By the time Aiden returned to his dormitory, it was already starting to get dark...
He closed the door behind him and tossed his keys onto the small table beside the entrance.
For the first time since leaving the pod shop, he allowed himself to relax slightly.
His mind immediately returned to the three animals he had purchased.
The mantis shrimp. The pistol shrimp. The defanged pit viper. Three creatures with three potential traits.
Aiden checked his terminal.
[18:07.]
Right on schedule, at that exact moment, his terminal vibrated.
[Delivery Update: Your order has arrived at the designated location.]
Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly. "They’re here."
He walked toward the door. A few seconds later, the doorbell rang.
When he opened it, two delivery workers stood outside. Behind them were three specialized containers.
One was a reinforced aquatic transport tank. Another was a smaller temperature-controlled aquarium. The third was a secure reptile container with multiple locking mechanisms.
One of the delivery workers smiled politely. "Mr. Cross?"
"Yes."
"We have your exotic-animal delivery."
Aiden glanced at the containers. Everything looked intact.
"Any problems during transport?"
"None."
The worker gestured toward the containers. "The aquatic specimens were kept under oxygenated conditions throughout the journey. The reptile was also monitored continuously."
"Good."
The second worker looked at the order information on his terminal. "I have to say, this is probably one of the strangest deliveries we’ve handled this month."
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
The worker laughed. "A mantis shrimp, pistol shrimp, and a pit viper?"
His colleague joined in. "Most people order tropical fish."
Aiden smiled faintly. "I like unusual animals."
The same excuse again. But there was no need to change it when it works surprisingly well.
The workers helped move the containers inside.
Once everything had been placed safely in his apartment, they confirmed the delivery.
"Everything is signed for."
Aiden nodded. "Thanks."
The door closed and silence returned as they left...
Aiden turned toward the three containers. His expression gradually became serious.
’Finally.’ The real reason he’d spent so much money, the reason he had exhausted his student loan was sitting directly in front of him.
Three potential additions to his growing arsenal. He approached the first container.
The pit viper. The snake coiled quietly inside its enclosure. Even without venom, it looked dangerous. Its tongue flicked outward as it hissed.
Aiden crouched beside the glass. Those heat-sensing traits... That was what he wanted.
He moved toward the secure enclosure. There was no hesitation this time.
He opened the locking mechanism, carefully restrained the snake, and ended its life quickly.
The moment it became still, he got the notification he was waiting for...
[Soul Essence Absorbed.]
Aiden’s eyes sharpened.
[You’ve gained the Soul Trait, Thermal Perception.]
[Source: Pit Viper Soul Essence.]
[Type: Sensory Trait.]
Aiden read the description.
[Description: The user inherits the pit viper’s ability to perceive infrared radiation through specialized thermal receptors.]
[Normal vision is supplemented by the ability to perceive heat signatures and temperature differences, allowing the user to detect living creatures even in darkness.]
His eyes narrowed.
[The trait can reveal: Living targets, body heat, recently occupied locations, blood-flow differences, heat trails left by moving creatures, Concealed targets whose body temperature differs from their surroundings.]
[At higher mastery, the user can distinguish increasingly subtle temperature variations.]
Aiden remained silent. Then he slowly smiled.
"This..." He glanced around his apartment. Thermal vision. Not merely seeing in darkness but actually perceiving heat.
He could potentially detect someone hiding behind cover, track creatures through darkness, follow recently disturbed areas, identify living targets without relying entirely on sight.
And after the apocalypse? That ability could become terrifying.
Monsters hiding in darkness. Ambushes. Nighttime hunting. Enemies concealing themselves behind walls or vegetation.
Thermal Perception would give him another layer of awareness.
Aiden closed his eyes and focused. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then something changed, his perception shifted. The world didn’t disappear. Instead, something new was layered over it.
Warmth, temperature, the subtle differences in the environment all became noticeable. His own body appeared almost like a source of concentrated heat.
The walls were cooler. His electronic terminal emitted a faint warmth.
Even the recently used kettle on his counter retained a small trace of heat.
Aiden’s eyes opened. "Interesting."
He hadn’t even begun mastering the trait, yet it was already useful.
His gaze moved toward the second container.
’Its finally time for the mantis shrimp.’ Aiden’s expression became noticeably more interested.
He had already experienced the creature’s power firsthand in his memories, a mutant version with much more strength than this...
Its strike was absurd. The speed, the acceleration. The force. And now... He had the chance to inherit it.
Just the thought of it filled him with excitement..
Taking a deep breath, Aiden carefully opened the container. The mantis shrimp immediately reacted. Its appendage moved with terrifying speed.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. Even without supernatural enhancements, the animal’s natural weapon was something he had no desire to underestimate.
He killed it quickly.
[Soul Essence Absorbed.]
A new notification appeared.
[You’ve gained the Soul Skill, Kinetic Smash.]
Aiden’s eyes widened.
[Source: Mantis Shrimp Soul Essence.]
[Type: Active Physical Skill.]
He read the description carefully.
[Description: The user inherits the mantis shrimp’s extraordinary ability to generate and release force with astonishing speed.]
[By briefly compressing and storing kinetic energy within a limb before releasing it instantaneously, the user can produce an explosive strike far beyond what his normal physical strength would allow.]
