspiracy, yet here he was, standing at the pinnacle of newfound power.
His laughter transitioned into a bitter chuckle. "Oh lord... I guess I can''t do anything but move forward."
After spending a few minutes recovering his mana and stamina, Damian stood and began walking briskly toward the heart of [Infernal Mount], the fiery peak where the lava flowed endlessly.
"Hm? I can sense the presence of Fire Essence now," he muttered, his senses sharp and attuned in a way they had never been before.
The oppressive heat of the [Infernal Mount] no longer bothered him.
His newfound immunity to Earth Flames rendered the scorching environment trivial.
Earth Flames, he knew, were the most basic flames, created by simple means such as matches.
Their power and effects were limited, ranking them the lowest among the flames within the Towers.
Flames of higher rank, such as the [Phoenix Flame] or [Hell Flame], were in a league of their own, but as long as he didn''t encounter those, no flame could harm him again.
Not only was he immune to flames, but he could now wield them as weapons in battle, using them to incinerate his foes.
A smirk spread across Damian''s face as he realized how dramatically his situation had changed.
With his newfound strength and immunity, he charged toward the center of the [Infernal Mount], eager to uncover the mysteries and challenges awaiting him at its fiery heart.
Chapter 48: Chapter 48: A New Skill
Chapter 48: Chapter 48: A New SkillDamian dashed at full speed, rapidly ascending the fiery mountain.
Within minutes, he had already reached the peak of the infernal mountain.
As soon as he arrived, he sensed several presences becoming active.
He could feel the overwhelming presence of fire, or rather, the essence of fire, radiating from them.
[You have entered the territory of the Earth Flame Guardian Spirit.]
[Earth Flame Guardian Spirit: The strongest spirit within the Infernal Mount. It ascended through the ranks by absorbing the immense amount of Fire Essence from the Fire Essence Stone that sustains this realm.]
[Defeat the Earth Flame Guardian Spirit and obtain the Fire Essence Stone.]
As Damian read the system notification, the ground beneath him began to tremble.
The shaking quickly intensified into violent quakes.
He sensed something massive and menacing rising from beneath the earth.
The ground cracked open, the fissures widening until an enormous hand, larger than a car and made entirely of stone, emerged.
Fiery veins coursed through it, glowing with molten energy.
Another colossal hand followed, slamming onto the opposite side of the widening crack.
The fissure split further as an intimidating, giant head slowly rose from the depths.
Using its massive arms, the creature hoisted its towering body from the chasm.
Its rocky form, laced with streams of burning flames, loomed over Damian.
It stood nearly 50 feet tall, with gaping holes on its face burning with fierce, earth-born flames.
The beast opened its jagged, rock-formed mouth and emitted a sound like cracking stone under intense heat.
The sound was deeper and more monstrous, accompanied by flames spewing like a living flamethrower.
Damian tilted his head upward, staring into its blazing, hollow eyes and the flames erupting from every crevice on its face.
-----
[Name: Earth Flame Guardian Spirit]
[Level: 110]
-----
As soon as the guardian spirit locked its burning gaze on the unwelcome intruder, it began condensing a fiery orb in its mouth.
A ball of fire, radiating like a miniature sun and the size of a car, shot toward Damian.
The fireball collided with the ground, erupting into a massive explosion.
The earth trembled, and violent, scorching winds blasted outward.
Flames exploded in every direction, releasing all their compressed fury.
The explosion raged for ten full seconds before it finally subsided.
As the smoke cleared, Damian remained standing in the center of a small crater.
His face bore no expression of concern.
He was entirely unharmed, save for a few scratches scattered across his bare body.
Though the searing flames hadn''t hurt him, the force of the blast and the flying debris had caused minor injuries.
Damian sighed and shook his head.
"Oh, you poor bastard. You''re big, slow, and your flames don''t do a thing to me." He smirked. "You''re nothing but free experience and now a punching bag for me."
He smiled confidently at the towering guardian spirit. He wasn''t planning to kill it just yet.
He wanted to use it for training, specifically to create and refine new spells.
[Magic Cultivation: 2nd Circle (Perfected)]
{Fire - 2nd Ring (Perfected)
Wind - 1st Ring (Perfected)
Earth - 1st Ring (Perfected)
Water - 1st Ring (Perfected)}
Even though Damian''s comprehension of the [Fire Element] had already surpassed the 2nd Circle, he hadn''t broken through to the 3rd Circle.
He knew why.
He hadn''t achieved enlightenment yet.
Enlightenment couldn''t be forced.
It had to happen naturally.
Still, he could deepen his understanding of magic, potentially reducing the time it would take to reach that breakthrough, even if he couldn''t predict when enlightenment would strike.
"Well then, until that happens, I''ll create spells using you as my target," Damian declared, raising his hand toward the Earth Flame Guardian Spirit.
With his innate talent, [Rumination Clarity], which granted him perfect memorization and immense mental processing power, his mind rapidly began constructing a new spell.
Drawing on all his knowledge of elemental magic, complex structures of energy and form began to take shape in his thoughts.
Mana surged from Damian''s [Mana Core] as six deep ocean-blue magic circles materialized around the towering figure of the Earth-Fire Guardian. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
From each of these water magic circles, chains formed, crafted entirely from water, and coiled around the guardian like serpents.
They wrapped tightly around its head, arms, legs, and torso, desperately attempting to restrain the massive creature.
[You have created the Water Elemental Spell: Tidal Grasp]
However, it took only a few seconds for the monster to shatter the watery bindings.
With a deafening roar, it launched its enormous fist toward Damian, aiming to crush him beneath its weight.
Yet, the guardian''s immense body, composed entirely of stone, made its movements unbearably slow.
To Damian, with his [Eyes of Clarity] active, the monster seemed to be moving in slow motion.
The sluggish attack gave him more than enough time to effortlessly sidestep the blow.
"Of course, that spell wasn''t enough to hold it," Damian muttered.
He already had a grasp of how to utilize his magic.
His arsenal of fire-elemental spells provided him with powerful offensive capabilities, but now he sought to develop spells designed for restraint.
Defensive spells to shield against projectiles and long-range attacks, and perhaps even techniques to lock energy in place, were what he needed.
His mind raced, recalling everything he had learned about the elements.
His focus narrowed on the [Earth Element], searching for a way to create a spell capable of pinning the monster down.
Mana flowed steadily from Damian like a rushing stream.
A large, earth-brown magic circle formed beneath the guardian.
In the next instant, the ground trembled and split apart in four directions.
Massive walls of solid rock erupted from the earth, closing in to trap the Earth-Fire Guardian within a stone prison.
[You have created the Earth Elemental Spell: Earth Wall]
But even this could not contain the monster for long.
With a single devastating punch, it shattered the stone walls and charged directly at Damian.
Of course, Damian easily evaded the attack.
Damian grabbed his swords in both hands and dashed toward the approaching monster.
The Earth-Fire Guardian Spirit, possessing high intelligence, quickly realized its fire-based attacks were ineffective against Damian.
Adapting to the situation, it switched tactics, using its massive body to launch physical attacks instead.
It swung its massive fist at him, but Damian swiftly dodged by leaping upward.
He landed on the creature''s enormous head and, without losing momentum, propelled himself toward its face.
However, instead of attacking, he paused and glanced into its large, burning eyes.
A slight smile curved his lips as an idea sparked in his mind.
Without hesitation, he dove straight into the creature''s fiery eye socket.
GROWL!
The Earth-Fire Guardian Spirit roared in panic.
It slapped its own rocky face in a desperate attempt to crush the intruder, but it was futile.
Its gigantic, stone-like fingers were too large to reach inside its own eye socket.
Meanwhile, Damian sat comfortably within the narrow space, his mind racing.
He began processing all the information he knew about elemental magic, focusing specifically on the [Fire Element] and [Wind Element].
A faint, light-grey magic circle materialized before him, and a ball of compressed wind formed from nothing, drawing on Damian''s surplus mana.
[You have created the Wind Elemental Spell: Wind Blast.]
But Damian didn''t cast the spell.
Instead, using boost from his [Class], innate talent, and the enhancement from his [Eyes of Clarity], he began analyzing the Wind Blast spell.
He combined this analysis with his deep knowledge of the [Fire Element].
[Your understanding of the Wind Element has increased.]
[Your understanding of the Wind Element has increased.]
[Your understanding of the Wind Element has increased.]
Behind him, a light grey-colored ring manifested.
[Your understanding of the Wind Element has increased.]
[You have formed the outline of the 2nd Wind Elemental Ring.]
The outline of a second wind elemental ring began to solidify behind the first Wind Elemental Ring.
[You have formed the Shaded 2nd Wind Elemental Ring.]
The second ring begins to be filled with light grey energy.
[You have fully formed the 2nd Wind Elemental Ring.]
Simultaneously, his understanding of the Fire Element deepened.
[Your understanding of the Fire Element has increased.]
[Your understanding of the Fire Element has increased.]
Damian extended both hands, summoning two magic circles: one for wind in his left hand and one for fire in his right.
From the fire magic circle, a ball of flame began to form, while a sphere of compressed wind manifested from the wind circle.
Slowly, both spheres condensed and intensified.
After a few moments, Damian brought his hands together, aligning the two magic circles.
As soon as they merged, the wind sphere began to feed the flames, intensifying them.
The fire burned hotter and fiercer, the compressed elements becoming more volatile and devastating.
Minutes passed as the energy built up to a critical point.
Damian released the spell directly in front of him, unfazed by the impending explosion.
[You have learned the skill: Elemental Fusion.]
[Elemental Fusion: Allows you to merge different elemental spells to create stronger and more effective magic.]
[You have created the Wind-Fire Elemental Spell: Flame Tempest.]
Outside, the Earth-Fire Guardian Spirit continued to frantically claw at its own face, desperate to rid itself of the invader.
BOOM!
A violent tremor rippled through the creature''s body.
Then, an enormous explosion erupted from within its head.
A massive inferno expanded outward, resembling a miniature sun suddenly igniting from inside the monster''s skull.
Flames engulfed the surrounding mountain, and shards of the Guardian Spirit''s rocky body were hurled in every direction, accompanied by a colossal, glowing core.
Damian landed amidst the smoldering wreckage.
Although the flames did not harm him, the force of the explosion and the barrage of debris inflicted injuries across his body.
Jagged rocks, propelled by the blast, tore through his flesh, leaving him bloodied and bruised.
It took several minutes for the devastating effects of the [Flame Tempest] spell to finally dissipate.
Once the flames settled and the air cleared, a familiar notification echoed in Damian''s mind.
[Experience limit reached.]
[You have leveled up.]
Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Woman On The Throne
Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Woman On The ThroneDamian looked at the destruction caused by the [Flame Tempest] spell and nodded in satisfaction.
He had conjured the spell on a mere whim while battling the level 105 [Earth Fire Guardian Spirit].
Physically, he had already grown strong enough to defeat it in close combat, but doing so wouldn''t yield any meaningful gains.
Moreover, he wanted to expand his arsenal by creating new spells.
To be honest, Damian had never thought much about magic or its various uses, except for the [Fire Element] which he frequently used in battles.
The fire element possessed far greater destructive and offensive power than any other element he commanded.
While brainstorming new ideas, he recalled a devastating forest fire from the past.
The reason the blaze had become so uncontrollable was due to the strong wind currents that spread the flames rapidly.
That memory sparked the idea for the [Flame Tempest] spell.
By combining the wind element to fuel the fire element, he drastically increased both the speed and intensity of the flames, elevating their destructive force.
"I should create more powerful spells like this," Damian mused, rubbing his chin.
His mind quickly began analyzing the power levels of mages compared to the leveling system of Awakeners.
A perfected 1st Circle Mage possessed power equivalent to Awakeners up to Level 25.
A perfected 2nd Circle Mage matched Awakeners up to Level 60.
A perfected 3rd Circle Mage rivaled Awakeners up to Level 130.
The power gap between each mage circle expanded significantly, and this disparity was especially evident between 2nd Circle and 3rd Circle mages.
However, it wasn''t just the power gap that widened.
Advancing in mage circles required a deeper understanding of the elements, making it increasingly difficult to raise one''s rank.
The power and effectiveness of a mage''s spell depended heavily on their realm.
For example, a [Fireball] spell cast by a 3rd Circle Mage would be many times stronger and more effective than the same spell cast by a 1st Circle Mage.
Additionally, the element a mage specialized in greatly influenced the destructive power of their spells.
The nature of the [Fire Element] was burning and incineration, while the [Water Element] lacked such destructive tendencies.
So, for a mage like Damian, who possessed both fire and water elements, casting spells of the same level would always result in the fire-elemental spell being significantly more powerful than its water-element counterpart.
There was also something known as Elemental Effectiveness.
For example, the [Earth Fire Guardian Spirit] was a creature made entirely of rock and flames, far stronger than any spell Damian currently possessed.
When Damian cast the water-elemental spell [Tidal Grasp], a restraining-type spell, it failed to hold the monster for even a second. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The creature''s burning body instantly evaporated the water restraint.
Damian had only perfected the 1st Ring of his cultivation in the [Water Element].
If he had formed the perfected 2nd Water Elemental Ring, his [Tidal Grasp] might have been capable of restraining a level 60 monster.
However, even then, it would still struggle against a flame-based monster like the [Earth Fire Guardian Spirit] he had just defeated.
This principle applied to other elements as well.
Their effectiveness could be completely nullified when facing their opposing elements.
While elements other than [Fire] might not possess the same destructive power, each had its unique strengths.
Still, it was an undeniable fact that the [Fire Element] had greater offensive capability than most other elements.
Damian had always focused on increasing his offensive power, believing that the best defense was a strong offense.
But after witnessing how effective combining spells could be, he began to reconsider.
Perhaps it would be more beneficial to focus on other elements rather than relying solely on [Fire].
"I need to deepen my understanding of the other elements," Damian muttered to himself.
He approached the massive crack in the ground where the monster had emerged.
"Now, let''s go and get that [Fire Essence Stone]."
Without hesitation, he jumped into the monster''s lair, following the presence of a concentrated energy source unlike anything he had sensed before.
He landed inside a fiery mountain on a rock ledge just high enough to keep the lava from reaching his feet.
Countless holes in the cavern walls allowed the molten lava to spill outward in streams.
"Hmm..."
Damian slowly dipped his hand into the lava.
Strangely, it felt warm but not painful. It was oddly comforting.
His eyes then locked onto a massive, four-foot-wide [Fire Essence Stone], embedded in the rock at the center of the lava pool.
Three-quarters of it was submerged in molten lava.
Raising his hand, Damian activated his [Earth Magic].
A stone pathway steadily rose from the lava pool, vibrating slightly and causing the entire mountain to tremble.
Damian carefully walked across the pathway toward the massive [Fire Essence Stone].
He dipped his hand into the lava and firmly grasped the stone, lifting it from its rocky cradle.
The entire four-foot-wide Fire Essence Stone now rested in his hands.
It radiated warmth similar to the [Fire Essence Cores] he had collected from the bodies of the [Fire Spirits], but this stone was incomparably heavier, weighing nearly 4,000 kilograms.
[Item: Fire Essence Stone]
[Description: Formed naturally through the condensation of highly concentrated natural [Fire Essence] over an extensive period. This is pure fire essence in solid form.]
[You have obtained the [Fire Essence Stone].]
[4th Trial conditions met. You have completed the trial.]
[Rewards for completing the 4th Trial:
+25,000 Gold
+1 Fire Essence Stone
+15 Free Stat Points]
[Your rewards have been transferred to your System Inventory.]
The massive Fire Essence Stone in Damian''s hands vanished, replaced by the item the system rewarded him.
He stared at the football-sized [Fire Essence Stone] in disbelief.
"Damn this system!" Damian cursed, glaring at the much smaller stone in his hand.
The system had taken the colossal Fire Essence Stone he had just retrieved and rewarded him with something barely the size of a football.
"How is this even fair?"
Damian clenched his fist, frustration boiling beneath his calm exterior.
...
Somewhere in a garden that stretched as far as the eye could see, located in a far, unknown realm unreachable by anyone, not even the gods, there existed a garden that held everything.
Every plant, grass, herb, shrub, vine, and tree was of the highest grade found in the universe.
Tens of thousands of colorful stones grew all over the place, made of pure energies of all kinds.
The presence of energy in the atmosphere was denser than anywhere else, and beings made of pure energy, like fairies and spirits, moved about.
A young-looking woman, at least 8 feet tall, appeared out of nowhere.
Her long, straight dark hair, with golden accents, reached her feet, and she had bangs.
She wore a dark black gothic dress that covered her body from neck to toe.
"Phew... I can''t believe sorting out those useless things took so long. Why can''t those stupid gods deal with this on their own?" the woman snorted.
"Hmph, useless gods."
She then glanced at the tree''s shade and snapped her fingers, causing a massive bed to appear out of nowhere.
She claimed it and laid down comfortably, but then she remembered something she wanted to check. "I completely forgot about that."
"That boy from the class selection," she recalled, realizing she had ordered the system to put the profile of that boy on the high-priority list.
"System, bring me his profile."
[As you wish, Administrator.]
In the next millisecond, the system brought up the profile of a particular Awakener named [Damian Ignatius].
It took a single second for everything from the class selection to all his actions, every step he took and every swing he made, to enter her mind as though she were seeing everything in 100 times slower motion in an instant.
Then she looked at his level, stats, abilities, talents, and constitutions, and her eyes widened in astonishment.
"This is the profile of someone who just completed four trials? This is ridiculous!" the woman exclaimed, her eyes widening even more.
"Not to mention, he''s continuously entering the trial in Hell mode..." The woman rubbed her chin as an image of a majestic figure appeared in her mind.
"It can''t be him... could it?"
She then opened her eyes, and her pupils glowed with bright crimson light.
In the next instant, her figure disappeared from the spot.
...
The woman known by the System as the Administrator reappeared in another location, specifically upon the throne of a vast castle that stretched for kilometers.
She gazed at the woman seated on the throne.
The woman had long, curly, silvery-white hair and piercing blue eyes.
A crown, shaped like a fiery silver bird, rested elegantly on her head.
"You knew," the Administrator said coldly, crossing her arms as she stared at the woman on the throne.
"Wow, I didn''t think it would take you this long to notice him, considering you''re the only one monitoring the System in his absence," the woman on the throne replied with a faint, knowing smile.
"You are the head of the household. Why didn''t you inform me as soon as you realized it was him?" the Administrator asked, narrowing her eyes, clearly displeased.
"Well, I thought you already knew. You''re always doing your usual ''I don''t care about anything but monitoring the universe Papa gave me'' routine and ignoring everything else... so," the woman shrugged casually.
"Not when it comes to him. And how would I know of his existence?" the Administrator snapped.
"Aren''t you the sole controller of the System? I thought the System would have notified you the moment he appeared."
"It can''t. Not until he reaches his full strength and regains his original authority as the..." The Administrator paused briefly.
"Until then, the System will only register him as just another Awakener," she sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, see, I didn''t know that," the woman on the throne said, her gaze turning oddly curious.
"..."
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Is everything alright with you?" the dark-haired woman questioned, studying her carefully.
"...Is everything alright with me?" The woman on the throne let out a hollow chuckle.
"Well, let''s see. He''s back. That should be something to make me happy, shouldn''t it? But instead, it only reminds me of everything he had to endure." A bitter laugh escaped her lips as her blue eyes burned with intensity.
"I fucking hate myself for letting him go through all that alone."
"But I guess it should be fine. I know he never blamed me, and I''ve accepted that. Yet, I still failed to notice what those fucking Time Lords did to him."
A silvery aura began to seep from her body, and the entire throne and the land beneath the castle started to tremble, unable to bear the pressure emanating from her.
"The Time Lords?" The administrator knew exactly what she was talking about she already guessed what those Time Lords did when she saw the [regressor] title on his profile.
"Yeah. Did you know they sealed his soul when he was in that weakened state? He lost his life before he even had the chance to regain his glory. They made him suffer... and the worst part?" Her voice grew sharper.
"I only learned about it at the very last moment. I barely managed to reverse everything using the most precious artifact in the entire universe."
Her aura thickened, suffocating the air.
"Do you know why I''m alone here and not with the others?" she continued, her tone dark. "Because I don''t want to destroy someone who can''t withstand my fury."
With a sigh, the oppressive aura receded, and the castle fell silent once more.
Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Physical Body Strengthening
Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Physical Body Strengthening"Do you know why I''m alone here and not with the others?" she continued, her tone dark. "Because I don''t want to destroy someone who can''t withstand my fury."
With a sigh, the oppressive aura receded, and the castle fell silent once more.
"But it''s okay now. He''s already growing stronger at an abnormal rate, even for us. It''s only a matter of time before he regains his former power, so I''m not that angry anymore because he''ll deal with them himself."
The woman smiled and shrugged as if it were no problem.
"It''s okay?" The Administrator glanced around with an indifferent expression at the destruction surrounding them.
The shattered walls, the broken statues and pillars of the throne room, and the cracks running through the ground were all caused by the overwhelming pressure the woman had released moments ago.
The Administrator sighed and thought to herself, "I suppose it''s normal for her to react this way, mentally unstable and all. Well, she should be fine now that he''s here."
"Anyway, who else knows about his existence?" the Administrator asked, fixing her gaze on the woman seated on the now-broken throne.
"Lenora."
"She knows? Oh no." The Administrator pinched the bridge of her nose, dreading the consequences. "She''s one of the chaotic ones. Please don''t tell me you revealed his location."
She could already imagine the chaos Lenora and her unpredictable group of friends would bring if they connected with him now.
It was far too soon for him to learn the truth and meet everyone.
The Administrator had a unique role.
She was tasked with overseeing the evolution of all beings across the universe, ensuring everything operated according to the System.
Her purpose was to make sure all beings continued to grow stronger.
The stronger they became, the more powerful the worlds would grow.
The stronger the worlds, the mightier the sectors.
And the stronger the sectors, the greater the universe would become.
She didn''t care to interfere with beings climbing the Tower because it wasn''t her job.
In truth, she simply didn''t care.
Whether someone lived or died, who killed whom, who stole from whom, which god slew another, or which demon escaped from hell did not matter to her.
Her only concern was that everyone followed the rules of the System.
Her responsibility was to monitor any anomalies that appeared in the universe and ensure they were properly tempered for the future.
Even though she had the power to intervene, she wouldn''t.
They weren''t worth her eternal time, not even the gods.
But there was one exception.
Him.
If she suspected anything that might disrupt his growth, she would do whatever it took to prevent it.
Even if it meant destroying entire worlds or slaughtering gods, she wouldn''t hesitate as long as it was something beyond what he could handle.
"Ahhh, don''t think with that universal-level brain of yours. She only suspects his return, and she has no way of knowing about him unless you or I told her," the woman on the throne replied with a nonchalant expression.
"Still, he has already triggered the evolution function of the system, and at the speed he''s growing, it won''t be long before he evolves. When he does, his soul will officially begin its evolution into its true form," the Administrator said as she glanced at the profile of the person they were discussing.
"Oh, then they will begin to reestablish their connection to his soul and finally sense him, isn''t that right?" the woman on the throne sighed.
"I still don''t understand how you sensed him before even the system detected him. I''m the one with the most powerful senses. I should have noticed him before you did. Is it because of your special connection?" the Administrator asked, a hint of jealousy slipping into her voice despite her efforts to conceal it.
The woman noticed this but chose not to comment, knowing it would only agitate the Administrator further.
"Yeah," the woman on the throne nodded. "Leave this to me. When they start to sense him, I''ll make sure they don''t do anything foolish. And you make sure no one tries to interfere with his growth, especially the gods."
"I know. You don''t have to tell me."
"By the way, please be a dear and tell the system to grant me the authority to watch his every action," the woman on the throne asked with a small, innocent smile.
The Administrator hesitated for a moment.
In that single second, her mind raced through millions of scenarios, analyzing every possible reaction the woman on the throne might have if she refused.
Her immediate instinct was to decline.
Her sole objective was to ensure he reached his full potential, and she couldn''t allow any distractions, not even from the woman on the throne who was also the head of the household.
She knew the woman''s involvement could derail everything.
At the same time, the Administrator was well aware that this woman would not take rejection lightly.
She might even slaughter a dozen gods just to vent her frustration.
Yet, despite her brazenness, the woman wouldn''t meddle carelessly when it came to ''him''.
Not after everything that had happened all those years ago.
After weighing every possibility, the Administrator sighed and slowly nodded her head.
...
After completing the fourth trial, Damian didn''t immediately move on to the fifth.
Instead, he planned to fully utilize this realm''s fiery nature to his advantage.
Damian used his [Earth Elemental Magic] to create a platform under the fire essence-rich lava that was overflowing inside the mountain.
He positioned it just right so that when he sat cross-legged on it, the lava would engulf his entire body, even up to his head, completely.
Without hesitation, Damian submerged his legs into the burning lava and sat cross-legged.
As soon as he did, his entire body became submerged in the lava, but Damian didn''t feel any discomfort.
If anything, he only felt a slight warmth.
One of the effects of his constitution, [Eternal Earth Flame Physique], granted him complete immunity to earth flames.
This meant that, as long as the flames weren''t of high grade, his flesh wouldn''t burn.
Being submerged in the fire essence-rich lava, Damian could feel that he was able to increase his [Fire Essence] pool by cultivating the fire essence within the lava.
Damian could freely control the effectiveness of the effects of his constitution, adjusting them as he wished.
He turned off 15% of the effects of his constitution, [Eternal Earth Flame Physique].
When he did that, the complete fire immunity provided by his constitution was also reduced by 15%.
Immediately, the lava he was submerged in began to affect him.
His skin started to burn, and his hair was already burned away completely.
[The effects of the talent [Boundless Refinement] are activated.]
[Your adaptability to fire is increasing.]
[Your natural immunity to fire is increasing.]
[Your adaptability to pain is increasing.]
[Your natural pain tolerance is increasing.]
[The effects of the constitution [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] are activated.]
[Your physical body is adapting to fire.]
[Your physical body''s natural immunity to fire is increasing.]
His skin was continuously being burned, and as soon as one layer of flesh was burned, the next layer began to burn.
Since he had only reduced the effect of his constitution by 15%, the lava didn''t burn him as quickly or as intensely as it would have otherwise.
His flesh wasn''t being completely incinerated.
However, the moisture in his skin was slowly vaporizing, and the pressure from the heat was beginning to feel as though it would cause his body to explode.
But Damian endured it, relying on sheer willpower, much like when he fought the [Forest Vipers] in the first trial.
While his flesh was slowly burning and vaporizing, something else was also happening inside his body.
His extraordinary vitality, which had already surpassed human limits, began to take effect.
The vitality stat represented a person''s overall health and the rate at which they regenerated.
Essentially, it determined how quickly someone could heal from an injury or wound over a period of time.
His vitality had already surpassed 100 points, allowing him to heal from any injury at an unnatural speed.
His flesh was rapidly burning, but at the same time, it was constantly healing, fighting against the damage caused by the flames.
As his injuries healed, the rate at which they healed also increased, albeit slightly.
While all this was happening, his [Fire Essence Core] was passively working, slowly absorbing the fire essence from the lava through the burning of his flesh.
A day passed like this.
[Your pain tolerance increased x12.]
[Your natural fire immunity increased x14.]
[Due to being constantly injured and healed simultaneously, your vitality is being strengthened.] x 12
[Your vitality increased: +6.]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +22]
After a day of this, Damian no longer felt any pain.
He no longer felt the burn or discomfort from the lava.
"It''s time to reduce the effects by 35%," Damian muttered.
He immediately reduced the effects of his constitution, [Eternal Earth Flame Physique], from 15% to 35%.
Once again, the cycle of burning and healing began.
This time, it was much more intense, but his talent, [Boundless Refinement], and his constitution, [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique], continued to assist his body, gradually increasing his resistance to pain and fire with each passing moment.
For the next ten days, Damian continued this cycle while gradually decreasing the effects of his constitution until he reached 100%.
[Your pain tolerance has increased by x114.]
[Your natural fire immunity has increased by x101.]
[Due to being constantly injured and healed simultaneously, your vitality has been strengthened.] x 109
[Vitality increased: +53.] S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[Fire Essence increased: +78.]
[Due to your flesh being constantly destroyed and reformed, your body has been strengthened.] x 73
[The toughness and defenses of your flesh have been significantly increased.] x 66
[Your Strength Increased: +27]
Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Speed Running The Trials - 1
Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Speed Running The Trials - 1In the center of the [Infernal Mount], deep within the great mountain that continuously spewed fire essence-infused lava across the entire realm, a figure slowly rose from the molten river.
Beads of lava dripped from his body, his slightly tanned skin gleaming and reflecting the searing heat of the lava surrounding him.
He opened his eyes, revealing irises that glowed like molten rubies.
The brilliance of his gaze stood out even more vividly against the dark, fiery environment.
The figure clenched his fists, a faint stretching sound echoing as a grin crept across his face.
"This feels bloody great," Damian muttered, his small smile slowly turning into a chuckle as he relished the overwhelming strength surging through his body.
For the past eleven days, he had submerged himself in that fire essence-rich lava, enduring its relentless burn and the agonizing pain.
Throughout this time, Damian gradually weakened the protective effects of his [Eternal Earth-Fire Physique], allowing the lava to scorch and destroy his body.
Yet, as the molten flames tore him apart, his physique responded by healing and reconstructing his flesh.
The cycle of destruction and regeneration continued unbroken for eleven days.
With each passing moment, his flesh became stronger, tougher, and far more resilient.
Now, after days of being burned and reborn, Damian''s body had transformed.
His vitality had surged to such an extent that his regeneration far outpaced the lava''s burning.
The flames that once devoured his skin could no longer harm him.
The flames have become powerless against him.
Damian took a deep breath and leaped from the lava, landing gracefully atop a mountain.
He proceeded to dress in his Murim-style robe, which he had purchased from the system shop.
The robe was dark red with black accents, paired with gray inner shirts and pants.
His outfit was completed with black metal forearm bracelets and pants designed with straps to hold two swords and a hidden dagger.
He ran his fingers through his dark, shiny hair, which had mysteriously grown down to his neck while he was submerged in the lava.
Unlike his regenerating skin, the hair on his body hadn''t regrown.
However, once his body accumulated enough vitality to heal faster than the lava could burn him, his scalp hair suddenly grew back longer, denser, shinier, and softer, making him absentmindedly touch it.
After getting ready, Damian finally turned his attention to the system notification that had been hovering in his vision for 11 days.
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 5th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Please."
In the next instant, Damian found himself in a foreign environment.
A grin spread across his face.
"Time to speedrun the trials."
As long as he didn''t encounter an overwhelmingly difficult trial, he planned to breeze through them.
[5th Trial Condition: Kill all the monsters in this realm.]
--- Seven Hours Later ---
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have killed all the monsters in this realm.]
[You have cleared the 5th trial.]
[Reward:
+30,000 Gold
+1 Epiphany Card]
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 6th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Please."
Damian''s figure vanished, and he appeared in a land overrun by thorny bushes.
An eerie buzzing sound of bees echoed ominously.
[6th Trial Condition: Kill the Mutated Amber Bees and collect their honey.]
"Ugh, bees?" Damian muttered in annoyance.
He sensed hundreds of them scattered throughout the area.
However, with his extraordinary senses and innate ability, [Eyes of Clarity], he quickly assessed that they weren''t particularly powerful compared to him.
It took Damian only two days to annihilate the mutated amber bees and gather their honey.
Unlike typical honey, this one was dark brown with red, dot-like substances floating inside.
The quantity was massive, enough to fill three trucks.
[You have leveled Up] x 4
[You have killed all the monsters in this realm and collected the Amber Bee Honey.]
[You have cleared the 6th trial.]
[Reward:
+35,000 Gold
+1 Epiphany Card
+25 Gallons of Amber Bee Honey]
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 7th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
[You have entered the training grounds of knights and warriors.]
[7th Trial Condition: Increase your understanding of martial weapons you lack proficiency into the high stage in 15 days]
[Martial skill learned and achieved high stage: 0/3]
"This is interesting." Damian found himself in the center of an enormous training ground, large enough to accommodate hundreds of warriors training simultaneously.
There were moving targets for archery and throwing weapons, and each section was designed not to interfere with others.
Damian smirked. "This is the perfect opportunity to master new martial skills."
He walked toward an area filled with various sword-shaped weapons and picked up a katana.
Entering a training circle, he began practicing, incorporating techniques he had mastered with his double-edged sword and dual swords.
He even applied knowledge from his spear techniques, enhancing his sword swings.
As he continued relentlessly, his understanding of swordsmanship grew exponentially.
[Your talent [Martial Lord] is taking effect.]
[Your talent [Boundless Refinement] is taking effect.]
[Your talent [Rumination Clarity] is taking effect.]
These three talents, combined with his class [True Magic Swordsman] and innate ability [Eyes of Clarity], accelerated his comprehension.
[Martial Lord]: Increases understanding of all martial weapons by 30%.
[Boundless Refinement]: Significantly enhances the body''s adaptability to any condition. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[Rumination Clarity]: Boosts comprehension, thought processing, memory, and recall to the body''s limits.
[True Magic Swordsman]: Grants an additional 30% increase in mastering martial weapons.
[Eyes of Clarity]: Sharpened vision and heightened perception, enabling precise observation.
With all these boosts, Damian''s understanding of martial weapons surged beyond normal limits.
[Your understanding of swordsmanship has increased] x8
[Your body is adapting to using the katana] x 4
"Next up, the odachi."
Damian picked up an odachi, a larger and longer version of the katana.
Due to its similarities, it only took him about two hours to master it to peak proficiency.
[Your understanding of swordsmanship has increased] x 9
[Your body is adapting to using the odachi] x 4
Damian didn''t get a single second of rest as he continued to train with every type of sword, including the Sabre, Wakizashi, Ninjat¨, Greatsword, Khopesh, long broadsword, and more.
Each time he improved his proficiency with one of the swords, it helped increase his proficiency with the other types of swords as well.
It only took about half a day for Damian to completely master every single sword type weapon.
As he was increasing his proficiency, he could feel his mind clearing, not just of thoughts but in a different way.
It was as if he had been restricted by something until now, but it was beginning to loosen.
Damian closed his eyes, and outside his body, a colorless aura began to release, sharply cutting through the air.
What he felt was very similar to the sensation he would experience when breaking through a Qi cultivation realm.
[Your Swordsmanship (High) has leveled up to Swordsmanship (Master)]
After that, he moved to the area where spear and spear-like weapons were held.
He began to increase his proficiency in the skill [Spearmanship] by training with weapons like the Pike, Lance, Javelin, Pilum, and others.
Just like before, another feeling of breaking through filled his being.
[Your Spearmanship (High) has leveled up to Spearmanship (Master)]
Damian sighed and looked at the remaining weapons.
There were many of them, but he continued to improve his proficiency with each one.
[Martial Skills Learned and Achieved High Stage: 3/3]
[You have completed the 7th trial.]
[Reward:
+40,000 Gold
+1 Card to Acquire a Martial Technique.]
He then glanced at the skills he had developed in this trial.
[Skills: Swordsmanship (Master), Spearmanship (Master), Archery (Master), Axe-Wielding (Master), Quarterstaffmanship (Master), Marksmanship (Master), Glaivemanship (Master), Kusarigamajutsu (Master), Mace Fighting (Master), Spellcasting (Intermediate), Multicasting (Intermediate), Elemental Fusion (Basics).]
"I guess this should be enough for now," Damian said to himself as he looked at the system notification.
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 8th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Yes."
As usual, he found himself standing in another new place.
"Oh, come on, not another dense forest?" Damian muttered.
His senses quickly picked up on hundreds of presences all over the realm.
"Is this the smell of rain?" Damian thought as he sensed the air.
His senses had grown unnaturally strong, and he could smell the thick scent in the air, similar to the smell that comes right before rain begins to fall.
Not only that, but the entire place was covered in thick fog that didn''t seem to be caused by pollution, but rather energy.
A smile formed on his face as he remembered that this environment was similar to the [Infernal Mount], which was also filled with energy all around.
The air in this place had a similar type of energy, so thick that he could practically smell it.
[Welcome to The Verdant Ruins, a place filled with dense wood essence and mutated, plant-based sentient monsters.]
[8th Trial Condition: Obtain the Wood Essence Stone.]
"If this place is similar to the [Infernal Mount], then I can gain another power and a constitution here," an excited grin spread across his face.
He sensed around a hundred monsters in this realm, but they weren''t moving.
Deciding to rush toward them, he approached one and discovered a large tree, or what appeared to be a tree.
In reality, it was a monster.
-----
[Name: Mutated Blight Roots]
[Level: 113]
[Description: Once ordinary trees, these beings transformed into sentient creatures after absorbing vast amounts of wood essence. They are silent and non-territorial, choosing not to attack unless provoked or if their belongings are stolen.]
-----
Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Speed Running The Trials - 2
Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Speed Running The Trials - 2-----
[Name: Mutated Blight Roots]
[Level: 113]
[Description: Once ordinary trees, these beings transformed into sentient creatures after absorbing vast amounts of wood essence. They are silent and non-territorial, choosing not to attack unless provoked or if their belongings are stolen.]
-----
Damian touched the tree monster, which looked nothing more than a normal giant banyan tree.
However, using his [Eyes of Clarity], Damian could see the Verdant Green source core hidden within their massive wooden bodies, brimming with energy.
On the outside, though, they appeared completely ordinary.
Even as Damian placed his hand on its wooden surface, the monster didn''t seem to react.
"So, they only attack when provoked, huh?" Damian muttered.
He didn''t linger.
He knew the moment he attempted to take the [Wood Essence Stone], all the monsters would swarm him to prevent it.
By heading straight for the stone instead of fighting each creature individually, he was actually saving time.
Once he obtained the [Wood Essence Stone], all the monsters would attack him simultaneously, and he could deal with them all at once.
Ignoring the towering creatures, Damian walked forward, drawn toward an incredible surge of energy within the realm.
He wasn''t in any rush, so he calmly made his way toward it.
After about an hour and a half, he finally reached his destination.
The [Wood Essence Stone] glowed with a vibrant, verdant green hue.
It was similar in size to the [Fire Essence Stone] he had found in the [Infernal Mount], but this one was practically oozing energy.
A dense cloud of energy had formed around it, making the surrounding area thick with fog.
It rested inside a massive, decaying tree stump, as if it had grown from the very core of the ancient wood.
Even from several meters away, Damian could sense the subtle movements of the monsters within the trial realm.
It was as though they could feel the intruder''s intent.
But Damian didn''t care.
He walked forward without hesitation.
The moment he entered the stone''s vicinity, the monsters were fully triggered, charging at him from all directions.
The eerie rustling of leaves and the violent collision of branches filled the air.
The ground trembled as massive entities dragged themselves forward.
Whispering sounds drifted through the mist like a foul stench.
Damian could see the towering trees around him stirring, as if the entire dense forest had come alive, closing in on him from every direction.
The closer he got to the [Wood Essence Stone], the faster and more aggressive the tree-like monsters became.
Within seconds, Damian reached the inner perimeter of the stone.
The monsters, now in a full frenzy, charged at him from all sides.
They were colossal, standing at least forty-five feet tall.
Their bodies were composed entirely of pure, living wood, brimming with vitality.
They took on humanoid forms, crafted from intertwining branches and leaves.
Roots twisted into legs that granted them mobility, though they lacked faces.
Still, Damian could hear deep, guttural rumbling emanating from within them.
Just as they were about to seize him, the entire area''s temperature suddenly began to rise.
Damian''s eyes blazed like molten flames, shifting to a fiery orange hue.
The clothes he wore vanished as they were stored into the system inventory, revealing his body radiating with a flame-like aura.
His once-black hair ignited into a brilliant orange, crackling with energy, and he slowly began to levitate, defying gravity.
[Flame Avatar: Subskill Activated]
[Subskill: Flame Avatar]
[A subskill attainable only by those who possess the constitution [Eternal Earth Fire Physique]].
Effect:
-Upon activation, you transform into a flame spirit. Your entire body becomes the embodiment of eternal flames. Blood turns to fire, and flames cloak your flesh as your clothing.
-In this form, you can unleash maximum flame output from any part of your body.
-All pain is completely nullified.
-Wounds regenerate 100% faster.
-Speed increases by 30% and will further scale with the amount of fire you expend.]
Suddenly, Damian''s entire body erupted into a sea of flames, waves of fire surging outward in all directions.
A massive ring of intense flames expanded endlessly, scorching everything in its path.
Torrents of fire devoured the swarming monsters surrounding him, consuming them in a relentless inferno.
The flames poured out like an endless stream from a colossal flamethrower, continuing for several minutes.
Notifications echoed in Damian''s mind as the world around him burned.
[You have leveled Up] x 9
When the flames finally subsided, hundreds of verdant green source cores lay scattered among the charred remains of monsters.
The once-dense forest had been reduced to a wasteland of ash and dust.
The fiery aura surrounding Damian gradually faded, revealing his skin, pupils, and hair shimmering in beautiful shades of flame.
An intense, flame-like aura still lingered around him.
Moments later, the effects of the subskill [Embodiment of Flames] from his constitution [Eternal Earth Fire Physique] fully dissipated, returning his appearance to normal.
Damian reached down and lifted a vibrant, verdant green stone.
[You have obtained the [Wood Essence Stone]]
[You have completed the 8th Trial]
[Rewards:]
+45,000 Gold sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
+1 Wood Essence Stone]
The massive [Wood Essence Stone] in his hands disappeared, replaced by a football-sized version.
Damian snorted in displeasure and stored it in his system inventory.
His gaze then shifted to the hundreds of Wood Essence Cores scattered across the scorched battlefield.
Activating his unique innate ability, a powerful vortex of energy swirled from his hands, absorbing all the Wood Essence Cores.
[You have absorbed an enormous amount of unstable Pure Wood Essence.]
[If you do not dispel it soon, it will implode within you.]
A familiar sensation gripped Damian, the same suffocating pressure he felt when absorbing the [Fire Essence] at the [Infernal Mount].
It was as if his insides were being crushed and seared.
Drawing on his prior experience, Damian guided the surging [Wood Essence] through his energy circuits¡ªhis blood veins, vessels, and organs.
Resistance flared as he began the circulation, though it wasn''t as overwhelming as it had been with the [Fire Essence].
Yet, another issue arose.
"The Fire Essence is burning down the Wood Essence."
Frustration twisted Damian''s expression.
The Wood Essence was rapidly being consumed, feeding and amplifying his Fire Essence instead.
[Your Fire Essence increased: +3]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +1]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +4]
...
..
.
His mind raced, searching for a solution as the Fire Essence continued devouring the Wood Essence.
He couldn''t afford to waste this power.
Just as despair began to settle in, Damian felt a sudden shift, as if a restriction deep within his soul had been lifted.
Instantly, the raging Fire Essence halted its assault on the Wood Essence after consuming about one-third of it.
[You have awakened the talent [Limitless Harmony].]
The Fire and Wood Essences began to harmonize, merging peacefully within him.
His energy circuits began to reform, allowing the four forces within him: [Mana], [Qi], [Fire Essence], and now [Wood Essence] to circulate in perfect balance.
[Your talent [World Tree''s Blessing] is taking effect.]
[You have gained complete affinity with the energy known as Wood Essence.]
The remaining Wood Essence gathered where his Mana Core and Fire Essence Core resided, condensing into a new, distinct core.
[You have formed the [Wood Essence Core].]
The last of the Wood Essence was absorbed into the newly formed core, rapidly expanding his Wood Essence reserves.
[Your Wood Essence increased: +3]
[Your Wood Essence increased: +6]
[Your Wood Essence increased: +7]
[Your Wood Essence increased: +5]
...
..
.
[Due to the side effect of increasing your Wood Essence, your vitality is rising.]
[Your Vitality increased: +28]
[Your Perception Increased: +20]
[Due to the creation of the Wood Essence Core and the Wood Essence coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered.]
[You have awakened a constitution: ''Eternal Sacred Heart Physique.'']
[Effects:
-Grants the [Wood Essence Core], allowing you to store and manipulate Wood Essence.
-Keeps your body abnormally warm at all times.
-Increases health and fatigue regeneration by 100%.
-Allows you to generate Wood Energy to heal others and enhance their recovery.
-Increases Your healing capabilities by 100%.
-Increases Your perception capabilities.
-Passively increases vitality as your Wood Essence grows.
-Boosts your affinity with nature by 100%.
-Unlocks an ability called [Verdant Avatar]]
Damian opened his eyes, brimming with energy.
His pupils had turned a vibrant verdant green before slowly returning to their usual blue hue.
He took a few minutes to soak in the sensation of his new constitution and the wood essence coursing through his body.
Once the initial rush subsided, he turned his attention to the description of the new talent he had awakened.
[Unique Talent: Limitless Harmony]
[A talent that cannot be replicated, passed down, or inherited. It is unique to the sole awakener in the entire universe.]
[Effect: Grants the ability to Synchronize, Stabilize, Balance, Equilibrate, and Harmonize any type of energy or constitution, whether they are opposing or similar in nature.]
"Urgh... Another ridiculous talent?"
Damian couldn''t help but sigh.
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 9th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Yes."
In an instant, Damian found himself standing in an unfamiliar place.
[9th Trial Condition: Kill Monsters]
[Monsters Killed: 0/50]
Without hesitation, Damian unleashed his [Flame Tempest] spells and channeled his Fire Essence relentlessly, burning through waves of monsters like a madman.
.
¡ª Three Hours Later ¡ª
.
[You have leveled up] x5
[Monsters Killed: 50/50]
[You have completed the 9th Trial]
[Rewards:
+15 Free Stat Points
+50,000 Gold
+1 Card to Obtain a Martial Weapon]
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 10th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Yes."
[10th Trial Condition: Kill the Red-Striped Mutated Tigers]
[Red-Striped Mutated Tigers Killed: 0/10]
.
¡ª Fifteen Minutes Later ¡ª
.
[You have leveled up] x3
[Red-Striped Mutated Tigers Killed: 10/10]
[You have completed the 10th Trial]
[Rewards:]
+10 Free Stat Points
+55,000 Gold
+1 Card to Obtain a Class-Related Technique
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 11th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Yes."
[11th Trial Condition: Kill the Wild Trolls]
[Wild Trolls Killed: 0/10]
This time, Damian seized the opportunity to test his spear skills.
He fought ferociously, cutting down the trolls with precise strikes and overwhelming force.
.
¡ª Fifteen Minutes Later ¡ª
.
[You have leveled up] x3
[Wild Trolls Killed: 10/10]
[You have completed the 11th Trial]
[Rewards:
+60,000 Gold
+10 Free Stat Points
+1 Card to Obtain a Class-Related Technique]
Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Speed Running The Trials - 3
Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Speed Running The Trials - 3[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 12th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Yes."
The next second, Damian''s vision blurred, and when it cleared, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar place.
A sudden chill crept up his legs as he realized they were submerged in water up to his knees.
"This is new," he muttered, glancing around.
Before him lay an island, roughly ten meters in radius.
Similar small islands dotted the area, stretching as far as his eyes could see.
Beyond them, there was nothing but endless water.
"Am I standing in an ocean or something?" Damian mumbled.
He stepped onto the island, feeling the soft sand beneath his feet.
The island was barren, save for a couple of sparse bushes.
[Welcome to Aqualia, a realm filled with underwater creatures that once roamed as ordinary sea life but have mutated into terrifying monsters after absorbing immense amounts of water essence.]
[12th Trial Objective: Obtain the Water Essence Stone.]
"In the 4th trial, it was the Fire Essence Stone. The 8th trial had the Wood Essence Stone. Now it''s the Water Essence Stone in the 12th trial..." Damian pondered aloud.
"That means in the 16th and 20th trials, I''ll encounter two more essence stones."
A grin slowly crept across his face. "This is amazing. I''m going to gain three more powers!"
Suppressing his excitement, Damian leapt into the air, skillfully jumping from island to island.
His senses honed in on the distant presence of the [Water Essence Stone], guiding his path forward.
Landing on one of the islands, he noticed a disturbance in the water.
Ripples spread outward as something massive moved beneath the surface.
Without warning, a monstrous figure burst from the depths: a colossal, mutated crab.
Its overgrown body was the size of three full-grown elephants stacked atop one another.
Its hard, blue exoskeleton was adorned with sharp spikes, making it look even more menacing.
-----
[Name: Mutated Deepwater Crab]
[Level: 128]
-----
Damian''s expression remained unchanged.
Calmly, he raised his hand and focused.
The [Fire Essence] from his core surged through him, gathering in his palm.
The flame condensed, intensifying as its color shifted from a reddish-orange to a searing yellow-orange.
Without hesitation, Damian unleashed the blazing fireball toward the creature.
BOOM!
The concentrated flame exploded on impact, sending shockwaves in every direction.
The force of the blast tore through the crab''s armored shell, reducing its massive body to burning chunks of flesh that splashed into the water and scattered across the ground.
[Experience Gained]
Damian stepped forward, wading through the shallow water.
Amid the remains, he spotted a glowing object, the [Water Essence Core], which had dropped from the monster''s shattered body.
It was a deep blue crystal orb, shimmering like liquid, reminiscent of a water-filled gemstone.
-----
[Item: Water Essence Core]
[Typically found inside the bodies of monsters. The stronger and higher the level of the creature, the more energy it contains. These cores store vast amounts of water essence, enhancing the monster''s power.]
-----
As Damian examined the core, he noticed bubbles forming around his submerged legs.
The water was starting to boil, steam rising steadily into the air.
"Whoa¡ am I that hot?" he questioned, eyeing the bubbles rather than his reflection.
He knew that one of the effects of the [Eternal Earth Flame Physique] was an abnormally high body temperature, but this seemed excessive.
The water wasn''t just warm; it was actively boiling on contact with his skin.
Although not intense enough to scald the surrounding water, it was enough to create steam.
"Hmm, looks like these clothes are tougher than they look. That''s good," Damian nodded approvingly, satisfied that his garments withstood the heat.
Suddenly, Damian sensed hundreds of presences closing in from all directions.
It was as if the creatures of this realm had detected the presence of an intruder.
Monstrous forms erupted from the water, each shaped like terrifying versions of sea creatures.
Their sizes dwarfed even the mutated crab he had just slain.
The smallest among them matched its massive size, while others loomed even larger, casting shadows over the islands.
"Well, that''s a lot of monsters," Damian muttered calmly.
Without hesitation, he drew his two swords: the [Eclipse Sword] in one hand and [Monster Slayer] in the other.
Steeling himself, he charged into the fray, prepared to cut down all the monsters that stood in his way.
¡ª One Hour Later ¡ª
[You have leveled up] x 8
Damian stood amidst the bodies of the countless monsters he had slain.
"Jesus Christ, the Wood Essence is too powerful. Even after fighting all these monsters, I barely feel tired, and I can already feel my fatigue recovering rapidly," he muttered, clenching and unclenching his fists, feeling the energy coursing through his body.
The [Wood Essence] possessed immense healing properties.
While the [Fire Essence] also offered significant healing, it couldn''t compare to the regenerative power of the Wood Essence.
Not only did it accelerate healing, but it also boosted Damian''s health and fatigue recovery by 100%.
The Fire Essence granted similar capabilities but was nowhere near as effective.
Even his [Qi] and [Mana] offered healing and strengthening abilities, but neither could match the efficiency of the Wood Essence.
Each type of energy had its distinct purpose.
[Mana] allowed the creation of elemental forces through imagination, enabling one to manifest and imbue elements into objects.
It also had enhancement properties but was weaker in this aspect compared to [Qi], which made Mana ideal for magic.
[Qi] excelled at strengthening and enhancing the body.
Although it could also create elements, it was far less effective than Mana, which is why Qi was mainly used in cultivation to enhance a cultivator''s physical form.
Then there were the Elemental Essences.
Damian wasn''t sure how many existed, but currently, he possessed two: [Fire Essence] and [Wood Essence].
The [Fire Essence] granted abilities related to fire: fire immunity, fire generation, increased speed, enhanced health and fatigue recovery, and a passive boost in vitality.
However, it was primarily offensive in nature.
The [Wood Essence] was entirely supportive, offering no offensive capabilities but unmatched healing and regenerative power.
Looking down at the pile of [Water Essence Cores] he had collected from the monsters, Damian activated his innate ability.
[Extraction: Unique Innate Ability Activated]
In an instant, the energy within hundreds of [Water Essence Cores] was drained and absorbed into his hand.
[You have absorbed an enormous amount of Water Essence.]
"Oh, this feels easy," Damian remarked.
Unlike his previous experiences with the [Fire Essence] and [Wood Essence], there was no resistance this time.
It was as if his body naturally accepted the Water Essence.
Neither his Fire nor Wood Essences conflicted with the new energy.
[Your talent [World Tree''s Blessing] is taking effect.]
[You have gained complete affinity with the energy known as Water Essence.]
Without affinity, one cannot control or circulate energy, leading to instability and self-destruction.
This was where Damian''s talent, [World Tree''s Blessing], shined.
It allowed him to gain affinity with any form of energy once it was absorbed and registered in his spirit.
As he gained complete control over the Water Essence, he began to circulate it.
He felt no resistance, even less than what the Wood Essence had given him.
However, he noticed something peculiar: the Wood Essence was now absorbing the Water Essence to grow.
[Your Wood Essence increased: +1]
[Your Wood Essence increased: +1]
[Your Wood Essence increased: +1]
...
..
.
Damian remained calm.
He trusted his other talent would manage this interaction, and he was curious to observe how the essences reacted to one another.
He realized something important: the Fire Essence burned the Wood Essence to grow, and now the Wood Essence was absorbing the Water Essence to strengthen itself.
Additionally, the Water Essence was weakening the Fire Essence.
[Your talent [Limitless Harmony] is taking effect.]
[The Water Essence has gained harmony with the other energies inside you.]
With [Limitless Harmony] activated, the conflicting reactions between the elemental Essences stopped.
All three energies began circulating in perfect synchronization, no longer interfering with one another.
Damian directed the circulating Water Essence into the space where his three cores spun continuously with energy:
A light blue core representing his [Mana Core].
A fiery orange core representing his [Fire Essence Core].
A vibrant green core representing his [Wood Essence Core].
Between the Fire and Wood Essence Cores, a new deep blue core began to form, slowly condensing until it matched the size of his other Essence Cores.
[You have formed the [Water Essence Core].]
The remaining Water Essence flowed into the newly formed core, filling it with energy.
[Your Water Essence increased: +1]
[Your Water Essence increased: +7]
[Your Water Essence increased: +4] S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[Your Water Essence increased: +5]
...
..
.
[Your Vitality increased: +27]
[Your Perception Increased: +20]
[Your Constitution [The Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect]
[Due to the creation of the Water Essence Core and the Water Essence coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered.]
[You have awakened the Constitution: Eternal Sea Sovereign Physique]
[Effects:
-Grants you the [Water Essence Core], allowing you to store Water Essence.
-Increases your body''s adaptability to any condition by 75%.
-Increases your immunity to flames by 70%.
-Allows you to create water and water-based energy from any part of your body using Water Essence.
-Enhances healing capabilities by 100%.
-Enhances perception capabilities.
-Grants you the ability to thrive underwater.
-Increases your resistance to physical pressure by 100%.
-Passively increases vitality as your Water Essence grows.
-Improves energy circulation by 100%.
-Increases your affinity with sea creatures by 100%.
-Increases your pain resistance by 75%.
-Grants you the ability to live without food.
-Unlocks an ability called [Water Avatar]].
After fully refining the remaining Water Essence, Damian ventured to the center of the largest island in this realm.
At its heart lay a pond.
Without hesitation, he dove in, swimming deeper until he found the [Water Essence Stone] he had been searching for.
Grasping it tightly, he swiftly returned to the surface.
[You have obtained the [Water Essence Stone].]
[You have completed the 12th Trial.]
[Rewards:
+65,000 Gold
+10 Free Stat Points
+1 Water Essence Stone]
Chapter 54: Chapter 54: An Intense Battle - 1
Chapter 54: Chapter 54: An Intense Battle - 1Another day passed, and Damian completed the 13th, 14th, and 15th trials after obtaining the [Water Essence] in the 12th trial.
[13th Trial Rewards:
+70,000 Gold
+10 Free Stat Points
+1 Epiphany Card]
[You have Leveled Up] x 3
[14th Trial Rewards:
+75,000 Gold
+10 Free Stat Points
+1 Path Finder Card]
[You have Leveled Up] x 4
[15th Trial Rewards:
+80,000 Gold
+10 Free Stat Points
+1 Random System Function Card]
[You have Leveled Up] x 3
Damian turned his gaze to the place where the 16th trial would take place.
[Welcome to Thaldrum, a realm forged from Earth Essence and inhabited by earthen monsters. These creatures are physically stronger, with skin as tough as metal. They are highly aggressive and will attack anything they perceive as an enemy.]
[16th Trial Condition: Obtain the Earth Essence]
He looked around the area and found himself standing in a rocky canyon.
Giant rocks protruded from the ground, casting long shadows in the eerie silence.
It felt as if he were the only person in this realm.
Activating his senses, Damian quickly detected a concentrated energy source, far denser than anything else in this realm.
Along with it, he sensed hundreds of other presences surrounding him.
Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath his feet.
He heard the deep rumble of movement as the giant rocks began to vibrate.
Slowly, they lifted from the ground, revealing monstrous figures of various shapes and sizes.
Yet, they all shared one common trait¡ªthey appeared to be made entirely of soil and stone.
-----
[Name: Earth Spirits]
[Description: Beings composed solely of soil and rock, with the [Earth Essence] holding their forms together and granting them sentience. They are highly territorial and aggressively attack any intruders.]
-----
"These guys look much tougher than the ones I''ve faced before," Damian muttered.
---Two Days Later---
[You have Leveled Up] x 8
It took Damian an unusually long two days to eliminate all the monsters in this realm and extract their [Earth Essence Cores].
These creatures were similar to the [Fire Spirits] Damian fought during the 4th trial.
Their bodies regenerated almost instantly unless their cores were destroyed or removed.
Breaking through their rocky defenses was no easy task; their bodies were made of solid stone and dense earth, making them incredibly difficult to pierce.
However, Damian overcame this challenge using his increased strength, empowered by the strengthening of his Qi and his sword technique, [Dance of the Sacred Blade].
With precise strikes, he shattered their defenses and defeated them.
"Time to acquire the [Earth Essence]," Damian said, eyeing the [Earth Essence Cores] laid before him, harvested from the fallen Earth Spirits.
Activating his unique innate ability, a swirling vortex of energy formed in his palm.
The vortex rapidly absorbed the energy stored within the hundreds of [Earth Essence Cores], funneling it into his energy stream.
[You have absorbed a large quantity of Earth Essence.]
Damian sat down and tried to control and circulate the Earth Essence, but he couldn''t until the effect of his talent subtly activated.
[Your talent [World Tree''s Blessing] is taking effect.]
[You have gained complete affinity with the energy known as Earth Essence.]
As soon as he gained control over the [Earth Essence], he began to circulate it through his energy stream along with the other energies he possessed.
However, he noticed something unusual.
When the [Earth Essence] collided with the other elemental essences, it reacted differently.
It weakened the [Fire Essence], while the [Wood Essence] remained unaffected.
Surprisingly, the [Water Essence] was highly compatible with the [Earth Essence], and the [Earth Essence] even seemed to absorb the [Water Essence] to strengthen itself.
[Your talent [Limitless Harmony] is taking effect.]
[The Earth Essence has gained harmony with the other energies inside you.]
After a few minutes, the [Earth Essence] ceased reacting with the other energies.
Damian smoothly circulated the newly acquired [Earth Essence].
The [Earth Essence] began to gather in the space where his [Mana Core], [Fire Essence Core], [Wood Essence Core], and [Water Essence Core] resided. Slowly,
it condensed between the [Fire Essence Core] and the [Water Essence Core], forming a new, rich brown-colored core known as the [Earth Essence Core].
[You have formed the [Earth Essence Core].]
[Your Earth Essence increased: +5]
[Your Earth Essence increased: +7]
[Your Earth Essence increased: +4]
[Your Earth Essence increased: +5]
...
..
.
[Your Constitution [The Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect]
[Due to the creation of the Earth Essence Core and the Earth Essence coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered.] sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[You have awakened the Constitution: Unbreakable Terra Titan Physique.]
[Effects:
-Grants you the [Earth Essence Core], allowing you to store Earth Essence.
-Increases your body''s adaptability to any condition by 50%.
-Increases your immunity to flames by 40%.
-Enhances healing capabilities by 40%.
-Increases your resistance to physical pressure by 75%.
-Increases your resistance to physical attacks by 100%.
-Increases your resistance to lightning by 75%.
-Increases the toughness of your flesh by 100%.
-Increases your durability by 100%.
-Increases your endurance by 100%.
-Increases your affinity with earth creatures by 100%.
-Increases your pain resistance by 75%.
-Passively increases your willpower.
-Passively increases vitality as your Earth Essence grows.
-Allows you to create Earth and Earth-based elements from any part of your body using Earth Essence.
-Grants you the sub-skill [Seismic Sense].
-Unlocks the ability [Terra Avatar]].
[Your Vitality increased: +12]
[Your Strength increased: +15]
[Your Stamina increased: +15]
Damian slowly opened his eyes, feeling the immense power coursing through his body.
His muscles felt denser, his skin tougher, and his entire being more grounded.
A grin crept across his face.
After a few minutes, Damian found the Earth Essence Stone buried deep inside the canyon, surrounded by another dozen Earth Spirits.
After an hour or so, he defeated them all and absorbed their source cores, significantly increasing his [Earth Essence] reserves.
[You have completed the 16th Trial.]
[Rewards:
+85,000 Gold
+1 Earth Essence Stone]
The following day, Damian spent his time clearing three more trials, earning their respective rewards.
[17th Trial Rewards:
+90,000 Gold
+10 Free Stat Points
+1 Exclusive Elemental Dungeon Card]
[You have Leveled Up] x2
[18th Trial Rewards:
+95,000 Gold
+10 Free Stat Points
+1 Title Hunting Card]
[You have Leveled Up] x3
[19th Trial Rewards:
+100,000 Gold
+10 Free Stat Points
+1 Demon Dungeon Card]
[You have Leveled Up] x3
[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 20th floor of the Tower of Evolution?]
"Yes," Damian answered confidently.
As usual, his vision blurred.
However, this time it didn''t clear instantly.
The haziness lingered, and a series of unfamiliar notifications appeared in his field of vision.
[It has been detected that you have completed all trials from the 1st to the 19th in Hell-level difficulty.]
[You are the only person to ever complete all trials continuously in Hell difficulty while exceeding the limits and conditions of the trials with overwhelming superiority.]
[To honor your exceptional efforts, the 20th Trial of the Tower of Evolution and its rewards are being altered.]
[You are being transported to the Trial Ground of the True Warriors.]
As Damian''s vision began to clear, he found himself standing at the center of a massive arena, roughly 100 meters in diameter.
The space was empty except for a single figure standing opposite him, arms crossed.
[The 20th Trial has been transformed into a Unique-grade Trial.]
[Trial Condition: Defeat the Heavenly Sword Demon.]
[Both you and the Heavenly Sword Demon''s levels have been regressed to Level 50 temporarily. However, you will retain all additional stats gained from sources other than leveling up.]
"Heavenly Sword Demon¡ what an intimidating name. Should I give myself a title like that?" Damian mused as he curiously observed the figure.
It had been months since he interacted with anyone.
Not that it mattered; he was never particularly social.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Sword Demon stared back at Damian with an equally curious gaze.
This was the first time the system had tasked him with fighting another Awakener.
Naturally, he was intrigued.
But when the system informed him that this opponent had cleared the Hell difficulty trials, something no other climber in the Tower of Evolution had done, his curiosity intensified.
He couldn''t help but wonder just how powerful the Awakener standing before him truly was.
The oppressive aura radiating from Damian sent chills down his spine, and he was the Heavenly Sword Demon, one of the strongest figures in Murim''s history.
For someone like him to shudder at another''s presence, Damian had to be formidable.
Damian''s eyes locked onto the Heavenly Sword Demon''s.
A sly smile crept across his face.
"Are you actually a demon, or is it just a title meant to boast?" Damian asked, his tone playful yet sharp.
The Heavenly Sword Demon paused for a moment before answering.
"It''s a title given to me by the people of Murim. But it''s also my class," he replied calmly.
Damian stared at him for a brief moment before dashing forward, gripping his twin swords tightly, fully intent on killing his opponent.
"That''s more like it," the Heavenly Sword Demon grinned.
In a flash, he reacted by unsheathing the katana hidden beneath his robes and charged at Damian with full force.
The battle between two monsters had begun.
Chapter 55: Chapter 55: An Intense Battle - 2
Chapter 55: Chapter 55: An Intense Battle - 2Damian''s dual swords clashed against the Heavenly Sword Demon''s katana, producing an intense metallic clang as a small shockwave rippled outward.
Damian''s eyes narrowed.
He could feel the immense strength of his opponent through that exchange.
This man was undoubtedly on the same level as him, if not stronger.
Though Damian hadn''t used his full strength, he had still exerted considerable power in that strike.
Yet, the man known as the Heavenly Sword Demon blocked it with ease.
His stats were definitely superior.
Damian pushed forward, then leaped back to create distance between them.
"You''re strong, but I suppose that''s to be expected. After all, you''ve been challenging the Hell Mode trials," the Heavenly Sword Demon said with a grin, clearly amused.
Damian didn''t waste time listening.
The moment he gained distance, he used it to accelerate, building momentum before launching himself at his opponent once again.
"Feisty, aren''t we?" the Heavenly Sword Demon chuckled, standing his ground, choosing to meet the oncoming attack head-on.
Damian gripped his swords tightly and unleashed a powerful slash with both hands, putting his full strength behind the strike.
As their blades collided once more, the Heavenly Sword Demon felt as if a massive boulder had struck his katana.
The sheer force of the blow sent painful vibrations through his arms, momentarily numbing his hands.
Yet, he managed to withstand the attack without breaking.
However, he was forced back several meters.
"You''re stronger than I thought¡ but you''re not going all out, are you? No, this won''t be enough to¡ª" the Heavenly Sword Demon muttered through a pained expression.
"Dude, can you just shut up and fight? Why do you keep blabbering?" Damian snapped, irritation creeping into his voice.
He was beginning to miss the peace he''d enjoyed during the months spent clearing the trials.
"Not much of a talker, I see¡ but that''s fine."
"Oh yeah?" Damian raised an eyebrow, sensing a sudden surge of pressure from the man before him.
"Yes, because I won''t be holding back anymore."
An explosion of aura erupted from the Heavenly Sword Demon''s body, extending to his katana and enveloping it in thick, violent Qi.
"If you don''t wish to die, I suggest you do the same."
His figure blurred, moving faster than Damian''s eyes could follow.
Yet Damian''s expression remained calm, showing not a hint of concern.
This unbothered demeanor made the Heavenly Sword Demon scowl, his irritation deepening.
The Heavenly Sword Demon was one of the most feared figures in all of Murim.
He had slaughtered countless swordsmen, cultivators, mages¡ªeven real demons.
And yet, this low-level awakener dared to face him without an ounce of fear. It was insulting.
Murim warriors were naturally proud, and none were prouder than the Heavenly Sword Demon.
"You''re asking for death!" the Heavenly Sword Demon roared.
[Heavenly Mirage Dance: Sword Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Tyrant''s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated]
The Heavenly Sword Demon''s aura exploded into a razor-sharp force, and his figure transformed into a blur of blue light.
He flashed from place to place around the arena, each step shattering the ground beneath him.
Deep sword slashes scarred the earth with every strike, his katana slicing through the air in rapid succession.
Damian''s eyes began to glow with a neon blue light as he activated his innate ability, [Eyes of Clarity], allowing him to track his opponent''s every movement.
His swords rose in preparation, intent on defending.
Blades of light split the air, converging on Damian from every direction.
The relentless barrage crashed into him, resulting in a series of deafening explosions.
His figure was blasted backward, slamming into the arena wall with a sickening impact.
As the smoke cleared, Damian''s body was embedded in the wall, as though fused into it.
Deep sword wounds covered his body, and blood poured from him like a mountain stream.
"That''s what you get for looking down on me, you arrogant brat," the Heavenly Sword Demon sneered in satisfaction, though it didn''t last long.
Damian slowly rose to his feet, his face calm and unconcerned despite the blood flowing from countless wounds across his body.
It was as if he had been bathed in a rain of sharp swords from every direction.
Yet his expression, especially those piercing blue eyes, showed no fear.
There was only arrogance, as though he still believed he could defeat the Heavenly Sword Demon.
And the demon didn''t like that one bit. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He was accustomed to seeing fear in the eyes of his enemies.
Watching Damian look at him as if he were nothing more than an obstacle infuriated him, striking a nerve that was already fraying.
"You bastard!" the Heavenly Sword Demon roared, his fury igniting once more.
His aura flared violently, waves of intense energy rippling outward as raging Qi enveloped his form.
With a burst of speed, he dashed toward Damian, his katana burning with concentrated sword Qi.
Appearing before Damian in an instant, the Heavenly Sword Demon unleashed a relentless barrage of slashes from all directions.
Every strike sent devastating waves of energy crashing through Damian and tore apart everything behind him.
Blood splattered through the air, staining the ground in all directions.
The demon''s assault was merciless, his katana hacking away like an axe against an ancient tree.
His strikes came faster and harder, as if he were a madman consumed by rage.
Yet no matter how many times he struck, no matter how much blood Damian lost, his expression remained unchanged.
He didn''t flinch, didn''t falter.
This only deepened the Heavenly Sword Demon''s fury, twisting his face with rage.
"You... you bastard!" the demon howled, leaping back to create distance.
He stared at Damian, who looked as though he had been struck by dozens of trucks in rapid succession.
Damian was drenched in blood, lying broken on the ground.
Yet, his face showed no pain.
No fear.
Slowly, Damian began to rise, his indifferent gaze fixed on the Heavenly Sword Demon.
"Is that the best you can do? So much for the great Heavenly Sword Demon," Damian sneered, somehow managing a smirk on his battered face. "I thought you said you were going all out. That was clearly a lie, wasn''t it?"
The Heavenly Sword Demon said nothing.
But the veins bulging on his forehead, the blood pulsing beneath his skin, and the way he bit down on his lip spoke volumes.
Then, an incredible aura exploded from him, sending shockwaves of energy in every direction.
Even Damian could feel the crushing pressure weighing down on him.
"You are dead," the Heavenly Sword Demon muttered darkly.
His figure blurred and vanished, reappearing in the sky, cloaked in a blazing aura.
He raised his katana high above his head.
Damian watched with a smile. "Come on, bring out the good stuff."
The Heavenly Sword Demon''s face contorted further. "This bastard... he''s still smiling..."
Everything the demon believed in felt like it was crumbling.
His pride and his dominance all seemed meaningless in the face of Damian''s defiance.
For the first time in his long, blood-soaked life, he felt a frustration he couldn''t describe.
He had slain thousands, and every one of them had died in fear and agony.
Yet Damian smiled, even after being brutalized.
And the demon wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile away.
[Heaven Shattering Sword: Sword Technique Activated]
"Try and smile through this!" the Heavenly Sword Demon roared, slashing his katana downward with a single, decisive motion.
The blue sky turned crimson.
The air grew unbearably hot as an immense ray of sword Qi erupted from the blade, tearing through the sky and crashing down toward Damian.
The ground quaked violently as the beam struck, splitting the earth and sending dirt and dust exploding outward like a bomb had gone off.
The arena shook, and silence followed.
When the dust finally cleared, Damian lay at the center of a massive crater, shaped like a colossal sword slash.
A deep, gaping wound stretched from the top of his head to his waist, grotesquely exposing torn flesh.
