With that, Aiden left the shop. The moment he stepped outside, the warm afternoon air brushed against his face.
Aiden looked at the time again. ’Seven hours.’
He sighed. "That’s a long time."
Shaking his head slightly, he began walking. There was another problem he had noticed while experimenting with the Sovereign of Souls.
There seemed to be limits. He couldn’t fully explain them yet. The Class was dormant, after all.
But whenever he reached inward and invoked its power repeatedly, he could feel a faint sensation deep within his soul.
Not pain, not exactly that, it was more like resistance.
A subtle restriction telling him that the dormant Class couldn’t process an unlimited amount of soul essence.
Aiden frowned. ’So there really is a limit.’
That meant he couldn’t simply slaughter hundreds of animals and absorb everything they possessed.
At least, not yet. Still, that only made his current targets more important.
The mantis shrimp. The pistol shrimp. The pit viper. Their traits could provide enormous advantages once the apocalypse began.
Especially sensory abilities. In a world filled with monsters, knowing where something was hiding could be just as valuable as possessing greater strength.
Aiden’s gaze hardened. ’Seven hours.’
He wouldn’t waste them. Then another thought crossed his mind.
’Dung beetle. Salamander. I don’t need to buy those since the can both be found in the forests surrounding the university.’ Aiden immediately pulled out his terminal as he thought this...
A quick search brought up information about the university’s protected woodland.
The university maintained a substantial forest for ecological studies and environmental research.
It contained numerous species; Birds, monkeys, antelopes, reptiles, amphibians, insects.
Nothing particularly dangerous. There were no known populations of lions, leopards, or other large predators.
Aiden nodded. ’Perfect.’
Finding dung beetles shouldn’t be difficult but he salamander was another matter entirely...
He needed someone familiar with the forest. Fortunately, he knew exactly where to look.
The environmental research department was located on the quieter side of campus.
Aiden found three people outside a small research building.
One was a middle-aged man wearing glasses and a field jacket.
’Its professor Elias Mercer, this man, it’s been a long time.’ Aiden knew him...
Beside the man stood a graduate researcher named Maya Brooks, who was examining something on a tablet.
The third was a younger student carrying several pieces of field equipment; Jordan Reed.
Aiden approached signaling at them, "Excuse me."
The three looked over.
"Yes?" Professor Mercer asked.
Aiden gestured toward the forest. "I wanted to ask about the wildlife there."
Jordan raised an eyebrow. "What kind?"
"Dung beetles."
Jordan immediately grinned. "That’s probably the most normal question anyone’s asked me today."
Aiden nodded. "Where would I find the largest concentration?"
Jordan pointed toward the forest. "Probably near the southern grazing area. The antelopes spend a lot of time there."
Aiden committed the location to memory, "Thanks."
He turned to leave. Then stopped.
"What about salamanders?"
Silence hit the group...
Maya slowly lowered her tablet, "...Salamanders?"
Aiden nodded, "Yes."
Jordan stared at him, "You’re looking for salamanders?"
"Yes."
"In our forest?"
"Yes."
Jordan looked at Professor Mercer, then at Maya, then back at Aiden.
"Why?"
Aiden thought for half a second. "I’m interested in them."
Jordan snorted. "Interested?"
"Yes."
"What are you planning to do? Start an amphibian collection?"
"Something like that."
Jordan laughed. Maya couldn’t help smiling. Professor Mercer, however, seemed more interested than amused.
"Sarcasm aside, salamanders aren’t impossible to find here."
Aiden turned toward him. "Where?"
"They prefer cool, damp environments."
Professor Mercer pointed toward a map displayed on his tablet.
"There are several small streams running through the northern ravine. There’s plenty of shade, wet leaf litter, fallen logs, and decaying vegetation."
Maya nodded. "That’s probably your best chance, remember not to get to close, they secrete toxic fluids on their skin"
Aiden studied the map. "Thank you."
Jordan grinned. "Good luck with your salamander hunt."
Aiden raised one hand as he walked away, "I’ll need it."
