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

"Why does it feel more and more off the longer I look at it?"

Sterl was currently sitting cross-legged atop a giant mountain fissure, a terrain formed by the appearance of the Shadow of Hatred.

At the moment, he wasn't in a rush to check the boss drops.

Instead, he was cautiously observing his surroundings, sensing that something strange seemed to be happening in the Netherworld.

"What is this..." Sterl's gaze unintentionally drifted over the cracks in the ground. He was stunned. Earlier, when the Shadow of Hatred had first appeared, Sterl had observed the underground, where golden lava had flowed in bright, molten streams.

But now, the once radiant lava was gradually dimming.

This couldn't possibly be due to exposure to outside air, as cooling lava would solidify into hard stone.

But the lava was still in a liquid state, only its color had dulled, almost as if the lava itself was dying.

This strange sight sent shivers down Sterl's spine, prompting him to check the boss drops first.

From the loot orb, only two items dropped, but upon inspecting them, Sterl's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh my! These are great!"

The first item was 40 purple gold coins, which Sterl gladly accepted. The second item was an amulet, though it had no attribute bonuses.

[Shadow Master]

[Category: Amulet]

[Description: Legend has it that in the Netherworld, there was once a deity who suppressed tens of thousands of vengeful spirits beneath a mountain range. Over time, these souls were compressed and condensed within the mountain, ultimately transforming into shadows filled with hatred for the world. Even though this creature is now dead, the intense shadow energy cannot be completely dispelled.]

[Effect: Allows you to use [Shadow Clone: Upon activating this skill, create a shadow clone with 25% of your attributes (including equipment). The clone can use all your skills and equipment abilities.]

Sterl had essentially gained a special skill for free, and a highly useful one at that.

After storing the amulet in his inventory, he immediately summoned a shadow clone. He then felt his perspective split in two. He could control the clone as easily as his own body, and communication was seamless.

Next, Sterl had the shadow clone cast Ignition Flame, which indeed displayed only a quarter of the power. But then...

An idea struck Sterl. He had the clone use the Power of Protection on his main body.

The shadow quickly disintegrated, but before it completely vanished, a cerulean shield had already enveloped Sterl.

His interface showed a new buff.

[Power of Protection: You can ignore all attacks and damage (this effect does not apply to demigods or entities above your current power level). Duration remaining: 3 seconds.]

"Holy crap! It actually worked!" Sterl was dumbfounded. This meant that the life-saving skill, which originally required the sacrifice of the Starlight Dragon to enter a temporary slumber before he could use it, could now become a regular move. He could just summon a shadow clone and use it.

However, Sterl soon discovered a downside. The amulet displayed a message: [Special Death: Shadow Clone's cooldown is tripled, currently needs 12 hours before it can be used again.]

"Damn! I should've saved the Power of Protection for later."

Actually, Sterl had a better idea.

Since the shadow clone could use equipment skills, he could use items like the Mask of Void and Star Insight to create a fake identity for his clone or have it impersonate Sterl's current identity at critical moments.

This would essentially give Sterl an extra alias, allowing him to better conceal his true strength. For instance, when he destroyed the Atlantic Empire's shuttle earlier, if he had this skill, he wouldn't have needed to make his main body vanish.

"Thanks a lot!" Sterl couldn't help but sincerely thank the now-dead Shadow of Hatred. This amulet was incredibly useful!

Plus, [Shadow Clone] was a skill that he could use to its full potential without needing any practice—perfect!

Sterl spent about an hour familiarizing himself with the specific abilities of the shadow clone. During this time, the already changing the Netherworld finally reached a tipping point.

As Sterl's gaze unconsciously swept across the sky, he suddenly noticed—

In the high sky, the noonday sun was suddenly eclipsed by a dark purple moon, turning the world into a different hue. The next second, he seemed to hear a wailing and sighing sound from some unknown creature.

The giant moon transformed into a meteorite plummeting toward the ground!

"Holy crap!" Sterl's knowledge from his previous life told him that such a massive meteorite, upon impact, would cause secondary disasters capable of annihilating all life in the Netherworld. However, he had a suspicion: "Could it be the Dark Moon Goddess causing this?"