Blood poured endlessly from the wound, dripping from his mouth and nostrils.
"That''s what you get for showing me arrogance and not fearing me," the Heavenly Sword Demon sneered, a dark grin spreading across his face.
"Now you''ll die a pathetic, painful death. You didn''t even get to enter the First Tower Realm."
He laughed coldly, staring at Damian''s seemingly lifeless body sprawled in the blood-soaked dirt.
Then suddenly, the cold laugh on his lips stopped midway, and his eyes widened in absolute shock, seeing something unlike anything he had witnessed in his thousands of years of life.
"How can you still be standing after all that?" The Heavenly Sword Demon''s entire being trembled as he watched the man who was supposed to be dead standing tall, holding swords in both hands.
His face showed no concern or any sign of pain.
"Do you not know pain?" the Heavenly Sword Demon asked, his voice shaking.
"Oh, I know pain. I''m just so used to it," Damian shrugged.
Then, he reactivated all the effects of his constitutions, which he had deactivated before the battle began.
He also prevented his body from healing any wounds.
As soon as he reactivated them, the elemental essences [Fire Essence], [Wood Essence], [Water Essence], and [Earth Essence] coursed through his body, rapidly healing his injuries.
His vitality was already through the roof, and on top of that, the healing effects provided by the elemental essences, especially the [Wood Essence] whose primary effect was healing, accelerated his recovery.
Within a minute, all his wounds closed, his broken bones reconstructed, and he returned to peak condition.
The Heavenly Sword Demon watched with shaking eyes as Damian''s injuries vanished.
Suddenly, Damian''s aura shifted.
A pressure unlike anything the Heavenly Sword Demon had ever felt descended upon him, making it feel as though something was crawling under his skin.
The air grew so thick he could hardly breathe.
"By the way," Damian spoke, opening his eyes to reveal them glowing in a neon blue hue.
His mind, boosted by his talent [Rumination Clarity], processed a massive amount of information he had just gathered.
"Thanks for the techniques," Damian muttered as a series of notifications flooded his mind:
[You have learned the sword technique, Heavenly Mirage Dance.]
[You have learned the movement technique, Heavenly Shadow Steps.]
[You have learned the body-strengthening technique, Heavenly Tyrant''s Body.]
[You have learned the single-slash sword technique, Heaven Shattering Sword.]
[You have completely learned the Heavenly Sword Art.]
Chapter 56: Chapter 56: An Intense Battle - 3
Chapter 56: Chapter 56: An Intense Battle - 3Damian had a reason for turning off the effects of all his constitutions.
During the trials, he had subjected his body to extreme conditions by surviving hundreds of intense explosions, absorbing enormous amounts of energy that could have caused him to explode from within, and sitting inside fire essence-filled lava for eleven days straight.
His constitution and talents allowed his body to become incredibly strong by adapting to these extreme conditions.
Even Damian didn''t fully understand how strong his physical body had become.
When the Heavenly Sword Demon attacked him, Damian had deactivated all the effects of the four elemental essences, significantly reducing his durability and endurance.
This left his body highly vulnerable, allowing the Heavenly Sword Demon''s attacks to work effectively.
Despite pretending to defend himself, Damian wasn''t actively resisting.
Yet, his body wasn''t completely disintegrated, demonstrating just how powerful he had become.
Damian wanted to exploit his immense durability and pain tolerance to provoke the Heavenly Sword Demon into using his strongest techniques so he could learn them.
From the moment, When the system notified him of the impending battle against the Heavenly Sword Demon, Damian knew he was up against a formidable opponent with higher-grade techniques.
He also understood the Heavenly Sword Demon wouldn''t willingly share his techniques with him.
Damian had perfect recall.
Seeing something once or twice was enough for him to learn or imitate it completely.
As the Heavenly Sword Demon began performing his techniques, Damian''s talent, [Rumination Clarity], enhanced his information processing and memory.
Combined with his innate ability, [Eyes of Clarity], which allowed him to perceive the truth of everything, including the flow of energy in the world, Damian could analyze everything in slow motion.
His brain rapidly recorded the Demon''s every move, and Damian continued provoking him, knowing that the Demon was close to unleashing his most powerful technique.
Now that the Heavenly Sword Demon had seemingly used his strongest technique, Damian decided it was time to end the battle.
He activated all his abilities, and his presence shifted so dramatically that it felt as if he had become a completely different person.
Damian''s neon-blue eyes locked onto the Heavenly Sword Demon.
"Anyway, I hate talking to you, and I have a lot to do in Solarta... so goodbye."
He waved his hand, and three dozen flame magic circles suddenly appeared.
From each circle, a three-meter-long flame spear of intensely condensed fire emerged.
[Flame Spear: Spell Activated] x38
"You''re a fucking mage?" The Heavenly Sword Demon''s eyes widened in disbelief.
From the start, he had assumed Damian was a swordsman or martial artist.
Even though Damian hadn''t reached the Grandmaster level, his swordsmanship was likely at the master grade, showcasing an impressive understanding of sword techniques.
Yet, here he was, casting high-intensity spells.
While it wasn''t uncommon for warriors to practice both magic and swordsmanship, most specialized in one area while dabbling in the other.
Damian, however, didn''t appear to specialize solely in swordsmanship.
The intensity of the spells he was casting wasn''t individually threatening, but nearly forty flame spears aimed at the Heavenly Sword Demon posed a serious threat.
The Demon had encountered thousands of mages throughout his life, and compared to them, Damian still seemed like an amateur.
However, with his power reduced to level 50 and facing a relentless opponent conjuring dozens of destructive spells, the Heavenly Sword Demon realized he couldn''t escape.
The trial wouldn''t end until one of them died or admitted defeat, and surrender was never an option for the Heavenly Sword Demon.
There was only one option left.
The flame spears launched themselves at the target, the Heavenly Sword Demon, with rapid speed.
"You bastard, don''t get ahead of yourself!" the Heavenly Sword Demon roared as his aura exploded.
He dashed from place to place, trying to dodge the rain of flame spears crashing down on him.
Every time a flame spear touched the ground, it exploded, creating a chain of explosions all over the arena.
The flame spears were much faster than fireballs and far more accurate in hitting their target.
However, the Heavenly Sword Demon was even faster.
He managed to dodge every single flame spear, even though some came dangerously close as he dashed towards Damian with a furious, contorted expression.
Damian wasn''t even slightly worried.
He continued to spam the [Flame Spear] spell repeatedly.
His massive mana pool allowed him to cast peak 2nd-circle spells for hours without tiring.
At one point, the flame spears became even faster, and Damian began summoning more than fifty at once.
The pressure on the Heavenly Sword Demon increased.
The more spells Damian summoned, the harder it became to dodge.
Eventually, the Heavenly Sword Demon gave up dodging.
"You bastard! Are you trying to kill me?!" the Heavenly Sword Demon roared.
His katana began to glow with intense Qi as he slashed at the incoming flame spears, making them explode midair before they could hit the ground.
"Oh?" Damian raised an eyebrow thoughtfully as a new idea formed in his mind, though he didn''t stop casting spells.
Soon, the Heavenly Sword Demon broke through the rain of flame spears and reached Damian, his katana glowing with raging Qi.
"I''ve got you now, brat!" the Heavenly Sword Demon grinned, but his smile instantly vanished when he saw something he never thought possible.
Damian''s two swords were glowing with intense, raging Qi.
His entire figure was enveloped in Qi, like a thick second skin.
[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Tyrant''s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated]
Damian''s figure blurred as he suddenly appeared beside the Heavenly Sword Demon.
Before the demon could react, Damian vanished again, leaving a deep sword slash on his left arm.
Damian reappeared a few meters away, Qi bursting from his figure in all directions.
"That''s one good movement technique. Thanks for that." Damian smirked.
Without waiting for a response, he activated another technique he had stolen, while the Heavenly Sword Demon stood frozen, mouth wide open in shock.
You know that feeling when something you''ve dedicated your entire life to, something that makes you special, is suddenly mastered by someone younger and more talented?
Someone who didn''t have to work as hard as you, yet does it even better?
That crushing realization that your life''s work might be meaningless.
That''s exactly how the Heavenly Sword Demon felt at that moment.
"Just how?"
This single question haunted his mind like an inescapable shadow.
Do you know how many years it took the Heavenly Sword Demon to create and master these techniques?
It was called the [Heavenly Sword Art], one of the most dangerous sword techniques in the entire tower realm.
It belonged to a set of Techniques known as the Ultimate Techniques.
Ultimate Techniques are beyond grading.
They evolve with the user, growing stronger as the practitioner becomes stronger.
Once mastered, these techniques eliminate the need for learning new ones.
They are called "Ultimate" for this reason.
Such techniques are created by sword grandmasters.
The Heavenly Sword Demon was one.
Had his level not been regressed to level 50, he could have used his ''Concept'' to cut through Damian like butter.
But the system was smart; it would never allow him to wield his grandmaster power against a low-level awakener.
He created these techniques through blood and sweat, becoming one of the strongest swordsmen in the Murim, feared and loathed by many.
To a grandmaster, their techniques are like a limb, an extension of themselves.
They would never dream of sharing them.
Yet, Damian was performing these very techniques after seeing them only a few times.
It simply made no sense.
Not to mention, observing a sword''s movement or Qi circulation isn''t enough.
Mastery involves understanding energy flow, internal energy control, muscle strengthening, and footwork.
How could anyone replicate something so complex after only a few glances? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Then, the Heavenly Sword Demon remembered Damian''s unnaturally intense, glowing eyes. "He... he must have some sort of special eyes."
Damian gripped his swords tightly and circulated his Qi.
[Heavenly Mirage Dance: Sword Technique Activated]
His figure disappeared, leaving behind mirages of himself wielding swords.
These mirages moved in unison with him as if they were his shadows.
The more Damian moved, the more the figures split.
Each split figure rapidly swung their sword, unleashing dozens of sword rays that sliced through the air, raining down upon the Heavenly Sword Demon like a storm of blades.
When the rain of sword rays stopped, the Heavenly Sword Demon''s figure appeared, covered in sword wounds all over.
Yet, he showed no pain.
It was masked beneath the raging fury burning hotter than fire.
His face turned blood red, much like the blood covering it.
"I swear on my name as the Heavenly Sword Demon... today, either I kill you or I die!" he declared.
An incredible aura erupted from him, unleashing immense pressure on Damian, stronger than anything the Heavenly Sword Demon had ever released before.
"That''s it! Release your fury and help me improve my understanding of these techniques," Damian smiled, watching the Heavenly Sword Demon being pushed to his breaking point as he activated all his techniques.
[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Tyrant''s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Mirage Dance: Sword Technique Activated]
But the Heavenly Sword Demon wasn''t the only one.
Damian also activated the three ultimate techniques, mirroring him, and prepared for the final showdown.
On one side stood Damian, who had flawlessly copied the ultimate techniques from their creator just by observing.
On the other side stood the sword grandmaster, the Heavenly Sword Demon himself, the creator of these ultimate techniques.
Chapter 57: Chapter 57: The Final Blow
Chapter 57: Chapter 57: The Final Blow[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Tyrant''s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Mirage Dance: Sword Technique Activated]
The Heavenly Sword Demon and Damian activated their techniques simultaneously.
Their bodies became enveloped in thick Qi, resembling metallic armor, as their strength and defense surged.
Their swords were coated in sharp Qi, appearing as though countless layers of razor-sharp metal were stacked upon them.
The Heavenly Sword Demon''s face twisted further in anger and fury as he watched Damian wield three techniques from his [Heavenly Sword Art], techniques he had spent centuries mastering and perfecting.
"All my life, anyone who dared bare their fangs at me either ended up dead or wished they were. Your fate will be no different," the Heavenly Sword Demon said in a low, menacing tone.
"You have not only humiliated me and covered my face in blood, but you''ve also committed an unforgivable sin by stealing my precious [Heavenly Sword Art]... Now, you will pay the price," the Heavenly Sword Demon declared as his aura erupted, his figure becoming a blur.
A dozen mirages of his form moved alongside him, each indistinguishable from the real one.
"We''ll see," Damian muttered, moving in the same way, his figure leaving behind numerous mirages.
The sound of swords clashing echoed, filling the arena with the metallic cacophony of hundreds of blades striking each other.
Each collision unleashed waves of concentrated sword energy that tore through everything in their path.
It was as though not just Damian and the Heavenly Sword Demon were fighting, but their mirages, too, clashed endlessly.
Explosions of energy continuously reverberated through the arena, growing in intensity.
Thousands of sword Qi rays shot out in all directions, leaving colossal sword marks across the ground.
"I won''t let you live!" the Heavenly Sword Demon roared.
He attacked Damian like a frenzied madman, his katana striking from all directions and battering his opponent relentlessly.
Sword wounds appeared all over Damian''s body, and blood poured out as if from an overflowing chalice.
Yet, within moments, the wounds healed as if they had never been there.
The elemental essence within Damian restored him with a speed that the Heavenly Sword Demon had seen in only a few rare races.
And, he was certain Damian was merely a lowly, unevolved human.
To make matters worse for the Heavenly Sword Demon, he realized his attacks weren''t as effective as they should have been.
It was as though he was fighting a man made of rock.
Even more infuriating, Damian, the audacious brat, was rapidly improving in his mastery of the stolen techniques as the battle progressed.
As the fight dragged on for over an hour, the Heavenly Sword Demon''s fury reached unprecedented heights.
No matter how many strikes he delivered, he couldn''t make Damian feel pain.
That was the worst of it.
All his life, he had made countless men cry at his feet, begging for forgiveness.
He had spilled rivers of blood and tears, and no one who challenged him had ever lived to tell the tale.
He had not earned the title "Demon" for nothing.
Yes, countless strong warriors had challenged him, some even stronger than he was, and had made him bleed.
Yet, it had never mattered.
He always emerged victorious, no matter the cost in blood or sweat.
He had never known defeat.
But now, for the first time in his life, he was fighting someone who did not feel pain.
Someone capable of mastering ultimate techniques just from observation.
Someone who healed at a monstrous speed, like a creature of the night.
Someone who wielded magic at the level of a high-ranking mage while also surpassing the skills of elite swordsmen.
How could a monster like this exist?
The undefeated Demon began to feel fear, a fear he had never known.
Not the fear of death, but the fear of losing.
At that moment, the Demon began to fear the monster he was fighting.
The fight dragged on for more than two hours, and more than half of the arena had already been destroyed.
The fighting grounds had become uneven, littered with craters and sword marks all over the place.
At first, the Heavenly Sword Demon seemed to have the upper hand as all his attacks landed on Damian.
But then, he realized he was wrong.
The attacks weren''t as effective as they should have been, and even when they inflicted injuries, Damian healed within seconds.
Despite this, the Heavenly Sword Demon maintained an advantage initially.
Even though both of them were using the same techniques, his versions were far more refined, thanks to hundreds of years of training and perfecting those techniques.
However, that advantage gradually began to fade as Damian quickly refined his techniques to nearly the same level as the Heavenly Sword Demon.
The battle soon reached a stalemate, with their strength, speed, and techniques seemingly on equal footing.
Little did the Heavenly Sword Demon know, Damian wasn''t using any of the effects of his Class, [True Magic Swordsman], nor any of the forms granted by the four physiques of the elemental essences he had gained, or even the inherited ability, [Warrior''s Will].
Damian refrained from using them because he wanted to deepen his understanding of the techniques by fighting directly with their creator.
All of this was possible only because Damian''s opponent, the Heavenly Sword Demon, had his level suppressed to match Damian''s, and his abilities as a grandmaster had been sealed away.
Even then, the Heavenly Sword Demon should have been able to win.
His stats were far superior to Damian''s, and his mastery of swordsmanship and techniques was unmatched.
There seemed to be no way Damian could prevail.
But there was one crucial factor that kept being overlooked: Damian was no ordinary being.
He possessed multiple energies coursing through his body, such as [Qi], [Mana], and the elemental essences: [Fire Essence], [Wood Essence], [Water Essence], and [Earth Essence], each of which significantly enhanced his power in different ways.
[Fire Essence] increased his firepower, granted immunity to fire, enhanced physical resistance, and improved healing to a certain degree.
[Wood Essence] boosted his ability to heal from any wound, no matter how deep or severe, at an abnormal speed. It also dramatically increased his fatigue recovery and health regeneration.
[Earth Essence] enhanced his strength, endurance, durability, and stamina exponentially.
[Water Essence] amplified the minor effects of all the other essences by a significant margin while doubling his healing speed and regeneration capabilities.
The effects of these elemental essences didn''t appear in Damian''s attributes directly, but they were very much active and constantly improving as Damian expanded his energy pool.
Not to mention, if Damian used any of the four forms [Fire Avatar], [Verdant Avatar], [Water Avatar], or [Earth Avatar] that he gained from his four elemental essences, just think what would happen if he activated even one of them, let alone more than one simultaneously.
Not even Damian knew what kind of power he would unleash.
Damian was no longer taking any damage from the Heavenly Sword Demon''s attacks.
His understanding of the techniques had reached new heights, and he was beginning to take the lead as his strikes started to connect.
"You¡" The Heavenly Sword Demon''s eyes widened in shock.
In just a few hours, not only had Damian learned a set of ultimate techniques just by observing but had also refined them to perfection.
Now, he was using those same techniques to best their original creator.
It was simply unacceptable.
Damian wasn''t amused either. He felt like he was wasting time.
He had so much planned for when he entered the First Tower Realm, Solarta.
He had already spent too much time training and refining his body during the trials.
Meanwhile, many of the others from Earth had likely entered Solarta and were leveling up to reach the Second Tower Realm by now.
With a powerful swing of his sword, Damian jumped back, creating distance between himself and the Heavenly Sword Demon.
"It''s time to end this," Damian muttered, his neon blue eyes glowing ominously.
"W-What the fuck are you trying to do?" the Heavenly Sword Demon roared, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He had already begun to lose stamina, while Damian didn''t appear tired at all.
Damian''s presence began to shift.
[Warrior''s Will: Inherited Ability Activated]
[All your physical power, effects of abilities, constitution, and traits will increase by 15%.]
Damian''s aura exploded, growing larger and larger until the pressure radiating from him began to crush the Heavenly Sword Demon into submission.
It felt as though his lungs had filled with water, his head had become unbearably heavy, and everything around him turned cold and hard.
His vision blurred as Damian''s figure appeared to stand amid a vibrant neon-blue flame.
[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Tyrant''s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Mirage Dance: Sword Technique Activated]
Damian''s figure vanished, reappearing in different places, too fast for the Heavenly Sword Demon to follow.
Before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt a cold sensation on his skin.
"What''s happening?" he gasped, looking down to see blood trickling from his arm.
Then, before he could process it, the same cold sensation spread across his body.
Strength rapidly drained from him, his head grew light, and then pain assaulted him from all directions, clearing his vision.
The Heavenly Sword Demon found himself collapsing to the ground, his body covered in sword wounds.
"This¡ this can''t be happening," he muttered, staring at the blood on his hands.
"I''m the great Heavenly Sword Demon¡ This isn''t supposed to happen¡ I can''t lose¡"
The air shifted again.
Through the haze of pain, he saw Damian standing in mid-air, surrounded by an intense flame-like aura.
Damian''s hair defied gravity, levitating in the energy field, and his sword was raised high above his head.
"I won''t¡ he can''t defeat me!"
Fury ignited in the Heavenly Sword Demon''s eyes as his last reserves of power erupted.
With a desperate roar, he raised his katana.
[Heaven Shattering Sword: Sword Technique Activated]
Both Damian and the Heavenly Sword Demon unleashed their strongest techniques, the same one-shot ultimate sword technique that Damian had copied from him.
Damian didn''t flinch, nor did the Heavenly Sword Demon, as both swung their swords at the exact same moment.
A sound like a piercing whistle echoed through the air as two blinding rays of sword Qi collided, painting the sky a bright crimson.
BOOM!
The explosion pushed everything in the arena outward.
Waves of energy, wind, and intense heat erupted from the center, overwhelming everything in its path.
The blast took two minutes to fully subside.
When it was over, an eerie silence blanketed the area.
At the epicenter of a massive crater shaped like a sword slash lay the Heavenly Sword Demon, his body half-severed from shoulder to waist.
His insides were spilling out, and though somehow still alive, his fate was sealed.
Damian landed gracefully, his aura receding as the effects of [Warrior''s Will] faded.
His presence returned to normal as he glanced at a series of notifications appearing before his eyes:
[Your talent [Boundless Refinement] is taking effect]
[Your constitution [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect]
[Your physical body has adapted to the effects of the sudden burst of energy provided by your inherited ability]
[Your Strength increased: +2]
[Your Stamina increased: +2]
[Your Perception increased: +2]
[Your Agility increased: +2]
[Your Vitality increased: +2]
[It has been detected that ''The Heavenly Sword Demon'' is no longer in any condition to continue the battle]
[The system has concluded that the Awakener ''Damian Ignatius'' has won the battle]
Damian watched the notifications calmly.
The Heavenly Sword Demon vanished into specks of light the moment the system confirmed his victory.
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Title Effect
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Title Effect[It has been detected that ''The Heavenly Sword Demon'' is no longer in any condition to continue the battle]
[The system has concluded that the Awakener ''Damian Ignatius'' has won the battle]
Damian watched the notifications calmly.
The Heavenly Sword Demon vanished into specks of light the moment the system confirmed his victory.
[You have completed your unique trial.]
[Analyzing your battle, performance, techniques, and skills displayed...]
[Calculating your rewards...]
Damian sighed as he waited. Raising an eyebrow, he noticed that, for some reason, the system was taking more than a few minutes.
This had never happened before; the system typically took only a few seconds, even when assigning him his class.
[Your performance in the final trial has surpassed the expectations of the System Administrator. As a result, your rewards are being altered to match your performance.]
"The Administrator?"
Damian raised an eyebrow.
He didn''t know anything about this person or entity known as the Administrator.
Even before his regression, the Awakener Association had no data on the Administrator, except that they were someone who oversaw everything that happened in the universe and controlled the system.
"Wait, did he alter the 30th trial into a unique trial just for me?" Damian wondered, rubbing his chin. "Tch, whatever. As long as I''m rewarded properly for my efforts."
[Your rewards have been calculated.]
[Your rewards:
-Title: Hero of Adversaries
+1 Territory Card+250,000 Gold
+5 Elemental Shards
+3 Epiphany Cards
+5 Random Martial Weapon Cards
+1 Awakener Wardrobe (Type: Battle / Grade: Special)
+1 Awakener Wardrobe (Type: Formal / Grade: Special)
+1 Awakener Wardrobe (Type: Casual / Grade: Special)+2 Pathfinder Cards]
[Your rewards have been sent to your inventory.]
"Hah, I guess the rewards were worth the trouble after all," Damian muttered as he reviewed the rewards he had received.
A new set of notifications appeared.
[It has been detected that you have completed the 20 trials of the initialization.]
[You have gained entry to the first tower realm, known as Solarta.]
[You can enter ''Solarta'' simply by wishing it from now on.]
"Finally, I can enter Solarta..." Damian muttered with a small, satisfied smile. "But before that, I need to make sure I''m ready."
Damian summoned his status.
________________________________
[Awakener: Damian Ignatius]
[level
: 111]
[Class: True Magic Swordsman]
[Qi Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Realm(Supreme)]
[Cultivation Method: The Path Of The Sacred Arts]
[Magic Cultivation: 2nd Circle(Perfected)]
{{Flame - 2nd Ring(Perfect)}}
{{Wind - 2nd Ring(Perfect)}}
{{Earth - 1st Ring(Perfect)}}
{{Water - 1st Ring(Perfect)}}
{{Titles}}
-Regressor
-Solo Hunter
-Hero of Adversaries
{{Talents}}
-Elementalist
-Martial Lord
-Rumination clarity
-World Tree''s Blessing
-Boundless Refinement
-Limitless Harmony
{{Abilities}}
-Extraction(Unique/Innate)
-Warrior''s Will(Inherited)
-Eyes Of Clarity(Innate)]
{{Constitutions}}
-Unyielding Warrior''s Physique
-Eternal Earth Flame Physique
-Eternal Sacred Heart Physique
-Eternal Sea Sovereign Physique
-Unbreakable Terra Titan Physique
{{Forms}}
-Flame Avatar
-Verdant Avatar
-Water Avatar
-Earth Avatar
{{Traits}}
-Pain Tolerance
-Toxin Resistance
-Fire Resistance
{{Physical Attributes}}
[Strength: 194 | Agility: 162 | Vitality: 296|
Stamina: 177 | Perception: 162 ]
{Stat Points: 162}
{{Energy Reserves}}
[Mana: 185 | Qi: 16 | Fire Essence: 175
Wood Essence: 65 | Water Essence: 48]
Earth Essence: 52]
{{Spells}}
[Fireball | Flame Spear | Tidal Grasp
Earth Wall | Wind Blast | Flame Tempest]
{{Skills}} S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Swordsmanship(Master) | Spearmanship(Master)
Archery(Master) | Axe-Wielding(Master)
Quarterstaffmanship(Master) | Marksmanship(Master)
Glaivemanship(Master) | Kusarigamajutsu(Master)
Mace Fighting(Master) | Spellcasting(High)
Multicasting(High) | Elemental Fusion(Basics).]
{{Techniques}}
-The Sacred Mantras(Five Chapters)
-The Heavenly Sword Art(Four Chapters)
-The Thousand Armor Impale
{{Inventory}}
+12,95,000 Gold, +5 Elemental Shard, +1 Territory card, +7 Epiphany Card, +3 Path Finder card, +1 Random System Function Card, +1 Fire Essence Stone, +1 Wood Essence Stone, +1 Water Essence Stone, +1 Earth Essence Stone, +25 one gallon of Ember bee honey, +1 Random Martial Technique card, +6 Random Martial Weapon card, +2 Class Related Technique card, +1 Exclusive Elemental Dungeon Card, +1 Title Hunting card, +1 Demon Dungeon Card, +1 Awakener Wardrobe(Type: Battle/Grade: Special), +1 Awakener Wardrobe(Type: Formal/Grade: Special), +1 Awakener Wardrobe(Type: Casual/Grade: Special)]
________________________________
"Whoa, I can''t believe I''ve grown so much stronger," Damian said to himself, then slapped his face. "No, no, I should never be satisfied with my strength. I always have to aim for higher power."
"I will master every form of weapon, I will gain every type of power that exists, I will become stronger and dominate everything and everyone, and topple everything that stands in my way," Damian shook his head as he recounted his goals.
Ever since he regressed three years back to the day of the awakening, there had been a strange feeling, almost like a thought, actually more like a voice, that kept pushing him to grow stronger.
He couldn''t understand it, but he never cared enough to search for an explanation either.
He always figured he would get answers after he became very strong.
"Before anything, I have to conquer the first tower realm, and before that, I need to prepare myself for anything that I might encounter in Solarta." Damian looked at his physical attributes first.
"I will start by balancing my stats out."
{{Physical Attributes}}
[Strength: 220 | Agility: 235 | Vitality: 296|
Stamina: 235 | Perception: 162 ]
{Stat Points: 5}
"This should be enough," Damian said with satisfaction.
Then he looked at the swords in his hand, and a bitter expression crossed his face as he observed their condition.
The swords were damaged beyond repair and might break down if Damian used any more techniques.
"These weapons were really good, but they are no longer helpful to me," Damian snorted.
He had grown quite used to them; they were good, but they were no longer strong enough to withstand his strength and techniques.
They would break down.
It was already very impressive that they had been able to withstand the ultimate technique he had stolen from the Heavenly Sword Demon.
"I should try my luck with the [Random Martial Weapon card]," Damian said as a card appeared in his hand, which he crushed in his fist by tightening it.
[You have used a Random Martial Weapon card.]
A roulette appeared before his eyes, with about 40 slots, each one a different color, each representing a technique ranging from lower grade to higher grade: green < blue < red < silver < gold.
[The chance of getting any grade of martial weapons depends on your luck.]
[The martial weapons in the roulette are 50% green grade, 30% blue grade, 12% red grade, 6% silver grade, 2% gold grade.]
Damian read the information and took a deep breath before pushing the wheel of the roulette with his hand.
The roulette spun quickly, and Damian anxiously waited for it to stop, biting his lips.
He didn''t know why, but he felt extremely anxious watching the roulette spin, with the names of the martial weapons spinning alongside it.
At the same time, a notification appeared before his eyes.
[Your title ''Regressor'' is taking effect.]
[Your luck will increase by more than a dozen times over.]
Then the roulette began to slow down, and soon it came to a sudden stop.
Damian''s eyes widened with excitement as the pin stopped right on the golden-colored slot.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the ''Spear of Torment''.]
-----
[Item: Spear of Torment]
[A spear once owned by one of the Night Kings, one of the strongest spears in existence. After the death of its wielder, it lost most of its power but still contains a part of its original consciousness. It has the power to grow alongside the wielder, and to wield this weapon, the wielder must form a blood and soul contract. The weapon must also accept the wielder as its master.]
-----
A spear manifested out of nothing and landed before Damian, but it didn''t touch the ground and floated just an inch above.
The spear was intense black, with a sharp end and crimson accents, as though it had been splashed with blood.
Damian raised his hand to grab the spear, but as soon as his hand came near it, he felt the spear vibrate.
The air around it shook, as if warning Damian that it would hurt him.
"I guess you aren''t called the Spear of Torment for nothing," Damian muttered as he made a cut on his finger, controlling his figure to prevent healing, and dropped a few drops of his blood onto its blade.
The blood began to boil before it disappeared into the blade, and the Spear of Torment released small waves.
The threatening aura dissipated completely, and the spear landed in his hands.
"We are going to have so much fun," Damian muttered before he summoned three more [Random Martial Weapon cards] from his inventory and crushed them.
Three more roulettes appeared in his field of vision as he spun them quickly, his face glowing with excitement and anxiety, unable to suppress his imagination about what kind of weapons he would get this time.
[Your title ''Regressor'' is taking effect.]
[Your luck will increase by more than a dozen times over.]
Soon, the roulettes stopped. As expected, they all landed on the golden-colored slots.
"And three martial weapons appeared out of nowhere and landed before him.
[Since you used more than one random martial weapon card, you obtained two pieces of a weapon set.]
-----
[Item: Judgment, The Sword of Punishment]
[A growth-type sword that is part of a dual-sword set. It is known as the Sword of Punishment due to its strong affinity for dark power and dark-natured beings, as well as the immense pain it inflicts on its victims. It is the complete counterpart to Mercy, The Sword of Salvation. Although it was created by the Heavenly Father, its affinity for dark power renders it unsuitable for use by holy beings. The sword has formed a strong connection with Mercy, The Sword of Salvation, and cannot be wielded without its counterpart. It has a mind of its own and can only be wielded after forming a blood and soul contract, provided the sword accepts its master.]
-----
[Item: Mercy, The Sword of Salvation]
[A growth-type sword that is part of a dual-sword set created by the Heavenly Father. It possesses a consciousness of its own and is known as the Sword of Salvation due to its strong affinity for holy power and holy beings. It grants its user a serene mind while battling. Having formed a complete connection with Judgment, The Sword of Punishment, it can only be wielded alongside its counterpart. The sword has a mind of its own and can only be wielded after forming a blood and soul contract, provided the sword accepts its master.]
-----
[Darmung, The Devastation Bringer]
A growth-type longsword with a unique, large broadsword design, possessing tremendous destructive power. It reacts to the wielder''s pride and courage; as these traits grow, the sword''s destructive potential increases. Aggressive in nature and difficult to control, it can only be wielded by one whom the sword accepts as its master. The wielder must form a blood and soul contract with the sword to claim its power.
-----
Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Another Massive Power-Up
Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Another Massive Power-UpDamian looked at the three swords floating before him, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Just like with [Recna, the Spear of Torment], the swords refused to let his hand get close to them.
They released threatening auras, especially [Darmung, The Devastation Bringer], which unleashed a speck of sword aura when Damian tried to touch it.
The aura left a large, deep cut on his arm, which, of course, healed within seconds.
Just as he had done with the Spear of Torment, Damian dripped a few drops of his blood onto the three swords, waiting nervously and wondering if the weapons would accept him as their master.
If they didn''t, all his efforts would be wasted.
This was the only downside of owning ultimate-grade weapons; they had minds of their own.
It wasn''t the wielder who chose the sword; the sword chose its master.
Without acceptance, they were nothing more than fancy display pieces.
After a few tense seconds, the same thing happened with the swords.
The blood Damian had dripped on them was absorbed, and they released faint waves of aura before becoming submissive to him.
Damian grabbed the handle of [Darmung, The Devastation Bringer] with both hands and lifted the sword, studying it with a strange expression.
The sword was about six feet tall from the tip of the blade to the handle.
Its thick, single-edged blade shone with an indigo hue, reflecting light, while the dark blue handle contrasted beautifully.
"You are one beautiful sword¡ªexcept for your dangerous aura," Damian said.
He attempted to place the sword in his inventory, but it resisted, transforming instead into a small, green bracelet that wrapped around his upper arm.
Nodding, Damian then turned to the twin swords that came as a set: [Mercy, the Sword of Salvation], and [Judgment, the Sword of Punishment].
He held one in each hand.
The swords looked identical except for their blades.
The Sword of Salvation''s blade was pure white with a black handle, while the Sword of Punishment''s blade was jet black with an equally dark handle.
Both swords bore a symbol of wings on one side and intricate patterns etched into the other.
Like Darmung, the twin swords also transformed into accessories.
This time, however, they became two rings that wrapped around the fingers of Damian''s left hand.
Finally, he picked up the Spear of Torment and summoned the rewards he had gained from the system for completing the trials.
[Elemental Shard] x 5
[Fire Essence Stone] x 1
[Wood Essence Stone] x 1
[Water Essence Stone] x 1
[Earth Essence Stone] x 1
The five Elemental Shards were about the size of basketballs.
They were multicolored, as though all the colors of the spectrum had been mixed together, and they had no specific shape, resembling random rocks one might find anywhere.
-----
[Item: Elemental Shard]
[The rarest elemental stone found within the tower. It forms through the convergence of all elemental energies in a neutral environment, containing the essence of nature in a highly condensed crystal form.]
-----
The four Elemental Essence Stones, on the other hand, were formed by their respective essences condensing over long periods.
Damian raised his hand toward all the items and activated his unique innate ability.
[Extraction: Unique Innate Ability activated]
A vortex made of pure energy materialized, pulling the Elemental Shards and Essence Stones into it before disappearing into his hand.
Within Damian, an astronomical amount of energy surged into his energy stream: Qi, mana, fire essence, wood essence, water essence, earth essence, wind essence, ice essence, and lightning essence all flooded his body.
[You have absorbed all Elemental Shards] x 5
[You have absorbed Fire Essence Stone] x 1
[You have absorbed Wood Essence Stone] x 1
[You have absorbed Water Essence Stone] x 1
[You have absorbed Earth Essence Stone] x 1
The energies of opposing and compatible natures began to clash, going erratic and haywire. Damian''s body started to break apart. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[Warning: You have absorbed multiple energies of opposing and compatible natures in very large quantities.]
[As a result, The energies are unstable and are imploding your body from within.]
[Your energy circuits are being fried]
[Your energy stream is becoming unstable and flooding without control]
Damian sat cross-legged as the energies inside him began to tear his body apart.
Cracks appeared all over him, similar to how cracks appear on glass before it breaks.
However, blood didn''t emerge from the cracks.
Instead, all the energies inside him began to leak through them.
Even with his extremely high vitality, he couldn''t heal himself.
It was as if his self-healing abilities had been suddenly turned off, and the insurmountable pain began to take hold.
It was unlike anything he had ever endured before.
Even with his trait [Pain Tolerance], he couldn''t handle the pain; it was simply too much.
[Your talent [Boundless Refinement] is taking effect]
[Your constitution [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect]
[Your pain tolerance trait is being strengthened]
[Your body is adapting to the rapid flesh destruction]
[Your body is adapting to the rapid energy collision]
[Your body is adapting to the rapid energy implosion]
[Your body is strengthening]
[Your vitality is strengthening]
Damian''s mind continuously ran through everything, observing the reactions inside him: his flesh''s response to the introduction of large quantities of energy, the introduction of new kinds of energy, the interactions between the energies, and everything else happening inside him.
He closed his eyes, focusing through the pain, and finally took hold of the energy he already possessed.
Damian began to control all the Mana, Fire Essence, Water Essence, Earth Essence, and Wood Essence he had absorbed from the elemental shards and essence stones, isolating them from all the Wind Essence, Lightning Essence, Ice Essence, and Qi to prevent them from reacting with each other.
He then poured them into their respective cores.
[Your Mana increased: +35]
[Your Fire Essence increased: +70]
[Your Wood Essence increased: +70]
[Your Water Essence increased: +70]
[Your Earth Essence increased: +70]
[Due to the effect of the talent [Boundless Refinement] and constitution [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique]]
[Your energy circulation has improved]
[Your energy circuits have been strengthened and improved]
[Your energy stream is being strengthened and expanded]
As soon as Damian removed the five energies from the unstable energy stream and poured them into the cores, the breakdown his body was experiencing slowed down significantly.
After that, a sigh escaped his mouth as he focused his attention back on the remaining energies, the newly obtained ones, while ignoring the Qi as he had another plan for it.
[Your talent [World Tree''s Blessing] is taking effect.]
[You have gained complete affinity with the energy known as Wind Essence.]
[You have gained complete affinity with the energy known as Lightning Essence.]
[You have gained complete affinity with the energy known as Ice Essence.]
[Your Constitution [The Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect.]
He then gained control over the three essences and began circulating them towards the place where his other essence cores were located.
[Your talent [Limitless Harmony] is taking effect]
[Wind Essence, Lightning Essence, and Ice Essence have gained harmony with the other energy inside you.]
Using the [Wind Essence], he began to condense it, forming a new, more white, less gray-colored [Wind Essence Core] between the [Fire Essence Core] and [Water Essence Core].
[You have formed the Wind Essence Core]
[Due to the creation of the Wind Essence Core and the Wind Essence coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered.]
[You have awakened the Constitution: Relentless Tempest Sovereign Physique]
[Your Wind Essence increased: +20]
[Your Vitality increased: +22]
[Your Stamina increased: +15]
[Your Agility increased: +15]
[Your Perception Increased: +30]
He continued the same process with the remaining two elemental essences and used the [Ice Essence] to form the dark blue [Ice Essence Core] between the [Wind Essence Core] and [Water Essence Core].
[You have formed the Ice Essence Core]
[Due to the creation of the Ice Essence Core and the Ice Essence coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered.]
[You have awakened the Constitution: Indomitable Ice King Physique.]
[Your Ice Essence increased: +20]
[Your Vitality increased: +35]
[Your Strength increased: +15]
[Your Stamina increased: +15]
[Your Perception Increased: +15]
He did the same with the Lightning Essence, controlling it and forming a red-colored [Lightning Essence Core] between the [Wind Essence Core] and [Ice Essence Core].
[You have formed the Lightning Essence Core]
[Due to the creation of the Lightning Essence Core and the Lightning Essence coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered.]
[You have awakened the Constitution: Unstoppable Lightning Warrior Physique.]
[Your Lightning Essence increased: +20]
[Your Vitality increased: +30]
[Your Stamina increased: +15]
[Your Agility increased: +25]
[Your Perception Increased: +15]
Finally, all the essences inside rapidly stabilized, and his body began to rapidly heal from being broken apart. Slowly, the cracks over his body closed up.
Then he focused his attention on the last remaining energy, [Qi].
The reason he hadn''t done anything with it earlier was that he didn''t know what to do with it.
Qi can only be used for Qi cultivation, and only through cultivation can one increase their Qi reservoir.
Right now, what Damian lacked was Qi.
His other energy reserves were growing rapidly, but he couldn''t increase the Qi reserves.
Cultivation takes a lot of time, and Damian thought of an idea.
If the other energies could be used to create respective energy cores that could store energy, why couldn''t the same be done with [Qi]?
After all, it was just another type of energy.
But such a concept wasn''t even mentioned in the [Codex of Qi] he had been granted when he obtained his class.
It was something that had never been recorded.
The Codex of Qi contained all the information recorded related to Qi and Qi cultivation and how it was used until now.
"Let''s see if it works," Damian said.
He focused on the Qi and began to circulate it toward the place where his other energy cores resided.
He began to condense it.
Just as he thought, the Qi wasn''t condensing; it was simply joining together but not forming a core.
A minutes passed, and nothing seemed to be changing.
[your talent [Limitless Harmony] is taking effect]
Then suddenly, as if something intervened, the Qi that had been refusing to condense began to condense.
Soon, another core, similar in color to the [Mana Core], formed.
This one was called the [Qi Core].
[Your Qi increased: +25]
...
The woman with long dark hair, accented with streaks of red and known as the System Administrator, appeared in the castle where a single woman sat on the throne in the empty throne room.
"He got the [Recna], [Mercy], [Judgment], and [Darmung]... Isn''t it too soon to give him those weapons? You know how powerful they are, right?" The System Administrator looked at the woman on the throne.
"Trust me, it''s never too soon. Besides, I wanted to give him the stronger ones, but they might be too difficult for him to control right now."
"Even the ones we gave him are equally strong, but their consciousness has been severely weakened, so it won''t be a problem for him to manage them," the woman on the throne shrugged.
"And besides, I know you''d nag me and wouldn''t let me give him more weapons."
"That''s because he''s supposed to earn them from the system as rewards for his efforts. I can''t just hand them over. The system rules are there for a reason," the Administrator explained, rolling her eyes.
Only she knew how many times she''d had to explain the same things to this woman, and she couldn''t criticize her too much because she was the current head of the household.
"I placed them in a way that he''d get them as random rewards from the roulette. I didn''t rig the system either. I guess his luck is improving again, considering he keeps getting the strongest weapons from the roulette," the Administrator said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"Anyway, I came here to tell you that he''s about to enter the first tower realm, and to remind you not to do anything rash," the Administrator said, concern evident in her eyes.
"Ugh¡ How many times do I have to repeat myself? I promise I won''t do anything unless, of course, something endangers him," the woman on the throne said, rolling her eyes.
"¡Okay then," the Administrator sighed, knowing she wouldn''t get anything more reassuring than that.
She decided to take what she could get before disappearing from the spot.
Chapter 60: Chapter 60: People With Green Skin
Chapter 60: Chapter 60: People With Green SkinDamian had completed balancing his stats and absorbed the energy from all the elemental essence stones and shards.
He then retrieved a set of clothes from the [Awakener Wardrobe (Type: Casual/Grade: Special)].
He obtained three wardrobe sets, each containing clothes suited for different occasions: casual, formal, and battle.
What made these clothes special was their remarkable resilience and comfort.
They could automatically adjust their size and appearance to match the wearer''s preferences.
Additionally, they possessed a self-healing ability; if torn, they would use the wearer''s energy to repair themselves.
Damian chose to wear black pants, a burgundy full-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black sneakers, two rings, and a bracelet-like accessory on his upper arm.
Its true form was three swords. Around his neck, he wore a dark black chain, whose true form was [Recna, the Spear of Torment].
[You can be transported to ''Solarta'' just by wishing it.]
With a sigh, Damian muttered, "Here we go."
Instantly, his vision blurred, and he found himself in an entirely new place.
The air here was denser with energy, and he heard a sound he hadn''t encountered in a long time: the irritating noise of people.
As his vision cleared, Damian realized he was standing in a garden-like area.
Before him stood a massive statue resembling a real-life banyan tree.
[You have entered the First Tower Realm.]
[You are now standing in the Garden of Unity, the center of Sol City.]
[Sol City is one of the four cities where Awakeners who cleared trials from levels 1 to 20 arrive, regardless of race, world, or sector in the universe. Here, they register their Awakener name.]
[You have triggered the Mission Function.]
________________________________
[Main Mission: Rising Through the Realms]
[Complete the following conditions to gain access to the Second Tower Realm:]
[Decide Your Awakener Title: Incomplete.]
[Join a Registered Faction: 0/1.]
[Increase Your Level: 111/200.]
[Become a 4th Circle Mage (Peak): Incomplete.]
[Become a Soul Severing Realm (Peak) Qi Cultivator: Incomplete.]
[Evolve Your Race: 0/1.]
________________________________
Damian studied the mission tasks for a few minutes. "The tasks aren''t that hard, except for joining a faction..."
Damian disliked the idea of joining a group, let alone a faction.
He had grown so strong that the thought of working under someone else felt absurd.
His strength wasn''t the only thing that had grown; his pride had too.
A grin spread across his face as a thought struck him. "Well, before I worry about that, I should complete the remaining tasks."
"I should evolve my race first," Damian muttered.
There were two ways for an Awakener to evolve their race.
The first method was through the system. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
By triggering the Evolution Function, they would receive a mission, and upon its completion, the system would facilitate the evolution.
The second method was to join another race through a ritual or similar process, though Damian didn''t know much about this option.
Damian had already decided to use the system''s Evolution Function to evolve his race.
After all, he couldn''t imagine that joining an existing high race of beings was a wise choice.
The high races were beings ranked far above ordinary humans or unawakened entities.
They were what the people of Earth would call "supernatural beings."
These high races naturally possessed long lifespans, supernatural abilities, and adaptive capabilities that didn''t require the system''s metamorphosis intervention for activation.
Even the people of Earth had knowledge of such beings, often presented through texts, fantasy books, urban legends, and mythologies.
As someone who grew up as a devout Catholic Christian in Italy and had a deep interest in fantasy, books, urban legends, and mythologies, Damian was very familiar with these beings.
At the very least, he knew what to expect.
________________________________
[Evolution Mission: Walking the Road of Human Evolution]
[You must complete the following conditions:]
[Increase Your Level: 111/180]
[Defeat Awakeners 50 levels higher than you: 0/20.]
[Obtain Source Cores of Monsters above Level 130: 0/30.]
[Increase your Vitality: 383/200]
[Increase your Perception: 262/200]
________________________________
Damian had already triggered the race evolution function a few days after he completed the first trial.
He wasn''t entirely sure what triggered the evolution function of the system, but he had some ideas, like clearing trials in hell difficulty.
However, he wasn''t certain since, before his regression, there had been numerous instances of some of the strongest awakeners on Earth triggering the evolution function without clearing trials in hell mode.
Damian''s mind went through countless scenarios about what he should do next.
Don''t misunderstand, he had plenty of things he could do, but he just wasn''t sure where to start.
As he thought, Damian looked around and noticed something strange: people walking by were looking at him with odd expressions.
He quickly recognized what kind of expression it was.
"Why do they look like they''re afraid of me?" Damian murmured to himself.
Slowly, he exited the garden and began to explore the city.
After a few minutes of wandering, he confirmed his suspicion: every single person he came across in the city seemed afraid of him.
Along the way, he encountered some beings that weren''t human.
These awakeners looked exactly like humans from Earth, except for their green skin.
Damian knew who these beings were.
They were the second race within the Earth''s solar system to awaken because of the system''s metamorphosis: the denizens of Mars.
Even they looked at Damian with fearful expressions.
Damian wasn''t shocked to see these beings from another planet.
Sure, they were technically aliens, but they didn''t seem particularly frightening.
Other than their green skin, they weren''t much different from humans on Earth.
Besides, Damian already knew about their existence from before his regression to this life.
"Do I look scary or something?" Damian wondered aloud, sensing a few presences watching him from a distance.
These presences didn''t feel friendly.
They were definitely a threat to Damian, but since they hadn''t acted on that threat, Damian chose not to engage them.
"As long as they don''t bare their fangs at me, I won''t do anything to them either."
"They think they''ve hidden well, but I can sense them easily," Damian thought, deciding to ignore them for now.
He continued walking until he found himself in front of a massive building named [Awakener''s Hall].
Upon entering, Damian was greeted by a vast hall filled with books on towering shelves that seemed to stretch endlessly.
Many people were scattered throughout the hall, reading random books.
As soon as Damian stepped inside, they stopped reading and glanced at him with strange expressions, murmuring among themselves.
Damian then noticed several people walking around carrying books.
They wore uniforms with name tags.
"They must be people who work for the system," Damian thought.
In all the tower realms, many individuals worked exclusively for the system.
Most of these workers were awakeners with limited potential, but by working for the system, they were granted special rewards and privileges.
Damian approached one of these workers, a man, and said, "Excuse me."
The man turned around, but upon seeing Damian, he jumped back in fear.
"Whoa, relax, dude. I''m not going to eat you, Jesus," Damian said, raising his hands and shaking his head.
"You won''t?"
"I swear on God," Damian replied.
The man seemed slightly less afraid but was still wary.
"Why are you so afraid of me?" Damian asked.
"Well¡ it''s¡ it''s because of your aura," the man stammered.
"My aura? Oh¡" Damian finally realized why everyone seemed afraid of him.
He recalled that during his time in the trial grounds, he hadn''t noticed that his aura was nearly unrestrained.
Since leveling up so many times and obtaining various energies, especially the elemental essences, his presence had transformed into something akin to a wild beast or fearsome monster.
It made it difficult for normal awakeners to even think straight around him.
Damian sighed and controlled his aura, pulling it back into his body. His presence returned to normal.
"Mm¡ Tell me about this place," Damian asked the man.
"Well¡ the Awakener''s Hall is a common area with many departments like the library, restaurants, hotels, registration halls, battle halls, and more. Awakeners can access all these facilities as long as they have enough gold to use the services," the man explained.
"Where do I go to register my Awakener title?" Damian asked.
"I''ll lead the way," the man said respectfully.
Damian could still sense some fear in his voice, but the man led him to another hall and introduced him to another staff member, a woman.
"I see you''re here to register your Awakener title," the woman said.
"Yes. Can you tell me what''s so important about registering my Awakener title?" Damian asked.
"Every awakener must register their Awakener title because the system recognizes this title as the awakener''s name. In the long run, an awakener''s title strongly influences their growth path. It can also have an impact on their fate, luck, future, and so on," the woman explained.
"The title can be anything, a word or even your own name. Most people who come here choose their own name as their Awakener title."
"You can even consider the awakener titles as your true name," the woman said as she looked Damian over from head to toe, clearly captivated by his extremely handsome and manly appearance.
She tried her best to hide it, but Damian noticed her odd expression.
However, he failed to realize the reason behind it because he had never experienced being checked out by women before.
The woman continued, "And you can''t choose just anything. The title has to be approved by the system."
"Give me an example," Damian said.
"Well, there were some people who tried to give themselves titles like Mr. Invincible, Miss Universe, Supreme God Emperor, Thousand Harem King, and plenty of other absurd names. But the system rejected them all. The system judges titles based on your current status, so you can''t just name yourself the King of the Universe or something ridiculous like that," the woman explained.
"Also, the titles must be unique. No one can have the same title, and it can be in any language you want."
Damian thought for a few seconds, or so it seemed.
In reality, his mind had already gone through thousands of names, and he had decided on the one he wanted for his awakener title.
"I''ve decided on my name," Damian said confidently.
"I''ll guide you," the woman replied.
She then brought Damian toward a stone tablet in front of a statue resembling a banyan tree.
The statue was similar to the one he had seen in the Garden of Unity, though this one was much smaller, only about fifteen feet tall.
"Touch this stone and say the title you have in mind," the woman instructed before taking a few steps back.
Damian ignored her and placed his hand on the tablet.
As soon as he did, he felt a warmth radiating from it.
He paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts.
This title would become a kind of true name for him.
A name to associate with his very being.
A name that would hold great influence over his future as an awakener.
"I want my name to represent my endless thirst for power, my undying wish to excel in everything, my boundless dream of becoming the strongest," Damian thought.
The tablet began to glow as if it were sensing Damian''s will and recognizing it.
Moments later, the banyan tree-like statue behind the tablet also began to emit a faint, calm aura.
The woman''s eyes widened in surprise.
The woman had been in this job for nearly a year.
Originally hailing from a world known as Murim, she had watched thousands of people come here to decide their titles.
She had heard many absurd ones, but never before had she seen the tree statue behind the tablet glow.
This was a first.
Finally, Damian spoke his title.
"Infinity."
[The system recognizes your will.]
[Your fate is endless.]
[Your thirst for power knows no bounds.]
[Your will to grow knows no limits.]
[You are truly embarking on a path of infinite possibilities.]
[The system recognizes your title and hereby declares your title as Infinity.]
Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Solarta - 1
Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Solarta - 1As soon as the system recognized Damian''s Awakener name as "Infinity," something else was happening outside the [Awakener Hall].
There were many realms with the Tower of Evolution, and the first tower realm, Solarta, was the initial realm.
One of the conditions for moving to the second tower realm was joining a faction.
There were many factions within Solarta.
Some were new, while others were relatively old, and new ones had recently formed from beings that had recently entered Solarta, including people from Earth, Mars, Murim, and many other worlds across the universe.
Each tower realm had a limit for power and level, restricting the strength of individuals.
The limit for the first tower realm, Solarta, was level 200.
If an Awakener surpassing that level limit appeared in Solarta, their level would be regressed and set back to level 200.
Similarly, there were cultivation limits as well.
The limit for Qi cultivation, for Qi cultivators, was set at the [Peak Stage of the Soul Severing Realm].
The limit for Magic cultivation, for mages, was the 4th Circle. There were corresponding limits for other types of cultivation as well.
Only after reaching the limit of power and level in Solarta could Awakeners hope to enter the next tower realm.
Like the leveling system, if Awakeners surpassed the cultivation limit of Solarta, their cultivation would also regress back to the limit.
So, no matter when you started your life as an Awakener or how high you had climbed the tower, upon entering Solarta, your level would be stuck at 200.
It would not increase, no matter what you did.
Even if you gained experience by killing or completing realm missions, you would not level up until you left Solarta.
As a result, no Awakeners in Solarta exceeded level 200, and almost every faction currently in existence was made up of newly Awakened beings.
It didn''t matter how old or strong your race had been before the arrival of the system.
After the system appeared in your world, your entire way of life changed.
Even if your race could evolve independently without the system''s intervention, the ability to become an Awakener only activated after you turned 16, regardless of your race or the world you were from.
In Solarta, there were many races from different worlds across the universe, and they had formed numerous factions.
Most of these factions were extensions of major forces from their original worlds.
Even if they seemed weak in Solarta, there was a good chance they were powerful entities in the higher tower realms.
Currently, many factions existed in Solarta, and some newly formed ones were rapidly gaining power.
At this moment, it didn''t matter whether the factions were old or new, big or small; every single person in every faction had stepped outside their buildings.
They were all looking at the bright blue sky, where a golden tablet floated, displaying rankings with only two columns.
One column displayed the titles of Awakeners, such as the one Damian had just given himself and which the system had accepted.
The second column displayed the Solarta rankings of each Awakener, listed right next to their Awakener title.
This was no ordinary ranking.
It was a ranking of every Awakener in Solarta, assessing their potential compared to others and their potential to climb the Tower Realms.
The ranking ranged from the lowest grade to the highest:
F < E < D < C < B < A < AA < AAA < S < S+ < SS < SS+ < SS++ < SSS < SSS+ < SSS++ < SSS+++ < EX.
The Awakener with their title and strongest potential currently displayed on the golden tablet in the sky was graded [SS].
At this moment, the entire golden tablet released an intense light, painting the sky in a golden hue and emitting a ringing sound that everyone in Solarta could hear.
The same phenomenon was occurring in every area where the headquarters of different factions were located.
"The rankings are changing again," said a man who looked like he was in his thirties.
He stared at the tablet''s display.
This man was none other than the son of the leader of the Italian Awakener Association.
He had now become the leader of one of the three factions formed by Earth''s Awakeners.
But it wasn''t just him.
People from other factions were also staring at the ranking changes, wearing casual expressions.
This was a regular occurrence in Solarta.
Every time an Awakener cleared the 20th trial and received their Awakener title, the system would automatically assess them and update their ranking on the golden tablet in the sky.
"The rankings are changing. I wonder if it''s someone from our world," said a group of young women hiding in a forest, seemingly wary of something or someone.
"Who cares?" one of the women scoffed. "It''s not like anyone is going to help us."
"She''s right," another woman in the group agreed with a nod.
Still, their attention turned back to the golden tablet.
Suddenly, a title on the golden tablet moved down to second place, and a new name appeared at the top of the ranking.
________________________________
{{Tower Realm: Solarta(Level Limit: 200)}}
Placement: 1
Awakener: Infinity
Grade: ???
________________________________
...
There were no words from the people watching the changes in the rankings, as the situation was both confusing and surprising.
"Infinity? Didn''t that woman say the system wouldn''t accept absurd names?" one of the young women in the group asked.
"What''s even weirder is this person''s grade. Why is it question marks?" another woman from the group added.
This group of eight women was none other than the ex-warrior nuns of the Vatican Church.
They had completely removed themselves from the Vatican after the seven generals of the Vatican killed their father, the Pope, and took complete control over the Vatican and all emissaries associated with it.
These generals had become the controlling figures of all the awakened believers of the faith, consequently forming the strongest faction originating from the world known as Earth.
"If the system accepted that title, it must mean this person is exceptionally skilled," the Saintess said.
"What do you make of those question marks, Sister?" asked another, who appeared to be the youngest among them.
"I don''t know¡ This person isn''t graded on potential, but I still think it''s higher than anyone else''s. Since this ''Infinity'' is ranked first, it''s obvious their ranking is unmatched. And¡"
The Saintess suddenly thought of a theory as to why this person wasn''t graded and instead had question marks.
"Maybe their potential is incalculable. That''s why the system put those question marks there," the Saintess, Maria Lucia Augustine, thought.
But then she shook her head and turned to face her sisters.
"Let''s go. We can''t stay in one place for too long," the Saintess said before the eight young women abruptly left the area.
...
Damian took his hand off the tablet inside the [Awakener Hall] and looked at the woman, who was still gazing at him with an infatuated expression.
"Tell me, how can I create my own faction?" Damian asked, unhinged.
"Y-Your own faction?" The woman blinked, as if she had misheard him.
"Yes. Why is that so surprising?" Damian asked, noticing the shocked expression on her face.
"Well... creating a faction is no small thing. You''d need a lot of gold first to register your faction, and then to obtain a home base for it. I don''t believe you''d have that kind of gold," the woman explained hesitantly.
"Just tell me how to create a faction and let me worry about the gold," Damian replied firmly.
"Okay... um... first, you have to register your faction''s name, then the faction leader''s name. After that, you need to buy a territory card from the [Awakener Hall], then find a suitable spot in Solarta. That spot must also be approved by the system, so you can''t just choose any location. There are specific conditions. And for every step involved in this process, you''d need to pay a huge sum of gold," the woman explained in detail.
After a few more minutes of explanation, she led Damian to another hall.
This hall was bustling with people, alive with activity.
As soon as Damian entered, all eyes turned to him.
He felt a very strange sensation seeing beings from different worlds gathered in one place.
Murim, one of the cultivation worlds, was home to beings who were human-like, much like Damian himself.
However, unlike Earth, which had progressed toward technology, Murim had advanced in martial arts and cultivation.
Then there were the Martians, denizens of Mars, the only other planet in Earth''s solar system known to have life forms similar to humans.
They looked human but with green skin, taller and slimmer frames, thicker skin, and denser bones and muscles.
However, this did not make them appear overly muscular compared to Earth''s humans.
Their high resistance to cold and superior technological advancements made them unique.
The reason humans on Earth never discovered their existence, even with high-tech advancements, was because Martians lived underground.
Damian got the chance to talk to one of the Martians, as he was very curious about them.
One of them was kind enough to answer all his questions, much to Damian''s delight.
He was surprised that, despite the diversity of races present, there was no outright discrimination.
Some beings ignored humans and others, but there was no active hostility.
In fact, some were even friendly, like the Martian he had just spoken to.
However, Damian also encountered a group of people who seemed particularly unfriendly.
It wasn''t hostility but rather an air of superiority, as if they looked down on everyone, especially humans from Earth and the cultivation world.
This group had pale skin, were much taller than humans, and had shimmering eyes that resembled marbles. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
They exuded a threatening aura, and Damian felt as though he were being scrutinized by a predator.
"Vampires," Damian thought, averting his gaze.
Vampires were the natural predators of humans, naturally strong and imposing.
Unlike the demons he had read about in fantasy books, they weren''t inherently evil but rather just another race from a different world.
As Damian observed them, another group entered the hall, causing the vampires to exit almost immediately.
This new group was the complete opposite of the vampires in appearance.
They were tall, muscular, and radiated a sense of primal oppression.
They felt like beasts in human form, and Damian had no doubt about their identity.
"Werewolves," he thought.
Damian found himself more intrigued by werewolves than by vampires.
Watching the various races coexist in the hall, Damian realized something he had already known deep down: humans were the weakest in this fight for evolution.
Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Solarta - 2
Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Solarta - 2"Why are there so many people here in this place?" Damian asked, observing the diverse gathering of races together in one area.
It was an intriguing sight for him, to say the least.
This section of the Awakener Hall was noticeably busier, with more staff and awakeners moving around compared to other areas.
"This area is where everything related to factions and territories is handled," the woman explained, noting Damian''s keen interest in her words.
"The people here belong to various factions within Solarta."
Damian had mentioned, without hesitation, his ambition to create his own faction.
The woman found herself curious about him.
Unlike her, he seemed immensely powerful and talented.
It was apparent to her at a glance that he was far beyond her league.
However, that wasn''t what piqued her interest the most.
What truly intrigued her was the awakener title of "infinity" he had given himself, which the system had approved.
Her intuition told her he was unlike any other awakener she had encountered.
Though she wasn''t particularly strong or talented, she prided herself on her instincts, and those instincts told her this man was different.
There was no fear in his eyes or demeanor.
He was calm and composed, acting as if he knew exactly what he was doing.
What stood out even more was his ease in interacting with other races from different worlds.
He showed no nervousness or discomfort, which was unusual even for experienced awakeners.
The woman, whose name was Shiru, came from one of the Murim worlds known as Kenkai.
In Kenkai, women were generally considered beautiful, and even an average-looking woman there would be above average compared to women on Earth.
Shiru herself wasn''t considered a beauty by her world''s standards, but she was undeniably above average.
Many men and women, from various worlds, had made advances toward her while she worked in this very Awakener Hall.
Some were far more attractive and charismatic than her, but she ignored them all.
She wasn''t interested in meaningless flattery; she was smart enough to recognize true opportunities when they arose.
Right now, her instincts told her to align herself with this man.
Damian was unlike the others.
He didn''t show any interest in her and hadn''t spared her a second glance.
Her first impression of him was that he was someone entirely focused on his goals, indifferent to anything that didn''t contribute to his ambitions.
It was as if everything else in the world was just a passing cloud.
Oddly, this made him even more fascinating to her, and she couldn''t stop thinking about him.
Shiru hadn''t yet confirmed if her judgment about Damian was accurate, but she believed it was worth taking a chance.
Her intuition, bolstered by her unique ability to amplify it, had never felt this strong before.
She decided to observe him further before acting on her instincts.
"Every day, thousands of people from various worlds arrive in Solarta after completing the initial 20 Trials of Evolution," Shiru continued.
"They can''t proceed to the second tower realms without first completing the main realm missions. These missions take time, and one of them involves joining a faction."
"Factions are essential for an awakener''s growth," she explained.
"Beyond killing monsters, factions offer opportunities, privileges, and resources. The larger and stronger a faction is, the more power it wields in Solarta, often monopolizing opportunities for growth."
She paused briefly, studying Damian as he listened.
"Recently, the factions have been in a frenzy because of the influx of people from newly registered worlds, Earth and Mars," she added.
"Tell me what you know about the people from Earth and Mars," Damian asked.
"Well, people from these two newly registered worlds have been arriving daily. While they may not be as powerful as other races, their population is significantly larger. They''ve also managed to produce some strong awakeners," Shiru explained. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Using their top-ranked awakeners and their large numbers, they quickly established three factions."
"The first faction is called the Lord''s Disciples. They''re the strongest of the three Earth-based factions."
"The second is the High Warriors, and the third is simply known as Earth''s Faction," Shiru continued.
Damian immediately had an idea about the Lord''s Disciples.
From the name alone, he guessed they were likely people from Earth''s Vatican or other religious organizations.
His thoughts wandered as Shiru spoke.
"Wait¡ speaking of people who follow gods," Damian thought, "didn''t people mention meeting gods or receiving messages from them in their past lives before regression?"
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Damian nonchalantly bought a pack of French fries from the system shop and began eating.
Shiru, noticing this, stood silently with empty hands, not daring to interrupt his thoughts.
She didn''t have any urgent tasks assigned by the system and decided that observing Damian was the best use of her time for now.
Damian looked at Shiru and said, "Continue."
"And the Awakeners from Mars were of slightly higher quality than humans, if you will, but their numbers were small. They also formed a faction called [Martians]."
"Well, the four newly formed factions have caused quite a stir with the other factions. Before their arrival, the factions were in a stalemate. But now, the stalemate is beginning to break apart. No wars have erupted yet, but I know it''s just the calm before the storm," Shiru nodded as if she were certain of her theory.
"What does that mean?" Damian asked.
"The Martians don''t really associate themselves with any other faction, nor do they interfere with others in any way. But the Earth factions aren''t like them," Shiru continued.
"They''re obnoxious, arrogant, undisciplined, and always causing trouble. Especially the [Lord''s Disciple] faction. The people from that faction are constantly entering into conflicts with the other two Earth factions."
"The [Lord''s Disciples] faction wants to control all the Awakeners from Earth. They want to unite every Awakener into a single, true faction of Earth," Shiru explained.
"Sounds about right. Earthlings are like that. I should know," Damian rolled his eyes.
He didn''t feel bad hearing her bad-mouth Earthlings; in fact, it only strengthened his resolve to change his race.
He didn''t particularly like being associated with humans either.
"You''re from Earth?" Shiru asked, looking him up and down.
"Yeah... unfortunately," Damian sighed.
"You don''t care about Earthlings?" Shiru observed the uncaring expression on Damian''s face.
"Why would I care about them?" Damian snorted.
"...Right," Shiru didn''t pry further, seeing that Damian wasn''t interested in talking about where he came from.
"Anyway, is there anything else you want to know?" Shiru asked slowly.
"So, the three factions from Earth are fighting amongst each other. What''s the take on the remaining factions?" Damian asked.
"Stalemate... I guess they''re waiting for the right time to strike because of the conflicts between the three Earth factions," Shiru answered.
"How do you know all this?" Damian asked.
"Privilege of working for the system. I can get information about everything happening within Solarta. The system also protects me from being harmed by any other Awakener, provides me free meals, a place to stay within Sol City, a level increase every two months, and 150 gold per month as salary. Plus, I don''t have to kill monsters. I can enjoy all these privileges as long as I work for the system in Sol City."
"Sounds to me like you have everything you could want," Damian smiled slightly.
"Trust me... it''s not as good as it sounds," Shiru narrowed her eyes.
"The only reason I''m even working for the system is because I lack the strength or talent to fight monsters and level up. The higher the level of the monsters, the more powerful they are. I''d simply die if I pursued the life of an Awakener. I had no choice but to work for the system. At the very least, I can make a living without begging from others."
"And even then, there are many restrictions placed on me," Shiru sighed.
"Like what?" Damian asked.
"I can''t leave Solarta. I''m forever stuck in the First Tower realm, and my level has barely crossed 50. My stats aren''t even comparable to others at level 50, and my class is a Sword Master, but I barely have any talent for the sword."
"Sure, I can quit my job with the system, but then what? I couldn''t survive the monsters out there, and I''m not just talking about the ones in the wild."
"And I can''t go back to my world, Kenkai. Only strong people can survive there. Weak women like me have it the worst. Most women sell their bodies to make a living. Things have only gotten worse because of the system. Only the strong can prevail... and I don''t even have anyone. So here I am, stuck in this place."
Damian observed her expression for a few moments as he drank his tea.
For a moment, he could see his own figure overlap hers.
She was very similar to him before his regression.
Back then, he also lacked talent.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t make it as an Awakener.
His body was weak, almost like that of a sick man, and he had no talent for anything.
In the end, he was forced to work for the Italian Awakener Association just to make ends meet.
This woman, Shiru, was somewhat similar.
She had minimal talent and couldn''t continue her journey as an Awakener.
She was forced to work under the system to survive, and she was also an orphan like Damian, having no place to call home.
Damian could very much understand what she wanted: power.
The power to be free.
Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Solarta - 3
Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Solarta - 3After a few more minutes of conversation, Damian learned most of the important details about the first tower realm and gained some valuable insights into the different factions within Solarta.
"What can I do to level up in Solarta?" Damian asked.
"There are many ways, actually. You can hunt down monsters in the wild or even other Awakeners."
"However, if you plan on killing other Awakeners to level up, you''d better do it outside Sol City. And don''t even accidentally harm the staff because they''re protected by the System," Shiru replied.
The System protects its staff from any and all harm.
If someone tries to hurt them, they face severe punishment¡ªsuch as having their abilities stripped, their class grade reduced, class effects removed, levels decreased, and in some cases, even being banished from the tower realms.
The rules of the System are absolute and non-negotiable.
"Many forget that the System is not merely a sentient being monitoring an Awakener''s status and evolution; it is also an entity that governs the towers."
These towers are connected to every corner of the universe, to every world, regardless of its age or power.
Everything that happens is within the System''s vision.
The System sees all and knows all; you cannot hide from it or escape its reach.
The System might be the most powerful entity in the universe¡ªor perhaps not.
Damian often wondered what exactly the System was.
What did it represent?
Why did it do what it did?
Shiru continued, "You can also gain experience and level up by completing quests from the Adventurer''s Guild."
"It''s like I''m playing a video game," Damian commented, nodding as he noticed the similarities.
Even though he hadn''t played many games, he''d played enough to recognize the resemblance.
"Yeah, it''s a lot like games," Shiru agreed.
"Your world has video games?" Damian asked, surprised.
"Our world is evolving very quickly. We''ve learned a lot from Awakeners who come from worlds with advanced technology. Your world was just registered with the System, so it''s still in its initial stages."
"Give it a year. With shared knowledge, techniques, and technology, your world will advance at lightning speed in every aspect."
"Speaking of worlds, I wanted to ask you something¡ What if I wanted to go to a foreign world? Say, for example, your world, Murim?" Damian asked, crossing his arms and smiling lightly.
Shiru''s expression turned dumbfounded, and she looked at Damian as if questioning his sanity.
"I don''t know if you''re overly ambitious or just plain stupid¡ Listen, you can''t just invade a foreign world."
"Don''t mistake the unity you see inside the tower realms as extending beyond them. It doesn''t. Awakeners from a home world will always view foreigners as a threat," Shiru explained with a serious tone.
"Unlike the tower realms, where there are level and cultivation limits, no such restrictions exist in home worlds or foreign worlds."
Whether you''re level 1,000 or level 50, when you enter a non-tower realm, your power won''t be limited, and you can go all out.
This is one of the System''s core rules.
Inside the tower realms, restrictions are in place to level the playing field and ensure fairness among all Awakeners.
But these rules don''t apply to home worlds, where only the strong survive.
Worlds like Murim and other cultivation-based realms naturally have strong beings.
If their inhabitants discover a foreigner from another world, they''ll view it as an invasion.
This hostility isn''t unfounded; it''s rooted in history, as there have been many invasions between worlds in the past.
For every race, their home world is sacred.
A foreigner entering their world will always be perceived as a threat.
It doesn''t matter what internal conflicts or troubles the home world is facing; when a foreigner arrives, the inhabitants will unite against the outsider.
"Just tell me, what do I have to do to enter a foreign realm?" Damian asked, narrowing his eyes.
He didn''t like one bit that this woman was telling him what he could and couldn''t do.
"¡You have to buy a second-grade transportation card from the system shop. It''s a one-time use item and costs about 50,000 gold," Shiru explained.
"It allows for a one-time, round-trip use."
To travel between your home world and the Tower Realm costs nothing.
