The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion

As we established before, to evolve, an Awakener would need the essence of a higher being, which contains the genetic code of that being.

However, it is not as simple as it sounds, as one cannot just absorb the essence and evolve.

Firstly, finding the essence of higher-level beings is extremely difficult, even more so for beings of an even higher level.

Even if an Awakener managed to find a being ranked above them in the racial hierarchy, they couldn't simply inject a drop of its blood into themselves and wait for evolution to occur.

There are several conditions that must be met.

The first condition is that the Awakener's body must be strong enough to withstand the transformation.

However, this is usually not the biggest issue.

The true challenge lies in the second condition, soul strength.

The soul is something that can only grow with time unless the individual possesses special circumstances or abilities.

Without sufficient soul strength, evolution is impossible.

This is where the evolution ritual comes in, and it varies for every species.

Take the well-known Vampires for example.

When a noble Vampire turns a human into a plebeian Vampire, they make the human drink their blood and then kill them.

The human then undergoes a transition, awakening as a plebeian Vampire.

As a final step to complete the transformation, they must consume the blood of another being.

Even with the Evolution Ritual, also known as the Race Change Ritual, the success rate was not very high.

Since vampires primarily used their own energy, their chances of success were greater, but that didn't mean failures never occurred.

However, these rituals were only meant for lower-ranked beings.

There was no way for a lower-ranked vampire, like a plebeian vampire, to evolve into a noble vampire.

They lacked the necessary soul, spirituality, and, most importantly, the essence of an even higher-ranked being to undergo such an evolution.

There simply was no way.

The High Humans, though not the same kind as the couple watching the extraordinary event before their eyes, but rather the true, pure-blooded High Humans, had long sensed that their species was on the path to extinction.

In response, they devised a plan and created [The True Essence of Forgotten High Humans], which contained the essence of more than tens of thousands of the highest-ranked true High Humans.

Their hope was that if their species ever faced extinction, this essence could be used to create new pure-blooded High Humans and ensure their lineage continued.

However, what they hadn't anticipated was that no human was capable of evolving using the essence.

No human possessed the necessary soul, strength, or will to make it happen.

More than anything, evolving into a higher-ranked species, whether it be a noble vampire, an alpha werewolf, or a High Human, required the essence of an even greater being.

A noble vampire could not create another noble vampire.

An alpha werewolf could not create another alpha werewolf.

Likewise, a High Human could not create another High Human.

It didn't matter if one possessed the essence of tens of thousands of them. It was simply not possible.

Yet, these last remaining High Humans, bound by their ancestors' will, continued their duty.

They used up every last drop of the essence of those tens of thousands of High Humans, but not a single human ever managed to evolve into one.

And today, they used the last batch of the [Essence of the True Human] on a special being, one who had already managed to evolve once on his own.

Just when it seemed like this "special" would be another failure, something astonishing, breathtaking, and beyond belief began unfolding right before their eyes.

"How is this possible?" the male High Human asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the dome that had formed over the altar.

Inside, Damian, the Awakener, was undergoing evolution.

The dome itself appeared to be made of some kind of mysterious energy.

Every time they had witnessed Awakeners attempting to evolve in the past, the energy had always been white, at least for normal humans.

But this time, something was different.

When Damian drank the Essence and allowed the altar's energy to fuel his evolution, it had initially started as white, just like before.

However, within a few hours, it had begun shifting into a darker shade of blue, growing more intense with each passing moment.

"This… is he really evolving? Could this be the day we finally witness the birth of a full-blooded True High Human?" The couple looked at each other with renewed hope.

For thousands of years, they had handed out the [Essence of True Humans], only to be met with disappointment time and time again.

They had nearly lost all hope.

But now, seeing something different unfold before them, they couldn't help but wonder:

Could they finally be witnessing the birth of a pure-blooded True High Human?

They were right. Damian was evolving.

In fact, he was doing something even more incredible.

During evolution, when the essence of a higher being enters your being, it upgrades your genetic code by merging with its own.

However, this foreign substance does not completely replace your own essence.

It is only mixed, not overwritten.

No matter how much you evolve, a part of the race whose essence you used for evolution will always remain in your genetic code.

