[ Name: Moon ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Class: Classless, Elemental Mage(Limited Time) ]
[ Level: 2 ][ 5% ]
[ Lives: 10 ]
[Strength: 11] [Agility: 13] [Constitution:13] [Mana: 16]
[ Attribute Points: 0 ]
[ Skills: Elemental Attack, Four Element Affinity]
[ Talent: Grim Reaper ]
[ Class Skill: Class Slot {1/1}]
Staring at his updated status, Moon felt genuine satisfaction wash over him. Ten lives already. His stats had increased across the board.
But what really thrilled him was the sensation of growing stronger. The moment his level increased, he'd felt his body become more powerful.
This feeling of progression, of measurable growth with each victory, was addictive in the best possible way. Moon finally understood why awakeners spoke about the First Sanctuary with such passion. It wasn't just about survival or resources. It was about this. The concrete proof that effort translates directly into power.
He wanted more of it.
Moon's eyes scanned the enclosed area. Several sheepbogs grazed nearby, unaware or unconcerned with the deaths of their companions. Their level one status made them perfect targets for grinding experience. He had limited time in this training ground. Two hours total, and he'd already used a portion of that.
He couldn't afford to wait for them to notice him.
Moon approached the nearest sheepbog, water already gathering in his raised palm. The creature looked up from its grazing, eyes meeting his. Before it could react, before it could lower its horns or prepare to charge, Moon released his attack.
The water ball struck it cleanly in the side.
The sheepbog bleated in surprise and pain, immediately turning aggressive. But Moon was already moving, already forming his second attack.
Moon maintained his rhythm. The sheepbog charged repeatedly, each attempt growing weaker as the accumulated damage took its toll. Its movements became predictable, desperate.
The fourth water ball struck its head with a wet impact. The creature's legs buckled, and it collapsed onto its side, breathing once before going still.
'It died quicker this time. The attribute gains are not to scoff at.' Moon thought.
[You have killed a level 1 Sheepbog.]
[You have gained 5 Lives]
The notification appeared, but this time it was accompanied by something new. Additional text materialized below the kill confirmation.
[Elemental Attack]
[Rank: Common]
[Proficiency: 5%]
[Details: You are able to conjure an elemental attack using mana and your affinity towards the element. +5% Extra Damage]
Moon paused, reading the information carefully. His proficiency had increased by five percent.
This resulted in an additional 5% extra damage. It wasn't massive, but it was noticeable. More importantly, it proved something crucial: skills could grow stronger through repeated use. The more he practised, the more he fought, the more powerful his abilities would become.
And if skills could improve while he had them mirrored, what would happen if he managed to comprehend them fully and make them permanent? Would they retain their proficiency level? Would he have to start from scratch? Could he continue developing a skill indefinitely once it became truly his?
These were questions for later. Right now, he needed to maximise every second of his remaining time in the training ground.
Moon turned his attention to another sheepbog grazing about ten meters away. Water was already gathering in his palm before he'd fully committed to the target. The process felt smoother now, the mana responded to his intent with less resistance, and the compression happened almost automatically.
The skill improvement wasn't just numbers on a screen. He could feel the difference in how the mana flowed through the pathways his copied class provided.
Fifteen lives total now. He was accumulating resources at five times the rate of normal awakeners, and none of them would ever know.
This power, this anomaly that the system had granted him, was his secret. His advantage. The world had branded him a Null; those he knew had laughed at him, had abandoned him at his lowest point.
He released the water ball. It shot forward with slightly more force than his previous attempts, the increased proficiency already evident. The attack struck the sheepbog squarely in the head, and the creature bellowed in pain and rage.
Moon was already moving, preparing his next strike, settling into the rhythm that was becoming second nature.
…
Once the two hours passed, the tokens they'd been given at the entrance began vibrating with increasing intensity. Workers stationed around the training grounds immediately called out for Moon's group to stop hunting.
"Your time is up. Start making your way out. Any additional attack from this point on will be counted as a breach of the contract, and you will be charged heavily."
Moon and the others were escorted back through the facility, past the reinforced barriers and labelled sections, until they emerged into the main corridor of the base. Outside the training grounds, their group naturally gathered together to compare results.
"Level three!" Selene announced proudly, practically glowing with satisfaction. "Seventy-five percent toward level four. How about everyone else?"
"Level three, sixty-seven percent," John said, flexing his arms experimentally. The stat increases had clearly made a difference internally.
"Level three, sixty-five percent," Elara added.
All eyes turned to Moon.
"Level three, fifteen percent," he said simply.
Elara looked at the moon before asking. "Oh, you're a bit behind. Did something happen? Were the sheepbogs giving you trouble?"
Moon shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Just took me a bit longer to get into the rhythm."
Unlike him, Selene and the others had spent hours experimenting with their newly awakened abilities before the summoning. They'd come from families with resources, with knowledge about how to prepare. Moon had entered the First Sanctuary with literally zero experience using any class because he thought he had none.
Despite being behind them in level progression, Moon felt perfectly content with his results. What they didn't know, what they couldn't know, was that he had far more lives accumulated than any of them.
Twenty-five lives total now.
Talents or classes that could increase or manipulate lives were simply unheard of. In all the documentation Moon had read, all the stories he'd heard, talents were known to be supportive at best. They were meant to offer small utility benefits. Hence, the reason classes were the true awakening of awakeners, not their talents.
His talent was law-breaking by comparison. A five times multiplier on the fundamental resource of this world.