Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

The gray expanse of the desolate land stretched out before Alex as he stepped out of the mist of the [Undead Land].

Dead trees stood crooked like skeletal fingers grasping at the sky, and brittle grass, colored an unnatural gray, crunched beneath his feet.

"Can you take me back?" Alex asked, turning to Alphox, who still hovered beside him, his enormous form casting a long shadow across the landscape.

The dragon turned its cold eyes to him, then without so much as a second glance, said, "No," before vanishing into his [Shadow Pet Space].

"Damn."

Alex sighed, his breath curling in the cold, desolate air.

Alphox had saved him from the [Undead Warlord] not too long ago, but there was something about the dragon that made him uneasy.

It was difficult to think he would need to keep that dragon around for long...

Shaking off the thought, Alex turned his attention to the glowing notification still hovering in front of him.

His fingers twitched as he opened the details of the newly acquired skill he extracted from the warlord.

...

[Undead Skill: Aura of Death]

[Description: Grants surrounding undead allies a deathly aura that increases attack damage by 100% and defense by 200% for 30 seconds. Can only be applied to undead creatures summoned by the caster. Cooldown: 1 minute.]

...

Alex blinked in surprise. "Huh... so I can buff my skeletons just like that?"

It was strange, but also incredibly useful.

If his minions could grow stronger through skills, then they might actually be able to help him out more and not remain powerless against strong foes.

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

This could change his entire strategy.

He made a mental note to experiment with the skill as soon as possible.

After dealing with the skill, Alex shifted his attention to the attribute points he had gained from leveling up.

Without hesitation, he dumped all of them into Spirit to maximize his mana pool and magic skills damage.

Satisfied with his decision, he quickly glanced at his status window:

...

[ID: FateBreaker]

[Level: 37 (21,470/28,000)]

[Occupation: Mage; Assassin]

[Class: Unparalleled Mage; Beginner Assassin; Apprentice Undead Lord]

[Talent: Extraction (SSS); Undead Lord (E)]

[Pets: Alphox (Primordial Shadow Dragon, Tier 4)]

[Attributes: Vitality 736; Strength 1932+ 1500; Agility 932 + 1000; Spirit 3557 + 1000]

[Skills: Grand Fireball lv9 (Intermediate); Crimson Shard lv7 (Intermediate); Boulder Smash lv7 (Intermediate); Stone Barrier lv2 (Intermediate); Inferno Tempest lv2 (Intermediate); Lightning Bolt lv1 (Intermediate); Poison Resistance (Passive); Aura of Death (Undead).]

...

By the way, skills, whatever their rank are or how much damage they do are always spread between 5 categories: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, High-tier and Max-tier.

Every skill starts at [Basic] tier, no matter what, through upgrading it with skill points and mastering its usage, it will evolve.

Most of Alex's skills were Intermediate, meaning they could still be evolved three times before reaching the max.

Once reaching the max, there is no more level up except for [Forbidden Spells] or [Ultimates].

But no one at the current level could do any of that.

His progress had been substantial, and even though he was still a [Beginner Assassin] and [Apprentice Undead Lord], he would soon be able to evolve them.

The [Unparalleled Mage] class on the other hand might not provide immediate benefits currently, but Alex knew it was a path that would ultimately lead to dominance.

But for now, the landscape around him was empty.

Nothing but dead trees and the cold, eerie wind rustling the gray grass.

There was nothing in sight for kilometers, just the endless stretch of desolation.

As he prepared to set off, Alex was suddenly pulled from his thoughts as a crow's cry echoed across the desolate plain he had landed in.

Alex froze.

The black-feathered bird perched ominously on a twisted tree branch ahead, its beady eyes glinting with something more than just hunger.

Alex's heart skipped a beat.

"Black Crow," Alex muttered under his breath, immediately recognizing the bird, "Why are they... nevermind."

The bird wasn't just any crow—it was a living emblem of the [Black Crow Guild], an infamous assassin's guild known throughout 'Universal Descent'.