The forest swallowed Aiden surprisingly quickly. Within minutes, the sounds of the university began fading behind him.
The distant hum of vehicles disappeared. The voices of students became indistinct.
Birdsong replaced them. Leaves rustled beneath his shoes. Insects buzzed through the warm air. A monkey watched him from a branch before quickly disappearing into the canopy.
Aiden occasionally spotted antelopes deeper between the trees. The forest was peaceful. Almost too peaceful.
Aiden adjusted the position of the kitchen knife concealed beneath his clothes.
The blade had already been enhanced with Slightly Sharp.
It wasn’t a miraculous weapon. It couldn’t suddenly cut through steel. But it was slightly better than an ordinary kitchen knife.
And that was enough for now. So as Aiden continued deeper into the woodland, he wasn’t worried.
His body was still physically ordinary. He wasn’t an Awakened warrior. He didn’t possess supernatural strength.
But his mind was different. Three years of fighting had changed his instincts permanently.
He knew how to move through unfamiliar terrain, how to notice disturbed vegetation, and how to identify places where an animal might be hiding.
Also more importantly... He knew how to remain calm when something moved unexpectedly nearby.
Compared with the monsters of his previous life, the wildlife here wasn’t worth fearing.
Eventually, Aiden reached the southern grazing area. It was relatively open. Several antelopes were resting nearby.
The smell reached him before he fully understood why.
’Dung.’ Aiden glanced around. There were several fresh piles scattered across the ground.
The antelopes noticed him almost immediately. One raised its head. Another stopped chewing. Their ears twitched. A third took several cautious steps backward.
Soon, the animals had created a considerable distance between themselves and Aiden.
They didn’t flee. They simply watched him.
Aiden ignored them as his eyes remained fixed on the ground.
He searched and not long after he saw it... A tiny black beetle crawled across the soil.
It was pushing a ball of dung many times its own size.
Aiden crouched slightly and watched it work.
The beetle struggled against the uneven terrain but never stopped.
Aiden couldn’t help shaking his head. "You really work hard."
The beetle continued pushing. Aiden sighed.
And then his foot descended.
Crush!
The tiny creature disappeared beneath his shoe. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then...
[Soul Essence Absorbed.]
Aiden’s eyes sharpened.
[You’ve gained the Soul Trait, Titan Strength.]
[Source: Dung Beetle Soul Essence.]
[Type: Passive and Active Physical Trait.]
[Description: You possess the extraordinary strength-to-body-mass ratio of the dung beetle. Your muscles, tendons, and skeletal structure are capable of generating and transmitting an abnormal amount of force relative to your physical size.]
[The trait primarily enhances lifting, pushing, pulling, gripping, and explosive physical force rather than increasing every aspect of the user’s body equally.]
Aiden’s expression changed slightly as he studied the panel, trying to make sense of its confusing aspect.
’So, is it passive in the sense that it provides a base increase, while the active effect requires me to use mana to gain an additional boost...? That has to be it.’
As for the others, they were relatively easy to comprehend.
Just as he finished sorting through his thoughts, another notification appeared before him...
[Drawback: The strength places immense stress on the user’s bones, joints, tendons, and muscles. If the user’s physical foundation cannot withstand the force being produced, attempting to exceed his current physical limits may result in severe self-inflicted injuries.]
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. ’Well, that should be obvious. I can’t suddenly lift thousands of tons just because I gained this... Even the Beetle can’t carry more than a certain amount of weight...’
Then the final notification appeared.
[Potential Evolution: As the user’s body becomes stronger, the trait’s strength limit increases accordingly.]
Silence descended as Aiden read the information once.
Then again. His fingers slowly curled into a fist. He could feel something different. Not raw power coursing through him, not yet.
It was more subtle. A latent capability. His body had somehow acquired the blueprint for producing an abnormal amount of force relative to its size.
But the warning was clear. His body itself hadn’t magically become indestructible.
If he forced too much power through ordinary bones, tendons, and joints...
He could hurt himself. Badly.
Aiden’s gaze returned to the notification.
[Titan Strength.]
A slow grin spread across his face. "Nice..."