However, to go to a foreign world, you must purchase a transportation card from the system.
It grants a single, round-trip journey for one person.
Of course, it is possible to travel to different worlds on your own if you possess the ability to do so.
There are high-level Awakeners with space-related abilities that might enable them to enter foreign worlds without needing to purchase a transportation card from the system shop.
The transportation cards are divided into different grades based on the type of travel:
[1st Grade Transportation Card]
This allows you to travel anywhere within a world at any time.
For example, with a 1st-grade transportation card, Damian could go anywhere in Solarta, no matter the distance.
It can even be used in home worlds.
For instance, Damian could use this card to teleport instantly from London to Akihabara in Tokyo.
[2nd Grade Transportation Card] Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
This allows travel between different worlds within your sector.
It costs 50,000 gold for a round-trip for a single person.
[3rd Grade Transportation Card]
This card allows travel to any world within the universe. It costs 150,000 gold for a round-trip for one person.
[Special Grade Transportation Card]
This is not available in the system shop, and no one knows how to obtain it.
This card can transport you to any place in the universe, including special locations that the 3rd-grade transportation card cannot reach, places that only a select few in the universe are permitted to access.
Even Shiru, who worked for the system, had no information regarding the special-grade transportation card or these unique places.
As Damian was learning about the transportation system within the Tower and other realms, their conversation was interrupted by a heavy chatter that suddenly filled the Awakener Hall.
"What''s going on?" Damian asked, looking at Shiru for answers.
"Let me see," Shiru replied, waving to a fellow staff member.
She called over another woman and asked what was happening.
"Shiru, I was looking for you! The grade rankings of the Awakeners in the Golden Sky Tablet have changed!" Shiru''s friend said excitedly.
"That''s what''s causing all this commotion? The rankings are always changing," Shiru replied while glancing at Damian with a suspicious expression.
"Well, it''s the first placement that''s causing the ruckus," Shiru''s friend continued, raising her index finger.
"The first placement has changed¡ someone named ''Infinity'' replaced the previous first place."
"What?" Shiru''s expression turned dumbfounded.
She had to muster all her strength to avoid looking at Damian because she didn''t want her friend to even suspect that he might be the Awakener with the title ''Infinity.''
"What''s this person ''Infinity''s grade?" Shiru asked cautiously.
"That''s the best part¡ their grade isn''t displayed. Instead, there are only question marks. But we all know that being in the first place means this ''Infinity'' person, whoever they are, has the most potential in Solarta."
"Still, it''s strange. The system didn''t show their grade as if it couldn''t gauge their potential," her friend continued, glancing at Damian from time to time.
After all, he was very handsome, and it was hard to ignore him.
"The people from the [High Warrior] faction are causing a scene. They came here in a large group, trying to intimidate others and demanding the staff provide information about this ''Infinity'' person," her friend added with a roll of her eyes and a snort.
In her mind, the people from the [High Warrior] faction acted like children.
They used their large numbers to intimidate and bully others, even though they should know full well that stronger factions existed.
Yet, they still acted this way.
This wasn''t an uncommon occurrence, either.
Some factions frequently behaved this way, intimidating newly arriving Awakeners into joining their ranks.
The Awakener Grade Ranking Tablet was seen as a way to assess an Awakener''s potential.
The higher an Awakener''s placement on the ranking, the greater the likelihood that they would grow into a powerful individual.
It was within the factions'' interests to recruit high-ranking Awakeners.
Awakeners from Earth and Murim factions often engaged in this kind of behavior to increase their factions'' strength.
They would harass Awakeners within the city, pressuring them into joining their groups.
Even though the ruling system prohibited harming other Awakeners, it didn''t stop factions from using bullying and intimidation to achieve their goals.
Damian found this system peculiar.
You couldn''t kill someone inside Sol City, but you could basically do anything else.
"Anyway, they''ll probably harass more people for a while," Shiru''s friend said with a sigh before bidding farewell and leaving.
Shiru''s mind was racing. She wasn''t concerned about the commotion caused by the [High Warrior] faction.
Instead, she was thinking about the potential grading system.
She knew how important it was.
The higher an Awakener''s ranking on the Golden Sky Tablet, the greater their potential within the Tower Realm.
Right now, the person with the most potential in Solarta was the Awakener with the title ''Infinity.''
And she knew exactly who that person was.
It was the same person sitting beside her, sipping tea as if nothing had happened.
Chapter 64: Chapter 64: The Proposition
Chapter 64: Chapter 64: The PropositionShiru looked at Damian as if she were seeing a ghost.
From the moment she met him, her innate ability, [Window of Fortune], had been buzzing in her senses like crazy.
Her ability had never failed her before.
In this cruel and unforgiving world, she had survived without a single wound or scratch because of it.
It hadn''t even been an hour since she met Damian, yet her innate ability hadn''t stopped buzzing.
She knew what it meant.
It meant that a great window of opportunity had arrived.
It wasn''t just her supernatural intuition or instincts; everything within her was pointing at Damian, screaming that she couldn''t miss this chance or she would regret it for the rest of her life.
That was the only reason she had been going out of her way to answer every single question Damian had asked.
She worked for the System and the System alone.
She had no obligation to answer to Awakeners, even if they wanted to interrogate her.
She was only accountable to the System.
If any Awakeners tried to harm her, they would be held accountable by the System itself.
Yet, she answered all of Damian''s questions while trying to gauge him as much as she could.
And now, she was sure of one thing: Damian was no ordinary Awakener. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
She just didn''t know why yet.
Ever since Damian registered his Awakener title, ''Infinity,'' they had been inside the [Awakeners'' Hall], so neither Shiru nor Damian was aware of the change in the Awakener grade rankings.
Unbeknownst to them, a new Awakener with the title ''Infinity'' had taken the first place on the Golden Tablet Ranking in the Sky.
Now, having learned this from a friend, Shiru finally understood.
A person named ''Infinity'' had claimed the top spot in the rankings, and that person was none other than Damian.
The very man she had been talking to.
The very man who could be her chance to turn her life around.
Damian wasn''t sure what she was thinking, but he was certain it had something to do with the golden tablet ranking that her friends had just mentioned.
It seemed to be the cause of all the commotion outside.
"What is this golden tablet she was talking about?" Damian asked.
"It''s a ranking system that evaluates all the Awakeners in Solarta based on their potential and talent as Awakeners. People from every faction can see it by looking at the golden tablet, or the screen if you prefer to call it that, floating in the sky. It''s kind of a big deal here," Shiru explained.
She then went on to describe the Awakener grade rankings in detail, making sure to mention that Damian''s Awakener title, ''Infinity'', had taken the first spot on the rankings.
This meant that Damian was officially recognized as the Awakener with the highest potential within the First Tower Realm, Solarta.
"Mmm... I guess I shouldn''t be surprised by this. I have awakened numerous talents, abilities, constitutions, traits, master-level skills, and even completed all 20 trials in hell mode. Still, I didn''t expect my potential to rank this high. It seems I''ve been underestimating myself," Damian mused to himself, noticing Shiru looking at him with a strange expression.
"Anyway," Damian continued, cutting Shiru off before she could say more.
He had already gathered all the information he needed from her.
"How much do I owe you for the information you''ve provided?" Damian asked.
The staff in the Awakener Hall were answerable only to the system, which also protected them.
Awakeners could pay them for their time, and since Damian had taken an hour of Shiru''s precious time, he imagined she''d demand payment.
She could ask for any amount she deemed fair, and Damian would have no choice but to comply.
The system wouldn''t interfere with the payment unless she demanded an unreasonable amount.
"I want to make a proposition," Shiru said. But before she could continue, Damian shook his head.
"Not interested. Just name your price. I''ve got work to do and don''t want to waste any more time here," Damian replied bluntly.
"Just hear me out, alright?" Shiru said, her expression almost pleading as she took a deep breath.
"Unless it benefits me in some way, there''s no point in listening," Damian responded, crossing his arms.
He would have left if not for the system notification floating in his field of vision.
[Warning: You have purchased information from the staff member ''Shiru.'' She wishes to be paid for her services. Until you pay a price equivalent to the value of the information provided, you cannot leave.]
"Please listen to what I have to say," Shiru implored.
"I will form an official contract with you. I will work exclusively for you and do everything you ask of me, as long as it doesn''t cost me my life."
"I''ll also provide you with all the information I can gather through my position, completely free of charge. Additionally, I have the ability to sense opportunities. I''ll give you everything except my freedom and life."
Damian shook his head. "Even if I were to form a contract with you, what''s in it for you? I can''t give you anything. Hell, I won''t even stay in this place for long. You''ll gain nothing from me."
"That''s exactly what I''m counting on," Shiru said with determination.
"I want to go with you. I just want you to take me with you as you climb the tower. That''s why I''m asking to form an exclusive contract with you. I want to join the faction you''re about to create."
"You do realize that everyone has to complete their missions on their own before they can advance to the Second Tower Realm, right? Sure, you could fulfill the ''join the faction'' condition by joining mine, but what will you do about evolving your race?"
"And let''s not forget, I haven''t even registered my faction yet, and I''m not sure if I even have enough gold to do that," Damian said, shaking his head as if the idea amused him.
"If you ask me, it would be more practical for you to join the vampires or werewolves. They could turn you into one of their own, so you wouldn''t have to work and wait for the system to finally send you an evolution mission."
"Look, I know what I''m asking seems ridiculous and doesn''t make much sense. But to me, it does," Shiru replied.
"Give me your hand. I''ll show you."
Damian didn''t move for a full minute, his gaze locked on her outstretched hand.
His silence made Shiru feel awkward and embarrassed.
"Ugh..." Damian finally rolled his eyes and relented, placing his hand over hers unwillingly.
It wasn''t like he could refuse her outright; the system would punish him if he tried to leave the Awakener Hall without resolving this.
Besides, the stubborn woman didn''t seem like she''d give up anytime soon.
He was also a little curious about what she wanted to show him and her reasons for wanting to join his faction.
-----
[Innate Ability: Window of Fortune]
[Effects:
-Grants the ability to sense opportunities when they are near.
-Enables the ability to sense dangers.
-Increases luck by a small margin.
-Enhances perception by 20%.
-Significantly boosts intuition.
-Passively strengthens judgment and decision-making.
-Passively sharpens natural instincts.]
-----
A status window appeared in Damian''s field of vision, showing the details of her innate ability: [Window of Fortune].
Removing her hand, she looked at Shiru. "Is it because of this ability that you believe your opportunity for ascension lies with me?"
"I do... I have always believed in my ability. It has never let me down, and I don''t think it will be any different now," Shiru replied, confidence radiating from her expression as though she truly believed in her power.
Damian shook his head as if exhausted from the conversation. He wasn''t much of a talker to begin with.
Sitting silently, Damian mulled over the situation.
He was in a pickle, and looking at the woman in front of him, he couldn''t help but think, "Why are women so stubborn?"
"Look," he began, his voice even but firm, "you and I are from different worlds, different cultures. You don''t know me, and I don''t know you. More than that, I think I can''t drag you along with me. You''ll only slow me down, and I don''t want that,"
Damian said openly.
"Trust me. This will work..." Shiru insisted, unwavering.
"Woman, how do you expect me to trust you? I just met you," Damian replied, spreading his arms in frustration.
"Then trust my ability," Shiru shot back, unconvinced by his arguments.
Damian had said everything he wanted to, but Shiru still seemed nowhere near being convinced.
"Damn this wicked woman", Damian scolded inwardly.
She was using her position as the system staff perfectly to put him in a tight spot.
He couldn''t leave because he hadn''t completed the payment for her service earlier, and if he tried, the system would punish him.
And yet, this stubborn woman wouldn''t back down from her proposition.
After a few minutes of thinking, Damian made a decision.
He would leave this to fate.
Summoning an item from his system inventory, a silvery card appeared in his hand, glowing with a soft drop of light.
-----
[Item: Path Finder Card]
[Using the Path Finder Card, the user can find the best possible course of action to follow from the moment the card is used, based on the user''s atmosphere, knowledge, fate, luck, truth, awareness, prediction, fortune, and abilities.]
-----
Shiru''s eyes widened when she saw the card appear in Damian''s hand.
Of course, she knew what it was.
"Is that... a Path Finder Card? How do you have that?" Shiru asked, dumbfounded.
She knew how rare and expensive such cards were.
"I got them as a trial reward," Damian replied casually.
"Them? You have more than one?" Shiru asked again, completely floored.
"Yeah."
"Tell me, did you complete the trials in nightmare mode?" Shiru asked, her eyes widening further.
She only knew a handful of people in Solarta who had cleared the trials in nightmare mode, and she couldn''t believe the man in front of her might be one of them.
"No, I didn''t complete the trials in nightmare mode," Damian replied, his tone nonchalant.
"Oh... Then how did you get them?" Shiru asked, trying to think of any other possible explanation for how he could have obtained the Path Finder Cards.
"I got them from hell mode trials," Damian said matter-of-factly.
"Hell mode, huh... Wait, what? Hell mode? Did you just say you completed the trials in hell mode?" Shiru stepped back in shock.
She had never even considered the possibility that someone could clear the trials in hell mode.
She couldn''t believe it, but looking at Damian''s expression and demeanor, she couldn''t sense any sign of deception.
And thinking about her ability, which had promised her that he would be her way out, she couldn''t help but believe that maybe, ...just maybe, Damian had succeeded in the hell mode trials.
Damian didn''t wait for her to speak.
While her mind was being wrecked and fried by the absurdity of him clearing the hell mode trials, Damian crushed the card in his hand.
The card vanished into specks of light before entering his head.
"Tell me, is it in my best interest to take her in?" Damian asked silently, waiting for the answer.
A few seconds later, he felt a warm sensation enter his mind along with the answer.
Damian looked at Shiru, shook his head, and sighed in resignation. "Fine," he said.
Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Ranking System
Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Ranking System"Fine," Damian agreed.
"But I want the contract to be on my conditions. Of course, I won''t be too unfair."
"Fine by me... you can make up the contract," Shiru agreed with a broad smile on her face.
Damian rolled his eyes and invoked the [Contract Function] of the system.
The system provided various functions for Awakeners, which they could use anytime and anywhere.
While some required the use of gold, like the [Shop Function] and [Auction Function] to purchase items, other functions, like the [Contract Function], did not require any gold.
[Contract Function activated]
[Name your contractee by their ''Awakener Title'']
Damian asked Shiru for her Awakener title before saying, "Shiru."
He wasn''t surprised to learn that her Awakener title was simply her own name.
[Place your conditions]
"Conditions..." Damian thought for a few seconds as he glanced at Shiru, formulating his terms.
"I want Shiru to do everything I ask of her without question, unless it endangers or harms her in any way."
"Along with her complete loyalty to me, not my faction, she should use her abilities for my benefit anytime I ask."
"In exchange for these conditions, I will help her grow as an Awakener as long as it doesn''t affect my growth or harm me in any way."
"She can have the freedom to do anything she wants, provided it doesn''t affect me in any way, and she may leave my faction anytime she desires.
"In case of a breach of the contract, she will lose half of her levels, her system privileges, and she will be exiled."
With that, Damian clicked the accept button at the bottom. A system message appeared in Shiru''s field of vision.
Shiru read the contract conditions and looked at Damian with a sigh. "Oh boy, you''re thorough, aren''t you? Aren''t the contract breach conditions a little too harsh?"
Losing half her levels and system privileges was akin to being thrown into a wild forest teeming with countless monsters, without any weapons or resources to fend for herself.
It was essentially a death sentence.
Damian had deliberately made the conditions and his side of the service harsh because he hoped this woman would back out once she read his demands.
He didn''t want to be tied down and saw Shiru reconsidering the agreement.
Shiru, however, was not someone who took unnecessary risks.
Maybe that was why she had survived so easily, even though she was stuck in the first tower realm, Solarta.
Her life wasn''t bad there.
She had all the basic needs for survival met, but she was frustrated and furious that she was stuck while everyone else climbed the tower.
Still, she couldn''t complain too much.
Logically, this contract wasn''t worth it.
Shiru had initiated this proposition only because of her innate ability to sense opportunities.
It had shown her that a great opportunity lay with Damian, though she had no idea what kind of opportunity it was, when or where it would come, or in what form.
Moreover, her ability didn''t guarantee how hard it would be to obtain the opportunity.
It only showed the path; she had to work for it.
Her ability improved her intuition, heightened her instincts, and helped her make better decisions, but it didn''t guarantee control over the outcomes of those decisions.
For all she knew, countless obstacles could lie in her path before she finally reaped any rewards.
And yet, her ability told her to accept the contract, even with all the ridiculous, almost non-beneficial conditions.
[You have accepted the conditions]
[You have formed a mutual contract with the contractor known as ''Infinity'']
...
"Now that we have formed the contract... I want to know, can your ability be used on others?" Damian asked.
"It can... I will do it," Shiru replied, understanding what he wanted as she used her ability on Damian.
Shiru could use her innate ability on others, but there was a downside.
Using it on someone else meant she couldn''t use it for herself for some time.
As soon as she activated her ability, Damian felt a warm sensation enter his mind. Random words began to appear in his thoughts.
At first, just a couple of words, then more and more, until dozens of words in sets of two flooded his mind.
To Damian, it felt as if these words were being highlighted in his mind, like remembering something long forgotten.
"Woah... this feels weird. I just saw hundreds of words appear in my mind for no reason," Damian said.
"Hundreds of words, huh?" Shiru nodded with a bitter expression.
Her ability revealed the opportunities available to her.
These opportunities had to be within the realm of her competence, which was why her ability rarely activated; there were nearly no opportunities beneficial enough for her to sense.
When her ability did sense something, it provided hints in the form of words.
A couple of words would enter her mind whenever an opportunity arose.
In the case of Damian, the words she sensed were: blue eyes, dark hair, and a fiery bird.
Shiru was fairly certain the words referred to Damian, though she still wasn''t sure what the "fiery bird" represented.
However, she was confident it was related to him in some way.
For each opportunity, her ability would provide a hint in the form of a few words.
Most of the time, the meaning of these words was difficult to interpret, though she had grown adept at deciphering them over time.
However, the sense of opportunity she got from Damian was the easiest to interpret.
Yet something unusual happened when she used her ability on Damian.
Unlike the usual one or two hints, her ability sent hundreds of words to him.
This meant he had an extraordinary number of opportunities available to him.
It was as if her ability worked better for him, and it wasn''t a good feeling.
"Tell me the first set of words you saw," Shiru asked after explaining how her ability worked.
"I saw the words ''power ranking'' and ''techniques,''" Damian replied.
"I don''t know what ''techniques'' mean, but I know what power ranking is. It''s another ranking system within Solarta similar to Grade Ranking which ranks you based on your potential."
"The power ranking, on the other hand, evaluates your battle power among the other Awakeners in Solarta. The higher the ranking, the greater the rewards from the system."
"How do I start?" Damian asked.
"How about now?" Shiru smiled.
"Since you''ve registered your Awakener title, the ranking systems should now be active. Just open the power ranking, pick a placement you want to challenge, and issue a challenge to the Awakener currently holding that spot."
Damian quickly opened the system.
-----
[Ranking System]
-Grade Ranking
-Power Ranking
-Quest Ranking
-Tournament Ranking
----- S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He clicked on the [Power Ranking], and another prompt appeared:
-----
[Power Ranking]
-Total Positions: 200
-Your Position: None
-----
"There are only 200 positions. To get a placement, you have to challenge someone holding a position. If you beat them, you take their spot, and their rank drops by one," Shiru explained.
"For example, if you challenge the 1st position and win, you''ll claim the 1st position, and the previous holder will move to 2nd place."
"From the 100th to the 200th positions, rankings change constantly because most Awakeners in Solarta don''t have what it takes to challenge the top 100 positions, especially the top 50."
"You can also make bets during battles for positions: gold, techniques, cards, or anything that can be bought or sold, like weapons, techniques, or other items of value," Shiru continued.
The loser must pay the bet with equivalent or matching materials.
For example, if Damian bets his [Thousand Armor Impale] technique and wins, the loser must pay with a similar technique or something of equal value.
It was a fair system.
Even the battles themselves were conducted under balanced conditions: regardless of the levels of the competing Awakeners, their levels would automatically match each other.
For instance, if Level 111 Damian fought a Level 150 Awakener, that Awakener''s level would be adjusted to Level 111.
Similarly, if Level 111 Damian fought a Level 50 Awakener, Damian''s level would be adjusted to Level 50. The same rules applied to cultivation levels.
However, any stats gained from sources other than leveling remained unchanged, giving Awakeners an edge based on their unique advantages.
Damian looked at Shiru with a mischievous grin.
"Watch me," he said confidently.
Leaving Shiru bewildered, no doubt imagining Damian doing something ridiculous, he clicked on the system with determination.
He was about to do exactly that.
"Let''s start from the lowest rank and climb my way up," Damian declared.
[You have challenged the Awakener for the 200th position of the Power Ranking.]
Somewhere in the vast realm of Solarta, a young man suddenly received the system message out of nowhere.
[The Awakener titled ''Infinity'' has challenged you for the 200th position of the Power Ranking.]
[You will be transported to the Arena of Sol City in 5 seconds.]
"Oh man¡ I just got this position, and I already have to fight for it," the man sighed, rolling his eyes.
After five seconds, his figure disappeared.
It wasn''t just the fighters who were transported to the arena.
The moment Damian issued the challenge, a notification appeared in the field of vision of every person in Solarta.
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has issued a challenge for the 200th position in the Power Ranking.]
[If you wish to watch the battle, you will be transported to the arena bleachers in 5 seconds.]
Usually, fights for positions between the 100th and 200th ranks didn''t attract much attention, but not this time.
For the first time, the Awakeners of Solarta were about to witness the person rumored to have the most potential in the entire realm.
Naturally, this drew a lot of attention, especially from factions currently in conflict with others and seeking to grow stronger.
For them, the power rankings were another opportunity to recruit powerful Awakeners into their ranks.
Countless people from all over the First Tower Realm, Solarta, appeared in the arena, eager to see what made this individual named ''Infinity'' so extraordinary.
What kind of abilities could he possibly possess?
Today, they would find out about the person destined to dominate Solarta for years to come.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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Chapter 66: Chapter 66: One Shot, One Win
Chapter 66: Chapter 66: One Shot, One Win[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has issued a challenge for the 200th position in the Power Ranking.]
[If you wish to watch the battle, you will be transported to the arena bleachers in 5 seconds.]
Shiru saw the notification appear in her field of vision.
Within the next five seconds, she disappeared from the [Awakener Hall], along with many others, and reappeared in the bleachers of a large arena that could easily house 200,000 people at the same time.
She looked down at the battleground of the arena and saw the challenger, ''Infinity'', standing on one side.
On the other side stood the Awakener who currently held the 200th position in the power ranking.
"I wonder how strong he is... Well, he did claim he completed the trials in Hell Mode. If that''s really true, then he should be very powerful for his level."
"But then again, he just got here. Shouldn''t he gather more information before challenging?"
Shiru pondered in her mind.
"Once he gets the 200th position, anyone in Solarta can challenge him anytime they want."
"His title, Infinity, is already attracting attention because he got the 1st position in the grade ranking," Shiru thought, slightly worried.
Attracting too much attention was never a good thing unless you had a way to make use of it.
She doubted that Damian had any such plans.
If any Awakener seemed to grow too fast or show too much potential, many others would look at them with nothing but hostility and competitiveness.
Most saw such individuals as enemies standing in the way of their own rewards.
These Awakeners weren''t fools; they wouldn''t let a threat grow, knowing it could come back to bite them later.
They would try to nip it in the bud before it had the chance to grow.
Some factions with particularly bad reputations, like the Vampires and Werewolves, were infamous for this.
They often ganged up on newly arrived talents, threatening them, beating them, or even forcibly turning them into their species and enslaving them to ensure those talents wouldn''t surpass them in strength.
Shiru could already spot some of the Plebeian Vampires and Beta Werewolves in the crowd.
These Plebeian Vampires and Beta Werewolves were formerly normal humans who had been turned by higher-ranking members of their species.
As the lowest-ranking members, they were essentially slaves to the higher-ranking ones, and their power was nothing compared to the elites of their kind.
"Those bastards are here to see what ''Infinity'' is capable of," Shiru thought bitterly.
"They''ll report back to their superiors..." Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to her contractor.
As soon as Damian disappeared from the [Awakener Hall] and appeared in the arena, a series of notifications appeared in front of him.
[You have entered the Arena of Power]
[Power Ranking Battle Rules:
-You cannot kill your opponent.
-You cannot use any temporary power-up equipment, pills, or similar items.
-You cannot involve a third party in the battle.
-Your level and cultivation will be set to match your opponent''s.
-You can use everything you have at your disposal to defeat your opponent.]
"Interesting rules," Damian muttered.
[Your battle will start in 5 seconds.]
In the next five seconds, Damian spent his time observing his opponent, just as his opponent observed him.
However, Damian couldn''t sense anything particularly powerful from him.
"Looks like I won''t even get a chance to use any weapons..." Damian muttered as his eyes glowed with a neon blue hue.
"I''ll finish this as fast as I can."
[Your battle will start in 1 second.]
[Your battle will start in 0 seconds.]
As soon as the timer hit zero, Damian pushed his left leg back and his right leg forward, dashing toward his opponent at full speed without any enhancements.
A gust of wind followed in his wake, kicking up a cloud of dust.
His figure blurred, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of his opponent.
The young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, barely had time to react.
He turned his body to face Damian, but before his head even fully turned, he felt something slam into his stomach.
The next moment, he found himself flying backward like a rocket.
His body slammed into the wall below the bleachers with a resounding crash.
Bones shattered, and a fist-shaped dent marked his stomach. Blood poured from every orifice in his body.
The pain was overwhelming, but he didn''t even have the chance to scream.
His mind shut down from the shock, and he was already unconscious when he hit the wall.
[The Awakener titled ''Infinity'' has won the match.]
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 200th position in the Power Rankings.]
As soon as the notification appeared, Damian''s opponent, who had been plastered into the wall like a bad painting, disappeared into specks of light, returning to where he had been when Damian issued the challenge.
Silence filled the arena as everyone stared at the battleground with confused expressions, Shiru among them.
"What just happened?" Shiru thought.
"The battle started, then I heard a sound, like a boom, followed by another boom, and then ''Infinity''s'' opponent was slammed into the arena wall like paste."
Shiru wasn''t the only one having this thought.
Every single person in the bleachers seemed to be thinking something similar.
"He won..."
They didn''t know what had happened, but whatever this new Awakener ''Infinity'' did, it worked.
He had won the battle and claimed the 200th position in the Power Ranking, and they had no idea how.
The entire arena erupted into chatter, the air filled with people debating what had just transpired.
"Oh no... I should have made bets! I knew he was going to win..."
Shiru slammed her hand against the armrest in frustration.
While this was happening, Damian was busy looking at another set of notifications that had appeared before his eyes:
[You have defeated your opponent.]
[You have obtained the 200th position in the Power Ranking.]
[100 gold has been deducted from your opponent and transferred to your account.]
[Since you wagered [The Thousand Armor Impale] technique, an equipment or technique of similar value possessed by your opponent has been deducted and transferred to you.]
[You have obtained [The Winged Sword Dance]]
[You have defeated a Power Ranked opponent in under ten seconds with one shot.]
[Achievement Unlocked: One Shot, One Win.
Reward: +10 Free Stat Points.]
[Do you wish to take on the 199th position in the Power Ranking or return?]
"Of course, I''ll fight!" Damian grinned and immediately made another bet, this time wagering his defense technique, [The Armor of Sacred Light].
Just like before, every single person in Solarta received the same message:
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has issued a challenge for the 199th position in the Power Ranking.]
"Wait, didn''t he just win a battle? And he''s fighting again already?"
"Is he confident, or just stupid?"
"Looks like he doesn''t even need to rest; he''s already challenging his next opponent?"
Shiru noticed people beside her asking the same questions that were running through her own mind.
"...I should place some bets," Shiru said in her mind and immediately opened the [Betting Function] of the system.
This function, like many others in the system, allowed users to bet on any battle or match organized by the system or related to rankings.
It worked like regular betting, except participants could only wager gold.
If Shiru bet 100 gold and her chosen contender won, she would receive 200 gold in return, taken from those who had bet against her.
Damian looked on as another Awakener appeared, a woman with long hair holding a spear.
She glanced at Damian with a slightly fearful gaze.
[Your battle will start in 2 seconds.]
[Your battle will start in 1 second.]
[Your battle will start in 0 seconds.]
As soon as the timer hit 0, the same thing happened again: the match was over within a couple of seconds.
The woman was slammed into the wall with a fist-sized wound in her stomach.
She wasn''t dead, but she would have wished she were if she were conscious, given the pain she was in.
Despite her condition, she was still alive.
[The Awakener titled ''Infinity'' has won the match.]
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 199th position in the Power Rankings.]
Just like before, a series of notifications appeared in front of every single Awakener in the First Tower Realm, Solarta, informing them that the Awakener named "Infinity" had won¡ again¡ in a matter of seconds... again.
"This¡ how?"
"He just won again¡ I couldn''t even see what was happening..."
"I saw it¡ I mean, I barely saw a blur slam into that girl, and the next second, she was lying on the ground with blood everywhere..."
Some of the Awakeners understood what had happened this time.
They had been focusing on the battle, especially since there weren''t many strong people in the arena right now.
After all, why would the top-level Awakeners bother watching a battle between low-level Awakeners?
[You have defeated your opponent.]
[You have obtained the 199th position in the Power Ranking.]
[200 gold has been deducted from your opponent and transferred to your account.]
[Since you wagered [The Armor of Sacred Light] technique, equipment, or technique of similar value possessed by your opponent has been deducted and transferred to you.]
[You have obtained [The Wall Breaker Spear.]
[Do you wish to take on the 198th position in the Power Ranking or return?] sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Yes," Damian grinned, and just like before, everyone in the First Tower Realm received the notification.
Not only had the awakener ''Infinity'' finished two battles consecutively in less than 10 seconds, but he had also moved on to the next battle for the 198th position.
"This bastard..."
"Who does he think he is? Does he plan to fight every single one of the power rankers?"
Shiru, who was listening to the murmurs of the crowd in the arena bleachers, felt beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.
"Is he... really planning to fight every single awakener in the Power Rankings without taking a break?"
Shiru shook her head.
The idea itself seemed ridiculous and frustrating.
There was no way an awakener could fight 200 awakeners consecutively.
Not to mention, the higher the rank of an awakener in the Power Rankings, the more monstrous their powers would become.
For some reason, Shiru couldn''t shake the thought, as if some part of her couldn''t deny that Damian might actually be able to do it.
"This is getting ridiculous."
Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Rising Through The Ranks
Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Rising Through The RanksAn hour had passed, and the arena was completely filled with awakeners who had come to witness the most incredible battle in the history of Solarta.
The awakener named "Infinity" had been continuously challenging every awakener ranked in the power rankings, one by one, and winning every single time without a single loss or break.
The most critical part of it all was that he was doing this efficiently, treating it as if it were a mere game.
The strength he displayed was unnatural, even for awakeners.
Even the higher-ranked awakeners, those holding top 50 positions in the power rankings, had begun to watch Infinity''s battles, becoming increasingly fascinated by his power and talent.
However, there were some who had grown concerned about his rapid rise, viewing him as a threat to their own paths to power.
This was especially true for factions like the vampires and werewolves.
There were also awakeners from Earth factions showing great interest in "Infinity."
Among them were prominent figures like Eric Walcrown, the leader of the High Warriors, and Marco Santis, who had secretly killed his father, the former president of the Italian Awakener Association, to seize power and become the head of one of Earth''s factions.
Eric and Marco had recognized the awakener called "Infinity."
They didn''t know his name, but they were certain it was the same person they had encountered before.
Eric, in particular, was sure.
He remembered those glowing blue eyes that seemed to embody an insatiable desire for power.
He had seen those eyes once, on the day the system arrived on Earth.
Even though the man had changed dramatically, Eric could never forget that gaze.
He was convinced that "Infinity" and the person from that fateful day were one and the same.
Meanwhile, a group of women had the misfortune of crossing paths with Infinity in the past.
The former saintess, Maria Lucia Augustine, and her seven warrior nuns were watching the battles of the awakener named "Infinity."
They, too, recognized him instantly.
From his appearance to the overwhelming power he displayed, there was no doubt in their minds that it was him.
"That''s the same guy who burned us with fire magic," one of the women, who had short black hair and bangs, said grimly.
"Let''s just watch," Maria, the eldest of the group, replied softly.
The group turned their attention back to the ongoing battle.
Infinity delivered a devastating punch to his opponent, sending them flying into the wall.
The opponent fell unconscious, just like all the others before him, one by one, defeated by Infinity''s relentless strength.
[The Awakener titled ''Infinity'' has won the match.]
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 101st position in the Power Rankings.]
[You have completed 100 ranking battles continuously, one after another, and won in the shortest time ever recorded in the history of the First Tower Realm, Solarta, with overwhelming power.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Destroying the Ranks]
[Reward: +10 Free Stat Points]
[You have unlocked a hidden function of the power ranking system: For every consecutive win you achieve in the ranking battles, you will be rewarded 1 free Stat Point. If your streak remains unbroken and you claim 1st place, you will receive an additional 50 free Stat Points.]
Damian sighed. "If I didn''t have the elemental essences refreshing my fatigue and health continuously, I wouldn''t have been able to fight without pause."
Not to mention, his natural health and fatigue regeneration were already exceptionally high.
Combined with the incredible boost provided by the elemental essence within him, his stamina recovered rapidly, granting him the ability to fight for extended periods.
"And the opponents are also getting stronger the higher I climb through the ranks. I remember Shiru saying that the top 50 ranks are completely different from the rest. I guess that''s true, but I still have to be careful not to let anything surprise me," Damian pondered.
An hour later, Damian dominated the battlefield once again, defeating 26 more opponents and climbing to the 75th rank in the power rankings.
He finally began to notice a significant shift in the quality of the awakeners in these ranks; they were far more powerful and resilient than before.
They no longer fell to Damian as quickly as his previous opponents had.
Damian now stepped onto the battlefield against the awakener holding the 75th rank in the power rankings.
Damian tilted his head in curiosity. "A vampire, huh? Just like the last few battles."
For the past three matches, Damian had been battling vampires.
It seemed that many of the top awakeners in the power rankings were members of higher-ranked races.
Damian had faced vampires, werewolves, and even a couple of elves.
They were incredibly strong for their level but still fell short compared to Damian''s overwhelming power.
Most of them belonged to the lower ranks within their respective species.
Even the vampire standing before Damian now was a mere plebeian vampire, the lowest rank among the vampire species.
Their abilities were slightly superior to those of normal humans, with increased speed, strength, and regenerative power.
However, they were no match for Damian, whose strength and abilities were unnaturally high.
Vampires were known for their supernatural speed, strength, and regenerative abilities, enough to heal even lost limbs over time.
Noble vampires could regenerate lost limbs in mere seconds.
Werewolves, on the other hand, were renowned for their immensely strong bodies, superior physical strength, resilience, and stamina.
Alpha werewolves were vastly more powerful than Beta werewolves.
However, the werewolves Damian had fought were only Beta werewolves, and the vampires were all plebeians.
While strong by human standards, they were no match for Damian.
Though each fight took Damian a minute or two, he utterly dominated every match.
[Your battle will start in 1 second.]
[Your battle will start in 0 seconds.]
As soon as the timer reached zero, Damian dashed forward and punched the vampire square in the chest.
Damian''s stats had reached an entirely different realm.
Even if his level were reset to 1, his stats would still be comparable to those of a level 100 awakener.
His strength had skyrocketed.
Not to mention his inherited ability, [Warrior''s Will], and his arsenal of magic, elemental essences, ultimate-grade weapons, and ultimate-grade techniques he had copied from the Heavenly Sword Demon, all of which he hadn''t even used yet.
Damian was defeating his opponents purely with his raw, brute strength.
The moment Damian''s fist connected, the plebeian vampire was sent flying and slammed into the wall.
However, unlike the others, he didn''t lose consciousness immediately.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his wounds began to heal rapidly.
Damian wasn''t about to let him recover completely.
Before the vampire could regenerate fully, Damian appeared before him once more and delivered a crushing blow to his solar plexus.
The blow pushed the vampire into the wall he was already glued against as Damian''s fist crushed through his skin and broke his bones.
Unable to withstand the pain, the vampire lost consciousness before disappearing into specks of light.
[The Awakener titled ''Infinity'' has won the match.]
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 75th position in the Power Rankings.]
The power ranking battles continued for another two hours as Damian relentlessly battled the remaining Awakeners in the Power Rankings.
"This is ridiculous," Shiru muttered, watching the battles with a frustrated expression.
"How can a person this strong even exist?"
It wasn''t just Shiru who had thoughts like these.
The entire audience of Awakeners watching the battles couldn''t comprehend what was happening or how it was possible.
Astonishment, admiration, shock, curiosity, disbelief, terror, and agitation¡ª all sorts of emotions filled the people in the arena.
It wasn''t uncommon for Awakeners to fight their way to the top of the Power Rankings, but they would often take breaks or rest after a couple of fights.
This was because Awakeners typically ran out of energy reserves or stamina, or simply became too fatigued to continue after a few battles. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Even those with high levels of stamina couldn''t fight indefinitely.
No matter how strong an Awakener became, they still needed time to recover their stamina and energy.
But not Damian.
Damian had all the elemental essences within his body, something thought to be impossible.
These essences continuously recovered his health, stamina, and fatigue.
Even if he somehow ran out of stamina, he still had magic at his disposal.
With his immense mana reserves, he could fight for hours, repeatedly casting 2nd-circle magic spells without rest.
He also had Qi, ultimate-grade techniques, and ultimate-grade weapons in his arsenal.
With all these resources, Damian could fight for days.
If he ran out of Qi, he would switch to mana and magic.
If he exhausted his magic, he would rely on one of the seven elemental essence forms.
And if even those ran out, he could simply fight with his overwhelming brute strength.
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 70th position in the Power Rankings.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 68th position in the Power Rankings.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 64th position in the Power Rankings.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 55th position in the Power Rankings.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 50th position in the Power Rankings.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 47th position in the Power Rankings.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 36th position in the Power Rankings.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 24th position in the Power Rankings.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 21th position in the Power Rankings.]
Damian continuously rose through the rankings, and his battles became increasingly intense.
While he was able to win, he was eventually forced to use his weapons.
However, it wasn''t enough to make him resort to his ultimate techniques.
After reaching above the 25th rank, his opponents'' power grew exponentially.
One fight lasted more than fifteen minutes before he finally won.
Of course, Damian didn''t go all out, but he was still forced to use [the Sacred Mantras] to secure his victory.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Like it ? Add to library£¡
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Dominating The Rankers - 1
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Dominating The Rankers - 1Damian had been fighting nonstop, relentlessly pushing forward without any hesitation.
He had already attained the 21st place in the Power Ranking, never once stopping, despite some of his opponents occasionally trying to talk to him.
From the way they acted, Damian could easily tell that they were human, specifically from his world, Earth.
However, he refused to let them speak. Instead, he continued his assault, forcing them to focus entirely on defending themselves.
His offense was relentless, giving them no time to breathe, let alone hold a conversation.
Damian never stopped to strategize; he simply charged in full force, completely disregarding any traps or injuries he might sustain upon impact with his opponents.
Now, he stood face-to-face with the 20th-ranked fighter.
Damian immediately recognized him¡ªAntonio Romano, one of the seven Vatican generals, a high-ranking member affiliated with the Vatican.
Their eyes met, both narrowing in mutual recognition.
Damian knew exactly what kind of man Antonio was¡ªjust another Vatican awakener.
In his eyes, Antonio was a degenerate, selfish, arrogant, and narcissistic, doing everything under the guise of serving God.
In Damian''s opinion, only a few members of the Vatican, such as the late Pope Alexander Augustine, had genuinely tried to do good.
He vividly remembered an incident from his childhood, back when he was just thirteen years old, living in an orphanage.
A group from the Vatican had visited, and the only person Damian had liked was the Pope himself.
He also recalled what he had learned before his regression, during his time working for the Italian Awakener Association.
After the Day of Awakening, everything the Vatican once stood for had crumbled.
The institution, which was supposed to uphold righteousness, had instead succumbed to the very corruption it had once condemned.
The Vatican''s forces abandoned their faith in favor of power and domination, committing all sorts of atrocities under the guise of doing "God''s work."
Of course, they maintained a pristine image in front of the common people, those who neither understood nor cared about the system or the Tower.
They blamed their actions on enemies of their faith.
While many didn''t believe their lies, there was nothing anyone could do.
The Vatican might not have been the strongest faction within the Tower, but on Earth, they reigned supreme.
Within a year, they had seized complete control of the planet.
Even though the World Awakener Association still existed, it was nothing more than a figurehead, powerless and incapable of challenging the Vatican''s rule.
There were even rumors that Vatican officials had assassinated the Pope around the time the system descended.
But by the time such whispers spread, the Vatican had already amassed so much strength that no one dared to oppose them.
Just a few hours earlier, when Damian had been gathering information about the situation in Solarta from Shiru, he had learned something particularly troubling.
The faction known as [Lord''s Disciples] was actively hunting down a group of women.
Other factions were also searching for them, each with their own motives.
Some hoped to use them as bargaining chips with the Vatican, while others, like the vampires, intended to capture them for themselves.
After all, vampires viewed humans and other lower ranked races as nothing more than slaves, so why would they leave a group of beautiful women free?
Damian had a strong suspicion about who these women were.
They were most likely the former warrior nuns of the Vatican.
Damian shook his head, and as soon as the timer hit zero, he dashed forward, swinging his sword with significant strength.
From the 75th position until now, the fights had not been easily won.
He was no longer able to finish his opponents with a single punch, as they were much stronger.
In fact, his last five opponents had been so powerful that he was forced to use his sword.
Although he didn''t wield the ultimate-grade swords he had obtained from the [Random Martial Weapon Cards], he still relied on [The Eclipse Sword] and [The Monster Slayer] to fight.
He could have used the ultimate-grade weapons, but he chose not to.
Even though [The Eclipse Sword] and [The Monster Slayer] were damaged and covered in cracks, he refused to discard them unless they were completely shattered.
As long as they still held their form, he would continue to use them.
Damian didn''t believe in throwing away a sword just because it was slightly damaged; it was like discarding a perfectly good weapon.
The mere thought of doing so made him emotional.
Even though [The Monster Slayer] had finally broken apart completely, he still had [The Eclipse Sword].
Gripping his sword tightly, Damian slashed at Antonio Romano.
His blade cut through the air in a perfect arc, striking Antonio''s chest.
However, no blood spilled.
Antonio had managed to block with his own sword.
Even so, the sheer force behind Damian''s attack sent Antonio skidding backward, dragging across the ground.
"Oh?" Damian raised an eyebrow, surprised that Antonio had taken the hit so well.
But he didn''t let that stop him.
Without hesitation, he dashed forward again, refusing to give Antonio a moment to regain his momentum.
He struck relentlessly, slash after slash, again and again.
Though he wasn''t using his full strength, he applied enough power to break Antonio''s arms if he kept defending.
Antonio was resilient, but even his defenses were beginning to falter under Damian''s relentless barrage.
"Does this guy have infinite stamina or something?" Antonio grumbled.
He was desperately searching for an opening to use his techniques, but Damian was too fast, too aggressive.
He wasn''t giving Antonio even a second to breathe.
"Fuck it!" Antonio roared as an intense, thick aura exploded from him.
In that brief moment, he managed to create some distance by pushing Damian back a few meters before activating his technique.
"A Qi user?" Damian remarked, instantly recognizing Antonio''s movements.
He jumped back, noticing that Antonio was preparing to unleash something powerful.
Without hesitation, Damian readied his own technique, the strongest one he had, the same one he used to defeat the Heavenly Sword Demon.
"Die, you blasphemer!" Antonio roared, dashing toward Damian.
His sword gleamed with a thick concentration of Sword Qi, and as he slashed, a massive wave of energy burst forth, rushing toward Damian.
Then suddenly, the entire atmosphere in the arena shifted.
The wind howled violently, and the temperature fluctuated.
Every gust of air, every force in the space seemed to be drawn toward a single point: Damian.
His body floated in midair, engulfed in a thick blue aura, as if he were standing within a blazing blue flame.
His hair lifted, defying gravity, his presence overwhelming.
The martial artists, swordsmen, and cultivators watching the battle all had the same reaction; their eyes widened in shock.
As wielders of martial weapons and Qi techniques, they could all sense it.
The technique Damian was about to use was far beyond anything they had ever encountered in Solarta.
"This technique¡ doesn''t this seem too powerful?"
"Yes¡ How did he even obtain something like this?"
"This is already ridiculous! He''s fought against 180 Awakeners in a row without resting, and now he brings out a technique like this?" S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Among the spectators, Shiru watched in silence.
Her hands trembled, her nails digging into her skin out of sheer frustration.
She had witnessed thousands of battles in this very arena, yet she had never seen anything like this before.
"This has already gone beyond ridiculous," Shiru sighed. "Not only did he complete the trials in Hell Mode, but he also possesses unmatched power that surpasses everyone in the Power Rankings."
She no longer doubted any of Damian''s claims.
If he said he had finished the Hell Mode trials, she believed him.
If he said he was the strongest in Solarta, she believed him.
If he claimed he would dominate everything and everyone, she believed that too.
Shiru glanced around at the various expressions displayed by the Awakeners in the arena.
Shock, disbelief, awe, frustration, surprise, bewilderment, dumbfoundedness, utter confusion... So many emotions swirling in the crowd, emotions she couldn''t even name.
Never before had a single person drawn out such a reaction from so many people at once.
"Could he really take the 1st position in the Power Rankings like this¡?"
For the first time, Shiru had no choice but to admit there was a high probability that Damian would achieve exactly that.
Damian didn''t even use his full power, yet the aura he emitted made the awakeners in the arena suspect that he might be going all out... Finally.
In reality, he was only using about 30% of his Qi reserves.
If he had used his full power, Antonio might have died, which was against the rules.
The ray of sword Qi left Antonio''s sword and raged toward Damian, but Damian didn''t seem bothered in the slightest.
In fact, he didn''t take Antonio seriously at all.
Damian was only using this technique because he wanted to finish the fight quickly.
He wasn''t afraid of depleting his Qi reserves since he had another plan to replenish them.
[Heaven Shattering Sword: Sword Technique Activated]
Damian made a single vertical sword slash, and as soon as he did, a massive sword ray, at least three times larger and more aggressive than Antonio''s, shot out from his blade and collided with the incoming attack.
The two sword rays clashed, triggering a powerful explosion.
Antonio''s attack was completely destroyed, while Damian''s sword Qi weakened slightly but did not stop.
It continued raging toward its target.
The thick ray of sword Qi from Damian''s [Heaven Shattering Sword] technique struck Antonio directly, exploding on impact.
A few seconds later, as the effects of the attack faded, Antonio lay on the ground, unconscious, in the middle of a massive sword-shaped scar on the arena floor.
Blood poured from a deep wound stretching from his neck to his waist.
Damian quickly appeared before him and pointed his hand at the unconscious Antonio.
Slowly, his body began to dissolve into specks of light.
"What''s he doing?"
"Didn''t he already finish the battle? What''s he doing now?"
"Is he going to kill him?"
To the shock of the audience, Damian had no intention of killing Antonio.
Instead, he activated his unique ability and began extracting the remaining Qi from Antonio, replenishing his own reserves.
[Your Qi reserves have been completely replenished.]
But Damian didn''t stop.
He could still sense some lingering Qi within Antonio, and he wasn''t about to let it go to waste.
He continued extracting every last bit until Antonio was completely drained.
[Your Qi has increased: +15.]
Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Dominating The Rankers - 2
Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Dominating The Rankers - 2Damian watched as Antonio vanished in a speck of light, then the cracks in his Eclipse Sword spread and broke apart into hundreds of pieces, with only the handle holding its form.
Even that had cracks.
Damian sighed, looking at the broken sword. "You were a good sword... you will be missed, my friend."
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 20th position in the Power Rankings.]
Damian looked at the realm announcement of his ranking.
Everybody in Solarta was watching the battles; he knew he was attracting way too much attention now.
Just from the Awakeners gathered in the arena, the arena was filled to the brink, and he could hear the chattering of everyone.
He knew his own competence.
Damian understood that he had grown extremely strong and that he might already be the strongest in the entire First Tower Realm.
Just the fact that he was even close to being exhausted made it clear to him.
He was not afraid of attracting too much attention.
In fact, he hoped he attracted more, because the more people who wanted to fight him, the more he would get the chance to improve his strength and power.
He wanted to become the best at everything, and he couldn''t be called the best unless he defeated everyone else.
More than anything, he loved fighting.
He wanted to fight, he wanted to shed blood.
But he had enough conscience not to simply shed blood without reason.
He was hoping that people would come here and give him a reason to cut them down.
Damian wasn''t afraid of losing to someone if he pushed Awakeners like this.
So what if he was defeated?
He could always take that defeat as motivation to grow stronger again and challenge the same thing that defeated him.
But if he was going to lose, he would lose after giving everything he had.
For some unknown reason, he had developed a love for fighting, and the sense of defeating people with overwhelming power became irresistible to him.
He couldn''t get enough of it.
Maybe it was a memory of a dream where a gentle voice of a woman kept repeating in the back of his mind, motivating him to constantly grow and pushing him continuously toward the path of invincibility and power.
Damian turned his gaze away as he challenged the 19th position in the Power Rankings.
In the next five seconds, a new figure appeared, just as another person from the [Lord''s Disciples] faction showed up.
This time, it was Teresa Lombardi, another general of the Vatican, and now a leader of the [Lord''s Disciples].
The timer went off, and in five seconds, the fight would begin.
Damian simply crossed his arms and observed his opponent.
His opponent, Teresa Lombardi, was also watching Damian with a fearful gaze, but she shook her head slightly as she remembered what her superiors had asked her to do.
She took a deep breath and spoke. "Um... You are from Earth, right? Then you should know who we are... We are people of the Vatican. My superiors have made the decision to make you one of the generals of the [Lord Disciples] faction."
"J-joining our faction w-will benefit y-you greatly."
Damian tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, not even caring to respond.
Teresa Lombardi gulped a mouthful of saliva upon seeing how Damian wasn''t taking her seriously.
If it were anyone else, she would have gone into full "angry mode" and punished them for being so arrogant.
But she couldn''t do that to Damian. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He was simply too scary.
He had been fighting for a day now without rest, as if he had infinite stamina.
Not to mention, he didn''t even seem like he was using his full power.
She didn''t even want to imagine the unimaginable pain she would endure if he got angry and decided to torture her.
Then the timer hit 0.
As soon as it did, Damian didn''t wait a single second.
He immediately unleashed his strongest technique.
The bracelet-like chain, which was green in color with golden accents around his upper arm, began to glow with a green light before transforming into a 6-foot-tall broad sword made of green-colored metal with golden accents and a golden handle.
This was [Darmung, The Devastation Bringer], one of the four martial weapons he had obtained from spinning the roulette.
As soon as he held the sword, it began to release waves of energy outward in all directions, making the air thick with sword intent.
"How?... Just how?"
"Who the heck is this guy?"
"He had a weapon like this this whole time?"
"If he had a weapon like this all along, why didn''t he use it until now?"
"Maybe it''s because the swords he was using broke, and now he has no choice but to use it?"
Shiru, who had been listening to the remarks of the Awakeners watching Damian''s battle all day, felt her face turn bright red with frustration.
"Bless me, the heavenly gods," Shiru prayed unconsciously, which she had never done before.
"What else has he been hiding?"
Within seconds, Damian channeled his qi reserves, and his figure became enveloped in raging sword Qi, which he diverted into his ultimate-grade sword, [Darmung, The Devastation Bringer].
When Damian performed this technique with [The Eclipse Sword] and [The Monster Slayer], they didn''t react to his power or technique.
But the sword he was holding now was different.
As soon as Damian channeled his Qi through the sword, the Qi became violently unstable, and Damian felt resistance from the sword.
It took an awful lot from him to keep the technique from failing.
His eyes glowed with a neon blue hue as extreme willpower surged like a waterfall, and the resistance from the sword decreased, but only by a minuscule margin.
The Qi radiated in all directions, and even Damian, the user, felt small specks of Qi cutting through his own body.
Teresa Lombardi, Damian''s opponent, watched this with widening eyes and a dropped jaw.
She felt an insurmountable pressure, and it hadn''t even been ten seconds since the battle began.
She already felt like she had lost.
She looked at the figure in the air with the giant broad sword, which painted the surroundings with thick sword aura and intent.
Her legs felt heavy and weak. "How... how can I fight against something like that?"
Damian, using all his strength to control the technique and prevent it from failing due to the sword''s resistance, executed his move.
[Heaven Shattering Sword: Sword Technique Activated]
Damian made a simple vertical slash.
A giant green sword Qi ray manifested, painting the sky green, and it landed on his opponent with a crackling sound.
Then, everything went quiet, followed by an explosion that sent shockwaves, pushing everything in its path.
Even the Awakeners sitting in the bleachers felt the fierce sword intent in the air.
After a minute or so, the effects of the attack subsided, and the arena showed a giant sword trace in the ground.
Teresa Lombardi lay unconscious, covered in blood.
Her entire clothes had been obliterated in the attack, and although her naked body was exposed, no one was focused on it.
Her body seemed to have been cleaved in two, with a giant deep sword wound on her chest, exposing her insides.
But she was alive, and Damian was surprised by that.
Damian slowly landed on the ground and looked at the sword in his hand, which was releasing faint sword aura along with heat and faint smoke.
"Thank god I held back. I didn''t expect Darmung to magnify my attack like that. If I hadn''t reduced the amount of Qi I channeled, I would have killed her," Damian said, a small grin forming on his lips as he felt the connection between him and [Darmung, The Devastation Bringer] grow stronger.
[Your synchronization rate with [Darmung, The Devastation Bringer] has increased.]
[The more the synchronization with your ultimate-grade weapons increases, the more efficiently you can control and release their power.]
-----
[Synchronization Rates]
-Darmung, The Devastation Bringer (2%)
-Recna, the Spear of Torment (0%)
-Mercy, the Sword of Salvation (0%)
-Judgment, the Sword of Punishment (0%)
-----
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 19th position in the Power Rankings.]
Damian then looked at the next Awakener he had to fight, the Awakener holding the 18th position in the power rankings.
His eyes showed irritation when he noticed it was yet another member of the [Lord''s Disciples] faction.
Damian gritted his teeth.
After fighting two people from the Vatican, something that had been locked away in the depths of his mind began to resurface: his immense hatred for the Vatican and the reasons behind it.
He despised them.
He couldn''t stand the sight of them.
He had never hated anyone as much as he hated them.
Maybe it was because of the betrayal he felt from the orphanage he grew up in, which was controlled by the Vatican.
When he turned 14, they kicked him out.
Not just him, either.
At least Damian didn''t have any physical disabilities apart from extreme weakness, but he still remembered the other kids who were cast aside with him.
Children with severe disabilities.
Kids with genetic disorders, autoimmune diseases.
The orphanage abandoned them all.
Why?
Selfish reasons...
They could have at least kept the children with serious disabilities for a little longer.
This was the first seed of hatred that had been planted in Damian''s heart.
Or maybe it was because of the things he later learned, how the Vatican misused its power, how funds meant to help the needy, like orphanages, were instead funneled elsewhere.
Or how high-ranking Vatican officials mistreated children, using helpless kids for dangerous medical trials, organ trafficking, human trafficking, and other horrors he didn''t even want to speak of.
When Damian worked for the Italian Awakeners Association, he had researched everything.
The corruption, the atrocities, all committed under the guise of doing God''s work.
There were many nights before his regression when he couldn''t sleep, his blood boiling just from thinking about them.
His hatred had grown without limits.
Damian was not a hero.
Hell, he was nothing but a normal Awakener who had grown immensely strong through hard work and the talents he awakened after regression.
But did that mean he had no right to ask questions?
Did that mean he had no right to take revenge?
Did that mean he had no right to water the tree of hatred in his heart?
Did that mean he had no right to punish them for what they did?
Maybe not for others, but at least for himself.
Before his regression, he had been weak, powerless to do anything about the injustice, unfairness, and betrayal he and the other orphans had suffered.
His lack of talent and frail body had kept him shackled.
But that was no longer the case.
Now, he was strong.
Now, he could do whatever the hell he wanted.
Damian shook his head.
"Maybe this is fate," he muttered.
But even as he thought that, he realized something unsettling: this hatred of his, this all-consuming rage, was becoming an obstacle in his path to power and invincibility.
"I can''t... I won''t let this hold me back..."
Suddenly, Damian''s aura surged.
The entire arena felt the rapid shift in the air as a thick blue aura enveloped his figure.
It wasn''t Sword Qi.
It wasn''t Mana.
It was simply his presence alone exerting an overwhelming force.
His opponent, Stefano Barone, another Awakener from the [Lord''s Disciples] faction, felt an unnatural chill spread through his body.
A mountainous pressure bore down on him from all directions, crawling beneath his skin like an unseen force.
He instinctively took a few steps back, his legs growing weak as he stared at Damian.
The presence standing across the battlefield was suffocating.
"S-Something is very w-wrong¡"
Chapter 70: Chapter 70: The Real Challenge Starts Now
Chapter 70: Chapter 70: The Real Challenge Starts Now"S-Something is very w-wrong¡"
Stefano Barone could sense the change in the air.
He looked at Damian, who was brimming with an intense aura that made him feel as if he were standing before a giant, a human-shaped monster.
"Just how much power has he been holding back?"
Shiru, like the other Awakeners watching the battle, shared the same thought.
Every time they believed Damian had reached his limit, he would surpass expectations in the next fight, revealing even greater power.
It made them wonder just how strong he truly was.
Yet, despite their speculations, they couldn''t be certain.
Within the arena, both the challenger and the position holder had their levels and cultivation power set to match, making it impossible to accurately assess Damian''s true strength.
Still, that didn''t stop some curious Awakeners from trying to gauge his power on their own.
Damian took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as his muscles tensed and his nerves throbbed, as if they were about to burst from his skin.
"I have to calm down..." he muttered to himself.
"I can''t lose my temper and kill him, or else I won''t get the rewards¡ªand I''ll be punished by the system."
He could hear his own heart pounding in his ears.
Gritting his teeth, he slowly restrained his aura, reducing the pressure around him.
But while his outward energy calmed, his fury did not fade.
He wouldn''t act on it now; there was a time for everything, but that didn''t mean he wouldn''t make Stefano suffer.
Fueled by rage, Damian dashed forward.
In mere seconds, he appeared before Stefano Barone and threw a powerful punch straight into his chest.
The impact sent Stefano flying into the wall, slamming against it with a sickening crunch.
Before he could even attempt to move, a sudden presence loomed before him.
Damian was already there.
Another fist slammed into Stefano''s stomach, driving his already broken body further into the wall, his spine smashing against the unyielding surface.
But Damian didn''t stop.
One punch.
Then another.
And another.
The single strike turned into a relentless barrage of blows, his fists hammering into Stefano''s body without pause.
The assault continued for a whole minute, with hundreds of punches landing one after another.
"This is brutal..." someone in the audience murmured.
"Does he have some sort of animosity with the [Lord''s Disciples] faction?"
"Now that you mention it, he does seem to go all out when fighting Awakeners from that faction..."
Damian''s expression never changed as he mercilessly assaulted Stefano.
Even after Stefano lost consciousness, Damian continued pounding him, as if venting his fury through every strike.
By the time he finally stopped, Stefano Barone was in a miserable state.
However, the audience didn''t react too strongly; they had seen worse.
Damian extended his hand toward Stefano and activated his unique ability.
[Extraction: Unique Ability Activated]
A vortex of energy formed, drawing every ounce of Stefano Barone''s Qi into Damian.
As a Qi user, Stefano had vast reserves, but Damian absorbed every last drop.
[Your Qi Increased: +14]
As soon as Damian finished extracting his Qi, Stefano Barone vanished into a speck of light.
It was fortunate for him that Damian controlled himself from killing him.
Instead, Stefano escaped with a completely broken body, something that could be healed with pills, healing potions, or the help of Awakeners with support-type classes.
However, had he died, no healing could revive him unless a Necromancer or an undead-related class Awakener intervened.
But Awakeners with such classes are extremely rare, and there was no way an Awakener with those abilities would be present in the First Tower Realm.
Not to mention, they are advanced classes that only appear after two or three class promotions.
A few more hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Damian finally defeated the 11th-ranked position holder, securing the 11th spot in the power rankings, shocking the entire First Tower Realm.
The Tower Realms had existed for hundreds of thousands of years, as old as the system itself.
In its history, no Awakener had ever accomplished what Damian had done: continuously fighting every single ranker in the power rankings without taking a break, resting, or even losing.
Sure, there had been Awakeners who achieved similar feats, but none had fought 200 consecutive battles without stopping and with such overwhelming force.
Of course, if an Awakener from a higher Tower Realm entered this realm, they could easily surpass Damian''s record.
However, that wouldn''t be the same, as Awakeners who had reached the limit of the First Tower Realm, Solarta, and moved on to the next realm were no longer eligible to enter the power rankings of the First Tower Realm.
Awakeners can only participate in the power rankings of the realm they currently reside in.
Damian was still in Solarta and hadn''t moved on to the Second Tower Realm. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Until he did, he remained a resident of the First Tower Realm and could continue challenging the power rankings.
However, once he advanced to the Second Tower Realm, he would no longer be able to compete in the rankings of the First Tower Realm.
Each Tower Realm has a specific power and level limit.
Awakeners cannot grow stronger or level up beyond that limit unless they advance to a higher realm.
That''s why Damian''s achievement was such a big deal.
He shouldn''t have been able to accomplish this, even if he was from one of the higher-ranked races.
Even they didn''t possess this much stamina compared to other races.
The issue wasn''t just power; it was endurance.
Even higher-ranked beings don''t have such extraordinary stamina.
The longer one fights and takes damage, the faster stamina depletes.
Even beings with high stamina recovery, like Werewolves, cannot sustain battles for too long.
Even with rapid stamina regeneration, it would be impossible to instantly recover every ounce of lost stamina.
The main reason Damian was able to endure was because of his Elemental Essence, specifically [Wood Essence].
[Wood Essence] didn''t provide offensive or defensive abilities, but it granted him extremely high health regeneration, fatigue recovery, stamina regeneration, and rapid healing, enhancing his already exceptional physical capabilities.
On top of this, he possessed six more elemental essences, each with its own healing and regenerative properties.
His [Water Essence] alone granted him nearly 75% of the regenerative capabilities of [Wood Essence], along with a 100% increase in healing speed.
Each Elemental Essence he possessed passively enhanced his vitality.
And that wasn''t even considering his [Qi] and [Mana].
Damian harbored so many types of energies within him that it would be strange if he didn''t have such immense stamina.
But to those unaware of his true nature, his seemingly endless endurance and power were both astonishing and terrifying.
After fighting for so long, Damian was finally beginning to feel fatigue creeping in, though only slightly.
However, he could already feel his energy recovering as his wood essence reserves depleted a little.
Damian turned to look at his next opponent, an awakener ranked 10th in the power rankings.
The moment the 10th-ranked awakener appeared, the expressions of the other awakeners changed dramatically.
"The real challenge starts now."
"The top ten power rankers are on a whole other level."
"Their difference is like the sun and the moon."
Shiru also agreed with the others.
Having witnessed most of the top ten awakeners in combat, she knew just how powerful they were.
As they said, the real fight was only just beginning.
"The 10th position of the power ranking..."
Damian laid eyes on his opponent, a strikingly beautiful, towering, bountiful woman, nearly seven feet tall, with elongated ears and a long spear in hand.
"An elf?"
He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the spear she was holding.
A smile formed on his face as the sword, [Darmung], dissolved into a speck of light, transforming into a chain-like bracelet around his left upper arm.
At the same time, the dark red pendant with crimson accents hanging from his neck turned into a blood-red light and reshaped itself into a long spear with crimson accents, landing in front of him.
This was yet another of the four martial weapons he had obtained from the [Random Martial Weapon Card].
[Recna, The Spear of Torment]
Just like [Darmung, the Devastation Bringer], as soon as the [Spear of Torment] materialized into its true form, it radiated waves of energy.
Unlike the sword, which exuded sheer destruction, the spear''s energy instilled fear and unease.
It was an eerie sensation, as if those present were reliving a forgotten trauma.
Another wave of shock rippled through the crowd of awakeners in Solarta.
"He has another weapon like that?"
"Just how many of these does he have?"
While the awakeners of Solarta were reeling from the endless surprises Damian seemed to be pulling out, the elven opponent narrowed her eyes, eyeing the [Spear of Torment] with deep wariness.
"What is this unsettling sensation I''m feeling?" the beautiful and imposing elf murmured, her expression tense.
Her instincts screamed danger at her.
She already knew she wasn''t going to win.
Elves were beings with a strong affinity to nature and incredibly sharp instincts.
They could sense a brewing storm before it formed, feel the very presence of life in the air, and detect danger from miles away.
Even though she was of a lower-ranked elven species, she was still a full-blooded elf.
Her instincts were hundreds of times sharper than those of a normal human.
Even the lowest-ranked elf possessed more talent and potential than an average human.
Meanwhile, someone else was watching the spear''s appearance, reacting in a completely different way.
In the shadows, blood-red eyes glowed as they observed the battle through the system''s [Streaming Function].
A smile, predatory and sinister, crept onto their lips, revealing sharp fangs that hinted at the awful intentions lurking behind their gaze.
In the [Awakener Hall] of [Sol City], a man with long brown hair, pale skin, and a flowing brown coat sat with a book in hand.
He narrowed his eyes in intrigue as he noticed the unique spear in Damian''s grip.
"Interesting spear... interesting person," he muttered, closing the book he had been so intently reading before turning his full attention to the ongoing battle.
Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Damian Vs Elfie
Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Damian Vs ElfieDamian held the [Spear of Torment] with both hands and looked at his opponent, a beautiful and bountiful elf.
She, too, held a long spear in her hand.
Damian smiled, briefly focusing on the spear she wielded, completely ignoring the waves of dark, foggy aura seeping from his own weapon.
The sinister energy wrapped around him, coating his body in a reddish-black aura.
"To obtain 10th rank in the power rankings, she must be quite skilled... This will be a great chance to assess the level of my spearmanship compared to hers."
As soon as the timer ran out, Damian didn''t hesitate for even a second.
He dashed forward at full speed without any enhancement from his elemental essence or the techniques he possessed.
Elfie Ayre Dathyra, the common elf, didn''t stand idly either. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
She charged forward with her silver spear in hand.
Though she wasn''t as fast as Damian, she was still undeniably swift.
Damian closed the distance faster and swung his spear with both hands, using only a portion of his strength.
Elfie Ayre Dathyra saw the incoming attack and didn''t slow down.
Instead, she swung her own spear, clashing head-on with Damian''s weapon.
An intense metallic reverberation filled the air as waves of energy surged outward from the point of impact.
Gritting her teeth, Elfie Ayre Dathyra felt the raw strength behind Damian''s attack.
The veins on her beautiful face throbbed.
She had no illusions about winning against a monster who had defeated 190 people consecutively in the power rankings, yet she had hoped he might be at least somewhat exhausted.
But after feeling the sheer force behind his strike, she doubted he even had a stamina limit.
Damian smiled, impressed that the elf before him could withstand his blow, even though he hadn''t used much strength.
"You''re strong. I like that," he remarked, taking a step back to create momentum before slashing his spear from the opposite side.
Elfie Ayre Dathyra had no time to reply.
She twisted her body, pushing herself away just in time to narrowly dodge his attack.
Her breathing grew heavy.
She didn''t want to be anywhere near that spear.
It made her feel uneasy.
Just now, when it had almost touched her, she had felt a faint sensation, like something was trying to crawl beneath her skin.
"Just what is that spear...?" she gulped. "If that thing touches me... I have a very bad feeling about this. I need to stay on the offensive and break his defense before he gets a chance to retaliate."
She barely had a second to think through her plan before Damian came at her with full force.
"I have to go all out."
Elfie Ayre Dathyra''s green eyes suddenly glowed with a silvery-white hue, and an explosion of aura sent waves of energy outward.
She stood engulfed in what looked like silvery-white flames.
Then, in a burst of speed, she dashed forward, turning into a streak of light as she swung her spear, now coated in silvery-white energy.
Damian saw her figure flash toward him, but he didn''t stop.
He didn''t care to analyze the situation; he had always believed that the best defense was a relentless offense.
Without hesitation, he swung the [Spear of Torment] to meet her attack head-on.
Their weapons collided, with the dark aura of Damian''s spear clashing violently against the thick energy coating Elfie Ayre Dathyra''s spear.
The impact triggered a powerful explosion as waves of silvery-white energy surged in every direction.
Damian was sent flying backward.
Damian was hurled backward into the wall by the sheer force of the intense surge of energy released from the attack aimed at him by the beautiful common elf.
A wave of excitement and uproar swept through everyone watching the battle in the arena, as well as those tuning in from various parts of the First Tower Realm via the system''s [Streaming Function].
"Is this it?"
"Did he finally reach his limit?"
"Damn, for a second, I really thought he would get to first place."
"I was excited for nothing..."
"It''s still a record-breaking feat that he made it this far."
Shiru heard all sorts of comments from the spectators, but she didn''t take them seriously.
For some reason, her intuition told her that Damian was not done just yet.
Elfie Ayre Dathyra didn''t waste a single second.
She dashed forward without canceling her movement technique, her figure blurring as she reappeared before Damian, striking at him once again with her energy-covered spear.
As soon as she appeared in front of him, she executed a vertical slash.
But unlike what she had expected, her spear didn''t strike Damian; instead, it collided with something metallic.
The elf''s eyes widened in shock.
She used every ounce of strength to dodge the incoming counterattack, leaping several meters back.
Damian stood up, revealing the aftermath of her previous attack.
His battle attire was torn to shreds, and his body was covered in burn wounds, even half of his face was scorched.
Yet, he showed no signs of pain, no reaction at all.
Elfie knew her power.
She knew how much damage her attack should have inflicted.
But seeing Damian stand there as if nothing had happened made her doubt her own abilities.
It wasn''t just her; the entire audience was in disbelief.
Just moments ago, they had been convinced that Damian had reached his limit, that he had no chance of winning.
Yet now, that very same person, whom they had written off, stood firm like an unbreakable rock.
Then Elfie witnessed something she would never forget for years to come.
The wounds caused by her full-powered holy strike began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"What kind of bullshit healing ability is this...?" she muttered in shock.
"That wasn''t just any attack; it was imbued with holy power. Normally, wounds inflicted by holy energy require extensive healing potions and time. How is he recovering so fast?"
She couldn''t believe her eyes.
Narrowing them in focus, she activated her heightened elven senses, pouring all her energy into analyzing Damian to uncover the secret behind his rapid regeneration.
She knew Damian was just a mere human.
He shouldn''t have any natural self-healing or accelerated recovery unless he possessed a special healing-type ability.
Then, after a few moments of intense scrutiny, she finally detected a unique energy coursing through his entire being.
"Wood essence...? But how¡?"
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Isn''t that an energy exclusive to dryads and dryad-like beings? How can he possess it?"
"Just what is this monster?"
While Elfie was grappling with the reality of Damian''s mysterious power, Damian himself was internally debating whether fighting this elf was even worth assessing his spearmanship.
Just then, a series of notifications appeared before his eyes.
[Your talent, [Boundless Refinement] is taking effect.]
[Your constitution, [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect.]
[Your resistance to Holy energy-based attacks has slightly increased.]
"Holy energy?" Damian narrowed his eyes at the elf. "So she has holy power¡ just like the Saintess?"
