The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Physical Body Strengthening

"Do you know why I'm alone here and not with the others?" she continued, her tone dark. "Because I don't want to destroy someone who can't withstand my fury."

With a sigh, the oppressive aura receded, and the castle fell silent once more.

"But it's okay now. He's already growing stronger at an abnormal rate, even for us. It's only a matter of time before he regains his former power, so I'm not that angry anymore because he'll deal with them himself."

The woman smiled and shrugged as if it were no problem.

"It's okay?" The Administrator glanced around with an indifferent expression at the destruction surrounding them.

The shattered walls, the broken statues and pillars of the throne room, and the cracks running through the ground were all caused by the overwhelming pressure the woman had released moments ago.

The Administrator sighed and thought to herself, "I suppose it's normal for her to react this way, mentally unstable and all. Well, she should be fine now that he's here."

"Anyway, who else knows about his existence?" the Administrator asked, fixing her gaze on the woman seated on the now-broken throne.

"Lenora."

"She knows? Oh no." The Administrator pinched the bridge of her nose, dreading the consequences. "She's one of the chaotic ones. Please don't tell me you revealed his location."

She could already imagine the chaos Lenora and her unpredictable group of friends would bring if they connected with him now.

It was far too soon for him to learn the truth and meet everyone.

The Administrator had a unique role.

She was tasked with overseeing the evolution of all beings across the universe, ensuring everything operated according to the System.

Her purpose was to make sure all beings continued to grow stronger.

The stronger they became, the more powerful the worlds would grow.

The stronger the worlds, the mightier the sectors.

And the stronger the sectors, the greater the universe would become.

She didn't care to interfere with beings climbing the Tower because it wasn't her job.

In truth, she simply didn't care.

Whether someone lived or died, who killed whom, who stole from whom, which god slew another, or which demon escaped from hell did not matter to her.

Her only concern was that everyone followed the rules of the System.

Her responsibility was to monitor any anomalies that appeared in the universe and ensure they were properly tempered for the future.

Even though she had the power to intervene, she wouldn't.

They weren't worth her eternal time, not even the gods.

But there was one exception.

Him.

If she suspected anything that might disrupt his growth, she would do whatever it took to prevent it.

Even if it meant destroying entire worlds or slaughtering gods, she wouldn't hesitate as long as it was something beyond what he could handle.

"Ahhh, don't think with that universal-level brain of yours. She only suspects his return, and she has no way of knowing about him unless you or I told her," the woman on the throne replied with a nonchalant expression.

"Still, he has already triggered the evolution function of the system, and at the speed he's growing, it won't be long before he evolves. When he does, his soul will officially begin its evolution into its true form," the Administrator said as she glanced at the profile of the person they were discussing.

"Oh, then they will begin to reestablish their connection to his soul and finally sense him, isn't that right?" the woman on the throne sighed.

"I still don't understand how you sensed him before even the system detected him. I'm the one with the most powerful senses. I should have noticed him before you did. Is it because of your special connection?" the Administrator asked, a hint of jealousy slipping into her voice despite her efforts to conceal it.

The woman noticed this but chose not to comment, knowing it would only agitate the Administrator further.

"Yeah," the woman on the throne nodded. "Leave this to me. When they start to sense him, I'll make sure they don't do anything foolish. And you make sure no one tries to interfere with his growth, especially the gods."

"I know. You don't have to tell me."

"By the way, please be a dear and tell the system to grant me the authority to watch his every action," the woman on the throne asked with a small, innocent smile.

The Administrator hesitated for a moment.

In that single second, her mind raced through millions of scenarios, analyzing every possible reaction the woman on the throne might have if she refused.

Her immediate instinct was to decline.

Her sole objective was to ensure he reached his full potential, and she couldn't allow any distractions, not even from the woman on the throne who was also the head of the household.

She knew the woman's involvement could derail everything.

At the same time, the Administrator was well aware that this woman would not take rejection lightly.

She might even slaughter a dozen gods just to vent her frustration.

Yet, despite her brazenness, the woman wouldn't meddle carelessly when it came to 'him'.

Not after everything that had happened all those years ago.

After weighing every possibility, the Administrator sighed and slowly nodded her head.

