[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-awakening-reincarnating-with-the-sss-level-extra":3,"chapter-awakening-reincarnating-with-the-sss-level-extra-awakening-reincarnating-with-the-sss-level-extra-chapter-436":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1139756,1479,"Chapter 436: Extracting from the Guardian of Nightmares, Astolf’s Heart of Endless Dread","awakening-reincarnating-with-the-sss-level-extra-chapter-436",436,"\u003Cp>Ding! Ding! Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You can extract something from the \"Guardian of Nightmares.\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You will receive your reward for completing this tower shortly.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex exhaled deeply, his breath misting faintly in the dark atmosphere as the realization finally sank in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had done it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had conquered the [Tower of Nightmares], the impossible tower that no one else had ever managed to defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time in who knew how many years, someone had shattered the illusion of its invincibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that someone was him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, he owed a lot to his [Blood Arts] and to Astolf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the overwhelming advantages they had given him, from the relentless blood blades to the constant assistance, he might have been the one lying defeated instead of standing victorious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also couldn’t help but feel a small wave of relief that the nightmare Alex hadn’t copied some of his most devastating abilities, like [Threads of Fate] or [World Cleaver].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had, there was no doubt he would have been crushed without a chance to retaliate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, that didn’t matter anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What mattered was that he had won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With steady steps, Alex moved forward, and before him, a new panel materialized, shimmering faintly in the broken black and purple air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Extract something from the \"Guardian of Nightmares\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Eye of Nightmares (Forbidden)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Description: A twisted eye that allows the user to glimpse into the fears of others. You cannot use it.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Heart of Endless Dread (Forbidden)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Description: The Guardian’s blackened heart, radiating a heavy dread that saps courage, weakens resistance, and spreads despair to all nearby. You cannot use it.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Veil of Silent Depths (Forbidden)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Description: A piece of nightmare-forged cloth that cloaks the wearer in complete silence and shadow, erasing their presence from both senses and memory. You cannot use it.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nice,\" Alex muttered sarcastically under his breath, squinting at the floating choices. \"So I can’t use any of these. That’s... incredibly helpful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, rather than rush a decision, he glanced upward at the crown resting lightly on his head, the [Crown of Calamity].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think you can absorb any of these?\" he asked aloud, not really expecting much but willing to try anything. \"They’re forbidden, but maybe they could still be useful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crown remained silent for a moment, as if deliberating, before a small text prompt appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Unfortunately not, these items cannot be absorbed.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex sighed. \"Figures.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With little other choice, he hovered his hand over the options, taking a moment to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t use any of them directly anyway, so it was better to pick the one that sounded like it had the most potential value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without much hesitation, he tapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have extracted the \"Heart of Endless Dread\" (Forbidden Item)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, he would have preferred the [Eye of Nightmares].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been possible to merge it with his [Cursed Eyes of Truth], he could have gained a terrifying new layer of ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t meant to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he now held the pulsating, blackened heart of the Guardian in his hand, cold, heavy, and radiating a nearly tangible aura of despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Inventory time,\" Alex muttered to himself, pulling up his [Digital Inventory Watch], intending to store the heart away like he had done with countless other trophies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwish! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden gust of dark energy burst above him, making Alex’s wings flare out instinctively to brace himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the swirling shadows, a familiar figure emerged—Astolf, the Undead King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skeletal figure hovered lightly in the air, radiating far more power than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hollow sockets glowed brightly with eerie green flames, and his bony hands were clasped behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astolf gazed at the heart in Alex’s hand with a strange intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"May I take it?\" the Undead King asked calmly, his voice rattling slightly with an ancient echo. \"I think... I might be able to do something with it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex raised an eyebrow in confusion, glancing from Astolf back to the pulsating heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief moment of consideration, he shrugged. \"Sure. Go ahead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, he tossed the heart upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive skeletal hand, larger than before, erupted from the ground and caught the heart delicately between its fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex watched curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no idea why Astolf wanted the heart, but it wasn’t like he had any use for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Undead King could make something useful out of it, all the better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astolf brought the heart closer to his face, his expression unreadable as always.