Looking down at his wounds, he noticed that unlike regular burns, these injuries hurt far more.
Faint traces of silvery-white energy were still creeping into his skin, slowing down his regeneration.
His body was forced to exert more energy to heal the damage caused by the holy power.
"Holy energy, huh? Should I extract it from her when I defeat her?" Damian pondered.
But after a few moments of thought, he dismissed the idea.
He was in the middle of a ranking battle.
If anything went wrong while attempting to merge holy energy into his own, he wouldn''t be able to continue fighting.
That would cost him the special rewards he would receive for securing first place without breaking his winning streak.
Even if he successfully absorbed the holy energy, the process would require time, time he couldn''t afford to waste.
With a reluctant sigh, he let go of the tempting idea, though his heart ached at the thought of passing up such a valuable power within arm''s reach.
"Let''s see how long she can hold out." Damian muttered as his own aura exploded, a thick blue energy flaring around him like flames.
He activated two techniques he had copied from the Heavenly Sword Demon.
[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated.]
[Heavenly Tyrant''s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated.]
A dense layer of Qi enveloped his entire body, forming a protective layer like a second skin.
The pressure he emitted increased dramatically.
"He was still holding back?"
Elfie''s frustration boiled over.
She had believed she had forced the undefeated monster to his limits.
He was the highlight of the entire First Tower Realm, and she had thought she had at least pushed him to his breaking point.
But it seemed she was mistaken.
This monster had been hiding even more.
Damian''s figure vanished.
A blue streak of light flashed, leaving behind multiple afterimages, each seeming to chase the real one.
Elfie gritted her teeth and activated her own movement technique, turning into a streak of light as well.
Then, a battle of pure spear skills unfolded, continuing for more than fifteen minutes.
Waves of energy blasted in all directions each time their spears clashed.
The concentrated energy tore through everything in its path, leaving the battlefield riddled with spear scars created by Spear Qi and holy energy-infused attacks.
"How are you this strong?" Elfie gritted her teeth as she barely managed to deflect a spear thrown at her.
"That''s classified information," Damian replied casually, launching another barrage of spear strikes from all directions.
"This..." Elfie was at her limit.
No matter how much she tried to defend, she was never on the offensive.
She wasn''t faster.
She wasn''t stronger.
And most importantly¡ªher spearmanship fell short compared to her opponent''s.
"Are you... are you a Grandmaster?" she asked, her voice shaky, her expression intense.
"No¡ just a Master," Damian said before unleashing another devastating attack.
[The Thousand Armor Impale: Spear Technique Activated.]
The Spear of Torment in his hands was enveloped in thick, raging Spear Qi.
"This is bad," Elfie realized, sensing the impending danger.
She poured every last drop of holy energy into a desperate defense.
Damian executed a rapid impaling gesture.
The moment the sharp tip of his spear shot forward, a massive, car-sized spear made of pure Spear Qi rocketed toward Elfie, accelerating at a terrifying speed.
Elfie did everything in her power to maintain her defense, but the sheer intensity of the attack overwhelmed her.
The same eerie sensation she had felt from his spear before now radiated from the incoming strike.
The spear pierced through the battlefield, colliding with Elfie.
A deafening explosion of energy erupted, sending shockwaves in all directions.
When the dust settled, Elfie was revealed.
Her armor cracked all over, a massive hole in her stomach, blood pouring from the wound like a broken pipe.
Blood dripped from her mouth and nose, yet unlike Damian''s previous opponents, she was still conscious.
"You''re more resilient than the others," Damian acknowledged as she began to fade into specks of light.
[The system judges that the Awakener ''Elfie'' is no longer in any condition to battle.]
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 10th position in the Power Rankings.]
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Damian Vs Silas - 1
Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Damian Vs Silas - 1There were several reasons why Damian chose to fight the common elf without finishing the battle in a single blow, as he had done with others.
One of them was his desire to assess how much his spearmanship had improved.
After fighting for over fifteen minutes using nothing but pure spear techniques, Damian finally realized that his spearmanship had already surpassed the level of masters and was now approaching the realm of grandmasters.
However, at the same time, he sensed a great wall preventing him from stepping fully into the grandmaster realm.
It wasn''t just his spearmanship; his swordsmanship had also reached the same level.
Damian became even more interested in reaching the grandmaster realm when, in the middle of their battle, Elfie asked if he was already a grandmaster.
He could see the frustration on her face, which only fueled his determination to break through that barrier.
But there was a problem; he had no idea how to do it.
He needed more information.
It seemed that even he couldn''t grow stronger by doing everything alone.
Perhaps it wasn''t such a bad thing that he had made a contract with Shiru.
She might know something about reaching the grandmaster realm or at least have knowledge of where he could seek out the answers.
Damian also discovered something interesting: contrary to the Vatican''s claims, the woman known as the Saintess wasn''t the only person capable of wielding holy energy.
It wasn''t a divine blessing or any sort of divine intervention, as the Vatican wanted the world to believe.
Instead, anyone could wield holy energy as long as they possessed the attunement for it.
After defeating the common elf, Elfie Ayre Dathyra, Damian went on to defeat seven more awakeners without stopping.
Unlike his fight with Elfie, which he had deliberately drawn out to savor the battle, he dispatched the others quickly.
They were strong, but none of them intrigued him. Most were just ordinary cultivators.
In his battles for the 9th, 8th, and 7th rankings, Damian faced martial artists¡ªtwo swordsmen and a spearman.
However, their skills were far below his, and he defeated them with ease.
For the 6th and 5th positions, he fought mages, one specializing in fire magic and the other in water magic.
The fire mage was the easiest opponent he had faced in the entire power ranking.
Her fire magic had almost no effect on him, and a single punch sent her flying, securing his victory effortlessly.
The battle against the water mage for the 5th position, however, proved to be slightly more troublesome.
The water mage was crafty; he flooded the entire battleground, restricting Damian''s high-speed movements.
He trapped Damian inside a prison of water magic, launching arrows of condensed water that pierced his metal-like skin.
But no matter how hard the water mage tried to keep him contained, Damian was simply too strong.
Using his earth magic, he shattered the water prison and delivered a powerful punch to the mage''s gut, securing another victory.
In the battle for the 4th position, Damian faced another elf, a man.
Unfortunately, this meant Damian wasn''t particularly interested in the fight.
Ever since the day of awakening, and even in his life before his regression, Damian had never been particularly drawn to women.
Before awakening, he had some interest, but no one had ever reciprocated his feelings.
After awakening, even that faint interest gradually disappeared.
Now, after his regression, he had been so focused on growing stronger that he hadn''t even thought about women.
He had begun to wonder if something was wrong with him.
But just now, when he fought that common elf in the 10th-ranked battle, something changed.
The combination of both power and beauty instantly made her appear attractive in his eyes.
He realized that there was nothing wrong with him; he still desired women.
However, he also understood that pursuing romance could become a hindrance to his growth as an awakener.
Still, that didn''t mean he would go out of his way to seek women.
If anything, he preferred that they come looking for him, not the other way around.
In the battle for the 3rd position of the power ranking, Damian faced a woman who was quite interesting, not because of her appearance but because of her abilities.
She didn''t use a sword, spear, or any other traditional martial weapon.
Instead, she wielded a gun, yes, a gun loaded with compressed energy.
Each bullet was highly dense, packed with enough power to obliterate an elephant into pieces.
The Awakener herself was incredibly strong.
She was astonishingly fast, much faster than anyone Damian had ever faced.
Strangely, she didn''t seem to be using any special movement technique, yet her speed was overwhelming.
However, she was still not as fast as Damian.
Eventually, he caught up to her, and before he could deliver the finishing blow, the woman accepted defeat, saving Damian the trouble.
After the battle, Damian developed a particular interest in guns but had no idea where to start looking for them.
He made a mental note to ask Shiru about them.
As Damian watched, his next opponent appeared.
A grin formed on his face as he felt the immense pressure building up, as if he were being looked down upon by a bloodthirsty beast.
His opponent, the one holding the 2nd position in the power ranking, looked at Damian with a predatory grin, as if eyeing prey before a feast.
"A werewolf... and much stronger than any I''ve faced before," Damian pondered.
The man in front of him could only be described as a literal beast.
Standing at about seven feet tall, his massive muscles bulged, and his enormous hands looked strong enough to crush a human skull with a single grip.
His dark eyes, filled with a predatory gaze, and his long fangs, reminiscent of a vampire''s, gave him a terrifying presence.
Surrounding him was a cloud-like aura that reminded Damian of the monsters he had fought during the trials.
"Such a strong presence..." Damian''s smile widened, his excitement to fight a formidable opponent overshadowing the pressure in the air.
"That''s the werewolf¡"
"He''s the leader of the werewolf faction."
"Not just that, he''s the only Alpha Werewolf in Solarta. Every single Beta Werewolf submits to him."
"He''s insanely strong¡ They say he''s as powerful as the 1st position holder."
"Oh shit..." Shiru grew increasingly nervous as she heard the murmurs of the crowd.
Even though she already knew these facts, hearing them spoken aloud only reinforced the gravity of the situation.
She was well aware of how strong werewolves were, and she had no idea how Damian, her contractor, would fare.
She had seen him fight and easily defeat both plebeian vampires and Beta Werewolves, but those beings weren''t even considered true vampires or true werewolves by their respective communities.
They were former humans turned into what they were by higher-ranked beings.
The beast of a man standing before Damian was not just any werewolf; he was an Alpha Werewolf, the second highest-ranked species of the entire werewolf race.
He had the power to create Beta Werewolves.
Even the weakest Beta Werewolf was much stronger and more talented than the average human.
As an Alpha, he was many times more powerful and gifted than an average Beta.
And this man in front of Damian wasn''t just any Alpha; he was a descendant of an ancient werewolf lineage and he was anything but weak.
"Let''s see what you''ve got."
As soon as the timer hit zero, Damian dashed forward like a flash, using his full speed.
In an instant, he arrived in front of his opponent, channeling his full strength along with the momentum of his acceleration, delivering a powerful punch directly to the werewolf''s abdomen.
Silas Moonrend, however, didn''t even attempt to defend or dodge.
He simply stood there, letting Damian attack as he pleased. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Damian''s fist made contact, but despite Silas being in his completely human form, it felt like punching a steel wall.
Upon impact, the werewolf was pushed back several meters, but beyond that, he was completely unfazed.
Damian''s eyes widened, his lips curling into an even wider smile.
This was the first time since the start of the power ranking battles that someone had taken his full-strength punch as if it were nothing.
The werewolf grinned darkly. "I see how you were able to win until now¡ You are strong."
Silas'' smile widened, and so did his presence.
A strange energy began to manifest from his body.
It looked similar to Qi, yet Damian could sense that it was something else entirely.
As the energy enveloped Silas, Damian suddenly felt a shift in movement.
In a flash, the werewolf vanished and reappeared right in front of him.
A massive fist came hurtling toward Damian, and before he could react, it connected with his chest.
The force sent Damian flying backward, crashing into the wall and shattering a massive portion of it.
"But this is as far as you can go..."
The energy surrounding Silas diminished slightly as his nails elongated, transforming into large claws.
His canine teeth grew sharper, his body expanded, and his height increased by a few inches.
Fur began to cover his skin like a second layer, while his legs reshaped.
His facial features became sharper, his eyes enlarged, and the sclera vanished, turning completely black.
His ears grew pointed like a wolf''s, and his nose flattened slightly.
With these transformations, all his physical capabilities increased by leaps and bounds.
[You have entered the Hybrid Form (1st Form) of the Alpha Werewolves.]
[All your physical abilities have increased by 25%.]
His face took on a beastly form, yet his human features did not completely disappear.
This was the second form of an Alpha Werewolf, a state where they retained their human appearance but developed animalistic traits over their skin, accompanied by a significant boost in physical strength.
"Because you can never defeat me... and I will show you what true power feels like," a hoarse, deep voice emerged from the werewolf''s mouth, accompanied by a monstrous grin.
Damian slowly rose from the rubble, his lips still curled into a wide grin despite the blood dripping from his nose and mouth.
He looked up at Silas, who now stood in his hybrid werewolf form, surrounded by a green aura.
Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Damian Vs Silas - 2
Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Damian Vs Silas - 2Damian slowly rose from the rubble, his lips still curled into a wide grin despite the blood dripping from his nose and mouth.
He looked up at Silas, who now stood in his hybrid werewolf form, surrounded by a green aura.
Silas narrowed his eyes as he took in the state Damian was in.
He had used considerable power behind that punch, yet aside from a few drops of blood trickling from his mouth, Damian looked perfectly fine.
And that smile on his face... Silas didn''t like it one bit.
"Show me just how strong the so-called Alpha Werewolf is."
Damian''s presence began to shift as a thick, blue aura surrounded him. His strength started increasing rapidly as he activated his techniques.
[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated]
[Your movement speed will increase by 30%.]
[Heavenly Tyrant''s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated]
[Your physical strength and defense will increase by 30%.]
Damian''s Qi reserves flowed freely, coating his body like a thick layer of armor.
His physical strength and movement speed surged as a result.
In an instant, Damian vanished from sight, leaving behind multiple mirages as he dashed forward.
He reappeared before Silas, using his momentum to deliver a punch straight to Silas''s gut.
But to Damian''s surprise, his attack had no noticeable effect.
Before he could retreat, two massive fists came crashing down toward him from above.
Reacting quickly, Damian crossed his arms into an X-shape above his head to block the attack.
The impact was like a hammer striking a tree stump, sending powerful shockwaves outward.
Gritting his teeth, Damian felt the sheer force of Silas''s attack press down on him.
"What''s wrong? Can''t handle my power?" Silas grinned wider as he saw Damian struggling to withstand his blow.
Damian didn''t respond.
Instead, he used all his strength to push against the giant fists, trying to break free.
But no matter how hard he tried, Silas''s grip was unyielding.
"Struggling to break free? Here, let me help you."
The werewolf grinned before raising his thick, fur-covered leg and delivering a devastating kick.
The force sent Damian tumbling across the ground like a ragdoll, crashing violently into the far wall.
Mere seconds after Damian hit the wall, Silas appeared again, moving with incredible speed.
He grabbed Damian by the neck with one massive, clawed hand and effortlessly lifted him off the ground.
Then, using his free hand, he slammed another powerful punch into Damian''s gut, sending him flying across the battlefield once more.
Before Damian could even hit the ground, another figure flashed into view and delivered a swift kick, launching him in the opposite direction.
Damian slammed into another wall with a thunderous crash, leaving behind a trail of destruction before collapsing onto the ground.
"He''s really strong..."
"He''s ranked second in the Power Rankings for a reason."
"That ''infinity'' guy is probably going to lose this match."
The spectators murmured among themselves, already predicting the outcome.
However, Shiru paid no attention to their chatter.
To her, the battle wasn''t over yet.
In her eyes, Damian had already accomplished more than anyone ever had in the history of the First Tower Realm''s Power Rankings.
Just witnessing his strength made her feel proud of the contract she had formed with him.
Damian was undoubtedly strong, and there was no question about it.
And despite the overwhelming odds, Shiru still believed he could win.
She didn''t know where this confidence came from, but she felt it deep in her core.
Gritting his teeth, Damian forced himself to rise from the rubble.
His body was in a devastating state: countless bones shattered, one arm twisted unnaturally, blood streaming from every orifice, and deep claw marks covering his skin.
"I thought you were strong, but it looks like you can''t even take a few more hits from me." Silas snorted, a cocky grin stretching across his face.
"I''ll admit, you have extreme stamina and a bit of strength to back it up... but in the end, you''re nothing special, are you?" His grin widened as he watched Damian slowly raise his head, blood dripping from his mouth.
Yet, despite his injuries, that same unnerving smile remained on Damian''s face.
"Have you gone mad from being beaten so badly?" Silas tilted his head, an idea forming in his mind. "Or has the thought of losing so miserably driven you insane?"
After a brief pause, Silas chuckled.
"You know... you''re not completely worthless. You''re strong, stronger than most. So why don''t you submit to me? Become my subordinate... Become a Beta of my pack."
If an Alpha Werewolf bites a human, they turn into a Beta Werewolf, forever bound to the Alpha who turned them.
They are unable to defy their master''s influence, making them little more than slaves.
Of course, there were undeniable advantages to being a Beta Werewolf: increased strength, stamina, reflexes, rapid healing, extreme longevity, slow aging, night vision, werewolf transformation, and attunement to a rare energy known as [Lunar Essence].
But the price?
Losing one''s freedom?
It''s not something Damian would even consider.
The entirety of his thirst for power was to obtain freedom, the ability to do anything and everything, to live and lead his life as he pleased... to take complete control of his life.
There was no way he would submit to someone else, even if they offered him power.
A Beta Werewolf is nothing more than a servant, eternally bound to the will of their Alpha.
Seeing Damian not responding, Silas felt a vein pop up on his forehead.
"I take it your silence means you''re refusing my very generous offer¡?" Silas narrowed his eyes when he saw that Damian still wasn''t responding.
"You know, it''s an honor to be offered to be turned by an Alpha Werewolf of an ancient werewolf lineage, and yet you have the audacity to refuse? You''re really arrogant, aren''t you?"
Silas''s aura grew wilder, influenced by his emotions.
His appearance began to take on a more beastly form as his animalistic features became even more prominent.
His entire body became completely covered in fur, his face fully transforming into the head of a wolf with fearsome fangs.
The claws on his hands and feet grew longer and sharper, his height increased by a few more inches, and his posture became slightly hunched.
Whatever humane features he had left, they completely disappeared.
He had completed his transformation into his [Bipedal Werewolf Form.]
[You have entered the Bipedal Werewolf Form (2nd Form) of the Alpha Werewolves.]
[All your physical abilities have increased by 60%.]
It wasn''t just his aura and appearance that had become completely monstrous; even his voice had turned deep, hoarse, and beastly.
"You''re lucky the system won''t allow me to kill you here, but that doesn''t mean I''m not going to fuck you up," a monstrous voice rumbled from the werewolf''s mouth.
"I''m going to tear you to pieces," the werewolf muttered before his figure burst forward toward his opponent, leaving behind claw marks on the ground along with a burst of energy.
As soon as the werewolf appeared in front of Damian, he raised his claws with the intent of tearing him apart.
Suddenly, Damian''s aura exploded.
His once-blue aura turned into a brownish-green hue as the surrounding pressure completely changed.
-----
[Earth Avatar: Form Transformation Activated]
[Form: Earth Avatar]
[A subskill attainable only by those who possess the constitution "Unbreakable Terra Titan Physique."]
[Effect:
-Upon activation, you transform into an earth spirit. Your entire body becomes the embodiment of earth, making your skin as tough as rock, along with an incredible increase in pure physical capabilities. The more earth essence you possess, the longer you can retain this form.
-In this form, you can generate earth elements from any part of your body.
-Your Strength increases by 100%.
-Your Physical stamina increases by 100%.
-Your Pain tolerance increases by 80%.
-Your Resistance to lightning increases by 80%.
-Your Resistance to fire increases by 80%.
-As a side effect, your speed will by reduced a small margin.
-Your Physical weight increases by 200%.]
The werewolf''s claws finally made contact with Damian''s chest.
However, instead of blood gushing out and Damian screaming in pain, the claws barely managed to pierce his skin.
Only the tips had broken through, and even that minor wound healed within seconds.
The bipedal werewolf instinctively took a step back, not because of pain, but because his beastly instincts were screaming at him to retreat.
He could feel an overwhelming pressure growing.
"What¡ What is going on?"
Before he could comprehend the situation, Damian''s figure blurred in motion.
In an instant, he was standing right in front of Silas, one hand raised behind him.
"Wh¡ª?"
Before Silas could react, something solid slammed into his gut.
His vision blurred as if he had been thrown into a blender, and before he knew it, he was sent flying backward.
This time, it was the werewolf who was slammed into the wall.
"What just happened?"
"This madman... he had even more abilities he was hiding."
Shiru felt an unprompted smile form on her face uncontrollably. "Just how many powers has he been hiding?" S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
No one knew exactly what Damian was doing, but they all knew one thing: he kept finding ways to power up.
At first, he didn''t use any external enhancements; he relied solely on his own strength, instantly defeating opponents the moment the battle began.
Even then, he was already overwhelmingly powerful.
But when the fights became a little tougher, he brought out higher-grade techniques, ones no one had ever seen before in the First Tower Realm.
As if that wasn''t enough, he then proceeded to wield ultimate-grade weapons.
Yet, even then, if he found himself in a difficult situation, he would resort to magic, something already absurd on top of his extreme swordsmanship, and spearmanship.
Magic itself was rare, but Damian also possessed an extraordinary level of stamina and healing abilities.
These granted him the endurance to fight 200 consecutive battles without stopping.
And now, he seemed to be unveiling yet another kind of power, one so overwhelming that he overpowered a fully transformed werewolf with a single punch.
Damian appeared in front of the fallen werewolf, his skin now completely dark brown and his eyes glowing bright bronze.
All the wounds on his body vanished, his twisted arm snapped back into place, and his broken bones healed instantly.
"You said you were going to tear me apart... Let''s see if you can."
Damian''s smile widened as he grabbed the werewolf by the tail and hurled him into the air.
Then, leaping after him, he raised his fist like a hammer and slammed it into the werewolf''s gut, driving him straight into the ground.
Upon impact, the earth shattered beneath him as a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.
Damian wasn''t finished, not even a bit.
As soon as Silas hit the ground, Damian followed gracefully, his right fist becoming covered in thick, earth-brown energy as his [Earth Essence] condensed around his skin, making it harder and harder until it literally turned to rock.
Using the strength boosted by his [Earth Avatar] form, with earth essence covering his skin and the added momentum from his fall, he delivered a single, devastating punch straight into Silas''s gut.
"Argh¡"
Werewolves were known for their incredibly strong bodies, but Damian''s attack had easily broken through Silas''s skin, even creating a gaping hole as blood spurted out like a fountain.
Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Damian Vs Silas - 3
Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Damian Vs Silas - 3Using the strength boosted by his [Earth Avatar] form, with earth essence covering his skin and the added momentum from his fall, he delivered a single, devastating punch straight into Silas''s gut.
"Argh¡"
Werewolves were known for their incredibly strong bodies, but Damian''s attack had easily broken through Silas''s skin, even creating a gaping hole as blood spurted out like a fountain.
Damian punched the air, sending the werewolf crashing into the ground, creating a werewolf-shaped crater.
Blood gushed from his body as he shook and screamed in agony, unable to withstand the pain.
His dark eye became bloodshot.
Damian jumped after landing the punch and looked at the werewolf, who was still writhing in pain.
The werewolf stood up, his mouth dripping with saliva, mixed with blood.
The hole in the werewolf''s gut began to heal as the veins in his eyes throbbed with fury.
He glared at Damian, who stood there with an unchanging grin on his face.
"You... you wretched bastard!" the werewolf shouted, his aura exploding as he threw caution to the wind.
Ignoring his pain, wounds, and the blood flowing from his body, he gave everything to his fury.
His animal instincts took over, and he launched himself at Damian with full force.
"That''s it. Come at me!" Damian welcomed the attack head-on as Silas moved like a flash, his full speed boosted by his fury.
Damian also activated his techniques to boost his speed, which had diminished after he entered his [Earth Avatar] form.
[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated]
[Heavenly Tyrant''s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated]
He also activated his body-strengthening technique, which he had copied from the Heavenly Sword Demon.
His qi reserves flowed out, mixing with the [Earth Essence] that was fully covering his body.
The two energies began to contradict each other, threatening to disrupt the [Earth Avatar] form.
But then something happened.
[Your talent [Limitless Harmony] is taking effect]
[Your [Earth Avatar] form has gained unity with the Qi without disruption.]
Instead of being disrupted, the [Earth Avatar] form became more refined.
The strengthening and enhancing qualities of the Qi began to improve the [Earth Avatar] form, making his body stronger, harder, and heavier.
[Due to the extended strengthening effects of the Qi overlapping with the [Earth Avatar] form, the effects of your [Heavenly Shadow Step] and [Heavenly Tyrant''s Body] techniques have been enhanced.]
[Your movement speed will increase by 50%.]
[Your physical strength and defense will increase by 60%.]
Damian''s figure was now completely covered in earth essence, enhanced by the Qi.
Damian burst with energy as he took a step, then disappeared, leaving behind a mirage of brownish energy particles that immediately began to follow Damian.
In Silas''s field of vision, Damian''s figure suddenly blurred, and he found himself facing Damian, who was right in front of him.
Silas was in a heightened, uncontrolled state.
His mind was in shackles, and he couldn''t think clearly enough to decide how to defend against the incoming attack.
Even if he were in his right state of mind, Silas wouldn''t be able to react in time.
Damian had become too fast and too strong.
Even in his full bipedal werewolf form, he wouldn''t be able to keep up.
As soon as he appeared, he punched him right in the chest, sending him flying back into the wall, leaving behind droplets of blood dripping from his wolf-like mouth.
But before he could crash, Damian was already there, waiting for him.
The moment the werewolf entered his striking range, Damian''s earth-essence-covered leg shot forward, delivering a powerful knee strike.
The werewolf''s body bent unnaturally under the force, and a few of his ribs cracked.
It was already surprising that they didn''t completely shatter, which only went to show just how strong a werewolf''s body truly was. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Silas was sent flying, crashing into the ground, tumbling across the dirt before finally coming to a stop, his leg broken in the process.
Damian appeared near him, walking closer to the werewolf who now lay on the ground.
He examined the werewolf''s state; patches of his fur had been torn away, one of his legs was broken, and there was a deep dent in his stomach, with the surrounding skin cracked and blood continuously flowing from the wound.
His bloodshot eyes throbbed, veins bulging around them.
It was unclear whether it was from pain or the fury burning within him.
"He''s killing him..."
"The werewolves are known to possess incredibly strong bodies. Their physical strength surpasses every other race, and their healing factor is unparalleled."
"And yet, he''s being dominated."
The awakened beings of Solarta all had the same thought.
They knew how strong werewolves were, especially the only alpha werewolf in Solarta.
Silas hadn''t earned his second-place ranking in power for nothing.
In fact, he was nearly equal in strength to the first-ranked individual.
The only reason he hadn''t taken the top spot was that the first-place holder was just slightly stronger.
And yet, despite his immense power, he was being beaten to a pulp¡ªtossed around like a mere ragdoll.
Damian tilted his head and walked even closer.
Reaching down, he gripped the werewolf''s neck, but it was too thick for his hand to wrap around entirely.
Instead, he dug his fingers into the werewolf''s furry skin, piercing deep into the flesh.
Silas struggled in pain, but Damian showed no mercy.
With a casual motion, he tossed him aside like an empty bottle.
"Who''s fucking who up now, huh?" Damian asked with a grin.
"You... this isn''t over," the werewolf managed to say, his voice weak.
"What?" Damian narrowed his eyes.
"You will pay for the humiliation you''ve caused me today¡" a hoarse voice rasped from the werewolf''s mouth.
"Is he threatening me?" Damian raised an eyebrow, his aura flaring.
"You have no idea who you''re dealing with... I am an alpha of a royal werewolf lineage. No one gets to live after humiliating me¡ You are going to die!" Silas screamed at the top of his lungs, unleashing a wave of pressure.
But Damian wasn''t affected in the slightest.
"Oh boy," Damian shook his head as his Aura flared up once more¡ªnot from his energy but from his anger amplifying his power.
The veins on his forehead bulged, and his eyes glowed with an ember-colored light.
"You shouldn''t have threatened me..." Damian raised his hand as mana surged rapidly from his mana core.
"I wanted to finish this in one blow before you gave that little threatening speech... but not anymore."
The knowledge of the earth and water elements reappeared in his mind.
Like a computer processing information, he quickly refined his understanding, forming the structure of a new elemental spell using both logic and imagination.
[Elemental Fusion: Skill Activated]
A light brown magic circle appeared beneath the werewolf''s feet, glowing intensely before the ground beneath him softened into a thick pool of mud.
The mud twisted and shifted, forming the shapes of serpents that launched themselves at the werewolf, wrapping tightly around all his limbs and pulling him into the earth.
One of the mud snakes coiled around his snout, tightening so fiercely that he couldn''t even let out a snarl.
More and more vines made of mud emerged from the ground, binding the werewolf completely, locking him in place.
[Your understanding of the Earth element has increased.]
[Your understanding of the Water element has increased.]
[Your Elemental Fusion skill has improved slightly.]
[You have created the Spell: Mud Bind.]
Damian calmly walked toward the now-restrained werewolf. "I''m going to make you wish you never threatened me."
He deactivated his [Earth Avatar] form and the movement technique he had active but maintained his body-strengthening technique. "Let''s see how many punches that werewolf face of yours can handle."
Damian raised his fist and struck the werewolf across the face, releasing a booming shockwave.
Even though he hadn''t used his full strength, the werewolf showed no visible damage. Damian expected this.
He didn''t stop.
Punch after punch, hundreds of strikes landed from all directions, sending waves of energy through the air.
Despite the werewolf''s insanely durable body, the repeated blows, landing on the same spots over and over, began to break him down¡ªfaster than his accelerated healing could keep up with.
All the while, the mud vines kept his snout tightly shut.
He couldn''t even scream in pain.
He couldn''t surrender, couldn''t escape.
All he could do was endure.
His resilience as a werewolf should have allowed him to remain conscious no matter how much his body suffered, but that only prolonged his torment.
He could neither heal nor black out. The pain was endless.
Damian continued his relentless assault, fists slamming into the werewolf without pause for thirty minutes straight.
Finally, a notification appeared in his field of vision.
[It has been detected that the Awakener titled ''Titan Breaker'' is beyond any condition to fight mentally.]
[The system judges that the Awakener titled ''Infinity'' has won the battle.]
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained the 2nd position in the Power Rankings.]
Damian took a step back, observing the werewolf''s broken state.
He deactivated his spell, and the creature dropped to his knees before collapsing entirely.
A moment later, he dissolved into specks of light and vanished.
After a couple of minutes, another figure appeared, and as soon as this person stepped onto the battleground, the entire atmosphere seemed to change.
Damian felt a mountainous pressure building up in the air, pressing down on him.
Damian narrowed his eyes. "Let''s see what this guy can do."
The Awakener that Damian had to fight for the 1st position in the power ranking was also looking at him with an expectant expression, accompanied by a grin stretching across his pale face.
Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Power Vs Pride - 1
Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Power Vs Pride - 1Damian looked at his final opponent in the power ranking, the awakener he had to defeat to claim the number one position.
As soon as the awakener appeared, Damian felt a shift in the air, an overwhelming pressure unlike anything he had experienced before.
At the same time, he noticed the temperature in the entire battleground rising rapidly.
Narrowing his eyes, Damian observed his opponent.
The man had extremely pale skin, glowing blood-red eyes, and two sharp canine teeth shimmering under the sunlight.
Contrary to what Damian had expected, the vampire did not burn under the sun''s rays.
"Looks like this vampire has the ability to walk under the sun," Damian pondered.
As an avid fan of fantasy lore, he naturally knew about vampires, probably the most famous mythical creatures known to Earthlings.
However, his interest went beyond mere curiosity. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Supposedly, werewolves and vampires were ancient races with unique powers and abilities that made them two of the most prominent species to ever exist in the universe.
He didn''t know how much of it was true, but he was determined to find out what they were truly capable of.
"You are interesting, to say the least," the vampire suddenly spoke.
"Is that right?" Damian replied.
"Of course¡ You have not only fought and won 199 battles consecutively but also dominated your opponents with overwhelming strength. Even the top ten rankers of the power ranking were no exception. Even that damn dog, Silas Moonrend, lost to you miserably." The vampire''s tone carried a strange sense of appreciation.
"Heh¡ Just like how you''re about to lose... miserably," Damian responded, tilting his head with a wide grin.
The vampire didn''t lose his smile, but Damian could tell his words had struck a nerve.
The green veins popping on the vampire''s pale forehead were proof of it.
"...I have an offer for you," the vampire said, attempting to ignore Damian''s taunt.
Though his anger was evident, he controlled himself impressively.
Vampires were known to feel emotions a hundred times more intensely than humans, especially fury, but this noble vampire seemed well-trained in suppressing his emotions.
"Not interested." Damian shrugged, dismissing it without a second thought.
The same couldn''t be said for the vampire, however.
"Why don''t you hear me out before rejecting my offer? Trust me, it will be appealing to you."
The vampire''s lips curled into a smile, though the veins on his forehead told a completely different story.
Damian remained silent, prompting the vampire to continue.
"I am offering you the chance to become something greater, a chance to finally shed the weak husk of humanity and ascend to one of the greatest races to ever exist¡ a Vampire," the noble vampire, Aeron Brunnlith, declared.
Damian''s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he was considering the offer.
Becoming a vampire certainly had more advantages than becoming a werewolf.
If a person was turned into a werewolf by an Alpha, they would become a Beta, a mere subordinate, bound by an unbreakable chain of servitude.
However, when a noble vampire turned a human, they became a Plebian Vampire.
Plebian Vampires were the lowest rank within vampire society, considered commoners among their kind.
They possessed all the abilities of a noble vampire but at a much weaker scale.
They also gained attunement to a special energy called Blood Essence but lacked the power to turn others into vampires or wield the unique racial abilities that noble vampires possessed.
Compared to becoming a Beta werewolf, becoming a Plebian Vampire was certainly the better option.
However, it wouldn''t change the fact that he would still be nothing special among vampires.
That alone was a dealbreaker for Damian.
More importantly, noble vampires would always rule over Plebian Vampires, and Damian had no interest in being ruled by anyone.
He didn''t care if he remained human. He would find his own way to evolve into a higher being.
Besides, he had already triggered the [Evolution Mission] in his system and had nearly completed all the required tasks.
Soon, he would evolve into a higher-ranked existence of his own making.
After thinking about it for a few seconds, though in reality, his mind had processed scenarios worthy of fifteen minutes, Damian looked at him and simply shook his head.
"Nah."
The vampire''s brows narrowed.
He did not like this one bit.
There was a reason he was trying to recruit Damian while maintaining as much politeness as possible because he had witnessed the brutal way Damian crushed his opponents, especially those from the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
Awakeners like Silas Moonrend, who had threatened him, were beaten particularly viciously.
Even though the noble vampire, Aeron Brunnlith, was powerful enough to hold the number one position in the rankings for so long, after watching battle after battle for the entire day without a break, he had begun to doubt himself.
The extraordinary strength Damian displayed had shaken even him.
Did he really have what it took to fight this human-shaped monster?
That thought angered him more than anything.
He was a noble vampire, yet he was afraid to face a mere human in a direct fight.
A pathetic husk of flesh, one that should be nothing more than a blood bank for him.
And what infuriated him even more was that he had attempted to avoid the fight by being polite.
Polite?
He was a proud noble vampire! How could he act politely toward a lowly human?
Just thinking about it made his blood boil beyond comprehension.
Vampires felt everything a hundred times stronger than humans, yet never in his life had he felt such humiliation and rage.
He wanted to kill this human.
He wanted to hear him scream while he carved into his flesh with his claws, savoring the sight of his blood painting his hands crimson.
He wanted to watch as the human''s life drained away, excruciatingly slow.
But he couldn''t do that if he was the weaker one.
He could have simply declared his loss and avoided the fight.
But that would wound his pride.
Just the thought of being defeated by a lowly human he despised, in front of the entire arena, in front of all the people he had previously crushed, in front of his own legion of lesser vampires, was unbearable.
His pride would never allow it.
Even so, he had kept his mind clear enough to try and entice Damian with the promise of being turned into a vampire.
Surely a lowly human wouldn''t refuse, right?
At least, that was what he had anticipated.
But Damian had refused. He had actually refused.
That was the breaking point.
Every emotion Aeron had been suppressing erupted all at once.
"Who do you think you are¡ you lowly human? You dare refuse my offer? The offer to become a vampire? From me?"
The vampire''s aura exploded in response to his fury, and the temperature of the entire battleground began to rise rapidly.
Damian could feel the wind becoming hotter and hotter as flames engulfed the vampire''s body.
Damian raised an eyebrow, watching as the intensity of the flames grew alongside the vampire''s transformation.
Aeron''s height increased by a few inches, his long hair turned completely white before igniting into flames, and a pair of wings formed behind him as if they were being forged from fire itself.
His nails extended into long, crimson claws, his eyes burned like molten fire, and his frame became leaner yet more deadly.
With this transformation, his strength, speed, and regeneration all skyrocketed.
[You have entered the Partial Ancestral Form of the Noble Vampires.]
[All your physical abilities will increase by 100%.]
The entire battleground became a field of fire as the flames spread in every direction.
"This is where you shall die," Aeron snarled, now completely consumed by his pride.
Every rational thought had been overtaken by his overwhelming desire to tear apart the lowly human standing before him.
And yet¡ that human still had that irritating smile on his face.
Aeron had just transformed into a form that only noble vampires could access, a form revered for its power, a form that every vampire aspired to achieve.
But not everyone could. Only ancient vampires older than a thousand years or those with extraordinary talent, like Aeron Brenlith, could attain it.
Every noble vampire had the potential to achieve this form, but very few ever did.
And yet, in the presence of such power, that damn human still had that same, infuriating smile.
There was nothing more enraging than that.
Damian didn''t say anything.
In fact, he didn''t care what form the vampire had taken.
Aeron had just transformed into a form that only noble vampires could access, a form revered for its power, a form that every vampire aspired to achieve.
He was just curious about the form the vampire had taken.
This form reminded him of the [Flame Avatar] he possessed, except that the vampire''s entire bodily structure had changed.
Damin could sense that the vampire''s presence had transformed as well; it was much larger than before.
...
[A/N: Come on, everyone! You''ve made it this far, so why not add my novel to your favorites? And if it''s not too much trouble, please leave a review or drop some POWER STONES!]
Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Power Vs Pride - 2
Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Power Vs Pride - 2Aeron Brenlith, as soon as his transformation into the partial ancestral form completed, launched at Damian with full speed.
His figure became a flash of light, and in an instant, he appeared before Damian, catching him by the neck with his claws and lifting him into the air. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Turn to ashes, you lowly human!" he snarled.
The flames surrounding the vampire burned brighter as waves of fire spread and shot in every direction.
He channeled the raging flames toward Damian, intending to burn him alive.
But in the heat of the moment, Aeron failed to notice that Damian remained completely unharmed, not even a single ember scorching his flesh.
With all his might, Aeron hurled Damian to the ground from the sky.
Damian''s body crashed into the earth, creating a massive crater, sending dust and dirt flying in all directions.
The vampire''s wings flapped a few times before he descended at full speed, diving straight into the crater.
His fists, engulfed in thick flames, struck Damian with immense force.
An explosion erupted upon impact, sending a scorching ring of fire outward.
The blast swept away dust and debris, leaving the ground blackened and charred.
Even then, Aeron was not finished.
He appeared in the sky once again, raising his hand above his head.
The flames surrounding his body began to gather at his palm, condensing into a single point.
There were many beings in the universe with unique powers that only they could possess.
Vampires and werewolves were among these exceptional creatures.
Werewolves had the ability to harness a type of energy called [Lunar Essence].
Similarly, vampires possessed their own unique energy known as [Blood Essence].
Each type of energy had its own distinct properties.
The [Lunar Essence] of the werewolves, for instance, was a derivative of another energy type called [Solar Essence].
It carried the properties of heat and light, albeit on a lower scale than [Solar Essence], along with a unique trait of extended strengthening.
Both [Lunar Essence] and [Solar Essence], with their attributes of heat and light, were extremely harmful to beings like vampires.
In essence, werewolves were the natural enemies of the vampire race.
Just like the [Lunar Essence] of the werewolves, the [Blood Essence] of vampires had its own unique properties, such as enhanced regeneration and prolonged lifespan.
However, these were not even the most significant aspects of this energy to the vampires.
Many races in the universe carried abilities within their blood, inherited and passed down through generations.
Vampires were no exception.
Their bloodline abilities were exclusive to their lineage, and only they could wield them.
But, like any other ability, these powers required a source of energy.
This was where [Blood Essence] came into play.
Every ability vampires possessed was powered by [Blood Essence].
The more of it a vampire had, the stronger their regeneration, the longer their lifespan, and the more potent their bloodline abilities became.
Right now, the vampire known as Aeron Brenlith had activated his bloodline ability, pyrokinesis.
He drew out a massive amount of [Blood Essence], and the ball of fire above his hand grew larger and larger until it resembled a miniature sun.
"Burn!" Aeron roared at the top of his lungs as he hurled the fiery sphere toward the crater where Damian lay.
The miniature sun maintained its shape as it descended upon the battlefield.
The moment it touched the ground, it erupted into a cataclysmic explosion, sending waves of fire in all directions.
The heat radiated outward, consuming everything in its path.
The flames even spread toward the bleachers, but the system''s protective barrier remained in place, ensuring that the devastation stayed confined within the battleground.
As soon as the sphere of fire exploded, it began to expand, creating a dome of flames that did not dissipate even after the explosion had gone off.
The vampire watching this was in a state of ecstasy.
His lips curled into a wide grin, making him look like a sadistic monster who reveled in human suffering.
However, at the same time, he felt that something was very wrong.
He glanced at the bleachers and noticed that the expressions of the spectators remained unchanged.
It was as if they had expected something like this to happen.
Then, the vampire turned his gaze back to the dome of fire created by the explosion.
Just as he did, something shot out of the fiery dome.
Before he could react, it appeared right in front of him.
A fist, coated with wind energy, slammed into his flame-covered face, sending him flying before he crashed violently into the ground.
With a loud bang, the transformed vampire collided with the earth.
"What¡? What the fuck?" The vampire hastily stood up and looked toward the sky.
There, floating effortlessly like a feather, was the human-shaped monster he had vowed to burn alive.
Damian''s dark hair had turned a shade of gray and had grown a few inches, defying gravity as it swayed with the wind.
Although his appearance had not changed drastically, the vampire''s vampiric eyes could see a mysterious energy revolving around Damian, like planets orbiting the sun.
[Wind Avatar: Form Transformation Activated]
[Form: Wind Avatar]
[A subskill attainable only by those who possess the constitution [Relentless Tempest Sovereign Physique]].
[Effect:
-Upon activation, you become a wind spirit, with your entire body as light as air. Your blood transforms into wind itself, and a cloak of wind energy envelops your flesh like armor. The more wind essence you possess, the longer you can maintain this form.
-In this form, you can unleash maximum wind output from any part of your body.
-Your natural pain tolerance increases by 80%.
-Your wounds regenerate 100% faster.
-Your strength increases by 30%.
-Your body becomes as light as the wind, granting you the ability to fly.
-Your speed increases by 100% and further scales with the amount of Wind essence you expend.]
Damian was in a state unlike anything he had ever felt before.
The [Wind Avatar] form was vastly different from [Fire Avatar] and [Earth Avatar].
It was more soothing, more calming, and, most of all, he felt lighter, as if he was untouched by anything else in the world.
Even the battle before him seemed untroubling.
For a moment, he just wanted to sit still and bask in this feeling; it felt that good.
When he was in his [Fire Avatar] form, he would feel as though he were submerged in a hot spring, except the heat was extraordinary.
It sharpened his mind and filled him with motivation, as if he could accomplish anything without failure.
When he was in his [Earth Avatar] form, he felt bold and unstoppable, as if no wall could ever stand in his way.
It was only after he began using elemental form transformations that he realized how much these elemental essences influenced him.
Their presence was strong, but he had long since grown used to their effects.
Now, they barely fazed him.
Damian soaked in the sensation of his [Wind Avatar] form, feeling the soft and gentle [Wind Essence] flowing in and out of his body.
He felt weightless.
He felt free.
No, he wasn''t just feeling free and weightless.
He was free and weightless.
The noble vampire Aeron Brenlith stared at Damian, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.
"H-He... he''s alright?"
The vampire''s crimson eyes locked onto Damian''s hovering figure, floating like a feather in the sky, completely unharmed.
Not even a scratch.
"Why isn''t he burned?" Aeron felt his head spin.
He clearly remembered how much energy he had expended to incinerate everything around him.
That massive sphere of fire he unleashed had consumed more than half of his [Blood Essence], yet Damian stood there, unaffected, as if the attack never even reached him.
Then, suddenly, Damian''s figure vanished from the sky.
Before Aeron could react, a sharp pain pierced his chest.
His eyes widened as he looked down, seeing Damian standing before him, gripping a dark spear that had impaled straight into his heart.
"H-How¡?" The vampire''s voice trembled.
He instinctively grabbed the spear embedded in his chest, but the moment his fingers made contact, a searing pain exploded throughout his body.
It felt as if thousands of needles were piercing into him all at once, attacking from the inside out.
With a sharp gasp, he yanked his hands away from the spear.
Using his wings, he jerked backward, retreating as the weapon was pulled from his flesh.
Hot blood poured from his chest, but within seconds, the wound sealed shut, healing flawlessly.
"You¡!"
"What? Surprised?" Damian smirked. "Didn''t I tell you before? You''ll lose miserably... just like that werewolf."
Aeron''s eyes darkened. "...I¡ lose to you? A human?"
Something inside him snapped.
As a vampire, his emotions were already heightened hundreds of times beyond a human''s, but now, with his partial ancestral transformation active, his pride and fury erupted even more violently than usual.
"Yes, you''re about to lose¡ to a lowly human," Damin nodded, smirking.
He wasn''t particularly offended by the insult; if anything, he agreed.
Humans weren''t particularly powerful.
He never expected higher-ranked races to show them any respect.
In fact, Damian had been contemplating something for a while: what kind of being would he become when he evolved?
He had no idea what form the System would choose for his evolution, but one thing was certain: as long as it was stronger than this human body, he would welcome it with open arms.
Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Power Vs Pride - 3
Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Power Vs Pride - 3Aeron''s eyes darkened.
"...I¡ lose to you? A lowly human?"
Something inside him snapped.
As a vampire, his emotions were already heightened hundreds of times beyond a human''s, but now, with his partial ancestral transformation active, his pride and fury erupted even more violently than usual.
"Yes, you''re about to lose¡ to a lowly human," Damian nodded, smirking. "What are you going to do about it?"
Damian purposely provoked him, wanting to see what the vampire could do.
He wasn''t afraid that the noble vampire could harm him because he could sense the strength of his presence had diminished significantly since the fight began.
It seemed that, even though this vampire possessed great power, he lacked stamina.
Damian, on the other hand, had plenty.
He had only used two elemental essence forms: the [Earth Avatar] and [Wind Avatar].
He still had five more forms left that he hadn''t used.
The vampire was strong, there was no doubt about that, but Damian was his natural enemy.
He had [Fire Essence] and [Earth Essence] flowing through his veins, and he had developed the [Fire Resistance] trait after sitting inside the burning-hot liquid lava for more than ten days in the Trial Realm.
Not to mention, he also possessed complete fire immunity due to the [Fire Essence].
Unless the vampire was using a higher-ranked flame, there was no way the vampire could hurt Damian.
Even normal flames had power and intensity differences, which could be differentiated by the color of the flame.
For example, the lowest intensity of normal flame would have a reddish-orange color.
The more intense and powerful the normal flame, the color of the flame would change.
The spectrum of flame intensity goes from reddish-orange < orange < yellow < white < blue, and so on.
Damian had learned about the flame color spectrum when he was enhancing his understanding of the flame element for his magic cultivation.
Damian had been thinking about ways to increase the intensity of his flames for a while now.
His flame elemental magic had already grown so well that he could create pure orange flames, but he was more interested in increasing the color of the flame he could generate using his [Fire Essence].
However, he hadn''t yet figured out how to do so.
Damian was levitating about thirty feet in the sky.
He looked at the vampire, who was looking down, hiding his face from him.
The vampire seemed to be fine, even after being impaled by [Recna, the Spear of Torment] into his heart.
The hole in his chest had already closed up completely after about 30 seconds or so.
The flames around his body weren''t dissipating either.
Even though Damian could feel that the power of his presence had grown considerably weaker, the flame was still burning brightly in reddish-orange.
The flames generated by this noble vampire were the lowest intensity of the normal flame spectrum.
Flames are like elements and energies; each flame has different capabilities and properties.
Normal flames have no special properties, but they can grow more intense.
However, the noble vampire''s flames were still at the starting stage.
Unless their intensity grew stronger, they couldn''t affect Damian.
The vampire slowly raised his head and looked at Damian, revealing his blood-red eye, devoid of any emotion.
Around his eye, cracks resembling those on a shattered mirror spread outward.
However, they did not appear to be wounds; there was no blood, nor were they healing as they should.
Suddenly, Damian felt the vampire''s presence growing stronger once again.
The noble vampire''s flames surged, expanding around him with an even more intense reddish-orange glow.
"Looks like he''s burning every ounce of energy he has left to increase the intensity of his flames."
Damian could see that the vampire refused to accept defeat.
He recalled how the vampire had belittled him, calling him a lowly human.
From that alone, Damian understood that this noble vampire despised humans more than anything in the world.
The thought of being beaten by one was unbearable to him.
His pride simply wouldn''t allow it.
Damian shook his head.
He understood the significance of pride, but in his opinion, if you lacked the power to back it up, then what was the point?
Pride meant nothing if you couldn''t prove it.
The vampire''s pride stemmed from his belief in his superiority, not just over humans but over many lower-ranking races.
Now, to be in a position where he was losing to the very race he looked down upon the most?
His pride was wounded beyond repair.
And as a vampire, who felt emotions a hundred times more intensely than a human, the humiliation was overwhelming.
In his partially transformed ancestral state, where everything was heightened even further, this defeat was nothing short of infuriating.
The noble vampire''s flames burned even brighter, his eyes glowing with fire.
In an instant, his figure shot forward like a streak of flames, attacking the figure hovering effortlessly in the sky.
He was fast, just as fast if not faster than when the fight had begun.
But Damian could follow his movements with ease.
He didn''t even need to activate his [Eyes of Clarity], which allowed him to perceive everything in slow motion.
With his supercomputer-like brain, enhanced natural eyesight, and high perception stats, tracking the vampire''s movements was effortless.
Despite the intense battle, Damian felt calm and at peace.
The [Wind Avatar] form enveloped him, granting him a feeling of complete freedom, something he had never experienced before.
As the vampire lunged at him with his fist drawn back, ready to pummel him with all his strength, Damian remained still.
The vampire propelled himself forward at full force, his attack empowered by the sheer speed of his flight.
But just as his fist was about to connect with Damian''s face, Damian vanished.
The vampire''s fist struck nothing but empty air, sending a blast of fire shooting into the sky.
"W-What the hell?"
The vampire''s eyes widened in shock.
He spun around, only to see Damian still floating in the same spot, arms crossed, an irritating smirk playing on his lips.
The noble vampire struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
He had thrown his full strength into that punch, and he had seen his fist about to collide with Damian''s face.
But in that final moment, the lowly human had simply... disappeared.
Damian''s smirk widened as he saw the vampire''s confused expression.
He had evaded the attack effortlessly, using the wind essence coursing through his body to move like the wind itself.
But the vampire wasn''t about to give up; his pride wouldn''t allow it.
Surrendering would bring him nothing but shame, something he wasn''t prepared to face.
Little did he know, he no longer had a choice.
Once again, he launched himself at Damian, his flames burning fiercely, consuming every last ounce of [Blood Essence] he had left.
He aimed another powerful strike at Damian''s head.
But just as before, the moment his fist was about to connect, Damian vanished.
"You...!"
The vampire''s frustration boiled over.
No matter how many punches he threw, Damian dodged them all with effortless, fluid movements.
Damian wasn''t using any weapons. He wasn''t employing any advanced techniques. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He was simply hovering in the air, his hands behind his back, allowing his body to move on its own, dodging every attack as if it were second nature.
His expression remained relaxed, almost amused, as he watched the noble vampire struggle in vain.
"He''s dodging everything..."
"Looks like the vampire resorted to hand-to-hand combat after realizing his flames had no effect on his opponent."
"He''s too fast¡ that vampire can''t keep up."
"Like the wind..."
To the spectators, it seemed as though Damian''s body was moving on its own.
But in reality, he was controlling every movement with [Wind Avatar], utilizing the immense boost in speed it granted him.
[Wind Avatar] made his body feel as light as a feather, allowing him to soar freely.
With the wind essence surrounding him, he could manipulate the air itself, pushing and pulling in any direction at will.
And so, he continued to dance through the sky, effortlessly evading every desperate strike the vampire threw at him.
"You... you lowly human, are you trying to make a fool out of me?"
The vampire felt his head spinning, his blood boiling with frustration and irritation.
He couldn''t even land a single blow on this lowly human he despised with his entire being.
For over five minutes, he had been delivering hundreds of attacks, yet not a single one had connected.
Never in his whole life had the noble vampire felt more frustrated, irritated, annoyed, hateful, powerless, and, more than anything, helpless.
He hated this feeling.
He hated this lowly human for making him feel this way.
This lowly human... he was a monster in human form.
Unknowingly, the vampire bit his lip so hard that blood began to drip from the wound, yet unexpectedly, it did not heal.
"I''m running out of blood essence..." His face turned grim.
That was when the noble vampire finally realized he had lost this battle long ago.
He had never been a capable enough opponent to fight against this monster of a human.
From the very start, this man had been toying with him.
He had always known he would win against a noble vampire like him.
"How did it come to this?"
The vampire felt his pride shatter as the reality of his defeat slowly sank into his barely beating heart.
The flames surrounding him began to fade, while the features he had gained upon transforming into his partial ancestral vampire form started to disappear.
His [Blood Essence] reserves were draining rapidly.
Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Strongest Human
Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Strongest HumanThe noble vampire''s partial Ancestral Form began to unravel as the flames surrounding his figure dissipated, and his movements became considerably slower.
Damian shook his head, and in a sudden flash, he appeared before the vampire, effortlessly catching the hand that was coming at him, its claws aiming to pierce his flesh.
He caught it with ease because there was no real strength behind the vampire''s attack anymore.
In fact, the vampire was so weak that Damian no longer needed any techniques, abilities, or even his [Warrior''s Will] to overpower him.
"You''re so through," Damian muttered softly before pulling his hand back and then thrusting it forward, delivering a powerful punch to the vampire''s chest.
With a loud bang, the attack sent the noble vampire crashing to the ground like a meteor.
"Argh...!"
The vampire hit the ground hard, coughing up a mouthful of blood as the impact shattered many of his bones.
Normally, this wouldn''t be a problem.
His vampiric regeneration should have healed him within minutes, but that wasn''t happening.
His [Blood Essence] reserves were completely depleted, leaving his body with no energy to recover.
He was in the worst possible situation.
Never before had he been beaten this badly.
No one in the First Tower Realm had ever pushed him to his limits until today.
Not even the Alpha Werewolf, whom he despised, had been able to do so.
In fact, he had taken great satisfaction in watching that werewolf lose miserably to this very human, but he had never imagined he would share the same fate.
Now, here he was, lying on the ground in utter misery.
His body was completely drained of energy, blood staining his figure, his racial healing abilities compromised, and worst of all, he was still conscious.
Vampires had incredible resilience, which meant that even in this state, he remained aware of everything.
And that awareness came at a cost: the unbearable pain of his shattered body.
Above him, Damian hovered in the air, his presence growing stronger as his aura intensified.
In his hand, [Recna, The Spear of Torment] materialized, cloaked in its own dark energy.
"Hmm?" Damian hummed thoughtfully, activating a spear technique. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[The Thousand Armor Impale: Spear Technique Activated]
As soon as the technique was triggered, thick energy surged around the spear.
However, unlike before, when he had used [Qi], this time the surrounding [Wind Essence] gathered and cloaked the weapon instead.
Damian hadn''t changed anything about how the energy flowed or how the technique functioned.
He had simply replaced the energy source from [Qi] to [Wind Essence].
The [Wind Essence] swirled around the spear, while the winds in the area responded to Damian, flowing toward him.
"So¡ elemental essence can be used like this too, huh?"
Damian nodded, feeling the hot wind streaming around the spear.
As it merged with the spear''s dark aura, the entire technique radiated a powerful, ominous energy.
Pulling his spear back, Damian made a simple impaling motion, pointing it at the downed vampire.
As soon as he thrust the spear forward, the dark aura surrounding it transformed into a lance of pure [Wind Essence].
The attack accelerated toward its target, leaving a powerful gust in its wake, even pushing Damian slightly backward.
Within moments, the wind-forged spear struck the vampire.
Upon impact, the spear exploded, releasing a violent burst of pure energy in all directions.
An intense wind pressure swept through the battlefield, forcing everything away and filling the arena with dust and debris, making it difficult for spectators to see what was happening inside.
But Damian''s eyes could still see through the storm of dust and dirt.
Then suddenly, he felt the [Wind Essence] surrounding him become unstable.
A few seconds later, the form deactivated on its own, and the effects of [Wind Avatar] completely vanished.
Damian fell toward the ground.
"Ha... shit," he muttered as he landed safely, though the last remnants of [Wind Essence] dissipated from his body, clearing the dust in the process.
"Eight minutes¡ I can only maintain the [Wind Avatar] form for eight minutes. I need to increase my elemental essence reserves," Damian noted to himself as he assessed his energy levels.
His [Wind Essence] reserves were completely depleted, and it would take some time before they naturally recharged.
Every form he possessed depended on the amount of energy he had.
Even then, the duration of his transformations would decrease further if he used too much energy on large, flashy moves, which rapidly drained his reserves.
Right now, the only element he had enough reserves for was [Fire Essence].
With it, he could maintain [Fire Avatar] for around forty-five minutes, though even that duration would shorten if he kept using high-energy techniques.
[Your understanding of the spear technique [The Thousand Armor Impale] has increased.]
[Your technique [Thousand Armor Impale (High)] has improved to [Thousand Armor Impale (Master)].]
Damian turned his attention back to the vampire, curious about the state he was in.
The vampire was, unfortunately for him, still conscious, though barely.
If one ignored the giant, handball-sized hole in his stomach, he simply looked even paler than usual, even for a vampire.
Damian looked around and saw red dots scattered all over the battlefield, as if it had rained blood.
"Oh god¡ Did that attack blast his blood all over the place? That''s unfortunate," Damian shrugged, then turned his attention back to the vampire.
"That might explain why you looks so pale, even for a vampire¡"
Crouching down, Damian observed the wound, ignoring the pained groans echoing in the background.
The wound wasn''t healing like it was supposed to.
"Y-You¡"
A pained, barely audible voice escaped the fallen vampire''s mouth, along with a spit of whatever remaining blood he had left.
"Oh? You can still talk? Wow, a vampire''s endurance really cannot be underestimated, can it?" Damian was genuinely impressed by the abilities of this noble vampire.
Both vampires and werewolves possessed incredible endurance and resilience, but vampires had top-tier regeneration.
They could heal from nearly any injury as long as their heads remained intact.
Werewolves, on the other hand, didn''t have such rapid regeneration, but they did have immense healing capabilities and strong bodies that could withstand unnatural force and pressure.
"Y-You¡ L-Low...ly... H-Human¡" the noble vampire''s mouth moved as he struggled to speak.
"Still going on about that ''lowly human'' nonsense?" Damian shook his head, disappointed. "Let me ask you something¡ is it really worth it?"
Damian moved closer, doubting that the vampire could even hear him.
"I mean¡" Damian smirked.
"You lost to me miserably. Just like that werewolf. Actually, you lost even more miserably than that werewolf... Yet, you''re still calling me a ''lowly human''? Seems a little ignorant, doesn''t it?"
"Do you still think you''re superior to me, a so-called ''lowly human,'' when you''ve just been utterly defeated?"
The vampire didn''t respond.
Or rather, he simply couldn''t.
Damian stepped back as he noticed the vampire''s body slowly turning into specks of light.
"It''s great to have pride, but pride alone isn''t enough¡ Did your pride help you win against me?"
"No, right? If you don''t have power, your pride is meaningless."
Then, slowly, the vampire completely disappeared into tiny specks of light as the arena erupted into an uproar.
"He won¡"
"He obtained first place in the power rankings¡"
"He won 200 battles straight¡ I can''t believe this¡"
"He''s probably the strongest human to ever walk the land of the First Tower Realm!"
Shiru was in a similar state to the other Awakeners who had been watching Damian''s battles.
"He really did it¡"
Shiru felt her throat go numb and dry, as if it hadn''t seen saliva in days.
"I made the right decision forming a contract with him," Shiru sighed, her figure vanishing from the spot and reappearing in the Awakeners'' Hall.
Not just her, now that the battles had concluded, there was no reason for anyone else to stay either.
Almost everyone left, leaving Damian alone on the battleground, watching a series of notifications appear in his field of vision.
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener ''Infinity'' has obtained 1st place in the Power Rankings.]
[It has been detected that you are the first Awakener in the history of Solarta to win 200 battles in a row without resting, taking a break, or losing.]
[You have won all the ranking battles and reached 1st place in the power rankings.]
[You have completed the hidden function of the power rankings.]
[For every consecutive battle won, without loss, from the 100th position to the 1st position in the power rankings, you will gain 1 free stat point.]
[You have won 100 consecutive battles without a single loss or break.]
[Reward: +100 Free Stat Points]
[Since you have achieved 1st place by defeating every single position holder in the power rankings, you have unlocked another hidden function.]
[Reward: +50 Free Stat Points]
[You have obtained the title: ''The Strongest Human.'']
-----
[Title: The Strongest Human]
[Effect: When fighting against humanoid beings, your stats will increase by 15%.]
-----
[The system congratulates you on your achievement.]
[He who prevails writes history.]
[Your achievement will be recorded in the annals of Solarta.]
[You will be known as ''The Unforeseen One'' by all beings associated with The tower and The system throughout all tower realms and worlds.]
[You have obtained the title: ''The Unforeseen One.'']
-----
[Title: The Unforeseen One]
[Effects:
- Your luck will increase when within tower realms or foreign worlds.
-You will receive a 25% discount on all system-related purchases, including system shops, public auctions, and private auctions.]
-----
Damian felt a warm sensation spreading throughout his entire being as his physical stamina and depleted energy reserves rapidly recovered.
[As a small reward for your efforts, your stamina will be completely rejuvenated.]
[You will be transported back to where you were before you entered the ranking battle.]
Then, Damian''s figure broke into pieces of light before vanishing, returning him to the Awakeners'' Hall, where his contractor, Shiru, was waiting for him.
Chapter 79: Chapter 79: The Faction
Chapter 79: Chapter 79: The FactionAs soon as Damian received his rewards, he reappeared in the [Awakener''s Hall].
The moment his figure materialized, he heard a series of gasps and sharp exhales.
Damian narrowed his eyes and looked around, noticing that every single awakener inside the hall was staring at him, murmuring among themselves.
However, the moment his gaze swept in their direction, they quickly turned away, as if they were intimidated or even afraid of him.
His eyes then landed on Shiru, who was standing a few meters away, looking at him with a similar expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Damian asked.
"Are you seriously asking me that? After everything you did in the power ranking battles? Everyone in the First Tower Realm watched everything unfold¡ You''re the most popular person right now," Shiru explained.
"Just open your friend request list... you''ll see."
As soon as Damian opened the system prompt, a flood of messages began spamming his screen.
[You have received a friend request from ''ObiWanCanBlowMe'']
[You have received a friend request from ''BigB00tyJudy'']
[You have received a friend request from ''AuntieClapper'']
[You have received a friend request from ''TwoGirlsOneBox'']
[You have received a friend request from ''TheBreadStore'']
[You have received a friend request from...] x 386
"I''m getting a lot of friend requests," Damian muttered, raising an eyebrow as he scanned the unusual names.
"And what''s with these names?"
"You''ve shown power far beyond what any awakener of Solarta has ever seen. Of course, people would want to associate with you," Shiru said, sounding a bit exasperated.
"As for the childish names¡ those are just superficial. It''s like gamer tags. You''ll need to create one yourself if you want to accept any friend requests."
"Oh," Damian nodded, then closed the prompt without accepting any requests.
"I sent you a friend request as well¡ and don''t bother ignoring it. We''ve already formed a contract, so this is nothing compared to that," Shiru added with a slight smile.
Damian rolled his eyes and sighed before accepting her request.
[You have become friends with ''ShiruYamamoto'']
...
[The InfinitePathWielder has accepted your friend request.]
"I guess only someone like you can have a name like that, huh?" Shiru nodded.
"Anyway, I have something important to do¡ see ya," Damian said, waving a hand before turning toward the exit with a serious expression on his face.
"Whoa, whoa¡ where are you going?" Shiru stepped in front of him, wanting to know why he was leaving so hastily.
"To deal with a faction," Damian replied simply, his lips curling into a predatory grin.
"Deal with a faction¡?" Shiru blinked in confusion before realization struck her.
Her eyes widened as she remembered Damian''s brutal and aggressive fighting style against the members of the [Lord''s Disciples] faction during the ranking battles.
"The [Lord''s Disciples] faction¡?"
"Yep. There won''t be anyone left after I''m finished," Damian said, shrugging as if it were nothing.
Right now, nothing mattered more to him than erasing the remnants of the Vatican from his world.
Fighting them during the power ranking battles had resurfaced an overwhelming fury and hatred that he simply couldn''t ignore.
If he didn''t deal with it now, it would become a major obstacle in his path to invincibility and true immortality, something he could not allow.
The Vatican had exploited their power and status, causing countless innocent children to suffer and die.
While his hatred for them would never truly disappear, he could at least ensure that their influence was completely eradicated by killing every last one of those Vatican bastards who were responsible for the atrocities.
He wanted to end their story once and for all so he could continue his pursuit of power.
"I''ll come to you if I need anything¡ but I''m leaving now," Damian said, about to walk away until he saw Shiru raise her hand, signaling for him to wait.
"I won''t even try to talk you out of it," she said.
"I''ve seen your power, I know you''re capable of doing it. But if you''re really going to declare war on a faction, why not make the best out of it?"
"What do you mean?" Damian raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Before you finish off their faction, create your own faction first. Then, declare war against their faction through the system. This way, you''ll also receive rewards for winning the war against a system-registered faction," Shiru suggested.
"Hmm... yes, that does sound beneficial. I have to create my own faction, huh? Fine, let''s do it," Damian nodded with a smile.
Shiru then brought him to the hall where factions could be registered, along with their names and leaders.
"First, to register your faction, you''ll need an awful lot of gold..." Shiru said, but she didn''t doubt that Damian had more than enough.
She had a hunch that he might have plenty of gold to meet the requirements for forming a faction.
"Touch the crystal tablet and say your faction name. Once the system accepts the name, pay the required sum of gold, and that will be it," Shiru explained.
Damian did as she instructed.
He walked toward the crystal tablet and placed his hand on it, feeling its warmth against his palm as he pondered what his faction''s name should be.
-----
[Faction System]
[Select the type of faction you wish to create from the options below:]
-Monarchy
-Guild
-Theocracy
-Autocracy
-Clan
-Kratocracy
-Democracy
-----
"I will choose the [Monarchy] ruling system," Damian decided.
Another prompt appeared in his field of vision.
[Register your faction name]
[Pay 500,000 Gold to complete the faction creation]
Damian paid the gold.
After a few minutes of thinking, he finally decided on a name.
"...The Circle of Ouroboros."
[The system has accepted your faction registration.]
[The faction "Circle of Ouroboros" has been successfully registered in the system.]
[The Awakener titled ''Infinity'' has been declared the leader of the monarchy, "Circle of Ouroboros."]
[You have unlocked a system function: ''Faction Management.'']
[You have awakened a subclass: "Lone Leader."]
[Subclass: Lone Leader]
[Effects: -For every 1,000 Awakener who joins your faction, your stats will permanently increase by 0.01%.
-For every Awakener who join your faction, your stats will increase by 0.004%. This bonus will temporarily activate when you are at war with another faction.]
-----
[Sub-Class EvolutionCondition:
-Evolve your faction: Incomplete
----- sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"I will be the first one to join your faction," Shiru said, sending a request to the leader of the faction.
A notification appeared before Damian.
[The Awakener named ''Shiru'' has requested to join your faction.]
"Fine," Damian sighed before accepting the request.
[The Awakener titled ''Shiru'' has become a member of your faction.]
...
"Now that you''ve created your faction, every other faction in Solarta has probably received a notification about its existence," Shiru continued.
"But I doubt anyone would mess with you after your display of power in the ranking battles. I doubt they''d even go against you. Still, it''s good to be cautious."
"If you have another 500,000 Gold, you can buy a [Territory Card] from the system shop. With it, you can establish your own territory anywhere in the lands of Solarta," Shiru suggested.
"Territory Card? I already have one," Damian said, remembering that he had received one as a reward for completing a trial in Hell Mode.
He brought it out of his system inventory, and a golden-colored card, about seven inches in size, appeared in his hand.
"...That''s great! Did you get that as one of the rewards from the Hell Mode trials?"
"Yep," Damian nodded.
Shiru sighed in regret.
She regretted not choosing the Hell Mode trials after seeing all the gold and items Damian had received as rewards.
Then again, even if she had tried, she doubted she would have survived.
"How much gold do you have left?" Shiru asked.
Damian checked his inventory before answering, "2,804,250 gold."
"What the hell?... How do you have so much gold even after spending 500,000 gold to register your faction?" Shiru couldn''t believe her ears.
She had never heard of anyone possessing that much gold before.
Maybe an entire faction''s wealth could reach that high, but a single Awakener having that amount?
This was ridiculous.
"Well, I was rewarded about 1,295,000 gold when I completed all 20 Hell Mode trials and another 2,010,000 gold from the Power Ranking battles. I had already spent about 500 gold during the trials."
After Damian defeated the 200th-ranked player in the Power Ranking, he unlocked a hidden feature of the battles: for every consecutive win, his reward increased by 100 gold.
Since he had defeated every single Awakener from the 200th position up to the 1st, his total earnings from the Power Ranking battles had accumulated to 2,010,000 gold.
Adding that to the 1,295,000 gold he earned from completing the Hell Mode trials, and subtracting the 500 gold he had spent on clothes and food during the trials, as well as the 500,000 gold he used to register his faction, his total balance now stood at 2,804,250 gold.
"That''s an awful lot of gold¡ With this, you could even build faction buildings in your territory," Shiru sighed in frustration.
"Anyway, since you already have a territory card, you can establish your territory right away."
"Where?"
"Anywhere¡ It''s up to you. The system will display locations designated as free territorial lands. You can choose any of them. As for expanding your territory, we''ll deal with that in the future."
After an hour or so, Damian appeared in another location near a dense forest.
However, this particular area had no trees or forest life, only thick green grass covering the land.
A few kilometers away, he could see lush green mountains rising in the distance.
"This seems to be a good place..." Damian muttered.
He brought out his [Territory Card], which manifested as a golden card from his system inventory and appeared in his hand.
Applying a little force, he crushed the card, causing a wave of golden energy to spread outward as the card shattered.
The soft golden glow brushed past his figure before dissipating into the air.
The ground trembled slightly as a golden circle, resembling a magical formation, manifested on the ground.
It stretched outward, covering a 50-meter diameter before vanishing.
The moment it disappeared, another circle appeared, and the ground began to crack and shift.
From beneath the earth, structures started emerging as massive buildings rose from the depths.
A grand castle took shape, its towering walls forming as stone structures emerged from the cracks.
A thick stone wall soon surrounded the castle, enclosing the one-kilometer territory.
[You have formed your territory.]
[You have unlocked the system function: ''Territory Management.'']
[Your territory begins with a size of 50 meter (Diameter).]
Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Limit Breaker - 1
Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Limit Breaker - 1[You have formed your territory.]
[You have unlocked the system function: ''Territory Management.'']
[Your territory begins with a size of 50 meters (Diameter).]
Damian looked at his territory.
The [Territory Card] instantly created his very own land as soon as he crushed it in his hand.
His territory started with a 50-meter diameter, and the system even took the liberty of forming a stone wall to mark its boundaries.
