Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener

When Sterl woke up again, he found himself lying on a soft, warm bed, with Rayna and Linna cuddled up beside him, one on each side.

At his level, one would think that even going without sleep for eternity would have no effect. However, this sleep had left him feeling rejuvenated, his mind clear and his heart at ease. It was as if he had been reborn, even more refreshed than after battling with Goddess Diana for a full day and night.

Feeling his movements, Linna and Rayna both stirred awake. Seeing the man lying between them, although their hearts were filled with reluctance, they both put on gentle smiles and lightly kissed him.

"I'll go make breakfast for you."

"Then I'll help you get dressed."

The two of them, just like before, began to serve Sterl. He felt a warmth in his heart and didn't refuse.

Soon, he was dressed in clean, neat clothes, and the table was filled with dishes prepared by Rayna and Linna themselves.

Sterl was momentarily stunned as he gazed at the scene. Everything looked so ordinary, like any typical family would be, yet in this world, it was something incredibly rare.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the two women before him. Despite the countless worries in his heart, they had always kept their concerns to themselves, always showing him their best side. It was in this moment that he truly understood his desire.

He wanted to make this warm moment last forever.

He wanted to live a peaceful, carefree life with his family, never worrying about anything, never being affected by the world around them.

In that moment, his heart became crystal clear and resolute.

To achieve this goal, he was willing to sacrifice everything. Anyone or anything standing in his way would be crushed and turned into the foundation of his warm home!

"Let's eat."

With a gentle kiss on both their faces, Sterl sat down and began to eat.

Rayna and Linna exchanged a look and sat beside him, quietly eating breakfast just like they had in the past.

"I have to leave."

After finishing breakfast, Sterl turned to Rayna and Linna, speaking in a soft tone.

There was still much to be done. His ultimate goal was within reach, but the path was far from easy.

Besides, he was no longer alone. He represented not only the entire guild but also all of humanity on Earth. He had countless loyal followers by his side.

Most importantly, he had the safety and well-being of his two family members to consider, something he could never take lightly.

So he could never stop moving forward, and he could never falter along the way. If he did, everything he cherished would vanish into smoke.

"Mm, go ahead, and be careful."

Rayna gently adjusted Sterl's clothes, while the usually lively Linna was unusually quiet, simply watching him in silence.

"Don't worry, we'll always wait for you to come back."

Looking at Sterl before them, the two women were not naive—they knew that Sterl had already reached a level where they could no longer assist him.

Not only that, but they also understood how heavy the burdens on his shoulders were now.

So, all they could do was comfort him when he was tired, always maintain a small, peaceful home that belonged only to him, and never cause him any trouble. That was all they could offer.

"Mm, don't worry," Sterl replied with a faint smile before disappearing in an instant.

Once he was gone, Rayna and Linna's emotions immediately sank. But after a short time, Linna's face regained its determination.

She then led Rayna out of the base, looking for a place to train and cultivate.

Though they were weak, they always hoped to one day fight alongside Sterl. Even though that day seemed more and more distant, as long as they didn't give up, there would always be hope.

Watching the two women head toward another area to level up and fight monsters, Sterl, who had been silently observing them, couldn't help but smile, warmth filling his heart.

He had not used his soul power to enhance Rayna and Linna. Though he had experienced the benefits of soul power himself, he still wasn't sure if using it on others could cause any harm or hidden dangers.

So, without conducting extensive experiments, he could not forcibly enhance their abilities with soul power.

Moreover, Sterl had never intended to bring Rayna and Linna closer to his side—it was simply too dangerous.

The situation he was facing would only grow more perilous, and his enemies would only become stronger. Rayna and Linna, without a doubt, were his weak points and his Achilles' heel. He could never let them bear any risk or danger alongside him.

Therefore, fighting was something he could handle on his own. As for them, they should just remain beautiful and graceful, as they always had.

With a thought, Sterl once again entered the game pod, activating all the nearby pods with his tattoo. He immediately entered [Transcendence].

Now, the time-space in Alpha 8 had returned to normal. The flow of time was in sync with reality, and during his absence, the battlefield had not changed significantly. It was still locked in a continuous, intense struggle.

