Chapter 1: The Abyss Invasion, Awakening the Data Panel

Chapter 1: The Abyss Invasion, Awakening the Data Panel

In the country of Xia, Bay City.

Ring, ring, ring...

Lu Heng's body jolted, waking him from his slumber. He lifted his head and looked around, only to freeze in shock.

Before him was a neatly arranged desk and a pile of textbooks, which unmistakably belonged to Class 2 of Grade 3 at Bay High School.

But how could he be here? Just a moment ago, he was in the Abyss Nest, fighting for the Cycle Essence in the deep abyss.

It took him ten minutes to gather his thoughts, and Lu Heng confirmed three things.

First, he had reincarnated and returned to the eve of the Abyss's arrival in this world.

Second, he possessed memories of the three years following the Abyss's arrival.

Third, just before his reincarnation, he was in the Abyss Nest, about to obtain the Cycle Essence when he accidentally fell into the depths of the abyss.

Upon waking up again, he found himself three years in the past, which is the present.

The current time was 9:50 PM on September 5th, Bluesphere Calendar 2028. The ringing he had heard was the end-of-class bell for the third evening study session.

In eighteen minutes, the Perseid Meteor Shower would grace the night sky, marking the beginning of the Abyss's invasion.

After this meteor shower, the first wave of Abyss Demons would appear across the world.

The first wave of demons was not enough to plunge the human world into chaos, but it would cause a period of panic.

Lu Heng clearly remembered that at this time in his previous life, after the evening study session, he had gone out for a late-night snack and encountered the meteor shower by the sea.

A walnut-sized, irregularly shaped crystal had fallen onto the shore.

Lu Heng picked up the crystal, but he didn't know what it was.

Half a month later, someone offered to buy this type of crystal for 500,000.

Back then, Lu Heng's family had to buy a house in the school district for his enrollment, borrowing money from relatives. To repay the debt, they sold the crystal.

It was only half a month later that they learned these crystals were called Demon Crystal Cores.

These cores contained Demon Energy, and when absorbed by humans, it could awaken the Data Panel, turning them into Metahumans.

Research institutions also referred to these empowered humans as Demon Walkers.

Because Lu Heng had missed out on that Demon Crystal Core, he didn't get the chance to awaken until the second year of the Abyss's invasion.

Having lost a year, even if he tried to catch up, he couldn't match those with an early advantage.

Now that he had reincarnated, Lu Heng wouldn't let such an opportunity slip away again.

After clearing his thoughts, he rushed to the beach in Bay City.

When he reached the shore, the time was exactly 10:08 PM.

A meteor streaked across the sky, followed by a second, then a third...

The number of meteors increased, gradually forming a meteor shower that lit up the entire night sky in a spectacular display.

Couples on dates at the beach cheered and took out their phones to capture the moment.

At that moment, a purple glow fell into the sea, landing in shallow water, and a faint purple light could be seen half-buried in the sand.

A thug-like guy with spiky yellow hair noticed the purple light and wanted to pick it up.

Lu Heng was quicker, snatching the dark purple crystal before the thug could reach it. He held it in his hand, and it was indeed a Demon Crystal Core.

"Hey! I saw it first!" The thug tried to act tough.

Lu Heng glared at him and coldly said, "Scram!"

The thug was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong, and Lu Heng's fierce demeanor scared him off, and he slinked away without a word.

Lu Heng crushed the Demon Crystal Core, and energy flowed from his palm into his body.

A Data Panel appeared before his eyes:

Name: Lu Heng

Race: Human

Level: 1

Vitality: 90/90

Essence Energy: 110/110

Attributes: Strength 9, Agility 12 (9+3), Constitution 9, Spirit 11, Perception 10

Talent: Agile as Dragon, Divine Evolution

Skill Slots: 3

Skills: None

Abyss Battlefield: Reckoning Countdown 7 Days

For a Metahuman, the most crucial data on the panel during awakening is the number of skill slots and initial talents.

These two pieces of data determine the initial potential of the Metahuman.

Lu Heng's skill slots were above average, and he had the rare occurrence of possessing two initial talents.

The first talent:

Agile as Dragon: Possesses agile and swift movements like a dragon. Initial Agility +3; With each level up, Agility increases additionally based on level.

This talent provides a 30% increase in Agility with each level up.

As Lu Heng's level increases, the Agility attribute will grow significantly, making this talent even more powerful in the late game.

Lu Heng's original Agility attribute was 9, but after the enhancement of Agile as Dragon, it became 12.

The Agility attribute primarily influences nerve response speed, motor coordination, attack speed, running speed, and various other physical qualities.

In the world of combat, speed is key.

In battles, speed is truth within seven steps, making Agility a vital attribute for Metahumans.

Lu Heng's first talent was already powerful, but the real game-changer was his second talent.

Divine Evolution: Utilize divine energy to fuse and evolve skills, breaking through skill level limitations, and elevating skills to higher forms.

In his previous life, even with a year's delay, he still managed to become a top-tier Metahuman Warrior, and his Talent played a significant role in that achievement.