...

After completing the fourth trial, Damian didn't immediately move on to the fifth.

Instead, he planned to fully utilize this realm's fiery nature to his advantage.

Damian used his [Earth Elemental Magic] to create a platform under the fire essence-rich lava that was overflowing inside the mountain.

He positioned it just right so that when he sat cross-legged on it, the lava would engulf his entire body, even up to his head, completely.

Without hesitation, Damian submerged his legs into the burning lava and sat cross-legged.

As soon as he did, his entire body became submerged in the lava, but Damian didn't feel any discomfort.

If anything, he only felt a slight warmth.

One of the effects of his constitution, [Eternal Earth Flame Physique], granted him complete immunity to earth flames.

This meant that, as long as the flames weren't of high grade, his flesh wouldn't burn.

Being submerged in the fire essence-rich lava, Damian could feel that he was able to increase his [Fire Essence] pool by cultivating the fire essence within the lava.

Damian could freely control the effectiveness of the effects of his constitution, adjusting them as he wished.

He turned off 15% of the effects of his constitution, [Eternal Earth Flame Physique].

When he did that, the complete fire immunity provided by his constitution was also reduced by 15%.

Immediately, the lava he was submerged in began to affect him.

His skin started to burn, and his hair was already burned away completely.

[The effects of the talent [Boundless Refinement] are activated.]

[Your adaptability to fire is increasing.]

[Your natural immunity to fire is increasing.]

[Your adaptability to pain is increasing.]

[Your natural pain tolerance is increasing.]

[The effects of the constitution [Unyielding Warrior's Physique] are activated.]

[Your physical body is adapting to fire.]

[Your physical body's natural immunity to fire is increasing.]

His skin was continuously being burned, and as soon as one layer of flesh was burned, the next layer began to burn.

Since he had only reduced the effect of his constitution by 15%, the lava didn't burn him as quickly or as intensely as it would have otherwise.

His flesh wasn't being completely incinerated.

However, the moisture in his skin was slowly vaporizing, and the pressure from the heat was beginning to feel as though it would cause his body to explode.

But Damian endured it, relying on sheer willpower, much like when he fought the [Forest Vipers] in the first trial.

While his flesh was slowly burning and vaporizing, something else was also happening inside his body.

His extraordinary vitality, which had already surpassed human limits, began to take effect.

The vitality stat represented a person's overall health and the rate at which they regenerated.

Essentially, it determined how quickly someone could heal from an injury or wound over a period of time.

His vitality had already surpassed 100 points, allowing him to heal from any injury at an unnatural speed.

His flesh was rapidly burning, but at the same time, it was constantly healing, fighting against the damage caused by the flames.

As his injuries healed, the rate at which they healed also increased, albeit slightly.

While all this was happening, his [Fire Essence Core] was passively working, slowly absorbing the fire essence from the lava through the burning of his flesh.

A day passed like this.

[Your pain tolerance increased x12.]

[Your natural fire immunity increased x14.]

[Due to being constantly injured and healed simultaneously, your vitality is being strengthened.] x 12

[Your vitality increased: +6.]

[Your Fire Essence increased: +22]

After a day of this, Damian no longer felt any pain.

He no longer felt the burn or discomfort from the lava.

"It's time to reduce the effects by 35%," Damian muttered.

He immediately reduced the effects of his constitution, [Eternal Earth Flame Physique], from 15% to 35%.

Once again, the cycle of burning and healing began.

This time, it was much more intense, but his talent, [Boundless Refinement], and his constitution, [Unyielding Warrior's Physique], continued to assist his body, gradually increasing his resistance to pain and fire with each passing moment.

For the next ten days, Damian continued this cycle while gradually decreasing the effects of his constitution until he reached 100%.

[Your pain tolerance has increased by x114.]

[Your natural fire immunity has increased by x101.]@@novelbin@@

[Due to being constantly injured and healed simultaneously, your vitality has been strengthened.] x 109

[Vitality increased: +53.]

[Fire Essence increased: +78.]

[Due to your flesh being constantly destroyed and reformed, your body has been strengthened.] x 73

[The toughness and defenses of your flesh have been significantly increased.] x 66

[Your Strength Increased: +27]