Chapter 46: Updated Runes

Placing a palm on Tommy’s shoulder, she gently pulled him away from Aaron.

’’We need to work together.’’

Aaron’s eyes widened slightly.

’She’s right!’

A sudden realization struck him.

’How did I not think of that?’

Selective Positioning. It was a mechanic he was familiar with from the game.

In certain Dungeons, participants weren’t randomly distributed across the floors. Instead, the sorcery would separate them according to their respective strength levels.

The strongest players would be sent to designated locations, while those with lower abilities would be placed elsewhere. It was a way of ensuring that individuals with comparable strength encountered one another.

And considering Aaron possessed a Sixth-Dimensional Nature, it made sense that he had been separated from everyone else.

Kelly and Tommy, on the other hand, were both Fifth-Dimensional carriers.

They had been sent to the same location because their strength levels were similar.

It also explained why they had encountered his unconscious body.

They weren’t necessarily lucky.

The Dungeon had deliberately brought them together.

’So that’s how it works...’

Aaron’s expression gradually relaxed.

He finally had a better understanding of what was happening.

He reached for his dislocated shoulder and carefully examined its position. Then, without warning, he grabbed it with his other hand.

’’She’s right. We’re together because we’re Fifth-Dimensional carriers. The others have probably been distributed across different floors according to their strength levels.’’

Crack!

A sharp, unpleasant sound echoed through the chamber.

Aaron’s face contorted.

’’Ugh...’’

He clenched his teeth, enduring the brief but excruciating pain as the bone slipped back into its proper position.

A moment later, he released his shoulder and slowly rose to his feet. Although it still hurt, he could at least move his arm again.

’’We need to leave this floor.’’

He dusted off the remaining pieces of his tattered shirt.

’’We have to catch up with the others.’’

Tommy stared at him for a few seconds before eventually turning away.

Without saying anything, he began walking towards the opposite side of the chamber.

Meanwhile, Kelly approached the three enormous stone doors standing before them.

Each door was several meters tall, with intricate markings carved into its surface. Their sheer size alone made them look more like entrances to ancient fortresses than ordinary dungeon passages.

Kelly stopped in front of them and glanced back at Aaron.

’’We’ve been trying to decide which door to choose.’’

She pointed towards the three entrances.

’’Which one would you pick?’’

’’The middle door.’’ Aaron answered almost immediately.

Tommy, who had already begun examining the entrances, turned towards him with an amused expression.

’’You answered rather quickly.’’

He narrowed his eyes.

’’Like someone who already knows what’s behind it.’’

Aaron didn’t bother responding.

At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly echoed inside his head.

[You Have Unlocked: THE WEB OF ENCOUNTER]

’Huh?’

Aaron’s eyebrows shot upwards.

For a brief moment, he completely forgot about the two people standing nearby.

His attention was entirely occupied by the notification.

’Unlocked?’

He quickly recalled his previous encounter with the bats.

During that fight, he had attempted to use his Nature Ability several times, only to discover that it was somehow locked.

He hadn’t understood why.

But now, after killing so many bats, something had apparently changed.

It seemed his kills had contributed towards unlocking an aspect of his Nature Ability.

’Interesting.’

Without wasting any time, Aaron allowed his consciousness to descend into his Soul Realm.

The familiar expanse appeared before him.

He summoned his runes, and several lines of information immediately materialized in front of his consciousness.

Name: Aaron Goldilock.

Nature Rank: Sixth Dimensional.

Existence: [Low Second Dimensional Existence.]

Soul Cores: [1/6]

Soul Count: [350/2000]

Nature Ability: [UNBOUND TO FATE]

Nature Ability Description:

[You are a forgotten existence in the great Tapestry of Fate. Unlike others, this erroneous negligence allows you to manipulate and influence the indomitable webs of fate however you see fit.]

Nature Abilities: [1/5]

Ability 1: Web of Encounter.

[Strengthen Intuition. Unmastered]

[See the Web of Others. Unmastered]

[Jump From Web to Web. Unmastered]

Aaron stared at the information.

His eyes lingered on the newly unlocked ability.

’Web of Encounter...’

He read through the descriptions several times, trying to make sense of what he had just obtained.

Then, his expression gradually changed.

’Wait a minute.’

There was something else.

His Soul Count.

[350/2000]

His eyes widened slightly.

Unlike other awakened individuals, it seemed he didn’t necessarily need to absorb the Soul Cores of beasts to grow stronger.

All he needed to do was kill them.

The dozens of bats he had slaughtered earlier had rewarded him with a total of 350 Soul Counts.

That was considerably more than he had anticipated.

’Not bad.’

A faint smile appeared on his face.

At least his miserable experience hadn’t been entirely worthless.

However, his attention soon returned to the newly unlocked ability.

’Web of Encounter, huh?’

He frowned.

For a Sixth-Dimensional Nature Ability, the name didn’t sound particularly impressive.

Strengthening intuition?

Seeing other people’s webs?

Jumping from one web to another?

What exactly was he supposed to do with those?

’I’m supposed to be manipulating fate, not becoming a spider.’

He couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed.

Still, he knew better than to judge an ability before understanding its full potential.

There was probably more to it than what the descriptions revealed.

As he continued examining his runes, Kelly’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

’’Aaron.’’

He returned his consciousness to his body and turned towards her.

’’I managed to extract the Soul Cores from thirty of the bats you killed.’’

She held up a small object between her fingers.

’’Do you need them now?’’

Aaron’s expression softened slightly.

’’Not really. Thanks.’’

He glanced around the chamber before looking back at her.

’’Where did you keep them?’’

Kelly pointed towards a makeshift bag lying in the corner.

It appeared to have been fashioned from animal hide, with several crude ropes holding its edges together.

’’A few of our supplies are in there.’’

Aaron glanced at it and nodded.

’’Alright.’’