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For an undead being like me...\" he began, his voice low and thoughtful, \"...a heart like this could be invaluable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heart was pitch black, with deep purple veins running across its surface, each pulse sending out faint waves of dark mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, without any warning, Astolf did something completely unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his skeletal mouth, and ate the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex blinked, frozen in surprise for a moment. \"What the hell...\" he muttered, watching with wide eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heart slid down Astolf’s throat—or at least what passed for a throat—and Alex could clearly see it drop into his ribcage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no flesh to conceal it, the heart was fully visible, sitting there, pulsing faintly inside the skeleton’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a second, Alex half-expected it to simply fall through and hit the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it didn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, just as it settled in place, the heart suddenly stopped moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I knew it,\" Astolf whispered, almost to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice, usually calm, now carried a strange note of excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Amazing...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwish! BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heart exploded inside his chest with a burst of violent energy, sending a shockwave that threw Alex backward several meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flapping his wings hard, he managed to stabilize himself midair, coughing slightly as he was blasted by the force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark mist flooded the area, thick and heavy, hiding Astolf from sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex didn’t call out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trusted Astolf enough to know that whatever was happening was intentional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he narrowed his eyes, advancing carefully toward the source of the explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack! Zap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sounds of raw, uncontained energy split through the mist as the transformation continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwish! Fwish! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the dense fog, a figure emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here it is...\" Astolf’s voice rumbled, filled with a new weight. \"Power...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was Astolf—but at the same time, it wasn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex narrowed his eyes, observing closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Undead King’s form had changed noticeably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still skeletal, but his frame was slightly larger, more robust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His arms had grown thicker, his shoulders broader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most striking of all, embedded right in the center of his ribcage, was the [Heart of Endless Dread], pulsing steadily with a deep purple light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that heart, countless small tendrils of dark energy stretched out, anchoring themselves into his bones like veins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astolf’s body, once pure white bone, was now crisscrossed with glowing purple cracks, and one of his eye sockets now burned not with green fire, but with deep purple flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex couldn’t help but be a little impressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Undead King’s aura had changed dramatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still him, but now his presence seemed heavier, denser, far more menacing—like a dormant storm barely being contained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also a little disgusting seeing the heart pulse like that openly in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that...\" Alex began to ask, but Astolf cut him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As I said earlier, undead do not possess hearts. But for someone like me, having a heart—even one as cursed as this—grants power. Immense power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astolf paused, glancing down at his own body as the purple veins flickered across him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It cannot bring me back to life, obviously,\" he continued, his voice oddly satisfied, \"but it can give me a strength that surpasses the limits of typical undead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex nodded slowly, still processing everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he didn’t understand all the specifics, the result was clear—Astolf was much, much stronger now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as Astolf took a step forward, he suddenly staggered and dropped to one knee, groaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guh... this power... it’s a bit much right now,\" he admitted, the purple cracks along his body flaring brighter for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take a rest,\" Alex said simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without another word, Astolf’s form began to break apart into dark mist, flowing back into Alex’s body, returning to the [Undead Space] where he could recover safely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that, Alex was alone once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let out a small breath, letting the quiet settle in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was finally wrapped up—the tower cleared, the guardian defeated, and Astolf empowered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one thing left to check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have received the \"Token of Nightmares\" as a reward of conquering the tower.]\u003C\u002Fp>",1436,"2026-06-03T12:12:47.112Z","2026-06-03T12:12:55.154Z",1,"novelbin.me","e7b0e2bdf6f2db543a453b98c35c7580045413e361e616e88042bae6c0ac8516","awakening-reincarnating-with-the-sss-level-extra-chapter-437","awakening-reincarnating-with-the-sss-level-extra-chapter-435",516,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fawakening-reincarnating-with-the-sss-level-extra-cover.jpg"]