Chapter 79: Wailing Souls

The door was covered in ancient runes that had long since faded with the passage of time.

Aiden reached out and touched its surface. It was cold.

Yet its texture was strange, neither metal nor stone, but something he couldn’t immediately identify.

He pressed his palm against it and pushed with considerable force.

Nothing happened, the secret door didn’t budge even an inch.

Aiden narrowed his eyes and released a thread of spiritual power, attempting to probe the interior.

The moment his spiritual sense touched the door, however, it encountered an invisible barrier and was immediately blocked.

"There is either a powerful seal or some kind of special condition required to open it."

Aiden withdrew his spiritual power, his eyes flickering with contemplation.

He had no intention of forcibly breaking the door.

There were too many unknowns. Forcing it open could trigger a dangerous mechanism, and even worse, it might destroy whatever was hidden inside.

"Remember the location," Aiden said to the other two. "The secret hidden here is probably not simple. We’ll come back once we’re strong enough or find a way to open it safely."

Although they couldn’t enter the secret chamber yet, this expedition had already given Aiden an enormous surprise.

The value of Luna’s Great Luck far exceeded his expectations.

It wasn’t merely an ability that increased their drop rate.

It could actually guide them toward opportunities that were so deeply concealed that they might otherwise remain undiscovered for years.

Aiden turned his gaze toward Luna. Her face was slightly pale from the considerable spiritual energy she had consumed, but the excitement in her amethyst eyes was impossible to hide.

Seeing her like this, Aiden felt a sense of relief. Luna, who possessed the Heavenly Karmic Dice, was practically a human-shaped cheat code.

Wherever she went, opportunities seemed to find their way to her.

In a sense, she was the team’s most precious treasure.

"Let’s go. Our harvest this time is already more than enough," Aiden said with a smile. "We’ll head back and properly sort everything out. Luna, this was all thanks to you."

Hearing his praise, Luna’s cheeks flushed slightly.

She shyly lowered her head, but her heart felt as sweet as though she had just drunk a mouthful of honey.

Silas also let out an honest laugh. "Going out with Luna is basically the same as picking money up off the ground! Hahaha!"

The three left the Gloomy Cave in high spirits, carrying a bountiful harvest and the secret of the hidden door with them.

Following the God of Luck on an exploration wasn’t just relaxing and enjoyable.

The process felt almost like a leisurely sightseeing trip.

Yet the results were so ridiculously abundant that anyone else would have been green with envy.

This feeling... Was truly enviable.

...

The astonishing harvest from the dark, gloomy cave, coupled with the discovery of the mysterious hidden door, gave Aiden’s team a clear sense of purpose for their next steps. To safely uncover the secrets hidden beyond that door, they spent the entire day pushing themselves through high-intensity dungeon grinding.

Their targets were several known, high-efficiency Level 10–12 dungeons near Ashford City. With Aiden’s precise command, Silas’s increasingly impregnable defense, and Luna’s occasional, perfectly timed assistance from Minor Good Fortune, their dungeon-clearing speed was astonishing.

By the time the simulated sunset once again painted the broken skyline crimson, brilliant flashes of leveling-up light erupted from all three of them!

[Ding! Your level has increased to 10!]

[Strength +1, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Spirit +1, gained 5 Free Attribute Points. First time reaching the Energy Level threshold, all attributes +1 extra! Unlocked qualifications for higher-tier skill learning!]

Aiden was the first to break through the Level 10 milestone.

At the same time, Silas and Luna both advanced to Level 9!

Aiden immediately pulled up his current status panel, and even he couldn’t help but feel satisfied by the sheer magnitude of his stats.

In particular, the attributes he had absorbed had already given him an overwhelming advantage.

[Name: Aiden Cross] (Codename: Reaper)

[Level]: 10 (EXP: 150/12,400)

[HP]: 500/500

[MP]: 420/420

[Attributes]

Strength: 50 (Base 8 + Level-up 5 + Absorbed 32 + Equipment 2 + Free Attributes 2 + Energy Level Bonus 1) — Absorbed attributes account for 64%!

Agility: 39 (Base 8 + Level-up 5 + Absorbed 24 + Free Attributes 1 + Energy Level Bonus 1) — Absorbed attributes account for 62%!

Constitution: 41 (Base 8 + Level-up 5 + Absorbed 26 + Equipment 1 + Energy Level Bonus 1) — Absorbed attributes account for 63%!

Spirit: 42 (Base 8 + Level-up 4 + Absorbed 28 + Equipment 1 + Energy Level Bonus 1) — Absorbed attributes account for 67%!

Free Attribute Points: 0

Looking at those terrifying numbers, even Aiden felt a slight shiver.

The attributes he had absorbed had become the absolute core of his strength. His growth was no longer dependent solely on leveling up; every powerful soul he absorbed could directly contribute to his own development.

This meant his actual combat power had long since surpassed that of ordinary players at the same level. With his overwhelming attributes and powerful class abilities, he could even challenge enemies several levels above him.

The growth potential of the Sovereign of Souls could only be described as truly heaven-defying.

Silas and Luna’s attributes had also improved significantly.

Silas’s Constitution and Spirit, which directly affected his class control, had increased noticeably. Meanwhile, Luna’s Spirit had grown rapidly, and even her control over the dice seemed to have strengthened slightly.

With their strength greatly increased, the time had finally come.

The three returned to the depths of the gloomy cave, standing once again before the rock wall concealing the secret door.

The mysterious sensation of being enveloped by "Great Luck" from the previous day had completely vanished. The hidden door had returned to its ancient, secretive appearance, blending seamlessly into the surrounding rock wall as though it had never existed.

Aiden stepped forward and placed his palm against the hidden door once more.

He was sensing something this time around, he was sensing the wailing of souls deep inside this place so this time, he didn’t rely solely on his Spirit. He carefully released a sliver of the domineering, unique aura belonging to the Sovereign of Souls and slowly permeated it into the door.