Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

Ding! Ding! Ding!

He received several notifications as each of his skills leveled up once thanks to the [Undead King Curse].

...

[You have upgraded "Grand Fireball" to "Explosive Fireball"] (Advanced)

[Deals 5,000 points of damage to target + 100% of spirit to target; consumes 1000 mana; 3-second cooldown.]

...

[You have upgraded "Crimson Shard" to "Crimson Spike"] (Advanced)

[Description: A jagged spike of blood-red energy that impales the enemy, leaving a lingering bleed effect for 5 seconds.]

[Deals 4,000 damage to target; consumes 750 mana; 2-second cooldown.]

...

[You have upgraded "Boulder Smash" to "Rock Crash"] (Advanced)

[Create a massive boulder that can be thrown at the enemy dealing 5,000 damage, with a 50% chance of stunning; consumes 2000 mana; 8-second cooldown.]

...

[You have upgraded "Stone Barrier" to "Stone Fortress"] (Advanced)

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[Create a sturdy barrier that can block up to 10,000 damage at once; costs 5000 mana; 30-second cooldown.]

[Note: you can raise the barrier from the ground, meaning that you can keep it in place, not just in front of you.]

...

[You have upgraded "Inferno Tempest" to "Fire Vortex"] (Advanced)

[Description: A swirling vortex of flames that engulfs all enemies within its range.]

[Deals 150% of your spirit to enemies in a large area; consumes 10,000 mana; 15-second cooldown.]

...

[You have upgraded "Powerful Slash" to "Rending Slash"] (Advanced)

[Deals 3,000 damage to target + 100% of strength to target; no cooldown.]

...

[You have upgraded "Lightning Bolt" to "Thunderclap Bolt"] (Advanced)

[A crackling bolt of lightning that strikes with tremendous force, leaving a residual charge that can affect nearby targets.]

[Deals 6,000 points of damage + 100% of spirit to target + 15% chance to stun; consumes 2000 mana; 4-second cooldown.]

...

With this, he had checked everything.

"Or did you now," Alphox smiled.

"Hm?" Alex raised his eyebrows, and once he turned toward the black panel, he noticed everything was checked except for [Cursed Eyes of the King].

As Alex clicked on the cursed eyes panel, an intense, searing pain suddenly enveloped his vision.

His eyes burned as though set aflame from within, forcing him to clutch his head in agony.

"AAAAAAAH-"

The pain felt endless, his screams echoing in the hollow chamber.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the burning sensation faded, and Alex slowly opened his eyes.

He blinked, adjusting to the light, and noticed that everything seemed sharper, clearer.

"Interesting..." Alphox's voice echoed from behind him, the shadow dragon observing intently. "The old bastard actually gave you his eyes."

"W-What do you mean?" Alex stammered, still disoriented from the pain.

"Those eyes," Alphox continued, "when the Undead King was alive, they were treasures. Thousands sought after them. We called them [The Eyes of the King]. Stolen from his corpse the moment he fell."

"And what do they do?" Alex asked, still blinking as his vision began to return to normal.

"Hm…" Alphox smirked, fading back into his shadowy realm. "You'll figure it out on your own."

With that, the shadow dragon vanished, leaving Alex alone in the final chamber of the fifth floor.

"What the hell was that…" Alex muttered, his hands still on his eyes.

The cursed power he had gained from the Undead King left him wondering if it would become a double-edged sword.

His strength had surged, but at what cost?

He quickly checked his updated stats.

[Attributes: Vitality 3275; Strength 4564 (+1500); Agility 3466 (+1000); Spirit 6069 (+1000)]

With his newfound power, Alex could now deal devastating damage, easily in the tens of thousands.

But he had little time to dwell on his new abilities—he had a dungeon to clear.

He stepped forward, heading down the trapdoor that led deeper into the dungeon.

His goal was to try and reach the tenth floor before the end of the day.

Ding!

[You have reached the second layer of the "Basics" section. Good luck.]

With his 60690 mana points, Alex decided to summon more undead minions before progressing further.

He raised his hands, focusing his mana.

[+27 Normal Skeletons, +Greater Skeleton, +Bone Knight, +Spectral Wraith]

[-49,500 Mana.]