Sterl calmly summoned the Starlight Dragon, ready to activate the Power of Protection at any moment. The meteorite struck! The earth shook so violently that Sterl almost lost his footing, but that was all...

Considering the size of the moon, the impact's effects were surprisingly minimal, almost irrationally so.

Sterl steadied himself. "I can't tell if it's a demigod or that goddess manipulating things..." As an amateur, he couldn't comprehend the power level required to summon a dark moon.

Thus, he couldn't gauge the situation in the Netherworld—whether gods had descended or if it was just demigods causing trouble.

Sterl was confused but resolved to be as cautious as possible and lay low.

Just then...

Boom!!

Sterl almost lost his balance again as the ground trembled violently once more. At the same time, he saw three giant pillars of light rising from the southeast, northwest, and directly ahead, each piercing the clouds.

In each light pillar, waves of water-blue and dark green energy transformed into two giant flood dragons.

Even an idiot could tell that these three light pillars were extraordinarily significant.

At this moment, a notification flashed before Sterl's eyes.

[Warning: Affected by unknown forces!]

[Warning: Affected by unknown forces!]

[Mission Updated: Seek out the Netherworld and initiate side quest—Acquire the Water of the Netherworld]

[Mission Completion Rewards: ① Unknown reward ② Removal of Lunar Restriction/Mark.]

"Wow, they're not even pretending anymore, are they?"

Sterl was momentarily stunned but quickly snapped back to reality.

The new side quest's "unknown reward" was one thing, but the second reward was clear as day—find that so-called Water of the Netherworld, or remain a slave of the Dark Moon Alliance forever.

The fact that removing the Lunar Restriction and Lunar Mark were presented as equivalent rewards indicated that once players were marked, they were no longer in control of their own fate. The restriction and the mark were essentially the same thing.

Moreover, the Dark Moon Alliance had no intention of lifting these marks from the players initially. They wanted a lifetime of servitude unless the players could obtain the Water of the Netherworld.

"How ruthless! Every player will be fighting tooth and nail for the Water of the Netherworld," Sterl thought, though he maintained a calm exterior. The earlier warning from the [Transcendence] system indicated an influence, likely divine intervention.

Sterl had no idea what gods were capable of, so he made sure not to show any unnecessary emotion.

Without hesitation, he activated his Blood Rush and bolted into the distance.

However, it wasn't to complete the quest.

Sterl had a clear thought process. He suspected that the Dark Moon Alliance's goddess was likely interested in the Water of the Netherworld, or something related to it, and that's why so many players were forced into the Netherworld.

The Water of the Netherworld had to be incredibly valuable.

Even a goddess coveted this resource, so of course, Sterl wanted it too!

Unfortunately, after just a few seconds of advancing, he noticed one of the three light pillars dimming rapidly, though it hadn't completely disappeared.

With a slight frown, Sterl decided to change direction.

He suspected that a player might have gotten there first. To ensure he obtained the Water of the Netherworld, he decided to head towards the still unaffected light pillar.

"If I can secure the remaining two portions of the Water of the Netherworld, it'll still be worth checking the dimming pillar later."

With plenty of energy storage potions on hand, Sterl used Blood Rush and Divine Flame Drive in dual-core mode, turning himself into a meteor streaking across the landscape at incredible speed.

However, after just a few more seconds of flying, he stopped again.

As he passed the area where the player team had been slaughtered by the Shadow of Hatred, tiny specks of light merged into his body.

The [Transcendence] system didn't even prompt him.

Sterl just felt a wave of warmth through his body. After checking his interface for a while, he saw—

His Moon Law growth had increased by 13 points! And his divine power had grown by 0.12 points, reaching a total of 0.13 points.

"Is this the divine power and law power that Gloria implanted in those players?" Sterl was stunned for a moment but then filled with joy.

Although the law power and divine power he acquired were still meager—insufficient to evolve his Moon Law and providing almost no enhancement—the divine power's increase was significant enough to extend the duration he could maintain his godly form. Now, instead of a mere instant, he could sustain it for a moment, more than ten times longer.

However, Sterl sensed that his godly form time was still less than 0.1 seconds.

Nevertheless, the additional gains from the players instilled a glimmer of hope in his eyes.