NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53: S ranked awakening
The first wave of pain hit like lightning striking every nerve ending simultaneously. Noah's back arched against the oak tree, muscles seizing as void energy coursed through his system. The darkness enveloping him wasn't just visual – it had weight, presence, density.
[Evolution Progress: 2%]
[Warning: Cellular reconstruction beginning]
[Pain suppression: Unavailable during evolution]
Each breath became a struggle against the crushing pressure. The void shadows swirled faster, creating a cocoon of pure darkness that pulsed with otherworldly energy. Through the pain, Noah felt something different – not just power, but understanding. Knowledge flowing into him like ice water through his veins.
'This isn't just about strength,' he realized through the haze of agony. 'It's about seeing.'
[Evolution Progress: 15%]
[Detecting fundamental changes to user's energy pathways]
[Warning: Process cannot be stopped]
The burning intensified, spreading through his bones like molten metal being poured into a mold. His injured arm throbbed in symphony with his thundering heart, each pulse sending fresh waves of torment through his body. Yet beneath the pain, visions began to form – glimpses of possible futures, paths through the void, the inevitable decay of all things.
Minutes stretched into eternities. The void energy penetrated deeper, restructuring muscle fibers, reinforcing bones, rewriting the very essence of what he was. Noah's consciousness flickered between awareness and oblivion, each return bringing new understanding of the void's true nature.
[Evolution Progress: 37%]
[Void affinity increasing]
[Warning: User's perception temporarily expanding]
The pain shifted, becoming something beyond mere physical sensation. Reality seemed to split into layers before his eyes – what was, what could be, what must never be. Each surge of void energy brought new visions, new possibilities, new dangers.
'Too much,' he thought as another wave of agony crashed through him. 'Can't process it all.'
[Evolution Progress: 63%]
[Detecting formation of new sensory channels]
[Warning: Genetic reconstruction in progress]
In the depths of his suffering, Noah began to understand the price of his evolution. This wasn't just power being granted – it was knowledge being carved into his very being. Each wave of pain stripped away another veil between him and the void's mysteries.
[Evolution Progress: 89%]
[New class parameters establishing]
[Warning: Final phase beginning]
The final phase brought clarity through suffering. Noah felt his mind expanding, touching the edges of possibilities yet to come. The void wasn't just a force to be wielded – it was a truth to be understood, a future to be read.
[Evolution Progress: 100%]
[Evolution Complete]
[Class Evolution Successful]
The darkness receded like a tide pulling back from the shore, leaving Noah changed in its wake. His eyes opened, now bearing subtle rings of deep purple around the irises. His once-injured arm flexed without pain, stronger than before but not overwhelming so.
[Status Update]
[Name: Noah Eclipse]
[Level: 10]
[Class: Void Oracle]
[Health Points: 300/320]
[Void Energy: 450/450]
[Experience: 1,850/2,000]
[Talents:]
Void Summoning [SSS RANK]
Perfect Echo [Sealed]
Self-Regeneration [B RANK]
[Enhanced Skills:]
Void Blink (Level 4) - Short-range teleportation with moderate cooldown (10 seconds)
Null Strike (Level 3) - Added entropy damage, higher energy cost (Void energy - 100)
New Skill: Void Absorption (Level 1) - Absorb basic energy attacks
New Skill: Entropy Touch (Level 1) - Single-target decay effect (Void energy- 50)
[Updated Attributes:]
Strength: 30 (+6)
Agility: 35 (+7)
Vitality: 28 (+8)
Intelligence: 38 (+11)
Wisdom: 32 (+10)
[Special Reward: Domain Upgrade Available]
[Warning: One-time use opportunity]
[Status: Pending]
Noah leaned against the oak tree, methodically analyzing his new status. The system's interface had evolved along with him, now showing precise measurements of his capabilities.
'Health and energy bars,' he mused. 'More video game than ever.'
The changes were significant but not overwhelming. His physical attributes had improved notably, but not enough to match elite fighters like Lucas. The real changes were subtler – new skills that required finesse rather than raw power.
Storm's reaction caught his attention. The small dragon, usually so affectionate, now circled him warily. Its tail was raised, movements hesitant, as if approaching a stranger.
"It's still me, little one," Noah said softly, extending his hand. Storm sniffed the air, then backed away with a confused chirp. The void energy flowing through Noah's new form had changed his signature enough to make even his Wyvern cautious.
'Speaking of summon...' Noah scanned the area for Nyx. The newly evolved dragon was nowhere in sight, but the moment he thought of his companion, a system notification appeared:
[Summon Bond Established]
[Select Command Word]
Suggestions:
- "Awaken"
- "Pierce"
- "Emerge"
-"???" Customize
Before he could make his choice, Storm finally approached, tentatively butting its head against his leg. The small dragon's acceptance felt like passing an important test.
Now for the bigger challenge – choosing the word that would bind his evolved summon and testing just how much both of them had changed.
'The domain upgrade can wait,' he thought, eyeing the pending reward notification. 'First, let's see what you've become, Nyx.