This time, Sterl did not participate in the battle. Instead, using the Boots of the Void, he silently moved through space, going farther and farther away, until he reached a distance so remote from the Orichalcum Kingdom that no fluctuations from the battle could be sensed. Only then did he come to a halt.

With a subtle shift of his thoughts, the Soul Devourer Sphere materialized in his hand.

Since he had decided to head to Hell, the development of his legions had to be put on hold for the time being. First, he would use the soul power he had accumulated to push his strength to its limit.

[High-Level Soul Power Reserve: 750]

[Normal Soul Power Reserve: 162,400]

After absorbing and refining the souls of the armies and gods from Ashen and Orichalcum Kingdom, who had all been devoured by the Black Hole Vortex, his soul power reserves had increased significantly.

"So much soul power... How much can this raise my strength?"

A deep sense of anticipation appeared on Sterl's face. The first time he tried this, he had only used 3,700 points of normal soul power to raise his soul level from 62 to 64.

The remaining 6,000 normal soul power had boosted his energy and vitality by two to three times, while his base stats had increased by a full 50%.

This increase had been enormous. Without it, he would never have been able to hold his ground against the Silver Moon Wolf God to that extent.

Now, though he didn't know the exact effects of high-level soul power, the normal soul power he had was well over 160,000 points—sixteen times more than last time!

Sterl took a deep breath, focusing his mind. The backlash from absorbing soul power was far more intense than when he absorbed and refined souls. Although it came in a single surge, it was the kind of pain that could kill if not handled properly.

So before he began absorbing it, he needed to ensure his mental state was at its peak.

With everything ready, Sterl slowly connected his consciousness to the Soul Devourer Sphere, preparing to absorb the soul power within.

The next moment, guided by his will, a surge of soul power extended from the Soul Devourer Sphere, instantly flowing into his body!

Suddenly, a powerful backlash struck his soul, causing his head to throb and his consciousness to blur.

However, this backlash was nothing compared to the one from the Silver Moon Wolf God, which had nearly cost him his life. This time, it was nothing to worry about, and he quickly adapted.

As ten points of soul power flowed in every second, the slight disturbance to his soul was soon soothed.

As the soul power continued to flow into his body, it began to comprehensively strengthen him. Since there was more than enough soul power, Sterl wasn't the type to specialize in just one area. Given the choice, he preferred to develop his abilities in all aspects.

Moreover, since time was on his side and no one was interrupting him, once he increased the soul power intake to 100 points per second, he decided not to push it further.

If he were to ramp up the absorption to 1,000 points per second, he was certain the backlash would be even more intense than the violent struggle he endured with the Silver Moon Wolf God.

He didn't want to experience that kind of pain again—after all, he didn't have any particular fondness for such suffering.

Additionally, this time he chose not to spend the soul power on increasing his soul experience. Instead, he interrupted the process and used all of it to enhance his strength.

Raising his soul level wasn't something he was in a rush to do. Moreover, considering how much soul experience was required for each level, even if he used all the soul power at his disposal, it wouldn't bring his soul level anywhere near 99.

Forget about level 99; if he could get to level 80, he'd consider himself lucky.

The difficulty in leveling up the soul was far greater than he had anticipated. Even though he had access to the Soul Devourer Sphere, it wasn't as simple as just using it to level up at will.

Furthermore, with his imminent journey to Hell, he wasn't sure what kind of crises he would face there. Even if he managed to level up his soul, it wouldn't significantly boost his actual combat power.

However, if he used the soul power to enhance his four basic attributes and survival abilities, the increase would be substantial!

"Right, I haven't used today's evolution yet."

While absorbing the soul power and feeling his body and mind strengthen, Sterl took out the Illusory Dream, which had only a trace of Dream Power left, and applied the remaining bit of Dream Power to it.

Instantly, the empty Dream Power reservoir began to refill rapidly. Before long, it had recovered to about half of its original capacity.

"Not bad. Just one more recovery, and I'll be able to push the capacity limit of Illusory Dream even further."

Sterl breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the evolution would only recover a tiny bit of Dream Power, but he hadn't expected it to restore so much.

Clearly, restoring Dream Power reserves and increasing the capacity limit of Illusory Dream were two completely different challenges.

The former was simply about replenishing the amount of Dream Power, while the latter required enhancing the essence of the Illusory Dream, improving its tier to accommodate even more powerful forces!