The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Fire Essence – 2

Damian learned that to kill an elemental spirit, he had to either destroy their source core or remove it from their body.

Pointing his hand at the remaining four Earth Flame Spirits, Damian channeled his Mana, creating flame magic.

As his Mana surged, three dozen flame magic circles appeared above his head.

From each circle, a spear of flame, approximately 14 feet in length, materialized and launched toward the spirits.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

A series of explosions erupted as the spears struck their targets, leaving destruction in their wake.

The force of the blasts ignited volatile materials beneath the ground, triggering another wave of explosions.

The chain reaction spread dangerously, even reaching the area where Damian was standing.

“Jesus Christ, walking through this place is like walking on a bomb. Everything is either burning or exploding!” Damian muttered under his breath.

When the dust and smoke cleared, he saw that the Flame Spirits were completely unharmed.

The explosions hadn’t damaged them beyond a few broken chunks of their rocky bodies, which were already regenerating.

“Well, I guess they have incredible immunity to flames since they’re flame spirits,” Damian observed with a grimace.

Switching tactics, Damian grabbed his two swords and charged at the flame spirits.

His body became a blur of motion as he zigzagged around them, a blue streak of light enhanced by the technique [Walking the Sacred Passage].

Blinking from one position to another, he slashed through chunks of their rocky bodies with precision while dodging the streams of fire spewing from their large mouths.

After seven minutes of relentless battle, Damian defeated all four flame spirits, removing their source cores from their rocky forms before they could regenerate.

[Experience Gained] x 3

[Experience Limit Reached]

[You Have Leveled Up]

“Ha!” Damian exhaled deeply, catching his breath as he gathered the twelve source cores he had obtained from defeating the Earth Flame Spirits.

Each core was slightly larger than a basketball.

—–

[Name: Earth Fire Essence Core]

[Description: This core contains the essence of the lowest-ranking flames, the Earth Flames. It was formed through the condensation of large amounts of Earth Fire Essence and holds surplus pure fire energy.]

[Uses: -Can be used as an energy storage unit.

-Awakeners with flame affinity and constitution can use the energy inside to enhance their cultivation.

-Can be used as a power source for formations.]

—–

“Earth Flame Essence… i wonder how can I use it?” Damian wondered aloud, his gaze fixed on the glowing cores in his hands.

Awakeners use different types of energy to cultivate, strengthen, and evolve.

Damian had talents [Elementalist] and [Martial Lord], which granted him the ability to practice both cultivation and magic.

This allowed him to cultivate two types of energy: [Qi] and [Mana].

There were other awakeners who utilized different types of energy to cultivate, such as the Saintess, who used [Holy Energy] for her cultivation.

Each energy type had unique effects and enhanced different aspects of the awakeners.

For instance, [Mana] enabled elemental creation, while [Qi] was focused on enhancement and strengthening.

Similarly, there were awakeners with talents and affinities to use the essence of various elements to cultivate.

Elemental essence, being a type of energy, granted powers related to its element.

For example, cultivating fire essence would grant fire-related abilities to the cultivator.

However, to cultivate a specific type of energy, the cultivator needed both talent and affinity for it.

If a cultivator without the necessary talent or affinity tried to use fire essence, the essence would turn hostile and destroy the cultivator’s body.

Damian, of course, did not have a specific talent to cultivate using fire essence.

However, he possessed a unique talent that granted him the ability to cultivate using any type of energy.

[Talent: World Tree’s Blessing]

[A unique talent belonging only to the Awakener ‘Damian Ignatius’]

[Effects: Grants the ability to obtain an affinity for any kind of energy]

Damian activated his unique ability, pointing his hand at the twelve [Earth Fire Essence Cores].

[Extraction: Unique innate ability activated]

An intense swirling vortex of energy appeared from his hand as it rapidly absorbed the fire essence within the twelve [Earth Fire Essence Cores].

Fiery, reddish-orange energy erupted from the cores as Damian’s [Extraction] continuously drew the essence from them.

The cores, initially the size of basketballs, shrank rapidly to the size of footballs, then baseballs, and finally dwindled to the size of coins before completely disappearing into the vortex of [Extraction].

Damian sat down, unbothered by the burning hot rock beneath him, and concentrated on stabilizing the volatile energy now surging within him.

[Warning: Your body has absorbed a large amount of unstable Fire Essence. If not removed, it could destroy your body.]

Although Damian lacked a specific talent or affinity for fire essence, his talent [World Tree’s Blessing] activated.

[Your talent [World Tree’s Blessing] is taking effect.]

[You have gained complete affinity with the energy known as Fire Essence.]

As the [Fire Essence] coursed through his body, it began to violently burn him from the inside.

