The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion

After defeating the fallen angel, Marquis Andras, Damian used the unique-grade [Transportation Card (Thaerris)] to return to the world of spirits. His figure suddenly appeared in the [Temple of Unity]. As soon as he arrived, all the fairies, peaceful elemental spirits, and non-elemental spirits were instantly drawn to him, especially the fairies, even more so than before. It seemed that after evolving into a [True High Human], his already extraordinary affinity with spirits had grown even stronger. Even the spirits that had previously ignored him now gathered around, eagerly asking to form contracts with him of their own accord. Of course, Damian didn't refuse them. He made hundreds of spirits his familiars, and even more wanted to form contracts with him. However, he didn't have time to entertain them all, as he had an upcoming war that required his immediate attention. The fairies, however, were stubborn and wouldn't let him ignore them, as if they wanted him to focus on entertaining them. He actually felt like a babysitter around them, but after a few minutes of playful nagging, they finally relented, though they pouted cutely as they did so. Some fairies, however, refused to leave his side, perching on his head and shoulders. At the very least, they wouldn't disturb him anymore. With a sigh, Damian took a seat and examined the loot he had obtained from completing the [Demon Dungeon Mission]. Several differently colored orbs and ember-colored stones appeared before him. [Souls, Memories, Miasma, Constitutions of lesser Demons] x 480 [Soul of a higher Fallen Angel] x 1 [Memories of a higher Fallen Angel] x 1 [Dark Essence of a higher Fallen Angel] x 1 [Constitution of a higher Fallen Angel] x 1 [Miasma Stone] x 5 When Damian completed his evolution, all his talents evolved into even stronger versions. When I say stronger versions, I mean to an insane degree, especially his abilities, which had grown overwhelmingly powerful, particularly the [Devourer] ability. After his talents and abilities evolved, all the information about them, including their new effects, entered his mind. He instinctively knew how and where he could use them. Right now, the potential of his talents and abilities has exceeded everything by such a large margin that the versions he possessed before their evolution now seem like child's play. Before evolving into [Devourer], his unique innate ability, [Extraction], could only extract energy from a target. However, after its evolution, it can now absorb and assimilate anything composed of energy. This means he can literally devour anything, including living beings, and extract all kinds of things from them, from abilities to constitution, and assimilate them into himself. There were also two newly unlocked sub-skills: [Refinement] and [Spiritual Space]. [Refinement] allowed him to refine anything he devoured, meaning he could process everything he consumed and choose to erase, store, or assimilate it according to his will. [Spiritual Space] was simple but highly useful. It granted him a space within his spiritual world where he could store anything he devoured and retrieve it whenever he wanted. Damian observed the orbs containing the souls of 480 lesser demons and the fallen angel, Marquis Andras. "What kind of effects would I experience if I assimilate these souls?" Despite his curiosity, Damian wasn't in a hurry to test it. If something went wrong or the process took too long, he could miss the upcoming war. Not to mention, these were souls. The very concept felt incredibly serious to him. He didn't want to make a critical mistake by assimilating souls, especially not just any souls, but those of 480 lesser demons and a high-ranking fallen angel like Marquis Andras. Although he had somehow gained knowledge about souls when he devoured them, he still wasn't ready to proceed. That said, he was definitely planning to assimilate them at some point. His ability [Devourer] gave him the distinct feeling that doing so would bring him immense benefits. For now, after [Souls], there were [Constitutions] and [Memories], both of which were self-explanatory. However, he chose not to assimilate them either. Instead, he focused his attention on the energy he had obtained from the demons and the fallen angel, [Dark Essence] and [Miasma]. He chose to assimilate them. [Dark Essence is being assimilated] [Miasma is being assimilated] [Your talent [World Tree's Avatar] is taking effect] [You have gained attunement with [Miasma] and [Dark Essence]] [Your talent [Transcendent Harmony] is taking effect] [You have achieved complete harmony with all the energies inside you, including [Miasma] and [Dark Essence]] [Warning!] [You are breaking the natural balance within you by attempting to harmonize two opposing energies of the universe] [Possessing representatives of both negative and positive essence within a single vessel is against the rules of the universe] [The [Dark Essence] and [Miasma] are clashing with [Holy Essence] inside you, attempting to eliminate each other's existence] [Your body is imploding from within] Suddenly, out of nowhere, Damian felt everything go numb. Cracks began to appear on his figure, as if he were shattering like a fragile crystal. Dark and white substances seeped out from the fractures, and despite his high vitality and the numerous boosts provided by the various energies and elemental essences within him, he wasn't healing. It was as if everything inside him had stopped functioning and was falling apart. [Your talent [Rule Breaker] is taking effect] [You have broken a rule of the universe] [You have achieved complete harmony between two opposing representatives of positivity and negativity] [The [Holy Essence], [Dark Essence], and [Miasma] have reached perfect harmony, negating all negative effects] As soon as the negative effects were nullified, all the cracks on his body rapidly healed, and the remaining process proceeded as usual. [Miasma Core has been created] [Dark Essence Core has been created] [Your Miasma has increased: +350] [Your Dark Essence has increased: +80] [Your constitution [Unyielding Warrior's Physique] is taking effect] [To maximize the effects of [Dark Essence] and [Miasma], your constitution is being altered] [You have awakened the constitution [Dark Descendant Fallen Physique]] [You have awakened the constitution [The Hellborn]] After that, Damian bought some [Dark Essence Crystals] and devoured them to increase his [Dark Essence] reserves, bringing them in line with his other energies. [Your Dark Essence Increased: +270] "Haaa…" Damian released a deep sigh as a speck of energy escaped his mouth. "Now, it's time to learn the ways of the non-elemental spirits." With a leap, his figure disappeared and reappeared in another location within the territory of the [Temple of Unity], standing before a very peculiar spirit shaped like a massive snake. This snake was one of the non-elemental spirits and was known to be peaceful. What made it non-elemental was the fact that it thrived on a unique energy, completely different in nature from the elemental forces of the world. Sensing his presence, the brown snake slowly opened its slit-like eyes and hissed, not in a threatening manner but rather with curiosity. It tilted its head slightly, as if analyzing him. Damian did not disturb its actions. "Teach me your ways," Damian requested. The snake's eyes glowed faintly with a soft white light for a few seconds before it responded. It did not open its mouth, yet somehow, Damian heard a voice inside his mind. He couldn't recognize the language, but mysteriously, he understood everything it said. The spirit gave him instructions, and Damian followed them, sitting cross-legged on the grassy ground in a meditative posture. He joined his hands together and regulated his breathing. Usually, after accumulating so many different energies, human necessities such as eating and breathing had become unnecessary for him. However, that didn't mean he couldn't do them. He simply had no need to. But for this process, he needed to breathe. After a few minutes, Damian entered a complete meditative state. Everything happening in the outside world became inconsequential to him. The snake spirit was slightly surprised by how quickly he had achieved this state. It was deeply impressed by the self-control Damian displayed, which seemed uncharacteristic of him. This wasn't an epiphany or a state of enlightenment. It was simply the act of shutting out external distractions and focusing solely on oneself. The snake spirit silently observed the human before it. It had never encountered a human with the potential to walk the path of spirits, not just the elemental spirits but its own unique path as well. There was something within Damian that made the spirit certain he could learn its ways. "I will be your guide..." "Follow my voice..." A voice echoed in his mind, but Damian did not respond. Still, the spirit knew he understood. A few seconds later, the snake's body began to emit a faint brownish energy, tracing an outline along its massive form. The spirit moved closer, bringing its head near Damian. Then, with gentle motion, it rested its forehead against his. Just as the snake's head touched his forehead, a new type of energy entered his being. [An energy known as Kundalini has entered your energy stream.]