God of Souls: Attaining the Strongest System in an Apocalyptic World
Chapter 37: Shivers

Chapter 37: Shivers

The rain poured down in torrents, drenching the already darkened landscape. The forest, once teeming with life, now lay in eerie silence, devoid of any sound save for the relentless downpour. Not a single creature stirred, as if the world itself held its breath.

All but one.

A lone figure stood beneath the storm, his black cloak blending into the shadows, the hood obscuring his face. He was the man who had turned the dark portal red.

Still and unmoving, he stood before a splintered tree—one that Kael had broken just the day before. His gaze, cold and calculating, lingered on the point of impact, studying it as though searching for something unseen. The wind howled through the branches, but he remained unfazed.

"Everything is going as planned," he whispered, barely audible over the rain. With deliberate slowness, he dropped a small cloth bag onto the wet earth. The bag landed with a dull thud, its contents unknown. Without another word, he turned and walked away, vanishing into the storm.

---

Meanwhile;

Kael moved closer to Cole, his footsteps almost silent against the dampened ground. The moment Cole spotted him, he recoiled, curling into himself as though trying to disappear. His body trembled, his face pale with fear.

"It’s okay, it’s just me, Kael," Kael said, trying to calm him. But Cole’s panic only deepened.

"G—get away from me, you monster!"

Kael stiffened. The words struck like a physical blow, sending a cold chill up his spine. His breath hitched as he studied Cole’s face, searching for an explanation.

"I don’t understand. What do you mean?"

Cole clutched his own arms, shaking violently. "How did you survive against that snake? A mere Grade One... No! This must be my mind playing tricks on me. I—" He stopped abruptly, his voice cracking. "I might as well be dead..."

A flash of anger surged through Kael. In an instant, he was upon Cole, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him forward until their foreheads nearly touched.

"Shut the hell up!" Kael snapped, his voice a harsh growl. "Quit whining! No one gives a damn if you can’t keep moving. If you stay like this, I will leave you behind!"

Kael shook him violently, then shoved him back onto the ground. Cole gasped, eyes wide with shock.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Cole wiped his face with a trembling hand, his expression a mixture of fear and shame. Slowly, unsteadily, he climbed to his feet. His shoulders slumped.

"So... what do we do now?" His voice was barely above a whisper, uncertain and fragile.

Kael almost didn’t hear him, but he already had a plan forming in his mind.

’Since we entered the same portal, we shouldn’t be too far from each other, despite the time we got separated. But there’s still the problem of us being underground. If the others are above us, we need to get out fast—before new beasts invade. After all, to them, we are nothing but intruders.’

His thoughts sharpened.

’System, any idea on how to break out?’

Kael appeared still as he communicated with his system, his gaze lowered to the ground.

[You can use your inspection skill to locate a path based on old snake tracks. This will provide an accurate analysis.]

Kael exhaled, relief washing over him. Times like this, he was grateful for the system. A small smile played at the corner of his lips as he activated his inspection skill and—

SPLOOSH!

A wave of blood exploded into the air.

A body collapsed to the ground.

Kael’s breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in horror.

Cole lay sprawled on the ground, a deep, jagged wound carved into his back. Blood gushed from the injury, pooling beneath him.

Kael’s mouth went dry. His legs felt like lead as he slowly raised his gaze.

Standing before him was something that should not exist.

A skeletal figure—larger, bulkier than any human—towered over Cole’s twitching form. Its arms, long and jagged, ended in razor-sharp bone blades. Its hollow sockets seemed to glow with an eerie, unnatural light.

And it was not alone.

Several more emerged from the shadows, their heads turning toward Kael in unison, their movements rigid yet disturbingly fast.

Kael’s mind raced.

He could remember it clearly—he had turned away from the system for just a second, had looked at Cole, and then—

A flash of white. A blur of motion.

Cole had jumped in front of him.

Kael swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure how far his regeneration could go. If he had been beheaded just now—would he have survived?

Cole had taken the attack for him.

A wave of guilt slammed into Kael, but there was no time for regret. He clenched his fists, fury burning away the shock.

"I’m sorry, Cole," he muttered under his breath, stepping forward.

The skeletons were slow in movement, but their reaction speed was terrifying.

Cole groaned weakly, unable to move, his body shivering violently.

Kael’s heart pounded. This was his fault.

Enough.

His muscles tensed. His breath steadied. He locked eyes with the lead skeleton and lunged forward.

[Skeleton Beast]

[Low-Tier Beast]

Kael barely glanced at the system notification. Low-tier didn’t mean weak. He knew that all too well.

He bent his knees, pushing off the ground with explosive force. His fist shot toward the creature’s skull—

CLANG!

A blade arm swung faster than he expected, aiming for his face.

Kael twisted at the last second, barely evading. If he had been a fraction slower—

No.

He would not be caught off guard again.

This time, he increased his speed, driving a powerful kick into the skeleton’s lower half.

CRACK!

The creature collapsed into a heap of bones.

Without hesitating, Kael spun and struck another, shattering it with a brutal punch. One after another, the skeletons fell. Their speed was impressive, but their durability—pathetic.

The last skeleton lunged.

Kael’s fist met its jaw with crushing force.

SMASH!

Its skull flew through the air before shattering on impact with the ground.

Kael stood amidst the scattered remains, panting. He had expected more.

’They’re weak. I thought they’d at least be intermediate level... Probably because the snake beast is here. There can only be one dominant creature in a given territory.’

His thoughts settled as he turned back to Cole.

Something was wrong.

Cole hadn’t moved.

Kael hurried over. "Cole, don’t give up! I can get us out of—"

He froze.

Cole’s body was drenched in sweat, his skin pale and clammy. He wasn’t just injured—he was fading.

"Inspect," Kael commanded. A notification popped up.

[Deep flesh wounds detected]

[Fatal attack: This body has been poisoned and is losing blood. Survival chances—low.]

Kael’s stomach dropped.

Poison.

This just became the situation far worse.