The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Solarta – 2

“Why are there so many people here in this place?” Damian asked, observing the diverse gathering of races together in one area.

It was an intriguing sight for him, to say the least.

This section of the Awakener Hall was noticeably busier, with more staff and awakeners moving around compared to other areas.

“This area is where everything related to factions and territories is handled,” the woman explained, noting Damian’s keen interest in her words.

“The people here belong to various factions within Solarta.”

Damian had mentioned, without hesitation, his ambition to create his own faction.

The woman found herself curious about him.

Unlike her, he seemed immensely powerful and talented.

It was apparent to her at a glance that he was far beyond her league.

However, that wasn’t what piqued her interest the most.

What truly intrigued her was the awakener title of “infinity” he had given himself, which the system had approved.

Her intuition told her he was unlike any other awakener she had encountered.

Though she wasn’t particularly strong or talented, she prided herself on her instincts, and those instincts told her this man was different.

There was no fear in his eyes or demeanor.

He was calm and composed, acting as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

What stood out even more was his ease in interacting with other races from different worlds.

He showed no nervousness or discomfort, which was unusual even for experienced awakeners.

The woman, whose name was Shiru, came from one of the Murim worlds known as Kenkai.

In Kenkai, women were generally considered beautiful, and even an average-looking woman there would be above average compared to women on Earth.

Shiru herself wasn’t considered a beauty by her world’s standards, but she was undeniably above average.

Many men and women, from various worlds, had made advances toward her while she worked in this very Awakener Hall.

Some were far more attractive and charismatic than her, but she ignored them all.

She wasn’t interested in meaningless flattery; she was smart enough to recognize true opportunities when they arose.

Right now, her instincts told her to align herself with this man.

Damian was unlike the others.

He didn’t show any interest in her and hadn’t spared her a second glance.

Her first impression of him was that he was someone entirely focused on his goals, indifferent to anything that didn’t contribute to his ambitions.

It was as if everything else in the world was just a passing cloud.

Oddly, this made him even more fascinating to her, and she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Shiru hadn’t yet confirmed if her judgment about Damian was accurate, but she believed it was worth taking a chance.

Her intuition, bolstered by her unique ability to amplify it, had never felt this strong before.

She decided to observe him further before acting on her instincts.

“Every day, thousands of people from various worlds arrive in Solarta after completing the initial 20 Trials of Evolution,” Shiru continued.

“They can’t proceed to the second tower realms without first completing the main realm missions. These missions take time, and one of them involves joining a faction.”

“Factions are essential for an awakener’s growth,” she explained.

“Beyond killing monsters, factions offer opportunities, privileges, and resources. The larger and stronger a faction is, the more power it wields in Solarta, often monopolizing opportunities for growth.”

She paused briefly, studying Damian as he listened.

“Recently, the factions have been in a frenzy because of the influx of people from newly registered worlds, Earth and Mars,” she added.

“Tell me what you know about the people from Earth and Mars,” Damian asked.

“Well, people from these two newly registered worlds have been arriving daily. While they may not be as powerful as other races, their population is significantly larger. They’ve also managed to produce some strong awakeners,” Shiru explained.

“Using their top-ranked awakeners and their large numbers, they quickly established three factions.”

“The first faction is called the Lord’s Disciples. They’re the strongest of the three Earth-based factions.”

“The second is the High Warriors, and the third is simply known as Earth’s Faction,” Shiru continued.

Damian immediately had an idea about the Lord’s Disciples.

From the name alone, he guessed they were likely people from Earth’s Vatican or other religious organizations.

His thoughts wandered as Shiru spoke.

“Wait… speaking of people who follow gods,” Damian thought, “didn’t people mention meeting gods or receiving messages from them in their past lives before regression?”

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Damian nonchalantly bought a pack of French fries from the system shop and began eating.

Shiru, noticing this, stood silently with empty hands, not daring to interrupt his thoughts.

She didn’t have any urgent tasks assigned by the system and decided that observing Damian was the best use of her time for now.

