Chapter 30: A Soul Within The Dead!

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

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.’

His foot planted. Adhesive Dominion activated beneath his sole, and his body stopped instantly. The zombie’s momentum carried it forward. Aiden stepped inside its reach, and the kitchen knife flashed.

PFFT!

The blade plunged directly into its eye socket.

[-87! (Weak Point)]

Dark, viscous fluid erupted from the wound. The zombie staggered but didn’t fall.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed. ’So that’s not enough.’

The zombie swung its steel pipe again. Aiden ducked beneath it. His left hand shot forward and seized the creature’s wrist as Adhesive Dominion spread across his palm, turning his grip nearly impossible to break.

Titan Strength activated as Aiden’s fingers tightened.

CRACK!

The zombie’s wrist bent unnaturally. The steel pipe dropped from its hand. Aiden immediately drove his knee into its abdomen.

BOOM!

The undead creature was launched backward and crashed against one of the ticket gates. Aiden didn’t give it time to recover. He lunged after it, and the knife flashed twice.

SWISH!

SWISH!

The first slash severed its throat. The second cleaved through the side of its skull. The zombie’s body finally collapsed, and particles of data-light began rising from its corpse.

Aiden glanced at it and sighed ’Undead really are troublesome.’

The second zombie attacked. Its movements were crude compared to the Mutated Lizard’s, but its lack of pain made it surprisingly difficult to stop. Aiden sidestepped a heavy swing. The steel pipe smashed against the floor.

BOOM!

Fragments of concrete flew through the air. Aiden used the opening. Titan Strength surged through his legs, and he kicked the zombie’s knee.

CRACK!

The leg bent sideways. The zombie staggered. Aiden stepped forward and grabbed its shoulder as Adhesive Dominion activated, locking the creature in place so it couldn’t pull away.

Aiden’s other fist clenched. ’Kinetic Smash!’

Mana gathered inside his arm. He didn’t need much. Just enough.

The gathered mana caused faint pressure on the air as his fist slammed into the zombie’s chest.

BOOM!

The undead creature was thrown backward. Its body crashed through the shattered ticket gate and rolled across the floor. Aiden immediately pursued as the zombie struggled to stand.

The next second, Aiden’s knife flashed.

PFFT!

The blade pierced straight through the center of its forehead. The zombie froze. Then its body dissolved into countless particles of data-light.

Looking at this scene, Aiden slowly lowered his knife.

Silence returned to the ticket hall—except for the furious hissing above him.

Aiden looked upward. The Mutated Lizard was still trapped within the roots, but it was breaking free. The roots around its legs were beginning to snap one after another.

’Time to finish it.’ Aiden rushed forward.

Right at that moment the lizard tore through the final root.

"HISS!"

It dropped from the ceiling. Aiden’s Thermal Perception immediately revealed its movements. The creature’s muscles contracted. Its body twisted in midair, claws extending toward his chest.

Aiden stepped sideways before it even landed. The claws missed. The lizard’s tail whipped toward him but Aiden ducked and the tail smashed into the wall.

BOOM!

Aiden stepped onto the creature’s back. Adhesive Dominion activated, and his feet locked onto its scales. The Mutated Lizard violently twisted its body, but Aiden remained attached.

’Got you.’

Titan Strength surged through his legs. He pushed off. The combined force sent the lizard crashing into the ground.

BOOM!

The creature staggered. Aiden landed several meters away.

The lizard immediately opened its jaws. A stream of corrosive green slime shot toward him. Aiden’s Thermal Perception caught the movement, and he moved before the attack fully left its mouth. The slime splashed against the ground.

HISS!

Concrete rapidly dissolved beneath it.

’Definitely not something I want touching me.’

Aiden accelerated. His body became a blur. The lizard lunged. Aiden slipped beneath its claws, and his knife flashed toward its eye. The creature tilted its head. The blade barely missed.

’Fast.’

Aiden twisted. The lizard’s claws swept past his chest. He planted his foot. Adhesive Dominion anchored him, and his body stopped on a dime. The lizard’s momentum carried it forward.

Aiden’s fist then drew back.

Kinetic Smash activated. This time, he didn’t hesitate. A controlled amount of mana flooded into the skill. Compressed kinetic energy accumulated within his arm.

’Let’s see if you’re tougher than you look.’

His fist exploded forward.

BOOM!

The punch slammed directly into the side of the Mutated Lizard’s skull. The creature’s body flew sideways and crashed into the concrete wall.

BOOM!

The impact left a spiderweb of cracks across the surface. The lizard dropped heavily to the ground. It twitched.

Aiden didn’t give it another chance. He stepped forward, and the kitchen knife plunged directly through its skull.

PFFT!

The Mutated Lizard went limp. Smiling, Aiden pulled the knife free.

Less than a minute after the battle had begun, silence returned. The three monsters dissolved into streams of data, disappearing without a trace.

Aiden exhaled slowly. "Easy..."

Then the notifications appeared.

[Successfully killed Level 4 Subway Zombie ×2.]

[Obtained 80 EXP.]

[Successfully killed Level 5 Mutated Lizard.]

[Obtained 65 EXP.]

[Greed activated.]

[Obtained: Rotten Nail ×4.]

[Obtained: Viscous Poison Gland ×1.]

Aiden’s expression remained calm. Then another notification appeared.

[Soul Essence absorbed.]

[Strength +1 acquired from Subway Zombie.]

Aiden’s eyes narrowed. Another followed.

[Soul Essence absorbed.]

[Strength +1 acquired from Subway Zombie.]

His expression changed. ’The zombies...’

Aiden stared at the fading particles of light where the undead creatures had disappeared. He had assumed that Soul Essence came from living beings. But the zombies weren’t alive. They didn’t even possess a detectable heat signature. Yet Sovereign of Souls had still extracted something from them.

’So undead creatures possess souls too?’

Aiden’s eyes flickered with curiosity. He suddenly remembered something from his previous life. There had always been arguments about undead monsters. Were they truly alive? Were they merely corpses manipulated by external energy? Or did the souls of the dead remain trapped within their bodies?

Nobody had ever reached a definitive answer. At least, not publicly.

Now, Aiden might have just discovered the answer for himself.

’It’s possible for something to possess a soul... and still not be alive?’

The thought lingered in his mind. He looked at the dissipating data-light for several seconds before finally shaking his head. There was no point dwelling on it now.

A faint smile appeared on Aiden’s face. His attributes had increased once again.

This was the true terror of [Sovereign of Souls]. Every battle made him stronger. Every kill was permanent growth. And apparently, even the dead weren’t exempt.

The feeling was nothing short of intoxicating.

Without pausing to admire his gains, Aiden continued deeper into the dungeon. He crossed the shattered ticket gates and stepped onto the subway platform.

The true challenge was only just beginning.