The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion

"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 particular 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, launching 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 slashed 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.

Particularly 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 Slayer] in every direction, slashing 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 were lashing 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.

Not only was his movement more fluid, but his precision and accuracy 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 slashed at a snake-like vine that lashed 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 kept coming 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.

Slashing 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 flashed 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 slashed 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 even larger 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 place.

If he cut two, four more would attack.

The vines seemed endless, coming 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 slashed at everything in his path, struggling to get closer to the source core.

He leaped from vine to vine, using them as platforms 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.

They launched 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 him completely, 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.