A massive seven-foot-tall, thick brown metal gate stood at the entrance.
As soon as he willed it, the gate opened on its own, allowing him to walk inside.
Before him stood a manor-like castle made of pure gray stone.
A large stone gate at the entrance rotated, creating a path for him as he approached.
Damian entered the castle, stepping into a vast throne hall.
A small smile played on his lips as he walked forward on a black-and-white carpet leading to the throne.
He observed the throne for a few moments before finally taking his seat as the [Lone Leader] of the [Circle of Ouroboros].
After taking in the soft yet powerful sensation of the throne for a few minutes, Damian muttered, "Let''s check out the new system functions¡"
He then opened the first function he had unlocked.
-----
[Faction Management]
[Faction Name: Circle of Ouroboros (Tier 1)]
[Faction Leader: Infinity (Damian Ignatius)]
[Faction Members (1/1000)]
1. Shiru Yamamoto (Role: Commoner)
[Faction Evolution Conditions]
-Recruit Awakeners to strengthen your faction: (1/1000)
-Conquer Tier 1 factions: (0/3)
-----
"Hm¡ I always thought joining a faction wouldn''t be efficient for my growth, but after seeing the benefits of the Sub-class, I may have to reconsider my beliefs," Damian mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he recalled the effects of his new subclass.
[Subclass: Lone Leader]
[Effects:
-For every 1,000 Awakeners who join your faction, your stats will permanently increase by 0.01%.
-For every Awakener who joins your faction, your stats will temporarily increase by 0.004% during faction wars.]
Just then, he sensed a figure entering his territory: Shiru, his contractee.
However, another unfamiliar presence accompanied her.
The newcomer was weak, so Damian ignored them for now, though he was mildly curious.
Instead, he opened the next system function he had unlocked.
-----
[Territory Management]
[Territory Name: The Land of Ouroboros]
[Territory Rank: Tier 1]
[Territory Size: 50 Meters (Diameter)]
[Territory Owner: Infinity (Damian Ignatius)]
[Territory Structures]
-Leader''s Manor
-Stone Wall
-Training Ground???? (Price: 45,000 Gold)
-Armory????(Price: 20,000 Gold)
-Watchtowers???? (Price: 28,000 Gold)
-Teleportation House???? (Price: 150,000 Gold)
[Territory Evolution Conditions]
-Conquer territories.
-The evolution of your land will depend on the type of territories you conquer.
-----
As soon as Damian opened the system function, all the relevant information flowed into his mind.
As the leader of the faction and the owner of the territory, he had full control over everything within his domain.
As a faction leader, he determined who could join, and he could assign roles to Awakeners through the system.
Each role came with unique perks, advantages, and privileges.
Damian, as the leader, had access to all of them.
Whenever he assigned a role, the individual would be bound by a system-generated contract, which he could modify as he saw fit.
As a territory owner, he could lease or sell land for any price he deemed appropriate.
He could monitor who entered and left his land, ban anyone from entering, and construct as many buildings as he wanted, provided he had the gold.
Remembering that he had obtained a [Random System Function Card] as a reward for completing his Hell Mode trials, Damian decided to use it.
"Let''s check it out," he murmured, retrieving the card from his system inventory.
A brown card, about the size of a seven-inch Android phone, materialized in his hand.
Without hesitation, he crushed it.
[You have used the Random System Function Card.][You have unlocked a new system function: "Mapping Function."]
As soon as Damian unlocked the function, another prompt appeared, revealing a map with him at its center, represented by a blue dot inside the [Leader''s Manor].
The map displayed his entire territory, but when he zoomed out, nothing else was visible.
-----
[Mapping Function]
-The map will expand as you explore new areas.
-You can place markers on Awakeners to track their movements. (Note: Marking an Awakener requires physical contact. Limit: 10.)
-Marked Awakeners can explore and register new lands into the mapping system.
-----
"This should be useful¡ I should just mark some birds and animals. That would be a faster way to expand the map," Damian mused.
He then noticed that Shiru and the stranger she had brought were still standing outside the castle, engaged in conversation but not entering.
"Anyway, I should balance out my stats before waging war against the [Lord''s Disciples] faction," Damian muttered before opening his status.
-----
{{Physical Attributes}}
[Strength: 235 | Agility: 275 | Vitality: 383 |
Stamina: 280 | Perception: 262 ]
{Stat Points: 175}
-----
After a few minutes, Damian finally allocated all the stat points he had received and then looked at his physical attributes.
-----
{{Physical Attributes}}
[Strength: 300 | Agility: 310 | Vitality: 390 |
Stamina: 310 | Perception: 300 ]
{Stat Points: 0}
-----
As soon as he finished allocating his stats, he began to feel a warm and cold sensation spreading across his body.
However, this was very different, much different, from when he had allocated his stats before¡
Something else was happening to him.
Something he didn''t expect...
Suddenly, his pupils dilated to the limit, and his vision went black.
Though it seemed like he had lost consciousness, he remained sitting upright, his dilated eyes wide open.
A white aura began to seep out of his skin, slowly enveloping his figure in a thin, cloud-like cocoon as Damian''s mind went completely blank.
Outside, a few minutes before Damian started allocating his stat points¡
While he was examining the newly unlocked system functions, Shiru appeared in front of the territory of [Land of Oroborus], accompanied by a stranger.
"I''m still surprised that someone like you has taken an interest in a human¡ Sir Holloway," Shiru remarked, glancing at the plebeian vampire standing beside her, who kept a respectful distance.
He was a man with striking red eyes, long brown hair, and pale skin, like all vampires.
Dressed in a long brown coat and sophisticated attire, he exuded an air of intellect and refinement.
"What can I say? No one has ever displayed the kind of power he did in the rankings. I feel like I could learn a lot from him for my research, of course," the plebeian vampire, whom Shiru respectfully addressed as Sir Holloway, replied with a small smile.
"Wouldn''t that noble vampire be furious if someone like you sought out the person who humiliated him so badly?" Shiru asked, referring to Aeron Brenlith, the noble vampire Damian had defeated to claim the first position in the power ranking battle.
"Don''t worry about him. Even he wouldn''t dare lay a finger on me unless he''s willing to invoke the wrath of an Ancient Vampire¡ and trust me, he wouldn''t want that," Sir Holloway said with a confident smile.
"So, it''s true, your master is an Ancient Noble Vampire¡" Shiru muttered.
She had heard rumors about this plebeian vampire being under the protection of an Ancient, but neither she nor her colleagues who worked for the system had ever dared to ask him directly, fearing they might offend him.
Awakeners climbing the Tower usually kept their secrets to themselves, and prying into their affairs was often seen as disrespectful, or even offensive.
This was especially true when the Awakener in question was a plebeian vampire over 800 years old, not bothered by nobles, plebeians, and even werewolves, rumored to have been turned by an Ancient Noble Vampire.
"Yeah¡ I was fortunate enough to encounter an Ancient Noble Vampire who wasn''t as impulsive or arrogant as the others, unlike Aeron Brenlith."
"She was interested in my work and offered me immortality in exchange for sharing my research. I graciously accepted¡ though it came at a price," Sir Holloway explained.
However, he didn''t elaborate further, and Shiru knew better than to pry.
Suddenly, both Shiru and Sir Holloway turned their gazes toward the manor''s gates.
A powerful presence surged from within.
"What is that? Is that him? What''s he doing?" Shiru asked, feeling an overwhelming force radiating from inside.
It was far stronger and vastly different from the aura Damian had given off before, as if all the power he had been restraining was now completely unleashed.
"He¡ I think he''s allocating his stat points," Sir Holloway muttered, his eyes widening.
"Allocating stat points? How can you tell?"
"A sudden, massive increase in presence? What else could it be in such an unlikely place?"
As an 800-year-old vampire who had studied countless unexplained phenomena, he could easily recognize when someone was distributing their free stat points.
"But even that wouldn''t explain why his presence is skyrocketing like this¡" His eyes widened further as a realization struck him.
"He must be using a large number of stat points all at once¡ªthat would explain this overwhelming presence."
"How many do you suppose¡?"
"Around a hundred, maybe," Sir Holloway replied, clenching his fist. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"A-Around h-hundred?" Shiru stammered, swallowing hard.
She had never seen someone with that many free stat points before.
As far as she knew, stat points were rarely rewarded.
However, she also knew that Awakeners who completed trials on Nightmare difficulty earned some, and Damian had completed every single trial on Hell mode¡ Maybe he really did have hundreds of free stat points.
"Even if it''s around a hundred, it shouldn''t be causing a presence like this¡ Don''t forget, the effectiveness of each stat point increases significantly as the base stats get higher."
"My guess is that his stats were already quite high, and now on top of that, he''s adding even more, making his strength ridiculously high for his level," Sir Holloway said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Limit Breaker - 2
Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Limit Breaker - 2Sir Holloway¡ Lucian Holloway was once an ordinary human from a civilization called Morris, a world more than a thousand years technologically advanced compared to Earth.
He had been working in his university lab, researching cellular evolution, when everything changed.
The "System" suddenly descended upon his world 800 years ago, and on that same day, everything he had ever learned became meaningless.
He witnessed unbelievable supernatural phenomena, things that defied all logic and scientific explanation.
Despite the chaos, Lucian was lucky enough to survive the waves of monsters and even complete the trials, eventually reaching the First Tower Realm, Solarta.
There, he encountered beings from countless worlds and races, each vastly different from one another.
Seeing this vast diversity reignited his thirst for knowledge.
There were infinite things to study: supernatural beings he had only heard of in legends, longevity, immortality, abilities, talents, space and time, heaven and hell, gods and demons, evolution, the Tower itself, and even the System.
Everything became a possibility for research.
But there was a problem.
No matter how much there was to learn, he was just an average human.
He lacked the power to survive in the Tower.
That was when he was presented with an opportunity unlike anything he had ever imagined.
Eight hundred years ago, the First Tower Realm was completely dominated by Ancient noble vampires, not just arrogant, spoiled noble brats like Aeron Brenlith, but ancient noble vampires with thousands of years of experience, beings who had seen worlds end and new ones begin.
One such ancient noble vampire, who shared a deep curiosity about the universe, took great interest in Lucian Holloway''s research.
She made him an offer: immortality in exchange for exclusive access to his findings.
While Lucian gained immortality, he also lost much in the process.
He became a servant to an ancient noble vampire.
He lost his freedom, not just the freedom he had at that moment but the freedom to have secrets, to act independently, to live without being under someone else''s control.
Still, the advantages were undeniable.
His strength, stamina, endurance, and resilience increased exponentially, and most importantly, he gained vampiric regeneration.
However, he also lost something irreversible¡ªthe ability to procreate.
Yet, in the end, none of that mattered to Lucian Holloway.
More than anything, he wanted to learn.
He wanted to unravel the beauty of this System-altered universe.
The possibilities were endless.
There was no way he could pass up such an opportunity, and he didn''t.
He accepted the ancient vampire''s offer and lived for 800 years, gathering knowledge about vampires, werewolves, yokai, monsters, mutated beasts, ancient creatures, heavenly beings, and more.
And yet¡ he had never seen anything like this before.
Lucian and his companion Shiru, a friend he had made when she arrived in Solarta a year ago, sensed an overwhelming surge in Damian''s presence.
It had always been powerful, but this time, it was beyond comprehension.
The sheer intensity was impossible to ignore.
Without hesitation, they rushed through the already open stone doors of the Leader''s Manor.
"What is happening to him¡?" Shiru muttered, her gaze fixed on the scene before her.
Atop the dais sat a grand throne, and within it, or at least what she assumed was within it, was Damian.
However, his figure was completely obscured by a swirling cloud of energy, almost like a dense mist, radiating an unbearable heat.
Even from where they stood, both Shiru and Sir Holloway could feel its searing intensity.
Sir Holloway''s eyes narrowed as he sensed a very familiar phenomenon before him.
"But how could this happen? I thought you couldn''t do it alone without the system''s assistance¡." Lucian Holloway pondered.
"Miss Shiru... how long has it been since he arrived in Solarta?" he asked, turning to Shiru.
"He just got here yesterday," Shiru replied, her eyes fixed on the throne. She had never seen anything like this before.
"...Is that so? Then there''s no way he could have triggered the evolution mission."
"Even if he is an extraordinary awakener, and if he did trigger it, there''s no way he could have completed the mission tasks and fought 200 battles in the power ranking in such a short time," Sir Holloway thought for a few minutes, but he couldn''t come up with any other explanation for what was happening in front of him.
"Did he really do it on his own? But how could he? That''s impossible. He is still human, and not even higher-ranked beings could achieve this," Sir Holloway rubbed his temples as an unbelievable theory formed in his mind.
"How is he doing this? His physical body shouldn''t be anywhere near strong enough to pull this off," he muttered, shaking his head as if doubting his own thoughts.
"But then¡ he did display physical strength strong enough to overpower an Alpha Werewolf, and werewolves are known for their powerful bodies."
"But then again, a powerful body alone wouldn''t be enough. There are many people with advanced tank-related classes, yet it''s impossible for them to achieve this. Even then, how could a normal human become this strong?" Sir Holloway thought again, shaking his head and biting his lip.
"But he''s human. He shouldn''t even be capable of evolving¡ unless..."
The vampire turned his gaze toward the throne, sensing the presence growing stronger.
Heat waves radiated from the swirling, cloud-like energy, as if something inside was being burned.
"Did he¡ did he really break past his limiter? Could his physical body have grown so strong that his natural form couldn''t contain it, forcing it to change on its own?"
"No¡ that''s impossible. Even if his body became that powerful, his soul shouldn''t be able to withstand it without the system''s assistance," Sir Holloway murmured in disbelief.
For the first time in his 800 years of life, having spent centuries researching evolution, he was encountering something that made his head spin.
Meeting Damian for the first time in person, he was already struggling to comprehend what the young man was doing.
"Sir Holloway, you''ve been studying everything happening inside the tower, right? What do you think is happening to him?" Shiru asked nervously. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
She was concerned as Damian was her contractor, and she had placed great hopes in him.
She didn''t want to lose her only chance at escaping her powerless life.
"Haha¡ You wouldn''t believe me even if I told you. Even I can hardly believe it," Sir Holloway laughed hysterically, shaking his head.
"What do you mean?"
"He''s¡ evolving."
"What... WHAT?... what do you mean, EVOLVING?"
Shiru''s eyes widened in shock.
In the tower, "evolution" had a very specific meaning; it referred to a being''s race evolving.
"No¡ no¡ this¡ how?" Shiru couldn''t comprehend what was happening.
She had accepted it when Damian claimed to have completed the trials in Hell Mode.
She had believed him when he proved he was strong enough to win 200 consecutive battles without a single loss.
She even accepted that he had defeated both an Alpha Werewolf and a noble vampire.
She had even been willing to believe him when he said he would destroy an entire faction alone.
But evolving without anyone''s assistance, without the system''s intervention?
This was beyond what she could even define as "possible."
When Sir Holloway said Damian was evolving, she thought she had misheard him.
Then she assumed he was joking.
But when she saw the serious expression on his face, she realized she had no way to refute it.
"How¡ is this possible? I thought you couldn''t evolve unless you were turned into another race by a higher-ranked being, or by triggering the system''s evolution function."
"Maybe he completed the system''s evolution mission, and the system is evolving his race," Shiru speculated, grasping at any possible explanation.
But unfortunately for her, that wasn''t the case.
"If it were the system''s evolution, he wouldn''t be evolving here," Sir Holloway explained.
"Whenever an awakener completes the evolution mission, the system transports them to a designated location to aid in their evolution based on their chosen path."
"I don''t know how he did it, but somehow he broke his limiter and is evolving on his own. As for what he is evolving into... I can''t tell."
"He isn''t evolving using the essence of higher-ranked beings, yet he is evolving¡" Sir Holloway mused.
"A human evolution, maybe?"
"Could he be evolving into a High Human? No, that''s impossible. The High Humans are extinct."
High Humans were once considered comparable to noble vampires in the human species'' hierarchy.
"If that''s the case, then he isn''t evolving into a High Human, but rather¡ a human of a higher rank than an unevolved human, yet lower than the High Humans," Sir Holloway concluded.
...
Damian felt like he was submerged in hot water, a pinching sensation prickling all over his skin, similar to a mosquito bite but as if hundreds of thousands of them were biting him at once.
Strangely, however, he didn''t feel any pain. It was a bizarre sensation, unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
Even more unsettling was the contradiction¡ªhe felt conscious, yet numb; he could see, yet he saw nothing, not even darkness.
"What''s happening to me?" Damian muttered.
He could feel himself speaking, yet he did not feel his lips move or hear his own voice.
Still, he knew he had spoken.
Then, suddenly, everything began to clear.
He could finally see the darkness and hear a monotonous voice echoing behind his head.
Slowly, the sensation of his physical body returned.
The darkness around him faded, and the voice became clearer.
It was a sound he recognized.
It was the sound of the system.
As his vision cleared further, he noticed a white substance covering him, though it was still blurry.
A mix of warmth and cold spread through his body as system notifications appeared before him.
[You have awakened the talent: Limit Breaker.]
-----
[Unique Talent: Limit Breaker]
[Effect: -Every limitation that binds others does not bind you. You have absolutely no limits.
-Every restriction that limits your physical body has been undone.]
-----
[Due to the overwhelming difference in stats compared to your level, along with the physical boost provided by the numerous types of energy tempering your body continuously, your physical capabilities have far surpassed anything achievable by an unevolved human body.]
[You have the soul to accommodate this change, but your physical body does not. As a result, your body is breaking apart.]
.
.
.
[Your talent [Limit Breaker], is taking effect.]
[Your physical body is evolving to accommodate your capabilities.]
[Your flesh is being reconstructed.]
[Your bones are being reforged.]
[Your blood is being purified.]
[Your nerves are being reformed.]
[Your organs are being reconstructed.]
[Your energy streams are being reconstructed.]
[Your energy circuits are being reconstituted.]
[Your energy cores are being reconstituted.]
[The hidden potential within your cells is being unlocked.]
[Your genetic code is being upgraded by a tier.]
[You are Evolving.]
[Time Limit: 02(D):00(H):00(M):00(S)]
.
.
.
Damian couldn''t fully comprehend what the system was telling him; all he could hear was the monotonous buzzing of its voice.
His vision remained blurry, leaving him disoriented.
Then, just like that, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally, the blurring and buzzing faded completely, and the system messages became crystal clear.
He could now read the notifications.
"I awakened another talent?" Damian''s eyes widened, and this time, he could feel the shock as he read through the remaining messages.
He could see and hear clearly, but he still couldn''t move his body.
[Time Limit: 00(D):00(H):00(M):03(S)]
[Time Limit: 00(D):00(H):00(M):02(S)]
[Time Limit: 00(D):00(H):00(M):01(S)]
[Time Limit: 00(D):00(H):00(M):00(S)]
As the timer hit zero, the cocoon-like structure surrounding him suddenly exploded, releasing a powerful wave of energy.
Within the swirling white mist, a figure slowly rose, with only a pair of glowing neon-blue eyes piercing through the fog.
Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Sir Holloways Theory
Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Sir Holloway''s TheoryThere were two ways for a human to evolve.
One was to receive a piece of essence from a higher-ranked species of another race, which would transform them into a part of that race.
Many people debated whether this process truly counted as "evolution" or if it was merely being forcibly evolved, especially since it involved becoming part of another race.
However, this concern only applied if the transformation was complete.
When a human was turned into another race, they would not become that race entirely.
They would still retain a part of their original human genetics.
For example, when an alpha werewolf bit a human, the human would evolve into a beta werewolf.
However, they would not be considered a true werewolf because part of their human genetic code remained within them.
During this transformation, a small portion of the alpha''s essence would be transferred into the human''s inner system through the bite.
This essence would rewrite the human''s genetic code, awakening hidden potential while also influencing and upgrading it by mixing with the werewolf''s genetic structure.
The same principle applied when a noble vampire turned a human into a plebeian vampire by sharing their blood.
The human''s genetic code would merge with that of a vampire.
As a result, a human-turned-vampire would not be a pure vampire, just as a human-turned-werewolf would not be a true werewolf.
However, there was a major downside to this transformation.
Because of the introduction of foreign genetic material, humans who underwent this process would lose their ability to procreate.
This was one of the main reasons many hesitated to be turned into a plebeian vampire or a beta werewolf.
Yet, despite this drawback, the transformation provided undeniable benefits.
Even though they would lose the ability to have children, they would gain significant power boosts, including enhanced regeneration and, in the case of vampires, a form of immortality.
Vampiric immortality, however, was conditional.
So long as they were not killed, they could live forever.
They also possessed rapid regeneration, provided their head remained intact.
Werewolves, on the other hand, were not inherently immortal.
However, they had superior endurance, resilience, and physical strength compared to vampires.
They also possessed accelerated healing and extended lifespans.
Through intense training, werewolves could further prolong their longevity, and some could even achieve immortality much like vampires. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The second way to evolve was through the system.
The system actually gives you an opportunity to evolve without having to depend on a higher species of other races and being at their mercy.
Although no one really knows how to trigger the mission that the system gives out, called the [Evolution Mission], completing it grants the opportunity to evolve.
The system does not specifically evolve you into anything.
Rather, it gives you a choice in your evolution.
However, most people tend to ignore the option to evolve into a plebeian vampire or a beta werewolf.
This is because there are no essences or beings in existence that could provide the essence required to turn a human into a noble vampire or an alpha werewolf.
They went extinct a long time ago.
As a result, even the system can only evolve humans into lower-ranked beings.
Despite this limitation, many awakeners prefer the system route for evolution because, when they evolve, they are not bound to serve someone else.
Beta werewolves are always slaves to the alpha werewolf who turned them, and they cannot defy their will.
It is in their very nature.
The same goes for plebeian vampires.
They cannot resist the influence of the noble vampires who turned them.
However, through the system route of evolution, individuals experience much less influence from higher-ranked species of other races and can still evolve into a vampire or a werewolf.
Additionally, with system evolution, one can choose from a variety of races aside from werewolves and vampires, provided they are compatible with the being they wish to evolve into.
There have been cases where some people could not withstand the evolution process and died before completing it.
However, with the system, the probability of this happening is close to zero because the system selects the most suitable evolution for the individual.
"But he isn''t evolving through another race or the system... how is he doing this?" Shiru asked with a frustrated expression.
"Honestly, I can''t tell. There are many things I find strange about him," Sir Holloway replied, looking at the white cocoon enveloping the throne and the person sitting on it.
"...Ghaa," Shiru sighed.
She had never met someone more frustrating, annoying, astonishing, and shocking at the same time.
And the most ironic part?
She had made a contract with him, someone who was everything she was not.
"...Evolution Mission?" Shiru suddenly remembered something before glancing at Sir Holloway.
"What happens to the Evolution Mission that he triggered? Now that he''s evolving, wouldn''t that mission become useless?"
"I don''t know. Even I, who have lived for 800 years in the tower, have never seen or heard of something like this before," Sir Holloway replied, rubbing his pale chin.
"Although... what would happen if the system still grants him an option to complete the Evolution Mission? If it does, could he evolve again using the system a second time? And if he did, what would he evolve into?"
Sir Holloway''s researcher mind wandered through thousands of unanswered questions, unable to form a definitive answer.
He could only come up with theories that seemed plausible.
He was particularly intrigued by the "what-if" scenarios, especially regarding whether the system would grant him the Evolution Mission rewards after completing his current evolution.
If he was already an evolved being when he completed the system''s Evolution Mission, and if the system still rewarded him with another evolution, that would mean a second evolution.
Based on the race he chose, could he evolve into a higher-ranked species?
For example, an unevolved human with vampire essence would become a plebeian vampire.
So what would an already evolved human become if they evolved using vampire essence?
What about werewolf essence?
If an unevolved human evolved into a beta werewolf, then what would happen if an already evolved human underwent another evolution using werewolf essence?
And what about using the essences of other prominent races like Yokai, Qilins, Sirens, or Elves?
"What a unique existence this young man is. He has so many possibilities ahead of him," Sir Holloway thought.
He was impressed, no, beyond impressed.
In fact, there was no word to express how astonished he was by Damian and the potential he had shown.
And it hadn''t even been more than four days since he appeared in the first tower realm.
It had been two days since Shiru and her friend, Sir Lucian Holloway, arrived here, yet Damian still hadn''t finished evolving.
"How long do you think it will take for him to complete his evolution?" Shiru asked.
"It depends on the person and the type of being they are evolving into. Most of the time, it takes only a few minutes for vampires and werewolves. Even system-based evolution takes some time. But it''s been two days, and he still hasn''t completed it. It could be because he is evolving on his own," Sir Holloway replied.
"I''m still wondering what he''s evolving into. I''m sure it''s a human evolution since there was no essence of other races involved, and he can''t evolve into a High Human because High Humans are the noble vampire equivalent of the human race. So, he must be evolving into a plebeian vampire-equivalent species of the human race..."
Sir Holloway always wondered why Awakeners never even considered human evolution, even with the system route.
Then again, the High Humans went extinct a long time ago, so long that he didn''t even have any information on them.
He was very much hoping to become acquainted with Damian so he could study him.
This was the most important reason he asked his friend Shiru to introduce him to her contractor.
After watching Damian fight in the power-ranking battles, he had never seen a more promising Awakener in his 800 years of life.
Not even his master, the ancient noble vampire, seemed this powerful when she was dominating the First Tower Realm in her time.
It was safe to say that Damian had already started his path toward dominating the entire First Tower Realm.
The only question was how far he would take it.
From the way Damian handled the power rankings, created his own faction without hesitation, and even established his own territory, Sir Holloway could clearly see that Damian was greedy and ambitious.
He couldn''t imagine Damian settling down without pushing himself to the absolute limit.
"Times are about to change..."
Just as Sir Holloway and Shiru were discussing Damian''s possible evolution, his pupils suddenly dilated as he sensed a wave of hot air brushing past his pale, cold skin.
He turned to glance at the cocoon on the dais, noticing cracks beginning to form on its surface.
"He''s done evolving..."
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the cocoon exploded, dissolving into a mist of energy.
The entire room turned cold, and on the throne sat a figure.
A mysterious blue glow emanated from his eyes, the only visible feature at first, as a thick, blue aura seeped from his body, pushing away the mist to reveal his full form.
Chapter 83: Chapter 83: You’re Hired!
Chapter 83: Chapter 83: You¡¯re Hired!Just as Damian felt his consciousness, vision, hearing, and control over his body return all at once, the white substance that had encased him in a cocoon-like structure suddenly exploded, dispersing into a fine white mist.
Damian was still seated on the throne, just as he had been when he allocated his stats two days ago, but he didn''t feel the same.
A strange mix of warmth and cold spread through his body, slowly relieving the sensations he had been experiencing.
As his eyes and ears fully cleared, a series of notifications assaulted his senses.
"Argh..."
Damian clutched his head as a buzzing noise overwhelmed his ears.
A chilling pain spread across his skin, and his head felt unbearably heavy.
An intense restlessness surged through him, making everything around him seem irritating, causing him to bite his lip in frustration.
"Calm down..." he muttered to himself, trying to steady his mind.
He shook his head and took deep breaths.
After a few minutes, he finally calmed down as the system prompt appeared before him.
[Your flesh has been reconstructed.]
[Your bones have been reforged.]
[Your blood has been purified.]
[Your nerves have been reformed.]
[Your organs have been reconstructed.]
[Your energy streams have been reconstructed.]
[Your energy circuits have been reconstituted.]
[Your energy cores have been reconstituted.]
[The hidden potential within your cells has been unlocked.]
[Your genetic code has been rewritten and upgraded by a tier.]
[You have evolved into a ''Superior Human.'']
[An evolved form of the human species. You are much stronger than an unevolved human but weaker than a High Human. You possess most of the racial abilities that High Humans have, though on a lesser scale.]
[You have awakened the Racial Ability, ''Deep Resonance'']
-----
[Racial Ability: Deep Resonance]
[Effects: -As a Superior Human, you can hear and sense frequencies that unevolved humans cannot.]
-----
[You have awakened the Racial Ability, ''Sixth Sense'']
-----
[Racial Ability: Sixth Sense]
[Effects: -
You can sense the presence of any human species from great distances.
-You can more accurately judge the strength of any presence.]
-----
[You have awakened the Racial Trait, ''Accelerated Healing'']
-----
[Racial Trait: Accelerated Healing]
[Effects: -You can heal injuries 10 times faster than an unevolved human.
-You possess lesser regeneration: severed limbs will regrow, though the process will take time proportionate to natural growth rates.
-----
[You have awakened the Racial Trait, ''Longevity'']
-----
[Racial Trait: Longevity]
[Effects: -You can live for 500+ years.
-With proper training and a well-maintained body, you can extend your lifespan to 800+ years.
-Slower aging.
-----
[You have awakened the Racial Constitution, ''Superhuman Physiology'']
-----
[Racial Constitution: Superhuman Physiology]
[Effects: -Permanently increases Strength by 15%.
-Permanently increases Agility by 15%.
-Permanently increases Perception by 15%.
-Permanently increases Stamina by 15%.
-Permanently increases Endurance by 15%.
-Permanently increases Resilience by 15%.
-----
[You have awakened the Racial Constitution, ''Silver Bones'']
-----
[Racial Constitution: Silver Bones]
[Effects: -Your bones are 10 times stronger than those of unevolved humans while remaining lightweight.
-Your bones become more flexible.
-Increases Stamina by 15%.
-----
[You have awakened the Racial Constitution, ''Superior Blood'']
-----
[Racial Constitution: Superior Blood]
[Effects: -Your blood contains healing properties, capable of healing minor injuries in those who consume it.
-Your blood stores more energy, allowing you to survive without food or water for extended periods.
-Side Effect: Your blood becomes a small delicacy for creatures that thrive on blood.
-----
[You have awakened the Racial Constitution, ''Superior Charm'']
-----
[Racial Constitution: Superior Charm]
[Effects: -You are significantly more charming than an unevolved human.
-As a Superior Male Human, you are considered the ideal mate for beings ranked lower than you in the racial hierarchy.
-----
[Your energy reserves have slightly increased.]
[The effects of your inherited ability [Warrior''s Will] have slightly improved.]
-----
[Inherited Ability: Warrior''s Will]
[Effects: -When activated, all physical abilities increase by 20%.
-While active, all unnecessary emotions and thoughts related to battle or the task at hand are completely suppressed. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
-----
[Your talent [Boundless Refinement] is taking effect.]
[You have adapted to your evolution.]
[Your efficiency in evolving has slightly increased.]
[Your constitution [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect.]
-----
[New Trait Acquired: Evolutionary Body]
[Effects: -Your physical body has become more attuned to evolution, significantly increasing the efficiency of future evolutions.
-----
.
.
.
"I evolved..."
This was the most important thing.
He had actually evolved without depending on any other being, not even the system.
Though relying on the system to evolve wasn''t considered true dependence since the system only granted missions for evolution when the Awakener had earned them through effort, Damian, being the monster he was, had evolved on his own through sheer strength alone.
Damian raised his hand and noticed a subtle change in his skin tone; it had gone from white to a slightly fairer shade.
His hair had also grown longer, now reaching down to his arm joints, and had changed from jet black to a mix of black and brown.
Closing his eyes, he slowly let go of his senses.
Unlike the overwhelming experience when he first awakened after evolving, this time his senses did not assault him.
Instead, he felt the gentle touch of the wind brushing against his skin, the serene sounds of the atmosphere coming from every direction.
He didn''t know what was making these faint noises, but he instinctively knew their exact locations.
Opening his neon blue eyes, he looked at the two figures standing a short distance away.
He could easily sense the strength of their presence.
Shiru was surrounded by an almost nonexistent, colorless aura, and even without activating his [Eyes of Clarity], which enhanced his eyesight, he could clearly see her brown eyes dilating and the sweat forming on her skin.
His attention then shifted to the person standing beside her, though he didn''t even need to move his eyes to get a clear view.
A faint, pale red aura surrounded the figure.
However, his instincts told him that this individual wasn''t a threat.
With just a glance, Damian could tell he was a vampire and an old one at that.
"Hmmm..."
Damian stood up from the throne, revealing the changes in his body to Shiru, who, for some reason, felt her body heat up as she looked at the evolved Damian.
"How long have you been standing there watching me evolve?"
Damian''s voice had deepened slightly, carrying more weight than before.
"From the start," the vampire replied simply.
"And you are?" Damian tilted his head.
"I''m Lucian Holloway. I wish to join your faction," the vampire stated.
"Hmm... how about this?" Damian smirked before sitting back on the throne.
"Give me one good reason, or better yet, tell me something useful, and I''ll let you join my faction."
Lucian thought for a moment, replaying everything he had seen during Damian''s power ranking battles.
Then, he remembered something, a flaw in Damian''s fighting technique.
If corrected, it could significantly increase his stamina and improve his energy efficiency.
"During your ranking battle against Aeron Brenlith, the noble vampire, and the Alpha Werewolf, you weren''t controlling your elemental power as efficiently as you should have been," Lucian said with a small smile.
"What do you mean?"
Damian prompted him to continue, though he already had a pretty good idea of what the vampire was referring to.
"Whenever you used your elemental powers or powered up, you let your aura run wild without control. A significant amount of your energy was wasted as excess aura, which is obviously inefficient... Judging by your expression, you already knew this, didn''t you? Yet, you don''t care to control it."
Lucian watched as a small smile played on Damian''s lips.
"Yeah... give me something else," Damian said.
"Well, I can''t think of anything at the moment because I need to watch you fight more, to analyze how you use the abilities at your disposal and identify any flaws."
"But I can assure you, I have 800 years'' worth of knowledge that you couldn''t even find in the greatest libraries. I have interacted with Awakeners across thousands of worlds and witnessed the abilities of hundreds of different races.
"Furthermore, I am a servant of an ancient noble vampire who has lived for more than 6,000 years. If you let me join your faction and allow me to study your growth, all the knowledge and insights I possess will be at your disposal," Lucian declared as he knelt on one knee.
Damian tilted his head in curiosity.
Why was this vampire acting like this?
What had he done to make Lucian want to join him so badly?
"Tell me this, why do you want to join me so badly?" Damian asked, fixing his gaze on the vampire.
"I want to learn," Lucian admitted.
"You are the most Fascinating person I have ever seen. The power you displayed surpasses anything ever witnessed in the First Tower Realm."
"Your growth potential is something even my master, the ancient noble vampire, would envy."
"You evolved on your own, something that was believed to be impossible until now. That alone is proof of your uniqueness."
"Tell me, if you were in my position, if your entire existence revolved around learning and understanding the mysteries of the universe, and you encountered someone like you, would you let such an opportunity slip away?"
Damian didn''t even need to answer.
He was someone who seized every opportunity to grow stronger.
He understood perfectly.
"What about your master, this Ancient Noble Vampire you speak of? Won''t they be angered if you join a human faction?" Damian asked.
The moment Lucian mentioned having an ancient noble vampire as a master, Damian sensed potential trouble brewing.
"My master may be a battle-hungry, unstable, overpowered maniac of a vampire," Lucian admitted, "but she is also someone who values her subordinates. She would respect my decision, even if it means accepting me joining a human."
Lucian''s expression was serious as he looked at Damian, who was now grinning at him.
"Did you just say your master is a battle-hungry, unstable, overpowered maniac?" Damian asked, tilting his head.
"Well... that was a bit disrespectful. I got carried away," Lucian admitted. "But she is very powerful and a little unstable. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing important," Damian replied, his grin widening. "Anyway..."
"You''re hired."
[The Awakener titled ''Professor Holloway'' has joined your faction.]
Chapter 84: Chapter 84: No Records!
Chapter 84: Chapter 84: No Records!"So, what are you? A researcher or something?" Damian asked, looking at the plebeian vampire.
"You could say I''m a very deep enthusiast of the universe, trying to learn everything and anything secret that I lay my eyes upon..." Sir Holloway replied, excitement glimmering in his eyes.
Damian glanced at Shiru, and as soon as their eyes met, she quickly looked away as if unable to maintain his gaze.
"Is this the effect of my [Superior Charm]? Even Shiru, who always seemed pretty uptight, appears shaken just by my presence," Damian thought to himself.
Damian was already incredibly charming due to the numerous types of energies flowing through his veins.
His body, which had been tempered by literal fire in lava, was perfect even before he evolved into a [Superior Human].
Now, after his evolution, the effects of [Superior Charm] were even more prominent.
Even if a group of superior humans appeared, he would still outshine them all in beauty.
By human standards, his appearance was already beyond perfection.
There was no way any woman could simply ignore him.
"Well, at least she is handling herself well," Damian thought, impressed by Shiru''s self-control.
Although his charm ability made him incredibly attractive and the ideal mate in the eyes of others, it did not forcibly compel them to act on their instincts.
It merely made them aware, on an instinctual level, that he was the best possible mate.
This meant that Shiru was merely experiencing an instinctual infatuation with Damian, which would fade as she grew accustomed to his new appearance.
However, it would not change the fact that, in her eyes and in the eyes of every humanoid species ranked lower than Damian(Superior Human) in the racial hierarchy he was the ideal mate in every aspect.
"Anyway..." Damian turned his attention back to the plebeian vampire. "I want to learn everything you have discovered. I imagine, as a researcher of sorts, you must have written everything down in notes?"
"Of course." The plebeian vampire quickly brought out hundreds of books from his system inventory, forming a mountain of books in front of Damian.
"This is about one-fourth of the knowledge I have accumulated. The rest is with my master in her own world."
Damian did not respond immediately.
Although he was curious to learn more about this master, he already knew she was an ancient vampire who had once dominated the entire First Tower Realm in the history of Solarta.
Damian was particularly intrigued by her, especially after learning that she was an unstable battle maniac.
To Damian, there was no better way to prove one''s strength than by defeating a stronger opponent.
However, this was a matter for another time.
He was well aware of his current strength
he was nowhere near ready to challenge a 6,000-year-old noble vampire who was likely battling awakeners in higher tower realms.
For now, he was still in the First Tower Realm.
Ignoring the vampire for the moment, Damian scanned the book titles.
"Elements, energies, species, monsters, cores, tower realms, herbs, demons, angels, gods... Wow, you weren''t lying when you said you''ve been researching for 800 years. This is a lot of useful material. I''m actually glad I let you join my faction," Damian admitted as he flipped through a few pages.
"I just hope you won''t go back on your word," the vampire sighed, narrowing his eyes.
"I never go back on my word," Damian replied, his eyes narrowing dangerously as if warning the vampire.
"Besides, we made a contract that binds both of us from revealing each other''s work and secrets to others."
As soon as Damian accepted Sir Lucian Holloway into his faction, they formed a mutual contract with simple but strong terms.
The most important condition was that whatever Damian learned from the vampire, and whatever the vampire learned about Damian, would remain strictly between them.
They were forbidden from betraying each other in any form.
Betrayal encompassed many things: they could not plot against one another, join their enemies, or become a burden to each other.
Damian had made this last point especially important he would not allow anyone to be a dead weight in his rise to invincibility.
As Damian continued browsing the books, he noticed something was missing.
"Where are the records about [Superior Humans]?"
"There aren''t any," Sir Holloway shook his head.
"High-ranked humans went extinct a long time ago. As far as my research goes, I have only found limited records on High Humans."
"In all my 800 years, I''ve only met a couple of High Humans, and they live in seclusion. They don''t really want me researching them. As for Superior Humans, I don''t think they even existed before. You might be the first Superior Human to ever exist."
"Wait, then why didn''t I evolve into a High Human?"
Ever since Damian had completed his evolution, he had been wondering why he hadn''t become a High Human.
"That''s because evolution occurs in stages. You can''t skip them," the plebeian vampire explained as he picked up a specific book from the stack and handed it to Damian.
"For every higher-ranked being, there exists a lower-ranked counterpart. If there is a noble vampire, there is a plebeian vampire. If there is an alpha werewolf, there is a beta werewolf. If there is a high elf, there is a common elf. Likewise, if there is a High Human, then there must be a lower-ranked counterpart."
Sir Lucian Holloway continued, "In the hierarchy, high-ranked beings reign supreme, while the lower-ranked ones serve them. Most races have only one variation of their lower-ranked counterpart, but even when variations do occur, they are quite rare and wouldn''t mean much."
"As far as I know, there weren''t any variations of lower-ranked humans besides High Humans. However, if a variation did occur, the differences wouldn''t be significant."
Variations like these depend on the being that evolves into a lower-ranked species of another race.
For example, when a noble vampire gives their essence to a human, the human will evolve as the vampire essence merges into their genetic code, transforming them into a plebeian vampire with human features.
This could be considered a variation of plebeian vampires.
If a noble vampire were to give their essence to a Martian, then the Martian''s genetic code would mix with the vampire''s, turning them into a plebeian vampire while retaining their Martian features such as green skin and a slimmer body.
This would then be considered another variation of plebeian vampires.
Even if different variations of a single species appeared, they would still retain the core features of that species.
For variations of plebeian vampires, they would all have paler skin, immortality, and a diet that primarily consists of blood, among other common traits.
"That makes sense¡ Even though I didn''t evolve into a High Human, the system did mention that I possess most of the racial abilities of the High Humans, just on a much lower scale," Damian replied.
As Damian was deep in thought about his evolution, he suddenly heard a series of system notifications buzzing in his ears.
[You are the first person to evolve on their own.]
[Your achievement has earned a reward from the system administrator.]
[Reward:
+500,000
+1 Random Martial Weapon Card
+1 Random Codex Card]
"At least I got rewarded for it¡ even though it was a little late," Damian muttered.
He then glanced at his assistant, Shiru, as he suddenly remembered something.
His expression turned serious, but an intense grin played on his lips.
"Well, I think it''s time I make good on my words and finish off the [Lord''s Disciple] faction¡"
"¡Um¡ You don''t need to wait for anything. You''ve already formed a faction, so you can go ahead and do your thing," Shiru replied, trying to control her emotions.
"You''re going to wage war on a faction?" the plebeian vampire asked.
"Of course."
"Is there a specific reason why you''re after that faction?"
"I hate them so much, and Shiru said I''d be rewarded more the more effort I put in. Two birds with one stone? I don''t know," Damian shrugged.
"That''s true. The system rewards are based on how much work you put in. It can be in any form, whether it''s training, fighting, or even killing. For every achievement or milestone, you''ll be rewarded," Sir Holloway added.
The system is always watching everything you do, as long as you don''t take shortcuts.
The most efficient and easiest way to maximize the system''s rewards would be to engage in battles or conditions that are usually more disadvantageous for you.
For example, if you fought a battle where ten Awakeners went up against ten other Awakeners, you would gain much less experience than if you fought against ten Awakeners alone.
The more disadvantageous and difficult the task, the more generous the system will be in rewarding you.
That meant if Damian went up against an entire faction alone, he would gain all the experience that every single Awakener in that faction would have received, allowing him to level up multiple times.
And the [Lord''s Disciple] faction, even though it was relatively new and not particularly strong, was still a very large faction with hundreds of Awakeners.
If Damian managed to conquer a faction like that alone, he would receive an absolutely ridiculous amount of rewards from the system.
"Before you go off to kill every single one of them though, tell me something. Does the system''s Evolution Mission still remain active for you?" Shiru asked, his face filled with anticipation.
________________________________
[Evolution Mission: Walking the Road of Human Evolution]
[You must complete the following conditions:]
[Increase Your Level: 111/180]
[Defeat Awakeners 50 levels higher than you: 0/20.]
[Obtain Source Cores of Monsters above Level 130: 0/30.]
[Increase your Vitality: 390/200] S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[Increase your Perception: 300/200]
________________________________
Damian stared at the system''s [Evolution Mission] for a few seconds before looking back at Shiru.
"Yes... and I''m about to finish it too."
"So it''s possible. The system will evolve you again once you complete the mission?" Sir Holloway snorted in astonishment, unable to believe what he was hearing. "You can evolve again... through the system''s evolution function?"
Damian smirked, shaking his head slightly. "I guess I can..."
Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Early Bloomer?
Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Early Bloomer?When Damian was rising through the power rankings, securing win after win and defeating every single awakener continuously, he encountered over 200 awakeners.
Among them, some were from Earth, and among those Earthlings, Damian easily recognized a few as individuals associated with the Vatican from his world.
They were now in the First Tower Realm, [Solarta], and likely part of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
Despite their past actions, Damian wasn''t immediately triggered by their presence.
He knew how the Vatican had exploited the poor and needy within their jurisdiction, and even he had been greatly affected by their influence.
However, he wasn''t the one who had suffered the most.
There were children in the orphanage he grew up in, kids with disabilities and life-threatening diseases, abandoned before they could even speak.
Damian''s fury wasn''t for himself but for those children.
Sure, he had been born with an unbelievably weak body, poor eyesight, and an inability to speak until he was 14.
But at least he didn''t have any severe disabilities.
What enraged him the most was how those children were driven out of the orphanage with nothing.
It wasn''t just kids like him who were forced to leave once they turned 14. Many others suffered the same fate.
After gaining power through the system and working for the Italian Awakener Association as a data recorder, Damian used his position to investigate why the Vatican had acted the way they did. What he discovered made him despise them even more.
There were many orphanages across the country, and the Vatican had turned them into transactional sites, collecting money from powerful figures who shared their faith.
Instead of using those funds for the well-being of the poor, the needy, and the orphaned children, they hoarded millions of dollars every month just from donations.
But that wasn''t even the worst part. They used the entire donation system for money laundering.
People with good intentions donated, hoping to make a difference, but instead of helping others, the Vatican abused their generosity for selfish gain.
After learning the truth, there was no way Damian could simply forget everything.
He couldn''t just let it go.
How could he?
He could still remember the faces of those children when they were forced to leave the orphanage.
Damian was never a cold person, even though he had been treated with nothing but coldness.
He had always been friendly with the other kids in the orphanage.
Even years after they were separated, he still thought about them.
But he never saw them again.
He didn''t know what had happened to them.
He didn''t even know if they had survived.
And he didn''t want to find out.
But at the very least, he could kill those who remained as a constant reminder of those painful memories, especially the Vatican members who had now formed the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
Damian was about to make sure that not a single one of them would live.
...
________________________________
[Awakener: Damian Ignatius]
[level: 111]
[Race: Superior Human]
[Class: True Magic Swordsman]
{Subclass: Lone Leader}
[Qi Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Realm(Supreme)]
[Cultivation Method: The Path Of The Sacred Arts]
[Magic Cultivation: 2nd Circle(Perfected)]
{{Flame - 2nd Ring(Perfect)}}
{{Wind - 2nd Ring(Perfect)}}
{{Earth - 2nd Ring(Perfect)}}
{{Water - 2nd Ring(Perfect)}}
{{Titles}}
-Regressor
-Solo Hunter
-Hero of Adversaries
-The Strongest Human
-The Unforeseen One
{{Talents}}
-Elementalist
-Martial Lord
-Rumination clarity
-World Tree''s Blessing
-Boundless Refinement
-Limitless Harmony
-Limit Breaker
{{Abilities}}
-Extraction(Unique/Innate)
-Warrior''s Will(Inherited)
-Eyes Of Clarity(Innate)]
{{Traits}}
-Pain Tolerance
-Toxin Resistance
-Fire Resistance
-Evolutionary Body
{{Constitutions}}
-Unyielding Warrior''s Physique
-Eternal Earth Flame Physique
-Eternal Sacred Heart Physique
-Eternal Sea Sovereign Physique
-Unbreakable Terra Titan Physique
-Relentless Tempest Sovereign Physique
-Indomitable Ice King Physique
-Unstoppable Lightning Warrior Physique
{{Forms}}
-Flame Avatar
-Verdant Avatar
-Water Avatar
-Earth Avatar
-Wind Avatar
-Ice Avatar
-Lightning Avatar
{{Physical Attributes}}
[Strength: 300 | Agility: 310 | Vitality: 390 |
Stamina: 310 | Perception: 300 ]
{Stat Points: 0}
{{Superhuman Physiology: +15% All Attributes}}
{{Silver Bones: +15% Stamina}}
{{Energy Reserves}}
[Mana: 220 | Qi: 70 | Fire Essence: 245
Wood Essence: 135 | Water Essence: 118
Earth Essence: 122 | Wind Essence: 20
Ice Essence: 20 | Lightning Essence: 20]
{{Spells}}
[Fireball | Flame Spear | Mud Bind
Earth Wall | Wind Blast | Flame Tempest]
{{Skills}}
Swordsmanship(Master) | Spearmanship(Master)
Archery(Master) | Axe-Wielding(Master)
Quarterstaffmanship(Master) | Marksmanship(Master)
Glaivemanship(Master) | Kusarigamajutsu(Master)
Mace Fighting(Master) | Spellcasting(High)
Multicasting(High) | Elemental Fusion(Basics).]
{{Techniques}}
-The Sacred Mantras(Five Chapters)
-The Heavenly Sword Art(Four Chapters)
-The Thousand Armor Impale
-Unmentioned Techniques x 200
{{Inventory}}
+7,804,500 Gold, +1 Random Codex Card, +7 Epiphany Card, +2 Path Finder card, +1 Random System Function Card, +25 one gallon of Ember bee honey, +2 Random Martial Technique card, +2 Random Martial Weapon card, +2 Class Related Technique card, +1 Exclusive Elemental Dungeon Card, +1 Title Hunting card, +1 Demon Dungeon Card, +1 Awakener Wardrobe(Type: Battle/Grade: Special), +1 Awakener Wardrobe(Type: Formal/Grade: Special), +1 Awakener Wardrobe(Type: Casual/Grade: Special)]
________________________________
[Racial Status]
[Race: Superior Human]
{{Racial Abilities}}
-Deep Resonance
-Sixth Sense
{{Racial Traits}}
-Accelerated Healing
-Longevity
{{Racial Constitutions}}
-Superhuman Physiology
-Silver Bones
-Superior Blood
-Superior Charm
________________________________
Damian looked at his current status for a few minutes, wondering if it would be enough to go against the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
Yes, Damian was impulsive and somewhat arrogant, but that didn''t mean he would rush into every fight unprepared.
He wouldn''t enter a battle knowing he wouldn''t make it out alive.
If he did, he would be nothing but a fool.
"It''s probably more than enough," Damian snorted.
Right before he left his faction to wage war against the [Lord''s Disciple] faction, Sir Holloway and Shiru asked him about the basic structure of his power level.
As expected, when they learned the truth, they were beyond shocked.
They could hardly believe their ears or eyes, wondering how a level 111 awakener could be this strong.
Even Sir Lucian Holloway, who had lived in the First Tower Realm for more than 800 years, had never seen an awakener who had not yet climbed to the Second Tower Realm possess stats and a power structure like Damian''s.
Sir Holloway had even mentioned that, compared to many worlds, Damian might be the most talented awakener with the greatest potential.
Shaking his head, Damian looked at the castle in front of him, stretching about 75 meters in radius.
This was the territory of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
The castle had become the faction''s base, which they had somehow managed to establish using a [Territory Card] after gathering enough money to buy it.
Damian didn''t care about what they had done or what they were doing now.
The only thing that mattered was that he was going to burn this entire place to the ground and turn it into a living hell.
Not far from where Damian stood, his two faction members, Shiru and Sir Holloway, were hiding in the woods, watching what he was about to do.
"Sir Holloway, no matter how powerful he is, do you really think he can do this? After all, there are no level restrictions in there like in the ranking battles," Shiru asked, glancing at the plebeian vampire standing at a respectful distance.
"I don''t know what power he has other than what he showed in the ranking battles," the plebeian vampire replied, rubbing his pale chin.
"He possesses the power of Earth essence and Wind essence, and those techniques he used... I assume they are Ultimate-Grade Techniques. Then there are the sword and spear he brought out... I''m pretty sure he can do it."
He continued, his curiosity growing. "I didn''t get enough time to ask about this, but I''m very interested in how he obtained the ability to wield [Earth Essence] and [Wind Essence]."
"I always thought those abilities were specific to beasts and beast-type awakeners. I also remember that he can wield both magic and Qi. With all of that combined, he could probably overwhelm this faction without any outside help."
"He is strong... I still can''t get over just how strong he is. I think he might even be stronger than my 6,000-year-old ancient vampire master when she ruled the First Tower Realm. I wonder how far he could reach in the tower," the vampire said, holding his head as if he couldn''t comprehend it.
"I still haven''t confirmed whether the potential he is showing is just an early bloom."
"Is there even such a thing as early blooming?" Shiru asked.
"It''s real. I''ve seen some awakeners who started out strong, but as time went on, their strength growth slowed down, and they couldn''t keep up. It happens more often than you''d think. I personally knew a lot of people who couldn''t do anything but give up."
"Wait, is Earth Essence and Wind Essence all he possesses? And what about his magic? How far has he reached compared to other mages? And what''s up with his unnaturally strong healing power that he showed during the power ranking battles?" Sir Holloway rubbed his chin, deep in thought, as he turned his eyes back to Damian.
Inside the territory of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction, the leaders of the faction, the former Seven Generals of the Vatican, were gathered in a meeting hall.
Some of them bore severe wounds all over their bodies, their faces twisted in pain.
"This is bad... That madman is too powerful. Not only has he obtained first place in the power ranking, but now he has even created a faction of his own," Antonio Romano, one of the seven generals, said with a serious expression as he looked at another general seated at the table.
"Who''s to say he won''t come after us? He seems to hold some kind of deep animosity toward us," Elisabetta Ferrara, another of the seven generals, continued, her face filled with fear.
"Yeah... I don''t want to face that monster again. I can''t... I just can''t," Teresa Lombardi murmured, holding her head and covering her face.
The terror from her battle against him still haunted her.
She had been left in a half-dead state, with a massive sword wound across her chest.
Even though the physical wound had healed thanks to healing potions and pills, the scar on her heart had only grown deeper.
"We can''t let someone like him live. We have to act first before he grows even more powerful... We have to kill him before it''s too late," Matteo Bianchi said with a serious expression.
After thinking about it for a long time, he knew there was only one solution to this problem.
When the system first arrived on Earth, they had been at the peak of their power.
The Vatican had quickly fallen under their control, and they had ruthlessly eliminated anyone who stood in their way.
Eventually, they had become the strongest organization in post-system Earth.
Although there had been an unexpected variable, the Saintess and her group of warrior nuns who remained on the loose, they had still maintained dominance.
They had even struck deals with other Earth factions, securing an agreement to hand over the Saintess and her ground of warrior nuns in exchange for forming a unified Earth alliance.
Everything had been going according to plan.
Then another unanticipated variable had emerged: that monster known as "Infinity."
He made them feel fear unlike anything they had ever known.
A fear so suffocating, so overwhelming, that they felt as if they could die from it alone.
But they couldn''t allow this to continue any longer.
"We have to kill him first," Caterina Mancini agreed.
"Fufu... What a nice plan."
Just as they were deep in thought about how to carry out their plan, a loud, distorted voice rang through the hall, dripping with intense fury and laced with biting sarcasm.
The temperature in the room suddenly began to rise at an alarming rate. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Catching Up to Past Sins - 1
Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Catching Up to Past Sins - 1"Fufu... What a nice plan."
Just as they were deep in thought about how to carry out their plan, a loud, distorted voice rang through the hall, dripping with intense fury and laced with biting sarcasm.
The temperature in the room suddenly began to rise at an alarming rate.
The seven leaders of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction, Benedetto Marco Giuliani, Stefano Barone, Matteo Bianchi, Antonio Romano, Teresa Lombardi, Elisabetta Ferrara, and Caterina Mancini, felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
The temperature wasn''t the only thing rising; the pressure in the air was also rapidly intensifying.
The Awakeners inside the castle felt it too, as if something far beyond them had invaded their home.
"Who... W-Who is that?" Matteo Bianchi asked grimly, sweat dripping from his skin due to the unbearable heat.
At the same time, he could feel the presence of something monstrous.
They didn''t know whose overwhelmingly powerful presence this was, but some, like Teresa Lombardi, who had once faced a terrifying monster in the ranking battles, could sense a familiar fury within it.
However, something was different.
This presence felt even more massive and overwhelmingly powerful than before.
"Oh God, I beg you, please... tell me it''s not that monster," Caterina Mancini murmured with an ugly expression, both in emotion and appearance, her heavily made-up face contorted in fear.
"It can''t be... It can''t be him. I judged his presence before, and it was nowhere near this powerful..." she muttered as her face rapidly shifted into one of sheer terror.
Suddenly, everything fell silent as the temperature instantly surged to an alarming level.
Before they could react, something crashed outside the castle, and inside, the air turned scorching hot.
They barely had time to comprehend what was happening before an explosion erupted outside, sending a shockwave through the castle, sweeping away everything in its path.
Intense flames followed, consuming everything indiscriminately.
The structure of the entire castle crumbled as dust and debris filled the air.
[Flame Tempest: Spell Activated]
"Wh-"
Before anyone could defend themselves, everything went black as another explosion rocked the remains of the castle.
A massive fireball, summoned from a colossal magic circle in the sky, descended upon the ruined structure.
Another explosion engulfed the remains in a relentless storm of flames, sweeping outward in all directions.
[Flame Tempest: Spell Activated]
And yet, it wasn''t over.
Another massive fireball, resembling a miniature sun, manifested in the sky and hurled itself down upon what was once a mighty fortress.
BOOM!
Everything burned.
Anything that could be reduced to ash was incinerated.
Anything that could melt was liquefied.
Only then did the relentless assault of flames cease.
Floating above the annihilated castle like a feather was a lone figure.
His entire being pulsed with [Wind Essence], coursing through his skin, bones, blood, and even hair.
Unlike before, when using this power, this time, he contained it perfectly within his body without any energy loss.
[Wind Avatar: Form Transformation Activated]
In his hand, he held a jet-black spear with red accents, as if it had been splattered with blood.
The weapon exuded an ominous aura, shrouding him in an eerie presence, making him appear like a grim reaper.
It was none other than Damian, here to take his revenge on the only obstacle standing in his path to invincibility and infinite power.
[You have slain the level 58 Awakener ''Thomas Malone.'']
[You have slain the level 82 Awakener...]
[You have slain the level 92 Awakener...]
[You have slain the level 77 Awakener...]
[You have slain the level ...] x 145
[Experience Gained.]
[Experience Limit Reached.]
[You have leveled up.] x 14
[You have made the first move against the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.] Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[The System has registered [Circle of Ouroboros] faction against the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.]
As this notification appeared before Damian, every single Awakener within the realm of Solarta received the same message, announcing the war between [Circle of Ouroboros] and [Lord''s Disciple] factions.
"He''s really doing it... I clearly underestimated him," Shiru muttered as she saw the notification in her field of vision.
"He''s powerful. Inside the Tower Realms, the strongest rule. They have the right to do anything... Damian, as long as he holds power, can become the judge, jury, and executioner... It''s up to him who gets to live and who doesn''t," the Plebeian Vampire said, shaking his head.
Watching Damian display his overwhelming might, he couldn''t help but think of the master who had given him this vampire life.
"Power rules all, huh?" Shiru sighed.
"Yes... Get that into your head. That''s important," the Plebeian Vampire said, turning his gaze toward another system prompt showing the battle between the two factions happening in real time.
Yes, through the system''s [Streaming Function], every Awakener in the realm of Solarta could watch the battle live, with crystal-clear visuals, zero latency, and an intense zoom-in feature.
As the initiator of the war, Damian had the option to set the [Streaming Function] to private, meaning only members of the two factions, scattered across the realm, could watch.
After all, even if a faction had thousands of members, not all of them would be in the faction''s territory at the time.
Many would be out on system missions, hunting monsters, or engaged in other activities.
However, Damian intentionally set the stream to public.
He wanted to show his power.
He wanted to display his might, the might of someone who could single-handedly overwhelm an entire faction.
Right now, everything Damian wanted was happening exactly as he had envisioned.
As soon as the system announced to the Awakeners of the First Tower Realm that the leader of the [Circle of Ouroboros] faction, the monster who had achieved first place in the power rankings and was the most talked-about figure, Infinity, had waged war on the [Lord''s Disciple] faction, nearly every single Awakener was watching with expressions filled with curiosity, fear, awe, astonishment, admiration, envy, and even infatuation at the sheer display of power Damian was showing.
Every Awakener was either speaking about him or thinking about him.
Damian had become that much of a big shot.
Even though some thought he wouldn''t be able to do anything more ridiculous than fighting the entire power-ranking Awakeners, he had now gone on to wage war against a full-fledged faction alone, making it even more absurd.
"He has gained more attention than anyone has in a long time..." Sir Holloway said, looking at the screen as he noticed the number of people watching the stream along with him.
He then turned his attention back to Damian and noticed that Damian was controlling the [Wind Essence] perfectly, not letting any energy go to waste. No extra energy was leaking from his body.
"This is amazing... Even though I knew he was capable of this, I didn''t think he would be able to do it right away without any training," Sir Holloway muttered, holding his head in frustration.
"Why? What''s happening?" Shiru asked, noticing Sir Holloway''s puzzled expression.
"Do you remember when we were talking, and I suggested that Damian control his energy to prevent it from leaking wastefully?"
"Yeah."
"He''s already doing it... There is no waste of power. He is using his energy with maximum efficiency."
As previously established, Damian''s Elemental Essence Form heavily depended on how much elemental essence he could expend.
The more essence he possessed, the longer he could maintain his forms and the greater the attacks he could unleash.
However, at the same time, the stronger the attack, the greater the energy consumption.
Additionally, a significant amount of elemental essence would normally be released as unused energy in the form of an aura.
But if Damian managed to prevent this energy from leaking entirely, he could save that wasted essence and use it for more attacks or prolong the duration of his Elemental Essence Form.
And that was exactly what Damian was doing right now.
He was using his [Wind Avatar] form, but instead of expending wind essence on flashy, powerful attacks, he was using it solely to make his body weightless and float in the air.
Since he wasn''t consuming wind essence for anything else, he could maintain the form for a longer period.
And because he wasn''t attacking, he could use the form to fly for an even longer duration.
"Is that really important?" Shiru asked, rubbing her head.
She wasn''t very knowledgeable when it came to cultivation or the different types of powers Damian used.
She didn''t even fully understand what Damian was doing now, other than the fact that he was using some sort of overwhelmingly powerful ability.
"Power efficiency is extremely important to cultivators," Sir Holloway explained.
"With high energy efficiency, a cultivator can fight for extended periods. But achieving great energy efficiency requires immense control over one''s power."
"And gaining such control is not easy. It takes years of training to master, and even then, it is never truly perfect."
The main reason for this was that even if a cultivator developed great control over time, they could not maintain it constantly.
To sustain continuous control, one would need their full attention.
However, during a fight, this is impossible because the mind is in a state of constant processing, thinking about offense, techniques, defense, and many other factors.
This makes it extremely difficult for a cultivator to maintain control while also managing everything else in combat.
But Daman had only used this form a few times, and he was already exhibiting a high level of energy control.
It wasn''t perfect, but it was definitely at a level comparable to those in the High Tower Realm.
"To think he could develop such control... He is nothing short of a genius. If the cultivators of the higher realm saw what he was doing, their jaws would drop to the ground," Sir Holloway remarked as he turned his attention back to the faction war.
Damian looked down at the debris from the sky with an expressionless face, sensing numerous presences disappearing, which meant they had died, while others managed to survive his assault.
"Ghr," Damian snorted, realizing that the seven strongest presences among them, those damn Vatican bastards, had survived.
"I guess they wouldn''t be able to form a faction if they weren''t at least this strong..." Damian sighed in irritation.
He had poured a significant amount of power behind that [Flame Tempest] spell, yet the faction still had individuals powerful enough to endure it.
"Well, no biggie..."
Damian shrugged as he sensed movement among the debris and detected numerous presences closing in on his location from different directions.
Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Catching Up to Past Sins - 2
Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Catching Up to Past Sins - 2"I guess they wouldn''t be able to form a faction if they weren''t at least this strong..." Damian sighed in irritation.
He had poured a significant amount of power behind that [Flame Tempest] spell, yet the faction still had individuals powerful enough to endure it.
"Well, no biggie..."
Damian shrugged as he sensed movement among the debris and detected numerous presences closing in on his location from different directions.
Damian turned his gaze back to the debris below, sensing the presence of those who had survived the [Flame Tempest] spell.
As figures emerged from the wreckage, their bodies bore severe burn wounds and scars from the devastating attack.
More than fifty people had survived, while around two hundred had perished.
Yet, Damian could sense even more approaching from all directions, only to meet the same fate.
"You... it''s you... you monster," a weak voice called from below, catching Damian''s attention.
He looked down and saw one of the seven leaders of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction clutching his wounded body, struggling to stand. Fear was written all over his face.
It wasn''t just him.
Other surviving leaders of the faction, along with their remaining members, slowly rose from the rubble.
They stared at the figure hovering in the sky, his presence radiating a dark aura, a jet-black spear in his grasp.
But beyond fear, they felt confusion.
This man resembled the monster some of them had fought in the power-ranking battles.
However, he was taller, far more refined, and unnervingly beautiful.
The presence he exuded was vastly more overwhelming than before.
Still, there was no doubt in their hearts.
This was the same man.
The unmistakable dark spear in his hands confirmed it.
Damian tilted his head with a smile, clearly amused by their bewildered expressions.
He knew he had changed, but he hadn''t realized just how much. Since evolving into a [Superior Human], his appearance had undergone significant transformations.
His height had increased from 6''3" to 6''6".
His once jet-black hair had turned into a mix of light brown and black, growing slightly longer at his arm joints.
His ocean-blue eyes had become even more striking, glowing like neon lights.
His once-pale skin now had a subtle fairness, and all excess fat had completely disappeared.
Yes, he had changed a lot.
But not enough for people to forget the power in his gaze or the overwhelming presence he emitted.
And, of course, his Awakener title, "Infinity," remained the same.
There was no way the Awakeners of Solart could mistake him.
The members of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction certainly hadn''t.
They knew the monster had come to prey on them.
But why?
Most of them suspected that their seven faction leaders might have the answers.
Yet, little did they know, even the leaders themselves had no clue what had triggered this catastrophe.
Or rather, they had committed so many vile, despicable, and heinous acts under the Vatican''s banner that they couldn''t pinpoint which one had given birth to this vengeful monster.
"Why... just w-why are you doing this?" Matteo Bianchi, barely clinging to life after the surprise attack, asked, wiping the ash from his mouth.
"Why? You don''t know?" Damian raised an eyebrow, then scoffed as realization struck him.
Of course, the Vatican had wronged countless people in countless ways.
There was no way they would remember unless he told them.
And that thought alone made Damian even more furious.
"I suppose that was my mistake. I should have mentioned exactly what heinous act you committed before I attacked, shouldn''t I?" A vein visibly throbbed on Damian''s forehead.
Matteo Bianchi immediately regretted his question.
He could see it, the dark aura surrounding Damian growing thicker and more oppressive.
But it wasn''t just Damian''s own power.
The sinister energy also came from [Recna, The Spear of Torment], which pulsed in response to his emotions, unleashing a dark mist that wrapped around him.
"Let me tell you what you did wrong..." Damian''s voice was eerily calm.
"I was once a helpless child, much like those who were even worse off than me. Kids who grew up in an orphanage under the Vatican''s trust."
As he spoke, the pressure in the air grew heavier, suffocating the Awakeners of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
"Do you know what your Vatican''s greed for money, for spreading faith, for controlling everything led to?" Damian spat, his face twisting with disgust.
"Just thinking about what those children, those disabled children, those terminally ill children, had to endure because of your greed makes my blood boil. They prayed to you. They worshipped you, believing you would help them."
Damian''s figure slowly descended to the ground as his [Wind Avatar] form faded.
"I don''t care what kind of nonsense you spewed in the name of God," he continued, his voice laced with venom.
"But you could have at least tried, just once, to do something good. To actually help those children who desperately needed it. But you didn''t, did you?"
His piercing gaze locked onto the faction leaders, his expression cold and unforgiving.
"You''re nothing compared to that old Pope. At least he tried to make a difference. But you¡ you never even gave him the chance, did you?"
As soon as Damian mentioned the orphanage, the leaders of the Vatican knew why this monster had been after them from the beginning.
And it wasn''t just them.
Others who had taken part in the Vatican''s heinous acts could also guess what had happened to make this monster seek revenge.
They couldn''t help but regret ever joining this group of despicable individuals, but at the time, they had no choice.
They needed money. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
They needed to make a living.
So they took whatever they could get, even if it meant working for these wretched people who exploited others, especially children.
Weak, sick, and disabled children.
They knew from the beginning that they were going to hell for the things they had done, but greed had blinded them.
And now, standing in the presence of a grim reaper who had come to reap them for their sins, they could do nothing but feel regret.
The seven leaders felt their feet turn cold.
Sweat formed on their bodies, their blood pumped faster, and some of them even forgot to breathe.
They knew the kind of horrors they had inflicted on those who had come to them seeking religion, faith, and God, only to find corrupt individuals exploiting them in His name.
There were even darker crimes that had never come to light, but Damian had managed to uncover them.
Things like selling orphaned children for human trials to big pharmaceutical companies, child trafficking, and even reports of Vatican higher-ups sexually abusing children.
Damian didn''t even want to think about it. It filled him with nothing but fury and a cold rage he could barely contain.
He wasn''t the only one. Many of the awakened individuals watching everything unfold through the [streaming function] of the system felt sickened by what they had learned about these people from their home world.
Among those watching was a group of women: Maria Lucia Augustine and her eight sisters, once warrior nuns of the Vatican.
But after corruption spread and the seven corrupted generals of the Vatican killed their father, Pope Alexander, and attempted to kill them, they had fled.
They survived long enough to obtain their classes, complete the trials, and reach the First Tower Realm, Solarta.
But even then, those who wanted them dead followed them into the First Tower Realm, continuing their hunt.
Maria and her sisters were strong, but they weren''t as insanely powerful as Damian, who could take on an entire faction by himself.
They had no choice but to keep running.
To make matters worse, their enemies had even allied with factions from other worlds in order to capture them.
They had been lucky to escape until now.
"So, he''s another person who suffered at the hands of the Vatican, huh?" Maria muttered.
"They''re reaping the seeds they sowed. All their past sins are finally catching up to them," one of her sisters, a woman with short brown hair, said while shaking her head.
"His face is filled with fury. He''s going to kill them, isn''t he?" another sister asked.
Even though she knew the horrors these men had committed, she still felt bad about someone dying.
She couldn''t help but feel a sliver of pity for them, even if they didn''t deserve it.
Maria noticed her expression before placing a hand on her head.
"Grace, listen to me... They are suffering because of what they did. Like everyone else, their actions have consequences... ugly and terrible consequences."
"You can feel bad for someone dying, but they don''t even deserve that."
Grace nodded, and so did the other sisters who had been listening to Maria''s words.
Then, they all turned back to watching the war unfold.
"I didn''t know he had such a history with that faction¡" Shiru said with a sigh.
"Wait, other than his name, do you know anything else about him?" Sir Holloway asked.
"No, and I don''t think he''d be very welcoming if I asked about his past," Shiru replied.
"That''s true. He seems like someone who only looks forward, but at the same time, he wouldn''t let the past hold him back either," Sir Holloway remarked, deep in thought.
As he continued watching, he couldn''t help but compare Damian to his master.
"The more I look at him, the more he reminds me of my master... I have no doubt they would get along well."
Back to the war, Damian suddenly felt hundreds of figures appearing from all directions.
Within minutes, just as Damian was about to make his move, they had surrounded him on all sides.
These were all the Awakeners who had become members of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
Right when Damian started his war, many of them began to return to their territory.
After all, it was their faction''s territory; they couldn''t just let someone come in and do as they pleased.
At the same time, many wanted to claim the rewards for defending their faction from the intruder.
Damian looked at the newly arrived Awakeners who had come to "save the day," an amused smile on his face, but the vein on his forehead told another story. "Look at you, came to save the day, didn''t you?"
