The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM-Chapter 41: AWAKENING

As I stepped through the gate into Stage Two, a familiar wave of déjà vu washed over me.

Same crimson sky. Same twisted trees. Same suffocating mist curling around my boots.

"So... Hollow Wolves again?" I muttered under my breath.

The system didn’t keep me waiting.

[SYSTEM CHALLENGE]

Objective: Eliminate 5 Hollow Wolves within 60 seconds.

I rolled my eyes. "Figures. This is exactly how it went last time."

But the second those words left my lips, five shadows burst from the mist—hulking white wolves with fur like bone and eyes like bottomless pits.

They didn’t growl.

They glared—unblinking, malicious, and eerily intelligent.

The pressure they radiated hit like a wall. My breath caught, heart instinctively spiking.

D-Rank Monsters: Hollow Wolves

Savage speed. Coordinated assault. Killing machines.

But this wasn’t last time.

I opened my inventory with a thought. Crimson flames erupted around me as the Blazing Armor wrapped itself around my body—plate by plate—until I stood encased in living fire.

The moment it clicked into place, the suffocating pressure vanished.

I took a deep breath. Calm. Sharp.

"Let’s dance."

[Challenge Timer: 60 Seconds Remaining]

The wolves struck in unison.

One lunged from the front, another from my right, and the rest fanned out to encircle me.

I didn’t flinch.

With a flick of my wrist, I summoned my twin pistols—sleek, matte black, humming with stored power. I dropped into a low stance.

Bang!

The lead wolf’s skull exploded mid-leap, spraying bone and blood.

[1/5 Defeated] – 56 Seconds Remaining

The second wolf lunged, jaws aimed for my neck.

I sidestepped and fired two rapid shots into its ribs. It staggered, and I spun behind it, placing one clean shot in the back of its head.

[2/5 Defeated] – 50 Seconds Remaining

The remaining three were circling, faster now—eyes locked, reading my movement, coordinating like trained hunters.

Wrong move.

One came from the left. I shot it in the leg, spun, and shot its eye before it hit the ground.

[3/5 Defeated] – 43 Seconds Remaining

The fourth leapt from the tree canopy above—too fast to track.

But my reflexes weren’t ordinary anymore. I activated the Combat Instinct Boost I’d just received from the previous round. My world slowed for a heartbeat.

I raised my pistol. A flash.

Bang! Right through its open jaw.

[4/5 Defeated] – 38 Seconds Remaining

One left.

It knew.

It didn’t attack. It vanished into the mist, trying to outlast the clock.

Smart.

Too bad for it—I wasn’t playing fair.

I holstered the pistols and called out the big gun.

From my inventory emerged the Viper Mystic Sniper—sleek, black-violet steel with glowing serpent runes etched along the barrel.

A weapon made to pierce anything—even magic shields.

Even cowardice.

I closed one eye, steadying the barrel as my system-enhanced vision scanned the battlefield.

Heat signature—ten meters out, behind a thick oak.

"Got you."

Bang!

A violet flash tore through the mist.

One silent second later, the final wolf’s corpse slid into view, a perfect hole punched through its heart.

[5/5 Defeated – Challenge Complete]

Time Remaining: 30 Seconds

Silence returned to the forest.

I stood still for a moment, the sniper cooling in my hands, smoke curling from its barrel.

"Last time, I ran for my life in this stage," I whispered.

"This time, I wiped the floor with them."

Then the system buzzed again.

[CONGRATULATIONS, CHALLENGER.]

You have cleared the Second Challenge.

Reward: +30 Awakening Points

Not bad.

But it didn’t end there.

[Calculating Bonus for Fastest Completion...]

Ding!

→ 3 Lucky Spins Unlocked

→ New Item Acquired: Ring of the Demon

My eyes widened.

"The... Ring of the Demon?"

A red-black ring appeared in my palm, etched with infernal markings that shimmered in the air.

[S-Class Item]

Effect: Increases All Attributes by +10 after Awakening

My breath caught.

"This thing’s legendary... an S-Class ring? Now?"

It wouldn’t activate until I awakened, but when it did... it would make me unstoppable. Most people went their whole lives without even seeing something like this.

I stared at it for a moment, then slipped it into my inventory with a smirk.

"Not bad... not bad at all."

"Alright... let’s see what the lucky wheel gives this time."

I opened the system panel with a flick of my thoughts.

Normally, the wheel gave out 1 to 5 Awakening Points, and if luck smiled on you, maybe 10 to 20.

But I wasn’t normal.

Last time, I had pulled a miracle—100 full points in a single shot, thanks to my Max Luck stat.

Now, I only needed 60 more to hit the threshold.

I took a deep breath and whispered, "Come on, system... give me something good."

I selected all three spins.

"Spin all at once."

The digital wheel burst into motion—three radiant rings spinning with blinding speed, humming with energy.

Ding!

[First Spin: +40 Awakening Points]

Ding!

[Second Spin: +30 Awakening Points]

Ding!

[Third Spin: Subclass Unlock Voucher]

I froze.

A slow smile crept onto my face.

"Forty... then thirty... that’s seventy."

I opened my stat page.

[Current Awakening Points: 210]

"I’ve done it..."

But then I noticed the final reward—and my grin widened.

"A Subclass Unlock Voucher?"

Those were rare. In my past life, even some elite hunters hadn’t received one until their second awakening.

A subclass meant specialization—a unique path outside of the main class framework. It opened the door to powerful skills, passive bonuses, and rare evolutions.

Getting one before awakening?

That was unheard of.

I exhaled, heart pounding with anticipation.

"In my past life, most people awakened after completing five system challenges. I was a late bloomer back then..."

I clenched my fists.

"But not this time."

I opened the system interface and gave the command without hesitation.

"System—begin Awakening."

The moment I said it, the world changed.

A blinding light surged from my core, engulfing me. My body stiffened as an invisible force wrapped around every muscle, every vein—burning, breaking, reshaping.

A thunderous pulse of energy erupted outward.

My knees buckled. I gritted my teeth as searing heat coursed through me, rewriting my very foundation. freewebnøvel.coɱ

My vision blurred, and within the storm of pain, a screen flashed before me—

[AWAKENING IN PROGRESS]

Reconstructing System Framework...

Forging New Pathways...

Calculating Stat Foundation...

Applying Innate Attributes...

Then came the final surge.

It wasn’t just pain. It was evolution.

An ancient, untamed power unfurled from within my chest, spiraling into the sky like a dragon awakening after centuries of slumber.

Crimson lightning crackled around me.

The mist was blown away in a circle, the trees trembling under the force of my awakening.

Finally, the light receded.

My breath came slow and steady, and as I opened my eyes, a new interface appeared before me:

[AWAKENING COMPLETE]

You have officially awakened.

→ New Class: [???]

→ Subclass Voucher: [Unused]

→ Attribute Limit Unlocked

→ Skill Tree Available

I stood in silence, feeling the surge in my body—raw power, sharper senses, cleaner control over every inch of myself.

"This... this is what true strength feels like."

I wasn’t some background extra anymore.

I was a rising force.

And the world would soon find out.