Ultimately, the individual whose essence you absorbed will also have some influence over you, whether the evolution occurs through a system-related process or a race-changing ritual.

This is how it has always been and always will be.

Except for one peculiar and special Awakener, Damian Ignatius.

When he consumed the essence of the True High Humans, it initially appeared unresponsive to him, seemingly another failed attempt in the eyes of the two High Humans who observed him.

However, the reality was different. Damian's own essence was rejecting the fusion with the essence of the True High Humans.

But after a few hours, something unexpected occurred.

His essence finally reacted to the essence of the True High Humans.

However, instead of merging with it, Damian's essence devoured the foreign essence entirely, erasing its influence while selectively integrating only the racial components necessary to enhance his own essence.

In this way, Damian remained free from any influence of the True High Humans whose essence he absorbed.

Yet, at the same time, he possessed the highest quality of High Human essence, evolving into a True High Human.

[You have devoured the essence of ten thousand True High Humans.]

[Your cells are evolving.]

[Your energy circuits are evolving.]

[Your energy stream is rapidly expanding.]

[Your talents are evolving.]

[Your abilities are evolving.]

[Your traits are evolving.]

As this transformation took place, another phenomenon began to unfold.

The immense reservoir of energy within him, composed of various energy types, began fueling his very cells, accelerating his evolution.

His physical body adapted, growing even stronger, while his natural talents flourished beyond the already extraordinary standards of a True High Human.

[Your racial traits are evolving.]

[Your racial abilities are evolving.]

[Your racial constitution is evolving.]

[You are awakening a Racial Class.]

Several more hours passed before Damian finally regained consciousness.

The energy he had been releasing intensified, causing the entire Altar of Evolution to vibrate.

The gathered High Humans, sensing the magnitude of the transformation, watched in awe, their curiosity deepening.

Then, in an instant, the dark blue energy dome shattered into countless specks of light, dispersing a powerful wave of heat and energy.

A thick mist spread throughout the altar, making it difficult to see.

As the haze slowly cleared, a lone figure stood at the center of the altar.

He was seven and a half feet tall, with long brown-black hair shimmering with dark blue accents and pale skin radiating an oppressive aura.

His very presence exuded the dominance of a natural predator.

The surrounding High Humans could swear they glimpsed the spectral image of a wild, predatory beast looming behind him, making them swallow nervously.

[You have awakened the Racial Class: Human Lord.]

[You have evolved into a True High Human.]

[Your Unique Ability [Extraction] has evolved into Unique Ability [Devourer].]

[Your Inherited Ability [Warrior's Will] has evolved into Inherited Ability [King's Dominion].]

[Your Innate Ability [Eyes of Clarity] has evolved into Unique Ability [Eyes of Heaven and Earth].]

[Your talent [Elementalist] has evolved into Talent [Elemental King].]

[Your talent [Martial Lord] has evolved into Talent [Martial King].]

[Your talent [Rumination Clarity] has evolved into Talent [Mind of Eternity].]

[Your talent [World Tree's Blessing] has evolved into Talent [World Tree's Avatar].]

[Your talent [Boundless Refinement] has evolved into Talent [Limitless Refinement].]

[Your talent [Limitless Harmony] has evolved into Talent [Transcendent Harmony].]

[Your talent [Limit Breaker] has evolved into Talent [Rule Breaker].]

[Your racial ability [Deep Resonance] has evolved into the racial ability [High and Deep Resonance].

[Your racial ability [Sixth Sense] has evolved into the racial ability [Crucial Sense].

[You have awakened the racial ability [Telepathy].]

[Your racial trait [Accelerated Healing] has evolved into the racial trait [Higher Accelerated Healing].

[Your racial trait [Longevity] has evolved into the racial trait [Higher Longevity].

[Your racial constitution [Superhuman Physiology] has evolved into the racial constitution [Super-High Human Physiology].

[Your racial constitution [Silver Bones] has evolved into the racial constitution [Golden Bones].

[Your racial constitution [Superior Blood] has evolved into the racial constitution [High Blood].

[Your racial constitution [Superior Charm] has evolved into the racial constitution [True High Charm].