The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion

"Nameless Savage Lycan..." Damian muttered.

This particular breed of lycan originated from a world known as Lunaris.

Lunaris was home to a unique race of supernatural beings called werewolves.

Among them, the Nameless Savage Lycans were the lowest on the hierarchy.

These creatures were werewolves with minimal intelligence, relying solely on instinct to survive.

Their savage nature earned them the disdain of the higher-ranked werewolves who viewed them with contempt.

Nameless Savage Lycans typically hunted in packs, adhering to a strict hierarchy.

The Beta Savage Lycans followed the orders of the Alpha Savage Lycan, conducting the hunts while the Alpha remained in its lair, waiting.

As Damian observed the red gate, he noted that all the Savage Lycans emerging from it appeared to be low-level monsters.

"The Alpha Savage Lycan must be hiding inside the gate," Damian mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"This could work out well," he muttered to himself. "If I push myself a little harder, I might be able to secure two more achievements."

With that, Damian's gaze shifted to the Level 3 Savage Lycan standing and eating a human alive together with three Level 4 monsters.

Damian grabbed the axe and moved quietly toward the Level 3 Savage Lycan.

Without hesitation, he leaped forward.

Gripping the axe with both hands, he swung it in a wide arc from behind, aiming directly at the creature's neck.

The axe blade struck true, cleaving through flesh and bone, severing the monster's neck cleanly and beheading it in an instant.

[Experience Limit Reached]

[You Have Reached Level 3]

[You Have Reached Level 4]

[Congratulations! You Are the First Person on Earth to Kill a Gate Monster.]

[Achievement Unlocked: First Killer of Gate Monsters.]

[Reward: +5 Free Stat Points]

"Two more achievements to go," Damian muttered to himself, but his body remained tense, his eyes narrowed at the three Savage Lycans glaring at him with menacing, glowing eyes.

They emitted a low, guttural growl, their hostility palpable.

"This is going to be painful," he muttered.

Though he had leveled up to Level 4, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

His base stats were already low before his awakening, and gaining four levels had only added four points to his attributes.

He could use the free stat points from the reward to strengthen himself immediately, but doing so would lower the efficiency of the experience he gained.

He had no choice but to push himself to his limits, determined to defeat all the monsters that emerged from this red gate.

This was precisely why he had chosen this location for grinding achievements.

Nameless Savage Lycans were instinctively paranoid and wouldn't venture far from the red gate, making them easier to hunt in comparison to other monsters.

However, when threatened, Lycans would call for reinforcements, summoning every remaining Lycan to attack the perceived danger together.

The three Level 4 monsters currently facing him were stronger than him in terms of stats.

Damian held the axe in one hand and a chef's knife in the other, keeping it hidden behind his back.

His wary eyes observed the Lycans closely, waiting for the right moment to counterattack.

One of the monsters, losing patience, charged at him. Damian braced himself.

As the Lycan leaped at him, Damian raised his axe to block its snapping jaws.

Using the knife in his other hand, he stabbed the creature deep in the ear, driving the blade in until the Lycan's body stilled and its breathing ceased.

[Experience Limit Reached]

[You Have Reached Level 5]

Seeing their comrade fall, the remaining two Lycans growled ferociously, their glowing eyes filled with rage as they launched themselves at Damian in unison.

Damian leveled up five times, feeling his power surge exponentially, though the persistent pain in his chest remained unchanged.

With his stamina increased by five points, he found himself capable of continuing the battle against the savage lycans.

One of the lycan monsters leaped at him, knocking him to the ground with a powerful blow.

Gritting his teeth, Damian grabbed another knife and drove it into the creature's eye.

Using his legs, he pushed the lycan backward, sending it thrashing and writhing on the ground, howling in pain from the knife embedded in its eye.

Before Damian could recover, another lycan lunged at him from his right. Reacting swiftly, Damian swung his axe upward, slashing its jaw.

Chunks of flesh splattered onto the ground, though the lycan didn't die.

It staggered, momentarily distracted by the searing pain.

Seizing the opportunity, Damian summoned all his strength and struck the creature's head with his axe.

The blow shattered the lycan's skull, splitting it in two.

[Experience Limit Reached]

[You Have Reached Level 6]

The remaining lycan, the one Damian had stabbed in the eye, growled weakly and let out a pitiful, pain-filled cry.

Howl.

Its one remaining eye caught sight of Damian hurling the axe straight at it.

Strike!

The axe embedded itself fully into the lycan's remaining eye, causing a fountain of blood to gush forth.

Still, the creature refused to die. With one final, full-powered slash of his axe, Damian cleaved through the top of its skull, killing it instantly.

[Experience Gained]

Damian wiped the blood off his face, his gaze shifting toward a specific direction.

There, hidden in the shadows, he spotted a man with a phone pointed at him, recording everything Damian had just done.

Snorting, Damian sprinted toward the man.

"Shit!" The man froze as Damian approached, bloodstained axe and knife in hand.

The sheer sight of Damian's tattered, blood-spattered appearance caused the man's throat to go dry, his heart pounding with terror.

Damian leveled the axe at the man's neck. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded coldly.

"I-I… I'm sorry…" the man stammered, unable to form a coherent answer.

"Did you just record me killing those monsters?" Damian pressed, holding the knife against the man's throat with the threat of violence clear in his voice.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! I only did it because… because you're like a superhuman! I've never seen anyone fight like that!" The man's voice was trembling, yet his excitement overpowered his fear, seemingly oblivious to the knife at his neck.

"Delete it," Damian ordered sharply.

"I… I can't. It's live-streamed."

"What?" Damian's eyes narrowed dangerously, the blade pressing slightly against the man's skin.

"Wait! Wait! Hear me out! I knew something like this might happen, so I used AI to blur your face!" the man exclaimed in a rush.

"You think I'll believe you?" Damian growled, his voice icy. "If you do, you're mistaken."

"I'm telling the truth! Look! I'll show you!" The man hurriedly opened the social media app he was using to stream.

Sure enough, the video showed Damian's blurred face, and the livestream had already amassed over three thousand viewers.

"Hm. It seems wireless communications have been reestablished," Damian muttered, grabbing the phone from the man's hands and hurling it into the distance.

"That's my phone!" the man protested.

"I don't care," Damian snapped, his voice sharp.

Then, his expression darkened as he sensed multiple presences closing in on him.