Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

And of course, other cities also had their own [World Associations].

"They\'ve all refused the offer…" Aiden mumbled, looking frustrated. "What am I supposed to do now?"

A voice cut through his thoughts. "Need help with something?"

Startled, Aiden looked over to see a young, determined-looking man staring at him.

Alex\'s intense gaze met his, exuding a calm yet commanding energy.

Aiden frowned, his gaze trailing over Alex\'s frame, sizing him up. "Move along, kid. You\'re not strong enough for what I have in mind."

To Aiden, Alex was a mere level 100.

In his experience, someone at that level would need an entire team to handle even a fraction of the trouble ahead.

Without waiting for a response, Aiden turned away, heading back toward his office.

But Alex grinned, a spark of determination igniting.

He looked at Alice beside him, who tilted her head, her fox ears twitching as she whispered, "That\'s it?"

Alex\'s grin widened. "Not even close."

He placed his palm on the ground, focusing his mana, and the shadows around him started swirling, dark energy seeping into the air.

"Arise," he muttered.

With a faint hum, skeletal figures materialized around him, slowly forming an impressive undead army.

Fwish! Fwish! Fwish!

[+80 Skeletons, +13 Grand Skeletons, +4 Bony Knights, +3 Spectral Wraiths]

Aiden, feeling the sudden surge of energy, stopped and turned, his eyes widening as he saw the undead army filling the building.

Players and NPCs alike gasped, some even running away at the sight of Alex\'s dark summons.

"What the…?" Aiden whispered, clearly taken aback.

Alex tilted his head, smiling. "Is this enough?"

Aiden\'s gaze swept over the undead legion, feeling the aura they emitted—one of real strength and mastery over the undead arts.

He stared at Alex, his voice laced with both admiration and suspicion. "Kid… I only know of two necromancers strong enough to summon these kinds of undead beings."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "And who might those be?"

Aiden\'s voice dropped to a whisper, "The first is Lich, the most powerful undead lord in history."

"And the second?"

"The Undead King."

Alex chuckled, his eyes sparking with mischief. "Good news, then. Undead King, show yourself."

At his call, a towering figure materialized above Alex.

A massive skeleton with a golden crown and a dark cloak appeared, emanating a chilling aura that made Aiden\'s skin crawl.

It was the Undead King himself.

"Again?" the Undead King muttered, a tinge of irritation in his deep, hollow voice. "I was busy."

Aiden\'s expression shifted from shock to unease.

He took a few steps back, his face pale as he processed what he was seeing. "Kid… who are you?"

Alex shrugged, snapping his fingers as the Undead King and his undead army dissolved into shadows, vanishing from sight. "Just someone looking to help."

Aiden\'s wariness turned to a thoughtful nod.

This young man was clearly no ordinary player, "Alright, maybe you can actually be useful."

Aiden was one of the good NPCs in Universal Descent, known for his loyalty to Bell City.

Aiden was one of the good NPCs in Universal Descent, not falling to the dark side and trying to defend this city no matter what, even when it fell by the hands of the demons and abyssal/dark humans.

He was a tier 6 warrior, and though that was weak compared to many of the NPCs and monsters in the future, it was still decent.

"So, what exactly do you need?" Alex asked, ready for a new challenge.

As soon as he asked, a notification appeared before him.

[You have triggered the SSS-Level Hidden Quest: "Blood Moon Secret Boss Slayer"]

[Objective: Find and kill the secret boss that will appear once the blood moon arrives.]

[Rewards: +100 Reputation with Aiden, 10 Gold Coins, and Skill Upgrade Orb (Divine)]

"That\'s all," Aiden said, his voice laden with concern. "We\'ve received intel about an incredibly powerful creature set to appear when the blood moon rises, and it\'s going to target the city. We need it taken out before it can do any damage."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why don\'t you handle it yourself?"

Aiden smirked. "Because this place won\'t run itself. Someone has to keep things in order here," he said, turning back toward his office.

He shut the door behind him, placing a [Do Not Disturb] sign on it.

"I\'ll try," Alex nodded, happy he managed to get that quest.

