Chapter 52: A Glimpse Of The Soul!

As the Warrior came at him, with buff and support from the healer...

Aiden Cross stood completely still, motionless as a statue, as though he had been frightened out of his wits.

Just as the warrior was about to collide with him, Aiden moved.

His body tilted at an almost impossible angle, moving with such fluidity that it seemed boneless.

The warrior’s Charge grazed past him. The violent gust generated by the skill swept through Aiden’s hair, yet the attack didn’t even touch the corner of his clothes.

At the same time, Aiden’s right hand shot forward like lightning. He didn’t attack the warrior directly. Instead, his fingers precisely caught the joint of the arm holding the shield and twisted.

"Click!"

A crisp sound of dislocation rang out.

"Ah!"

The warrior let out a pained scream. His entire arm instantly went numb, all strength draining from it. The wooden shield nearly slipped from his grasp, while the momentum of his Charge was forcibly disrupted, causing him to stumble several steps forward.

But Aiden was already gone. Using the recoil from that seemingly casual movement, his body drifted backward like a ghost before abruptly changing direction.

His target was the mage who had just begun chanting another fireball.

"What?!" The mage’s expression changed drastically. He hadn’t expected Aiden to close the distance so quickly!

He hurriedly interrupted his chant and tried to retreat. But it was already too late.

Aiden’s speed completely exceeded his imagination.

Before the mage could even complete his first backward step, Aiden had already crossed the distance and entered within three meters of him.

[Root Entanglement]!

Dark-green roots violently erupted from the soil, instantly wrapping around the mage’s feet and locking him in place.

"Damn it!" The mage’s expression turned pale.

He struggled desperately, but his weak Strength attribute was nowhere near enough to break free in such a short period.

Aiden’s eyes were cold. He didn’t say a word. His Power Gauntlets instantly erupted with condensed explosive kinetic energy as [Kinetic Smash] activated.

At the same time, Aiden raised his other hand forming a gun sign. A compressed projectile of force formed at the tip of his fingers almost instantly.

[Pressure Shot]!

He didn’t target the mage’s chest. He targeted his ear. The projectile tore through the air at an angle, accurately entering through the mage’s ear and piercing straight through his head before bursting out from the opposite side.

At almost the exact same moment...

Boom!

Aiden’s fist slammed into the mage’s chest.

-89!

A terrifying damage number floated above the mage’s head. His thin mage robe and already fragile mana shield offered virtually no protection.

His chest visibly caved inward from the impact, and blood sprayed violently from his mouth.

"No... Impossible..." Vince Doyle’s eyes were filled with disbelief. And beneath that disbelief... Was pure fear.

The fear of death. He wanted to say something. But his HP had already reached zero.

His body went limp and collapsed to the ground. Before it could completely dissipate, his body transformed into a burst of white light.

[Successfully killed player "Vince Doyle"; since the target was in a malicious PK state, you have not gained any Sin Points.]

[Obtained 80 Experience Points.]

[Triggered "Greed" effect, additionally obtained item: [Mage Robe (Common)]!]

However, something completely unexpected happened at that moment.

Aiden’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

For an instant, the world around him seemed to slow.

He entered a strange state and then saw it. From Vince Doyle’s dissipating body, a faint, translucent Soul emerged.

It was the player’s Soul.

And then, A strange force suddenly tore a fragment from it.

"Ahhhhh!"

A silent, distorted scream seemed to echo directly within Aiden’s mind.

Aiden’s pupils contracted.

At the same time, the dark-golden [Sovereign of Souls] interface within his mind suddenly throbbed.

Once, then twice.

The sensation was completely different from when he absorbed the Souls of ordinary monsters.

It was deeper. More domineering. More absolute. An invisible force of Soul Absorption instantly swept across Vince Doyle’s rapidly dissipating data body.

Then...

[Discovered a skill book linked to the target’s Soul...]

Aiden’s expression changed slightly. The next system notification appeared almost immediately.

[Soul Essence absorbed!]

[Absorbed from target (Player, Vince Doyle): [Skill Book: Fireball]!]

A virtual book icon emitting a faint red glow suddenly appeared within Aiden’s Soul-Absorption interface. Flame patterns danced across its cover.

The skill book then transformed into a streak of light and entered his skill interface.

[Skill Book: Fireball]

[Status: Unlearned]

Aiden stared at the notification. For the first time since his rebirth, a genuine ripple of surprise appeared in his eyes.

’It actually absorbed the opponent’s unlearned skill book directly?’

He had known that [Sovereign of Souls] could absorb attributes, items, and even Classes under certain conditions.

But he had never imagined that it could directly extract an unbound skill book from a player’s inventory.

This was completely different from simply obtaining loot after killing an enemy.

It was as though the [Sovereign of Souls] had reached directly into the target’s very existence and taken whatever it wanted.

Aiden’s lips slowly curled upward. ’This thing... It’s simply a bandit among bandits.’

His smile widened. ’But I like it.’

A notification appeared at that moment.

[It’s detected you’ve momentarily been able to see Souls.]

[Your understanding of your Sovereign of Souls Class has increased by 5%!]

Aiden Cross’s expression changed slightly. He had sensed Souls before through the effects of [Sovereign of Souls], but this was different.

For that brief instant, he hadn’t merely sensed Vince Doyle’s Soul. He had actually seen it.

He had witnessed the Soul separating from its physical body, watched as a fragment was torn away, and even heard that strange, distorted scream.

’So that’s what a Soul actually looks like...’

Aiden’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ’Five percent.’

It didn’t sound like much, but Aiden understood just how terrifying this could become if his comprehension of the [Sovereign of Souls] continued to increase.

The Class was clearly hiding far more secrets than he had initially imagined. And if merely seeing a Soul had increased his understanding by five percent...

What would happen when he could truly perceive, manipulate, and control them?

A faint smile appeared on Aiden’s lips. ’Interesting.’