Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener

"The demon is really dead."

"Great! We are saved!"

"Thanks to the king for bringing in reinforcements!"

...

The townsfolk, soldiers, and nobles all poured out of their homes.

After the initial shock, their expressions shifted to joy as they looked at the corpses, some even kicking and spitting on them in anger.

The people were unaware that there were still forces at play behind the demons; they only felt relieved to have survived the previous night.

Moreover, judging by the situation, the capital of Florence should be safe for the time being!

As for the ruins left behind in the city, most people didn't care, since it wasn't their own misfortune.

Thus, the morning in the Principality of Florence quickly descended into a sea of joy.

However, in a certain sense, they were not entirely mistaken; Sterl had no intention of allowing the Blood Cult to continue abducting people.

As a professional Array Master, he determined that the materials for the Blood Sacrifice Swallowing God Array had been gathered.

As time passed, an hour or two later, the players received summons from the king and nobles, but Sterl and the others naturally chose to decline without hesitation.

After all, we are legends; we cannot be summoned and dismissed at your whim!

Next, Florence enjoyed a full four days of tranquility.

Aside from the first night when the players went on a rampage, slaughtering demons, the number of demons appearing each subsequent day was minimal.

However, since the materials from the demons held considerable value, the players diligently continued their cleanup efforts.

During these four days, Sterl's luck wasn't great; he did not acquire any new Anti-Element skills but did manage to find six pieces of third-class equipment, two purple skill books, and a pile of miscellaneous items.

The rewards from the world did not yield any legend points either; he only gained some experience, which raised his level to 92, along with 23 purple gold coins.

Due to Sterl's nighttime demon hunting, his days were relatively free, allowing him to focus on training, and he successfully absorbed quite a bit of experience, bringing him to level 88.

For the stat points he earned over these four days, he used them for four regular upgrades, successfully learning all ten sub-arrays of the Blood Sacrifice Swallowing God Array, enabling him to form a complete divine array.

To Sterl's surprise, there was even a special symbol behind this divine array that allowed for forced stat allocation.

"I just have to wait until tomorrow, and I can [Transcendence] the body in the hands of the Archduke of Blood," he said, his voice tinged with excitement.

If mastering the array perfectly only gave Sterl a certain advantage in intercepting the benefits of the Blood Cult, then evolving a version stronger than the original array allowed him to gain a comprehensive understanding of the flaws in the original array, making it easier for him to seize control over it!

"Phew..."

Sterl stood up from the cave, rubbing his head. The complexity of the divine array gave him a headache.

Had it not been for his stat allocation ability, which allowed him to enhance the incomplete array he had already learned, he would have struggled. He had completely drained his stored blood force to push his proficiency up to the master level.

Had Sterl obtained the Blood Sacrifice Swallowing God Array directly, he felt he would need at least four to five months just to barely grasp the basics!

Not to mention now...

The divine array presented itself as a proficiency nearing mastery.

Although his proficiency had decreased due to stat allocation, Sterl was confident that he understood this divine array far better than any of the members of the Blood Cult!

After evolving the [Holy Stone of Blood], Sterl grasped the power within the blood force system. Unless it was the Archduke of Blood's own strength, it could only influence up to demigod level power at most.

So for the members of the Blood Cult, being able to even grasp the basics of this grand array was quite impressive.

"Now, let's see how my black slaves are progressing."

"And I should check how they plan to operate the array."

It was now nearly five in the afternoon. Sterl had just finished his stat allocation and absorbed all the knowledge of the array.

After a day of training, feeling restless, he decided to take a stroll.

By the way, it seemed there was no concept of time zones in [Transcendence].

Theoretically, Florence was far removed from the area where humanity resided on Earth, yet Sterl found that the cooldown time for his cheat was still aligned with the local time of just after four o'clock.

Moreover, he sensed that the cooldown at his home took a full twenty-four hours.

Thus, Sterl concluded that time zones were consistent.

...

When Sterl mentioned "taking a stroll," he meant that his main body would sneak back into the city of Florence.

He quickly found the seventeen areas that had been shielded and used Shadow Stealth to slip into them.

As the saying goes, "An outsider watches the excitement, while an insider sees the details."

Sterl now had a completely different understanding of the hidden sub-arrays of the Blood Sacrifice Swallowing God Array.

He found himself in the underground water chamber of the largest public bathhouse in Florence, a hidden location for the Blood Cult.