An SSS-level hidden quest with an incredible reward, especially the [Skill Upgrade Orb].

Like his [Skill Evolution] perk, it could evolve a skill, but Alex was already considering giving it to Alice since he had his own perk for upgrading skills.

Speaking of skills, he hadn\'t used [Skill Evolution] yet.

[Skills: Fire Meteor (Max-Tier), Crimson Spike (Advanced), Rock Crash (Advanced), Stone Fortress (Advanced), Fire Vortex (Advanced), Oblivion Strike (Max-Tier), Fury of Thunder (Max-Tier), Spirit Chains (Intermediate), Poison Resistance (Passive), Aura of Death (Undead Skill), Aura (Passive), Shadow Veil (Unique), Shadow Strike (Unique).]

He was beginning to gain a good amount of skills, but some were beginning to fall short because of the increasingly difficult monsters Alex was facing.

After browsing his skills, he settled on one that could use a boost.

Ding!

[Do you want to upgrade "Fire Vortex" (Advanced) to "Fire Tornado" (High-Tier)?]

"Yes," he confirmed.

Ding!

[You have evolved "Fire Vortex" to "Fire Tornado"!]

[Fire Tornado Level 1: Deals 300% of your Spirit as damage to enemies in a large area. Has a chance to inflict the "Burn" effect. Mana Cost: 100,000. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]

A grin spread across Alex\'s face.

Percentage-based skills were powerful since they scaled with his Spirit stat, meaning they would only grow stronger as he advanced.

With [Skill Evolution] taken care of, Alex glanced at [Potential Extraction].

Turning to Alice, he held out his hand. "Mind handing me that necklace?"

Alice removed the [Spider Guard\'s Eye Necklace] he\'d given her before, passing it to him with a curious expression.

[Spider Guard\'s Eye Necklace (Legendary): Boosts agility by 1,500 and reveals nearby hidden enemies.]

Alex activated [Potential Extraction], watching as the necklace glowed briefly, transforming before his eyes.

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[You have enhanced "Spider Guard\'s Eye Necklace".]

[It has been upgraded to "Mutated Eye of the Spider" (Mythical).]

Alice\'s eyes sparkled as she examined her upgraded gear.

[Mutated Eye of the Spider (Mythical): Boosts agility by 5,000 and reveals nearby hidden enemies within 100 meters.]

"Wow…" she murmured, admiring the increase in stats.

With this upgrade, her agility had shot up significantly, making her faster and more elusive.

"Glad you like it." Alex chuckled, ruffling her hair playfully.

Reminder that she was still wearing the [Fox Ears] from before, meaning that the fox girls back in the [Fox Tribe Village] did wonder for a few seconds if she wasn\'t one of them.

The fact she didn\'t have a tail did expose her rather quickly, but maybe if Alex found a [Fox Tail] he could manage to disguise her completely.

Alice caught his smirk. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, laughing.

With their preparations complete, they exited the [World Association] building.

Alex glanced through the list of available quests but didn\'t find anything that interested him; the upcoming [Blood Moon] event would demand his full attention anyway.

As they reached the street, Alice was about to speak when a notification appeared, this time visible to every player in the city.

[Players who entered Bell City: 1,000,000]

Then another announcement followed.

Ding!

[Global Announcement: The "Blood Moon" event will start once the night falls. Be ready.]

The message sent ripples of fear through the gathered players.

"Another world event?"

"Be happy, I heard the last one gave incredible rewards!"

"It\'s my first event, I\'m scared!"

The name "Blood Moon" sounded ominous, after all.

While most players exchanged worried glances, Alex\'s eyes gleamed with excitement.

This was what he had been waiting for.

Increasing his reputation with Aiden was good, but there was one very specific other reason why he wanted to do this.

Hopefully he managed well enough to succeed.

"Here we go," he murmured, taking a deep breath as he surveyed the bustling city.

The tension was palpable.

Alice looked up at him, sensing his excitement. "Are you really ready for this?"

"More than ready," Alex replied confidently.

The event was about to begin.