The ground trembled as the skeletons rose, materializing in front of him.

Another 'Greater Skeleton' took its place beside the first, wielding a massive bone sword.

But it is the two other figures that caught Alex's attention.

The Bone Knight stood clad in dark, weathered armor, holding a shield and a spear made of bone.

Its presence was commanding, radiating an aura of discipline and might.

Beside it, the Spectral Wraith hovered silently—a semi-transparent, ghostly figure that radiated an eerie cold.

Its long, ethereal limbs seemed to melt into the shadows, ready to strike with unnatural speed.

"Let's go, my army!" Alex called, pointing toward the hallway ahead.

His forces, now bolstered by their new members, began marching forward, the undead warriors moving with unsettling precision.

...

6th Floor:

The group soon encountered their first wave of enemies—Dozens of tier 3 [Shadowfang Hounds] at level 60.

The creatures, hulking beasts with thick hides and deadly claws, charged at the undead army.

Alex watched closely as his new additions joined the fray.

The Bone Knight met the first of the monsters head-on, deflecting its powerful blows with ease.

Its spear jabbed forward in quick, precise strikes, piercing the beast's thick skin.

The Spectral Wraith darted around the battlefield, its incorporeal form slipping through attacks effortlessly.

With a sharp, chilling strike, it sapped the life from one of the monsters, leaving it weakened and vulnerable to the normal skeletons.

Three skeletons fell during the battle, but it was a small loss compared to the ease with which his forces dispatched the enemies.

Ding!

[You have slain Shadowfang Hounds, gained 838 experience points.]

[You have slain Shadowfang Hounds...]

[You have slain Shadowfang Hounds...]

Dozens of notifications popped up.

[Extraction talent activated; +6 Strength, +3 Agility]

The monsters were no match for his now-enhanced army: Alex didn't even have to cast any spells!

...

7th Floor:

The next floor presented a more complex challenge, with large groups of level 70 monsters attacking in waves.

"Explosive Fireball!" he shouted, launching a fiery blast into the midst of a group of monsters.

The explosion rocked the room, sending debris flying and incinerating everything in its radius.

-12,096!

Insane damage!

Though, he needed to be careful, as keeping his skeletons up meant he couldn't recover that much mana to begin with.

His Greater Skeletons charged forward, cutting through the beasts with their bone weapons, while the Bone Knight and Spectral Wraith provided strategic support, protecting the weaker skeletons and striking down key targets.

Alex's mana was draining fast, but his forces were holding strong.

The battle was intense, but with every enemy slain, his experience grew.

Ding!

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 39... 40... 41!]

The progression was swift, and by the time Alex reached the 8th floor, he was already level 41, his power growing exponentially.

His army had been thinned—only 8 skeletons, one Greater Skeleton, the Bone Knight, and the Spectral Wraith remained.

But they were more than enough for what lay ahead.

[Extraction talent activated: +4 skill points; +12 Spirit; +14 Agility.]

It truly became much more difficult to get attribute points, each monster giving him only 1 to 2.

But still, it was good enough.

...

10th floor:

The eerie, damp atmosphere of the 10th floor unsettled Alex as he moved deeper into the dungeon.

He approached a massive chamber, its walls lined with pulsating, web-like structures.

'The territory of the spiders is slowly revealing itself... huh...' Alex thought, 'It's the final room before their nest after all...'

The air felt thick with a strange energy, and he could hear a faint clicking sound echoing from within.

At the center of the room, towering over 10 feet tall, stood a massive golem—its body covered with ancient rock and moss.

[You have encountered "Dungeon Golem" (Level 100) (Epic Rank)]

[Rank: 4 Star]

Alex grinned despite the odds.

His forces may have been diminished, but this was a true test of their strength.

"Alright, let's see what you're truly made of," Alex muttered to himself as he looked at his Bone Knight, Spectral Wraith, and Greater Skeleton.

He raised his staff high, pointing it at the massive thing, "Show me what you've got!"

The three 'bosses' of his army responded to his command, charging at the Golem with deadly intent.

The battle had begun, and Alex would soon discover just how powerful his new abilities truly were.