Valerius roared, his voice a guttural bellow of rage.
Kai, his friend, his teammate, lay lifeless on the ground, consumed by the Obsidian Widow's fiery breath.
Grief and fury surged through him, a potent cocktail that ignited a dormant power within him—one he hadn't used all this while as he was more of a melee fighter.
Valerius, sensing that the fight was reaching a pivotal peak, activated his ability.
The air around him crackled with energy, the wind whipping into a frenzied gale.
His eyes, usually calm and serene, now glowed with an eerie emerald green. He moved with a speed that defied human comprehension, a blur of motion as he closed the distance between himself and the Obsidian Widow. Pouring the rage and grief he felt for the loss of his fallen comrade into this strike.
He would empty his mana reserve on this one strike—it was truly a situation of 'going big or going home.' With the sick twist being, if he failed here, no one would be returning home.
The monstrous spider, sensing the shift in the air, turned its malevolent gaze towards Valerius.
It lashed out with its legs, attempting to disrupt this new power surge from this overgrown monkey, but Valerius was too fast, too unpredictable.
He weaved through the attacks, his movements fluid and graceful, a whirlwind of motion. With a swift, graceful arc, he plunged his sword into the spider's abdomen, the blade sinking deep into its chitinous hide.
The power of the wind element, coming to its aid, as with a brutal burst, the abdomen exploded—diced and sliced into pieces.
The Obsidian Widow let out a deafening screech, its body convulsing violently.
It thrashed about, its legs flailing wildly, but Valerius remained undeterred.
He unleashed a barrage of wind-enhanced attacks, each strike more devastating than the last. The air around him swirled and twisted, forming a miniature tornado that battered the Obsidian Widow.
Finally, with a resounding crash, the Obsidian Widow shuddered and collapsed, its eight eyes dimming and extinguishing.
Silence descended upon the chamber, broken only by the heavy breaths of the surviving Awakened. Valerius stood amidst the carnage, his body trembling, his emerald eyes slowly returning to their normal color. He had slain the Obsidian Widow, but at a terrible cost.
"BLEEEGHHH!"
Valerius abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood, quickly using his sword to stabilize himself—he had spent all his mana in that one attack, pushing his body to the limit.
Swiftly, a healer quickly came to his aid—the soft and soothing green light bathing his body and stabilizing his injuries.
"Kai..." Elara whispered, tears streaming down her face. "He was so young..."
"He was a brave soul," Valerius said, standing on his feet once more. His voice hoarse with emotion. "He fought valiantly."
A somber silence descended upon the group. They had faced death and emerged victorious, but the loss of their comrade cast a long shadow over their triumph.
The air in the chamber was heavy with grief and the lingering scent of burnt flesh.
While the Awakened were mourning Kai's loss, Ray was in another world of his own.
'It can't be possible, can it? I mean twice in a day?'
Ray was in euphoria; he felt giddy, suppressing his urge to jump and laugh out loud as he stared at the system notification that appeared once he had followed Silas in extracting the cores.
[Possible Extraction on Mid-F-Rank Blood Red Harpy]
[Would you like to perform an extraction]
He had been staring at this notification all the while they made their way to the boss's chamber.
And now, taking a look around at the sober mood, Ray decided to extract the attributes—after all, even if he appeared disoriented a bit, no one would pay attention to him—only seeing him as someone who truly felt the loss of a comrade, and was overly showing how much he was hurting within.
'Extract!'
[Extraction in process...]
[Extraction successful]
[+2 Strength]
[+3 Agility]
[+2 Defense]
[+3 Stamina]
[Extraction Complete. Attributes have been stored. Assimilation and Evolution will commence upon reaching a safe environment and when willed by the host.]
"Ughhhh!"
Ray groaned in frustration—the pain of extracting attributes from mid-rank monsters, weighing heavily on him—it seemed he would have to be careful when extracting attributes next time.
Ray, despite the somber mood, felt a surge of excitement.
