Grunting, the stubborn beast charged again... This time, it attacked from a lower angle.
Aiden could see the heat of its muscles contracting through Thermal Perception, so he waited until the final instant. Then he jumped.
Just like that, the Mutated Dog passed beneath him and Aiden’s feet landed directly against its back.
Adhesive Dominion activated and his soles clung to the creature’s fur. The Mutated Dog immediately began thrashing violently.
Aiden remained attached. The beast bucked, he stayed.
It twisted, but he stayed fixed to the beast no matter what it did
Frustrated, It slammed itself against the side of a large abandoned truck.
Smiling, Aiden released his adhesion at the last possible moment and flipped away.
He landed on the roof of the vehicle, stared down at the monster.
A genuine grin appeared on his face. ’This trait is far more useful in combat than I expected.’
The Mutated Dog snarled.
Aiden deliberately lowered his knife, taunting it, "Come."
The creature leaped, but Aiden didn’t dodge.
Instead, he waited until the instant its claws reached him. Then his hand shot forward.
He grabbed one of its forelegs and titan Strength erupted. "Down."
BOOM!
Aiden’s arm moved and the Mutated Dog’s entire body was dragged downward with it.
Its massive body smashed against the asphalt. Cracks spread beneath it. Aiden stared at the crater.
His expression became slightly strange.
’That was...’ He glanced at his arm. ’Way stronger than I expected.’
The Mutated Dog struggled and Aiden released it.
The beast immediately sprang away, blood trickling from its mouth.
For the first time, the creature hesitated.
Aiden noticed and smiled. "You’re afraid?"
The Mutated Dog answered with another roar and charged.
Aiden’s eyes sharpened. This time, he decided to finish the experiment. He was done playing...
He lowered his center of gravity. His left foot adhered firmly to the asphalt and his right foot shifted backward.
His shoulder rotated and his arm drew back.
’Kinetic Smash!’
A faint sensation of compressed power gathered within his limb. It wasn’t simply strength. Instead, it It felt like kinetic energy was being compressed into an impossibly small space.
At the same time, Aiden felt his mana being consumed.
Not all at once. After all, the skill seemed to allow him to control how much mana he fed into the compression.
Aiden instinctively understood the relationship.
More mana meant more stored kinetic energy.
More stored energy meant a stronger impact.
But it also meant greater recoil.
His instincts warned him that pushing the skill beyond a certain threshold wouldn’t merely obliterate the Mutated Dog.
It would probably obliterate his arm along with it.
’Not yet.’
He wasn’t stupid enough to gamble his limb just to see how powerful the attack could become.
His eyes narrowed. ’So this is how it works.’
As the Mutated Dog came within striking distance, Aiden released the stored kinetic energy.
"Go."
His fist shot forward in a blur...
BOOM!
The impact was monstrous. The Mutated Dog didn’t merely get punched. It was launched.
Its body flew backward like a projectile, smashing through a metal trash container before crashing into the side of a parked vehicle.
The vehicle’s alarm immediately began screaming. Aiden stared at his fist. His expression gradually became serious.
A sharp pain traveled from his knuckles through his wrist and into his forearm.
He flexed his fingers. ’The recoil is real, it’s a good thing I followed my instincts and didn’t use more mana.’
Kinetic Smash was powerful. Far more powerful than a normal punch. But the price was equally obvious.
His bones and tissues weren’t yet strong enough to casually withstand the full force of the ability.
Still, Aiden looked toward the wreckage.
The Mutated Dog was moving slowly. It was on the verge of death, but it was still alive...
His grin returned. ’And I’m only Level 2.’
The Mutated Dog suddenly burst from the wreckage. Aiden’s Thermal Perception immediately picked it up.
Its body temperature was fluctuating violently. Its muscles were damaged. One of its legs was barely functioning. Yet it still charged.
Aiden laughed. "Persistent."
He tightened his grip on the knife. This time, he didn’t need to experiment anymore.
The Mutated Dog lunged and Aiden easily sidestepped, dodging the attack...
His footwork was precise and the creature missed.
Aiden spun around and the knife flashed.
PFFT!
The blade pierced the side of its neck. Empowered by Slightly Sharp and driven by Aiden’s increased physical strength, the knife sank deep.
"Awooo...!"
The Mutated Dog convulsed. But it didn’t die. Its claws suddenly swung backward.
Aiden leaned away. The claws passed inches from his face. He felt the heat from its body.
Thermal Perception showed him exactly where the creature’s muscles were preparing to move.
Aiden released the knife, leaving it embedded in the monster’s neck.
Before the beast could react, his hand shot forward and seized its jaw. Titan Strength erupted through his arm.
"Stay."
The Mutated Dog struggled violently but Aiden’s fingers dug deeper.
Adhesive Dominion activated around his grip, increasing the friction between his fingers and the creature’s wet fur and skin.
The beast couldn’t slip free.
’I’ve been playing with it this entire time just to test my abilities... and it’s still coming.’ Aiden’s expression hardened. ’Persistent bastard.’
His other hand clenched and another kinetic Smash began accumulating.
But he stopped midway, his gaze shifting toward the knife.
’No need.’ He pulled the knife free then he stepped forward.
SWISH!
The first slash opened the existing wound.
SWISH!
The second cut deeper.
SWISH!
The third severed what remained of the creature’s resistance. Green blood sprayed into the air.
The Mutated Dog’s body stiffened. Its strength vanished as Aiden released it.
The monster crashed lifelessly to the ground. For several seconds, there was only the sound of the vehicle alarm and distant gunfire.
Then the Mutated Dog dissolved. Its body broke apart into countless tiny particles of data-light that slowly drifted away like glowing fireflies.
At the same time, a crisp notification echoed inside Aiden Cross’s mind.
[Successfully killed Level 1 "Mutated Dog". Gained 25 experience points.]
[Triggered "Greed" effect. Additional reward obtained: [Inferior Dog Tooth] ×2.]
’Done. First kill complete.’ Aiden smiled. However, this was merely an appetizer.
What truly captured Aiden Cross’s attention, what made him unconsciously hold his breath in anticipation, was what happened immediately afterward.
A deep, throbbing hum seemed to rise from the very depths of his soul.
Hum...!
Within his mind, the [Sovereign of Souls] class icon, which had only just changed from grey to crimson and begun pulsing faintly, suddenly erupted as though an ice cube had been thrown into boiling oil.
Brilliant blood-red light burst forth!
It wasn’t dazzling to the eyes, yet it carried an overwhelming aura of domination and an insatiable hunger for souls, instantly flooding every corner of Aiden Cross’s body.
An indescribable power radiated from him like invisible tendrils, reaching into the dissipating data-light left behind by the Mutated Dog and forcibly tearing away a fragment of its very soul.
[Soul Essence successfully absorbed.]