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

Sterl stood still, having activated the passive effect of Shadow Stealth. The patrolling soldiers did not notice an extra figure on the city wall.

Looking down—

The soldiers below, who had completely lost their humanity and resembled the frenzied elves from the Wind Song tribe that had attacked him earlier, filled Sterl with a sense of sorrow and reflection.

Sterl had no clear understanding of the Dark Moon Goddess's exact plans.

However, because of her plan, the fate of an entire world's living beings was sealed—they were destined to march towards death! Even before their demise, their self-will had been stripped away by the world's will, which was supposed to protect them.

"Why am I even feeling sorry for them..." Sterl felt a pang of sadness for a few seconds but quickly shook his head. He realized he was being hypocritical. He lamented the cold-bloodedness of the Dark Moon Goddess for destroying this world.

But if he were in a similar position, if destroying a world like the Netherworld would benefit him, he wouldn't hesitate...

To be blunt, Sterl wasn't even sure if the NPCs in the world of [Transcendence] were truly sentient beings or just AI simulations created by [Transcendence]'s computational power...

He leaned towards the former, but the latter wasn't impossible either.

Moreover, in a game world, even if these NPCs had souls, their deaths might not be real...

In short, it wasn't something Sterl needed to worry about.

"But, how do I get my hands on the Netherworld Water?"

Sterl observed that the area around the Netherworld Water was glowing with strange magical light and had a unique aura.

He wasn't sure if his Shadow Stealth could work perfectly in such conditions.

After all, the last portion of the Netherworld Water was also being watched by the world's will...

Could even a legendary ability contend with an entire world? Probably not...

"Wait, is this really my concern?" Sterl laughed at himself.

Did he really need to sneak around? He could just charge in!

Even with an army in his way, with Sterl's efficiency in clearing monsters using his Starburst ability, he could break through easily.

However, Sterl didn't plan to attack immediately.

Even if he killed all the NPC soldiers below, he wouldn't gain much. If he didn't kill them, they could act as a defense against other players trying to seize the Netherworld Water.

Sterl figured that even if he killed those legendary souls, it wouldn't prompt the goddess to personally target him. But if he stole her Divine Power and she noticed, things could get messy.

Using the NPCs to kill other players was the safest strategy.

"So, I'll wait for other players to show up..." Sterl quickly calculated in his mind.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he activated the effect of Bloody Rush to dodge to the side.

That wasn't enough—Sterl also used the teleport function of his Star Domain ability to quickly distance himself nearly a kilometer from the checkpoint guarding the Netherworld Water.

Only then did he look ahead with a serious expression.

The spot he had just occupied was now filled with eerie, dark green arms clawing and tearing at the air.

It didn't seem like a particularly powerful skill, but Sterl felt a wave of inexplicable tension!

This was fear stemming from life itself!

Those arms seemed capable of tearing apart both soul and flesh effortlessly! If even a single one touched him, he would be done for.

Sterl barely had time to react, feeling a chill at the thought that if he had been any slower, he would have had to use his resurrection gear.

His expression changed again, and he reluctantly enveloped himself in a multicolored flame, quickly launching himself into the air. The ground where he had been standing erupted with earthen spikes, violently piercing upwards as if trying to skewer him.

It was as if they intended to turn him into a pincushion.

Even after dodging two attacks in quick succession, the onslaught was far from over.

Suddenly, Sterl saw a figure high above—a young girl with wings, clad in radiant golden armor, and wielding a flaming sword. Her face was stern and resolute: "Sinner! You have defied the will of the goddess! You must die!"

Sterl's expression shifted dramatically. Another one?

At that moment, he could clearly see three figures in his mental domain—

One atop the gigantic checkpoint, another on the ground where he had just been standing, and one right in front of him. Three legendary souls were teaming up against him!

Moreover, they had all ignited their own souls to forcibly return to their legendary state, attacking with full force and catching him off guard!

Sterl glanced at them with Star Insight, and the terrifying stats popped up before him.

These legendary souls were no weaker than Milo! Of course, they still had the inherent weaknesses of being soul entities. They couldn't use their innate abilities, their attribute values were slightly reduced, and they had lost most of their skills.

But since they could still use their legendary abilities, they remained a significant threat to Sterl!

Fortunately, Sterl had anticipated such a scenario.

