Chapter 53: The Search

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

Meanwhile, the warrior whose arm had been dislocated and the female Priest behind him were completely terrified.

They had watched helplessly as the strongest member of their team, the Level 4 mage, was instantly killed in a single exchange.

Even a skill book had dropped. At least, that’s what they assumed had happened.

The sight of that red-glowing skill book disappearing into Aiden’s hands had only deepened their terror.

"Mon... Monster!" The warrior’s face was pale. He no longer cared about the pain radiating from his dislocated arm. He scrambled backward, practically rolling and crawling across the ground in his desperation to escape.

The female Priest let out a frightened shriek and immediately turned around to run.

Aiden merely glanced at the two fleeing figures.

He didn’t pursue them. They were nothing more than two pieces of trash.

There was no reason to waste his energy on them.

Unless absolutely necessary, or unless it was for the sake of revenge, Aiden had no intention of slaughtering his fellow humans indiscriminately.

Humanity would need every available force when the coming Invasion began.

Once the realities of the other races merged with their world, humanity would face enemies far more terrifying than these petty players.

Weakening humanity’s own forces now for the sake of killing a few insignificant trash would be nothing short of foolish.

With that thought, Aiden lost interest in the two fleeing players.

What truly interested him now was the unexpected skill book he had obtained.

He immediately opened its information.

[Skill Book: Fireball]

[Quality: C-Rank]

[Requirement: Level 3, Intelligence 8]

[Effect: Consumes 15 Mana. After a 1.5-second chant, fires a Fireball at the target, dealing (Spell Power + Intelligence × 1.2) Fire damage. Cooldown: 8 seconds.]

[Description: The most basic Fire-type attack spell. Simple and brutal.]

Aiden’s eyes lit up. This was exactly the long-range attack method he currently needed!

Although it was only C-Rank, its damage coefficient was merely average, and the 1.5-second casting time was relatively long, it was more than enough to make up for his current lack of ranged offensive abilities.

Without the slightest hesitation, Aiden chose to learn it.

The skill book instantly transformed into a streak of red light and merged into his body.

In an instant, knowledge regarding the casting principles of [Fireball], the required mana circulation pathways, and the method of condensing elemental energy flooded into his mind.

It was as though he had practiced the skill countless times.

A burning Fireball icon appeared in his skill bar. Aiden raised his hand and calmly attempted to mobilize the mana within his body.

Although Strength was his primary attribute and his Spirit, which affected Mana and Spell Power, was only 13, the additional 3 Spell Power and 1 Spirit provided by his [Vine Staff] were already enough to meet the requirements for casting this lowest-level Fire spell.

Whoosh!

A fist-sized, slightly dim Fireball slowly condensed above his palm.

Aiden casually aimed at a broken wall in the distance. The Fireball shot forward with a sharp whistle.

"Bang!"It struck the wall and exploded, leaving behind a blackened, charred mark.

A damage number floated briefly in the air. Approximately 40 damage. It was far inferior to the explosive power of his melee attacks.

But... This was only the beginning.

Aiden felt the slight depletion of Mana within his body and the unfamiliar sensation of controlling an attack from a distance.

A trace of satisfaction flashed through his eyes.

The Fireball itself might be weak. But what mattered was that he now possessed an additional ranged attack. It’s range was even greater than pressure shot which was immensely weakened because the full potential of that soul trait was only achieved under water...

More importantly... He had just discovered another extremely domineering and practical ability of the [Sovereign of Souls].

He could absorb a player’s skill book directly. That meant that in the future, whenever he encountered an enemy possessing a rare or powerful skill, he wouldn’t necessarily have to settle for merely absorbing their attributes or equipment.

If he was lucky... He might even be able to tear their trump card skill directly from their Soul.

Aiden’s eyes gleamed. "Killing, looting, snatching skills..."

He glanced at the burning Fireball icon in his skill bar. A cold arc slowly curled across the corner of his mouth.

"I really am worthy of the name... Soul Sovereign."

He no longer paid attention to the two players who had fled into the distance and instead turned back toward the Rezvani.

The engine roared to life once more.

Aiden climbed into the driver’s seat, turned the vehicle around, and continued toward his original destination, the industrial zone in the western suburbs.

Now, however, his offensive methods were considerably more diverse.

And on the Reaper’s Soul-Absorption list, alongside Attributes, Equipment, Soul Traits and Classes, a new category had quietly appeared.

Skills.

...

Anyways, the Phlogiston Aberrations in the western industrial zone provided Aiden Cross with decent experience and Fire-type skill proficiency.

After repeatedly casting [Fireball], although its damage remained mediocre, the incantation time had shortened slightly, and Aiden was becoming increasingly proficient with the spell.

But there was another matter that occupied far more of his attention. Finding Luna Everhart.

The memories of his previous life were like a shattered puzzle. When it came to Luna Everhart’s early whereabouts, Aiden had only a vague lead, the old city district in the north, where a nearly abandoned church stood.

During the early days of the apocalypse, that church had become the final refuge for many desperate survivors.

But it had also become a cesspool of filth and a breeding ground for humanity’s darkest impulses.

Aiden turned the car around and drove the Rezvani in the complete opposite direction from the industrial zone.

The closer he got to the old city district, the narrower and more dilapidated the roads became. Modern infrastructure gradually disappeared, as though time itself had flowed backward here.

Yet the atmosphere was anything but peaceful.

The streets were shrouded in the oppressive shadows of the apocalypse, and the air carried a faint stench of decay and despair.

Following the vague directions preserved in his memories, Aiden eventually parked the car at the end of a moss-covered cobblestone road riddled with cracks.

Ahead stood a small Gothic-style church in the middle of a desolate courtyard.