Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

Far away, in a dimly lit chamber, a woman sat cross-legged on a high-backed chair made of polished obsidian.

Her long, raven-black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and her skin glowed faintly in the sparse light filtering through the narrow windows.

Her eyes, a deep crimson hue, were closed as if in meditation, but her mind was elsewhere—focused, concentrated on her power.

She was sitting around a table, with other people observing what she was doing.

"You think she saw something?"

"Never seen her this focused, so she probably did."

And less than 30 seconds later.

The connection snapped.

Her crimson eyes shot open, glowing faintly in the dimness of the room.

The disruption was immediate, unmistakable.

A surge of irritation swept over her as she realized what had happened: one of her crows, her eyes across the vast world, had been destroyed.

It was the crow that was supposed to survey [Undead Land].

Did one of the undead see it?

No, they weren't smart enough to detect that.

So it was a human.

"Who dares..." she whispered, her voice barely audible but dripping with curiosity.

Standing from her chair, she moved gracefully across the room, her long black robes trailing behind her.

"Leader?"

"Shut up," she replied.

The chamber she occupied was at the heart of the Black Crow Guild's hidden sanctuary, a fortress of assassins known only to a few.

The Black Crow Guild wasn't just feared—it was legendary.

Its members, all trained killers, could end lives without a trace, and its leader, Ravenna, was the most feared of them all.

Ravenna extended her hand, summoning a holographic map that hovered in midair.

It displayed the location where her crow had been stationed—near the edge of the Desolate Land, in the vicinity of [Undead Land].

She frowned as she saw the remnants of the crow's last moments—the unmistakable flare of a powerful [Grand Fireball] spell.

"That kid..." she muttered under her breath.

"I don't like being watched," she heard from the crow's [Super Hearing].

But instead of being mad like she always was, she suddenly smiled.

It was rare for a human to actually notice that her crow was a camera.

"So you don't like being watched, hm? Interesting."

She tapped a slender finger on the map, considering her options.

She could send assassins, but they would kill him without thinking.

That kid was strong, she could feel it, but not enough of a threat—yet.

No, for now, she would watch from afar, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Aleothor," she called out, and another black crow appeared out of thin air, "You are my most powerful and stealthy companion, watch that kid and do not let him notice you."

"Very well, my lady," the crow bowed before flying out of the window.

Aleothor was actually a level 200 pet, meaning that it was stronger than Alex and the Undead King combined.

...

Meanwhile, back in the Toxic Forest.

Alex trudged forward, trying to reach the end quickly to arrive at Bell City.

The air here was thick and heavy with the stench of decay, and a low fog clung to the ground, swirling around his ankles.

Alex narrowed his eyes, keeping his senses sharp though.

He didn't participate in the event anymore, but there were still more than 24 hours before it ended.

Raising his hand, Alex summoned his minions.

Ten skeletal warriors emerged from the ground, their bones rattling as they rose from the dirt.

Their empty eye sockets gleamed with an eerie blue light, and they clutched bone swords.

"Let's move," Alex commanded, his voice steady.

The skeletons marched ahead, their bony feet crunching against the dead leaves.

As they moved deeper into the forest, Alex heard the sound of players and monsters fighting.

"WATCH OUT!"

"SHIT, IT GIVES HIGH-LEVEL POISON!"

And right as he thought he was off the hook, some of these creatures appeared before him.

[Toxic Wolves] with glowing green eyes and fur dripping with venom circled the group, their growls low and menacing.

Alex smirked. "Let's see how you handle this."

With a flick of his wrist, he cast his new skill [Aura of Death], enveloping his skeletons in a dark, pulsating energy.

[Increases attack damage by 100% and defense by 200% for 30 seconds.]

Their attacks would be stronger now, their defenses bolstered.

Without hesitation, the skeletons charged at the wolves, their swords slashing through the air with deadly precision.

One of the Toxic Wolves lunged at a skeleton, its jaws snapping shut with a sickening crunch, but the skeleton didn't falter.

With one swift strike, its sword cleaved through the wolf's neck.

-873! -873! -873!

Green blood splattered the ground as the creature let out a final, guttural whimper before collapsing.

Even the blood of these things had been poisoned, it seems.

The other wolves howled in rage and charged as a group, but Alex was ready.

"Let's make this quick." He raised his staff, channeling a burst of mana into his next spell. "Inferno Tempest!"

A wall of fire erupted around the wolves, engulfing them in flames.

Their howls turned into shrieks of agony as the fire consumed them, leaving behind only charred husks.

[+113 event points!]

[What do you wish to extract?]

[Poison Wolf Fur (Uncommon)]

[Description: Can be worn to protect yourself from low-level poison; +50 magic resistance.]

[Toxic Claws (Rare)]

[Description: Can be used on swords, daggers, arrows and shield to infuse them with the 'Poison' attribute.]

[+2 Skill Points (Legendary)]

...

"!!!" Alex's neck almost snapped by how fast he turned back to look at the panel.

Skill points!

[You have reached tier 2, thus your extraction talent now allows the extraction of skill points, though they are rare.]

"Amazing!"

It seems that upgrading his extraction talent worked also when his strength evaluation increased!

He had also been struggling with leveling up his skills because of the sheer difficulty in acquiring these skill points.

But now, maybe he could actually manage to get to the max!

[Skill Points: 20]

As said before, you can level up skills by either using them many times, though no one really knows the exact amount, it's randomized but gets bigger after each level.

Or, the second way, is to use skill points.

[1 skill point = +1 level for skill.]

But you would have to remember the fact you needed a massive amount of them to evolve your skills once it reached level 10.

It was all about strategy and how to put out your skill points.

In the end, Alex quickly moved on.

After what felt like hours of battling through the thick undergrowth and poisonous creatures, the trees began to thin.

The sickly yellow-green leaves gave way to clearer skies, and the oppressive fog lifted slightly.

In the distance, the silhouette of Bell City came into view, its towering walls rising against the horizon.

[Extraction talent activated, +6 skill points, +84 strength, +Poison Wolf Fur x2]

[Your "Powerful Slash" skill has leveled up to level 2!]

[Your "Lightning Bolt" skill has leveled up to level 2!]

[Your "Boulder Smash" skill has leveled up to level 8!]

[Your "Crimson Shard" skill has leveled up to level 8!]

[Your "Grand Fireball" skill has leveled up to level 10!]

[Do you want to consume 50 skill points to upgrade "Grand Fireball" to "Explosive Fireball"?]

50 skill points.

Reminder that Alex only has 26 right now.

This was just how expensive evolving your skills is.

"Maybe later."

Alex let out a breath of relief as he emerged from the forest, the Toxic Forest finally behind him.

With a determined look in his eyes, he set his sights on Bell City and began walking, his skeletons trailing silently behind him like loyal shadows.

Whatever lay ahead, Alex was ready.