Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

The battle between Alex's skeletons and the [Venomous Swamp Basilisk] erupted in full force.

The skeletons—though possessing only 20% of Alex's formidable stats—stood unwavering against the gigantic creature.

Each of them wielded their bone swords with precision, hacking away at the basilisk's thick, poison-laced scales.

The [Venomous Swamp Basilisk] let out a terrifying roar, shaking the ground and releasing a burst of poisonous mist around it.

The mist hung in the air like a deadly cloud, but the skeletons moved through it unaffected, as poison held no effect over the undead.

The basilisk lunged at the first skeleton with its venomous fangs bared, but Alex was ready.

He raised his staff and muttered a quick incantation.

"Stone Barrier."

The ground beneath the skeleton's feet erupted, creating a solid rock wall that absorbed the brunt of the basilisk's attack.

The creature recoiled, shaking its head in frustration.

One of the skeletons seized the opportunity, swinging its sword in an arc that struck the basilisk's exposed side.

Though it was only a chip in the creature's health, it was enough to draw its attention back to the undead attackers.

Meanwhile, Alice stood at a safe distance, her bow nocked with a new arrow.

She aimed for the beast's glowing eyes and released the shot.

The arrow streaked through the air and struck the basilisk, causing it to flinch.

-1,298!

The damage indicator floated above the basilisk's head, proving her shot was effective.

But the creature was far from finished.

The basilisk roared again, this time summoning a torrent of venom from its maw that splattered across the ground, sizzling upon contact with anything organic.

The venom might have been a death sentence for a normal player, but Alex's skeletons marched forward, their bones unscathed by the toxic liquid.

Alex raised his staff again, then began to cast every single one of his spells.

Grand Fireball! Crimson Shard! Lightning Bolt! Boulder Smash! Inferno Tempest!

-5737! -1700! -5737! -2700! -3924!

The Basilisk was already on the verge of death.

[The boss has been stunned by 'Boulder Smash'!]

Two of the skeletons lunged at the immobilized basilisk, their bone swords gleaming as they hacked away at its legs.

Their attacks were relentless, each one chipping away at the basilisk's HP, bit by bit.

But the creature retaliated, swinging its massive tail in a wide arc.

CRASH!

The tail connected with two of the skeletons, sending them flying into the trees with a sickening thud.

Their bones shattered upon impact, and they crumbled to dust.

"Two down," Alex muttered, his eyes narrowing.

But the remaining skeletons pressed on.

Alice loosed another volley of arrows, aiming for the basilisk's softer underbelly.

Each shot hit its mark, and the creature let out a pained screech.

-1,212!

-1,078!
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The basilisk was weakening, its movements growing slower.

It lunged once more, but this time, Alex anticipated its attack.

Before it could do anything; the skeletons assaulted it again.

And so with a coordinated strike from the skeletons, aided by another shot of [Lightning Bolt] from Alex, the basilisk collapsed to the ground, its life force finally extinguished.

Ding!

[You have defeated the boss of the 'Toxic Forest', gained +500 points!]

[You have slain 'Venomous Swamp Basilisk', gained 1,721 experience points!]

[Event Points: 1737/2250]

"Those skeletons are strong!" Alice marveled, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah," Alex said with a smirk.

The skeletons had proven their worth.

Even though they were a fraction of his power, they had held off an [Epic] boss long enough for him and Alice to do the real damage.

Summoning each skeleton cost 100 mana, but with Alex's staggering 27,370 mana pool, he could summon them over and over without worry.

The fight had barely made a dent in his reserves.

[Extract something from the boss.]

A prompt appeared, and Alex kneeled down, touching the boss with his little finger as he feared the poison.

Ding!

[You have received the passive skill "Poison Resistance"]

[Description: you can resist any poison, whether it is low, normal, high, or extreme-level!]

"Oh!" Alex was quite pleased, as it meant that from now on, and in the future, poison shouldn't work on him anymore!

...

Over the next few hours, Alex and Alice ventured deeper into the forest, slaying more monsters with the help of Alex's undead minions.

Alex was mostly content to let the skeletons do the heavy lifting, as he had a goal in mind: to upgrade his [Undead Lord] talent.

Ding!

[Event Points: 2340/2250]

He had surpassed his point goal, but that wasn't the only milestone he reached.

