The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Acquiring Physical Traits

Damian deactivated all effects of his class and abilities as he calmly exhaled hot air filled with thick Qi, watching as his bulging body returned to its normal state.

[Your body’s adaptation to sudden increases in power for short periods has significantly improved.]

Unlike before, his body had already adjusted to the sudden bursts of overall power from the effects of his class and his inherited ability to a certain extent.

At first, every time he stacked all the effects of his class and deactivated them, his body would hurt like hell, especially his inherited ability, [Warrior’s Will].

Not only did it increase the power of his abilities and physical attributes, but it also seemed to enhance the effects of his class.

On top of that, he also used his [Eyes of Clarity], so the consequences of using so many power-boosting effects and abilities simultaneously were overwhelming.

It felt as though his body was being battered from all directions.

As time passed, with his talent, [Boundless Refinement], which significantly enhanced his ability to adapt to any conditions, he no longer felt as much pain as he did before.

However, stamina consumption was still a big issue, though it slowly improved as his proficiency increased.

Damian sighed before pointing his palm at the bodies of the five mutated monsters and activating his unique innate ability, [Extraction].

All the energy stored inside the source cores of the monsters was quickly emptied as it rapidly entered Damian’s mana core, replenishing his mana reserves.

“Well, the second trial was much easier than the first trial… Is it because I have grown stronger after cultivation, or because I’ve already gotten used to the hell-mode trials?” Damian mused to himself.

Damian’s talent, [Boundless Refinement], not only increased his body’s ability to adapt to any conditions but also enhanced his mind.

Every time he pushed his mind to its limit, his mental strength and willpower increased slightly as his mind adapted to work under stress.

Damian was also surprised to find that every time his mental power increased, his other talent, [Rumination Clarity], which boosted the processing power of his brain corresponding to his body and brain’s capabilities, also increased by a small margin.

Damian looked around.

It was a forest, but not as dense as the one in the first trial.

He activated his [Eyes of Clarity] and spread his senses as far as he could, but he couldn’t find anything useful like the energy-filled pond he discovered in the first trial.

“There’s nothing, huh?” Damian was disappointed.

There was nothing in this place that could help him grow stronger for the time being.

Since his cultivation hadn’t fully stabilized yet, he couldn’t cultivate to the next Qi cultivation realm either.

Damian sat down, staring at the dead bodies on the beach, and a smile appeared on his face.

He cut off a chunk of one of the monsters’ flesh and cooked it under the flame he conjured using his flame magic.

After it cooked, he began to eat, filling his stomach.

“It tastes like chicken,” Damian muttered, eating until he felt full.

Afterward, he took a nap that lasted about nine hours, during which Damian fully recovered his stamina.

He stretched before glancing at the system notification.

[Do you wish to take on the trial of the 3rd floor of the Tower of Evolution?]

“Yes.”

As always, with a blur of his vision, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar, very dirty, and smelly environment.

He was standing in a swamp covered in brackish water, reeds, marsh, and all sorts of filth.

The smell of something rotting or ruined reached his nose, and the feeling of his legs submerged up to the knees in cold swamp water sent chills down his spine — the disgusting kind.

“Do I have to hunt down monsters in this place?” Damian couldn’t help but sigh.

He was fine with fighting any kind of monsters, but fighting in a swamp made him a little uncomfortable.

[3rd Trial: Survival]

[Trial Condition: Survive the venomous and poisonous nature of the Sludge Demon Swamp for 7 days and prove your will to survive.]

[Remaining Time: 06(D):23(H):59(M):57(S)]

“Survival, huh?” Damian muttered.

As soon as he saw the notification, he felt a cold sensation seeping into his skin from his legs.

Damian narrowed his eyes as he saw his legs turning green, as if they were beginning to rot slowly, and he started to lose any sensation in them, along with the coldness.

[You have been affected by the Murkmoss Toxin in the swamp water.]

[Effects: Skin Necrosis, Nerve Damage, Hastened Energy Dispersal, Swelling/Inflammation, Hypothermia.]

(Caution: Prolonged exposure will significantly increase the severity of the symptoms until death.)

Then, his lungs began to hurt, similar to how they had before the day of his awakening.

His eyes started to burn slightly and watered more as time passed.

He also felt his nose grow cold and stuffy, and his breathing became harder.

[You have breathed in the air of the Sludge Demon Swamp.]

[You have been affected by the Fenshade Toxin in the air.]

[Effects: Throat Irritation, Disorientation, Nausea, Vomiting, Eye Irritation, Sputum Production.]

(Caution: Prolonged exposure will significantly increase the severity of the symptoms until death.)

“So, this is what it means by survival? I have to stay in this place for seven days? Wow, the system really wants to kill the participants, huh?” Damian sighed, struggling to deal with the overwhelming symptoms attacking his body.

Damian spread his senses, ignoring the effects wrapping around his body.

He began to search for any presence that could pose a threat, but all he found were some normal-sized snakes, insects, mutated vines of different shapes in all the corners, and some fish or deformed fish-like organisms in the swamp water, some of which he could feel just under his feet in the swamp.

[You have been bitten by a Putrid Fanged Trout.]

[You have been affected by the Putrid Fanged Trout’s venom.]

[Effects: Local Necrosis, Hallucinations, Severe Muscle Paralysis, Excruciating Pain, Respiratory Distress, Loss of Motor Control, Metabolic Shutdown, Sepsis and Blood Infection, Fever and Chills.]

