3 Soul Energy

Tang Yu could clearly sense an energy flowing into his body like a bubbling spring.

 This was the Soul Energy given off by demonized beasts after they died!

 Absorbing and refining this Soul Energy could make one stronger.

 But only Awakened could absorb Soul Energy! This was how Awakened continued their evolution and left ordinary people choking in their dust.

 However, Tang Yu was very clear on his own circumstances. His aptitude was too lacking. Let alone absorb Soul Energy, he couldn't even awaken when assisted by the awakening equipment.

 Yet, somehow, he could sense an energy flowing inside him and gathering in a certain part in his body.

 If this wasn't Soul Energy, what was it?

 Tang Yu decided to ask the system.

 "Ding dong! The Overlord's aptitude truly is very low, at the E level. But now that the Overlord has been bound to the system, the Overlord can absorb and refine Soul Energy without awakening.

 "Moreover, automatons are classified as workers of the domain and cannot absorb Soul Energy on their own. So long as the Overlord is in range of the dispersing Soul Energy, this Soul Energy will naturally be absorbed by the Overlord.

 "In addition, the higher the domain's level, the faster the Overlord can absorb and refine Soul Energy."

 Tang Yu had also heard that if Awakened killed demonized beasts from too far away, they wouldn't be able to absorb Soul Energy.

 Someone had once wanted to use an extremely powerful heat weapon to kill demonized beasts, but putting aside the high expense, it was basically impossible to gather any Soul Energy through this method. In the long term, many Awakened did not want to use such things unless it was absolutely necessary.

 Tang Yu sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes, his mind entering a trance. Suddenly, he seemed to be in a pitch-black room, solely illuminated by a dim ball of light in the center.

 This was the essence of Soul Energy!

 Tang Yu instantly understood that this ball of Soul Energy was made of countless particles of light and radiated a surging fundamental energy.

 This was his first time directly observing Soul Energy, and it was his first time attempting to refine it.

 Tang Yu was not at a loss for what to do. With an instinct that he had seemingly been born with, he began to control the ball of Soul Energy with his mind, spinning it and compressing it.

 Some of the light particles separated from the ball of light and flew into the edges of the pitch-black space, where they were slowly digested and fused with his limbs, torso, and organs. He immediately grew stronger and more energetic.

 Seizing this feeling, Tang Yu continued to refine the ball of Soul Energy. He grew more proficient as the process continued, and his refinement speed accelerated. The ball of Soul Energy gradually shrank, transforming into tiny particles of light that were absorbed by the cells of his body.

 After a long while, Tang Yu opened his eyes. He was brimming with energy, his eyes bright and active, and his body strong and vigorous. When he slightly clenched his fists, he could sense a surging energy traveling from his body to his palm. Even the wounds on his arms were slowly beginning to heal.

 Tang Yu was stunned. It was no wonder they said that refining Soul Energy for the first time had the best effects. These effects were truly a little too astounding. If he had to face that Steel Rat again, he was sure that he could easily defeat it.

 ...

 Now that the danger had been resolved, Tang Yu finally had the time to look at his new Overlord Castle.

 From the outside, the Overlord Castle didn't seem very large, only a little larger than the villa it had replaced, essentially a miniature castle. The outside wall was silver and had a pointed, dark blue roof. All of it seemed like it was straight out of a fairytale.

 The inside was divided into two floors. The first floor was the main hall while the second floor was the Overlord's rest area, containing a bedroom, a study, and a bathroom. He couldn't tell the brand of the furniture, but he sensed that they were all of extremely high quality.

 Tang Yu soaked himself in the pool bath, which was even bigger than his old bedroom. The steam rising from the pool carried a fragrant aroma, and soaking in it was so comfortable that he almost wanted to sing.

 After the apocalypse, he had spent the vast majority of the time sleeping outdoors, occasionally sleeping inside a crude wooden hut or old tent. But now, he had reached the happiness that came after suffering.

 The one hundred Origin Crystals had been worth it!

 He also had two utterly devoted automatons and a floating crystal. Those one hundred Origin Crystals had been even more worth it!

 Tang Yu summoned the crystal, and the basketball-sized sphere floated in front of him.

 The crystal sphere seemed to be some sort of radar, able to monitor and keep watch on his domain.

 The domain was currently in its most basic state, and its boundaries weren't large, but it still managed to encompass the entire eastern villa area and more than half of the western villa area. Any strange activity in this region would be revealed on the crystal sphere.

 On the crystal sphere, Tang Yu saw several red dots. These were the demonized beasts still hiding out in the eastern villa area. He counted himself lucky that he had not been discovered by these demonized beasts on the way here. The slightest mistake back then would have resulted in his being torn to pieces.

