The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion

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.

Planting his left foot forward and his right foot back, Damian channeled his enhanced strength and speed, launching 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]

"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 placed in the corner.

He splashed the water on his face to wipe away the blood and drank a few mouthfuls to quench his thirst.

Damian glanced 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 classified into four types:

Unique abilities – Abilities people are born with, unique to the individual.

Inherited abilities – Abilities gained from another awakener at the cost of their life, or by losing their abilities permanently.

Bloodline abilities – Abilities passed down through family bloodlines, though there is no guarantee that children will awaken these abilities.

Acquired abilities – Abilities developed through experience, triggered by certain conditions such as body condition, energy, limits, time, place, 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, competence, the ability to learn skills, or access to a set of skills related 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 becomes active after awakening this talent.

2. Grants threefold Elemental comprehension ability.

3. Grants your elemental affinity to four elements: Flame, 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% comprehension 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 lycans lay dead.

The claw 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, similar 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 a larger head, massive claws, 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 not last, nor will it be enough."

A thought, one he couldn't explain, 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.