Ding!

[E-Level Advancement Task: Have your undead kill 100 monsters.] (100/100)

[Advancement Reward: Talent upgraded to Rank E.]

The skeletons had done it.

The moment he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.

The transformation began instantly.

A dark, ominous aura enveloped Alex, and the power of the [Undead Lord] surged through him.

His body tingled with energy as the skill evolved.

[Undead Lord talent has been upgraded to E-Rank.]

The change was immediate.

Alex now had the ability to summon ten skeletons instead of just five.

Each of them had the same stats, except for a whopping 5,000 HP now.

[D-Level Advancement Task: Defeat 250 monsters with your undead.] (0/250)

"Wow..." Alice's voice trailed off as she gazed at the small army of skeletons that stood before them.

The skeletons looked even more formidable than before.

Their bone swords gleamed with a dark, menacing energy, and their movements were sharper and more precise.

"With these guys, taking down bosses like the basilisk will be easy," Alice remarked, still in awe.

"Yeah, we won," Alex smiled, his eyes glowing with satisfaction.

There was no ranking prize for finishing first in the event, so Alex had no interest in rushing.

He had already gained what he wanted, and now it was time to spend the points he'd earned.

He opened the [Points Shop] and quickly made his purchases.

[You have bought the SSS-Rank Pet Seal Card for 1000 points!]

[You have bought "Magic Crystal" x50 for 1250 points!]

Alex had spent everything, but it was worth it.

The event was now officially over for him.

He quickly left the forest, but not from the side he came from.

As said before, beyond the [Toxic Forest] was another part of the map.

There would be more to do there.

But as they made their way toward the edge of the forest, preparing to leave, Alex couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

And then, just as they were about to step out of the poisonous fog, a sudden blow struck the back of his head.

-1!

Alex turned around slowly, glaring at the culprit.

Standing behind him was a man, smirking triumphantly, thinking his blow should have at least knocked him out.

But Alex's expression darkened as he recognized him.

"...You," Alex growled.

The man—Dawn—stood there with a smug grin, flanked by nearly a hundred players.

But that grin quickly faltered when he saw Alice standing beside Alex, very much alive.

"What the—?" Dawn's eyes widened.

He recognized her immediately, his shock clear as he stammered, "How... how are you alive?"

"Surprised?" Alex was the one to answer, his voice ice-cold, "Thought your little attempt at murder would work, huh?"

Dawn's face paled.

How did that guy know?

Why was he with Alice?

What the hell is happening?!

Dawn is the leader of the [Madmen] guild, an up-and-rising one currently.

He had joined the game a bit late, but was quickly recovering the lost time using his family's wealth.

In Alex's past life, the Madmen guild had been disbanded to join the Overlord guild, Daniel and Dawn becoming best friends.

But now, Alex wasn't about to let any of that slide.

His patience had worn thin. "Skeletons," he said, his voice like steel. "Get your kills."

Ten skeletons surged forward, meeting the hundred Madmen guild players head-on.

The battlefield erupted into chaos.

Alice watched, amazed, as Alex's skeletons tore through their ranks, while Alex himself stood still, casting only [Stone Barrier] when necessary, watching the carnage unfold.

-346! -271!

"IT'S NOT WORKING!" someone from Dawn's guild screamed as they desperately tried to break through the barrier.

But it was futile.

In mere moments, the Madmen guild was reduced to nothing more than a memory.

Each of them flashed in blue light before disappearing.

Dawn stood alone, watching in disbelief as his men were cut down, including Lucas and Sato, the co-leaders.

Alex approached the man, his eyes blazing. "Realize your place, trash, and quit this game while I'm still feeling merciful."

Dawn smirked, his confidence wavering. "I'd love to see you try—"

Before he could finish, Alex's skeletons closed in, delivering the final blows.

Dawn's health plummeted, and he collapsed.

-533! -533! -533!

"..."

"Are you okay?" Alice asked, her voice soft, noticing how quiet Alex had become.

"...Yeah, I'm fine," Alex replied, shaking off his anger. "Let's go."

Together, they left the forest, the ambushers dealt with, and Alex ready for what lay ahead.

[You have left the 'Toxic Forest'.]

Now, in the vast open land ahead, it was finally time to hatch the egg Alex had been waiting for.