Sterl frowned slightly; the array set up here was the sub-array called [Frenzy]. Its effect was that all units within the array would attack everything in sight, regardless of friend or foe.

However...

This array is set up so poorly!

Sterl couldn't help but want to voice his criticism.

At that moment, in the underground water chamber, there were about several dozen Blood Cult followers dressed in crimson robes.

Among them, the two leaders, who were merely third-class Patriarchs, wore worried expressions and muttered to each other.

"The situation is getting worse and worse."

"Florence really has sought help from the Hall of Valor, and this time they sent over a dozen legends in one go."

"Yes, didn't the Pope say that even if the Hall of Valor sent strong reinforcements, we would have ways to deal with it?"

"But what we see is demons being slaughtered mercilessly, and we ourselves are hiding in every corner."

"Although the array hasn't been exposed yet, we have so many strongholds; it's impossible to remain undetected forever."

As these two complained,

Sterl, hidden in the shadows, realized something. He understood the reason the Pope of the Blood Cult claimed not to worry about reinforcements from the Hall of Valor.

In Sterl's team, there were indeed traitors.

Those two traitors had even deceived another mid-level legend into vying for the team leader position.

If it weren't for Sterl's presence, their plan would have succeeded, and the reinforcements from the Hall of Valor would have had no impact on the Blood Cult's plans.

In fact, three mid-level legends, coupled with legendary demons, could have easily caused significant losses to many players.

Thinking of this, Sterl's mind sparked...

Why do I feel like I have some room to maneuver here?

"You've set this array up way too poorly."

"The blood force used at the sixth node should spread to this point; that way, we can ensure the square energy is fully charged."

"Causing Frenzy doesn't necessarily require mindless pressure; having appropriate channels for relaxation can better disrupt mental focus."

"If you understood these principles, you wouldn't have laid out the entire array so terribly."

As Sterl spoke casually, he suddenly deactivated Shadow Stealth.

"Who?"

"Who goes there?"

At first, all the members of the Blood Cult were on edge and extremely flustered.

But as they listened to the newcomer's words, they became somewhat puzzled. Although they didn't quite understand what he was saying, it sounded reasonable and professional!

He didn't seem like someone looking for trouble.

Instantly, they looked at Sterl with suspicion, unsure of his origins.

"I am Philip Waldo."

"I am also a member of the Blood Cult. After successfully infiltrating the Hall of Valor, I have come to assist you under the calling of my lord."

"I have some not-so-good news. The reinforcements originally arranged by the Pope have encountered a problem, which is why I came here specifically."

Sterl spoke off the cuff.

He wasn't planning to disguise himself as the two deceased traitors; after all, what if the Pope and those two were already acquainted? That would make it easy for them to see through his ruse.

So instead, Sterl used his words to pretend he was another member of the Blood Cult lurking in the Hall of Valor.

Even though his manner of speaking might not align perfectly with the communication style within the Blood Cult, Sterl didn't care.

"Throwing a shot in the dark, I suppose."

Even if he were exposed, they were just a bunch of third-class members; he could wipe them all out in an instant.

Upon hearing his words, the members of the Blood Cult relaxed slightly.

After all, what Sterl had just said showed that this Philip Waldo had an extensive understanding of the Blood Sacrifice Swallowing God Array. If he weren't one of their own, how could he know it so well? This array had only recently been granted by their lord.

Moreover—

As Sterl took out the [Holy Stone of Blood], the members of the cult widened their eyes in astonishment.

This was the item that Sterl had evolved to its peak by absorbing various bloody powers...

Theoretically—

"The blessing power on this is even stronger than that of the Pope!"

"And I sense that the power within this Holy Stone is more vibrant and free."

"Who... who exactly are you?"

At that moment, the members of the Blood Cult knelt to the ground, no longer harboring any doubts.

Instead, they fervently surrounded Sterl with admiration.

However, Sterl remained vigilant. He had seen many movies and novels before his transmigration—

In those stories, the protagonist's group would infiltrate a cult, thinking they could escape, only to be shot in the back by their own. The cultists would show that they had long seen through their disguises…

So he immediately stated his demands: "I have two main purposes for coming here. One is to help you delay those people in the Hall of Valor, letting them kill a few demons."

"To prevent them from investigating these undetectable areas."

"The other matter is to help you optimize the array, assisting our lord's plans to advance more effectively!"

Sterl spoke in a deep, earnest tone, putting on a façade of loyalty.