Noah analyzed each option with cold precision. The command needed to be efficient, quick to say in combat situations. More importantly, it needed to be distinct enough that it wouldn't accidentally trigger during normal conversation. A tactical choice, not a symbolic one.
Storm's acceptance would have to wait. Even the domain upgrade would be shelved for now. Now he and a dragon were going to head into battle.
___
Back on Cannadah's plane, Micah slammed his enhanced gauntlet into the ground, channeling maximum gravitational force to avoid another bone-crushing strike from the two-horned Harbinger. The shockwave from its missed punch alone ruptured blood vessels in his left arm. Each breath sent sharp pains through his chest – definitely broken ribs. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and his muscles screamed in protest with every movement.
All this from near-misses. Just near-misses.
"You know what pisses me off the most?" Micah snarled, redirecting gravitational forces to slow the monster's next charge. "Everyone else got the easy missions today. Either die or run away. But me? I get stuck playing bait for this walking apocalypse!"
The two-horned Harbinger moved like a force of nature. Unlike its single-horned variant that relied on blinding speed, this one simply... dominated. Each step was strong enough to crush reinforced concrete.
Each swing carried enough force to level buildings. And its regeneration made the previous Harbinger look like a joke – flesh knitting back together almost instantly after Micah's strongest strikes.
Forty-five minutes of this hell. Forty-five minutes of precisely calculated dodges and gravity manipulation, knowing one direct hit would end him. His enhanced gauntlets, capable of flattening category 3 beasts, barely scratched this thing's hide.
Behind him, suspended twenty feet in the air, Lucas remained curled in a sphere of pure fusion energy. Blue lightning arced violently around him, each spark carrying enough voltage to power a small city.
Soul Awakening – the forbidden technique that only Alpha class awakened humans could attempt. The same technique that had left three S-ranked soldiers permanently corrupted in their first year, their cores burned out beyond repair.
Micah could feel his own strenght fluctuating dangerously with each gravitational manipulation. His left arm had gone numb ten minutes ago, and the edges of his vision were starting to blur. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. Every time he tapped into his gravity manipulation, the strain on his core intensified. At this rate, he'd burn out before Lucas even finished his transformation.
Micah gritted his teeth, tasting blood as he forced another gravity wave. His mind wandered to the harsh reality of his situation – he wasn't doing this out of bravery or duty. No, this was pure calculation.
Lucas was his lottery ticket. His guarantee of survival.
'Everyone called me a coward for running from the one-horned freak,' he thought bitterly, dodging another earth-shattering blow. 'But I was right, wasn't I? Look how many died trying to be heroes. I survived. That's what matters.'
Another shockwave rattled his bones. His left arm hung uselessly now, but he forced a grim smile. Lucas was different. Lucas was worth betting on. The academy's only S-ranked student, a true Alpha class awakened human. The kind of power that appeared maybe once in a generation.
Third gens? They were a dime a dozen. First and second gens even more common, filling the ranks of every defense force globally. But Alpha class? S-ranked? Those were the true monsters wearing human skin. The ones who could reshape battlefields with a thought.
'That's why it makes sense to play meat shield now,' Micah rationalized, channeling another burst of gravity to slow the Harbinger's advance. 'When Lucas pulls this off, everyone will talk about how Micah Reed helped humanity's strongest student achieve soul awakening. They'll forget about me running before. They'll only remember this.'
The strain on his core intensified, but he pushed through it. This was his ticket to redemption, to glory by association. Years from now, when they were deployed on official missions, people would still talk about this day. About how the great Lucas had a reliable partner who stood against a two-horned Harbinger.
'I wish it was me,' he admitted to himself, jealousy mixing with his determination. 'I wish I was the special one. The chosen one. But I'm not stupid – if you can't be the hero, be smart enough to back the right one.'
Another near-miss sent him stumbling. The Harbinger's laughter echoed off the ruined trees around them, but Micah held his ground. Not out of courage – he was terrified – but because his survival instincts screamed that staying close to Lucas was his best chance to live through this.
The Harbinger's next strike cratered the ground where Micah had stood milliseconds before. He redirected the gravitational forces upward, trying to at least slow the monster's movements. The beast actually laughed.
Then everything changed.
The air itself seemed to freeze as Lucas began to rise. Blue lightning cascaded around him in violent torrents, fusion energy radiating off him in waves that made Micah's teeth vibrate. For a brief moment, hope flared.
"Ah," the Harbinger's voice rumbled, its first words since the battle began. "So this is what you were building toward. How... nostalgic. It has been years since I witnessed a human attempt soul awakening." Its lipless mouth curved into something resembling amusement. "Though I should warn you – the last one who tried this against me? Their core shattered rather spectacularly."
Micah's stomach dropped. The realization hit harder than any of the Harbinger's attacks – it had been toying with them. Testing them. All this time, they thought they were buying Lucas time for their trump card.
The monster was just curious to see what they'd do.
"Tell me, little soldier," the Harbinger's eyes gleamed with ancient malice. "Did you really think we wouldn't remember how to counter your species' ultimate technique?"