Their leader had a strange ability to control these crows, using them to spy on targets from vast distances.

He could recognize that it was the real deal from the crimson eyes of the crow, as well as the fact it was simply staring at him, doing nothing else.

Alex wasted no time.

"I hate being watched," he muttered, pointing his staff at the crow.

Without hesitation, he cast [Grand Fireball].

A massive orb of flame burst from his staff, streaking toward the crow with blinding speed.

The bird didn't even flinch as the fireball engulfed it, exploding with a loud BOOM.

Dark mist swirled where the crow had been, confirming Alex's suspicions—it wasn't a normal bird.

The [Black Crow Guild] had an interest in him, or maybe they were just observing [Undead Land], who knows.

The [Black Crow] guild is an NPC guild that would play a part later in the game.

They are all tier 6 powerhouses (level 400+) that could kill anyone as long as you paid them.

"Now I need a way to go back…" Alex muttered, irritation creeping into his voice.

He needed to get back to [Dawn City], but traversing this dead land on foot would take too long.

And let's not forget that his spawn point was set inside [Undead Land], so if he met with a powerful monster, it would be difficult to win.

Just as he was contemplating his next move, another notification flashed across his vision.

...

[You have reached level 35 and thus became a tier 2 player!]

[As a reward, you have unlocked a new perk for your 'World Map'!]

Alex blinked. "Wait, what?"

Normally, reaching tier 2 didn't provide rewards like this.

Something was different.

A new message appeared, explaining further:

[You have unlocked the 'Fast Travel' perk!]

[Description: The 'Fast Travel' perk allows you to teleport instantly to previously visited locations. Open your World Map to access teleport points. Teleportation consumes no resources and can be used freely outside of combat.]

Alex's eyes widened.

This was a game-changer.

He quickly opened his [World Map], which expanded in front of him in a translucent blue overlay.

As the map unfurled, he noticed new glowing dots had appeared on it—each marking a location he had already visited.

There were exactly five available points:

[Dawn City]

[Undead Temple]

[Toxic Forest]

[Novice Village 666]

[Undead Land]

Excitement surged through him.

Alex didn't hesitate.

He clicked on [Dawn City]

[Do you want to fast travel to 'Dawn City'?]

"Yes!"

In an instant, the world around him warped.

He felt a brief sensation of weightlessness as the desolate land disappeared, replaced by the bustling streets of [Dawn City].

He had appeared right by the entrance!

The city's towering walls loomed in the distance, and the familiar hum of life filled the air.

"Hey, that guy just appeared out of nowhere!" someone muttered nearby.

"Are you dumb? He probably used a teleporter," another scoffed.

Alex ignored them, too preoccupied with the implications of his new ability.

What he had just gotten was something beyond anything possible.

With only two [World Maps] in the entire world of Universal Descent (3 counting his), it means that only three people were able to do that.

The only other way players can travel easily was either: from a fast pet, using a vehicle, or using a [Teleporting Warp].

For example, shops in [Dawn City] sold [Dawn City Warps], which you could use to instantly teleport back here if you're outside of battle.

But using those was expensive, and each use consumed one, meaning you couldn't do it infinitely.

Without wasting time, Alex opened the map again and clicked on [Novice Village 666].

Another flash of light, and he was standing at the entrance to the small village he had first started in.

He repeated the process, testing each location, then teleporting back to [Undead Land], right in front of the black mist he had just escaped from.

Every time, the teleportation was flawless—seamless, instantaneous.

Finally, he returned to [Dawn City] and let out a long breath.

This perk was the real deal.

After unlocking a new location, he could teleport there anytime, no longer constrained by the slow travel methods of others.

"Alright," Alex murmured to himself, opening the map once more, his eyes lingering on the distant dot marked [Toxic Forest].

He needed to cross that place while the event was happening again if he wanted to reach [Bell City] and continue his journey.