At the same time, Damian felt as if all the symptoms of all the diseases hit him at once.

His whole body was assaulted with pain.

“Jesus Christ… how does the system even expect anyone to survive in this place?” Damian gritted his teeth, feeling his legs go numb, the pain covering his entire body as his control over his limbs slipped away.

Slowly, he lost all sensation as everything began to go numb.

His breathing staggered, becoming more difficult, and every time he forced himself to breathe, his chest hurt.

His heart was racing rapidly.

Just when he tried to move, he felt something slithering behind him.

He couldn’t react as fast as he should, and he allowed the gray-green snake creeping in the swamp water to jump and bite his leg.

Before he could turn around, another snake, this time red and brown in color, jumped and bit his arm.

[You have been bitten by a Corrosive Swamp Snake.]

[Effect: Immediate Flesh Corrosion, Sepsis, Paralysis, Hemorrhaging, Delirium, Corrosive Blood, Cognitive Disintegration, Distorted Vision, Excruciating Muscle Contractions, Slow, Agonizing Death, Severe Muscle Weakness, Corrosive Blisters.]

[You have been bitten by a Rusty Swamp Snake.]

[Effect: Hemotoxic Decay, Neurotoxic Paralysis, Blood Corrosion, Vision Disturbance, Rotting Lungs, Severe Muscle Weakness, Intense Pain, Bloodshot Eyes, Swelling, Septic Shock, Chest Constriction, Toxic Blisters.]

[Remaining Time: 04(D):15(H):35(M):28(S)]

[Your body has adapted to different kinds of toxins.]

[Your resistance to all different kinds of toxins has significantly increased.]

[Your pain tolerance has greatly improved.]

[Your health regeneration has significantly increased.]

[Your fatigue regeneration has significantly increased.]

[Your vitality increased: +5]

[You have met the conditions to awaken a special constitution.]

[Congratulations, you have awakened the physique, Unyielding Warrior’s Physique.]

[Constitution: Unyielding Warrior’s Physique]

A physique born from tempering the physical body through various conditions.

[Effects: – Gives your physical body the ability to temper your body by pushing it to its limits.

-Gives your physical body the ability to acquire countless physical trials.

-Increases your physical body’s ability to adapt to any physical condition by 30%.]

[You have acquired the physical trait, Pain Tolerance.]

[You have acquired the physical trait, Toxin Resistance.]

[You have acquired the physical trait, Fire Resistance.]

“Another interesting thing,” Damian grinned as he read the description of the [Unyielding Warrior’s Physique].

Then he looked at the water he was standing on.

Without hesitation, he took a bottle from the system storage, filled it with swamp water, and drank it completely.

[You have been affected by the Murkmoss Toxin in the swamp water.]

[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Toxin Resistance, increased.]

Damian didn’t stop.

He filled the bottle again and drank it, repeating the process a dozen times.

[You have been affected by the Murkmoss Toxin in the swamp water.] x 10

[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Toxin Resistance, increased.] x 10

[Remaining Time: 02(D):09(H):25(M):33(S)]

After that, he located a nest of snakes nearby.

Intentionally, he stepped into it and allowed all the differently colored mutated snakes, each with various venoms and reactions to their bites, to bite him from all sides.

[You have been bitten by a Putrid Fanged Snake.] x 7

[You have been bitten by a Corrosive Swamp Snake.] x 5

[You have been bitten by a Rusty Swamp Snake.] x 8

[You have been bitten by a Striped Mutated Snake.] x 4

[You have been bitten by a Rotted Swamp Snake.] x 5

…

..

.

Damian’s skin turned completely green, violet, red, black, and brown in patches all over his body as he was affected by the toxins, poisons, and venoms from the snakes.

Blood began to flood from his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and other openings.

Green and black substances appeared over his skin like sweat.

His eyes became completely blurred, shaded with red and black.

His mind buzzed with intense pain, and his muscles constricted as if being pulled in all directions.

Numbness took control of his limbs as he completely lost motor function and collapsed onto the mud-covered ground.

But he didn’t panic for a single second.

He knew what would happen before he did it.

This was necessary.

This process would increase his pain and toxin resistance, which would be highly useful in battle.

It was nothing but a side quest in his path to invincibility.

[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Toxin Resistance, increased.]

[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Toxin Resistance, increased.] x 18

[The effectiveness of the physical trait, Pain Tolerance, increased.] x 15

[Your health regeneration increased.] x 12

[Your fatigue regeneration has significantly increased.] x 14

…

..

.

Soon, he used everything that was poisonous, venomous, or toxic in the swamp, drinking it, eating it, or lying in it until his body was filled with symptoms that could have killed a low-level Awakener in a few hours.

But Damian, after two days, had increased his resistance to toxins to an extreme degree.

He could no longer get anything from the swamp.

“Well, the swamp wasn’t that useless. I managed to awaken a constitution and acquire high-level pain resistance,” Damian sighed as he looked at his skin.

It was perfect, no blemishes, no symptoms, nothing.

It was as clear as the sky.

“Ha, this might be the easiest trial yet,” Damian muttered as he waited for the remaining time to run out.

[Remaining Time: 00(D):00(H):15(M):20(S)]

<<<>>>

[A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones, maybe some GOLDEN TICKETS, or even a gift! The author may be a little naive, but your support means the world to me. Arigato!]