 Of course, he wasn't restricted to the crystal sphere. Opening up the system screen, Tang Yu found a map of his territory which also had a few red dots. But the crystal sphere had more detailed information, even including the topography of his domain.

 Tang Yu immediately got up, grabbed his equipment, and set out with one of the automatons to clear out the surrounding demonized beasts. He had the second automaton remain to guard the castle.

 "The last one. Number One, stay in reserve."

 In front of him was a demonized Rotting Wolf, with green eyes and a decaying body. Putting aside its strength, its appearance alone was enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.

 But Tang Yu would not be afraid. All of the demonized beasts he had encountered, strong or weak, had not been able to take even one spear thrust from Number One, and he had cast aside his former fear of demonized beasts.

 After absorbing enough Soul Energy, Tang Yu only wanted to fight demonized beasts now!

 The Rotting Wolf made a flying leap, its mouth opening wide and letting out a foul breath.

 Tang Yu gripped his dagger and focused. When the Rotting Wolf was closest, he stomped to the right, and as they brushed past each other, he thrust the dagger into the Rotting Wolf.

 As he turned around, he swung.

 Swish! Swish! Swish!

 After several more swings, the injured Rotting Wolf finally died.

 He absorbed even more Soul Energy into his body.

 Huff! Haa!

 Tang Yu panted for breath. The battle had taken less than a minute, but it had taxed him both physically and mentally.

 Nevertheless, he felt very accomplished.

 Ordinary Awakened would receive a boost in strength at the moment of their awakening. He had not been through his process, but by absorbing and refining Soul Energy, his body got stronger and stronger. The fact that he had killed the Rotting Wolf with his dagger proved that he had reached the level of a standard Awakened.

 Perhaps he was even higher.

 Tang Yu looked at the bent blade of the dagger and slightly frowned. This dagger was rather small and wasn't very good for dealing with demonized beasts. With this dagger's sharpness, it might not even be enough to break the hide of a stronger demonized beast.

 He needed a better weapon.

 The sky was beginning to darken, and the roars of demonized beasts began to rise from the distant forests.

 Farther out was beyond the monitoring range of the crystal sphere, and Tang Yu had no plan to continue cleaning out the area. After working the entire day, he was extremely tired. If not for the fact that his body had gotten stronger, he would probably already be utterly exhausted atop his bed by now.

 With his spoils of war, Tang Yu returned to the main hall, where Number Two was still loyally standing guard by the gate.

 He had come away with many spoils, particularly as he had gone searching without fear this time. He had managed to find many items that the Awakened had hidden away.

 …A Desert Eagle, for example.

 The Desert Eagle was a very famous pistol that boasted incredible firepower, but in truth, it wasn't practical to use. Firstly, it was too heavy, and secondly, the recoil was too strong. This was probably the personal treasure of some big boss from before the apocalypse.

 But now that he had the body of an Awakened, things were different. For him, the recoil of this Desert Eagle was barely anything, and its lethality made it perfect for dealing with demonized beasts.

 He had also found a great deal of food, particularly tobacco and wine, which were highly valued in the apocalypse. But even more food had been destroyed in the battle—a sight which made Tang Yu's heart ache. He immediately grabbed some snacks and stuffed them into his mouth.

 In the apocalypse, unremarkable snacks had become things that only the higher-ups could enjoy. Tang Yu suddenly felt like thanking those demonized beasts. Without that demon horde, he would have never been able to get those one hundred units of Origin Crystal and build this Overlord Castle, and the items in the shelter would not be free for him to grab.

 …

 At night, the stars were bright.

 Tang Yu felt that the air quality was much improved after the apocalypse. At night, he could see many stars that were difficult to see in the past.

 He suddenly thought about his parents and wondered if they were doing well. At the start of the apocalypse, when cellphones could still just barely get a signal, Tang Yu had been able to call his distant parents on the phone. He had learned that they were in a somewhat safer location, in a place where the military had planned to establish a shelter.

 This thought made Tang Yu worry over whether the shelter had been smoothly constructed, over whether his parents were still doing well.

 He had originally been an ordinary survivor that was barely eking out an existence and had no chance of ever traveling across the dangerous wilderness. The most he could do was pray for their well-being.

 But things were different now. With the system, Tang Yu felt that there was a sliver of hope. It was still no good now, but he just needed to develop his territory and increase his strength. He was confident that a day would come when he could cross those thousands of kilometers and reach that distant city.

 And that day was not far off!

 Tang Yu lay down in his bed. On this night, he had a very peaceful sleep. With Number One and Number Two standing guard, he had no need to worry about waking to screams and wails, no need to be constantly tense and ready to flee at any moment.