Chapter 90: Absolute Severance!

The pile of rubble that the Rock Colossus had been reduced to had not yet completely cooled, and the excitement of defeating such a powerful enemy was still surging through the chests of the three.

The huge experience reward from successfully challenging a higher-level enemy had benefited everyone greatly, and Silas and Luna felt even closer to reaching the Level 10 threshold.

Aiden, meanwhile, was still immersed in the smooth handling and powerful special attack effects brought about by the first display of the Devouring Soul Blade.

However, just as he habitually pulled up the system prompts to confirm that the 4 points of Constitution he had absorbed had been steadily added to his attribute panel, another message caught his attention.

Unlike the regular system notifications, this one had a slightly different format.

[Soul Essence absorbed!]

[Obtained 300 points of Soul Trait Essence from target: Rock Colossus.]

Aiden’s eyes widened slightly.

"Soul Trait Essence?"

His heart skipped a beat.

He had never seen this notification before.

Could the Sovereign of Souls actually absorb something that could strengthen his Soul Traits?

Aiden immediately opened his Soul Trait panel.

Two familiar entries appeared before him.

[Slightly Sharp]

[Root Entanglement]

A moment later, another notification appeared.

[300 points of Soul Trait Essence available.]

[Compatible Soul Traits detected.]

[Would you like to use Soul Trait Essence to strengthen your Soul Traits?]

Aiden’s eyes flashed.

"Yes."

The moment he confirmed, the 300 points of Soul Trait Essence instantly divided into two streams of energy and surged toward his Soul Traits.

One flowed into [Slightly Sharp].

The other flowed into [Root Entanglement].

Then, two system notifications appeared almost simultaneously.

[[Slightly Sharp] has reached the evolution threshold!]

[Beginning Soul Trait evolution...]

[[Slightly Sharp] has evolved into [Absolute Severance]!]

[[Root Entanglement] has reached the evolution threshold!]

[Beginning Soul Trait evolution...]

[[Root Entanglement] has evolved into [Heaven-Binding Roots]!]

Aiden’s pupils contracted.

"Evolution?"

He immediately opened the Soul Trait panel.

The familiar name of [Slightly Sharp] had completely disappeared.

In its place was a new entry.

[Absolute Severance]

Type: Soul Trait

Effect: Greatly enhances the sharpness and penetrating power of attacks. Attacks possess an inherent ability to sever defensive forces and inflict devastating damage upon targets.

Aiden’s breathing became slightly heavier.

He then looked at the second Soul Trait.

[Heaven-Binding Roots]

Type: Soul Trait

Effect: Summons powerful roots capable of binding and restricting targets. The roots possess greatly enhanced toughness and binding force, allowing them to suppress creatures far stronger than the user. Their power increases with the user’s Soul Attributes and the surrounding natural energy.

Root Entanglement was gone.

It had evolved into something far more imposing.

Heaven-Binding Roots.

Just the name alone carried an entirely different level of pressure.

Aiden stared at the two newly evolved Soul Traits for several seconds before finally understanding what had happened.

The Sovereign of Souls did not merely absorb attributes from defeated enemies.

It could absorb their very essence and convert it into nourishment for his Soul Traits.

And the Rock Colossus had just provided him with 300 points of that nourishment.

"Three hundred points..."

Aiden’s eyes gleamed.

Unlike skill proficiency, which could only improve individual skills through repeated use, Soul Trait Essence directly strengthened the unique abilities he had acquired through the Sovereign of Souls.

This was an entirely different form of growth.

Soul Traits were not ordinary skills.

They were special abilities born from the souls he had absorbed.

Every trait represented a fragment of another creature’s innate potential.

And now, through Soul Trait Essence, those fragments could evolve.

From [Slightly Sharp] to [Absolute Severance].

From [Root Entanglement] to [Heaven-Binding Roots].

The transformation was far more profound than simply increasing a numerical value.

It was evolution.

Aiden clenched his fist.

An indescribable surge of excitement spread through his body.

In his previous life, he had spent countless hours painstakingly improving his strength, searching for better equipment, completing difficult quests, and desperately trying to acquire powerful skills.

Yet now, after awakening the Sovereign of Souls, even killing powerful enemies could become a form of growth.

Attributes could strengthen his foundation.

Equipment could arm him and his followers.

Soul Traits could grant him abilities that ordinary players could only dream of obtaining.

And now, Soul Trait Essence had given those traits a path toward evolution.

"Killing is cultivation..."

Aiden murmured softly.

A meaningful smile slowly appeared on his face.

"This class really is ridiculous."

"Sir Aiden, what’s wrong? Why are you smiling so... happily?"

Silas had already finished collecting the loot, most importantly the [Colossus Core Fragment]. When he looked over, he found Aiden standing there with an expression he had never seen before, a mixture of shock and barely concealed excitement.

He couldn’t help asking.

Luna also tilted her head, her amethyst-like eyes filled with curiosity.

Aiden took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement surging through him.

"My class seems to have unlocked another ability."

He briefly explained what had happened.

Silas listened with his mouth hanging open.

After a long while, he finally managed to close it.

"Goodness... it can even do that?"

He stared at Aiden in disbelief.

"Killing monsters can actually strengthen your special abilities? Sir Aiden, your class is just too... too cheap!"

He searched his mind desperately for a better word but couldn’t find one.

Luna’s eyes sparkled.

"Then does that mean your Soul Traits can become stronger by hunting powerful monsters?"

"Not just stronger."

Aiden shook his head.

"They can evolve."

He opened the Soul Trait panel again.

[Absolute Severance]

[Heaven-Binding Roots]

The sight of those two names made the smile on his face deepen.

"The more powerful the target, the more Soul Trait Essence I may be able to obtain."

His eyes gradually became sharper.

"If that’s true, then powerful monsters, elites, and Bosses won’t just be sources of experience and loot anymore."

"They’ll also become nourishment for my Soul Traits."

Luna’s expression brightened.

"Then... isn’t that almost like cheating?"

"You can understand it that way."

Aiden nodded.

"This gives me another path to become stronger."

His gaze lingered on [Heaven-Binding Roots] for a moment.

Root Entanglement had already disappeared.

In its place was a completely new power.

He could already imagine how terrifying this Soul Trait could become as it continued to evolve.

And [Absolute Severance] was no different.

What began as merely [Slightly Sharp] had already transformed into something whose name alone carried an entirely different level of menace.

This unexpected discovery was like another door opening before him.

The deeper he explored the Sovereign of Souls, the more terrifying its potential became.

He had originally thought that absorbing Soul Essence would allow him to steal attributes and acquire other benefits from defeated enemies.

Now he understood that was only the surface.

The true power of the Sovereign of Souls was its ability to turn the essence of everything he conquered into his own growth.

Aiden’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"The veil surrounding the Sovereign of Souls has been lifted a little further."

"And I have a feeling..."

He smiled.

"There are still many more secrets waiting for me."

He composed himself and looked toward the cave’s exit.

"Let’s go."

"This is only the beginning."

"Our path of Soul Essence absorption has just begun."

He took the lead and walked forward, his steps firm and powerful.

Silas and Luna exchanged glances before quickly following.

With such a powerful leader and a heaven-defying class like the Sovereign of Souls, the possibilities ahead seemed endless.

And for Aiden...

Every powerful enemy he encountered would now become another opportunity to evolve.