He had no control over the energy, but as soon as the effect of his talent activated, he finally managed to exert control over the vast amount of fire essence he had absorbed.

He began circulating the energy through all his energy circuits, spreading it throughout his body before directing it to the location of his [Mana Core], which glowed and circulated like a blue star.

The [Fire Essence] he absorbed converged near the [Mana Core].

Mirroring the structure of his [Mana Core], Damian forced the [Fire Essence] into a single point.

The point began to grow, eventually forming a core that resembled his [Mana Core], though it was reddish-orange in color, unlike the light blue hue of his original core.

[You have formed the Fire Essence Core.]

[Your Fire Essence increased: +1]

[Your Fire Essence increased: +1]

[Your Fire Essence increased: +3]

[Your Fire Essence increased: +3]

[Your Fire Essence increased: +7]

[Your Fire Essence increased: +7]

…

..

.

The newly formed [Fire Essence Core] was much smaller compared to his [Mana Core].

Once the [Fire Essence Core] was complete, the remaining fire essence entered it, gradually filling it with energy.

The [Fire Essence Core] functioned similarly to his [Mana Core].

As it stored more energy, it began to grow in size.

Slowly, his existing energy circuits connected to the newly formed core, allowing the [Fire Essence] to circulate through them, just as [Qi] and [Mana] did.

The effects of the [Fire Essence] circulating within his energy circuits, flesh, bones, and blood began to take hold.

His body grew noticeably warm, but instead of discomfort, Damian felt a profound sense of ease and comfort, as though the heat was an intrinsic part of him now.

[Your understanding of the Fire element has increased.]

[Your Constitution [The Unyielding Warrior’s Physique] is taking effect]

[Due to the creation of the Earth Fire Essence Core and the Earth Fire Essence coursing through your body, your constitution has been altered.]

[You have awakened a constitution: ‘Eternal Earth Flame Physique.’]

[Effects: -Grants you [Earth Fire Essence Core], allowing you to store Fire Essence.

-Grants you a body that will remain abnormally warm.

-Grants you 100% immunity to Earth Flames.

-Allows you to create Earth Flames from your body using the Fire Essence stored in your [Earth Fire Essence Core].

-Enhances healing capabilities.

-Passively Increases vitality the more your Fire Essence increases.

-Grants your body the ability to burn toxins or foreign substances entering your body, as long as they are not stronger than the [Earth Fire.

-Unlocks an ability called [Flame Avatar]].

[Your Vitality Increased: +5]

Damian sighed deeply, his eyes opening slowly as he finished absorbing every ounce of [Earth Fire Essence] he had extracted from the fire spirits.

His eyes, no longer their usual color, glowed with a reddish-orange hue, while his entire body radiated an aura of Earth Flames.

Taking a deep breath, Damian calmed himself, causing the fiery aura to dissipate and his eyes to return to normal.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA…” Damian’s laughter began as a low chuckle before erupting into full-blown hysterics.

“This is unbelievable,” he muttered, staring at his hand, which burned like a blazing torch.

Yet, all he felt was a soothing warmth, as if the fire were a part of him.

Unable to hold back the irony of the situation, Damian slapped his forehead with his burning hand, leaving no mark on his skin.

“All my life, I hated myself for being weak, for having no talent, for being completely helpless. And now… look at me!”

Memories of his life before and after his regression flooded his mind.

He had spent so much time frustrated, paranoid, and suspicious of the circumstances surrounding his regression.

It all felt like an intricate conspiracy, yet here he was, standing at the pinnacle of newfound power.

His laughter transitioned into a bitter chuckle. “Oh lord… I guess I can’t do anything but move forward.”

After spending a few minutes recovering his mana and stamina, Damian stood and began walking briskly toward the heart of [Infernal Mount], the fiery peak where the lava flowed endlessly.

“Hm? I can sense the presence of Fire Essence now,” he muttered, his senses sharp and attuned in a way they had never been before.

The oppressive heat of the [Infernal Mount] no longer bothered him.

His newfound immunity to Earth Flames rendered the scorching environment trivial.

Earth Flames, he knew, were the most basic flames, created by simple means such as matches.

Their power and effects were limited, ranking them the lowest among the flames within the Towers.

Flames of higher rank, such as the [Phoenix Flame] or [Hell Flame], were in a league of their own, but as long as he didn’t encounter those, no flame could harm him again.

Not only was he immune to flames, but he could now wield them as weapons in battle, using them to incinerate his foes.

A smirk spread across Damian’s face as he realized how dramatically his situation had changed.

With his newfound strength and immunity, he charged toward the center of the [Infernal Mount], eager to uncover the mysteries and challenges awaiting him at its fiery heart.