The harpy, though a formidable foe, was only a mid-F-Rank. Perhaps extracting attributes from lower-ranked creatures wouldn't be as dangerous as he initially feared.
The miners, energized by the defeat of the Obsidian Widow, quickly sprang into action.
They quickly extracted the monstrous spider's core. With the core secured, they began their hasty retreat, following the retreating backs of the Gifted, eager to escape the death-laden chamber.
As the last miner stepped through the cavern entrance, the dungeon began to rumble. Rocks rained down from the ceiling, sealing the entrance shut.
The miners, gasping for breath, stumbled out into the sunlight, blinking against the sudden brightness. It seemed the dungeon had indeed left a formidable impression on these new recruits and porters alike, Ray included.
They emerged into a world bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. The crisp, fresh air filled their lungs, a stark contrast to the stale, metallic air of the cavern.
Laughter erupted from the crowd, a joyous cacophony of relief and celebration.
"We made it!"
"We're alive!"
The miners embraced, their faces beaming with joy. They had faced death and emerged victorious, their bodies weary but their spirits soaring. They had conquered the depths of the earth and returned to the embrace of the sun.
Unlike the lively atmosphere that had enveloped the crowd, Ray was seething with annoyance;
'Why the hell must the afternoon sun be so hot?'
He wondered, frantically trying to shield his eyes from the blazing rays of the sun.
He hurried back to his abode, eager to return to his room and begin his evolution. Frantically relying on the GPS system that had directed him earlier to the dungeons meeting point.
He reached his room, his heart pounding with anticipation. But as he fumbled for his key, a chilling realization dawned upon him. Kael, Zorain, and Kyra, the other members of his team, had not yet returned.
A wave of unease washed over him.
'They should be alright...right?'
He thought, filling himself with positive thoughts and masking any thought of worry within.
He quickly entered his room and locked the door, his mind racing.
He couldn't afford to take any chances. With a deep breath, he activated the assimilation process.
'System! Assimilate all stats'
[Processing Command]
[Deduced Host has willed his evolution]
[Analysed stored attributes gotten from Mid-F-Rank Grothk and Mid-F-Rank Harpy]
[Beginning Evolution Process]
[ Evolution beginning in 3...]
[...2]
[..1]
The world around Ray instantly dissolved into a kaleidoscope of colors.
A surge of energy, raw and potent, coursed through his veins. His muscles bulged, his bones realigned, and his body underwent a rapid transformation.
He felt his skin tightening, his senses sharpening. The world seemed to slow down, his perception heightened. He could hear the faintest whispers of the wind, feel the subtle vibrations of the ground beneath his feet.
The pain was intense, but different this time. It wasn't just physical; it was a profound transformation of his being. He felt his body adapting, evolving, becoming stronger, faster, more resilient.
His vision blurred, then returned, sharper than ever before. The world around him seemed to have taken on a new vibrancy, each detail more distinct, more alive.
The evolution continued, each passing moment bringing with it a wave of intense sensations.
He felt his body growing stronger, his reflexes sharpening, his senses becoming more acute.
His height, a miniscule 5'9 straight to 6'0. His once lean body, now appeared chiseled and filled with muscles—his black eyes shining with an eerie glow as Ray basked in the sensation of breaking his mortal limits.
He could feel the raw power surging within him.
Finally, the transformation subsided, leaving him breathless but exhilarated. He felt lighter, faster, stronger. He had evolved.
He stood up, his movements fluid and graceful. He flexed his muscles, feeling the newfound strength coursing through his veins. He punched the air, a blow that sent a tiny shockwave through his room.
He clenched and unclenched his fists. The wide grin on his face could not hide the excitement he felt at this moment.
'System show me my stats'.
[Status:
Name: Ray Cian Wyatt[Evolved]
Class: N/A
Abilities: Legendary grade (locked)
Health: 100/100
Mana: 10/10
Strength: 7-------->12
Agility: 6------->11
Defense: 5----->10
Stamina: 3------>10
All Non-Awakeneds stats cap out on 10 in all Attributes]