บท 6: (VI) Awakening
"We..?" Sam muttered, staring at the window in surprise. In his past life, he never encountered a monster until he entered a dungeon, and even after killing his first one, he didn't receive anything like this.
The window vanished into black smoke and was replaced with another with a spinning circle inside it.
╔══Calculating...══╝
He sighed heavily, ignoring the window as he stood, picking up the rusted pipe and the tiny crystal on the ground and placing it in the messenger bag on his back before running down the alley.
He quickly proceeded through the city, darting across streets as he approached a portal.
The buildings were soon replaced with rubble due to the emergence of the dungeons, and his hiding places vanished with them. The rate of gunfire and tank blasts slowly decreased, prompting him to move faster.
The young man proceeded cautiously, picking up all the crystals dropped by the monsters as he drew closer. The crystals, known as Beast Cores in his previous life, were the monster's essence and became the most crucial aspect of post-apocalypse life.
They were used in everything from creating weapons and armor to powering new vehicles and mounted guns, even being utilized as alchemical reagents. However, their most important use was Hunter Absorption.
Each Beast Core was classified depending on the amount of energy contained within, following a grading scale similar to Hunters and Dungeons. The only caveat was a predetermined limit on how many could be absorbed by the Hunter.
The classification of your Hunter Rank came with many restrictions. First was the number of Ability Slots you could learn, and once an Ability was known, it couldn't be replaced through normal means.
Second, each rank could only absorb up to one hundred Beast Cores, and if they did not provide enough energy to level up to the next rank, you were trapped at that rank permanently.
This was his downfall in his past life. He had been a porter, and due to Cami, Ichiko, and Serenity, he was only fed the lowest-tier crystals, resulting in his growth stagnating.
Samael's gaze fixated on the spiraling portal as goblins continued to pour out of it. Rage started to build inside him as he recalled his death in the same dungeon.
He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists as his eyes became bloodshot, recalling his gruesome treatment before dying. He shook his head, snapping back to reality as a nearby tank fired a shell at the portal, creating a massive explosion.
Hundreds of F Rank Beast Cores lay at the entrance of the portal. He had to suppress his greed to rush in and collect all of them. Suddenly, the portal pulsated as it grew larger.
Bloodthirsty Hobgoblins started pouring out of the portal as the dungeon had undergone an evolution, causing every beast within to experience dramatic growth and surge in combative power.
The military halted their advance and unleashed a neverending, torrential hail of bullets, grenades, mortar fire, and tank blasts, creating a defensive line.
Gasps erupted from the soldiers as the smoke from the explosions disappeared, being met with the resounding march of the Hobgoblins. The soldiers rapidly reloaded their guns, unleashing another round of bullets.
The weapons were rendered useless as the thick hides of the Hobgoblins were impervious to the bullets, and soon, the monsters launched forward, breaking through the defensive line.
Soon, the monsters had overrun the military and started their feast. The soldiers stood no chance against the evolved goblins, and the pedestrian onlookers, hiding in nearby destroyed buildings, began to panic.
Even Samael's expression drew grim as he watched the scene unfolding before him. Even knowing the events to come, he couldn't help but start to feel nauseous.
He shook his head and started making his way away from the horde of Hobgoblins and found a better position to hide behind the ruins of a destroyed building nearby.
Using the dilapidated building as cover, he sat in the corner of two destroyed walls when a loud bell rang inside his ears, startling him as he stared at the window, calculating his Awakening. Soon, it vanished, a series of windows appearing in its place.
╔══Calculations Complete! Your position was determined to be nineteen! Congratulations on being among the Top Twenty-Five to defeat a monster and Awaken!══╝
╔══Awakening Received! Skillcard has been determined. Please wait for the Ability to generate!══╝
[Unique Ability: Soul Ties acquired.]
[Rank: SSS]
[This Ability has two effects. Active Effect: The User can select a target that will become bound to the User. A portion of their power will be transferred to the User. Passive Effect: The User will be able to always locate the target and can receive information about the target. Limitations: 0/1. As the intimacy of the target increases, additional slots will become available.]
Sam was astonished as he read the Ability, thinking he had received another busted ability. He lamented the bad luck he received during his prior life, recalling the Ability he had received only allowed him to increase his strength by twenty percent.
On paper, he was excited with the Ability but soon found out that there were Hunters who had received skills with built-in power increases, and when he was able to purchase a Skill Card, he selected an Ability called [Scan], which allowed him to gauge the attributes and effects of others.
Since he could not raise his Hunter Rank from F to D, he had lost the chance to obtain a powerful Ability to help him kill stronger monsters. A bright light suddenly erupted from his body as he experienced the Awakening for a second time.
He stood up as a brilliant light surrounded him. He raised his hands, turning them over as he gazed at the sight. Suddenly, he felt renewed vigor within him as his vitality increased due to the Awakening.
His body slimmed, and his muscles became more defined as he sighed heavily, releasing a cloud of energy, his eyes emitting a familiar light. Every Awakener experienced a similar sensation upon receiving their blessings and when their Hunter Rank increased.
He grinned as the light around him dimmed and turned to look out from behind the rubble covering him, glancing at the Hobgoblins, "Time to release some of this pent up frustration!"
He grabbed the rusty pipe off the ground and spun it around in a circle as he departed the ruins, approaching the portal. His plans had changed upon receiving another Ability after Awakening.
He initially wanted to take one of the abilities of the Zodiacs and use that to his advantage, but now, he had two broken abilities he couldn't pass over.
He knew better than to approach the entire horde of monsters, but the stragglers would be easy pickings for him.
Approaching from the rear silently, he appeared behind one of the Hobgoblins, eating a deceased soldier and raising the pipe above his head, bringing it down and crushing the beast's skull with a single blow as it vanished in a puff of black smoke.
He knelt down, picked up the larger crystal it left behind, and grabbed a combat knife off the soldier's body, thanking him for his sacrifice and saying a silent prayer.
He stood up, staring at the dozen Hobgoblins feasting before him, and smirked, "It's time to hunt!"
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