"Who do you think you are? You think you can do whatever you want? You''re asking for death, aren''t you?" one of them asked, pointing his sword at Damian.
"You think you''re some big shot just because you managed to take down the castle? And even that was a surprise attack! Do you even have the balls to fight without childish tricks?" another one snorted.
Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Catching Up to Past Sins - 3
Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Catching Up to Past Sins - 3Damian looked at the newly arrived Awakeners who had come to "save the day," an amused smile on his face, but the vein on his forehead told another story. "Look at you, came to save the day, didn''t you?"
"Who do you think you are? You think you can do whatever you want? You''re asking for death, aren''t you?" one of them asked, pointing his sword at Damian.
"You think you''re some big shot just because you managed to take down the castle? And even that was a surprise attack! Do you even have the balls to fight without childish tricks?" another one snorted.
Damian narrowed his eyes, looking at the newly arrived group of people.
There were at least around 100 Awakeners, members of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
These people had been scattered across different locations, engaged in various activities, when they noticed their territory under attack.
And not just by anyone, but by the same monster who had mercilessly crushed their leaders in the ranking battle.
When the notification appeared announcing that Infinity, the leader of the [Circle of Ouroboros], had declared war on the [Lord''s Disciple] faction, many of them wasted no time in rushing over to defend their territory.
Like any faction, no matter how degenerate or heinous, the [Lord''s Disciple] still had loyal Awakeners willing to fight for it.
"And who the hell are you?" Damian asked, narrowing his gaze at the men.
"We are the members of the faction you''re trying to annihilate," one of them replied with a snort.
"Just because you managed to get first place in the power ranking, you think you can come here and wage war on our faction? Are you really that stupid?"
"You¡ why can''t you just leave us alone?"
A weak voice came from the rubble of the broken-down castle.
Damian turned his gaze and immediately recognized the wounded man standing there, his body covered in burn wounds, his clothes torn and tattered.
It wasn''t just anyone. It was a very familiar face.
One of the people responsible for handling affairs related to NGOs that managed orphanages, old-age homes, and similar organizations within a certain jurisdiction.
The same jurisdiction where Damian had lived in an orphanage until he was kicked out at the age of fourteen.
This man was none other than Benedetto Marco Giuliani, one of the Seven Cardinals of the Vatican and now one of its seven faction leaders.
Many might not consider it a big deal to be kicked out of an orphanage at fourteen.
But the orphanages under the control of these bastards didn''t just kick out one or two kids when they turned fourteen.
They expelled many children all at once, including those who hadn''t turned fourteen.
Even if one could argue that fourteen was old enough to fend for oneself, Damian was an exception.
His body had developed abnormally slowly due to mysterious reasons.
He hadn''t even gained the ability to speak until he turned fourteen, and his eyesight was so poor that he needed thick, specially made glasses just to see properly.
But as an orphan with no money, he couldn''t afford them until he got his first entry-level job.
And yet, Damian wasn''t even the most vulnerable child at the orphanage.
Others were in far worse condition, unable to fend for themselves.
Who knows how many of them died because of these people''s actions?
How many orphanages and old-age homes were abandoned, left to rot?
How many children were abused and exploited?
How many people were defrauded in the name of God?
But more than anything, what fueled Damian''s rage was the audacity of this bastard.
The sheer nerve to stand there and ask, "Why can''t you just leave us alone?"
Damian felt his fury flare up.
"Why, you ask¡?"
A dense, oppressive aura seeped from his body, his long hair rising as if defying gravity.
Everyone present felt their skin go cold as an overwhelming, predatory killing intent painted the entire area in malice.
For a moment, Damian felt like losing control, like letting his rage explode and tearing Benedetto Marco Giuliani apart right then and there.
But he didn''t.
He forced himself to remain sane, even as his glowing neon-blue eyes locked onto the man he was dying to kill.
"Do you think you deserve to live after everything you''ve done?" Damian asked, his voice razor-sharp.
"After all those helpless kids you abandoned? After leaving them to die in agony?"
Benedetto Marco Giuliani''s throat went dry.
He couldn''t breathe under the weight of those abyss-like eyes.
"We¡ we¡" he stammered.
"''We, we'' what?" Damian mocked. "Are you going to say you did it because you had to? Because you needed the money?"
He chuckled bitterly, already regretting the idea of seeking any explanation from scum like this.
"It''s money, isn''t it?" Damian scoffed.
"It''s always about money for people like you. People with power and status, always looking to exploit those beneath you."
His voice darkened.
"And you, the Vatican, are the worst of them all. People come to you seeking salvation, seeking God. But instead, they find you."
With pure disgust, Damian spat on the ground.
He felt filthy just speaking to them.
"I shouldn''t even be talking to you... It''s a sin for me to even let you breathe after everything you''ve done," Damian said, taking a step forward.
"Don''t."
Just as Damian took a single step forward, the Awakeners, who had now come to defend the faction, moved to stop whatever he was about to do.
But before they could even reach him, Damian was already in front of Benedetto Marco Giuliani, his fist buried deep in his gut.
As soon as Damian''s fist connected, Benedetto was sent flying backward, blood dripping from his mouth as he crashed into a broken wall.
Yet somehow, he was still alive.
Damian didn''t care that he had survived because he didn''t want him to.
"Stop... We won''t let you do as you please."
This time, it wasn''t just the Awakeners who arrived to save the day.
Seven leaders of the faction stood up, one of them raising his hand, glowing with thick green energy.
That energy spread to the other injured leaders, healing their wounds from Damian''s surprise attack with the [Flame Tempest] spell.
"Oh, so you have the ability to heal others, huh?" Damian sneered.
"But just because you''ve healed your wounds, you think you can stop me? Or is it that you''re confident now that your little helpers have come to your rescue? Do you think numbers will make a difference?"
Damian raised an eyebrow as he lifted Benedetto Marco Giuliani by the neck.
The man''s body was completely broken, bones shattered, blood flowing from his mouth and nose.
"All of this is meaningless before absolute strength," Damian said, smiling sadistically.
He slightly twisted the hand gripping Benedetto''s neck, and the sickening sound of something snapping echoed in the air.
Benedetto''s body went limp, lifeless, before falling helplessly to the ground.
"You..."
"You... monster..."
"Monster? Coming from you, that''s rich." Damian snorted, seeing the horror in the Awakeners'' eyes.
"Just like this piece of trash, you''re all dead." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
As he spoke, an intense heat began to seep from his body, the pressure growing to mountainous heights.
"No, you won''t... We won''t let you!"
Suppressing their fear, the remaining faction leaders gritted their teeth, drew their weapons, and charged at Damian along with the reinforcements that had come to defend their faction.
Damian smirked at their retaliation. "Useless efforts."
Within seconds, he was surrounded by Awakeners attacking from all sides, weapons drawn and powers glowing.
In response, Damian''s body was covered in thick flames as he swung his spear, enveloped in dense Spear Qi.
He spun, unleashing a spiraling wave of Qi that shot outward.
Before the Awakeners could react, the swirling Spear Qi struck them, exploding on impact and sending them crashing in all directions.
"If you want a fight... I''ll give you one," Damian said coldly.
His eyes suddenly turned the color of flames as the [Fire Essence] within him surged wildly.
Raising his hand above his head, a small, compressed sphere of fire began to manifest.
The fire essence condensed into a growing ball of flame, expanding larger and larger until it resembled a miniature sun.
"Try to survive this."
Damian leaped into the air and hurled the fiery sphere downward.
The mini-sun descended like a shooting star, and the moment it touched the ground, it exploded.
The sheer force of the explosion was far greater than his [Flame Tempest] spell.
Everything was swept away.
Even the chunks of the broken castle disintegrated as the flames expanded in all directions, forming a rapidly growing dome of fire.
"Pour in everything you have and stop this!" Antonio Romano, one of the seven leaders, screamed at the top of his lungs as he and the other Awakeners poured out all their energy.
A massive energy barrier manifested in front of them as they desperately tried to stop the dome of fire from reducing them to ashes.
The flames were relentless, pressing against the barrier with such intensity that it drained their energy rapidly.
Despite their best efforts, after several agonizing seconds, the barrier was unable to withstand the sheer force of the flames and shattered.
The fire exploded outward due to the sudden release of tension, blasting the Awakeners away.
A dozen of them, unable to endure the impact, died instantly.
Fortunately for Damian, the six remaining leaders had survived the attack.
This meant he could now kill them in far more creative ways.
His figure vanished and reappeared in front of Stefano Barone.
In an instant, he stomped on Stefano''s leg joint, crushing his bones with a sickening crack.
A deafening scream of a pain-filled man painted the atmosphere as Damian didn''t stop and used his full strength to stomp on his other leg.
With a sickening sound, along with the ugly scream, his other leg''s joint was crushed.
"AAAHHHHHH...." Stefano Barone screamed, unable to withstand the pain, but even that didn''t last long as Damian grabbed him tightly by the neck and forced him to kneel on the ground on his crushed knees.
"Let''s see... I''ve always wondered what would happen if you inhale too much air... Why don''t we find out?"
A sadistic grin formed on his face as he forced the man to open his mouth before covering it with his palm and tightly enclosing his nose and mouth.
Then Damian began to pour out his [Wind Essence] as the energy flowed through his hand to his palm, which was covering Stefano''s mouth, before transforming into wind.
Stefano Barone didn''t know what was happening, or to be more precise, he wasn''t in a condition to understand anything happening.
The wind Damian was generating began to enter Stefano Barone''s lungs, unable to escape, as more and more air filled his lungs.
Stefano Barone''s eyes widened as he felt something filling his stomach, but he couldn''t do anything because his arms were twisted in unnatural directions, and his leg joints were crushed to a crisp.
As more and more air poured in, Stefano Barone''s eyes rolled back, his pupils began to dilate, veins popped, and his chest expanded continuously.
His stomach puffed up like an overinflated balloon, and his skin began to stretch, turning blood red as if the blood inside was rushing to escape.
His breathing had already stopped, and he had already died, but Damian didn''t stop pouring air into him.
Finally, his lungs burst like a balloon, his stomach lining tore, and his entire body ripped apart before bursting, releasing the compressed air.
Only then did Damian finally let go of the body.
Chapter 89: Chapter 89: There Is No Saving Them
Chapter 89: Chapter 89: There Is No Saving ThemEveryone watched as Damian killed Stefano Barone.
His body swelled grotesquely from the inside before rapidly tearing apart, his skin, muscles, and tissues shredding under the immense pressure of the air forcibly expanding within him.
But Stefano had died long before his body burst.
His lungs collapsed, his organs failed, his stomach ruptured, and his nervous system shut down.
He was dead before the worst could even happen.
Damian had overestimated him.
He hadn''t expected Stefano to die so soon.
"Hmm... well, that wasn''t quite what I expected," Damian muttered.
For some reason, he had imagined Stefano swelling up like a balloon, expanding comically before popping, much like a certain cat from an old cartoon.
That thought had crossed his mind for a fleeting moment, but he knew reality didn''t work like that.
The actual result of his experiment was far less amusing.
When Damian used his [Wind Essence] to force air into Stefano''s body, it didn''t behave like an overinflated balloon.
Instead, his organs ruptured, his tissues tore apart, and his circulatory system failed under the intense pressure.
Embolism.
Brain damage.
And finally, death.
If the air pressure hadn''t stopped even then, it would have sought an exit, tearing through the lungs, stomach, or any other weak point before finally escaping through the shredded remains of his body.
The conclusion of this experiment?
Not as exciting as he''d hoped.
But at least one thing was certain.
Stefano Barone was dead.
Damian glanced at the broken, mangled corpse before flicking his finger.
A magic circle appeared beneath the body, and within seconds, it was engulfed in flames.
"You..."
"This is unforgivable..."
"Why... why are you doing this?"
The voices trembled with a mix of horror and fury.
There were seven cardinals of the Vatican responsible for everything, the leaders of the faction known as [Lord''s Disciples].
Their names: Benedetto Marco Giuliani, Stefano Barone, Matteo Bianchi, Antonio Romano, Teresa Lombardi, Elisabetta Ferrara, and Caterina Mancini.
And now, two of them were dead.
Benedetto Marco Giuliani and Stefano Barone had both perished by Damian''s hands.
Five more remained.
Damian could feel the sorrow and rage radiating from the surviving members as they stared at their fallen comrade''s remains.
"I bet you never showed such expressions when your exploitations hurt children, did you?" Damian smirked, relishing their despair.
Seeing one of their own die in such a gruesome way, the other members of [Lord''s Disciples] struggled to comprehend the reality before them.
They knew they were in extreme danger, imminent, unavoidable death looming over them.
But what terrified them more was the sheer helplessness of their situation.
Not a single one of them could resist him.
The attack they had just witnessed made it clear.
There was no escaping this.
No force within this Tower Realm could stop him.
He was ranked as the strongest Awakener, a title he had rightfully earned.
He had already defeated the two most powerful beings in the First Tower Realm, the noble vampire Aeron Brenlith and the alpha werewolf Silas.
And now, the newly arrived reinforcements, those who had foolishly believed they could overwhelm him with numbers, were feeling the crushing weight of reality.
They had come to fight him. To defeat him.
But after witnessing a single attack, they realized the truth.
They had gravely underestimated him.
This was never a battle.
It was a massacre.
The seven leaders had already sealed their fate the moment this monster declared war on their faction.
Regret seeped into the minds of the reinforcements.
They regretted coming here.
They regretted joining this faction.
They should never have gotten involved.
They should never have come to the same place as this monster.
And if the subordinates felt this level of dread, then what of the remaining leaders?
The weight on their shoulders was a thousand times heavier.
They had done unspeakable things in life, things that had made them powerful, untouchable.
But now, all that power meant nothing.
Because the monster standing before them had a score to settle.
And there was no hope left.
Even the strongest among them had lost all will to fight.
There was no saving them.
Damian narrowed his gaze as a grin formed on his face before turning his attention to the Awakeners, excluding the five remaining leaders of their faction.
"I will tell you this only once... leave," Damian said, his expression intense.
"My problem is with them. As much as I don''t mind killing you all, I don''t like shedding unnecessary blood. But if you refuse to leave like stubborn children, trust me, it won''t even take me a single minute to turn you all into ashes alive."
A more sarcastic smile formed on his face. "Believe me, I want you to give me a reason to kill you. You guys are very precious experience points for me."
The Awakeners felt as if they were being judged by a predatory monster.
They didn''t want to find out what he would do if they refused his order and continued defending the [Lord''s Disciple] faction.
At the same time, they felt conflicted.
Some were from different worlds similar to Earth, all sharing the same faith, and some were even from Damian''s own world.
They had no idea what their faction leaders, who had promised them power and fame, had done.
Should they believe this monster''s words?
But seeing how their leaders didn''t deny anything, they were forced to believe him.
Morally, some of them wanted to support the monster in eliminating these leaders.
But out of loyalty, they didn''t want to abandon their faction.
Who were they kidding?
There was no faction anymore.
Looking around, the territory had been completely demolished, reduced to nothing but chunks of rock.
Hundreds of their faction members had already died in the crossfire.
This was no longer a faction.
It was a graveyard.
After some sane thinking, they realized they didn''t want to throw away their lives meaninglessly.
Their survival came before their loyalty.
Damian smirked as he watched the Awakeners, who had come to save the day, retreat to wherever they came from.
He also felt a tinge of disappointment, losing out on valuable experience points.
Once they left, only Damian and the five remaining bastards of the Vatican remained: Matteo Bianchi, Antonio Romano, Teresa Lombardi, Elisabetta Ferrara, and Caterina Mancini.
There was no point in even mentioning their names.
They were about to die anyway.
"Let''s make you dead, shall we?" Damian grinned, switching the stream from public to private.
He didn''t want the Awakeners, who had nothing to do with this, witnessing what he was about to do.
He still planned to grow his faction, and if potential recruits saw him torturing enemies, they might hesitate to join.
He was already second-guessing his decision to leave the stream public in the first place.
Now that he thought about it clearly, what if the Awakeners of the Solarta faction saw him being so cruel?
Even if his victims were enemies, would that deter them from joining his cause?
What would he do then?
"Fuck it. I''ll cross that bridge when I get there," Damian muttered as he turned off the stream.
But just as he did, he sensed multiple presences arriving at his location.
And these weren''t the ones who had just left after his threat.
No, these felt different.
Surely, they wouldn''t be stupid enough to come back and defend these bastards, right?
Damian was right.
They weren''t that stupid.
The newcomers weren''t the ones who had previously tried to save the faction.
And yet, they seemed familiar to him.
"Hmm... you''re the Italian Association head''s son, aren''t you?" Damian tilted his head in surprise.
"Yes¡ I''m the Italian Association head now. My father is dead," the man replied.
"Heh? Dead or killed by you?" Damian chuckled, as if he found it amusing.
The man''s eyes widened in shock. "How does he know? No one knows I killed him... but this... this monster... how did he find out?"
"Are you wondering how I knew you were the one who killed your father?" Damian smirked.
"I''m not really in the mood to explain it to you, and honestly, I don''t care. So why don''t you just state the reason you came here and leave so I can get on with my business?" His irritation was evident.
"And please, don''t tell me you came here to save them from me. Because if that''s your reason, you will fail. No matter who the fuck comes, they are dying today." Damian''s grin stretched from ear to ear.
"We..." The man hesitated, his throat suddenly dry.
Yes, he had come here to try and persuade this monster, but now, standing before him, he found himself unable to speak.
Just what is this human?
Is he even human?
A cold sensation gripped him, as if his head had been shoved inside a refrigerator.
He felt frozen under those predatory eyes.
Seeing him not saying anything Damian rolled his eyes before continuing his thing.
He wasn''t the only one who arrived; there was another person whom Damian also managed to recognize.
It was none other than Eric Walcrown, who had come to greet the Great Master, the same man who was now about to kill the last remaining bastard of the [Lord''s Disciple] Faction.
But as soon as he arrived at this place, all his excitement died out completely.
He couldn''t even think straight; he just stood there, watching him do his thing.
Not because he didn''t know what to say or do, but because he was frozen by the pressure he was feeling.
The killing intent in the air was so intense that he and the others couldn''t even move from their spots.
It was truly unnerving, yet at the same time, they had never been more impressed with his power.
[Mud Bind: Spell Activated]
They watched as Damian snapped his fingers, and magic circles appeared beneath Matteo Bianchi, Antonio Romano, Teresa Lombardi, Elisabetta Ferrara, and Caterina Mancini.
The ground beneath them turned into mud before vines made of earth sprouted out, wrapping tightly around each of the targets.
Damian did this so that when he burned them alive, they wouldn''t be able to run.
Until now, he had been using his sheer pressure to keep them in place, preventing them from even thinking about escape.
That was also why even the newly arrived Awakeners felt the immense pressure, despite it not being directed at them.
"Please..."
"Forgive us..."
"We have sinned..."
Damian looked at them one last time, but their pleas felt like trash in his ears.
Without a word, he conjured a massive amount of [Fire Essence] in his hand, forming it into a blazing sphere.
He didn''t speak. He didn''t show any expression.
He simply raised his palm, and the flames shot from his hand, landing on them.
The fire began to burn them slowly and painfully. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The agonizing screams echoed through the area for several minutes, painting the scene with grim horror.
And as the day came to an end, so did their lives.
Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Eden
Chapter 90: Chapter 90: EdenSomewhere in the vast universe, the same universe where Damian existed but in another dimension, a very secluded dimension where only a very select few with high-level authority could even fathom entering, stood a grand palace stretching as far as an entire city.
At the heart of this palace lay a luminous, luxurious, and magnificent golden throne hall.
And in the far center of this hall sat an awe-inspiring throne, upon which a regal woman, clearly a queen, was seated.
She had long, thick, curly white hair cascading down her shoulders, and her blue eyes remained hidden behind her closed eyelids.
She exuded an air of serenity and grace, undisturbed by the world around her.
A gentle breeze brushed past her cheeks, and as she slowly opened her eyes, they widened in surprise.
"This is incredible... I can sense him even more strongly now... He''s getting close to awakening his bloodline¡ What''s happening to him right now? Is he evolving?"
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a system prompt materialized before her eyes as if responding to her will.
The milky-white-haired queen watched as a scene unfolded in the system''s projection.
A handsome young human man slaughtered a dozen Awakeners before proceeding to torture and burn five of them alive.
Their agonized screams filled the air before they perished.
"Revenge, huh? I can''t say I don''t understand¡ But if it helps clear his mind of the burdens of his past, then it''s a good thing. He doesn''t need to dwell on what was. He only needs to move forward."
The woman smiled, shaking her head as she studied the young man''s face. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"He evolved... No wonder I''m beginning to feel the presence of my bloodline in him¡ Wait, if I can sense it, could the others sense it too?"
The queen quickly dismissed the thought, shaking her head.
"No, they shouldn''t¡ at least not yet. The others are not as matured as I am¡ But just to be safe."
She closed her eyes and transmitted a mental summon.
A few seconds later, a figure materialized out of nowhere before her.
The newcomer was a tall woman, standing at an imposing seven feet.
She wore a flowing gothic black attire with red accents, her jet-black hair streaked with crimson highlights.
Her eyes glowed an eerie red.
"Oh, my dear Eden, how I''ve missed you," the queen cooed, tilting her head and feigning innocence.
The towering woman, Eden, the Administrator of the System, raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about? We just spoke a few days ago."
"Is that so? Well, it feels like a lifetime." The queen shrugged, clearly unbothered. "Anyway, you''ve been observing Damian, right? Have you seen the recent developments?"
"Yes, he evolved¡ on his own, no less. And now, he''s been on a killing spree, avenging the past that humans inflicted upon him. It seems that in his early years, before the system registered this human world, he suffered at their hands. Now, they are paying the price for it," Eden replied.
She paused as new information streamed into her consciousness through the system.
"Hmm¡ This is interesting," Eden muttered as she reviewed the data.
"What is interesting? Tell me."
"The people he''s been killing seem to belong to a group within the Biblical faction. Damian grew up among them, but they exploited him, and many others like him. That''s why he''s taking revenge," Eden explained.
"The Biblical faction¡ It''s always the same with them," the queen scoffed.
"The Heavenly Father needs to keep a closer watch on his followers. He never seems to hold his subordinates accountable for their actions, and that''s why his faction is stagnating."
For a religion to thrive, it needed to attract more followers, to prove its faith was righteous, to show that it could improve people''s lives.
Acts of goodwill and divine presence should be evident in the actions of its members.
But if all people found in it was exploitation, then its downfall was inevitable.
Power could sustain a faction temporarily, but in the long run, it would crumble.
Damian was living proof of this.
The very people who had once exploited him had created their own reckoning.
Every action had consequences.
Whether sooner or later, they would always come.
"Whatever the case, he killed them. That chapter is closed. Now, let''s move on to why I summoned you," the queen clapped her hands.
"Damian is growing stronger at an abnormal rate. His bloodline is maturing much faster than expected. It won''t be long before he fully awakens, and when he does, the others will inevitably sense his existence. I want you to place a system barrier to prevent them from detecting his bloodline."
"Do you really think that will work?" Eden asked, frowning.
"Even if the system barrier hides his bloodline for now, once he fully awakens, there will be no concealing it. That bloodline is one of the strongest in the universe."
"Even at its early stage, it will radiate power beyond suppression. I don''t mind setting up the barrier, but at best, it will only buy him a little time."
"You know how the others will react once they discover him," the queen sighed.
"They won''t let him grow in peace. And honestly, it''s not our enemies I''m worried about, it''s our own family. You know how much they miss him."
"If they sense him, they''ll stop at nothing to be by his side¡ and they''ll surely be an annoyance in his growth."
"You do have a point," Eden admitted.
"At the rate he''s progressing, even a little time free from interference would be a huge opportunity for him. I''ll do it, but when everything is over and they find out I was involved, I won''t be held responsible. I can''t handle them."
The queen rolled her eyes. "I''ll take care of it."
"Still, his growth is unusual," Eden mused. "We expected him to develop at an exceptional rate, but even for him, this seems excessive, doesn''t it?"
"I know what you mean," Eden nodded as she brought up another system prompt for them to examine.
"I''ve been monitoring his body''s changes for some time. There are three main reasons why he evolved on his own."
"First, his physical strength has already surpassed what an unevolved human could handle. His body had no choice but to evolve to efficiently channel his growing power."
"Second, his energy reserves. His body is coursing with so much energy that every cell is feeding off it to accelerate his evolution. Particularly, the [Wood Essence]. While it didn''t directly cause his transformation, it contributed at least 40% to his evolution."
"And third, his soul. The primary reason humans can''t evolve on their own is that their souls are too weak to withstand the transformation."
"Normally, their souls must strengthen first before their bodies can evolve. But since you released the seal on his soul, and given the sheer size and quality of his soul, this evolution is nothing for him. I imagine he''ll evolve even further soon."
"In fact, he''s about to complete his evolution mission. I''ve already selected the best possible evolutionary path for him. It''s not the strongest at this moment, but it has the most potential, exclusively tailored for him."
Eden smiled, confident in her ability to calculate countless possibilities and choose the one with the greatest benefit.
"There was one thing I couldn''t understand at first," Eden added.
"How did he obtain such immense energy? I know he''s been extracting energy from various sources, but he wasn''t capable of doing this in the past. However, after analyzing him through the system, I finally found the answer."
A grin spread across her face.
"The very things we once deemed impossible, the so-called failures of his existence, are now becoming reality. He is finally realizing the true purpose of his existence in this universe."
Eden''s grin widened.
"You mean...?" The queen''s eyes widened as her fist tightened subconsciously.
"Yes, this time he is truly growing into his true form... at least, he has started to show signs. I have analyzed the talents he has awakened. They are still in their early stages, but once they evolve, he will finally grow into his true majestic form," Eden explained, sighing with a smile.
"This... this is great... but how? Why now? Why this time? Why couldn''t he do this before?" the queen asked.
"I don''t know yet, but I will find out once I have more information. However, I can''t get any for now. I suspect this has more to do with his spirituality rather than his soul or physical body," Eden replied.
Every being is made up of three things: the Soul, the Physical Body, and Spirituality.
The soul is self-explanatory, just like the physical body, which consists of flesh.
Then there is Spirituality, also known as the Spiritual Body, Spiritual Essence, or even the Spiritual Core, depending on the region of the universe.
Spirituality is something like a bridge that connects the soul with the physical body.
Damian watched as the remaining five leaders were slowly burned to a crisp and died.
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You have leveled up] x2
[You have annihilated the [Lord''s Disciple] faction]
[You have killed the leaders of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction]
[You have won the Faction War]
As Damian processed these notifications, another set of notifications appeared before every single Awakener in the First Tower Realm.
[The [Circle of Ouroboros] has won the Faction War against the [Lord''s Disciple] faction]
Back to Damian, another set of notifications appeared before him.
[The [Circle of Ouroboros] has defeated the [Lord''s Disciple] faction]
[The reward for winning the Faction War is calculated based on the contribution of every Awakener who participated in the war]
[Rewards calculated]
-Damian Ignatius (Faction Leader): +50000 Gold
-Shiru Yamamoto: +0 Gold
-Lucian Holloway: +0 Gold
[All the gold possessed by the Awakeners of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction will be rewarded to their slayers]
Another notification appeared before Damian, different from the common ones.
[Every gold possessed by those you killed will be rewarded to you]
[+226,799 Gold]
[You have conquered the territory of the [Lord''s Disciple] faction]
[The Territory Function has been triggered]
[Since you have conquered a Tier 1 territory, the size of your own territory will increase from 50 meters (diameter) to 80 meters (diameter)]
[Everything belonging to the Awakeners you killed in the Faction War will be transported to your inventory]
Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Table Talk - 1
Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Table Talk - 1"You really did it." Sir Holloway shook his head with a sigh as he looked at the leader of his [Circle of Ouroboros] faction.
The lone leader, the only awakener in the history of Solarta who, just a few hours after entering the first tower realm, managed to win 200 battles in a row, attain 1st position in the power ranking, and didn''t even stop there.
He went on to create a faction and then single-handedly defeat another faction.
He had become the most popular awakener in Solarta. He was known by his awakener title.
He was ''Infinity.'' S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Of course. What else did you expect? This has been on my mind for a while. I wouldn''t be able to do my thing knowing they were still out there, exploiting the innocent," Damian snorted.
"Oh, don''t get me wrong. I''m not against what you did. I''m just surprised you did it as soon as you decided to. You killed them without hesitation. Do you really think that''s a good habit? Doing everything on impulse?" Sir Holloway asked as he drank the glass of blood in his hand like it was wine.
Different races had different patterns of food consumption.
For vampires, it was blood, except for werewolf blood, which was poisonous to them.
Werewolves could eat anything edible, but they couldn''t sustain themselves on human food without consuming the flesh of beasts and monsters.
Martians could only eat water-based food.
Not every type of food could be found in Solarta, but that wasn''t a problem because, in the system''s [Shop Function], any type of food could be bought fresh as long as one had gold.
And for those willing to spend even more, high-nutrient-level food was also available for purchase.
"What are you trying to say?" Damian asked as he ate the grilled flesh of some sort of bird-type beast from the plate in front of him.
"I mean, from what Miss Shiru told me, it''s only been a few days since you arrived in Solarta, and you didn''t rest or take a moment before you went on to challenge the power ranking, then formed a faction, then waged war on another faction. Don''t you think you should take things a little slower?" Sir Holloway asked.
"I would have accepted your statement if I didn''t have the ability. But you''ve seen what I can do, right? If I''m more than strong enough to do it, why shouldn''t I? Why shouldn''t I do everything the way I have been, impulsively?" Damian replied as he swallowed the last chunk of meat before buying another meal from the shop.
Sir Holloway thought deeply about his answer.
And he was right.
He was strong enough.
He could do anything he wanted.
He could be patient or impatient.
If he were weak, he would have to think deeply, weigh the pros and cons.
But since he was strong enough, there were no cons, only pros.
"And besides, I know my own capabilities. I know when to wait and when to act," Damian added.
He recalled how, when the system descended onto Earth and he awakened his talent [Elementalist], he had spent two months fully improving his understanding of his elements.
So even though it seemed like he was impatient and reckless, in reality, he never acted without knowing he had the upper hand.
He would never go into a fight he knew he would lose.
Shiru was also at the dining table, eating a plate of cooked rice and eggs while she silently listened to their conversation.
Her expression suddenly became weird as she watched Damian finish his second meal and immediately buy a third one from the system.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Damian asked, noticing her gaze.
"Are you eating the food, or is the food eating you?" Shiru asked.
"Hey, I haven''t eaten in days. I feel like I forgot how good it feels to eat. I''m just eating my feelings away," Damian replied.
"You haven''t eaten in days?" Sir Holloway asked, suddenly interested.
"Yeah. Actually, I don''t need food or water to survive because of the presence of elemental essence in me," Damian replied.
"Your cells switch to the energies inside you for sustenance. That''s not uncommon among awakeners. I''ve seen it with Qi cultivators. Every type of energy has unique capabilities."
"[Qi]''s specialty is enhancement, empowerment, and strengthening the physical body of Qi cultivators, which results in increased lifespan and a powerful physique. And since their body feeds off [Qi], they slowly lose the need to eat to survive," Sir Holloway explained.
"There are also human mages. Even though they possess [Mana], they still need food to survive. And although the presence of mana slows aging in humans, it doesn''t actually increase their lifespan."
Then Sir Holloway looked at Damian. "What types of energy do you currently possess?"
"[Mana], [Qi], [Fire Essence], [Wood Essence], [Water Essence], [Earth Essence], [Wind Essence], [Ice Essence], [Lightning Essence]¡ and counting." Damian smiled, feeling a tad proud of himself for shocking an 800-year-old vampire.
"You have so many powers inside you. I still don''t understand how you''re in one piece. And what do you mean, ''counting''? Are you expecting to acquire even more powers in the future?" Sir Holloway asked, baffled.
"Of course. You think I''d be satisfied with this? I''m not going to stop until I get my hands on every kind of power I''m capable of obtaining," Damian grinned.
Damian was ambitious.
Ever since the day of awakening, when he found out he actually had the ability to grow stronger, unlike in his past life before his regression, he had made a vow to himself.
He would go as far as possible.
He would master every skill, obtain every power, and never stop growing stronger until it became impossible to progress any further.
He would take everything for himself, whether it was at the lowest level or the highest.
He would claim everything the system and the tower realm had to offer.
"Actually, the next energy I''m interested in is the one unique to vampires, The [Blood Essence]." Damian said casually.
Sir Holloway wanted to say that it was impossible for him to acquire something like that.
But then again, he had seen the power Damian displayed, both in the power ranking battles and in the faction war.
He didn''t know what kind of ability Damian had that allowed him to obtain these energies, so why not [Blood Essence] as well?
He was more interested in the what-ifs.
If Damian acquired [Blood Essence], a type of energy exclusive to vampires, what would that mean?
What would it do to his being?
What kind of effects would it have on a human, no, a [Superior Human]?
"[Blood Essence] is something like a life force to vampires. They live off that energy, and their racial and bloodline abilities rely on it to manifest."
"Even their regeneration and immortality are due to the presence of [Blood Essence]. If a [Superior Human] like you acquired it¡ I''ve never even considered something like this. Even I am curious about what it would do to you," Sir Holloway admitted.
"Now that you''re explaining its effects, I''m getting even more impatient to acquire [Blood Essence]. But to do that, I need to extract it directly from a target, in this case, a vampire," Damian replied, looking at Sir Holloway with a predatory grin.
"Don''t tell me you''re going to try it on me¡"
"Don''t worry, I won''t harm you. You''re kind of like a walking encyclopedia now. How could I hurt you?" Damian shrugged.
"Besides, I have other plans before I go hunting for [Blood Essence]. I''m planning on completing my [Evolution Mission] and seeing if I can evolve a second time."
Damian said as he looked at the mission details.
________________________________
[Evolution Mission: Walking the Road of Human Evolution]
[You must complete the following conditions:]
[Increase Your Level: 131/180]
[Defeat Awakeners 50 levels higher than you: 20/20.]
[Obtain Source Cores of Monsters above Level 130: 30/30.]
[Increase your Vitality: 410/200]
[Increase your Perception: 320/200]
________________________________
"I have already completed every other condition except for one, and I will complete it too once I reach level 180," Damian replied as he glanced at Shiru and Sir Holloway, who were looking at him with complicated expressions.
They were among those who had no way to evolve, or whose evolution conditions were so harsh that they would rather stay in the First Tower Realm.
Sir Holloway and Shiru both had mediocre talent.
They couldn''t do enough to trigger the system''s [Evolution Mission], and the only other way to evolve was by obtaining the essence of higher-ranked species from other races.
However, doing so was almost like signing a slave contract, as 97% of the time, the higher-ranked beings saw the lower-ranked ones as nothing more than trash.
Sir Holloway was lucky because he had met a noble vampire who took an interest in his work and treated him well.
But Shiru wasn''t even that fortunate.
And yet, here he was.
It hadn''t even been a full week since he arrived, but he had already evolved on his own, without anyone''s help, not even from the system.
And now, he was about to evolve again through the system.
Not to mention, there was a high possibility that he could become a higher-ranked being himself.
They just couldn''t comprehend it.
Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Table Talk - 2
Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Table Talk - 2"There is something I wanted to ask you about," Damian turned his gaze back to Sir Holloway.
"I want to know what I have to do to become a Grandmaster."
"Grandmaster?"
The plebeian vampire''s eyes widened in surprise.
He definitely didn''t expect someone as impulsive as Damian to be interested in becoming a Grandmaster.
After all, walking down the road to becoming a Grandmaster requires immense patience.
Something Damian obviously didn''t seem to possess.
He was also very young, and it had only been a few months since the system arrived in his home world.
He shouldn''t have had enough time to reach such a high level that he would already be thinking about the Grandmaster realm.
"Wow, thinking about becoming a Grandmaster already? Aren''t you quite ambitious? Which path are you taking? Spears or swords?" Sir Holloway asked, smiling slightly.
"How about everything?" Damian replied with a grin.
"You are joking, right?" Sir Holloway frowned.
"..." Damian simply smiled.
"...You are joking... right?" sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Sir Holloway''s frown deepened upon seeing that Damian''s expression hadn''t changed.
"I''m not joking. I really am going to become a Grandmaster in everything, whether it is swordsmanship, spearmanship, or archery. I don''t see why you would find that funny." Damian shook his head.
"Of course, I would think you were joking, considering how ridiculous your claim is. I can accept you becoming unnaturally strong at a ridiculous rate or even possessing all sorts of powers, but that is entirely different from reaching the realm of Grandmasters."
"There are specific stages for an Awakener to become a Grandmaster. First, an Awakener must develop a martial skill like swordsmanship and train it to the highest level, which would be becoming a Master Swordsman."
As explained before, skills are something that must be developed.
For example, swordsmanship can be created by learning basic sword techniques and can be improved by increasing one''s understanding of the skill.
To improve one''s understanding, one must learn and polish their techniques by reducing faults, flaws, weaknesses, mistakes, inefficiencies, errors, and missteps.
Essentially refining the skill and making it as close to perfect as possible.
However, we say "close to perfect" because skills can always be improved.
There is no true perfection in any type or form of skill.
When one reaches this near-perfect level of swordsmanship, the skill is considered to have reached the Master realm.
This is just the first step one must take to even think about the Grandmaster realm.
It takes years of training, fighting, and experience to turn one''s skill into the Master realm.
Even this, however, is considered incredibly easy compared to the next step in reaching the Grandmaster realm.
Sir Holloway''s expression became serious. "The final step in becoming a Grandmaster is easy to understand but astronomically difficult to achieve."
"Some people, no matter how many thousands of years they train, never even seem to grasp it. It involves applying concepts to swordsmanship."
"What do you mean by concepts?" Damian asked, his expression intrigued.
"Concepts... Well, I suppose you could say concepts are what define your path to ascension in this universe. I don''t have much information on how Awakeners create concepts because, as far as I know, a concept is something that defines you, your beliefs, and your understanding of the universe." Sir Holloway continued.
"Other than this, I know nothing. I have never met any Awakeners who have managed to achieve the Grandmaster realm. The only information I have on Grandmasters comes from ancient texts I came across many years ago."
"The reason I said it''s vastly different from everything else is because of these concepts. Something beyond the physical. It requires enlightenment at an extreme degree."
"This cannot simply be forced to happen like leveling up or obtaining power the way you do. And what I''ve explained is for a single martial skill like swordsmanship."
"Yet here you are, casually saying that you want to reach the Grandmaster realm in every martial skill. It''s not theoretically possible and is utterly ridiculous."
The workings of every martial skill are vastly different.
The more one increases their understanding of one martial skill, the more different another martial skill seems.
This is the nature of martial arts.
It already seems impossible to achieve the Grandmaster realm in a single martial skill.
Yet Damian had the audacity not just to say it but to truly be ambitious about achieving Grandmastery in every skill.
It was beyond ridiculous.
"...Is it really that hard to reach the Grandmaster realm?" Damian frowned.
He didn''t like this one bit. Hearing an experienced vampire and researcher say that it was impossible only made Damian hate the statement even more.
But then he remembered his beliefs.
So what if the vampire said he couldn''t do it?
He was definitely not going to stop until he saw and realized for himself that he truly couldn''t do it.
"You know what? I don''t need your opinion on whether I can do it or not, so keep it to yourself. Just tell me how I go about creating my own concept," Damian said, resting his chin on his hand.
"I don''t know... Even my master, who has been alive for more than 8,000 years, hasn''t achieved this yet and doesn''t even know if there is a way to do it," Sir Holloway replied.
"I asked her about this once. She said it was not about finding a way to increase her understanding of the skill but about finding herself."
"What kind of nonsense is that? ''Find oneself''? What does that even mean?" Damian scoffed, feeling like the vampire was spouting nonsense.
Or rather, that his master had fed him nonsense, and now he was passing it on.
"I don''t know what she meant, but I have tried to formulate this process into stages. I don''t know if it will work because it''s just a theory based on what I have observed from different martial artists. Do you want to hear it?" Sir Holloway asked.
Seeing Damian nod, he quickly brought out a book from his system inventory and opened a particular page.
"I will say this in advance. This is just something I formulated based on things I have observed and read in ancient texts, so if it doesn''t work for you, don''t blame me," Sir Holloway said, holding the book tightly as he narrowed his gaze at Damian.
"Oh Lords, I won''t hold you accountable. Believe me, you won''t even get a chance," Damian smiled confidently.
The poor plebeian vampire sighed, shaking his head.
He could never get used to how confident Damian was.
Telling him he wouldn''t even get a chance clearly meant he was determined to make it work and successfully become a Grandmaster.
Was this confidence or overestimation?
Sir Holloway couldn''t decide.
Sir Holloway handed the book to Damian, who started scrolling through the pages.
It took him only a glance to memorize the contents while Sir Holloway began explaining his theory.
"The first stage toward becoming a Grandmaster is creating a martial skill like swordsmanship," Sir Holloway continued.
The levels of martial skills can be ranked as follows: Basics < Intermediate < High < Master.
To increase your rank in a martial skill, you don''t need to do anything other than improve your understanding of the skill.
This is done by refining your techniques and removing errors, faults, and flaws, which can be achieved through training and gaining more experience.
From a technical standpoint, after the Master rank comes the Grandmaster rank.
However, progressing from Basic to Master rank requires only experience, whereas achieving the Grandmaster rank requires the application of a concept to the skill.
So, the next stage in becoming a Grandmaster would be applying a concept to your skill.
To apply a concept, you must first create one.
In the world of Awakeners, a concept is something that defines the very essence of an Awakener.
A concept shapes an Awakener''s growth.
"Concepts are an entirely different topic in the world of Awakeners, but we don''t need to get into everything. We only need to focus on how they relate to the Grandmaster realm," Sir Holloway continued.
"There are two types of concepts, as far as I have learned. One is an existing concept, and the other is a self-created concept. However, on the path to becoming a Grandmaster, you only need to focus on self-created concepts, as these are developed by Awakeners themselves."
Sir Lucian Holloway went on. "To create a concept, you must first gain enlightenment. Legends say that once you achieve enlightenment, the next step, [Concept Creation], will naturally come to you. But how one achieves enlightenment remains unknown."
"But in my opinion, based on what I have learned in my life, it is similar to the process by which mages improve their understanding of their elemental magic," Sir Holloway said.
"You mean observing and learning?" Damian asked, starting to understand.
As a mage himself, he knew how he had improved his own understanding of elemental magic by watching, learning, and performing magic.
"Well, not exactly. I don''t know for sure, to be honest. It''s just a theory after all. I guess it''s similar to how understanding comes to your mind."
"...You could even say it''s a form of enlightenment, except on a minuscule scale, like comparing a drop of water to a river."
he continued. "Once you gain enlightenment, it will force you into a state where [Concept Creation] naturally appears to you. As for the type of concept you would create, no one can say for certain, but it would most likely be related to yourself."
Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Unexpected Visitors
Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Unexpected VisitorsRight now, Damian was in a pickle.
He couldn''t decide what he should do next because there were so many things he could focus on.
He could reach level 80 and finally complete his [Evolution Mission], allowing him to evolve.
He could train his skills, improve his understanding of [Elemental Magic], continue his [Qi Cultivation], or even wage war against more factions.
He had obtained 200 different techniques from the Awakeners in the Power Ranking as part of a bet during battles.
Every time he fought, he wagered [The Thousand Armor Impale], and if he won, he would receive a technique of equal value.
If the opponent didn''t have a technique on the same level to offer, the system would simply create a copy of their strongest technique and grant it to him.
Since Damian had defeated every Awakener in the Power Ranking, he had acquired a total of 200 techniques.
However, there was a catch. These techniques could belong to any category.
Some were class-based, others required specific abilities or unique constitutions. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
There were techniques Damian couldn''t even use because he didn''t meet the necessary conditions for activation.
"Let''s see..." Damian muttered as he opened [Territory Management] and saw various types of [Training Grounds] available for purchase.
He selected one of the highest-tier training grounds and spent 250,000 gold on it.
Outside his castle, a massive enclosed training field, spanning roughly 20% of his entire territory, appeared.
This particular training ground was highly valued because of its unique ability.
It could repair itself no matter how much damage it sustained during training.
Damian was pleased with this function, as it meant he wouldn''t have to waste time or resources repairing it.
However, even though the training ground was incredibly sturdy, if Damian pushed himself to his absolute limits, it would still eventually crumble.
The training ground also came equipped with basic-level weapons of all shapes and forms.
While they weren''t strong enough to withstand Damian''s power, they were sufficient for fundamental training without any flashy techniques.
Just as he was admiring his purchase, he sensed several new presences approaching his territory.
The [Mapping Function] activated automatically, displaying a prompt that alerted him to the intruders.
It showed nine figures, one of whom was Shiru.
[Eyes of Clarity: Innate Ability Activated]
"Hmm..." Damian''s neon blue eyes glowed even brighter as his perception magnified several times over.
His vision extended, allowing him to see through the walls.
From his current position, he could clearly see the ten approaching figures, including Shiru.
Among them, one presence felt particularly familiar.
It belonged to someone he had previously fought in the Power Ranking battles.
"Nice training ground... How much did you spend exactly?" Shiru asked as she opened the large wooden door and stepped inside.
"About 250,000 gold, and it''s totally worth it," Damian replied while watching the nine figures enter behind her.
His eyes widened in surprise.
It was none other than Maria Lucia Augustine and her seven sisters, once known as the Warrior Nuns of the Vatican Church.
However, it wasn''t them that shocked him the most.
It was the ninth figure, an unexpected presence.
She was a woman.
No, a breathtakingly beautiful elf with gorgeous brown hair and striking green eyes.
She stood at an impressive height of 6 feet 4 inches.
Damian could never forget her.
She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had laid eyes on in a long time.
What intrigued him even more was her immense strength.
She had even achieved 10th place in the Power Ranking.
Damian''s mind, sharp as a supercomputer, momentarily ignored the equally beautiful group of women standing beside her.
He knew that elves had a species hierarchy.
She was a Common Elf, a lower-ranked elf, similar to how Plebeian Vampires compared to Noble Vampires.
As soon as Damian saw her, a smile formed on his lips.
He immediately felt the urge to somehow recruit this elf to his side.
Only after taking in the sight of the stunning elf did he finally turn his attention to the other eight women.
He was surprised to see the elf standing among them.
While Damian was discreetly admiring the elf like one would admire a rare treasure, the women, including the elf herself, were looking at him with strange expressions.
Maria and her seven sisters, in particular, had never seen a more attractive man in their lives.
But it wasn''t just his appearance.
It was something else about him that made it impossible to ignore him.
It was almost instinctual, a deep, primal reaction.
They felt a warmth spreading through their bodies, a foreign heat pooling in their cores.
Mind you, Maria and her sisters were nuns back on Earth.
They were widely known for their devotion and discipline.
They had spent their entire lives training to control their urges, yet even they couldn''t resist the overwhelming desire that surged within them when they looked at Damian.
It was similar to how animals go into heat.
However, this wasn''t a mental attraction.
It was physical, a biological response.
Even though Maria and her sisters managed to suppress it after a few moments, it was still evident in their eyes that they were struggling to resist his presence.
"I can''t say I''m surprised to see you, the Warrior Nuns of the Vatican Church, standing at my door. Are you here to take revenge for your precious generals?" Damian asked sarcastically.
Maria''s face instantly turned red at his comment.
"Jesus Christ, are you for real?! Don''t you know the things they did to the poor people of our religion? Weren''t you one of their victims?"
Maria despised those men with every fiber of her being. She had never felt such hatred toward anyone before.
Those bastards had committed countless atrocities and even murdered Pope Alexander in their greedy pursuit of power within the Vatican.
"Relax... I didn''t mean it like that," Damian said, his tone softening.
"I know exactly what those bastards did to our Pope. Even I was saddened by his passing. He was truly a great man. He did so much good in his time."
Damian''s expression darkened. "And their actions made it clear what they deserved. Burning them alive was the least I could do."
Then, he sighed. "Anyway, enough about that. What can I do for you?"
As Damian eyed Maria, her sisters, and the beautiful elf, he couldn''t help but admire how breathtaking they were.
However, something confused him.
He remembered Maria and her sisters from when he raided the monsters near the Vatican headquarters.
They looked exactly the same back then. But now, they somehow seemed even more beautiful.
"What is this?" Damian narrowed his eyes and silently activated his innate ability.
[Eyes of Clarity: Innate Ability Activated]
His vision shifted as the world became painted in shades of blue.
Everything hidden from the naked eye became visible to him.
He noticed thin white energy particles surrounding Maria, her sisters, and the elf.
It was faint, almost unseeable, even with [Eyes of Clarity] activated.
He also noticed something peculiar.
The energy surrounding them was affecting his perception of them.
"Holy power?" Damian muttered. "I didn''t know it had this kind of effect on its wielders."
Deactivating his ability, he observed them for a few more moments.
He realized that the attraction he felt toward these [Holy Energy] wielders was different from a typical male-to-female attraction.
It wasn''t lust. It wasn''t admiration. It was something else entirely.
"What is this feeling...?" Damian thought to himself.
It was... moving?.
It was an unfamiliar sensation, almost as if this energy was suggesting to him that he should trust them.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he heard Maria continue speaking.
"We need your help," Maria said before glancing at the elf beside her, then turning her gaze back to Damian.
"My help?" Damian raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"What kind of help do you need? I already killed all your enemies. What else do you want? Don''t tell me you want my help to reform the Vatican on Earth, because that would be a hassle. Frankly, I don''t want to associate myself with the Vatican anymore."
Damian was on point.
Maria did have thoughts about reforming the Vatican again, but this time, making it into what it was truly supposed to be.
However, after everything that had happened and after watching Damian fight against the [Lord''s Disciple] faction and hearing the things he said, she completely abandoned that idea.
She was no longer a warrior nun, and frankly, she was tired of it.
She just wanted to live her life now, just as the late Pope Alexander, her father, had wished for her.
"No... I''m on the same boat as you on this particular topic. I don''t think an organization like the Vatican can ever be what it should be, not as long as people consumed by greed and the hunger for power exist within it. And we don''t want to be caught in the middle of that... We came here for her."
Maria placed her hand over the elf''s shoulder.
Damian''s smile widened. "Let''s talk business then"
Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Mutual Dissemination
Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Mutual DisseminationMaria placed her hand over the elf''s shoulder.
Damian''s smile widened. "Let''s talk business then"
"Business?"
Maria, her seven sisters, and the elf Elfie simultaneously raised their eyebrows in confusion.
They had come here looking for help, but he was talking about business?
Did he expect something in return for his help?
"Yes, business¡ Bilateral exchange, reciprocal sharing, mutual dissemination¡ You know, you give me something in return for something I do for you," Damian continued.
"If I''m going to do something for you, I''m obviously going to expect something in return. You don''t have to be worried, though, because I would be fair. I would only ask for something comparable to the service I provide. Now, tell me, what do you want from me?"
Maria and Elfie looked at each other for a few seconds, as if they were communicating with their eyes, questioning whether this was even a good idea.
Coming to this monster, who was unofficially the strongest awakener and also at the same time the craziest one they knew, was a risky move.
If it weren''t for Elfie''s dire situation, she wouldn''t have sought his help. But right now, she had no choice.
The most obvious reason they came to him was his strength.
Almost every awakener in Solarta was intimidated by his power.
His presence alone could make solving this problem much easier.
After a few moments of internal deliberation, Elfie, the same common elf Damian had fought for the 10th position in the power ranking, finally spoke. "I want your help in saving my younger brother."
"Younger brother, huh? Tell me, what kind of mess did he get himself into? Let me guess..." Damian observed her face for a few seconds, and his smile widened.
"Vampires?"
"Yes," Elfie Ayre Dathyra nodded.
"How did you guess that vampires might have done something to her brother?" Shiru asked, curious.
"It''s common knowledge that elf blood is more delicious than that of normal humans. It''s no surprise that vampires would be interested. After all, they can get high on blood, and we all know how addictive getting high can be," Damian shrugged.
Vampires, as explained before, survive by drinking blood.
Without it, they won''t die, but they might go insane, unable to handle the bloodlust.
Their main diet revolves around blood, and they cannot consume any other form of food.
Thus, many vampires have developed a tendency to drink blood from different kinds of beings to widen their palate.
However, that doesn''t mean they can drink blood from any race.
For example, werewolf blood is highly poisonous to them, and there have even been cases where weak vampires died from consuming it.
Among the races whose blood vampires can drink, not all are considered delicious.
Some are more desirable than others, and elf blood is among the most sought-after.
Some vampires even become addicted to it.
Because of this, vampires are often in conflict with elves, especially female elves, who are rare in the first tower realm compared to other races.
Considering Elfie Ayre Dathyra''s beauty, it was not surprising that vampires might be trying to take her for themselves.
Maybe they were trying to force her to give herself up in exchange for her brother''s freedom.
"You''re right. That noble vampire, Aeron Brenlith, the same one you fought for the 1st position in the power ranking, has been trying to make me submit to him, to become his slave, his walking blood bag. But I was strong enough to slip away from him."
"My brother, however, wasn''t as strong as me. He was naive and fell into a trap. Now, he''s been captured, and Aeron is demanding that I give myself up in exchange for my brother''s life."
"And you won''t do that because you''re too conservative, or is it because your brother would rather suffer himself than make you suffer?"
"And now, you have no choice but to come to me for help because, well, I''ve already beaten Aeron once, and you think it wouldn''t be hard for me to do it again. How did I do?" Damian asked, rubbing his chin.
"You did well. Just tell us, what do you want in exchange for saving her brother?" Maria asked, narrowing her eyes.
Damian turned his gaze from the distressed elf to the annoyed ex-nun, tilting his head in surprise.
"It seems the ex-warrior nuns are quite close to the elf. Is it because they all possess holy energy? Well, whatever," he thought.
"What can the elf offer?" Damian looked at Elfie Ayre Dathyra.
She was the one who needed his help, so she had to be the one to pay the price. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Damian may have been a jerk sometimes, but he wasn''t unfair.
"What do you want?" Elfie sighed, shaking her head, as if she already knew what kind of thing he might ask for in return.
This wasn''t the first time she had gone to men for help, and almost all of them were interested in only one thing...
Her... Her body.
She wasn''t saying that all men were pigs, but as a female elf, known for their incredible beauty, it was normal for men to desire them.
Legends even spoke of great luck and fortune bestowed upon those who could conquer an elf in both body and mind.
Though believed to be myths, if true, an elf had to give herself willingly.
If someone dared to force her, they would be cursed with ill fate, calamity, and doom.
Elves were loved by nature.
Simply being near them granted incredible luck, and harming them could incur nature''s wrath.
However, Aeron Brenlith didn''t care.
He simply wanted her blood to get high on it, and who knew what else he might do to her.
So when Damian asked for something in return, Elfie couldn''t help but think he would ask for her as well.
"I want you to join my faction and pledge your allegiance to me," Damian said with a smile.
"W-What?"
"Didn''t hear me? I want you to join my faction, and after I save your brother, he must join as well. You cannot leave," Damian repeated.
"I..." Elfie hadn''t expected that.
She had been sure he would ask for her body in exchange, but instead, he wanted her to join his faction.
Could this be a trick?
A way to make her submit willingly?
Thinking that this might be a trap, Elfie''s eyes narrowed.
She looked at Damian sharply. "Is this just an indirect method to make me submit to you? You''re just like every other man out there¡ pigs¡ If you really think I would stoop so low, you''re wrong. I''d rather save him myself."
Damian felt like he had been hit in the head with a rock. "Was I not clear enough? I just said I want you to join my faction. Where in the world did I say I want to make you submit to me? I''ll say it again, I just want you to join my faction."
"...So you''re not like other men who are after me?" Elfie''s eyes widened. Had she heard him correctly? There was no hidden plot behind this?
"Oh, I''m interested in you, alright. I''m still a man. But I don''t go about getting what I want like most men you met. I won''t force you to come to me. Where''s the fun in that? I''d rather have you force yourself on me. That''s more entertaining." Damian grinned.
"You..." Elfie started to say something but stopped. She didn''t even know how to respond to that.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Maria asked, shaking her head, just as confused as Elfie.
"Exactly what you heard. I''m very interested in her, but I won''t force her. That''s not my style. I want her to come to me, to fall for me. I''m the high prize here, not the other way around," Damian explained.
Damian then opened the [Contract Function] and immediately formulated a contract, sending it to Elfie.
After reading it, Elfie nodded. "I accept."
[You have formed a mutual contract with the awakener named ''Infinity.'']
Elfie smiled. "Just so you know, you cannot make me fall for you... ever."
Damian smirked. "We''ll see."
...
Somewhere in Solarta, far from the territory of the [Circle of Ouroboros], there was another territory belonging to a faction known as [Brenlith].
This faction was the only vampire faction in the entire First Tower Realm.
Most noble vampires were too strong to remain in Solarta.
As they grew stronger, they would complete their [Main Tower Function] and move on.
After all, why would they stay in a place where opportunities were scarce and challenges were minimal?
It was customary for one or two noble vampires to be left behind in the First Tower Realm.
The higher-ups of the vampire world always wanted a representative in every Tower Realm to maintain their influence, and that had always been the tradition.
Not every noble vampire wanted to remain in Solarta, where only weak awakeners resided.
Every single noble vampire had enormous potential for growth, not to mention their unique bloodline abilities.
Naturally, they desired to leave this weak awakener-filled realm behind and ascend to higher Tower Realms.
Although noble vampires did not prefer staying behind, the laws of the vampire world''s higher-ups dictated that there must always be a noble vampire stationed in Solarta to uphold their presence.
This time, that responsibility fell to Aeron Brenlith.
Awakeners could begin climbing the Tower at the age of sixteen once their world was registered into the system.
In Damian''s world, Earth, humans never had the ability to evolve.
That is why, when the system descended upon Earth, every human who had reached the age of sixteen underwent metamorphosis.
Only after this transformation could they access the system''s functions and begin their journey.
Once they reached level 20, they could obtain a class and start climbing the Tower.
However, in other worlds where high-level beings like vampires resided, evolution was a natural part of their existence.
They did not need to undergo metamorphosis.
They could simply begin their awakener journey as soon as they turned sixteen.
That was how the noble vampire known as Aeron Brenlith came to be in the First Tower Realm.
Chapter 95: Chapter 95: The Noble Vampires - 1
Chapter 95: Chapter 95: The Noble Vampires - 1There are numerous worlds in this universe.
Some are technologically advanced, while others are not.
Some have natives who can cultivate [Qi], while others have beings capable of performing magic.
Some, like vampires and werewolves, cultivate a different kind of energy unique to their own race.
There are even worlds that are nearly identical to each other, like [Morris], the world Sir Lucian Holloway hails from, and [Earth], where Damian was born.
While some worlds, despite having similar inhabitants, possess different evolutionary paths, such as [Kenkai] where the natives can cultivate [Qi] and [Earth] where evolution is locked unless the system grants potential through metamorphosis, one thing has remained consistent across all these worlds: the natives share a common shape.
More specifically, they all possess a humanoid form.
Sir Lucian Holloway, an 800-year-old plebeian vampire and researcher, found this particularly interesting.
No matter what kind of world, all its natives shared one fundamental trait: they were humanoid in shape.
[Earth] is not the only world where humans are native.
Numerous worlds, like [Morris], also have human inhabitants.
While there are key differences, such as the humans of [Morris] being more technologically advanced, the humans of [Kenkai] possessing the ability to cultivate [Qi], and the humans of [Arcane] mastering magic, humans are not unique to [Earth].
But enough about humans.
Let''s talk about other beings, such as the inhabitants of the world called [Mars].
These natives are referred to as [Martians] or [Marens] in their own language. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Despite their green skin, slender bodies, and taller builds, they still retain a humanoid shape with two arms, two legs, and an almost identical organ structure to humans.
Take another well-known race, for example: vampires.
While vampires differ from humans in several ways, such as paler skin, a cold touch, immortality, small transformations like claws and fangs, and their primary diet being blood, they are still humanoid.
If someone unfamiliar with vampires saw one, they might simply assume they were normal people with naturally pale skin or some sort of genetic anomaly.
This humanoid consistency extends to many different races: werewolves, angels, demons, fallen angels, yokai, elves, nagas, and more.
Despite differences in skin color, physical constitution, and unique traits such as extra appendages like wings, tails, horns, claws, and fangs, or even the ability to transform into beasts or monstrous forms, the core structure remains the same.
Even humans who develop predatory features, like tentacles, still retain a humanoid form.
It is as if the universe itself demands its intelligent creatures to be humanoid in shape.
Even the differences that do exist can be explained.
Take [Martians], or [Marens], for example.
Their green-tinted reflective skin, taller and leaner bodies, and denser bones and muscles could all be attributed to environmental adaptation.
Every world is different.
Some have more moons, some only one, some have no sun, while others do.
Some worlds have higher temperatures, while others are colder.
The world of vampires is no exception.
Unlike many others, it lacks a sun but possesses one large red moon and two smaller blue moons.
This world is shrouded in perpetual darkness, illuminated only by an eerie reddish hue and the cold blue shadows of the two smaller moons.
This contrast between red light and blue-tinged darkness gives the sky an otherworldly atmosphere.
The world of vampires consists of a single vast continent, surrounded by an intensely tidal ocean that reflects the eerie glow of the three moons.
This world is known as [Nightingale], the world of blood and vampires.
At the center of this vast continent lies a castle, [Twilight Castle].
A towering dark fortress made entirely of stone, it is perpetually shrouded in fog, hiding it from view.
It stands atop a rocky mountain devoid of vegetation, where the eerie sounds of bat-like creatures echo in the night.
Twilight Castle was once the home of the Vampire King, the ruler of all vampires.
But there has been no king in this castle for at least 50,000 years.
Now, the vampire elders rule from behind the scenes.
At this very moment, the Council of Vampire Elders has gathered in this kingless castle to discuss a recent development that concerns not only them but the entire vampire society.
In the grand chamber, lit by traditional fire torches along the walls, a large round table sits at the center.
Five luxurious chairs surround it, each occupied by an ancient noble vampire radiating an intense and powerful aura.
A mature woman with long, dark black hair narrowed her gaze at another woman with crimson hair, snorting in disdain.
"After all your arrogant words, your son miserably lost to a human, no less. He has brought such humiliation upon the vampires. A noble vampire losing to a mere human?"
"This is unheard of. What a shame it is. Where did that confidence of yours go? Did it vanish along with your son''s disgraceful defeat, Countess Brenlith?"
The crimson-haired woman, Countess Lyara Brenlith, narrowed her eyes dangerously, her fists tightening.
"Watch your mouth, Kathryne."
"Or what? What can you do?" Countess Kathryne Dracula smirked, a dark aura beginning to seep out of her as the air grew heavier.
"I only speak the truth. Because of your son, vampires have been shamed. A noble vampire losing so miserably."
"You''re really asking for it..." Countess Lyara Brenlith stood, a fiery aura flaring around her, instantly raising the temperature and dispelling the chilling atmosphere of Nightingale.
"It''s your son who is asking for it. To bring such shame upon the noble vampires, he should be punished!" Kathryne Dracula declared, standing up and pushing the table as her long dark hair began to float unnaturally, defying gravity.
"Come now, guys, don''t kill each other. The noble vampires are already dwindling in number. We don''t need to make it even lower," another ancient noble vampire with snow-white hair, Countess Tiana Valthryne, sighed, shaking her head.
Clearly, this was not the first time these two had been at each other''s throats.
"Oh no, no, let them fight. I want to see what happens," another woman, with curly dark black hair, Countess Amaya Kuroyami, grinned, resting her head on her hand.
"Oh, please stop this," another woman with golden blonde hair, Countess Akira Kaminari, sighed dismissively.
"I''m so fed up with this bloodshit. Why don''t you guys just talk about this?"
"There''s no need to talk. She should never have been Countess in the first place. That position rightfully belonged to her sister. She has no right to participate in our discussions," Countess Kathryne Dracula sneered.
"Says the one who only inherited her position because she is a direct descendant of the Vampire King," Countess Lyara Brenlith scoffed.
"Damn, every time," Countess Akira Kaminari rolled her eyes.
"Why do you always bring this up? So what if she holds the title instead of her sister? Her sister didn''t want it, and it''s not Kathryne''s fault that she''s the Vampire King''s descendant. Can''t you stop this shit already? We have bigger problems, don''t we?"
"As much as I want to see you two kill each other, Akira is right. We have much bigger problems. Our population is dwindling, and turning more plebeian vampires isn''t solving anything."
"To make matters worse, humans strong enough to defeat powerful noble vampires have started appearing. Yeah, I''d say we have bigger issues," Amaya Kuroyami said, narrowing her eyes at Lyara and Kathryne.
The two Countesses snorted before reluctantly taking their seats at the round table.
"Good. Now, let''s talk about this new problem. What are we going to do about Solarta after Aeron Brenlith screwed up?" Countess Kathryne Dracula smirked.
She wouldn''t miss the chance to make Lyara regret ever taking the countess title from her older sister.
"Why do we even need to discuss this? Why do we need a noble vampire maintaining our status in Solarta when the First Tower Realm isn''t really beneficial to us? I say we ignore whatever happens there," Countess Tiana Valthryne suggested, shrugging her shoulders.
"It''s not about holding status. It''s about showing the Awakeners climbing the tower that we are among the stronger ones. It also helps us acquire more plebeian vampires into our faction," Countess Akira Kaminari replied.
"Well, considering what happened with Aeron Brenlith and how he got beaten to a pulp by a mere human, I''d suggest we put more effort into maintaining our position in Solarta," Countess Amaya Kuroyami said, shaking her head.
"If Awakeners who just started climbing the tower can already defeat us, our status with other races will dwindle and it will definitely impact the higher tower realms."
"Yes. If even amateur Awakeners can defeat us, they will grow more confident and our standing in the higher realms will suffer. That''s why it''s crucial to have some of our noble vampires, at least the younger ones, there to prevent any trouble before it escalates and comes back to bite us," Countess Kathryne Dracula clicked her tongue.
"It''s already bad enough that we entrusted this task to a weak noble vampire like Aeron Brenlith, and now he''s been defeated by a mere human."
Then, Countess Kathryne Dracula turned toward Countess Lyara Brenlith and smirked. "Why are you so silent? Is the shame your son brought too much for you to even speak now?"
"Don''t make me kill you. My son wouldn''t have lost to that damn insignificant human. He must have been tricked somehow. There was no way he lost," Countess Lyara Brenlith said, genuinely refusing to believe her son''s defeat.
"I won''t let this slide. That human should be punished for what he did."
"Tricked?" Countess Amaya Kuroyami raised an eyebrow.
"Don''t pin this on trickery. No one can deceive the system. This human not only defeated your son, a legitimate full-blooded noble vampire, but he also defeated an Alpha werewolf and even achieved the first position in the power rankings."
"One of my informants in Solarta even reported that this human took down an entire faction on his own. He has the ability, he''s definitely a strong Awakener. In fact, I find him quite interesting."
The other countesses rolled their eyes at Amaya.
They all knew of her habit of taking in Awakeners she found "interesting" under her wing.
"Amaya, if you have any thoughts of taking this human under your wing, erase them now. He is going to die for what he did to my son, and you won''t interfere," Countess Lyara Brenlith warned.
"Oh? Such big words. If I want him, I''ll have him. Do you think you can stop me?" Countess Amaya Kuroyami chuckled, as if she wasn''t taking Lyara seriously at all.
Countess Lyara Brenlith didn''t reply.
She knew exactly how powerful Countess Amaya Kuroyami was.
Among all the countesses, Amaya was undoubtedly the strongest.
It was one of the reasons why most other vampires avoided crossing her.
To make matters worse, her unpredictable personality made her even more troublesome.
She did whatever she wanted without caring about how it affected others.
Chapter 96: Chapter 96: The Noble Vampires - 2
Chapter 96: Chapter 96: The Noble Vampires - 2"So what are you saying, Lyara? Are you going to go down yourself to deal with this human?" Countess Tiana Valthryne asked, resting her chin in her hand.
Countess Tiana Valthryne was the kind of person who loved to stay out of trouble as long as it didn''t concern her.
She definitely didn''t care that one of the younger generation of noble vampires, also the son of one of the five countesses, had been miserably defeated by a mere human.
However, she was interested to see where this was going.
"Fufu, she wouldn''t. That would be too humiliating for an ancient noble vampire to go down and deal with a mere human," Countess Kathryne Dracula smirked, looking at her fellow countess.
"Or are you going to prove me wrong and deal with that human yourself?"
"That human doesn''t even deserve to be burned alive by my hands," Countess Lyara Brenlith snorted, turning her face away, not wanting to keep looking at Countess Dracula''s pale face, which only annoyed her more and more.
"My son must have lost because of the system''s restriction on power ranking... Without the system''s intervention and with the faction''s force under him, he could make sure that insignificant human is drained of blood before taking his last breath."
"This woman has no brain. Does she not know that the system restricts the level of both opponents to match equally? If that human could beat her son even while he used all his vampire abilities, his bloodline abilities, and even his ancestral transformation, yet still lost, and more than anything, wasn''t even able to land a single worthwhile blow, what makes her think he could defeat him outside of system intervention?" Countess Amaya Kuroyami snorted to herself but didn''t say anything aloud.
If Lyara was going to let her son get killed, she wouldn''t stop her, knowing the idiot would do it regardless.
In her opinion, these fools should just get themselves killed doing their idiotic things.
It would save them a lot of headaches in the future.
Some noble vampires like Aeron Brenlith lived purely in self-indulgence and pleasure.
In Countess Kuroyami''s opinion, awakeners who put more importance on self-indulgence and pleasures were not fit for life in the tower.
Countess Amaya Kuroyami looked at the faces of the other countesses.
Among the five, except for Countess Brenlith, the others were more than deserving of the countess title.
Even though Countess Kuroyami didn''t respond to Countess Dracula''s statement, she still agreed with her in her own opinion.
Countess Lyara Brenlith was not suitable for the position. It should have been her older sister.
Unfortunately, her sister was too focused on the right thing, growing stronger and training, and left the less important job to Lyara.
While that may have been good for her, it was bad for the other countesses.
Lyara simply wasn''t capable enough.
Like her son, she let her feelings get in the way, didn''t care about training, and relied solely on the power of her noble vampire status.
She was wasting her potential, and her son was even worse.
His defeat by a mere human proved how the tides could change.
The weak could become strong, and the strong could easily become weak.
Consistency and effort were necessary to at least maintain one''s position, and if one wanted to promote themselves, they had to work harder.
There was no limit to how far one could go unless they set their own limits, and even limits could be broken.
It all depended on no one and nothing else but oneself. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
After discussing matters regarding the faction of vampires in the upper tower realms, the countesses went their separate ways, returning to their own territories to give orders and instructions to their respective clans, branch clans, and the numerous plebeian vampires under their rule for the next course of action.
The noble vampires were the rulers of the vampire world.
They were pure-blooded vampires, either descendants of the vampire progenitor or noble vampires created by him.
Since the vampire king, the progenitor, was no more, those who took charge of ruling [Nightingale] after his demise were the countesses.
The reason why there were countesses and not counts was due to the racial rules that noble vampires followed.
Female noble vampires were stronger and possessed more potential compared to their male counterparts.
That was why the countesses always ruled the clans.
That didn''t mean male noble vampires had no potential, but compared to female noble vampires, they fell behind slightly.
However, there was a single male vampire who had more power and potential than all the female noble vampires combined.
None other than the vampire king, the progenitor of the vampire species.
But since he was no more, the entire rule of vampires fell into the hands of the five countesses.
Countess Amaya Kuroyami sighed as she watched her fellow countesses disappear from the spot.
Then, her entire figure became shrouded in darkness before vanishing in an instant, traveling as a cluster of darkness.
