It had been five days since Damian's body entered a hibernation-like state, a complete unconscious repair mode designed to heal his severely burned and damaged body.
While Damian was recovering, the other Awakeners who had obtained their classes had already passed through more than four trials and were well on their way toward reaching the First Tower Realm, [Solarta].
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, uncontrollable fury rise from within his heart.
He had desperately tried to devise a solution, using all his mental strength and even his talent, [Rumination Clarity], but no plan 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 blast 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 healed completely.
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 flawless.
All his wounds had healed completely.
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 Clarity] had awakened when he pushed his comprehension 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 glanced at the pond, its water teeming with highly concentrated natural energy.
"Many, after completing 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 isolated 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.
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 become.
With greater challenges come 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 planet 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 [class].
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 nothing compared 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 [class].
After about two hours, he successfully opened the 11th meridian.
He didn't stop there and continued circulating the Qi towards the last 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 successfully 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 uncontrollably, as if it would make him explode.
[You have a surplus amount of Qi without a place 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, uncontrollable 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 circulating the raging Qi he had 'Extracted' from the pond water.
It felt as if he were circulating 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 become, 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 also completely 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 successfully opened the 14th meridian.
[Your Qi circulation is improving.]
[Your nerves are strengthening.]
Time passed, and Damian remained completely still, continually circulating the raging Qi inside him.
Another ten days passed just like that.