Chapter 185: Within The Soul

This was the one from Low-Tier Sector 601.

Remedy sighed quietly.

“…This again.”

Footsteps approached from behind.

A woman with dirty-blonde hair and golden eyes walked into the garden.

She smiled warmly before gently lifting Remedy into her arms.

Remedy glanced down at herself.

Her body had changed.

She had become small again.

A child.

The woman brushed dirt from her clothes.

“Rem, look at you,” she said softly.

“You’re completely filthy.”

Remedy stared at her with a blank expression.

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

The woman was Cynthia.

Her mother.

Cynthia sighed but smiled anyway.

“It’s alright.”

“We’ll clean you up.”

She brushed Remedy’s hair gently.

“Your father is expecting important guests today.”

“Our little good-luck charm has to look presentable.”

Remedy didn’t react.

She simply nodded.

Cynthia carried her toward the manor.

Inside, the house looked exactly as Remedy remembered.

Nothing had changed.

At the dining table sat a man surrounded by documents.

He was reading through them carefully, the moment he noticed them enter, he smiled.

Then immediately returned to his work.

Remedy watched him silently.

Her father.

Henry.

Cynthia lowered her voice slightly.

“Let’s not disturb your father, alright?”

Remedy nodded again.

Her father was always busy.

At least…

That was how she remembered him.

Cynthia carried her upstairs.

They entered the bathroom and Cynthia began filling the bathtub before gently removing Remedy’s clothes and placing her into the warm water.

“I’ll grab the bathing supplies,” Cynthia said.

Then she stepped out of the room.

Remedy sat quietly in the bathtub.

The warm water rippled around her small body.

Her face remained expressionless.

How long will it take this time before Adam appears?

Elsewhere, Adam opened his eyes.

He was standing inside a void.

Endless darkness stretched in every direction.

And in front of him a shadowy figure watched silently.

****

Adam sighed.

“…Not this again.”

He had encountered his fair share of shadowy figures lately.

And even though it had only been one he had encountered.

Adam refused to assume this one would be friendly.

The figure watched him quietly.

Then chuckled.

Its voice carried a faint trace of amusement.

“Is that any way to greet your tenant?”

Adam blinked.

“…Tenant?”

Now that was a strange word to hear.

Adam immediately activated Connect.

The moment the ability activated a blazing flame erupted in the darkness.

Adam staggered backward.

The sudden surge of spiritual light forced Connect to deactivate instantly.

“Ah—!”

He grabbed his head as the flash nearly blinded him.

The shadowy entity chuckled again.

“You must have realized by now.”

Adam slowly lowered his hands.

His eyes narrowed.

“…This is my soul.”

The realization settled heavily in his mind.

Connect allowed him to interact with both the soul and the mind.

He still didn’t fully understand the mechanics of the mind yet.

But the soul?

That was different.

Adam understood it well.

Or at least he thought he did.

Because he had never once sensed anything like this inside it before.

Adam looked directly at the shadowy figure.

“Who are you?”

The entity tilted its head slightly.

“I honestly don’t know.”

Adam frowned.

“I just… woke up here one day.”

“And I’ve been here ever since.”

Adam’s curiosity sharpened.

“…How long?”

The shadow paused.

“About three months.”

Adam’s expression froze.

“…That’s impossible.”

But even as he said it the pieces were already falling into place.

Three months ago…

That was exactly when he had awakened Connect.

Adam stared at the strange figure.

Did this thing appear when I awakened my second talent?

****

The way Adam had awakened Connect had never been normal.

After all, even awakening one Special Talent was rare among martial artists.

Awakening two?

That was practically unheard of.

The reason was simple.

A soul could only carry one special talent.

Trying to force more than that didn’t just cause pain.

It would completely tear the soul apart.

Yet Adam had awakened a second one anyway.

The reason…

Was the second soul he had obtained during his near-death experience in Gob Valley.

Adam had always assumed the truth behind it would reveal itself once he grew stronger.

Even Remedy hadn’t been able to explain it when he asked her.

So Adam never treated it as an urgent mystery.

Because despite everything, he never felt like two people sharing one body.

He felt complete.

But now…

Adam looked at the strange entity floating in his soul.

This should have contradicted that feeling.

Yet it didn’t.

Strangely, the presence in front of him didn’t feel invasive.

If anything…

It felt almost inconsequential.

Like a shadow that simply existed.

“Hey.”

Adam blinked.

He looked back at the entity.

“…What was that for?”

The shadow crossed its arms.

“I felt like you were thinking something bad about me.”

“…”

Adam didn’t respond.

Instead, he decided to leave the entity alone for now.

There were bigger questions to deal with.

“So,” Adam said.

“How do I get out of here?”

The entity pointed behind him.

“Oh, that’s easy.”

“You just have to go through those guys.”

Adam frowned.

Those guys?

He turned.

And the moment he did figures began appearing in the empty void.

One after another.

Dozens of them.

Adam’s eyes narrowed immediately.

Because he recognized every single one.

These were the people.

And monsters.

Whose abilities he had gotten with Equip.

****

Adam stared at the figures forming in the void.

One after another.

Dozens of silhouettes stepped forward from the darkness.

And Adam recognized every single one.

His eyes narrowed.

First, one of Henry Faraday’s goons appeared.

The same man Adam had used Equip on to obtain Cultivation D.

Then another figure emerged.

The grotesque shape of a Mind Geist.

The creature he had gotten Mind Control E from.

More shapes followed.

A Rapid Hare hopped forward.

That was where he had gotten Rapid E.

A massive River Lion appeared next.

The beast whose ability had become Charge D.

Then came the Goblins.

The ones that had given him Poison F.

Even though Adam had already unequipped that ability, the creatures still appeared among the crowd.

The shadows continued forming.

A snarling Foul Hound stepped forward.

The source of Bone Generation D.

Then something far larger moved in the distance.

A massive writhing shape slowly revealed itself.

The Infinite Worm.

The monster that had given him Regeneration D.

Adam’s expression darkened.

It didn’t matter whether the abilities were currently equipped…

Unequipped…

Or fused into something else.

Every creature he had ever used Equip on was now standing inside his soul.

Watching him.

Adam stared at the growing army.

“…Shit.”

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