Chapter 124: The First Hero is Born
Elena stepped forward, her face flushed with excitement.
“Hehe! Finally! Let’s see what I’m made of!”
Jax activated the scanner on the altar.
[Subject: Elena (Tang Youya)]
Bio-Score: 70
Burst Capability: 150
Loyalty: 93
Status: Eligible for Altar Awakening.
Jax met her eager gaze and nodded. “Alright. It’s you.”
The others looked on with undisguised envy.
“Incredible,” someone muttered. “Both siblings have the potential to Awaken? I hope I’m next.”
“Don’t rush it,” another survivor whispered. “Maybe if we save up enough Cores, we can go to Redrock Bastion and pay for a gene-mod Awakening later.”
Jax cut in sharply, waving his hand to silence the chatter.
“This is different. The Awakening methods in Redrock Bastion sacrifice a portion of the human body’s potential to force a mutation. That’s why the side effects are so severe.”
“Oh!” Barnaby realized aloud. “No wonder Raven looked so weak after using her skill. She could barely walk.”
“Exactly,” Jax confirmed. “That kind of crude Awakening burns life force as fuel. I don’t recommend it. Once our [Hero’s Altar] is upgraded, everyone here will have a chance to gain abilities without destroying their bodies.”
Elena clenched her fists, her heart pounding. “I wonder what I’ll get? I hope it’s a mental ability like Raven’s.”
“Don’t worry,” Jax smiled. “Given your stats, it won’t be weak.”
As he spoke, the shimmering barrier of the Altar solidified. The interior lighting vanished, replaced by a deep, unnatural darkness that seemed to swallow the platform.
“This… this is the Altar?” Elena asked, her voice trembling slightly.
“It seems so,” Jax muttered, equally surprised.
The space resembled an ancient ritual site superimposed over high-tech machinery. The central platform was etched with glowing, complex runes that pulsed with a rhythmic light. It wasn’t just a machine; it was a temple of data and energy.
“Ahem. Ignore the aesthetics,” Jax said, regaining his composure. “Are you ready?”
Elena shivered at the ominous atmosphere but grit her teeth. “If I want to surpass that vixen Raven, this is the only way. Yes! I’m doing it!”
“Good. Get on the platform. Let me check the catalyst requirements.”
Jax placed his palm on the control console.
[Tier 1 Hero’s Altar] [Protocol: Candidate must lay supine on the platform.] [Cost: 1,000 Tier 1 Cores required to initiate inheritance.] [Please insert Cores.]
Jax froze. “You’re kidding. A thousand?”
Elena heard him and balked. “It costs Cores? A thousand of them? Maybe we should forget it! I’d rather keep the money!”
Jax rolled his eyes at her sudden frugality. “Relax. It’s just 1,000 Tier 1 Cores. We’ve slaughtered enough bugs in the last few days to cover that easily. Hand them over.”
“Ah? But… that’s so many!”
“Fine. If you don’t want the power, I’ll put Barnaby in the chair.”
“I never said I wouldn’t do it!” Elena shrieked, blocking his hand. “A thousand! Take it!”
She ran to her stash, hauling out a heavy sack of crystalline Cores she had meticulously collected. She counted out exactly 1,000 and dumped them onto the console.
“Here! After this, I’d better be stronger than Raven.”
Jax rubbed his temples, exasperated. “Can you stop being so competitive? Why are you obsessed with her?”
“Hmph! I just can’t stand seeing that fox thinking she’s better than me!”
“Sigh. Whatever. Get on the slab.”
Elena nodded, taking a deep breath before lying down on the cold stone platform. Jax initiated the sequence.
“Begin Awakening.”
The runes surrounding the platform flared with blinding brilliance.
The pile of Tier 1 Cores disintegrated, dissolving into motes of pure energy. They didn’t vanish; they ascended, floating upward to form a swirling vortex of starlight against the pitch-black ceiling of the chamber.
It looked like a contained galaxy, with every star representing the life force of a slain monster.
Jax watched in awe. “I wonder what class she’ll pull… hopefully something with high DPS.”
As if responding to his thought, the galaxy swirled violently, condensing into a river of silver light. It crashed down, engulfing Elena in a cocoon of radiant energy.
The process took an hour. When the light finally faded, Elena’s eyes snapped open, glowing with residual power.