In mere seconds, the darkness reached a kilometer away from [Twilight Castle], stopping in front of a single vampire who seemed to be training.
The cluster of darkness began to take shape, revealing a pale-skinned woman with dark hair and dark eyes.
"Why don''t you take the countess title? I can''t stand my sister and the stupid things she does. She''s nothing but a pain," Countess Amaya Kuroyami said, looking at the vampire standing in the center of the scorched arena, holding a blazing spear.
The woman didn''t respond. She merely turned her head before instantly vanishing, reappearing before the countess, her spear striking down.
"Argh!"
The countess sensed the attack and immediately summoned dual swords from her system inventory, meeting the strike head-on.
As soon as their weapons clashed, intense shockwaves erupted, sweeping everything away.
Countess Kuroyami was pushed back several meters.
"Good job keeping yourself in peak condition. I see you''re not slacking in your training despite your responsibilities as a countess," the woman with the blazing spear said, her crimson hair floating unnaturally, sparks of flame falling from her hair and skin.
"You haven''t answered my question," Countess Kuroyami said, shaking her head as darkness surrounded her figure before she shot toward the crimson-haired woman, leaving behind a fog of darkness that instantly spread, forming a prison to slow her opponent down.
The countess appeared before her and struck.
"Nice," the crimson-haired woman exclaimed.
Suddenly, flames burst from her form, exploding outward.
Her blazing spear burned through the dark restraints, countering the incoming attack.
The impact released waves of darkness and fire in all directions, canceling each other out and sending both combatants flying back.
"To answer your question¡ It''s not worth it for me. I wanted to see how well she could do as a countess, and clearly, she didn''t do well. And her son? I never had any hopes for him to begin with," the crimson-haired vampire sighed as her decapitated arm regenerated within seconds.
"So will you take the title back?" Countess Amaya Kuroyami asked, the flaming hole in her chest healing instantly.
"Well... I want to give her another chance. Let''s see how her son deals with this human situation in the First Tower Realm," the crimson-haired woman replied as they entered an enclosed area.
Inside, a giant pond lay before them, with hot water boiling over its surface.
"I see you still have ears and eyes everywhere?" Countess Amaya Kuroyami asked as she removed her torn dress, revealing her pale, flawless figure.
Her skin seemed to glow under the red and blue moonlight, and her huge bosoms made her a truly captivating sight.
"Of course. I may be in seclusion, but that doesn''t mean I don''t care about what happens. It''s just that I would rather train than get involved in Tower-related problems," the crimson-haired woman responded.
She, too, undressed, her beauty rivaling that of Countess Kuroyami.
Her long, dense crimson hair only enhanced her irresistible charm, and her bosom was just as generous, if not more so, than the Countess''s.
They both entered the hot pond, letting the warmth soak into their naked bodies as their curves floated gently in the water.
"If I said I wanted to take back the Countess title, she would probably throw a tantrum and resist," the crimson-haired woman, Victoria Brenlith, remarked.
She was the rightful heir to the Countess title but had relinquished it to her sister, preferring to focus on growing stronger.
"She can''t do anything more than that. You are the strongest vampire here. What good would resisting do?" Countess Kuroyami smirked.
"Strongest? That''s debatable, especially with you here," Victoria smiled, shaking her head.
"If it came down to a fight between us, both going all out with our perfected ancestral transformations, do you really think you could beat me?" Countess Kuroyami asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We won''t know until we try, will we? But we can''t, because it would cause too many problems," Victoria shrugged.
Countess Kuroyami observed her for a few moments before speaking again. "...Do you really think what we''re doing will work? We''ve created too many plebeian vampires, and we haven''t stopped."
"What else can we do other than create plebeian vampires and hope something happens?" Victoria asked.
"We, the noble vampires, are losing our ability to procreate. Fewer and fewer noble vampires are being born, and it takes thousands of years to have even a single child. Nowadays, even that is becoming a struggle."
"If this continues, there won''t be a vampire race anymore. As Counts, descendants of the Progenitor''s creations, we have a duty to ensure our species'' survival. And right now¡ we have nothing."
"But why humans? Why plebeian vampires? What good does creating low-ranked plebeian vampires do? A plebeian vampire cannot procreate or turn a human into a vampire," Countess Kuroyami asked with a frustrated expression.
"I don''t know¡ In the end, it all comes down to chances. Who knows? A plebeian vampire could evolve into a future Vampire King," Victoria suggested.
"If even noble vampires can''t evolve, how do you expect a plebeian vampire to?"
"Humans may be weak, but they are certainly an interesting species. Without our Progenitor, the vampire race is facing extinction. And yet, humans, who also don''t have a Progenitor, are thriving, procreating as much as they want, even accidentally siring children."
"Maybe turning a human into a vampire could trigger some kind of mutation that solves our problem. It could be one in a thousand, one in a billion, or even one in a trillion, but there''s a possibility, isn''t there?" Victoria explained.
"A new-generation Progenitor?" Countess Kuroyami sighed.
"If only a noble vampire could evolve into a Progenitor, we could become the strongest race in the Tower. But as the universe wills it, Progenitors are beings that evolve in response to the will of the universe itself."
"We just have to hope the universe will finally allow a vampire, be it a plebeian or a noble, to evolve into a Progenitor¡" Victoria sighed as she leaned back, watching the three moons glowing ethereally in the sky.
She let the boiling warmth of the water embrace her bare figure, lost in thought.
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Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Declaration Of War
Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Declaration Of WarIn the territory of the [Circle of Ouroboros], inside the main manor, a dinner was taking place in a grand hall.
The guests at the table were quite unusual.
Among them was the leader of the faction, Damian Ignatius, along with his faction members Shiru and Lucian Holloway.
There was also the newly joined member, the common elf Elfie Ayre Dathyra.
However, to Damian''s annoyance, Maria Lucia Augustine and her seven sisters were also present, despite not being part of the faction.
Damian had expected them to leave once they had settled Elfie''s business with him, but they showed no signs of departing.
Yet, he didn''t want to outright tell them to leave and risk seeming rude.
Elfie, growing impatient, frowned as she addressed Damian.
"I''ve already joined your faction. So when are you going to save my brother?" she asked, frustration evident on her face.
After witnessing his overwhelming power firsthand during the power-ranking battles and considering his flashy and arrogant demeanor, she had expected him to immediately take action.
Yet here he was, eating a massive plate of food that could easily feed five people.
"Patience," Damian replied, unfazed.
"This isn''t just a fight between me and that noble vampire. If I were to go after him now, it would spark a faction war, us against an entire faction of vampires with top-tier regeneration and stamina. This won''t be simple. I won''t lose, but I''m not sure if I can win against that many enemies."
"Didn''t you just defeat an entire faction by yourself?" Elfie countered.
"They were humans," Damian explained.
"And I''m an evolved human, a [Superior Human]. I have far too many abilities in my arsenal to be taken down by them. Besides, I started that fight with a surprise attack, which seriously injured a lot of them. Honestly, even if I hadn''t used a surprise attack, I still would''ve won."
"But vampires are different. They have racial abilities, and their leader is a noble vampire. His abilities might not work on me, but what if he calls in more noble vampires from his world? Do you really think I could win against multiple noble vampires?" He shook his head.
"That''s..." Elfie bit her lip, letting out a sigh.
"Then how are we going to save my brother? Every second that passes, I worry about what might be happening to him."
"Right now, news of me defeating that noble vampire should have already reached the higher-ups of his world," Damian said, rubbing his chin as he thought.
"Since it''s common knowledge that noble vampires are arrogant, they won''t let this humiliation slide. They''re probably plotting some kind of revenge plan along with Aeron Brenlith. For all we know, they could already be here, preparing to attack our faction."
Elfie''s heart sank as she watched Damian''s serious expression.
Fear began creeping into her mind.
But what could she do? She had no power to fight them.
The only option that came to her mind, the one she dreaded most, was turning herself in.
"If I surrender to that bastard Aeron Brenlith in exchange for my brother''s freedom..."
But even then, no other faction was strong enough to go against the vampires.
And those that could wouldn''t do it for free.
Their demands were too much.
She just couldn''t do it.
Maria and her sisters could clearly see the distress on her new friend''s face.
One of the seven sisters, the youngest-looking one with short brunette hair, green eyes, and a baby face, touched her sister Maria''s shoulder.
She made some signs with her hands and pointed at the plebeian vampire sitting across from them, silently drinking blood from a glass.
Damian noticed the hand signs and raised an eyebrow.
"She can''t talk?..."
Watching her sign, Damian saw himself overlapping with her image.
He hadn''t developed the ability to speak until around the age of fourteen, so he had used sign language to communicate.
Understanding what the girl was trying to say as she pointed her finger at Sir Holloway, Damian said, "No, he can''t help with our little situation here. His contract only states that he would assist me with information and matters related to the Tower, and I doubt he has anything to do with Aeron Brenlith."
Everyone instantly turned their gazes toward Damian.
"You know sign language?" Maria, the mute girl, and the remaining six sisters looked at Damian in surprise.
"Yes¡" Damian nodded before turning to Sir Holloway. "She''s asking if you can do anything about this situation."
"Well, I have no power among vampires. I''m just another plebeian vampire among hundreds of thousands of others. Even if my master sees value in me, I''m still a servant vampire." Sir Holloway shrugged, shaking her head before continuing.
"And he''s right. I won''t involve myself in anything other than providing him with all the information I have gathered throughout my life. I''m a researcher, not a fighter."
"This can''t be happening. I can''t lose my brother." Elfie clenched her fists.
Damian saw her downtrodden expression and pursed his lips, running through all sorts of plans in his mind to salvage the situation.
There were two urgent matters at hand that needed immediate attention.
First, Elfie''s brother was suffering an unknown fate at the hands of a sadistic and arrogant noble vampire, and Damian had made a contract with Elfie to save him.
The second issue was that saving her brother would ultimately lead to a war between him and the vampire faction.
Considering the nature of noble vampires, he might already be facing more than one of them.
There was a possibility that, even with the level restriction of the first Tower realm, where level 200 was the upper limit, he wouldn''t be able to win against multiple noble vampires.
Who knew?
An ancient noble vampire might even appear.
Perhaps he was overthinking it, but he had to prepare for the worst.
After wrecking his brain for a few minutes, he looked at Shiru.
"Is it possible to declare a war with a preparation time frame and specific war conditions?"
"...It''s possible, but you have to give more than a week before the war begins, and the war conditions should be equally binding for both factions," Shiru replied, her eyes widening as she began to suspect what Damian was about to do.
"What are you planning?" Shiru asked, raising an eyebrow.
Everyone present became curious about Damian''s intentions.
"Wait and watch," Damian grinned mysteriously as he opened the [Challenge Function] of the system.
He clicked on the challenge tab, and another prompt appeared beside the current one.
[State your war preparation time.] S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"One week," Damian entered the time limit. Another prompt appeared.
[State your war conditions.]
"Simple... If my faction loses, I will become a slave to the Vampires. But if my faction wins, the noble vampires must release [Arlen Ayre Dathyra]. And if Aeron Brenlith refuses to accept these war conditions, then it would mean he is admitting that he is gay, and he must shave his head and wear a dog collar that says, ''I''m an ugly dog.''"
Damian smiled for a second before clicking the [Send] button.
The moment he did, a notification appeared before every single awakener in the First Tower Realm.
[The leader of the [Circle of Ouroboros] faction has publicly declared war on the [Vampire] faction.]
[The war conditions state that if the [Circle of Ouroboros] faction loses, its leader, ''Infinity,'' will become a slave to the Vampires.]
[If the [Circle of Ouroboros] faction wins, the noble vampires must release [Arlen Ayre Dathyra]].
[If Aeron Brenlith, the current leader of the [Vampire] faction, refuses to accept this challenge and the stated war conditions, it will be considered an admission that he is gay, and he must shave his head and wear a dog collar that says, ''I''m an ugly dog.'']
[If the [Vampire] faction''s leader, Aeron Brenlith, accepts the war conditions, the war will begin in one week.]
Whether they were involved in the war or not, every awakener in Solarta was now staring at the system''s public announcement in shock.
"This guy ''Infinity''... Is he crazy?"
"He''s definitely mad..."
"Can''t he stop doing insane things for even a minute?"
"Just who does he think he is...?"
"He''s going against the vampires now?"
The awakeners of Solarta began to question whether ''Infinity'' had lost his mind.
Challenging one of the most powerful factions in the First Tower Realm was nothing short of madness.
But there was one person in Solarta whose reaction was the most intense.
"This bastard..."
Aeron Brenlith''s face contorted into the ugliest expression it had ever made.
There were no words to describe the sheer hatred he was feeling.
"He dares to challenge me¡ a noble vampire?"
His fist tightened, crushing the metal glass containing the blood of a common elf with ease.
The noble vampire didn''t suspect anything unusual about the time limit.
In his mind, there was no way a mere human could pose a threat to him.
He had only lost to ''Infinity'' before because of the level restrictions in the power-ranking battles.
But faction wars were different.
There were no level or power restrictions here.
There was simply no way a single human could stand against an entire faction of vampires, beings with superior reflexes, agility, strength, and, more than anything, insane regeneration.
No matter how much they were injured, they would recover within seconds.
"Let''s see what you can do against the immense power of a noble vampire¡ you lowly, insignificant human."
A wide, sadistic grin spread across his face as he accepted the challenge.
There was no way he could decline after the humiliation he had suffered.
So what if his hands would be tied by the system for a week?
It wouldn''t change anything.
And even if Damian could grow stronger, how much could he possibly improve in just one week?
"One week... Enjoy what little time you have left while you can."
Chapter 98: The One-Week Plan
[The leader of the [Vampire] faction, ¡¯Aeron Brenlith,¡¯ has accepted the declaration of war from ¡¯Infinity,¡¯ the leader of the [Circle of Ouroboros] faction.]
[In one week¡¯s time, the war between the [Vampire] faction and the [Circle of Ouroboros] faction will begin.]
[During this one-week period, all conditions of the war declaration will take effect.]
[Until the war begins, members of both factions are forbidden from attacking each other, and the hostage, ¡¯Arlen Ayre Dathyra,¡¯ will be kept safe until the war ends.]
[Make your necessary preparations before the war begins.]
[Remaining time until war begins: 06(D):23(H):59(M):59(S)]
"W-What did you do?"
Shiru, Sir Holloway, Elfie, Maria, and her seven sisters all stared at Damian, who continued eating his meal as if he hadn¡¯t just declared war on one of the most powerful factions in the realm of Solarta.
"I just executed my plan. What else?" Damian shrugged, unconcerned.
"You¡¯re kidding, right?" Sir Holloway shook his head in disbelief.
"You were stressing about finding a peaceful way to save her brother and avoid conflict with the noble vampires, then you go and declare war against them? What the hell were you thinking? Do you seriously believe you can take on the noble vampires alone?"
"No... I don¡¯t think I can fight them, at least not with the power I have right now... That¡¯s why I made sure there¡¯s a one-week delay before the war begins... I¡¯ll make sure I get strong enough to beat them in that time."
"You¡¯ll do what?" Elfie clutched her head in frustration.
"What are you even talking about? This is bad. This is so bad. I can¡¯t believe I asked for help from someone this crazy. And I even joined his faction. Now I¡¯m going to die."
The elf¡¯s eyes welled up with tears, while Maria and her sisters shook their heads at the absurdity of Damian¡¯s actions.
Damian frowned at their reactions. "Can you all stop overreacting? The world hasn¡¯t ended yet."
"Then how do you think they¡¯re going to react when they hear you declared war against a faction of vampires? What was your thought process when you did this? Didn¡¯t I tell you that once a war is declared and accepted, there¡¯s no taking it back? What gave you this kind of confidence? This is outrageous. You¡¯re not just gambling with your own life, you¡¯re gambling with the lives of everyone in this faction."
Shiru dropped to her knees, already imagining the grim fate that awaited her in a week¡¯s time.
She wondered if she¡¯d go to heaven or hell when she died, most likely hell, considering all the degenerate, naughty novels she secretly read.
"This is out of control now," she muttered.
"And since the war has already been declared, there¡¯s no leaving the faction either. I¡¯m stuck in a war I don¡¯t even care about."
She held her head, mirroring Elfie, who was having a similar crisis.
Damian sighed and stood up, trying to calm everyone down. "Stop it, stop it. This isn¡¯t the end of the world. Trust me, I have a plan and we¡¯re going to win."
"You have a plan?" Shiru smacked her forehead.
"Yes. No, because you all won¡¯t stop sobbing hysterically," Damian rolled his eyes, exasperated.
"What is this plan of yours?" Sir Holloway asked, taking a deep breath.
He wasn¡¯t too worried since his contract with Damian stated that he didn¡¯t have to participate in battles, and he could leave the faction anytime he wanted, even with the war countdown active.
But he wasn¡¯t going to leave just yet.
He was curious to see what this uniquely abnormal human would do.
"All our problems will disappear as long as I gain the power to deal with them. Right now, I¡¯m not strong enough to defeat them, which is why I made sure the war starts in one week," Damian explained.
"First of all, how the hell do you plan to become that strong in just one week? And second, why the hell would you declare war in the first place?" Shiru stomped her foot.
"Listen, if I hadn¡¯t declared war with a time limit, they could¡¯ve attacked us anytime they wanted. But since I declared it, they can¡¯t touch us for a whole week until the war officially begins. And since we¡¯re already at war, no other factions will interfere either, making us basically untouchable for one week."
Damian then turned to Elfie. "And since one of the war conditions is that if we win, they¡¯ll have to release your brother, and until the war ends, they can¡¯t harm him in any way, he¡¯ll be safe for at least a week. So yes, I thought this through before declaring war."
"And before you ask, I made sure to declare war first because it gave me the right to set the war conditions and the preparation time. I didn¡¯t want to take any chances. What if they attacked us tonight or tomorrow morning? I didn¡¯t want any surprises."
"...That¡¯s not a bad plan," Maria commented.
She wasn¡¯t too concerned since she wasn¡¯t a part of this faction, but she was curious about what Damian would do.
For some reason, she had a feeling that he had everything under control.
Maybe it was his confidence, or maybe it was the calm, nonchalant look on his face, but she wanted to see what he was planning.
"...Then why did you have to put that humiliating statement in the war declaration announcement?" Shiru asked, sighing.
"Well, he wouldn¡¯t have accepted the war challenge otherwise... I know his pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to refuse after such a humiliating statement. I didn¡¯t want to give him any chance," Damian shrugged.
"It¡¯s not a bad plan, but it only protects us until the war begins. What about after that? Do you really think you can grow strong enough to fight them?" Sir Holloway asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"...Well, not exactly," Damian admitted with a sigh.
"I don¡¯t know if I can become strong enough to defeat them, but I do know I can grow significantly stronger, maybe strong enough to defend us at least."
"And how exactly do you plan to get that strong?" Shiru asked, frustrated.
"Ever since I evolved, I¡¯ve started feeling something. It¡¯s complicated. It¡¯s like a hunch, or a sense of knowing, almost like premonition. I don¡¯t have the exact words to explain it, but I can say for sure that I¡¯m really close to figuring something out, something that will make me much stronger."
"What kind of bullshit is that? Are you telling me you¡¯re evolving again or something?" Shiru raised an eyebrow.
"No. I can¡¯t explain it. I just know it," Damian shrugged.
"It might actually be a premonition," Sir Holloway mused.
"You know how some humans get a bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen, and somehow, it actually does? Or how some people guess things correctly with an impossible level of accuracy? I¡¯ve seen this kind of phenomenon before in different beings. Maybe what¡¯s happening to you is the same, but on a much stronger scale."
Experience tales at NovelFire.C?m
"You mean because I¡¯m an evolved human, I¡¯m feeling it more intensely?" Damian asked.
"Possibly. But this isn¡¯t exactly a premonition. It would be more accurate to call it an instinct. Normal humans experience feelings like this sometimes, but they¡¯re usually wrong."
It¡¯s just probabilities.
The ability to truly foresee the future is incredibly rare, and even if a human had it, their mind wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.
Many races have racial abilities that require training and practice to develop.
Take noble vampires, for example.
One of their racial abilities is telekinesis, but they can¡¯t use it naturally.
It has to be trained.
Even after years of practice, a noble vampire would struggle to move something as small as a can of blood.
"I believe this ¡¯premonition¡¯ of yours is similar. It¡¯s a racial ability, but for humans. Unlike other races, humans can¡¯t develop it, and it doesn¡¯t work consistently."
"However, since you¡¯re an evolved human, the accuracy of your instincts has increased significantly. You may not be able to see the future, but your intuition is now far stronger than that of a normal human."
Sir Holloway smirked. "This is actually very interesting. I always thought this was just a stupid theory of mine, but seeing you, I might be right. Even humans have racial abilities, huh?"
"Whatever¡ I¡¯m going to follow this intuition of mine. I also have something in mind, but I haven¡¯t figured it out yet. I¡¯m going into seclusion, or rather, I¡¯m going somewhere else, just not anywhere in the First Tower Realm," Damian said with a serious expression.
"I¡¯m going to become stronger. That¡¯s how it is."
"This intuition of yours¡ is it about reaching the Grandmaster Realm? Are you going to become a Sword Grandmaster?" Sir Holloway asked with doubt.
"No¡ it¡¯s related to my cultivation," Damian shook his head before looking at his two faction members, who would be most affected if he didn¡¯t grow strong enough to defeat the vampire faction in one week¡¯s time.
"Just trust me¡ when I¡¯m finished, this faction war will be nothing but a small matter."
Damian summoned something from his system inventory, and a golden-colored card manifested out of thin air, landing in his hand.
[The Elemental Dungeon Card (Grade: Custom)]
"I¡¯m going dungeon hunting¡" Damian said.
This was one of the rewards he had obtained from completing one of the twenty trials before reaching the First Tower Realm.
"I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re planning to do, but I strongly advise you not to overdo it," Sir Holloway sighed.
"Come on, we both know I¡¯m definitely going to overdo it regardless, but thanks for your advice," Damian replied before suddenly raising an eyebrow as he remembered something.
He turned his gaze to the eight ex-warrior nuns.
"Before I go, I want a favor from you all. And of course, I will return the favor if you decide to help me with this," Damian said, looking at the eight women.
"What do you want from us? We have nothing valuable enough to give you," Maria asked, shrugging. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
She was right.
She and her sisters didn¡¯t possess anything that would be worth a favor in return.
"Oh, but you do¡ I want your Holy Energy," Damian smiled.
The others had a look of disbelief in their eyes.
"You¡¯re not going to do what I think you are, right?" Sir Holloway asked.
He knew that Damian had some sort of ability that allowed him to obtain any type of energy he wanted, and it seemed he was about to witness it in action.
"How? I can¡¯t give you my power. That¡¯s impossible," Maria said, confused.
She didn¡¯t know much about Damian¡¯s abilities, so she had no idea what he was talking about.
"I can absorb your power for myself, but I can assure you it won¡¯t harm you. It might drain your Holy Energy reserves, but you can replenish them with some time. What do you say?" Damian asked, thinking this was a good opportunity to obtain Holy Energy for himself.
Maria didn¡¯t fully understand what kind of ability Damian possessed, but since what he was asking for wouldn¡¯t cost them much, just a temporary depletion of their Holy Energy, which could be restored through meditation, she saw no real downside.
She looked at her sisters, and after a couple of minutes of pondering, she returned her gaze to Damian.
"If I agree to let you do this, I want something in return. As for what I want, I haven¡¯t decided yet, so I¡¯ll need a contract to formalize our deal."
"Alright," Damian agreed.
After a few minutes of formulating the contract and getting it signed by both parties, Damian pointed his hands at the eight sisters.
"This won¡¯t hurt at all, but you will feel drained of energy," he warned before activating his unique innate ability.
[Extraction: Unique Innate Ability Activated]
Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Thaerris
Chapter 99: Chapter 99: ThaerrisA blue vortex of energy manifested from Damian''s hand, covering the nine figures within its range: the common elf, Elfie Ayre Dathyra, Maria Lucia Augustine, and her seven sisters, Miriam, Agnes, Anneliese, Caitl¨ªn, Hannah, Helene, and Francesca.
The vortex swirled like intense currents of wind, exuding an overwhelming presence that made them feel intimidated and on guard as if it might harm them. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
However, to their surprise, they felt no pain or discomfort, only a sudden weakness as their [Holy Essence] reserves plummeted rapidly, leaving them with only a minuscule amount.
Damian had not completely extracted their energy, as he did not wish to leave them entirely drained.
[You have Extracted a large amount of [Holy Essence]]
A surge of foreign energy flooded into Damian''s energy stream, causing his existing energies to go haywire.
However, just as the energy threatened to spiral out of control and implode within him, the [Holy Essence] suddenly stabilized.
[Your talent [World Tree''s Blessing] is taking effect]
[You have gained attunement with a type of Energy called [Holy Essence]]
Almost immediately, another of Damian''s talents took effect.
[Your talent [Limitless Harmony] is taking effect]
[The [Holy Essence] has gained harmony with the other energies in your constitution. All negative effects caused by its introduction and reaction to your existing energies have been removed.]
With full control over the [Holy Essence] now coursing through him, Damian directed it into his energy circuits, guiding it toward the place where his energy cores resided.
[Holy Essence] was an energy similar to [Qi], which Awakeners used to cultivate within their Dantian.
Typically, it could not be used to form an energy core, but Damian was never one to follow conventional paths.
He would create his own.
[Your talent [Limit Breaker] is taking effect]
[All the rules that bind others do not bind you]
Damian began gathering all the extracted [Holy Essence], condensing it at a single point within his body.
"W-What is happening? How is this possible?"
Elfie, Maria, and the others watched in shock, their expressions grim.
"This is unbelievable!"
They couldn''t comprehend what was unfolding before them, nor could they understand how Damian was achieving it.
Yet, they could sense the unmistakable presence of [Holy Essence] radiating from him, growing stronger and stronger, almost like their own... but even greater.
[You have formed the [Holy Essence] Core]
[Your Holy Essence increased: +7]
[Your Holy Essence increased: +7]
[Your Holy Essence increased: +9]
[Your Holy Essence increased: +8]
...
..
.
[Your Constitution [Unyielding Warrior''s Physique] is taking effect]
[Due to the presence of [Holy Essence] in your energy stream and coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered to maximize its effects.]
[You have awakened the Constitution [Holy Ascendant Seraphim Physique]]
Damian opened his eyes, revealing irises that glowed with silvery-white energy.
He could feel the presence of [Holy Essence] coursing through him, making him stronger and tougher than ever.
This energy felt entirely different from Elemental Essence, as it should since [Holy Essence] was not an element but a completely distinct form of energy.
Opening and closing his fist, Damian tested the effects of [Holy Essence] on his body .
"Hm?"
He channeled a small amount of [Holy Essence], and a tiny silvery-white flame flickered to life above his palm.
Strangely, it neither burned him nor caused any discomfort.
"This is great," Damian nodded to himself before turning his gaze toward Shiru, Sir Holloway, and the nine women from whom he had obtained the holy power.
Their faces were painted with disbelief.
"Anyway, the clock is ticking. I''ll be on my way.
See you when the war begins," he said with a grin, relishing their shocked expressions.
With that, Damian crushed [The Elemental Dungeon Card] in his hand and vanished from sight.
...
Damian opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of a vast field, with grass reaching up to his waist.
Towering trees with dense leaves stretched endlessly before him, their branches heavy with all sorts of fruit.
In the distance, green-covered mountains painted the landscape with breathtaking beauty, something Damian had never witnessed before in his life.
"This doesn''t seem like a dungeon¡?" Damian thought, looking around in confusion as a series of notifications appeared in a glowing prompt.
[Welcome to Thaerris, The World of Spirits]
[Dungeon Completion Condition: Obtain Elemental Cores]
-Fire Elemental Core: 0/5
-Wood Elemental Core: 0/5
-Water Elemental Core: 0/5
-Ice Elemental Core: 0/5
-Earth Elemental Core: 0/5
-Wind Elemental Core: 0/5
-Lightning Elemental Core: 0/5
-Light Elemental Core: 0/5
-Darkness Elemental Core: 0/5
"Wait¡ Light and Darkness are also elements? How does that work exactly?" Damian wondered, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Closing his eyes, he spread out his senses and activated [Eyes of Clarity].
"This is weird..." Damian raised an eyebrow. "There isn''t a single person in sight, at least as far as I can sense..."
The silence was unnerving.
Aside from the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind and faint murmuring noises that clearly didn''t belong to humans, the entire place was eerily quiet.
"This place¡ it feels strangely peaceful and familiar..." Damian muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
A powerful presence, one inexplicably strong, had appeared behind him.
Whipping around, he found himself face-to-face with a woman.
She had long, straight dark green hair cascading down to the ground, and her eyes, just as green, held an unreadable depth.
She wore a floral brown attire, blending seamlessly with nature.
The moment Damian laid eyes on her, an unexplainable sense of familiarity washed over him.
Though he could tell she was an overwhelmingly powerful being, he felt no fear, only a strange calmness.
"Why does she feel¡ familiar?"
"How did you get here, human?" the woman asked, her gaze scrutinizing him from head to toe.
"The system sent me here when I used an Elemental Dungeon Card," Damian replied instinctively.
He hadn''t intended to reveal the truth so easily, yet he found himself unable to lie or withhold information from her.
It was as if something compelled him to be honest.
"The system sent him here?" The woman raised an eyebrow, her expression darkening. "Is this Eden''s doing? Why would she send a human here? Doesn''t she know that I hate Awakeners?"
A frown formed on her face, and Damian felt an inexplicable discomfort at the shift in her expression.
Then, the woman''s eyes suddenly narrowed, turning a glowing shade of gold.
Damian felt her gaze pierce through him, stripping away all pretense.
He couldn''t move.
He knew she was analyzing him on a level beyond his comprehension.
It reminded him of his [Eyes of Clarity], but hers was on a scale so immense that it was incomparable.
As the glow in her eyes faded, a look of confusion flickered across her face.
"This human¡ no¡ he couldn''t be¡ him? Could he? But there''s no other possibility. If it isn''t him, then how does he possess so much energy? I need to speak with Eden about this."
Snapping out of her thoughts, the woman returned her gaze to Damian, her expression once again unreadable. "Get on with your business, human," she said flatly.
The next moment, she vanished, disappearing as if she had never been there at all.
Damian let out a breath he hadn''t realized he was holding.
"Who was that woman? She made me forget to breathe..."
Shaking his head, he suddenly heard the faint murmuring noise again, this time much closer.
Turning toward the source, his eyes widened as he found himself face-to-face with a small, palm-sized woman hovering right in front of him.
She had delicate green wings, reminiscent of a butterfly''s, fluttering rapidly as she stared at him.
"What are you?" Damian asked as he observed the little being with a curious gaze.
The tiny creature murmured something.
It sounded like gibberish, yet somehow, Damian understood what she said.
"You''re a fairy?" Damian asked, sensing more and more of them approaching from all directions.
"Wow, there are a lot of you, aren''t there?" He watched as hundreds of fairies flew toward him, unafraid.
He was confused.
Shouldn''t they be scared of him?
This place seemed untouched by humans, as if he were the first to set foot here.
From their perspective, he must have looked like a giant.
And yet, they weren''t afraid.
In fact, they seemed happy, judging by the giggling sounds filling the air.
Some even perched on his head and shoulders.
They weren''t identical either.
Each had different hair and eye colors, and their delicate wings displayed unique patterns.
Then, he heard one of the fairies ask, "Are you a fairy?"
"No, I''m a human," Damian replied, shaking his head.
But as he looked at them, he noticed confusion spreading across their tiny, baby-like faces.
"You''re not a fairy? You feel like a fairy," one of them said.
"I feel like a fairy to them?" Damian thought, puzzled.
"Is this because of the elemental essence I possess? I mean, it does give me more affinity with elemental beings. But I didn''t think it would make me seem like a fairy to actual fairies."
Damian''s confusion deepened.
Chapter 100: Future Proofing
[Constitution: Holy Ascendant Seraphim Physique]
[Effects:
-Grants the ability to create holy energy from any part of the body.
-Allows flight at the cost of spending [Holy Essence].
-Enables the manifestation of Holy Flames.
-Removes any kind of impurities from the body.
-Increases healing capabilities by 75%.
-Increases durability by 75%.
-Enhances endurance by 75%.
-Increases resistance to physical attacks by 50%.
-Passively boosts vitality.
-Enhances toxin resistance by 50%.
-Increases resistance to dark-type curses by 75%.
-Grants 50% immunity to Dark Energy and dark energy-related attacks.
-Enhances affinity with holy beings by 75%.
-Grants the trait [Holy Charm].
-Unlocks the form [Ascent of Seraphim].]
"Another powerful ability," Damian muttered, refocusing his attention on the colorful fairies fluttering around him like butterflies, giggling and murmuring. Find more to read on NovelFire.C?m
Fairies were a type of spirit, similar to elemental spirits.
They were made of pure energy, and their type was determined by the kind of energy they possessed.
Most of the time, their appearance reflected their nature.
As he watched the fairies tug at his long hair and attempt to pinch his cheeks with their tiny hands, an idea suddenly struck him. "Little fairies, do you know where I could find any big fire elemental spirits? The ones that annoy you and that you want to get rid of?"
The fairies murmured among themselves in a language that Damian didn¡¯t think was real, yet somehow, he could understand them.
He wasn¡¯t sure how, he knew it wasn¡¯t the result of his elemental essence, but for some reason, he could communicate with them and had even gained their trust.
After a moment of hushed conversation, some of the fairies gestured for him to follow.
They would lead him to a place where troublesome fire elemental spirits frequently caused problems for other peaceful spirits like them.
[Wind Avatar: Form Transformation Activated]
[Wind Essence] condensed around his body like a second skin, making his entire figure weightless.
His long brown and black hair danced in the wind, floating around him like a feather caught in an updraft.
Using the wind pressure generated by [Wind Essence], he propelled himself into the air and followed the little fairies.
Some zipped through the sky like lightning, while others left trails of fumes behind them.
They were fast, and before long, they had led him to the other side of a mountain.
"Woah, it¡¯s like I just stepped into another world," Damian exclaimed as he took in the stark contrast before him.
On one side, there had been lush greenery, peaceful fields, and trees.
Now, after merely crossing a single mountain, he found himself in a scorched wasteland.
Fire blazed everywhere.
The ground was either covered in burning-hot rocks or flowing lava, which streamed like a molten river from a dark mountain in the distance.
He heard the fairies murmuring again, shaking their tiny heads. "Big fire, bad fire..."
"You can¡¯t go inside because it¡¯s harmful to you?" Damian asked.
The fairies nodded and retreated, though some stayed behind.
Judging by the fumes coming from their fluttering wings, the ones who remained were likely fire fairies.
One of the fairies landed on his shoulder and pointed her small hand downward. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Big fire... they hurt the fire fairies," she said, her voice carrying the tone of a child complaining to a parent about bullies.
Damian couldn¡¯t ignore their cuteness.
Compared to the fire elemental spirits made of rock and magma, these fire fairies were simply too adorable.
"You wait here, my little fairies. I¡¯ll give those big bad spirits a piece of my mind," Damian said confidently before descending.
As soon as he entered the fire elemental territory, dozens of perched rocks began to shake.
Moments later, they transformed into fire elemental monsters, spirits composed of stone with fire coursing through their bodies, their elemental cores acting as both brain and heart, giving them life.
Damian dashed forward, striking one of the fire elemental spirits right in the center of its body.
His punch shattered its rocky form into pieces.
Before it could regenerate, he swiftly removed its fire elemental core, which was roughly the size of a basketball.
[Experience Gained]
"This is too easy," Damian muttered.
Within a few minutes:
[You have leveled up] x2
[Fire Elemental Core: 38/5]
He had eliminated all the fire elemental spirits in the area and collected more than enough cores to complete his dungeon mission.
"Well, I¡¯ll extract the fire essence from the remaining cores," Damian mused.
However, as he focused his senses, he detected something unusual, several static presences deep within the lava river.
They felt similar to fire elemental cores, but of much lower quality.
While Damian went to investigate, hundreds of fire fairies flooded into the now-cleared territory, claiming it as their own.
They fluttered around him, giggling happily.
"So these fire elemental spirits took over your territory? Is that why you wanted me to help clear them out? Glad to be of help," Damian said with a smile s he retrieved the mysterious objects from the lava.
-----
[Item: Fire Elemental Source]
[Status: Premature]
[Once it absorbs the required amount of fire essence, it will develop its own consciousness and transform into a full-fledged Fire Elemental Spirit.]
-----
He found about a dozen in the spot where he searched and sensed more scattered throughout the fire territory.
Damian turned to the fire fairies. "What can I do with these?"
One of the fairies eagerly suggested that he form a contract with them, allowing the [Premature Fire Elemental Sources] to become his summoned beasts once they fully developed into fire elemental spirits.
"That¡¯s actually a great idea," Damian said, smiling.
He quickly pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto each [Premature Fire Elemental Source].
Since they had not yet developed a consciousness, they did not resist.
[You have formed a Beast Contract with the [Premature Fire Elemental Source]] x15
After searching for a little longer, Damian found two more dozen [Premature Fire Elemental Sources] and contracted them as well.
[You have formed a Beast Contract with the [Premature Fire Elemental Source]] x43
"This is getting really fun... I wonder what will happen when they fully develop. I know that fire spirits can make weaker fire spirits submit to them," Damian muttered as he placed the [Premature Fire Elemental Sources] back where he found them.
Spirits were naturally territorial.
That was why they had driven the fire fairies out in the first place.
Now that Damian had cleared them out, the fairies had reclaimed their home.
However, it was only a temporary solution.
Eventually, new fire elemental spirits would grow using the fire essence in the area and would likely drive the fairies out again.
But this time, things would be different.
Damian had formed contracts with the developing spirits.
Once they matured, they would not harm the fire fairies because they would be under his control.
He had grown quite fond of the little fairies and wouldn¡¯t allow anything to happen to them.
Watching the fairies dance around the territory, he summoned the [Map Function], and a prompt showing a map appeared.
Before he came here, he had marked some of the fairies using the map marker, and as they moved around the area, his map expanded.
In just half an hour, they had explored a vast region, creating a large map for him.
On the map, he could see that he was standing in a territory named [Fire Spirits Territory #187].
A little distance away was another territory called [Lightning Raijus Territory #67], and farther beyond that were territories such as [Water Serpents Territory #96] and [Water Fairy Territory #98].
As time passed, more and more territories appeared on the map.
"Okay, the next step is... let¡¯s go with the Water element," Damian muttered.
After about fifteen minutes, he arrived at a territory called [Water Serpents Territory #96].
This place was similar to the Fire Elemental Territory, but instead of flames and heat, it was filled with ponds, rivers, and trees growing out of the water.
There were many territories within this world.
As its name suggested, this entire world was inhabited solely by spirits, each territory home to different types of elemental beings.
Each of the territories was filled with different types of spirit-related beings based on the elemental territory.
For example, the [Fire Elemental Territory] had [Fire Elemental Spirits], the [Water Serpent Territory] had water elemental serpents, which are a type of water elemental spirit, and the [Lightning Raiju Territory] was filled with four-legged lightning spirits.
There were also territories exclusively claimed by fairies, such as the [Wood Fairies¡¯ Territory] and the [Wind Fairies¡¯ Territory].
He definitely didn¡¯t want to hurt the fairies, and besides, they don¡¯t have elemental cores in them.
Only monster-type spirits contain elemental cores.
Chapter 101: The Path Of Infinity - 1
[Remaining time until war begins: 05(D):23(H):59(M):59(S)]
After finishing his hunt for [Fire Elemental Cores], Damian moved on to gather the remaining elemental cores he needed to complete the [Elemental Dungeon Mission].
First, he battled the fire spirits in [Fire Spirits Territory #187].
After that, he headed to [Water Serpents Territory #96].
The elemental spirits here were shaped like serpents with giant cores on top of their heads.
They seemed difficult to deal with as they lived underwater, and there were a large number of them in the lake.
Damian raised his hand and pointed it at the massive lake, channeling [Lightning Essence].
Lightning began to manifest in front of his palm, spreading across his entire arm and body.
More and more lightning condensed, forming a ball of yellowish plasma that radiated intense heat, sending small sparks crackling in all directions.
The plasma ball grew to about one meter in diameter before Damian launched it into the lake.
The moment it made contact with the water, a blinding explosion erupted.
An extreme amount of heat and energy was released, vaporizing gallons upon gallons of water.
A massive, expanding pillar of superheated steam rose, accompanied by rings of unnatural yellow lightning that spread outward, striking everything in range.
"Oh, shit..." Damian¡¯s eyes widened as he saw the lightning surging toward him, followed by a destructive wave of energy and intense heat.
It seemed he had underestimated the power of his own attack.
He had poured all of his [Lightning Essence] into a single strike, hoping to electrocute the water serpentine spirits to death.
While he succeeded, he had also created an explosion so powerful that it was about to flatten the entire area.
Instead of trying to escape, Damian stood his ground as the shockwave of pure energy, lightning, and searing heat engulfed him.
Minutes later, when the explosion finally settled, Damian remained standing.
His entire body was scorched, one of his arms was missing, his hair had been completely burned away, and cracks covered his skin, which was charred and glowing red.
Some parts of his flesh had melted entirely.
Yet, he stood motionless amidst the flattened, blackened land, with sparks of lightning still dancing around him in the aftermath.
[Your Talent [Boundless Refinement] is taking effect.]
[Your Constitution [Unyielding Warrior¡¯s Physique] is taking effect.]
[Your pain tolerance is improving.]
[Your resistance to lightning is improving.]
[Your resistance to lightning is improving.]
[Your resistance to lightning is improving.]
[You have developed the trait [Lightning Resistance].]
[Verdant Avatar: Form Activated.]
As Damian¡¯s broken body stood on the verge of collapse, a greenish-white energy infused with [Wood Essence] enveloped him like a second skin.
-----
[Form: Verdant Avatar]
[Effects:]
-When the form is activated, all natural healing and regeneration are amplified by 300%.
-Additional healing capabilities increase by 200%.
-All impurities within the body are removed. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
-Any injuries sustained will be instantly healed.
-The user will feel no pain.
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-No fatigue will be sustained.
-The user gains complete toxin resistance.
-The body is restored to peak condition, allowing physical capabilities to be utilized at 125%.
-----
The moment the form activated, Damian¡¯s destroyed arm regenerated instantly.
All his injuries from the plasma blast healed in mere seconds, and even his burnt hair regrew as if nothing had happened.
Damian had awakened the racial trait [Accelerated Healing] when he evolved into a [Superior Human], allowing him to heal ten times faster than a normal person and even regenerate lost limbs.
However, full limb regeneration would have typically taken years.
With [Verdant Avatar] amplifying his healing ability by 300%, along with boosts to the healing properties of his other energies, his lost arm regrew in an instant.
Once fully recovered, Damian deactivated [Verdant Avatar].
His body, now back in perfect condition, was revealed once again.
He retrieved a new set of clothes from his inventory, dressed himself, and then turned to assess the destruction caused by his plasma explosion.
Everything within a 100-meter radius had been completely vaporized.
It was as if the lake had never existed, along with all the water serpents that once lived there.
Not even the [Water Elemental Cores] they would have dropped survived the blast.
His attack had ultimately been meaningless.
[You have leveled up.] x8
"Oh god... I just wasted a lot of [Lightning Essence] on a useless attack. At least I leveled up a few times."
After searching for a while and asking a few [Water Fairies] for guidance, Damian found a few more territories ruled by aggressive water spirits.
These included [Water Makara Territory #71] and [Winged Water Snake Territory #83], both inhabited by giant elemental monsters.
The [Water Makara Territory #71] was home to the Makara, massive water elemental spirits resembling elephants with crocodile-like heads, fish-like scales, and huge [Water Elemental Cores] embedded in their underbellies.
[You have leveled up.] x5
After clearing that territory, Damian proceeded to [Winged Water Snake Territory #83], where he faced snake-like water spirits with wings.
Despite having wings, they could not fly.
This time, instead of using his [Lightning Plasma Attack], he opted for [Earth Elemental Magic], summoning massive earth walls to collapse onto the lakes, crushing the spirits¡¯ heads.
[You have leveled up.] x4
[Water Elemental Cores: 43/5]
Not only that, but he also found two dozen [Water Elemental Sources] and formed contracts with them just like he did with the [Premature Water Elemental Source].
However, they were quite different.
He discovered [Winged Water Snake Sources] and [Water Makara Sources], about a dozen of each, and made contracts with them.
As they absorbed [Water Essence] and grew, they would fully transform into [Winged Water Snake Spirits] and [Water Makaras].
These stronger spirits would then force weaker spirits into submission, ultimately making them Damian¡¯s contracted beasts as well.
After gathering the [Water Elemental Cores], he headed to the nearest territory¡ª[Earth Golems Territory #10].
Within fifteen minutes, he had eliminated all the Earth Golems.
These monsters had massive, flat bodies made entirely of rock, making them difficult to deal with due to their hard exteriors.
However, they were nothing Damian couldn¡¯t handle.
[You have leveled up] x 8
[Earth Elemental Cores: 37/5]
Next, he moved on to [Wood Dryad Territory #23], which turned out to be the easiest challenge.
A simple burst of fire burned their wooden bodies within minutes, causing them to drop their cores.
[You have leveled up] x 7
[Wood Elemental Cores: 55/5]
After that, he traveled to [Ice Golem Territory #03].
Using his [Fire Essence] and [Fire Elemental Magic], he blasted their bodies apart.
Within half an hour, he had successfully conquered the territory.
[You have leveled up] x 5
[Ice Elemental Cores: 33/5]
Once he was done with the [Ice Elemental] region, he proceeded to [Mountain Djinn Territory #06].
There, he had to face waves of wind spirits known as [Wind Djinns].
These were formless beings with their [Wind Elemental Cores] acting as their physical bodies.
As long as a part of their windy form remained, they couldn¡¯t die.
However, Damian discovered an easy way to defeat them¡ªby burning their wind forms.
Since fire thrives on wind, they were easily consumed by the flames, leaving behind their cores.
The biggest challenge was catching them, as they were incredibly fast.
Their lack of solid bodies made them immune to physical attacks, and they were highly territorial.
[You have leveled up] x 5
[Wind Elemental Cores: 35/5]
Afterward, he ventured into the [Phantom Corona Territory], where he encountered light-elemental spirits known as [Phantom Coronas].
These creatures were similar to the wind spirits he had fought earlier, but they were even faster¡ªmuch faster than the [Wind Djinns].
They were flickering, formless beings that radiated intense light, making it difficult for Damian to see or catch them.
It took a great deal of effort before he was finally able to hunt them down.
Using his [Earth Elemental Magic], he created a massive territorial trap¡ªan enclosed dome that trapped the spirits inside.
Once they entered, the dome would shrink, crushing them between the earth walls.
Damian never even got a clear look at their true forms.
When he found the [Light Elemental Cores], they glowed so intensely that he had to shut his eyes before grabbing them and storing them in his system inventory.
It took Damian about 14 hours to defeat five [Phantom Coronas].
[You have leveled up] x 1
[Light Elemental Cores: 5/5]
Finally, there was the matter of the [Darkness Element], which he couldn¡¯t locate at first.
When he asked some fairies, they led him to a canyon with a deep underground dungeon.
The deeper he ventured, the darker it became.
Although he couldn¡¯t see any darkness-related spirits, he knew they were present.
Annoying little entities constantly pestered him¡ªhitting him in the back before vanishing, giggling as they threw soil in his face, pulling his hair, and even attempting to yank down his pants.
They didn¡¯t seem particularly dangerous, but their mischief was relentless¡ªso much so that it was almost more dangerous than an actual threat.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Damian activated his [Fire Avatar] form and spread flames throughout the entire dungeon.
As the fire consumed the darkness, the hidden spirits, known as [Shroud Lurkers]¡ªthough in Damian¡¯s opinion, they should have been called [Pants Lurkers]¡ªwere exposed and burned away, leaving behind their cores.
[You have leveled up] x 7
[Darkness Elemental Core: 34/5]
After that, he went to the [Lightning Cat Territory #84], where he fought against literal cats blazing with lightning.
Their tails whipped like lightning ropes, and they were insanely fast.
He had to use his [Lightning Avatar] form to fight them head-on.
When the form activated, his entire body became covered in lightning, and he himself seemed to transform into pure lightning.
He was able to follow their movements, strike them with his sword, and kill them.
However, he had already exhausted most of his lightning essence in his earlier plasma attack, so he could only maintain the form for about a minute.
But that was enough for him to kill a couple of them, extract their lightning essence, and use the [Lightning Avatar] form again.
[You have leveled up] x 5
[Lightning Elemental Core: 34/5]
-----
[Dungeon Completion Condition: Complete]
-Fire Elemental Core: 38/5
-Wood Elemental Core: 55/5
-Water Elemental Core: 43/5
-Ice Elemental Core: 33/5
-Earth Elemental Core: 37/5
-Wind Elemental Core: 35/5
-Lightning Elemental Core: 34/5
-Light Elemental Core: 5/5
-Darkness Elemental Core: 34/5
-----
[Dungeon Mission: Complete]
[Rewards:
+9 All Elemental Stones
+1 Book Of Thaerris
+1 Thaerris Transportation Card (Unique-Grade)]
[You may leave the Realm whenever you wish.]
Chapter 102: The Path Of Infinity - 2
[Dungeon Mission: Complete]
[Rewards:
+9 All Elemental Stones
+1 Book Of Thaerris
+1 Thaerris Transportation Card (Unique-Grade)]
[You may leave the Realm whenever you wish.]
Damian looked at the system notification and sighed, deep in thought.
"A Unique-Grade Transportation Card for this world?" Damian raised an eyebrow in surprise.
-----
[Item: Thaerris Transportation Card]
[Grade: Unique]
[This is a Unique-Grade Transportation Card that allows travel to Thaerris, the World of Spirits. It can only be used by the registered Awakener (You), and you can bring up to five people with you at a time. There are no usage limits, allowing for unlimited travel.]
"Nice item," Damian nodded in approval before turning his attention to the rewards he had gained from completing the elemental dungeon mission.
In reality, calling it a dungeon mission wasn¡¯t entirely accurate.
The [Elemental Dungeon Card] had sent him not into a dungeon but into an entire world filled with all sorts of spirits, including his personal favorites, the fairies.
There were two main types of rewards he had obtained: [Elemental Essence Cores] and the nine [All-Elemental Stones].
To complete the mission, he had needed to collect Elemental Essence Cores from all nine natural elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Ice, Wood, Light, and Darkness.
He had managed to gather far more than the required amount for all of them, except for the [Light Essence Cores], which had proven to be somewhat more difficult to obtain.
Damian looked at the nine All-Elemental Stones in front of him.
Each one was slightly larger than a basketball, radiating a mixture of warmth and cold along with a mesmerizing array of colors from across the spectrum.
He stared at them for a few minutes before shaking his head.
"Let¡¯s just do it."
He extended his hand and activated his unique innate ability.
[Extraction: Unique Ability Activated]
A dark blue vortex of spiraling energy manifested from his palm.
The nine All-Elemental Stones were pulled into the vortex, disappearing completely as they were absorbed into his body.
[Your Fire Essence Increased: +90]
[Your Water Essence Increased: +90]
[Your Wood Essence Increased: +90]
[Your Earth Essence Increased: +90]
[Your Wind Essence Increased: +90]
[Your Ice Essence Increased: +90]
[Your Lightning Essence Increased: +90]
[Two new kinds of energy have entered your energy stream]
[Your Talent [World Tree¡¯s Blessing] is taking effect]
[Your Constitution [Unyielding Warrior¡¯s Physique] is taking effect]
[To maximize the effects of the [Light Essence] and [Darkness Essence], your constitution is being altered, and new constitutions are being created.]
[Your Talent [Limitless Harmony] is taking effect]
[You have achieved perfect harmony with [Light Essence] and [Darkness Essence], as well as with all the energies within you.]
[You have attained attunement with the energy known as [Light Essence] and [Darkness Essence].]
[You have awakened the constitution: [Eternal Light Guardian Physique].]
[You have formed the [Light Essence Core].]
[Your Light Essence Increased: +40]
[You have awakened the constitution: [Eternal Darkness Guardian Physique].]
[You have formed the [Darkness Essence Core].]
[Your Darkness Essence Increased: +40]
Damian closed his eyes, feeling the changes taking place within his body.
However, despite these transformations, there were no immediately noticeable physical effects.
The [Light Essence] and [Darkness Essence] didn¡¯t seem to manifest in any tangible way, but he did feel lighter, his mind clearer, and his vision sharper than before.
There was also something else, a faint sensation, a quiet whisper in the back of his mind telling him that he was close to a major breakthrough, one that would significantly increase his strength.
This was the real reason he had come here in the first place, but he still hadn¡¯t found any clues about it.
Even so, he was confident that he could figure it out on his own.
[Time Remaining Until War Begins: 05(D):17(H):59 (M):59(S)]
Damian turned his gaze to the countdown timer.
There were still more than five days left until the war between his faction, the [Circle of Ouroboros], and the opposing faction, [The House of Blood].
[Constitution: Eternal Light Guardian Physique]
Effects:
-Grants the ability to generate [Light Essence] from any part of the body
-Grants the ability to manipulate light and form solid constructs from it
-Enhances movement speed and reaction time by 100%
-Grants the ability to perceive all spectrums of light
-Grants heightened perception, allowing the user to see energy flows, auras, and hidden entities.
-Greatly enhances eyesight, allowing vision through high-intensity light, illusions, and high-speed movements
-Increases resistance to mental attacks by 50%Increases Will Power passively
-Passively strengthens the mind and spirit, making the user immune to fear and mind-breaking effects
-Boosts stamina and energy regeneration
-Increases all healing capabilities by 100%
-Grants You the Form: [Spirit Of Light]
[Constitution: Eternal Darkness Guardian Physique]
Effects:
-Grants the ability to generate [Darkness Essence] from any part of the body
-Grants the ability to manipulate shadows and form solid constructs from darkness
-Enhances stealth, perception in darkness, and silent movement by 100%
-Grants the ability to erase presence, making detection by normal means nearly impossible in a dark environment
-Grants night vision and the ability to see through the darkness, illusions, and deceptive energies
-Increases resistance to mental manipulation, illusions, and light-based attacks by 50%
-Passively strengthens the mind and spirit, making the user immune to fear and mind-breaking effects
-Grants the ability to absorb ambient energy and conceal one¡¯s aura, making energy detection difficult
-Boosts stamina and energy regeneration when in shadows or darkness
-Grants the ability to corrode and decay non-living matter over time by infusing it with Darkness Essence
-Grants You the Form: [Spirit Of Darkness]
Damian raised his hands, circulating [Light Essence] in one and [Darkness Essence] in the other.
A ball of light and a ball of darkness manifested in his palms.
As he poured more and more [Light Essence] into the ball of light, it grew increasingly intense and hot, radiating an insanely bright glow.
However, it didn¡¯t affect Damian¡¯s eyes since he had complete immunity to any kind of intense light.
The ball of darkness, on the other hand, became even darker, exuding a chilling coldness that seemed to hold an endless abyss.
It gave the unsettling impression that anything falling into it would keep falling forever, never reaching an end.
Watching it sent a slight shiver down Damian¡¯s spine.
He pointed the ball of light forward, and the moment he let go, it transformed into a laser that tore through the trees, burning everything in its path at an almost instantaneous speed.
The attack lasted only a few seconds before disappearing completely.
As for the ball of darkness, the moment he released it, it exploded, covering everything it touched in darkness, an absolute void, as if the world had been painted black.
But this darkness wasn¡¯t just any black; it was an emptiness, like a gateway to the abyss.
After a few seconds, it too vanished.
"Looks like these could be used tactically in a fight, but they take a lot of energy to activate and even more to maintain their effects," Damian muttered.
He felt a faint increase in his understanding of his suspected breakthrough, progressing at an agonizingly slow pace.
Yet he could feel it in his very skin.
Something was shifting within his inner world.
The elemental cores inside him vibrated ever so slightly, a movement so subtle he wouldn¡¯t have noticed it without intense focus.
"Maybe it would be better if I did something about the elemental essences," Damian thought, glancing at his dwindling energy reserves.
{{Energy Reserves}}
[Mana: 220 | Qi: 70 | Fire Essence: 335
Wood Essence: 225 | Water Essence: 208
Earth Essence: 212 | Wind Essence: 110
Ice Essence: 110 | Lightning Essence: 110
Light Essence: 40 | Darkness Essence: 40
Holy Essence: 55 ]
-----
The fairies led him to a place at the top of a mountain that seemed to stretch for hundreds of kilometers, far away from where he had been.
Only the fairies were present here, and he could see all types of elemental fairies.
There were also other beings that looked like wild monsters, but they didn¡¯t seem aggressive like those he had encountered in the elemental territories.
For example, there was a giant snake coiled around a banyan-like tree.
When it saw Damian, it didn¡¯t attack; it simply observed him for a few minutes as if studying him before going back to sleep.
The elemental fairies also didn¡¯t seem concerned about these wild-looking spirits.
In fact, the fairies appeared to be quite friendly with them.
It seemed like this place was some sort of temple to the spirits, where the most intelligent and peaceful of them, including the fairies, gathered.
As Damian ventured deeper into the forest-covered mountain, he came across a temple, not just any temple but one that appeared to represent all the elements in a single place.
The fairies led him inside the temple¡¯s hall, and as soon as he entered, he felt his mind clear. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
A profound sense of comfort washed over him, more soothing than anything he had ever experienced.
...
There were two figures hidden from everything in the world of spirits.
They stood a kilometer away from where Damian was, watching his every move.
"He is the one," said the green-haired woman, the same woman Damian had met when he first appeared in this world, the one who had simply disappeared after asking who he was. "I see why you sent him here..."
"God, it¡¯s refreshing to finally see someone understand what I do with minimal words," Eden said, also known to those aware of her true identity as the System Administrator.
"Head of the household?" The green-haired woman raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah... she¡¯s been pretty intense for the past few weeks," Eden sighed.
"...How did she find him when even I couldn¡¯t sense him? Theoretically, I should have a stronger connection to him than her, right?" The green-haired woman asked, slightly irritated that the household head had found him before she did.
"That surprised me too. I don¡¯t know how, but she sensed him. In fact, I should also have a stronger connection to him than her, but I didn¡¯t sense him, and neither did you. Yet the household head did. Maybe she possesses some sort of even more special connection, similar to the one he has with the All Mother?" Eden mused, rubbing her cheek.
"...I haven¡¯t heard anything from the All Mother either, and considering who she is, she probably wouldn¡¯t have informed us that he began to ascend. Well, at least I found him before our sisters," the green-haired woman sighed.
"Well, it¡¯s more like I let you find him. I sent him here, remember?" Eden smiled proudly.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, from what I can sense, he¡¯s finally reaching the true goal of his existence, huh? What¡¯s different this time?" she asked, looking at Eden.
"I don¡¯t know. But I guess it¡¯s probably related to his starting point... Maybe that¡¯s why?" Eden shrugged.
"Seriously..?"
"I don¡¯t know. I won¡¯t know for sure until I observe more," Eden replied.
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"Oh, Mother..." The green-haired woman sighed and turned her attention back to what Damian was doing. "Oh, look, even the spirits recognize him as someone of their own! My fairies are very introverted, but look at them now. They¡¯re dancing on his head and even brought him to the Temple of Unity."
"I don¡¯t know how, but he somehow figured out how to create his own path," Eden said, watching. "And your spirits seem to be guiding him along it."
"Do you think he¡¯ll succeed? Last time he attempted this, you know what happened," the green-haired woman asked, doubt evident in her voice.
"That was because he hadn¡¯t unlocked his true nature. But this time, he¡¯s already unlocked a lot of his true essence. If he succeeds in this, then that means everything is finally going exactly as he predicted. The time for our ascension is near."
Chapter 103: The Path Of Infinity - 3
Damian spent the next couple of hours hunting down more light elemental spirits to obtain their cores, intending to extract the [Light Essence] to increase his reserves.
After that, he extracted the essence from several elemental cores he had, bringing all the elemental essences to the same level.
Next, he spent about 500,000 gold to purchase [Mana Crystals] and [Qi Crystals] from the system shop and another 500,000 gold to acquire a few [Holy Crystals].
He extracted them all, increasing his energy reserves to match the levels of his other energy reserves.
Finally, he succeeded in bringing them all to exactly the same level.
-----
{{Energy Reserves}}
Mana: 350 | Qi: 350
Fire Essence: 350 | Wood Essence: 350
Water Essence: 350 | Earth Essence: 350
Wind Essence: 350 | Ice Essence: 350
Lightning Essence: 350 | Light Essence: 350
Darkness Essence: 350 | Holy Essence: 350
-----
Damian went back to the [Temple of Unity], where all the elemental fairies, along with some monster-shaped spirits, resided.
Even though these spirits looked dangerous, they were peaceful within this area.
The [Temple of Unity] seemed to have a unique effect, as the aggressive spirits of this world, like the ones he had fought, stayed far away from it.
Curious about this, Damian asked the fairies why that was the case.
They explained that only peaceful spirits who coexist harmoniously with others were allowed in this place.
That explained why the aggressive spirits didn¡¯t even dare to approach the temple.
After learning a few things from the fairies, Damian retrieved one of his rewards from the inventory. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
-----
[Item: Book of Thaerris]
[A book containing complete records and information about all spirits, territories, environments, climates, atmospheres, nature, and other topics related to the world of elements, spirits, and spiritual beings known as Thaerris.]
-----
A thick, wide, and lengthy book containing thousands of pages manifested from thin air and landed in his hands.
Without wasting any time on irrelevant topics, Damian flipped straight to the [Spirits] section and began reading about the different kinds of spirits that lived in Thaerris.
Thaerris was about three and a half times larger than Earth, with approximately 60% of its surface covered in water.
About 35% of the spirits in Thaerris were fairies, while 50% were elemental spirits.
Elemental spirits were beings that came into existence through the condensation of elemental essence, eventually gaining sentience.
They varied in an immense range of shapes and sizes.
Some resembled snakes, some appeared as winged serpents, and others took the form of cats or birds.
Some elemental spirits lived underground, others underwater, and some even floated freely above the ground.
The remaining 15% of the spirit population consisted of non-elemental spirits.
These spirits were neither fairies nor elemental spirits, and they did not possess elemental essence as their life force.
Instead, they had access to a different type of energy unique to their kind.
Despite their differences, they were peaceful beings who rarely interacted with other spirits.
Even the most hyperactive and friendly fairies typically avoided disturbing them.
Though fairies occasionally annoyed these non-elemental spirits, they never provoked fights or displayed aggression. Enjoy more content from NovelFire.C?m
Peace was simply in their nature.
These non-elemental spirits also have their own life force, which they cultivate.
Damian read through their information and saw an image of a spirit resembling a giant snake.
He was instantly reminded of seeing such a snake when he was traveling through the forest on his way to the [Temple of Unity].
"Can I even obtain the power these non-elemental spirits possess?" Damian wondered.
These non-elemental spirits are similar to fairies; they do not possess solid cores where they store their energy.
Most importantly, they are not aggressive, and Damian had no desire to kill them just to take their energy for himself.
The book stated that their energy could not be taken and had to be offered.
Even if the spirits willingly gave him their energy and taught him their ways, he was still human, albeit an evolved one.
The energy they possessed was even more mysterious than elemental essence.
It was possible that, despite his talents, he might not be able to attune to it.
"Let¡¯s just focus on the elemental essence and the other energies I possess first," Damian decided, pushing aside the persistent thoughts of acquiring the power of the non-elemental spirits.
He refocused his attention on elemental essence.
Damian¡¯s mind went over everything he had learned so far about elemental essence, searching for ways to make himself stronger.
There was nothing more important now than growing stronger, especially with the war coming in five days.
His thoughts drifted to the elemental cores within his Inner World.
He could feel the twelve energy cores spinning ethereally, each radiating different colors and distinct presences.
He ignored the [Mana Core], [Qi Core], and [Holy Essence Core] and focused only on the nine elemental cores.
Then, he opened his eyes and glanced at the monuments on the wall, depicting images of different spirits living together in harmony.
He then turned his gaze toward the spirits in the [Temple of Unity], where all the fairies of the nine elements played and giggled, alongside the non-elemental spirits who seemed just as comfortable in their presence.
It wasn¡¯t just them.
Larger elemental spirits like Firefox, Water Koi, and Cloud Rabbits also coexisted peacefully.
This place... the [Temple of Unity].
Every spirit treated it as their home, without discrimination against other elemental spirits.
"All the elements in one place..." Damian muttered.
Suddenly, his eyes began to glow with a faint white light, and then, all at once, his body started emitting a soft glow of different colors.
The nine elemental energies within him seeped out, surrounding him like swirling clouds of nine distinct colors, yet they did not react with one another.
This phenomenon caught the attention of every nearby spirit, even the non-elemental ones.
Every single spirit that saw him immediately stopped what they were doing and turned their focus toward him.
Damian had entered a state of complete concentration.
He felt as if he were on the verge of achieving something unprecedented.
"Every element in unity... every element in one place..."
Subconsciously, Damian used his incredible control over energy.
He began to manipulate the elemental essence from the nine elemental cores within him, channeling them all toward a single point.
The nine elemental forces, drawn from all directions, gathered and converged toward a single location.
As this happened, his presence grew stronger and stronger.
Spirits from the mountains and the surrounding areas were drawn toward him, gathering to witness what was unfolding.
Just as it seemed like something extraordinary was about to take form within his inner world, just as the nine elemental essences compressed further into a single point, everything suddenly stopped.
The glow in his eyes faded, and the phenomenon disappeared instantly.
"No... I can¡¯t do this," Damian murmured, shaking his head as his concentration shattered completely.
"I can¡¯t do this, knowing that there are still more powers I could obtain..."
Damian sighed.
No matter how much he wanted to ignore it, he couldn¡¯t shake the awareness that non-elemental spirits stood nearby, beings from whom he could potentially acquire even more power.
Knowing that untapped potential was right beside him, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to continue halfheartedly.
Moreover, it went against his very nature, his insatiable desire to obtain everything.
He didn¡¯t want partial strength.
He wanted the full package.
He wouldn¡¯t accept anything less, especially when more power was within his reach.
"Oh god, what should I do now?" Damian muttered, irritation creeping into his voice.
There were many possibilities before him.
He could ask the non-elemental spirits to teach him their powers, but he wasn¡¯t sure if that was possible.
From what he had learned in the [Book of Thaerris], the abilities possessed by non-elemental spirits were incredibly mysterious, perhaps even more so than the nine elements of nature.
Not necessarily in terms of raw power, but in the very nature of their existence.
Even if he had the potential to learn these abilities, he didn¡¯t know whether these spirits would be willing to teach him.
"Let¡¯s see what fate decides is the best path for me," Damian muttered.
He summoned an item from his system inventory, and a silver card materialized in his hand.
-----
[Item: Path Finder Card]
Uses all available information to analyze the potential benefits of each path or decision, then provides the best possible course of action.
-----
"Tell me," Damian crushed the card as a quick, intense flash of silver light painted the [Temple of Unity].
The green-haired woman and Eden watched his actions with calm expressions, as if it were no big deal.
"So close... he could have entered the state of Epiphany. Why did it break?" the green-haired woman asked.
"You can¡¯t enter that state half-heartedly. He has a strong will, but it¡¯s not strong enough to control his even stronger desire to take everything for himself. He wants all the power there is," Eden sighed.
"How far is he planning to go?"
"Infinite? Hehe," Eden chuckled. "I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t predict him because this time, he is so different and beyond my scope of predictability."
"Do you think those spirits will teach him their powers?" Eden asked, rubbing her chin.
"Absolutely, yes. But his spirituality hasn¡¯t grown enough yet..." the green-haired woman nodded.
"Then I know which path I should send him on now," Eden smiled as she quietly manipulated the results of the [Path Finder Card] Damian was using.
"What are you doing? You know we are not supposed to directly interfere in his growth. He has to do it on his own," the green-haired woman narrowed her eyes.
"Relax, I didn¡¯t do anything. I didn¡¯t change the result of his [Path Finder Card]. I just changed the order of things he should do. Moreover, the system wouldn¡¯t allow me to do it if it went against the rules," Eden shrugged, grinning from ear to ear.
Chapter 104: The Path Of Infinity - 4
The [Path Finder Card] released an instant flash of silver light before disappearing into specks of light and entering his mind, filling it with specific information about what he should do next and what his next step should be.
His eyes widened in surprise because the [Path Finder Card] confirmed exactly what he had been thinking.
However, something else caught him off guard.
It stated that the best path for him now was to evolve again before attempting to persuade the non-elemental spirits to teach him their power.
But what truly surprised him was that after evolving, the [Path Finder Card] advised him to use the [Demon Dungeon Card] before returning to [Thaerris] to learn the powers of the non-elemental spirits.
Only then would he be ready to forge his own path.
________________________________
[Evolution Mission: Walking the Road of Human Evolution]
[You must complete the following conditions:]
[Increase Your Level: 188/180]
[Defeat Awakeners 50 levels higher than you: 83/20.]
[Obtain Source Cores of Monsters above Level 130: 94/30.]
[Increase your Vitality: 467 /200]
[Increase your Perception: 377/200]
________________________________
Damian looked at the [Evolution Mission].
In the midst of everything he had been doing, he had completely forgotten about it.
Now, as he glanced at it again, he realized he had already far surpassed the required conditions.
He could evolve again for the second time.
If the millions upon millions of Awakeners in the towers and different worlds found out about this, they might die of shock, greed, and disbelief.
Their reactions would be even more intense if they learned that the first time Damian evolved, he did it on his own without anyone¡¯s help, not even from the system.
And now, he was about to use the system¡¯s [Evolution Function] to evolve, which he had earned himself.
[You have completed the mission ¡¯Walking the Road of Human Evolution.¡¯]
[You will be transported to the [Altar of Evolution]]
Damian felt his vision blur for a few moments, and his figure disappeared.
When his sight cleared, he found himself standing on an altar built at the center of a clear-water pond.
Surrounding the pond were dense trees, making it difficult for him to see beyond them, though he was certain that everything beyond those trees was just more forest.
"Hm." Damian crouched down and touched the altar beneath him.
It felt more like metal than stone, though it appeared to be made of rock.
Intricate patterns and symbols were carved into its surface, but he couldn¡¯t understand their meaning.
He then looked at the clear pond and saw fish of all colors and shapes swimming ethereally.
Some of them emitted a faint glow, like bioluminescence, making them mesmerizing to watch.
However, Damian didn¡¯t linger on them for too long because he suddenly felt a distortion of energy behind him.
At the same time, two incredibly strong presences appeared out of nowhere.
When he turned around, he saw two beings, a man and a woman, standing on the other side of the pond.
They were both about seven and a half feet tall, with the woman¡¯s arms wrapped around the man¡¯s.
Damian instinctively felt a suppression just from being under their gaze, and it took a significant amount of his strength to resist it.
However, he managed to overcome the suppression without letting it take control of him.
The couple watched Damian easily resist their racial suppression with minimal effort, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Who are you?" Damian asked, not particularly concerned about them.
He knew the system had sent him here to evolve, so these two were probably related to that purpose.
The system wouldn¡¯t let anyone harm him while he was under the management of one of its functions.
"That¡¯s not important," the man replied.
Damian didn¡¯t respond immediately.
Instead, he observed the man and woman for a few seconds before speaking. "You guys are... High Humans, right?"
"Yes," the woman replied.
"Aren¡¯t you supposed to be extinct?" Damian asked.
He recalled Sir Lucian Holloway mentioning that the High Humans had gone extinct, with only a handful still alive.
"Almost," the man said, observing Damian from head to toe.
