Chapter 504: First Predator Loot, Gathering Soul-Related Sub-Talents!
[Spiritfang Wolf Essence: Consuming will increase Spirit by 1,400.]
[Spiritfang Wolf Fur (Epic): +37,000 Constitution, +30,000 Spirit, +25,000 Agility.]
[Sub-Talent Scroll: Soul Regeneration (B-Level), Supreme Spirit Enhancement (S-Level)]
"Not bad," Leon said with a satisfied smile.
The rewards from the Spiritfang Wolf were considerably better than what he had obtained from the Lich of Souls.
The essence would increase his Spirit by 1,400, while the Spiritfang Wolf Fur provided a large boost to several of his attributes.
Leon immediately removed his [Midnight Wolf Fur +2 (Epic)] and equipped the new fur instead, since its stats were clearly superior.
Once he finished changing his equipment, Leon turned his attention toward the sub-talent scroll: [Supreme Spirit Enhancement (S-Level)].
If he could absorb it himself, it would further increase his strength and perhaps give him an advantage against the powerful beings he would eventually encounter deeper inside the tower.
He held the scroll in his hand and began pouring his mana into it.
Fwoosh!
The scroll trembled slightly as its energy began flowing into Leon’s body, but the process suddenly stopped.
[Fusion failed.]
"Damn it."
Leon frowned when he saw the notification.
The Supreme Spirit Enhancement scroll immediately tore apart in his hand, its energy completely disappearing after the failed fusion.
He could only sigh and accept the result. At least he still had the other sub-talent.
Leon placed the [Soul Regeneration (B-Level)] scroll into his Storage Space, intending to give it to one of the girls later.
’If I have to assume, Soul Protection is the S-Level version of the C-Level Soul Pulse and B-Level Soul Regeneration sub-talents.’
The soul-related abilities he had encountered so far seemed to follow a clear progression, with [Soul Pulse (C-Level)] being a relatively basic ability and [Soul Regeneration (B-Level)] being a more advanced version.
If the same pattern continued, then [Soul Protection] would likely be the S-Level version of these abilities.
’Most normal monsters related to the soul probably only have sub-talents up to this level.’
Leon had no doubt that there were exceptions, especially among the strongest creatures in the Eternal Realm, but ordinary monsters probably could not develop extremely powerful soul abilities.
’To get an S-Level sub-talent related to the soul, someone would probably need to be close to the God of Souls or at least a being close to that.’
The Lord of Souls was one of the most proficient existences when it came to souls, so it could grant them these lower-level talents.
’Only a very small number of entities can probably control souls like them.’
Leon did not know how many beings in the Eternal Realm had reached that level, but he was certain that there could not be many.
Rather than waste more time thinking about it, Leon consumed the Spiritfang Wolf Essence.
A powerful energy immediately entered his body, strengthening his Spirit by 1,400 points.
After feeling the increase, Leon continued moving through the second floor.
His SSS-Level [Essence of Darkness] allowed him to see perfectly through the darkness, so the lack of torches was not an obstacle for him.
The dungeon remained enormous and confusing, but Leon could at least explore it without worrying about losing his way because of the darkness.
Over the next hour, he managed to find around two dozen monsters scattered throughout the halls.
About half of them were similar to the creatures he had encountered on the first floor, although their strength had been slightly increased.
The other half were actual monsters like the Spiritfang Wolf, meaning they were genuine creatures rather than creations of the Lord of Souls.
One of the first predators Leon encountered was a massive six-legged beast covered in dark fur.
---
[Soulreaper Hound ]
[Level: 100]
[Talent: Soul Devourer (B-Level)]
[Combat Power: 15,900,000]
---
The moment the creature noticed Leon, it immediately lunged forward.
Its jaws opened wide as it attempted to tear into his body and devour his soul.
Leon did not bother drawing his sword.
Instead, he simply raised one hand and summoned several dark projectiles around his fingers.
[Shadow Bullets] shot forward in rapid succession, piercing through the monster’s head and chest before it could even reach him.
The Soulreaper Hound’s charge immediately came to an end as its body collapsed and began dissolving into particles.
Leon calmly walked past it. The next actual monster he encountered was considerably different.
It was a gigantic golem with a body made from dark stone, its enormous frame covered in cracks that glowed with faint blue energy.
Thick armor-like plates protected its chest and shoulders, while its massive hands had been shaped into enormous gauntlets.
The golem let out a deep roar before raising both of its enormous arms.
But Leon deliberately remained where he was.
He wanted to see whether the soul inside his body had become strong enough to completely ignore an attack like this.
The golem swung both of its massive gauntlets toward him.
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
BOOM!
The attack struck Leon directly, creating a powerful shockwave that spread throughout the chamber.
Dust and fragments of stone were thrown into the air, but Leon remained standing in the exact same position.
His armor was barely affected. And more importantly, his soul had not even cracked.
The golem slowly lowered its arms and stared at them in confusion, as though it could not understand why its strongest attack had done nothing.
"...?"
The creature looked down at its giant gauntlets, apparently wondering if something had gone wrong.
Leon could not help but smile.
’So even a direct attack from a monster like this isn’t enough to even slightly damage my soul.’
That was a reassuring discovery.
The entire purpose of the Tower of Souls was to test the strength of one’s soul, yet Leon had reached a point where even a direct attack from one of the tower’s actual predators could not cause him any meaningful harm.
He had gotten the answer he wanted. There was no reason to keep the golem alive.
Vines of Desolation!
Countless dark vines erupted from the ground and immediately wrapped themselves around the golem’s enormous body.
The creature struggled to break free, but the vines tightened around its limbs and torso before crushing through its stone armor.
Within moments, the golem was torn apart and completely destroyed.
Thankfully, the actual monsters did not provide Leon with much experience.
He received some whenever he defeated them, but the amount was so small that it barely made a difference to his level.
The items they dropped, however, were much more interesting.
Leon quickly discovered that the actual monsters had a chance to drop their own essences, equipment, and most importantly, sub-talent scrolls.
As expected, every soul-related predator he defeated possessed at least a C-Level or B-Level soul-related talent.
After collecting several of them, Leon checked his Storage Space.
[Sub-Talent Scroll: x8 Soul Pulse (C-Level), x9 Soul Regeneration (B-Level)]