Lying next to her was a weapon that hadn’t been there before.
It was a sleek, silver rifle, about a meter long, humming with a low-frequency vibration. It looked less like a gun and more like a piece of art from a century in the future.
[System Notification: First Fortress Hero Created.] [Hero: Elena (Tang Youya)] [Exclusive Weapon: Soul Collector Rifle]
Jax quickly pulled up her new profile.
[Name: Elena]
Class: Tier 1 Awakened Hero – Soul Harvester
Passive Skill: Soul Harvest
Effect: When eliminating insectoids with the Soul Collector Rifle, there is a probability of harvesting a ‘Soul’. The more Souls collected, the stronger the user’s abilities become.
“Infinite scaling…” Jax stared at Elena with genuine envy. “That is broken.”
Elena sat up, grabbing the silver rifle. It hummed in her grip, syncing with her bio-rhythm.
“This is my ability?” she asked, marveling at the weight of the weapon.
“Yes. Congratulations,” Jax said. “You instinctively know how to use it, right?”
“Mhm!” Her eyes shone. “I feel… sharp. I can’t wait to test it.”
“Not good!” Annie’s terrified scream shattered the moment. “Insect Swarm! A huge wave is coming!”
Jax spun around, rushing to the edge of the platform with Elena close behind.
Beyond the perimeter walls, the wasteland was alive. The darkness rippled with movement. A tidal wave of Tier 1 [Sandworms] led the charge, their segmented bodies churning the earth. Behind them scuttled heavily armored Tier 2 horrors—Ironclad Beetles and [Rodent-Maw Creepers].
But what chilled Jax’s blood were the towering silhouettes in the rear guard.
Tier 3 [Acid-Web Arachnids]. More than a dozen of them.
“Whew,” Jax exhaled sharply. “Here we go.”
[System Mission: Eliminate the First Wave]
Reward: 100 Stardust Stone, 100 Refined Iron.
Penalty: Deduction of ALL current EXP.
Jax cursed under his breath. He hadn’t leveled up yet.
[User: Jax]
Bio-Score: 98 (Ordinary)
Skills: Luring Clone (Tier 2), Aero-Step (Tier 1)
EXP: 3,787/5,000
Defenses: Sentry Tower (Tier 2) x4, Howitzer Turret (Tier 2) x2
“I’m still Level 3,” Jax realized, panic spiking. “If I fail this, all that EXP is gone. I have to hold the line.”
“Barnaby!” Jax roared. “Load the turrets! Max capacity on Energy Shards! Don’t be stingy!”
“On it, bro!” Barnaby sprinted to the ammo hoppers, dumping glowing blue shards into the intake mechanisms.
With a series of mechanical clanks, the [Howitzer Turrets] and [Sentry Towers] swiveled, locking onto the incoming tide.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The night exploded as the artillery began to pound the swarm.
Elena stood on the rampart, clutching her new rifle. She squinted, aiming down the sights, but shook her head.
“I need to get closer,” she shouted over the noise. “The range isn’t enough for the backline!”
“Go!” Jax commanded. “I’ll spot for you. If they break the perimeter, retreat immediately!”
“Got it!” Elena vaulted over the railing, using the descending terrain to find a sniper nest closer to the wall.
The other survivors watched her go, their faces a mix of fear and admiration.
“So cool,” one whispered. “She just… changed. No hesitation.”
“Yeah. And she doesn’t look sick like the Awakeners in the city. She looks stronger.”
At that moment, a weary figure emerged from the sleeping quarters. Raven leaned against the doorframe, her face pale but recovering. She watched Elena sprinting into position with the futuristic rifle strapped to her back.
Raven’s eyes widened. “That weapon… did you create that?”
Jax nodded, not looking away from the battle. “I did.”
“Is that building… a device for Awakening ordinary people?”
“It is.”
Raven looked at the Altar, then at Jax. A raw, hungry envy flashed in her eyes.
“Can I…” She swallowed, steadying her voice. “Can I use it? I’ll pay for the Cores myself.”
Jax turned to her, his expression unreadable. He shrugged.
“Sorry. You don’t qualify yet.”
Raven’s face fell, disappointment washing over her features.
“I see,” she whispered. “Alright.”
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