Aiden’s breathing slowed. Then another line appeared.
[At higher mastery, the concentrated impact may generate a secondary pressure burst capable of damaging targets even without direct contact.]
His eyes gleamed. A ranged effect, but not truly ranged in the conventional sense.
But eventually, the concentrated force of his strike could produce a pressure burst capable of damaging something without direct contact.
Aiden continued reading.
[Drawback: The greater the stored kinetic energy, the greater the recoil transmitted back through the user’s body.]
Aiden’s expression immediately became serious. ’There it is.’
Another limitation. His body. Just like Titan Strength.
The stronger the attack, the greater the punishment his own body would receive.
Without sufficient physical conditioning, using Kinetic Smash recklessly could break his bones before it broke his enemy’s.
Fortunately... Aiden looked at the notification for Regenerative Reconstruction.
A faint smile appeared. "Interesting."
Titan Strength gave him greater force. Kinetic Smash allowed him to compress and release that force explosively. Regenerative Reconstruction gave his body a way to recover from damage.
And Adhesive Dominion could potentially anchor him against recoil. The synergy was becoming increasingly obvious.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. ’But I still need to understand exactly how much my body can handle.’
He wasn’t going to test Kinetic Smash inside his apartment.
The walls wouldn’t appreciate it. His gaze shifted toward the final container.
The pistol shrimp. He crouched beside it. The tiny crustacean looked almost unimpressive.
It certainly didn’t resemble something capable of producing a devastating ranged attack.
Aiden remembered that lesson from his previous life.
Some of the most terrifying abilities belonged to creatures that looked completely harmless.
He opened the container and a few moments later...
[Soul Essence Absorbed.]
Aiden waited, then he got it...
[You’ve gained the Soul Skill, Pressure Shot.]
His expression sharpened, as a bit of joy seeped to his heart...
[Source: Pistol Shrimp Soul Essence.]
[Type: Active Ranged Attack.]
Aiden’s eyes moved across the description.
[Description: The user generates a rapidly collapsing cavitation bubble and projects its resulting pressure burst toward a designated target, producing a powerful ranged shockwave capable of inflicting devastating blunt-force trauma.]
Aiden read it again. Then once more, his expression slowly changed.
"Kinetic Smash..." His gaze shifted toward his fist. "Pressure Shot..."
Then toward the pistol shrimp’s container. Aiden’s lips curved upward. Now he understood. His Class wasn’t simply giving him random biological traits.
It was translating biological mechanisms into abilities compatible with a human body.
That meant the possibilities were far greater than he’d initially imagined.
A mantis shrimp couldn’t literally teach a human to become a crustacean.
But the Sovereign of Souls could interpret the underlying biological principle of the Mantis Shrimp’s soul and convert it into a usable skill.
The thought sent a chill through him. ’Then how far can this go?’
Aiden’s mind immediately began racing. The creatures of Earth weren’t merely sources of physical traits.
They were libraries of biological adaptations. Millions upon millions of years of evolution. Every species carried something unique.
Strength, speed, regeneration, camouflage, venom, senses, armor, endurance, flight, adhesion, electricity, heat resistance, cold resistance, pressure resistance. The list was practically endless.
And he could steal from all of it. Aiden slowly exhaled.
"Calm down." He forced his thoughts back under control. He had already learned an important lesson. Potential meant nothing without time.
And time was the one thing he had the least of. His terminal suddenly vibrated.
Aiden glanced down.
[19:02.]
Less than seventeen hours remained before Eclipse Online launched.
Tomorrow at noon... The world would change forever. Aiden looked at the three containers.
The creatures were gone but their essence of life remained with him and like that, three more abilities had joined his arsenal.
Thermal Perception. Kinetic Smash. Pressure Shot.
He slowly clenched his fist. The feeling was different now. Before his regression, he had spent three years desperately fighting to survive.
He had accumulated power through blood, sacrifice, and obedience to someone else’s destiny.
This time, he had something different. Choice. He could choose what abilities he wanted. He could build himself piece by piece.
And unlike Damien... He didn’t need to rely on a predetermined path.
Aiden calmly walked toward the window for a fresh breath of air... Outside, the city was still alive.
Cars moved through illuminated streets. People laughed. Advertisements continued playing.
Somewhere, thousands of people were probably preparing to log into Eclipse Online tomorrow.
They had no idea.Aiden’s reflection stared back at him from the glass.
A faint smile appeared on his face. ’Tomorrow, they will receive their Classes. Tomorrow, the monsters will come. Tomorrow, humanity will discover what this world truly is.’
His eyes became cold. But he wasn’t waiting helplessly for tomorrow anymore.
He had already begun. Aiden looked down at his hand and clenched it tightly...
For a moment, he imagined the possibilities; A fist carrying the explosive force of a mantis shrimp! A ranged shockwave born from the mechanics of a pistol shrimp! Eyes capable of seeing heat through darkness! Strength beyond what his physique should permit! Regeneration capable of reconstructing damaged flesh! Adhesion capable of turning walls and ceilings into solid ground!
And this was only the beginning!
Aiden’s smile deepened. "The Earth really is full of treasures."
He turned away from the window. There were still hours left. And he intended to use every one of them.