[ Awakening Complete ]
[ Congratulations — You Have Successfully Become A Tier 1 Awakened ]
West body reacted before his mind did.
A wave of warm and vibrant energy spread through him. It wasn’t the same as the violent rush of Adrenal Control. This was steadier and deeper like a second heartbeat had been implanted into his core.
The pain and intense body ache from activating Adrenal Control was gone. He didn’t notice earlier because he was trying to get through the cracks but now he realized that from the moment he regained consciousness, he didn’t feel any discomforting.
His eyes widened as he straightened slowly.
"...What the hell..." he muttered.
He could feel it inside of him...
Branches...
Two of them.
They weren’t physical objects, but concepts... structures of power embedded into his being. They throbbed gently, responding to his awareness like muscles he’d just learned he had.
West clenched his fist and felt... strong.
Not overwhelmingly so but solid and grounded.
Although Summoners were usually the physically weakest of the bunch when it came to awakening, they were still stronger than regular humans.
Not to mention that West also had the system and his substats were a boosted so everything coupled together, made him an irregular summoner.
He exhaled, then frowned.
"How long was I out...?"
He fished his phone from his pocket and the screen lit up.
The moment he stared at the time, West’s eyes widened.
"...I’ve been unconscious for over a day?"
Nearly two days had passed.
His breath left him slowly.
That meant—
The surface had to be crawling with gangs by now.
And those who made it to the surface would’ve assumed he was dead.
He let out a shaky laugh.
"Yeah... figures."
But oddly enough, he didn’t feel fear or worry.
Right now, the only thing he felt was curiosity
This was his first ruin and now he was awakened.
He had gotten this far and nearly died multiple times... he couldn’t let it all be for nothing.
West rolled his shoulders and began walking forward.
As he approached one of the roots, the bird-like plants fluttered wildly.
Another system prompt appeared.
> [ Item Detected: Rotars Florks ]
[ Classification: Rare Ruin Flora ]
[ Use: Crafting / Energy Catalysts / Trade ]
West blinked.
"Valuable...?"
He reached out carefully and plucked one.
The moment it detached, it dissolved into light and vanished.
> [ Ruin Item Stored in Inventory ]
His eyes lit up.
"Oh."
He grinned and got to work.
West harvested methodically, moving from root to root, gathering every rotars flork he could find. Each one vanished into his inventory upon contact as the system quietly tallied them.
When the roots were bare, he moved on.
Further in, he found other materials ranging from crystals growing from walls to metallic fragments embedded in stone to glowing spores drifting through the air.
The system labeled what mattered.
He took those and left the rest.
For a while, it was... peaceful.
Almost surreal.
Until he reached a massive opening.
The ground sloped gently downward into darkness, and strange crack-like lines ran across the walls and floor, glowing faintly with shifting colors. The air changed instantly becoming lighter and purer, filled with raw energy that made his skin tingle.
West stepped forward and the moment he entered, his jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
At the center of the chamber, embedded in a tall pillar like slab of stone, were two glowing crystals.
Power radiated from them in waves.
West didn’t need the system to tell him what they were...
But it did anyway.
> [ Affinity Stone ×2 ]
His heart slammed against his ribs.
"...No way."
Not one... but two affinity stones.
The kind of treasure gangs would slaughter each other for.
West stared at them in silence and then slowly a smile crept onto his face.
He slowly walked towards where they were positioned and froze again when he spotted something up ahead.
Two Affinity Stones embedded in stone were already ridiculous enough... but it didn’t end there...
Right beside them, slightly elevated on a protruding slab of rock that looked almost like a natural altar, sat a chalice.
Its body was forged from some dark, obsidian-like metal that absorbed light rather than reflecting it. Embedded vertically along its side were six red, diamond-shaped crystals, that glowed faintly.
West swallowed, realizing that this was likely something very valuable even before the system displayed a notification.
> [ Item Identified ]
Name: Chalice of Vitality
Grade: High
Description:
Any liquid placed within the Chalice will be transmuted into a potent healing solution.
Continuous consumption over time strengthens physical body, gradually increasing resistance to physical damage.
Long-term usage may lead to partial physical imperviousness.
West’s mind went blank.
"...That’s insane."
This wasn’t just rare...
This was the kind of item that could reshape an awakened’s future.
Healing solutions alone were priceless but something that permanently transformed the body? Slowly making it harder, tougher, more resistant?
That was something factions would slaughter entire cities over... and it was just sitting here.
His excitement was quickly followed by a sharp, cold realization.
If I can see this... then gangs haven’t reached this chamber yet.
Which meant, he had to move now.
West stepped toward the chalice and reached out—
The moment he touched it, he immediately felt it...
Weight...
It was just physical weight alone... it was something deeper and denser, like gravity itself was pressing down on his arms.
"Whoa—!"
He clenched his teeth and braced his legs, tightening his muscles as he forced the chalice upward.
His arms shook, his shoulders groaned and veins bulged along his forearms.
"Heavy...!"
If this had been him before awakening, his arms would’ve snapped under the strain. There was no doubt about it that the awakening had boosted his strength.
With a sharp grunt, he finally lifted it free of the stone.
The moment the chalice left its resting place, the chamber trembled.
West held his breath and froze in place.
"...Please tell me that was nothing."
After a few moments, the trembling stopped and the glowing cracks along the walls dimmed slightly.
West exhaled slowly. "Okay. False alarm."
He turned slightly, but before he could move any further he felt a strange sensation...
A prickling sensation like he was being watched.
A slow, wet sound echoed behind him and West’s instantly head snapped around.
He stared at the dark, reflective pool at the far end of the chamber that he had noticed earlier but ignored.