this infinite world

The battle ended quickly.

When Yang Yun finally understood the truth and realized that the masterminds behind the scenes were nothing more than monsters like insects hiding in the shadows of the dragon wings, secretly manipulating the Dragon Hunter Armor to fight, the outcome of this battle was already decided.

With a straight punch that cleaved through the air, the force of the blow pierced the sky, turning the insect-like, withered-twig-like monsters, along with the dragons they inhabited, into dust. The dragon-hunting armor below seemed to suddenly shut down like a robot without power. The lightning in his eyes extinguished, the white light beside him vanished, and the giant axe crashed to the ground, completely losing all ability to move.

If judged by conventional strength standards, then this armor, wielding a giant axe and shield and controlling lightning—clearly forged to fight dragons—undoubtedly possesses combat power approaching the fourth tier. Moreover, it boasts high attack, high defense, and a massive health bar, and can wield lightning, a combination of extreme speed and destructive power… It's the kind of "monster" that reincarnators least want to encounter in battle.

The Dragon Slayer Armor is undoubtedly a formidable foe. If placed in the world of Jurassic Park, the dragon with real dragon crystals would likely be ripped open by its giant axe and burned to ashes by lightning.

After all, in any era or world, "thunder" has always been a symbol of destructive power, and its power is far more than just the special attacks of the ancient dragons of this world. It is one of the most violent manifestations of nature.

However, the one it encountered today was Yang Yun.

An armor without a controller, no matter how strong, becomes a tree without roots or duckweed without water. Just as Iron Man's suit is nothing more than an exquisite metal sculpture without a wielder. Once Yang Yun saw through its true nature—a puppet remotely controlled by an aerial monster—the outcome no longer depended on the armor's inherent strength.

Simply sever that invisible mental link and cut off the opponent's "power source," and even the most powerful puppet will only fall down in despair.

There may indeed be special cases in the world where the physical body is stronger than the puppet, but those beings that hide behind dragon wings and rely solely on their mental power are obviously not included in this category... However, Yang Yun was not surprised, after all, in the world of Dark Souls in previous generations, there have always been monsters that seem invincible but are actually very easy to defeat once you find the method, which are the so-called "mechanical monsters".

—Now that the enemy has fallen, it is time to collect the spoils.

Reality is ultimately different from a game. Defeated enemies don't transform into easily collectible specks and materials with special effects and sound effects. They simply fall heavily, maintaining their defeated posture, sealing their secrets and value within their cold shells.

But when Yang Yun slowly stepped forward, his senses penetrating through layers of metal and the remaining lightning to reach the deepest part of the powerless dragon-hunting armor, he discovered a surprising fact.

"...A soul dwells within this armor?"

This unexpected discovery caused Yang Yun to raise his eyebrows slightly, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

He was naturally aware of the laws of this world—in the world of Dark Souls, fallen heroes, departed kings, and powerful enemies all left behind a concentrated essence of their souls, what would be called "boss souls" in the game. This perfectly embodied the underlying logic of the world's "soul is supreme." If the soul within this armor were infused by someone else, or were the remnants of the original owner's obsession clinging to it, that would make sense. But Yang Yun's perception clearly told him that this wisp of soul fire was actually born from the armor itself! It was weak and hazy, like a newly born firefly, and it was precisely because of this that the withered, branch-like monsters in the air were able to take advantage of its vulnerability and forcibly control it with their mental power…

How could a weapon of war, which should be devoid of any spirit and purely for the purpose of killing, give birth to its own unique soul fire?
"Interesting... I knew I made the right choice coming here."

Looking at the Dragon Hunter Armor, which was extremely similar to the "mutated soul armor" that Arnold possessed in "Death Begins," Yang Yun also became unusually interested.

In Yang Yun's view, there are not many things he hasn't seen. But as the saying goes, the world is full of wonders. Just as you never know why the natives of a remote planet can pull out controlled nuclear fusion technology without batting an eye, the first powerful enemy he has encountered since entering this world has brought him quite a surprise.

Within the world of Dark Souls, there exists a profoundly meaningful law: that the living who can access the lingering essence of another's soul may receive a gift that transcends death.

For example, reading the memory fragments sealed in the soul and glimpsing the hidden information buried by time; for example, inheriting the original owner's corresponding combat experience, so that even a commoner who has never fought can have the skill of a veteran overnight.

Those with exceptional talent can extract complete combat skills from a soul, perfectly recreating the deceased's ultimate techniques; or they can refine the soul of the deceased into legendary divine weapons, ensuring their fame endures forever... Even the most rudimentary application can strengthen oneself by absorbing and devouring the souls of others, taking a solid step towards a higher level of life.

Of course, countless greedy people died because of this, after all, the pursuit of power is a fundamental human instinct... Even so, countless people still followed suit, embarking on that path that belongs to heroes. But most of them became living corpses devoid of humanity; and their souls became "food" in the eyes of others.

Yang Yun had no intention of judging this behavior, which others considered almost "demonic," by his own standards. After all, every world has its own rules, and in this era where the fire had extinguished and darkness was spreading, the soul itself had long become a widely used currency, a cold benchmark for measuring existence and power... In fact, he was planning to "do as the Romans do" and personally try out the ordinary things in this world.

"Then let me take a look."

Without any physical contact, Yang Yun's consciousness, like moonlight touching the surface of water, naturally entered the soul that was much smaller than the armor in reality and had just been freed and was still confused about the situation.

At the very moment their consciousnesses connected, a massive amount of information surged forth like a burst dam, rushing along that invisible spiritual channel.

That is the entire weight of this dragon-hunting armor. (End of Chapter)