SSS Awakening: I am the First Legendary Mage

A familiar energy flowed through Alex’s body. Warmth spread from his chest and moved through his limbs as the level-up healed his injuries. The pain gradually faded, and the torn flesh around his ankles began recovering.

As the healing continued, Alex reviewed the notifications. He was surprised to see that both of his Spells had leveled up despite this being one of the shortest battles he had fought.

The result only reinforced a theory he had already started forming.

The more difficult the battle, the greater the gains.

Alex looked toward the corpse of the badger-like monster. The creature had only been Level 4, exactly the same level as him. Yet it had nearly killed him several times during an extremely short fight.

’It was a Mid Rank Species. That explains everything,’ Alex thought.

The realization left a deep impression on him. Even with Body Reinforcement and a weapon, he hadn’t been able to damage it. He hadn’t even been able to keep up with its speed until he accepted enormous risks and flooded his brain with far more mana than he had ever dared to use before.

Clearly, the benefits of being a higher-rank species were enormous.

’I must evolve my species to a higher rank,’ he decided.

Alex looked at the corpse of the badger and compared it to the Netherclaw Prowlers he had fought before. This creature was only a baby, yet it had nearly killed both him and Emma several times during a very short battle. In contrast, the Netherclaw Prowlers he had encountered all appeared fully grown.

If he compared the two, Alex was quite confident that a baby Netherclaw Prowler would be easy to kill. Yet this Baby Ironclaw Badger had pushed him to his limits despite being the same level as him. The difference between species ranks was far greater than he had originally imagined.

The realization only strengthened his earlier decision. He would not absorb a Low Rank Gene Potential.

No matter how tempting immediate strength might be, he intended to evolve into a higher-rank species.

If a Mid Rank Species was already this powerful as a baby, then the advantages of becoming one would likely affect every aspect of growth.

Strength, durability, speed, and future potential could all improve significantly. Alex wasn’t willing to throw away that opportunity for a short-term advantage.

As he was thinking, another notification suddenly appeared before him.

[Hidden Quest completed. Be the first one from your planet to hunt a Mid Rank Species.]

[Gold Reward Box gained.]

Alex blinked as he read the message. Beside him, Emma appeared to have received the same notification.

She had already recovered enough to stand and was leaning against a nearby wall for support.

"We are the first ones? Out of everyone who entered this Land of Origin?" Emma muttered in surprise.

"Looks like it," Alex replied. He was surprised as well. Considering that many people had likely entered the Land of Origin across the entire planet, he had expected someone else to achieve it first.

Then again, most people probably wouldn’t risk fighting something like that badger unless they had no choice. Even if they fought, defeat was almost guaranteed. They would need to have powerful abilities to stand a chance against it.

Alex slowly pushed himself to his feet and stretched slightly. Most of his injuries had healed thanks to the level-up, though traces of soreness still remained. As he moved, his attention shifted to his clothes.

They were in terrible condition.

His vest had already been damaged during previous battles. Now the front of the vest was almost completely destroyed, hanging from his body in torn strips. There was no point pretending it was still usable anymore.

"My clothes are ruined. I will change," Alex said.

Emma nodded. It was better to say it aloud before she misunderstood. Emma was a celebrity, and if she got the wrong idea and mentioned it to people they met—he hoped they would meet someone—later, it could create unnecessary problems for him.

Alex removed the shredded vest and picked up the shirt he had been carrying. The shirt was not in much better condition.

One sleeve had been torn apart, claw marks stretched across the front, and several tears ran along the back. Even so, it was still better than the vest.

After putting it on, he gathered the Sweet Smelling Biscuits and the Gene Potentials.

He tied them inside the ruined vest, creating a bundle he could carry. Emma had done something similar with her jacket, tying it into a compact ball that held her own Gene Potentials.

Then Alex picked up the Mid Rank Gene Potential. He was about to speak when Emma spoke first.

"You should absorb it. Your contribution during the battle was greater."

"You’re fine with me taking this too?" he asked.

"We already need a lot of Mid Rank Gene Potentials. Letting you have the first one isn’t a problem," Emma said.

"Alright, but what do you mean I should absorb it? Wouldn’t it be better to save it until we find an even higher-ranked species?" he asked.

Emma shook her head. "That’s not how Gene Potentials work. You can only absorb Gene Potentials up to one rank above your own species rank. Since we’re both Low Rank Species, the highest Gene Potential we can absorb right now is Mid Rank. Only after we evolve into Mid Rank Species can we absorb anything higher."

The explanation made sense. Alex did not think she was lying to him either. At the moment, both of their survival depended on each other’s combat strength. If she damaged his growth, she would only be making their situation more dangerous.

Without further hesitation, Alex absorbed the Gene Potential.

A notification appeared before him.

..

Author’s Note: Add the novel to library, and send support if you like it!