Chapter 29: A Solo Dungeon Conquest!

Aiden stared into the darkness. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Let’s see who gets the first clear."

The first team to conquer a dungeon often received rewards so generous that they could establish a decisive advantage over everyone else. In his previous life, this very dungeon had become one of Damien Vale’s earliest turning points.

The core members of the Dragon Sovereign guild had paid a heavy price to conquer it, but the rewards they obtained became another cornerstone of Damien’s meteoric rise, widening the gap between his faction and every other survivor.

This time, that opportunity belonged to someone else.

Aiden intended to seize the dungeon before they ever had the chance. And more importantly, he would conquer it alone.

Taking a deep breath to calm his raging heart, Aiden made one final check of his equipment. He slung the Vinewood Staff across his back. As long as its attribute bonuses remained active, there was no need to carry it in his hands.

Instead, he gripped the bloodstained kitchen knife that had already claimed the lives of many monsters.

With his current Level 3 attributes, strengthened further by the stat points obtained through Sovereign of Souls’ Partial Soul Absorption, a Level 5 dungeon was still dangerous. But it was no longer beyond his ability.

Without hesitation, he stepped into the shadows beneath the subway entrance.

The daylight behind him vanished almost instantly. Darkness swallowed the surroundings, while the damp air grew colder. The pungent scent of mold, rust, and old blood became so thick it seemed to cling to every breath.

A familiar system notification echoed through his mind.

[You have entered the dungeon: Abandoned Subway Station (Normal Difficulty).]

[Recommended Level: 5.]

[Recommended Party Size: 5.]

[Solo entrant detected. Dungeon difficulty remains unchanged. Proceed with caution.]

Aiden’s lips curved into a faint smile. ’Caution?’

While telling one to be cautious was a good advice, Aiden doesn’t need to be cautious...

Thanks to the memories of his previous life, he knew this dungeon inside and out. He knew every monster spawn. Every hidden trap. Every shortcut. Every boss mechanic. The entire Abandoned Subway Station was etched into his memory as clearly as the lines on his palm.

While ordinary players would inch forward with painstaking care, fearing every shadow, Aiden walked through the darkness as though he were returning home. His footsteps were light, deliberate, and utterly confident as he descended the cracked concrete staircase.

That being said, Aiden knew that he shouldn’t underestimate anything as any mistake could mean instant death, so while it didn’t seem like it, he was at alert...

The emergency lights lining the tunnel flickered erratically, their failing circuits casting an eerie green glow across the abandoned station.

The sickly light revealed walls splattered with long-dried blood that had blackened with age, deep claw marks carved into the concrete, and countless scratches that seemed to have been left behind by something desperately trying to escape... or force its way inside.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed and Thermal Perception activated.

The darkness immediately gained another layer. Heat signatures emerged from the surrounding environment, allowing him to distinguish the warm pipes beneath the walls, the faint residual heat trapped within machinery, and the cooler concrete around them.

Then he noticed something moving.

Three heat signatures. Two were relatively dim and sluggish. The third was significantly warmer.

Aiden’s gaze shifted upward.

Clinging to the cracked ceiling like an oversized gecko was a Level 5 Mutated Lizard. Its body radiated considerably more heat than the surrounding environment. Its forked tongue flicked in and out as its cold, reptilian eyes locked onto him.

’There you are.’

Aiden didn’t focus much on the lizard for a moment as his gaze shifted downward to the two other figures were standing beneath it which where two Level 4 Subway Zombies.

Unlike the lizard, there was no heat radiating from these two figures, none at all...

Aiden’s brows furrowed. The zombies were moving. They were breathing—or at least performing the motions associated with breathing. But Thermal Perception showed nothing resembling a living body.

’No heat signature?’ Aiden studied them for another moment. Then understanding dawned in his eyes. ’They’re undead.’

That explained it. They weren’t living creatures anymore. Whatever force animated their bodies, it clearly wasn’t normal biological activity.

An interesting discovery. But it also meant one of his most useful combat advantages wouldn’t work properly against them. Thermal Perception allowed him to read the movements of living creatures by observing subtle changes in their heat patterns. The zombies gave him nothing.

’So I can’t rely on Thermal Perception against undead.’ Aiden’s expression became slightly more serious. ’Good to know.’

For an ordinary five-man party, this encounter would require careful coordination. The tank would draw the monsters’ attention, the damage dealers would focus their attacks one target at a time, and the healer would keep everyone alive through the attrition.

But Aiden Cross was alone. And he didn’t intend to give the monsters time to establish their formation.

The instant they noticed him, he attacked.

His first target was the greatest threat: the Mutated Lizard.

Aiden’s body exploded forward. His enhanced physique unleashed astonishing speed as he crossed the distance between them.

The Mutated Lizard reacted immediately.

"Hiss!"

Its claws dug into the ceiling. Its body tensed.

Aiden’s eyes sharpened. ’Root Entanglement!’

Mana surged through the ground. Cracks spread rapidly across the concrete floor.

Then—

BOOM!

Thick, dark-green roots burst upward like enraged serpents. They shot toward the ceiling, twisting around the Mutated Lizard’s limbs and tail before wrapping tightly around its body.

"HISSS!"

The creature shrieked furiously. It struggled violently. The roots creaked under the strain.

Aiden didn’t waste the opportunity. He raised his free hand. His index and middle fingers extended while his thumb formed the shape of a gun.

’Pressure Shot!’

Mana surged through his arm and rapidly concentrated at his fingertips.

BANG!

A compressed burst of highly pressurized force erupted toward the restrained lizard.

BOOM!

The invisible projectile struck its chest.

But Aiden’s expression changed slightly. The attack hadn’t pierced it. Instead, the lizard’s thick scales merely dented beneath the concentrated impact before springing back.

’Didn’t penetrate?’

The Mutated Lizard hissed furiously.

Aiden narrowed his eyes. ’Is its defense really that high?’

’Or was my Pressure Shot weaker than it should’ve been?’

He didn’t have time to think about it.

Two rusted steel pipes suddenly came swinging toward his head.

Aiden’s pupils contracted. The zombies were already in front of him.

He twisted his body.

Whoosh!

The first pipe passed directly beside his cheek. The second came from the opposite direction.

Aiden lowered his body and slid beneath it. ’Right. No heat.’

There was no warning from Thermal Perception. No subtle muscle contraction. No shift in temperature. Nothing. He had to rely entirely on his eyes and combat instincts.

Aiden’s expression sharpened. Only then did he realize the problem. ’I’ve been paying too much attention to these zombies.’

His concentration had been divided. That was why the Pressure Shot had failed to reach its full power.

’So that’s why...’ Aiden’s lips curled upward. ’Then I’ll just fight normally.’