Lu Heng took one last look at the Recruitment countdown on the Abyss Battlefield and muttered to himself, "I got recruited right after the gate opened; the timing is a bit tight."

...

After his successful awakening, Lu Heng began to recall some important events from the early days of the Abyss's descent.

Since he had been reborn, he was determined to obtain advanced resources ahead of time.

Especially for high-level Skills with unique attributes, acquiring them would give him a head start.

However, the more advanced the resources, the more challenging they were to obtain, so he needed a well-thought-out plan, starting with the easier ones.

After the meteor shower, the first wave of low-level Demons would appear worldwide.

If these low-level Demons appeared in densely populated areas, they would cause chaos.

Lu Heng took out his phone and opened the school's chat group to check.

Someone in the group mentioned seeing moving flames in the Unity Garden, resembling Will-o'-the-Wisps, which was quite frightening.

Lu Heng remembered this incident from his previous life.

Back then, he had carried a Fire Extinguisher to the Unity Garden to put out the fire and met a boy wearing black-framed glasses.

The boy took the extinguisher from him and asked Lu Heng to find another one.

Lu Heng, thinking the fire was the priority, gave it to him and turned to find another extinguisher.

Later, the boy's firefighting deed was praised by the school in an official commendation.

Not only was Lu Heng's name absent from the commendation, but the boy also didn't mention anyone passing him the extinguisher in the interview.

Not long after, the boy was taken away by an official department.

About half a year later, the boy became a member of the national Metahuman organization, Iron Blood, and instantly became the strongest Metahuman from Bay City High School.

Recalling this, Lu Heng immediately returned to the school and ran towards the Unity Garden.

Passing by the cabinet where firefighting equipment was stored, he casually picked up a fire extinguisher.

Upon reaching the Unity Garden, he indeed saw a moving flame, nearly a person's height, surrounded by lightning. Within the fire, a hideous demonic face could be vaguely seen, which was quite terrifying.

With just a glance, Lu Heng recognized it as a low-level Demon – a Thunderfire Demon Spirit.

At that moment, the boy with the black-framed glasses approached and demanded, "Give me the fire extinguisher."

Lu Heng slapped his hand away, saying, "I'll get one myself."

The boy, very dissatisfied, glared at Lu Heng and ran out of the Unity Garden to find another extinguisher.

Lu Heng, holding the extinguisher, strode towards the Thunderfire Demon Spirit.

The Thunderfire Demon Spirit let out a shrill screech and pounced, spewing flames in an attack.

Lu Heng pulled the safety pin from the extinguisher and started spraying.

The extinguisher unleashed a cloud of white dry powder, smothering the flames.

The Thunderfire Demon Spirit screeched angrily and burst out of the cloud, spitting flames at Lu Heng.

Lu Heng, agile in his movements, retreated and dodged the attack, continuing to use the extinguisher to put out the flames on the Demon.

Once the flames were extinguished, the Thunderfire Demon Spirit's form was that of a black, sooty monster.

However, its flames were only temporarily extinguished, and if not thoroughly eliminated, they would reignite in no time.

After emptying the extinguisher, Lu Heng swung it like a club, smashing the Demon.

Bang!

The Thunderfire Demon Spirit shattered into a pile of ash, resembling burnt coal.

[Demon Kill: Absorb 10 points of Demon Energy.]



[Demon Energy strengthens Energy Level, Essence Energy level increases to Level 2, all Attributes +1, Agility Attribute +0.3 extra.]



In the instant of the upgrade, Lu Heng felt a surge of energy within his body, enhancing his physical strength and filling his muscles with explosive power.

Amid the shattered ash of the Thunderfire Demon Spirit, a small flash appeared, a walnut-sized Demon Crystal Core.

Lu Heng picked it up and checked its attributes, discovering it was a Lightning Weapon Crystal Core.

The Thunderfire Demon Spirit had a chance to drop two types of Crystal Cores: a Flame Weapon Crystal Core and a Lightning Weapon Crystal Core.

Among them, the drop rate of the Lightning Weapon Crystal Core was much lower than the former.

[Lightning Weapon Crystal Core: Absorb Crystal Core energy, with a chance to learn the 'Lightning Weapon' Skill.]



[Lightning Weapon: Attach lightning to a weapon, dealing an additional 12 points of lightning damage and causing a mild paralysis effect on the attacked area. Damage value = 1 x Spirit Attribute. Skill Consumption: 3 Essence Energy/minute. Skill Level: D-Rank.]



Seeing this Skill, Lu Heng didn't hesitate and crushed the Crystal Core, absorbing its energy.

The energy flowed through his palm and into his body, condensing into an energy mass in the first Skill slot.

[Absorbed Lightning Weapon Crystal Core, learned Skill 'Lightning Weapon'.]



Lu Heng raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and a current of electricity surged out, emitting a crackling sound.

[Used 'Lightning Weapon' Skill, Skill Proficiency +1]



After testing the Skill, Lu Heng quickly cleaned up the scene and left the Unity Garden.

The boy who had run off with the extinguisher returned, only to see the extinguished flames and a strange pile of ash on the ground.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end