Before the system sent them here, it had informed them that Damian was the only one with a chance to change things, that the secret to the redemption of the High Humans lay with him.
It told them to trust him and allow him to receive the [High Human Essence], which they had been safeguarding for tens of thousands of years.
The man and his wife exchanged a glance, communicating silently through telepathy.
After a few moments, they nodded to each other before leaping onto the altar.
"Enough with the questions. You came here to evolve, didn¡¯t you?" the man asked.
"Yeah..." Damian replied.
The man observed Damian for a few more seconds.
He knew this awakener was unlike any other.
According to the system, Damian had managed to evolve on his own, an extremely rare... no, impossible feat for a mere human.
More than that, with their own eyes, the couple could sense the strange, dense, and powerful presence radiating from him. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
His aura was eerily similar to that of wild monsters and beasts as if more than ten of them were combined within a single body.
Even after living for more than fifteen thousand years, the couple found his presence incomprehensible unlike any they came across before.
The man sighed and took a deep breath before summoning something.
A wide golden goblet, filled with an unknown crimson liquid, manifested out of nowhere and landed gracefully in his hand.
As soon as the goblet appeared, Damian felt a chill spread through his skin.
It wasn¡¯t intense, but it was enough to intrigue him.
"Drink this blood," the High Human said, handing the goblet to Damian.
"Uh... no thanks. I¡¯m not a vampire," Damian said, waving his hands and shaking his head.
"...This is to help you evolve," the man said, pushing the goblet into Damian¡¯s hands.
-----
[Item: The True Essence of Forgotten High Humans]
Created by gathering the high human essence of one hundred thousand True High Humans from ancient worlds over hundreds of thousands of years.
-----
"The essence of True High Humans?"
"Yes," the High Human continued. "It was created by gathering a drop of blood from hundreds of thousands of High Humans from many worlds. It contains the highest possible quality of human essence, the true human essence. Unfortunately, this is the last batch we have, and you are going to use it now."
"The last?"
"Yes... Like you said, High Humans are on the brink of extinction. We can¡¯t create another," the female High Human said.
"Can¡¯t you guys create True High Human essence using your own blood?" Damian asked, looking at the faint energy radiating from the goblet, even though it was sealed with a transparent glass lid.
"Because we are not True High Humans... We are just High Humans... The True High Humans went completely extinct long ago. We exist only because our ancestors mixed with lesser humans to keep the species alive."
"And even though we have managed to retain most of our lineage, we are definitely not True High Humans, at least not 100%," the male High Human replied.
"And the system told you to use it on me?" Damian asked.
"Well, you are not the first human who came here seeking to evolve into a higher species. But no one has ever succeeded, not even close."
"And you¡¯re definitely not the only one who gets to use it. Many before you have drunk the essence, but none managed to evolve."
"However, the system suggests you might be a different case. That¡¯s why, even though we have absolutely no idea if it will work, we have nothing left to lose but to try it on you."
Experience tales with NovelFire.C?m
"If it fails, It would just be another failure among the thousands before," the female High Human replied.
Damian found this very interesting.
He had heard something similar about vampires from the plebeian vampire, Sir Lucian Holloway.
In his faction, vampires were also facing extreme extinction.
The birthrate of noble vampires was declining drastically, making it increasingly difficult for them to have children.
Sir Holloway had mentioned that they were desperately searching for ways to prevent their kind from vanishing completely.
There was also something similar happening to the werewolves.
However, Sir Holloway didn¡¯t have much information about them, so Damian didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on.
Still, he had learned that werewolves, too, were on the path to extinction.
"It¡¯s as if the universe wants everyone to go extinct. And I can kind of understand that. Is that weird?" Damian said.
The couple didn¡¯t respond to his comment. Instead, the male High Human pointed to the center of the altar.
"Drink the essence in the goblet, sit on the altar, and let its energy flow into you without resistance. Then, we¡¯ll see if you are truly as special as the system claims."
Damian removed the glass cap of the goblet and looked at the crimson liquid for a few seconds before closing his eyes and gulping it down completely.
He then sat at the center of the altar while the couple jumped back from it, landing on the other side of the pond.
Sitting cross-legged, Damian ignored the cold, hard sensation spreading through his stomach.
Intricate patterns and symbols on the altar began to emit a faint white light.
The glow intensified, and soon, the pond also started radiating a similar faint white light, all of it converging toward the person sitting at the center of the altar.
Suddenly, Damian felt his consciousness slipping away.
He lost all control over his body except for the alternating warm and cold sensations assaulting him from every direction.
Everything seemed to be proceeding as expected, but the couple of High Humans shook their heads, gritting their teeth.
"Is this going to be another failure?"
The Essence of True High Humans that Damian drank should have merged with his own essence, but nothing was happening.
The essence was not responding.
"Failure," one of the High Humans sighed, shaking his head.
They had already concluded that Damian was just another failure.
Then, suddenly, something changed.
The white glow of energy surrounding him began to shift, first turning blue, then dark blue, as the energy grew more and more intense.
"What is happening?"
Chapter 105: A Human’s Ascension - 1
As we established before, to evolve, an Awakener would need the essence of a higher being, which contains the genetic code of that being.
However, it is not as simple as it sounds, as one cannot just absorb the essence and evolve.
Firstly, finding the essence of higher-level beings is extremely difficult, even more so for beings of an even higher level.
Even if an Awakener managed to find a being ranked above them in the racial hierarchy, they couldn¡¯t simply inject a drop of its blood into themselves and wait for evolution to occur.
There are several conditions that must be met.
The first condition is that the Awakener¡¯s body must be strong enough to withstand the transformation.
However, this is usually not the biggest issue.
The true challenge lies in the second condition, soul strength.
The soul is something that can only grow with time unless the individual possesses special circumstances or abilities.
Without sufficient soul strength, evolution is impossible.
This is where the evolution ritual comes in, and it varies for every species.
Take the well-known Vampires for example.
When a noble Vampire turns a human into a plebeian Vampire, they make the human drink their blood and then kill them.
The human then undergoes a transition, awakening as a plebeian Vampire.
As a final step to complete the transformation, they must consume the blood of another being.
Even with the Evolution Ritual, also known as the Race Change Ritual, the success rate was not very high.
Since vampires primarily used their own energy, their chances of success were greater, but that didn¡¯t mean failures never occurred.
However, these rituals were only meant for lower-ranked beings.
There was no way for a lower-ranked vampire, like a plebeian vampire, to evolve into a noble vampire.
They lacked the necessary soul, spirituality, and, most importantly, the essence of an even higher-ranked being to undergo such an evolution.
There simply was no way.
The High Humans, though not the same kind as the couple watching the extraordinary event before their eyes, but rather the true, pure-blooded High Humans, had long sensed that their species was on the path to extinction.
In response, they devised a plan and created [The True Essence of Forgotten High Humans], which contained the essence of more than tens of thousands of the highest-ranked true High Humans.
Their hope was that if their species ever faced extinction, this essence could be used to create new pure-blooded High Humans and ensure their lineage continued.
However, what they hadn¡¯t anticipated was that no human was capable of evolving using the essence. Stay updated through NovelFire.C?m
No human possessed the necessary soul, strength, or will to make it happen.
More than anything, evolving into a higher-ranked species, whether it be a noble vampire, an alpha werewolf, or a High Human, required the essence of an even greater being.
A noble vampire could not create another noble vampire.
An alpha werewolf could not create another alpha werewolf.
Likewise, a High Human could not create another High Human.
It didn¡¯t matter if one possessed the essence of tens of thousands of them. It was simply not possible.
Yet, these last remaining High Humans, bound by their ancestors¡¯ will, continued their duty.
They used up every last drop of the essence of those tens of thousands of High Humans, but not a single human ever managed to evolve into one.
And today, they used the last batch of the [Essence of the True Human] on a special being, one who had already managed to evolve once on his own.
Just when it seemed like this "special" would be another failure, something astonishing, breathtaking, and beyond belief began unfolding right before their eyes.
"How is this possible?" the male High Human asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the dome that had formed over the altar.
Inside, Damian, the Awakener, was undergoing evolution.
The dome itself appeared to be made of some kind of mysterious energy.
Every time they had witnessed Awakeners attempting to evolve in the past, the energy had always been white, at least for normal humans.
But this time, something was different.
When Damian drank the Essence and allowed the altar¡¯s energy to fuel his evolution, it had initially started as white, just like before.
However, within a few hours, it had begun shifting into a darker shade of blue, growing more intense with each passing moment.
"This¡ is he really evolving? Could this be the day we finally witness the birth of a full-blooded True High Human?" The couple looked at each other with renewed hope.
For thousands of years, they had handed out the [Essence of True Humans], only to be met with disappointment time and time again.
They had nearly lost all hope.
But now, seeing something different unfold before them, they couldn¡¯t help but wonder:
Could they finally be witnessing the birth of a pure-blooded True High Human?
They were right. Damian was evolving.
In fact, he was doing something even more incredible. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
During evolution, when the essence of a higher being enters your being, it upgrades your genetic code by merging with its own.
However, this foreign substance does not completely replace your own essence.
It is only mixed, not overwritten.
No matter how much you evolve, a part of the race whose essence you used for evolution will always remain in your genetic code.
Ultimately, the individual whose essence you absorbed will also have some influence over you, whether the evolution occurs through a system-related process or a race-changing ritual.
This is how it has always been and always will be.
Except for one peculiar and special Awakener, Damian Ignatius.
When he consumed the essence of the True High Humans, it initially appeared unresponsive to him, seemingly another failed attempt in the eyes of the two High Humans who observed him.
However, the reality was different. Damian¡¯s own essence was rejecting the fusion with the essence of the True High Humans.
But after a few hours, something unexpected occurred.
His essence finally reacted to the essence of the True High Humans.
However, instead of merging with it, Damian¡¯s essence devoured the foreign essence entirely, erasing its influence while selectively integrating only the racial components necessary to enhance his own essence.
In this way, Damian remained free from any influence of the True High Humans whose essence he absorbed.
Yet, at the same time, he possessed the highest quality of High Human essence, evolving into a True High Human.
[You have devoured the essence of ten thousand True High Humans.]
[Your cells are evolving.]
[Your energy circuits are evolving.]
[Your energy stream is rapidly expanding.]
[Your talents are evolving.]
[Your abilities are evolving.]
[Your traits are evolving.]
As this transformation took place, another phenomenon began to unfold.
The immense reservoir of energy within him, composed of various energy types, began fueling his very cells, accelerating his evolution.
His physical body adapted, growing even stronger, while his natural talents flourished beyond the already extraordinary standards of a True High Human.
[Your racial traits are evolving.]
[Your racial abilities are evolving.]
[Your racial constitution is evolving.]
[You are awakening a Racial Class.]
Several more hours passed before Damian finally regained consciousness.
The energy he had been releasing intensified, causing the entire Altar of Evolution to vibrate.
The gathered High Humans, sensing the magnitude of the transformation, watched in awe, their curiosity deepening.
Then, in an instant, the dark blue energy dome shattered into countless specks of light, dispersing a powerful wave of heat and energy.
A thick mist spread throughout the altar, making it difficult to see.
As the haze slowly cleared, a lone figure stood at the center of the altar.
He was seven and a half feet tall, with long brown-black hair shimmering with dark blue accents and pale skin radiating an oppressive aura.
His very presence exuded the dominance of a natural predator.
The surrounding High Humans could swear they glimpsed the spectral image of a wild, predatory beast looming behind him, making them swallow nervously.
[You have awakened the Racial Class: Human Lord.]
[You have evolved into a True High Human.]
[Your Unique Ability [Extraction] has evolved into Unique Ability [Devourer].]
[Your Inherited Ability [Warrior¡¯s Will] has evolved into Inherited Ability [King¡¯s Dominion].]
[Your Innate Ability [Eyes of Clarity] has evolved into Unique Ability [Eyes of Heaven and Earth].]
[Your talent [Elementalist] has evolved into Talent [Elemental King].]
[Your talent [Martial Lord] has evolved into Talent [Martial King].]
[Your talent [Rumination Clarity] has evolved into Talent [Mind of Eternity].]
[Your talent [World Tree¡¯s Blessing] has evolved into Talent [World Tree¡¯s Avatar].]
[Your talent [Boundless Refinement] has evolved into Talent [Limitless Refinement].]
[Your talent [Limitless Harmony] has evolved into Talent [Transcendent Harmony].]
[Your talent [Limit Breaker] has evolved into Talent [Rule Breaker].]
[Your racial ability [Deep Resonance] has evolved into the racial ability [High and Deep Resonance].
[Your racial ability [Sixth Sense] has evolved into the racial ability [Crucial Sense].
[You have awakened the racial ability [Telepathy].]
[Your racial trait [Accelerated Healing] has evolved into the racial trait [Higher Accelerated Healing].
[Your racial trait [Longevity] has evolved into the racial trait [Higher Longevity].
[Your racial constitution [Superhuman Physiology] has evolved into the racial constitution [Super-High Human Physiology].
[Your racial constitution [Silver Bones] has evolved into the racial constitution [Golden Bones].
[Your racial constitution [Superior Blood] has evolved into the racial constitution [High Blood].
[Your racial constitution [Superior Charm] has evolved into the racial constitution [True High Charm].
Chapter 106: A Human’s Ascension - 2
Damian¡¯s consciousness slowly returned to the surface, and he opened his eyes, which were glowing with a violet hue.
His entire figure was covered in a purple aura that seeped in every direction like a string of snakes.
Raising his hand, Damian tightened his fist, feeling the incredible strength coursing through his skin, bones, and muscles.
Even in his blood, he could sense the overwhelming power.
He felt like he could do anything, free and almost invincible.
But more than that, foreign and unknown information flooded his mind, details about himself, his race, [True High Human], and the abilities that came with it.
"This should be quite useful," Damian murmured with a smile before summoning the system prompt to examine his talents and abilities, which had evolved alongside him when he ascended into a [True High Human].
-----
[Unique Ability: Devourer]
A unique ability that evolved from the ability [Extraction]. Damian Ignatius is the only known awakener to possess this ability in the entire universe.
[Effects:
-[Devour]: You can devour anything, whether physical or non-physical, organic or inorganic, whether it is made of energy or not, without limit and at an unlimited rate.
-[Refinement]: You can refine anything you devour at an unlimited rate and choose to erase, purify, condense, or fuse it at will.
-[Assimilation]: You can assimilate anything you refine into your being at an unlimited rate without any side effects.
-[Spiritual Space]: Anything you refine after you devour can be stored within a space in your spirituality, which can be accessed anytime, anywhere, in any way you desire.]
-----
[Inherited Ability: King¡¯s Dominion]
An ability inherited from your parent, evolved from the ability [Warrior¡¯s Will], and one step closer to its true form.
[Effect:
-When activated, all the effects of your abilities, talents, constitutions, traits, forms, physical attributes, spells, skills, energy reserves, racial abilities, racial traits, and racial constitutions are amplified by 75%.]
-----
[Innate Ability: Eyes of Heaven and Earth]
An evolved form of the ability [Eyes of Clarity].
[Effects:
-Grants you Omni-Vision, Energy Sight, and Night Vision.
-Allows you to perceive the truth of Heaven and Earth.
-Enables you to see all lines of energy regardless of their nature or type.
-Passively enhances your vision and perception while the ability is active.] sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
-----
[Talent: Elemental King]
[Effects:
-Grants affinity for Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ice, and Lightning.
-Increases your magic comprehension speed by 100%.
-Increases your [Mana] control by 150%.]
-----
[Talent: Martial King]
[Effects:
-Grants a Dantian that is 200% stronger and larger.
-Grants Meridians that are 300% stronger and more efficient.
-Increases your [Qi] control by 150%.]
-----
[Talent: Mind of Eternity]
[Effects:
-Grants the ability to memorize anything you see instantly.
-Passively increases your mental power the more you use it.
-Passively boosts your willpower the more you use it.
-Increases all types of comprehension passively with use.]
-----
[Talent: World Tree¡¯s Avatar]
[Effects:
-Grants perfect attunement and affinity to all energies present in the universe.]
-----
[Talent: Limitless Refinement]
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[Effects:
-Amplifies your ability to adapt to any environment, condition, state, setting, or position in mind, spirit, body, and soul the more you use it.
-[Current Amplification: 175%]]
-----
[Talent: Transcendent Harmony]
[Effects:
-Grants the ability to harmonize with and manipulate any and all types of energy, regardless of quantity or quality, without limitation.
-Allows you to maintain balance for every type of energy you house within yourself.]
-----
[Talent: Rule Breaker]
[Effects:
-The limitations, constraints, restrictions, barriers, bottlenecks, obstructions, extents, endpoints, finite points, thresholds, standards, and shackles of the universe no longer apply to you.]
-----
[Race: True High Human]
You are the purest and most evolved High Human to ever exist, the pinnacle of human evolution. You possess all the racial abilities of High Humans with slight enhancements.
-----
[Racial Ability: High and Deep Resonance]
[Effects:
-You can hear all sound frequencies, including those too low for unevolved humans to perceive and those too high to be safe for them.]
-----
[Racial Ability: Crucial Sense]
[Effects:
-Grants the ability to sense danger, bad omens, and good omens.
-Enhances your ability to accurately sense and assess presence, power, and energy.
-Allows you to detect living beings from great distances.]
-----
[Racial Ability: Telepathy]
[Effects:
-Enables two-way mental communication with others who possess telepathic abilities.
-Allows one-way mental communication with anyone.]
-----
[Racial Trait: Higher Accelerated Healing]
[Effects:
-Instantly heals minor injuries.
-Heals major injuries (muscle, bone, soft tissue, internal organs) within days.]
-----
[Racial Trait: Higher Longevity]
[Effects:
-You can easily live for over 10,000 years.
-If you maintain good health, you can live beyond 12,500 years.
-By continuously training and growing stronger while staying healthy, you can indefinitely increase your lifespan and eventually achieve immortality.
-(Side Effect: A significantly reduced rate of procreation.)]
-----
[Racial Constitution: Super-High Human Physiology]
[Effects:
-Permanently increases your physical attributes by 40%.]
-----
[Racial Constitution: Golden Bones]
[Effects:
-Your bones are 20 times stronger than those of unevolved humans while remaining lightweight.
-Enhances muscle recovery and regeneration.
-Increases stamina passively.]
-----
[Racial Constitution: True High Blood]
[Effects:
-Your blood stores large quantities of energy, allowing you to survive without food for months.
-Your blood is a highly desirable treat for beings that feed on blood.]
-----
[Racial Constitution: True High Charm]
[Effects:
-Among humanoid beings ranked lower than you in the racial hierarchy, you are perceived as the most beautiful.
-Even among High Humans, you stand out as exceptionally attractive.
-You are considered the ideal mate for any humanoid species ranked lower than you in the racial hierarchy, as well as among High Humans.]
-----
[As a result of numerous energies influencing you during your evolution, the effects of the aforementioned abilities have been slightly enhanced.]
-----
[Racial Subclass: Human Lord]
You have the ability to command humanoid beings that are lower than you in the racial hierarchy.
-----
"Hmm¡ a great power-up¡ I just had¡ I wonder if I can subdue the entire earth with my race now," Damian wondered as a new plan formed in his mind.
He intended to carry it out after finishing the war with the vampires.
However, now was not the time to think about such things.
The feeling of reaching a breakthrough was becoming clearer to him, and he honestly believed he could achieve it soon.
But as the [Path Finder Card] had advised, he planned to use the [Demon Dungeon Card] first before returning to [Thaerris] to carve his own path.
Shaking his head, Damian turned his attention back to the two High Humans standing on the other side of the pond, staring at him with wide eyes and mouths slightly agape in awe.
"You¡ evolved into a True High Human?" the male High Human asked.
"Mm¡ You still haven¡¯t introduced yourself," Damian said as he jumped and gracefully landed before the couple.
"...I¡¯m Noah Ravenfang," the High Human said, then gestured toward the female High Human beside him.
"This is my wife, Cara Ravenfang."
"I¡¯m Damian Ignatius," Damian replied and waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, I¡¯ll be on my way then."
"Wait! Please, wait!" Noah interrupted before Damian could crush the brown card in his hand.
"What?" Damian asked.
"You are a True High Human. You should join our faction. Come with us to our world, Giarum," Noah suggested.
"No, thank you. I have no intention of joining another faction. I want to be the head and the king. If anything, you can join my faction," Damian said, crossing his arms.
He had already decided that he would rise through the ranks as the leader of his own faction.
After learning about the benefits of growing a faction, he was determined to make [The Circle of Ouroboros] the strongest faction in the tower.
Damian watched the couple¡¯s expressions shift slightly. He fully expected them to reject his offer.
"Fine," Noah said after exchanging a glance with Cara.
Much to Damian¡¯s surprise, they both nodded in agreement.
"Are you sure? Because I expect complete fealty from my faction members," Damian asked as he sent them the faction invitation.
"Yes¡ we are sure," Noah replied as both he and Cara accepted the invitation, officially becoming members of [The Circle of Ouroboros].
"...Alright then ...I¡¯m still in the first tower realm, Solarta. I have a territory there. You can find a woman named Shiru. She¡¯ll explain everything to you," Damian said, smiling.
He had a feeling he knew why the couple had agreed to follow him.
They likely saw him as a great hope for continuing the lineage of High Humans and wanted to ensure it thrived.
And Damian was not a bad person; he wouldn¡¯t disrespect their beliefs.
After becoming a [True High Human] and gaining the racial trait [Crucial Sense], he could more accurately assess their power.
They were very powerful and would be a great addition to his faction.
Chapter 107: Damian Vs Marquis Andras - 1
Damian ignored the two High Humans who attempted to speak to him.
Without hesitation, he crushed the brown [Demon Dungeon Card], causing his figure to instantly disappear from the [Altar of Evolution] and reappear in an unfamiliar land.
The moment Damian arrived, an ominous sensation crawled across his skin.
The very air felt toxic, so dangerous that even a [True High Human] like him could sense its lethal nature.
[Welcome to Hell]
[You have entered the territory of one of Hell¡¯s rulers, Marquis Andras.]
[Marquis Andras is a Higher Demon, ranked 63rd among the 72 rulers of Hell, and commands 30 legions of demons.]
[Dungeon Completion Condition: Defeat The Marquis Of Demons, Andras.]
[Dungeon Difficulty is set to: Hell Level.]
"Marquis Andras?" Damian narrowed his eyes.
As an enthusiast of folklore, legends, and mythologies, the name sounded very familiar.
He recalled reading about the 72 rulers of Hell in a book called Ars Goetia.
"This is going to be fun," Damian smiled as he looked around.
He seemed to be inside a desert with large stones scattered across the land.
The ground beneath his feet was blackened rock and scorched soil.
It was blisteringly hot.
If he hadn¡¯t developed the [Fire Resistance] trait, his feet might have burned the moment he arrived in this place.
The atmosphere was thick with fog, though not enough to obstruct his vision.
A horrid stench filled the air.
The scent of burning, decayed flesh, brimstone, and something indescribably foul assaulted his heightened sense of smell.
With his 360-degree vision, granted by his innate ability [Eyes of Heaven and Earth], along with his extremely sharp senses and natural sight, Damian scanned the area.
As far as he could see, there was nothing but endless desert, punctuated by towering rock formations jutting from the ground.
Rivers of burning lava stretched like lakes between the jagged mountains.
The sky, devoid of a sun or moon, was as red as blood, yet it remained eerily illuminated.
"Mm," Damian muttered as he felt his skin itch. Looking down, he noticed it slowly corroding. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He could sense some kind of corrosive energy in the air, thin but undoubtedly present, eating away at him.
[You have entered the outermost level of Hell.]
[The presence of Miasma in the atmosphere has begun to take its corrosive effect on you.]
"Misama, huh?" Damian¡¯s eyes glowed with a neon violet hue as he activated his [Eyes of Heaven and Earth].
He saw the amber-black energy in the atmosphere shifting like the wind, resembling thin clouds.
[The ruler of Hell, Marquis Andras, has sensed your presence.]
[The war between you and the Hell faction known as [Andras] has begun.]
As soon as the announcement was made, Damian felt thousands of presences closing in on him from all directions, making him narrow his eyes.
He swiftly summoned his twin swords from the system inventory.
[Mercy, the Sword of Salvation] and [Judgment, the Sword of Punishment] materialized before him, floating in the air, waiting for him to grasp their handles.
The moment Damian grabbed them, a warm sensation spread through his body, and his connection with the twin swords intensified rapidly.
[Your synchronization with [Mercy, the Sword of Salvation] has increased significantly.]
[Current Synchronization: 55%]
[You can now release 55% of the sword¡¯s power, provided your body can handle it.]
[Your synchronization with [Judgment, the Sword of Punishment] has increased slightly.]
[Current Synchronization: 26%]
[You can now release 26% of the sword¡¯s power, provided your body can handle it.]
"What just happened? Why did the synchronization suddenly skyrocket?" Damon wondered.
This was the first time he was actually using them in a fight.
Other than a little training, he had never used them before.
The synchronization rate had always been only 2% for both of them, but now, Mercy¡¯s synchronization rate had suddenly risen to 55%, and Judgment¡¯s had increased to 26%.
Damian closed his eyes, ignoring the thousands of terrifying presences surrounding him from all directions.
He could feel [Mercy, the Sword of Salvation] reacting with the [Holy Essence] inside him, while [Judgment, the Sword of Punishment] was reacting to [Mercy]¡¯s connection with the Holy Essence.
"Hmm... I almost forgot that Mercy responds to holy power, while Judgment responds to dark power. They are opposites, but they are at their most powerful when together. If I want to maximize their strength, I need to acquire the dark power," Damian mused with a smirk.
"It must be the reason why the synchronization rate suddenly increased..."
[Your Talent [Limitless Refinement] is taking effect.]
[Your resistance to Miasma is increasing.]
[Your resistance to Miasma is increasing.]
[Your resistance to Miasma is increasing.]
[Your resistance to Miasma is increasing.]
[Your resistance to Miasma is increasing.]
...
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..
.
[Your Constitution [Unyielding Warrior¡¯s Physique] is taking effect.]
[You have developed the trait: [Miasma Resistance].]
He turned his gaze toward the thousand demons of all shapes and sizes, each radiating an intense and powerful presence.
"Since I¡¯m in Hell, I might as well see if I can find that power for myself..." Damian grinned as his aura began to seep out, enveloping him in a violet glow that clung to his body like a second layer of skin.
His hair floated as if defying gravity, and the corrosive effects of the miasma in the atmosphere were instantly countered as his skin rapidly regenerated.
As if responding to the burning battle intent of their master, the Sword of Salvation began to release a white aura, while the Sword of Punishment emitted a black aura.
These energies intertwined with Damian¡¯s own aura, making him appear even more imposing, even to the demons standing before him.
With his senses newly enhanced by his racial ability, [Crucial Sense], Damian could accurately assess the presence of every demon in the area.
The strongest presence, unsurprisingly, came from the largest and most terrifying demon among them.
This demon had the head of a black owl and the muscular body of an angel, standing at an imposing eight feet tall.
Its red skin was adorned with three pairs of dark black wings, clawed hands, and arms covered in scars, as if they had been pierced by thousands of knives.
Its crimson eyes, with slitted irises, studied Damian with a curious expression.
Damian watched as the owl-headed demon¡¯s face suddenly shifted, morphing into a more human-like appearance with long black hair.
"A human?" The demon¡¯s deep voice resonated through the battlefield.
This was none other than one of the 72 rulers of the biblical Hell, the holder of the 63rd position, Marquis Andras.
Once known as the angel Andrael before his fall, he had been cast out by the Heavenly Father and became a fallen angel, eventually rising to power as a ruler of Hell.
"I applaud your bravery, human," Andras said, his sharp teeth gleaming as he smiled. "But to challenge a ruler of Hell in his own domain... I cannot tell if this is true bravery or mere arrogance."
"Well, once I start something, I always finish it. So stop with the useless villain talk and why don¡¯t we start fighting?" Damian pointed [Judgment] at the demon Andras.
The demon narrowed his eyes at the sword being pointed at him and tilted his head in confusion.
Then, he looked at the other sword in Damian¡¯s other hand, and his confusion deepened.
"Before I start torturing you, let me ask something." The demon pointed his red-nailed finger at the swords Damian was holding.
"How did you get hold of those swords?"
"Oh, this? That would be none of your demon-ass-fucking business," Damian snorted.
The demon¡¯s eyes narrowed, but a smile slowly formed on his face.
"Oh, I¡¯m going to enjoy wiping that smirk off your face, human. I¡¯m going to make you feel all the pain of the damned while you¡¯re still alive, you lowly creature¡ First, I¡¯ll let my demons have their fun with you."
"Sure!" Damian smiled further, and seeing him smile, the demon felt his veins pop out on his demonic forehead.
As a fallen angel, his pride was naturally high, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel enraged at the arrogant little human who dared to disrespect him in any way.
"Make him suffer!" the Marquis of Demons of biblical Hell, Andras, screamed as the one thousand lesser demons surrounding Damian released intense shrieks of noise and dashed at the little human who had dared to enter the domain of demons and challenge them.
"Yes, come at me!" Damian smiled confidently as [Mercy] began to release a small, thin energy.
The demons didn¡¯t care about anything or the mysterious energy they had never encountered before, emanating from the white sword.
They rushed in at full speed, screaming, giggling, and speaking all sorts of sinful words, describing what they were going to do to the beautiful human.
Damian grinned, shaking his head, thinking just how stupid the demons were.
He channeled his [Holy Essence] into his hands and concentrated it there, but for some reason, he didn¡¯t channel it into the sword, [Mercy].
Marquis Andras, who was hovering motionlessly in the distance, narrowed his eyes as he sensed something was wrong.
A unique energy stirred in the air, one he had not felt in a long time.
His eyes widened in surprise.
"How does he possess that power?" the fallen angel muttered, shaking his head.
"Is that why he was sent here? Is this the Father¡¯s doing?..."
The veins on the fallen angel¡¯s forehead became more prominent as a purplish-black aura seeped from his being, responding to the fury that burned within him.
He despised those arrogant, self-righteous bastards who served under the Father.
He didn¡¯t know if this human was truly working for the Father or those hypocritical angels, but it didn¡¯t matter.
He would hate anyone who wielded that damned holy power.
They were his mortal enemies, and nothing could change that.
So what if the system had placed a restriction on his power, limiting him and his demonic strength to match this human in Hell Mode difficulty?
His power should still be more than enough to crush a lowly human.
So what if this insignificant ant of a human possessed holy power, the very weakness of demons and fallen angels?
He was still one of Hell¡¯s higher demons, the holder of the 63rd position.
He was Marquis Andras.
He would not allow a mere human to act as he pleased.
To do so would be a disgrace to his very existence, both as a ruler and as a fallen angel.
Chapter 108: Damian Vs Marquis Andras - 2
The one thousand demons surrounding Damian came at him fast from all directions.
As soon as about three dozen of them entered within three meters of his range, the immense amount of [Holy Essence] he had been channeling into his arm, so condensed that his entire arm was brimming with silvery-white aura, was unleashed.
The moment the demons entered his attack range, Damian let loose.
The enormous amount of [Holy Essence] he had been restraining was suddenly released, erupting in a violent explosion.
In an instant, the condensed [Holy Essence] detonated, transforming into silvery-white flames.
A blinding white shockwave pulsed outward in all directions.
As the explosion erupted, rings of silvery-white flames consumed every lesser demon within range, burning them alive.
"AAAHHHHH..."
"ARRHHGGGGG..."
"IT BURNS... IT BURNS..."
"ARRRRGGGG..."
Their pain-filled screams echoed across the hellish landscape, making the territory of Hell seem even more nightmarish.
Hundreds of demons were engulfed in the holy flames, their flesh disintegrating until only scraps of their bodies remained.
Yet, they had already begun regenerating, the demonic energy known as Miasma wrapping around their figures and enhancing their regenerative abilities.
Meanwhile, the remaining demons stopped in their tracks, witnessing the gruesome fate of those who had charged ahead and realizing their weakness against [Holy Power].
But the explosion had not yet ceased.
A second wave of holy flames followed, accompanied by an intense shockwave.
A dome of silvery-white flames expanded outward, burning even more demons who had failed to escape in time.
Those who had already been reduced to charred remains and had started regenerating were set ablaze once again.
By the time the final wave of silvery-white flames expanded to a radius of one hundred meters, nearly one-third of the demons had fallen victim to its devastating power, leaving nothing but scorched remains in its path.
"Well, that¡¯s irritating," Damian muttered, annoyed as he watched the demon regenerate even after being reduced to nothing more than chunks of flesh.
This level of insane regeneration was even more absurd than vampiric regeneration.
Even vampires couldn¡¯t regenerate like these demons did.
The common vampires could heal infinitely as long as their heart and head remained intact, while noble vampires could regenerate within seconds as long as their head was still attached.
But these demons, despite being lesser demons, managed to fully restore their bodies from mere chunks of flesh within seconds.
"Hehe, what did you expect, human? You think you can just waltz into hell, fight demons, and even kill them on our own turf?" Marquis Andras snorted.
"This is hell, the realm of demons. This is our home. We are unkillable here."
"As long as even a single piece of our flesh remains, we can regenerate endlessly."
Damian looked at the fallen angel as if he were an idiot.
This so-called ruler of hell had just revealed that demons couldn¡¯t be killed in hell as long as a piece of their flesh remained, saving Damian the trouble of figuring it out himself.
Which meant that to truly kill them, he only had to burn them completely until nothing but ashes remained.
But Damian was already thinking of an even easier way to eliminate them.
Marquis Andras¡¯ smug smile faltered when he noticed Damian¡¯s expression remained unchanged.
That same arrogant smirk, completely unconcerned with what was happening around him.
"Who is this human? How can he be so carefree in the face of hell? Is he not afraid of the torment he will endure, alongside the souls of the damned, alive?"
Anger bubbled up inside Marquis Andras as he felt his hatred for this human grow.
In his millions of years of existence, never had he seen a human unshaken in the presence of hundreds of demons.
They were demons, the physical manifestations of sin from all worlds, malevolent spirits whose sole purpose was to cause chaos and suffering.
Their very presence alone should have driven any human into despair.
And yet, this human didn¡¯t seem the least bit fazed, even in hell itself, where the entire atmosphere was saturated with the demonic energy known as [Miasma].
This energy should have corroded and inflicted unbearable pain on any non-demonic being.
And yet, Damian appeared completely unaffected.
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Now that he thought about it, it was strange, no, impossible, that a human could remain sane in the depths of hell, let alone fight an army of a thousand demons and actually hold the upper hand.
All of this was thanks to his talent [Limitless Refinement], an evolved version of [Boundless Refinement], which granted him the ability to adapt to anything.
This talent had allowed Damian to acclimate to the corrosive and agonizing environment of hell within mere minutes of his arrival.
Additionally, his [Unyielding Warrior¡¯s Physique] further enhanced his resistance, working in tandem with his talent to develop the [Miasma Resistance] trait.
To develop a trait, one must build a high resistance to something by repeatedly being broken down and healed again.
Every time the miasma in the environment corroded Damian, the healing properties of his [Elemental Essence], his race, his other energies, and his naturally high vitality would instantly restore him.
This process of breakdown and healing occurred thousands of times in an instant.
As a result, Damian naturally developed the [Miasma Resistance] trait.
Even now, the more he is exposed to [Miasma], the stronger his [Miasma Resistance] becomes.
But the poor ruler of Hell, Marquis Andras, knew nothing of this.
He remained helplessly naive, thinking Damian was just an arrogant human who had overestimated his own strength.
He believed Damian had foolishly come to Hell to die, only to return again.
Little did Marquis Andras know that this "human" was anything but a ordinary human.
"Looks like I won¡¯t even need to use my swords..." Damian sighed as his twin swords transformed into rings in a flash of light, wrapping around two of his fingers.
He didn¡¯t even get the chance of use them.
Damian raised his hand above his head, making the demon wonder what he was planning to do next.
As he poured out a high level of his [Mana], all the information he had learned about the element of lightning, both from his battles against the lightning elemental spirits and from using his own lightning essence, flooded his mind.
His understanding of the lightning element rapidly increased.
[Your understanding of the lightning Element has increased.]
[Your understanding of the lightning Element has increased.]
[Your understanding of the lightning Element has increased.]
[Your understanding of the lightning Element has increased.] ¡Á 25
Behind him, as a representation of his cultivation in magic, three yellowish rings appeared one by one.
[You have formed the 3rd Lightning Elemental Magic Ring.]
[You have become a Peak-Stage 3rd Circle Mage.] S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Just like with the lightning element, the same phenomenon occurred with the flame and wind elements.
[Your understanding of the Flame Element has increased.] ¡Á 5
[Your understanding of the Wind Element has increased.] ¡Á 5
Behind him, two [Fire Elemental Magic Rings] and two [Wind Elemental Magic Rings] appeared.
After a couple of seconds, another ring, larger than the previous ones, manifested behind the two sets of rings.
[You have formed the complete 3rd Flame Elemental Magic Ring.]
[You have formed the complete 3rd Wind Elemental Magic Ring.]
[Multicasting: Skill Activated.]
[Rapid Casting: Skill Activated.]
[Elemental Fusion: Skill Activated.]
Then, out of nowhere¡ 5, 8, 14, 20, 30, 40, 55... hundreds of magic circles appeared, covering the entire area.
Half of them were fire-elemental magic circles, while the other half were lightning-elemental magic circles.
[You have created the Lightning Elemental Spell: Rain of Arc Flash.]
[Rain of Arc Flash: Lightning Spell Activated.]
[Flame Tempest: Wind-Flame Spell Activated.]
In just a couple of seconds, Damian fully comprehended the three elements, including the lightning element, which he gained an affinity for after his [Elementalist] talent evolved into the [Elemental King] talent.
Having reached the peak of the 3rd-circle mage rank, he was already on his way to creating an even more powerful spell that could rival the spells of 4th-circle mages by combining three elements.
Before the demons could react, bolts of lightning and balls of flame, empowered by wind, manifested and shot into the ground, even with Damian standing in the middle of their range.
This was likely the first time in millions of years that a territory of Hell had been illuminated as it was now.
The thick yellow lightning was faster than the demons could react to, descending onto the battlefield like a torrential rain, releasing deafening thunderclaps one after another.
Then, the tempest of fireballs followed the arcs of lightning, creating a dome of fire that expanded continuously, burning everything in its path.
While not as strong as the holy flame attack Damian had used before, they were highly effective, searing the flesh of every demon within range.
Marquis Andras, a ruler of Hell, watched the scene in shock, unable to react.
The attack was so fast that, for you, the readers, it might have seemed like it happened after all the system notifications appeared, but for him, it occurred the moment Damian raised his hand above his head.
To make matters worse, Andras¡¯s power level had been severely restricted by the system to match Damian¡¯s, as he had chosen to challenge the demon at Hell-level difficulty.
He couldn¡¯t react in time, and even if he wanted to save his legion, there was no way to interfere in something of this magnitude.
Besides, as a fallen angel, he saw the demons in his army as nothing more than mere cannon fodder.
Why would he carelessly sacrifice them?
But even if he wanted to, there was simply nothing he could do.
"Who is this human? How can a human be this strong?" he muttered, watching the aftermath.
The rain of spells had stopped, but there was no dust in the air.
Hell¡¯s terrain was too hard to allow dirt or dust to rise.
And yet, Damian¡¯s attack had carved hundreds of craters into the battlefield.
Hundreds of demons had been completely reduced to ashes, while the survivors were left with missing chunks of flesh.
Some were even lucky enough to escape with only lost limbs, and they were already regenerating.
Chapter 109: Damian Vs Marquis Andras - 3
The aftermath of the hundreds of lightning-elemental spells, [Rain of Arc Flash], and wind-flame elemental spells, [Flame Tempest], detonating on the battlefield was utterly ridiculous.
Hundreds of demons had been reduced to ashes, and dozens of craters had formed across the lifeless lands of this hellish territory.
The land of Hell was naturally dense and durable. It wouldn¡¯t break without significant power.
Yet, Damian¡¯s [Flame Tempest], which was as strong as an above-average 4th-circle spell, had managed to shatter the ground and even create small craters.
[Experience Limit Reached]
[You have Leveled up] x 12
Above these craters lay the remains of the hundreds of "surviving" demons.
When I say surviving, I mean the chunks of flesh that remained, which were already beginning to regenerate.
When the spells exploded, Damian had been right in the middle of it all.
He didn¡¯t care about what would happen to him.
Well, mostly.
In fact, he had kind of wanted the spells to explode on him so he could further enhance his [Fire Resistance] and [Lightning Resistance] traits.
But to his frustration, those traits had already been strengthened so much that these attacks weren¡¯t enough to do anything to him except for causing slight bruises, which healed instantly.
Damian glanced at the hundreds of demons that had been injured to a ridiculous degree but were already regenerating.
Then, his gaze shifted to the ruler of Hell, the one he was supposed to defeat to complete this Demon Dungeon mission.
Once again, just like what the system had done with [Thaerris], it had sent him to literal Hell when it was supposed to be just a dungeon.
Well, not that he cared as long as he got his rewards.
The ruler of Hell, Marquis Andras, narrowed his eyes at Damian, while the fallen angel beside him grinned from ear to ear, causing Damon to feel confused.
"So what if you have powerful attacks? You can¡¯t kill every single demon. How long can you keep up such strong attacks? Sooner or later, you¡¯re going to run out of energy, and when that happens, my demons will tear you apart," Marquis Andras sneered, his ugly grin exuding confidence as if he had everything under control.
But, of course, he didn¡¯t realize yet that he actually didn¡¯t.
Damian simply smiled and shook his head.
He didn¡¯t even want to waste words on Andras.
He just wanted to finish this battle and head to [Thaerris] to carve his own path.
The sensation of breaking through had been skyrocketing for hours now, and it was still increasing.
He suspected that this was one of the reasons his understanding of the elements had been growing so rapidly.
It was as if knowledge was flowing into him effortlessly, and all he had to do was accept it.
A bold idea had already taken shape in Damian¡¯s mind.
He wasn¡¯t sure if it would work.
It seemed impossible, but deep down, he had a feeling that it would.
His smile instantly snuffed out the fire of confidence in the fallen angel¡¯s red face.
"Don¡¯t believe I¡¯m finished just yet."
A violet aura burst from Damian¡¯s figure as he ascended from the hellish land into the blood-red sky.
His irises glowed with an intimidating violet light, radiating power.
His right hand rose forward, pointing at the flesh of the rapidly regenerating demons as a single word escaped his mouth.
"Devour."
[Devourer: Unique Ability Activated]
A moment of silence persisted.
Then, an unbelievable, ridiculous amount of energy erupted from his palm.
The violet energy instantly covered the red, hellish sky, painting it in a luminous glow.
It transformed into a massive, sphere-like entity, a writhing, tar-like violet mass that spread instantly, engulfing the entire battlefield.
A terrifying noise echoed as it swallowed the demons alive, like a black hole consuming everything in its path.
In an instant, it all vanished, drawn back into his palm, disappearing into nothingness.
It was over.
In an instant, there had been no escape.
"W-What..."
The fallen angel¡¯s eyes widened to their limit.
In his millions of years of existence, he had never witnessed anything like this.
"W-What kind of bullshit ability is that?"
"How can a human possess such power?"
His mind raced, overworked with countless questions he couldn¡¯t comprehend.
He simply couldn¡¯t grasp what had just happened, how a mere human could wield such overwhelming might.
His demons, the ones who had survived the rain of spells, he could no longer sense their presence.
Demons were not meant to die permanently unless their souls were destroyed.
Otherwise, after a few hundred years, they would simply resurrect.
This was why demons never hesitated in battle.
They were practically unkillable as long as their souls remained intact.
Even if Damian had slain them just now, they should still be able to resurrect in a few hundred years.
As one of the 72 rulers of Hell, he knew this truth all too well.
In fact, with his authority as a ruler, he could sense when a demon in his legion perished and when they resurrected.
But right now, he couldn¡¯t.
He couldn¡¯t feel their presence at all.
His connection to his legion, the demons who had fallen victim to that terrifying attack, was completely severed.
Erased.
"What did he do?"
At that moment, the fallen angel began to feel a despair unlike anything he had ever experienced.
He didn¡¯t know what kind of ability this was, but it utterly terrified him.
The fear of the unknown seeped into his heart like maggots feasting on decaying flesh.
Damian, still reeling from the experience of devouring hundreds of demons alive, somehow became aware of his opponent¡¯s fear.
He didn¡¯t know how, but he could feel it.
[Experience Limit Reached] S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[You have Leveled up] x 8
[You have devoured 480 lesser demons] Stay connected through NovelFire.C?m
[The subskill [Refinement] is taking effect]
[The process of refining the devoured demons has begun]
[You have refined the physical bodies of the demons]
[You have refined the souls of the demons]
[You have refined the energy of the demons]
As soon as he devoured the 480 demons, his unique ability [Devourer] triggered its subskill [Refinement], which began processing them.
It separated the useful from the useless, stripping away their unique essences, impurities, imperfections, flaws, individual influences, and any possessions they carried.
Everything unnecessary was erased completely according to Damian¡¯s needs, keeping only what was good, useful, and beneficial to him.
[You have acquired the [Souls] of 480 lesser demons]
[You have acquired the [Memories] of 480 lesser demons]
[You have acquired the [Miasma] of 480 lesser demons]
[You have acquired the [Constitutions] of 480 lesser demons]
Within his other subskill [Spiritual Space], four orbs of different colors appeared:
A dark blue orb representing the [Souls].
A light blue orb representing the [Memories].
A brown orb representing the [Constitutions].
A golden-brown orb representing the [Miasma]
[You can assimilate them with yourself whenever you choose.]
Damian¡¯s figure gently descended into the land of Hell, his violet eyes narrowing at the ruler of the underworld.
"You see, I have so much to attend to. Why don¡¯t you just let yourself be killed? I can promise the process will be painless," Damian said.
But this time, he wasn¡¯t smiling.
He was serious.
He truly had too much to do, growing stronger by forging his own path, winning a war, making his faction the strongest, and countless other things.
The fallen angel¡¯s eyes suddenly locked in place, his teeth gritting as he thought about the position he had been reduced to.
To be asked by a human for a painless death, as if he had no other choice.
Looking at Damian, he felt as if he were standing before someone he couldn¡¯t rise against.
For a moment, he saw his father¡¯s image overlap with Damian¡¯s.
Back then, he had been at the mercy of his father.
And now, once again, he was at someone¡¯s mercy, but this time, it was a human.
The lowest-ranked race of them all.
Just that thought alone made his fury unbearable.
His energy erupted in waves, crackling through the air as a spear materialized in his hand.
Damian narrowed his eyes. "So you chose the painful way instead¡ so be it."
The fallen angel¡¯s wings spread wide before he blasted forward, his figure hurtling toward the human who dared to stand against him.
His intent was clear, to tear Damian into thousands of pieces before subjecting his soul to all seven levels of Hell for eternity.
Damian sighed.
The red pendant around his neck flickered, transforming into a jet-black spear with crimson accents before landing in his hand.
The fallen angel appeared before Damian in an instant, thrusting his spear, now cloaked in purplish-black energy.
Damian raised his own weapon, [Recna, the Spear of Torment], with casual ease, merely intending to assess his opponent¡¯s strength.
The fallen angel¡¯s spear, stuck in [Recna], released an intense wave of energy, bursting forth against Damian and pushing him back several meters.
The energy-covered spear, wielded by the ruler of Hell, burned with purplish-black flames, causing excruciating pain.
However, Damian endured the attack, taking it head-on.
Not giving Damian a moment to regain his footing, the fallen angel suddenly pointed his hand at him and opened his fingers before abruptly closing them.
In an instant, hundreds of weapons such as swords, spears, and other sharp objects that had once belonged to his demons and lay scattered across the battlefield began to move as if possessed by a will of their own.
At blinding speed, they shot toward Damian like bullets, stabbing him from all directions.
Countless blades pierced through his body, emerging from the other side, all while he continued to burn in the purplish-black flames of this unknown energy.
Chapter 110: Damian Vs Marquis Andras - 4
Dozens of blades, swords, spears, and other pointed weapons shot toward the figure engulfed in purplish-black flames, piercing him from all directions.
Some weapons even went through his body and emerged from the other side, yet the flames continued to burn just as intensely.
Despite the brutal assault, the awakener inside did not scream in pain or even move from his spot, allowing the pointed weapons to impale him one after another.
The attacker, the fallen angel Marquis Andras, was in no condition to contemplate the ominous silence that persisted or why the awakener he had struck wasn¡¯t reacting.
Consumed by fury, he did not pause for a moment to consider whether his attack was even working. Instead, he spread his arms, his muscles trembling as the veins in his forearms became starkly visible, as if he were struggling to lift something immense.
As if responding to his will, the numerous rock formations scattered throughout this hellish territory began to shake violently.
Then, hundreds of massive black stones, varying in size and shape, some as large as Ferris wheels, rose from the land and shot toward the impaled figure, still burning in purplish-black flames.
One after another, the colossal stones crashed into him from all directions in rapid succession, smashing him again and again.
The sheer force of the stone structures colliding in a single spot, piling on top of each other, sent massive shockwaves rippling through the area, shaking the ground violently.
Huge chunks of hellish rock were hurled outward at high speeds, while the sheer weight concentrated in one place carved deep craters into the terrain and caused enormous cracks to form in the ground.
Marquis Andras took a few deep breaths, then grinned as he surveyed the devastation.
He couldn¡¯t see what had become of Damian, but given the scale of destruction caused by his demonic power, he assumed that Damian was finished.
Demons are, well, demons.
They are beings of sin, created by sin itself.
Sadistic, malevolent, and cruel by nature, they are inherently evil, as they are formed from the accumulation of all that is negative, wicked, and sinful in Hell.
Demons are manipulative beings who will do anything to fulfill their desires.
In fact, demons are a type of spirit, specifically evil spirits, born from the negative emotions, sins, and other corrupt forces, along with the [Miasma] generated by the Hell.
They originate in the place where the souls of the damned are sent, a realm known as Hell.
There exist many Hells, and the one Damian was currently fighting in belonged to the Biblical Pantheon.
As evil spirits, demons are composed entirely of pure miasma, making them essentially immortal.
They cannot be permanently killed unless their souls are completely destroyed.
Otherwise, they will resurrect after a hundred years, feeding on [Miasma] and the souls of the damned.
The souls of demons are bound to Hell, and as long as Hell exists, demons will always return.
Fallen angels, however, are a little different from demons.
Fallen angels were not always fallen.
They were once angels who served under the Heavenly Father, the God-King of the Biblical Pantheon, and lived alongside other angels in Heaven, the paradise of the Biblical realm.
Angels are free from sin and desire, but when one succumbs to temptation and commits a sin, they fall from grace and become a fallen angel.
When this happens, they are stripped of their status as angels, cast out of Heaven, and forced to find a place in Hell.
This is how fallen angels come to reside there.
Like demons, angels are spirits, but they are good spirits created from positivity, virtue, and holy energy.
However, when they fall from grace, everything that made them pure is corrupted.
Their positivity turns to negativity, their virtues transform into sins, and their holy energy, the source of their power, is tainted into dark power.
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Upon becoming fallen angels, they gain the right to challenge for one of the 72 ruler positions in Hell.
However, not every fallen angel is strong enough to defeat the powerful demons and claim a rank.
One such fallen angel who succeeded was Andras, who won the 63rd position.
Nowadays, there are fewer fallen angels in Hell, as most of them have been hunted down and killed by self-righteous angels who refuse to let them exist.
Before his fall, the fallen angel Marquis Andras was known as Andrael, the Angel of Order.
Now, he is referred to as the Fallen Angel of Disarray, the Demon of Disarray, or even Devil of Disarray.
Fallen angels are also a kind of demon and an evil spirit, so it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to refer to them as demons.
The only thing that sets them apart from other demons is that they used to be good spirits before they turned into evil ones, and they have access to a unique energy called Dark Power.
Dark Power is the nemesis of Holy Power.
If Holy Power represents positivity and good, then Dark Power embodies negativity and evil.
They are complete opposites, residing on opposite sides of the universe.
One exists in Heaven and the other in Hell.
Holy Power is wielded by angels, while Dark Power belongs to the fallen.
Among the 72 rulers of Hell, 14 of them are fallen angels, excluding the King of Hell.
Andras was one of them. Well, soon to be, or rather, used to be.
Marquis Andras grinned as if he had already won, but there was no system notification.
He dismissed the thought, convinced that no human could have survived his relentless assault.
Being burned by Dark Flames, pierced by countless sharp objects, and finally crushed beneath a mountain of massive stone formations.
But that was where he was wrong.
Damian was no ordinary human.
He was a True High Human, one of a kind.
The massive pile of rocks, formed by Andras through his demonic power, began to tremble violently as if struck by an earthquake.
The fallen angel¡¯s grin faded.
"Don¡¯t tell me... he¡¯s still alive after all that?"
The mountainous debris exploded in all directions, and a figure shot up into the sky.
His body was riddled with dozens of blades piercing through him, dark flames still clinging to his flesh, but he was far from finished.
[Your talent [Limitless Refinement] is taking effect.]
[Your resistance to Dark power is increasing.]
[Your resistance to Dark power is increasing.]
[Your resistance to Dark power is increasing.]
[Your resistance to Dark power is increasing.]
[Your resistance to Dark power is increasing.]
[Your constitution [Unyielding Warrior¡¯s Physique] is taking effect.]
[You have developed the trait [Dark Resistance].]
Out of nowhere, all the dark flames surrounding him disappeared as if they were never there.
Smirking to himself, Damian pulled out the sharp objects that had impaled him, and as soon as he did, the wounds healed in an instant.
Suddenly, sparks of white energy were released before his entire figure was engulfed in white flames.
The [Holy Essence] inside him surged outward, covering his body.
His black and brown hair transformed into a silvery white color, growing a few inches longer.
[Ascent of Seraphim: Form Transformation Activated.]
The [Holy Essence] began to condense further, and behind him, three pairs of wings made of pure holy power manifested.
The energy continued to gather around him, forming a silvery-white full-body armor.
Damian didn¡¯t waste a single moment.
His figure shot toward the fallen angel at full speed like a flash of white light.
Marquis Andras gritted his teeth in frustration.
It was as if his attack had done nothing to Damian, but he wasn¡¯t going to let that stop him.
Raising his arms, he made a pushing gesture, and instantly, all the stones, rocks, dirt, and sharp objects around him lifted from the ground as if they had a mind of their own before shooting toward the incoming Damian.
Damian didn¡¯t care about this at all.
In fact, he was more interested in the fallen angel¡¯s ability, the power to manipulate objects with just a wave of his hand.
He wondered if he could obtain it by devouring him.
Millions of broken stones and sharp objects shot toward Damian from the front, but he remained unfazed.
The holy power enveloping him erupted, and everything that collided with him shattered apart.
Even the few objects that managed to pierce his body didn¡¯t matter.
His wounds healed instantly.
"No... this can¡¯t be it... I can¡¯t lose..."
No matter how much the fallen angel used his power, he couldn¡¯t stop Damian in his tracks.
Damian broke through everything in his path and reached his foe, the fallen angel.
But instead of using his spear of swords, he used his hands covered in holy energy and impaled the fallen angel.
They crashed into the ground, not with a massive impact, but the fallen angel¡¯s state told a different story.
There was a hand-shaped hole in his chest, and his figure burned with holy flames, stopping his regeneration despite his body struggling to heal.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!"
Ignoring the screams of the fallen angel, Damian pulled his hand from the wound and condensed a large amount of holy power.
He then grabbed the fallen angel¡¯s remaining hand and, using sheer physical strength, tore it off, making him scream even louder.
He did the same with his legs, the other arm, and finally the angel¡¯s wings before activating his unique ability.
"Devour."
A giant mass of violet energy erupted like a thick, consuming force, pulling in everything in its path.
The fallen angel was completely absorbed, leaving no trace behind.
[You have devoured the fallen angel ¡¯Marquis Andras.¡¯]
[Your subskill [Refinement] has been activated.]
[The process of refining the devoured fallen angel has begun.]
[The body of the fallen angel has been refined.]
[The soul of the fallen angel has been refined.]
[The constitution of the fallen angel has been refined.] S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
[The energy of the fallen angel has been refined.]
[You have acquired the soul of a higher fallen angel.]
[You have acquired the constitution of a higher fallen angel.]
[You have acquired the memories of the higher fallen angel.]
[You have acquired the dark essence of the higher fallen angel.]
[Everything you obtained from the refinement process has been stored in your spiritual space.]
Chapter 111: No One Is Allowed To Kill Anyone
[You have completed the Demon Dungeon mission.]
[Rewards are being calculated...]
[Rewards: +200,000 Gold
+5 Miasma Stones
+1 Unique Transportation Card (Biblical Hell)]
"Another transportation card? Why would I want to come to Hell again?" Damian muttered, rubbing his temples.
Suddenly, another set of notifications rang in his ears.
[You have killed a ruler of Hell.]
As soon as this notification appeared, a crown made of dark, jagged hellish black metal manifested out of nowhere and landed atop his head.
A single ember-colored gem gleamed menacingly at its center.
[You have obtained the Crown of a Ruler of Hell.]
[The Will of Hell has acknowledged you as a worthy contender for the throne of the Seven Levels of Hell.]
[By defeating the 63rd Ruler of Hell, your conquest has been recognized by the System of Hell, and you have ascended to the 63rd position among the Rulers of Hell.]
[You have obtained the Hell¡¯s territory of Andras.]
[You have gained the right to rule the legions of Hell residing in the territory of Andras.]
[You have obtained the right to rename the territory as you see fit.]
[Your ascension to one of the 72 Rulers of Hell has been announced to the remaining rulers.]
[You have obtained the Sub-Class: Ruler Of Hell]
"Well, I guess I will be coming to Hell again," Damian grinned, glancing at the notification before activating his transportation card to [Thaerris].
His figure vanished instantly.
...
A couple of seconds after Damian had just killed the 63rd ruler of Hell, Marquis Andras, and taken his place, every single demon in Hell, including the 71 rulers, received an announcement from the system declaring the newly ascended ruler.
Immediately, speculation spread among the demons.
Most assumed it was simply one of the other rulers, as it wasn¡¯t unusual for them to be at each other¡¯s throats, fighting to claim more legions of demons and expand their territories.
However, when the rulers of Hell used their own authorities to investigate the matter, they discovered something truly shocking.
The new 63rd ruler of Hell was not another demon.
In fact, he wasn¡¯t even a demon at all.
Yet, among all the demons, there was one who wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised.
That was because this particular demon had been watching the battle between Marquis Andras and a human named Damian Ignatius from the very start.
A few kilometers away from Andras¡¯s territory, where Damian had just slain the ruler and his army of a thousand demons, a demon sat comfortably in a plush, cozy armchair.
His legs were crossed, and he held a glass filled with a crimson liquid, leisurely sipping as though he were on vacation.
He wore a clean black full-sleeved shirt, black pants, and matching shoes.
His appearance was refined and relaxed.
Unlike most demons, his features were eerily human, save for his slitted black eyes.
With a grin, he watched as the human named Damian Ignatius effortlessly slaughtered one of Hell¡¯s rulers and his army, displaying a power so overwhelming that even he found it terrifying.
Through his special authority, he alone was permitted by the system to observe the battle.
As he witnessed everything unfold, he couldn¡¯t help but feel an overwhelming curiosity about this extraordinary human.
"This is getting interesting." An even wider grin formed on his handsome face, extremely out of place considering where he was.
In the middle of Hell¡¯s territory, at the deepest level of Hell, he stood surrounded by millions of demons, with rivers of inferno flowing in all directions.
Towering castles, seemingly constructed from pure hellish rock, loomed ominously around him.
...
In another place, located in a completely different dimension, everything seemed to be made of light, radiant and bright as far as the eye could see.
This place was divided into seven levels, each filled with beings of virtue, goodness, and holiness.
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Everywhere one looked, goodness could be seen and felt, woven into the very fabric of existence.
Ethereal clouds stretched endlessly across the expanse, forming a breathtaking landscape.
Not everyone could enter this place, and those who did would never even think of leaving.
This place was known by many names throughout different worlds in the universe: Paradise, The Abode of the Righteous, The Eternal Kingdom, The Promised Land, The Higher Plane, Silver City.
But the most well-known name of all was Heaven.
Yes, this was Heaven.
Well, technically, the Biblical Heaven, for every pantheon had its own Heaven, just as every pantheon had its own divine realm.
The Biblical Heaven, the Promised Paradise, was created by the Heavenly Father for His angels and for the righteous souls who found their way here, a world crafted from all that is holy and just.
In the deepest part of this Heaven, a being who seemed to be made entirely of pure, silvery light stood alone, an otherworldly presence. Something had drawn his attention, making him raise his nonexistent eyebrow.
He was watching a fight between a human and a fallen angel in one of biblical Hell¡¯s territories.
He observed as the human displayed the Holy Power, something unique to angels, and then proceeded to beat the fallen angel mercilessly.
What followed was even more astonishing: the human used some strange yet terrifying ability to completely absorb the fallen angel.
He could no longer sense the fallen angel¡¯s presence, as if it had vanished into nothingness.
This intrigued him greatly.
His gaze then shifted to another being sitting comfortably in a soft armchair.
The man wore a suit and held a glass of red liquid, his handsome face framed by blonde hair, an appearance far too refined for a demon.
He, too, was watching the battle between the fallen angel and the human.
The radiant man, seemingly made of pure light, shook his head. "Of course, he¡¯s interested in this unique human. But I won¡¯t let him have his way."
"I won¡¯t let a perfectly unique, self-growing diamond be wasted by a demon. I will make sure this gem of a human walks the path of righteousness, not that damned demon whom, unfortunately, I created."
Meanwhile, in another dimension, one far beyond where Heaven or Hell existed, stood a colossal castle stretching for kilometers.
Within its vast halls lay a grand throne room.
Seated on the throne was a woman with white hair, known by the system administrator as the System Head.
Before her stood two more women.
One was none other than the System Administrator, Eden, and beside her was the green-haired woman Damian had met upon arriving in [Thaerris], her name was Thea.
The three women watched as Damian fought the fallen angel.
They also took note of how a powerful demon had grown interested in him.
Now, a god-king of an entire pantheon, having seen the demon¡¯s fascination with Damian, had taken an interest as well.
As they observed, a single question loomed between them:
Should they just kill both of them and be done with this mess?
"No," Eden screamed, shaking her head. "No one is killing anyone!"
"Why not? They might become an annoyance to Damian," the family head asked, rolling her eyes.
"I let them watch his fight with the fallen angel, okay? Those two are like children throwing tantrums at each other. I predicted that he might use them to become more powerful faster."
"Besides, no one is allowed to interfere with his growth until his true essence begins to emerge, which I predict will happen very soon. So until he recovers, no one is allowed to interfere in his growth."
Eden narrowed her eyes, making it clear that she was serious this time as she looked at the family head. "That includes you. You can¡¯t interfere, at least not until he awakens the bloodline he inherited. Do you understand?"
"Fine," the family head rolled her eyes and nodded.
As the head of the family, she knew when Eden was being serious, and right now was one of those times.
She also knew Eden wouldn¡¯t care about anything else, not even her, if it meant protecting and securing his growth.
She would go to any lengths, even if it meant destroying worlds.
The family head knew better than to make her angry.
She might seem like a child and even accept being treated as one, but when she was angry, she was truly terrifying, even to her.
"I agree. Other than Eden, no one should be allowed to interfere with his growth," Thea agreed. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Yeah, only I have the ability to process billions upon billions of pieces of information and determine the most optimal ways for him to grow. You know I would only want the absolute best for him, so don¡¯t question what I do," Eden said with a sigh.
"Hmm... anyway, where is he on the whole ¡¯creating his own path¡¯ thing?" the family head asked.
"He is¡ actually, he¡¯s getting started right about now," Eden replied.
"And he¡¯s in Thaerris now? He came back to learn the ways of energy from the spirits of my world," Thea said.
"I¡¯m very interested in what he going to do... Obviously, he is going to powerfull."
Chapter 112: Restless Days
The Territory of Circle of Ouroborous.
[Remaining time until war begins: 02(D):00(H):00(M):00(S)]
"What the hell is he doing? There are only two days left before the war begins! When will he return?" Alfie, the common elf, asked, biting her lips, unable to hide her frustration.
"As you said, there are still two days left. He still has time to complete whatever he¡¯s doing," Sir Holloway, the plebeian vampire, said with a sigh. This was already the fifth time she had asked the same question.
"I¡¯m losing my mind just sitting here, thinking about what could happen when the war starts," Alfie sighed, holding her head as if she had a terrible headache.
"Well, there¡¯s nothing else we can do but wait and see exactly what your faction leader went to accomplish," Maria chuckled.
"Was he serious when he said he could grow that powerful in just one week¡¯s time? How exactly would he accomplish that?" Shiru asked, looking at the only person who might possibly hold some answers, Sir Lucian Holloway.
"Well, that depends. Right now, considering the limited time available, the ways to grow powerful are pretty restricted to just a few options, like leveling up."
"But I doubt that¡¯s what he intends to do. Leveling up won¡¯t make much of a difference. Yes, it will increase your attributes, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean it will make you stronger."
"Noble vampires have naturally stronger and more durable bodies than humans. Unless the difference in physical attributes is significant, leveling up won¡¯t result in visible improvements."
This was one of the main reasons why Awakeners of higher tower realms didn¡¯t focus much on leveling up.
Instead, they concentrated on cultivation, using their unique talents to make themselves stronger and enhance their physical attributes, just like Damian had been doing.
He effectively used his talents to strengthen his physical body through adaptation and the Regenerative Cycle, repeatedly destroying his body and regenerating it again and again.
This method allowed him to increase his vitality and physical attributes, making him far stronger than before.
Damian was a supreme path cultivator, the kind never seen before, who cultivated to such an extreme degree that it was considered impossible even for a talented genius cultivator.
He always pushed things to the absolute limit.
For example, if a normal cultivator needed [one Foundation] to reach the peak stage of the [Foundation Establishment Realm], a genius might have the talent to create more than one before breaking through to the next cultivation realm.
However, no matter how talented or gifted a cultivator was, none had ever managed to create more than five foundations.
But Damian, being Damian, forcibly pushed his dantian to its limits.
Using his [Extraction] ability, he absorbed an overwhelming amount of [Qi] to force foundation building, ultimately creating nine foundations when he reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
There weren¡¯t just [Qi] cultivators. Other types of cultivators existed, using different kinds of energy to cultivate.
For instance, Elfie, Maria, and her seven sisters cultivated using an energy called [Holy Essence], which functioned similarly to [Qi cultivation].
Then there were magic users who preferred to study and practice magic to deepen their understanding of their elements, thereby increasing their [Magic Cultivation].
Another method for them to grow stronger, besides conventional means, was through the development of the [Elemental Fusion] skill.
However, this was only possible if they possessed an affinity for more than one element.
When Damian evolved into a [True High Human], his [Elementalist] talent evolved into the [Elemental King] talent.
Along with an insane boost to his comprehension ability, he also gained affinity for two new elements: [Ice] and [Lightning].
This brought his total number of elemental affinities to six, an already astonishing feat.
Because he possessed so many elemental affinities, his potential for mastering [Elemental Fusion Magic] was nearly limitless.
"But when he was talking before he went on his way, he mentioned that he was going to create his own path. I don¡¯t know what he meant, but I have some theories about it," Sir Holloway continued.
"And what are those?" Elfie asked.
"Well, he didn¡¯t say, and I don¡¯t think he has figured it out completely either. It¡¯s probably like I said. When he evolved into a [Superior Human], his natural instincts about his growth became stronger, and that¡¯s what is driving him to do everything he¡¯s doing right now."
"Whether he succeeds or fails is completely up to his talents, abilities, circumstances, and most of all, luck," Sir Holloway sighed.
"Luck? I wouldn¡¯t take you as someone who believes in luck," Mariqa said, smiling.
"Trust me, luck is a very real concept," Sir Holloway chuckled.
"And I believe Damian is someone who has the force of luck watching over him."
"From what I have learned, what I have seen him accomplish, and the potential he has displayed, potential unlike anything I have ever seen before, I have a strong feeling that whatever he is trying to achieve, he is going to succeed."
"Wow, you really have great faith in him, don¡¯t you?" Shiru asked, pursing her lips.
"It¡¯s not hope, it¡¯s confidence in ability," Sir Holloway replied, shaking his finger.
After all, they had only met a couple of days ago.
Of course, their relationship wasn¡¯t anywhere near the point where he would use the word hope.
"Regardless," Shiru added, "I heard from some of my acquaintances who also work for the system about the recent affairs of Solarta."
"She said that more and more vampires are arriving, ones who have already climbed into the higher tower realms. But fortunately, almost all of them are plebeian vampires and not noble vampires."
"That sounds right. The noble vampires wouldn¡¯t involve themselves with the problems of other noble vampires, let alone the problems caused by an amateur, arrogant, self-involved noble vampire like Aeron Brenlith," Sir Holloway continued.
"Among the noble vampire clans, the Brenlith clan, despite being one of the five count clans, doesn¡¯t have a good reputation. Just imagine every noble vampire from that clan being the same as Aeron Brenlith: sadistic, arrogant, and self-centered, even by vampire standards."
He continued, "So most of the noble vampires participating in this conflict are likely related to the Brenlith clan. There aren¡¯t many noble vampires, as far as I know, only a handful, and I doubt some of them would even want to be involved in this."
"Then I should be fine, right? Damian overwhelmed Aeron Brenlith very easily, and he seemed to have high resistance to flames," Shiru asked.
"That¡¯s a very bad assumption," Sir Holloway shook his head.
"Even though the Awakeners entering Solarta are restricted to a level and cultivation limit, that doesn¡¯t mean all of their strength is completely restricted."
Although Awakeners are limited by the realm¡¯s upper threshold for level and cultivation, which lowers their attributes and stats through a limiter, this restriction exists to prevent those who have grown too powerful and ascended to higher tower realms from descending to lower realms and becoming dictators.
However, just because the system limits an Awakener¡¯s power doesn¡¯t necessarily mean their full strength is entirely suppressed.
Remember, the system¡¯s way of quantifying an Awakener¡¯s attributes is not completely accurate or precise.
Attributes don¡¯t remain static; they are constantly shifting and evolving.
Other than leveling up, some Awakeners can utilize their strength far more efficiently due to unique conditions, anything that could temporarily allow them to exert power beyond their listed stats.
This increase wouldn¡¯t appear in the system¡¯s quantification because it¡¯s only a temporary surge in strength.
It¡¯s similar to how humans experience sudden bursts of strength due to adrenaline, yet the system wouldn¡¯t recognize this as their true strength.
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Likewise, even though the system restricts abilities, power, energy, and attributes, that doesn¡¯t mean all of them are being perfectly and completely suppressed.
After all, when Awakeners level up, grow stronger, and increase their attributes, their bodies and souls evolve along with them.
And just because the system places a limiter on them, most of their strength still remains within their bodies.
Their flesh, blood, bones, and souls remain unchanged, and even if the system claims their power is restricted, that doesn¡¯t mean it is completely restricted.
Yes, a part of their power will be restricted to match the limit, but the quality of their restricted power, abilities, attributes, flesh, bones, and soul will still be that of Awakeners from the higher Tower Realms.
Now, imagine vampires who have climbed the high Tower Realms battling against Awakeners from the lowest Tower Realm, the First Tower Realm, Solarta.
It would be like Awakeners with higher-quality power fighting against Awakeners with lower-quality power but with the same quantity of power.
In such cases, the outcome of battles would greatly depend on quality.
That¡¯s why it becomes extremely troublesome when an Awakener from a higher Tower Realm comes searching for a fight with an Awakener from a lower realm.