Damian looked at Shiru and said, “Continue.”

“And the Awakeners from Mars were of slightly higher quality than humans, if you will, but their numbers were small. They also formed a faction called [Martians].”

“Well, the four newly formed factions have caused quite a stir with the other factions. Before their arrival, the factions were in a stalemate. But now, the stalemate is beginning to break apart. No wars have erupted yet, but I know it’s just the calm before the storm,” Shiru nodded as if she were certain of her theory.

“What does that mean?” Damian asked.

“The Martians don’t really associate themselves with any other faction, nor do they interfere with others in any way. But the Earth factions aren’t like them,” Shiru continued.

“They’re obnoxious, arrogant, undisciplined, and always causing trouble. Especially the [Lord’s Disciple] faction. The people from that faction are constantly entering into conflicts with the other two Earth factions.”

“The [Lord’s Disciples] faction wants to control all the Awakeners from Earth. They want to unite every Awakener into a single, true faction of Earth,” Shiru explained.

“Sounds about right. Earthlings are like that. I should know,” Damian rolled his eyes.

He didn’t feel bad hearing her bad-mouth Earthlings; in fact, it only strengthened his resolve to change his race.

He didn’t particularly like being associated with humans either.

“You’re from Earth?” Shiru asked, looking him up and down.

“Yeah… unfortunately,” Damian sighed.

“You don’t care about Earthlings?” Shiru observed the uncaring expression on Damian’s face.

“Why would I care about them?” Damian snorted.

“…Right,” Shiru didn’t pry further, seeing that Damian wasn’t interested in talking about where he came from.

“Anyway, is there anything else you want to know?” Shiru asked slowly.

“So, the three factions from Earth are fighting amongst each other. What’s the take on the remaining factions?” Damian asked.

“Stalemate… I guess they’re waiting for the right time to strike because of the conflicts between the three Earth factions,” Shiru answered.

“How do you know all this?” Damian asked.

“Privilege of working for the system. I can get information about everything happening within Solarta. The system also protects me from being harmed by any other Awakener, provides me free meals, a place to stay within Sol City, a level increase every two months, and 150 gold per month as salary. Plus, I don’t have to kill monsters. I can enjoy all these privileges as long as I work for the system in Sol City.”

“Sounds to me like you have everything you could want,” Damian smiled slightly.

“Trust me… it’s not as good as it sounds,” Shiru narrowed her eyes.

“The only reason I’m even working for the system is because I lack the strength or talent to fight monsters and level up. The higher the level of the monsters, the more powerful they are. I’d simply die if I pursued the life of an Awakener. I had no choice but to work for the system. At the very least, I can make a living without begging from others.”

“And even then, there are many restrictions placed on me,” Shiru sighed.

“Like what?” Damian asked.

“I can’t leave Solarta. I’m forever stuck in the First Tower realm, and my level has barely crossed 50. My stats aren’t even comparable to others at level 50, and my class is a Sword Master, but I barely have any talent for the sword.”

“Sure, I can quit my job with the system, but then what? I couldn’t survive the monsters out there, and I’m not just talking about the ones in the wild.”

“And I can’t go back to my world, Kenkai. Only strong people can survive there. Weak women like me have it the worst. Most women sell their bodies to make a living. Things have only gotten worse because of the system. Only the strong can prevail… and I don’t even have anyone. So here I am, stuck in this place.”

Damian observed her expression for a few moments as he drank his tea.

For a moment, he could see his own figure overlap hers.

She was very similar to him before his regression.

Back then, he also lacked talent.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make it as an Awakener.

His body was weak, almost like that of a sick man, and he had no talent for anything.

In the end, he was forced to work for the Italian Awakener Association just to make ends meet.

This woman, Shiru, was somewhat similar.

She had minimal talent and couldn’t continue her journey as an Awakener.

She was forced to work under the system to survive, and she was also an orphan like Damian, having no place to call home.

Damian could very much understand what she wanted: power.

The power to be free.