Initially, the Dark Moon Alliance had only sent one legendary soul to guard the Netherworld Water because they believed no second-class player could pose a threat to these entities. Knowing Milo had been instantly killed, it made sense for them to place more legendary souls at the third Netherworld Water.

Sterl had even considered the possibility of facing five or six legendary souls at once.

With only three "people" attacking, it was actually fewer than he had expected.

"It seems legendary souls are incredibly valuable. The Dark Moon Alliance wouldn't waste them easily..." Sterl quickly pieced it together.

The reason he was able to remain calm and think clearly even though he couldn't exert any force in mid-air was that his shadow clone had suddenly appeared and activated the Power of Protection!

A blue light shield firmly protected Sterl all around. This was a defensive technique that could only be used at the cost of sacrificing one's life. Attacks below demigod level couldn't break through, and even legendary abilities were ineffective!

At the same time, Sterl's trump card, which he had kept hidden until now—the Star Radiance Dragon—made its entrance!

Since it didn't benefit from the arcane skill's experience boost, the Star Radiance Dragon was only at level 54. Although an SSS-class pet, with attributes and combat power far exceeding its peers, it didn't possess the absurd capabilities that Sterl had gained through his stat allocation system. It was roughly equivalent to a third-class combat power.

However, due to its high attributes and the abundant life force characteristic of dragons, it could at least buy Sterl some time.

At this moment, the blue shimmering dragon beast quickly descended, charging towards the legendary soul on the ground.

As a side note, in [Transcendence], the penalty for a pet's death was slightly less severe than for a player's own death. While a pet couldn't be resurrected after death, players could collect items to bring it back to life.

However, Sterl's Star Radiance Dragon had a particularly cunning feature: when it was close to death, it could activate its Guardian's Shield, feign death, and be reborn. This made it perfect for buying time.

What shocked Sterl was...

From the moment he was attacked at the checkpoint, he had already formulated a plan. First, he would create a large distance to get away from the first legendary soul that attacked him, while also observing if there were any new enemies.

He would then use the Power of Protection to block the first wave of attacks from the legendary soul. If faced with multiple enemies, he would use the Star Radiance Dragon to buy some time.

Sterl would try not to reveal his legendary abilities in the first wave. He would use his golden skills to kill one legendary soul, then use Shadow Stealth to take down another. Based on the number of remaining legendary souls, he would then decide whether to continue fighting or to retreat.

If everything went well, the Star Radiance Dragon would still have one chance to release the Power of Protection. If things went south, and the Star Radiance Dragon had to use the Power of Protection to save itself, Sterl still had his resurrection gear as his trump card...

He was strategizing, feeling a rush of excitement!

This feeling of fully engaging in a life-or-death battle against formidable foes was something he relished! It reminded him of the time he completed that achievement and killed a boss without even having a class, dancing on the edge of life and death, maneuvering skillfully.

In one word:

Combat was exhilarating!

The initial steps of his plan were executed smoothly.

Sterl had drawn out all the enemies, faced their ultimate moves, and activated his Guardian's Shield.

But then, a major issue arose.

Don't misunderstand. Sterl's defense wasn't broken.

Rather...

Almost simultaneously as his Guardian's Shield was fully activated, the winged angelic girl, a legendary soul who had been readying her ultimate move, suddenly froze!

It was as if a camera had snapped a photo, freezing the moment in time.

The blazing flames she had gathered suddenly dimmed.

Dark purple energy lines appeared on the angelic girl's body, causing her amassed energy to dissipate instantly...

She muttered incoherently, "This... how is it possible?"

"Why... you?"

In that moment, she couldn't even attack Sterl. The angelic girl's wings rapidly became tainted, faltering.

Sterl was stunned, but his already charged ultimate move couldn't wait!

The multicolored flames of Divine Flame Drive burst forth.

However, Sterl was extremely puzzled. He felt something was off and didn't even use his Star Shard Enhancement—despite having replenished his star shards by farming in the Netherworld, using them to enhance his golden skills was still quite costly.

Given such a strange situation, Sterl doubted his attack would even be effective...

But to his shock, the multicolored flames instantly engulfed the legendary soul. His opponent seemed utterly incapable of resistance.

Yet, this wasn't the most shocking part.

Sterl simultaneously sensed an aura that filled him with immense fear. It was... Divine Power!

The same Divine Power that he had within himself!

In other words, it was the power of the Dark Moon Goddess!

It was this very power that had suddenly manifested, turning into those dark beams that disrupted the angelic girl!