Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

When Atlas opened his eyes slowly, the first thing he saw was the First Page of the Codex.

The page was not glitching this time.

The new numbers had settled cleanly.

Strength: 30 [LOCKED]

Stamina: 30 [LOCKED]

Agility: 30 [LOCKED]

Spirit: 30 [LOCKED]

Atlas stared at the lines.

The Codex had accepted the increase without the same rejection he expected.

And as the numbers settled fully, Atlas felt something moving inside his body.

It was not pain.

It was a warm feeling that moved through his veins, muscles, bones, and Spirit flow. His Spirit veins reacted first. They felt like they were slowly expanding to hold more reserves, but the process was not forced like before. It happened more naturally, as if his body had already learned the pattern and was simply adjusting itself to the new standard.

Atlas stood still and let the changes continue.

His Spirit veins widened little by little, and his reserves increased with them. He could feel more space inside himself, as if the amount of Spirit he could hold had grown at once. It was not just more Spirit either. The circulation also became smoother. The flow was no longer as rough as when he first started writing Spirit.

Then came the rushing feeling in his body.

His muscles tightened and refined themselves. They did not bulge outward or become heavy. Instead, they became more compact and controlled. Thin steam slowly rose from his arms and shoulders as his body adjusted to the new Strength and Stamina. It felt as if the unnecessary roughness in his body was being pressed down and reshaped into something cleaner.

His breathing changed next.

His lungs felt lighter with each inhale and exhale, and the tiredness that had remained from clearing the ruin faded much faster than before. Stamina 30 was not only about lasting longer. It made recovery easier, breathing smoother, and his body more stable after exertion. Even the heaviness in his limbs from using Spirit Sphere earlier reduced a little.

Then came Agility.

His limbs felt lighter, and his joints felt cleaner.

His balance became easier to hold, and every small movement of his fingers, shoulders, knees, and feet felt more responsive than before. It was not like his body was trying to move without his permission anymore. This time, the new speed came with better control, as if his body understood the increased Attribute better than it had during the first few days.

At the last came Strength.

It surged through his body like a heavy wave. His hands, legs, shoulders, and back did not expand just to contain the strength. Instead, they became more refined. His knuckles looked sharper, the lines of his fingers became harder, and his overall body shape became leaner rather than bulkier.

The changes lasted only a few moments.

Then everything settled.

Atlas looked at his own hands.

Then he looked down at his legs.

After that, he slowly examined his whole body.

His attire felt slightly loose, as if his body had changed shape from what it had been before. He had not become bigger. If anything, he looked more refined now. The unnecessary roughness in his body seemed to have been compressed away, leaving him lean, sharp, and easier to control.

Atlas smiled faintly at the change.

He could feel a massive amount of strength coursing through him, but as soon as that smile appeared, it vanished.

He spoke in a low voice.

”Looks like this is my limit for now. If I increase after this point right now, I can definitely tell the pain will be unfathomable.”

It was instinct.

His body had accepted 30, but it also gave him a clear warning. If he tried to force the Attributes higher immediately, the adjustment might not remain painless. The Bloodline activation condition said 50, but reaching 50 in one jump was not something he wanted to test without preparation.

Then Atlas’s eyes narrowed as he remembered the pressure he had sensed from the Lumivale Guildmaster.

That S-Rank Spirit pressure had been different.

Atlas’s current strength had increased a lot, but he still remembered how high-level people felt. And above S-Rank, there were even stronger ranks. Royals and nobles had monsters of their own standing behind them. SSS-Ranks were said to be capable of crushing mountains with simple attacks.

Atlas spoke quietly.

”Can’t get cocky this quickly. The Royals and Nobles have SSS-Ranks who can crush mountains with flicks... I have to get stronger, and for that my next target will be an Abyss-Rank.”

Hollow-Rank Ruins were useful until now.

But if he wanted to reach 50 faster, if he wanted stronger Bloodlines, stronger Traits, and more resources, then Hollow-Rank Ruins would not be enough for much longer.

He needed a higher danger level and high-level blood that would fill his Stylus. With that, he could write his Attributes again, assimilate stronger Traits, and also increase that percentage in Bloodline.

Abyss-Rank.

But getting access was the problem.

Atlas looked at the Codex again, grabbed it slowly, and folded it closed.

”Terminate.”

The Codex and the Sanguis Stylus dissolved into crimson light and sank back into his chest like usual.

Atlas turned around and began organizing his thoughts.

”As I am now, I feel like I can clear Abyss-Rank Ruins, but for that I need another assessment. They won’t let me go into one with a C-Rank evaluation. I need at least A-Rank...”

He paused for a few seconds.

”Or another plan could be going to another continent, but it would take months again, and it will be too late for me to get stronger.”

Atlas did not like wasting time.

He had already spent a month traveling to Lumivale. If he kept moving from continent to continent without building strength, he would only remain a person running from place to place. The Codex needed blood, residue, Traits, Bloodlines, and danger. Avoiding all of that just to stay safe would defeat the entire purpose of having it.

Then he looked down at his hands.

Another thought came to him.

He had seen almost all explorers using weapons.

Swords, sabers, rapiers, spears, axes and other weapons.

Even the Revenants and high-level Spirit Users he had seen before relied on weapons that matched their techniques and fighting styles except Mark, of course.

Atlas had been fighting bare-handed because his body, Traits, and Codex allowed it, but going into an Abyss-Rank Ruin bare-handed was risky. He could use Spirit Claw and Spirit Fang, but those were still Traits, not a true weapon. If he faced something that resisted Spirit attacks, had stronger durability, or forced long combat, a proper weapon would make a difference.

His mind moved to the Whirlstone.

Then to Seraphiel’s proposal.

Atlas exhaled.

”Hoof, looks like I have to accept her proposal at the end. I need a weapon; I don’t want to risk going bare-handed in an Abyss-Rank Ruin alone after coming all the way to this point.”

The Whirlstone was still with him.

A catalyst that could become the core of a powerful weapon, maybe even a Legendary one if a good craftsman handled it properly. Seraphiel had said she could introduce him to a master craftsman, one of the best in the Angelic Continent.

Atlas still did not fully trust her.

But the offer had value.

If he wanted to move toward Abyss-Rank Ruins, then preparing properly was not optional anymore.

Finally, Atlas turned and walked toward the ruin exit.

But just before he stepped outside, he stopped.

A thought suddenly came to him.

’Oh, I forgot... I came here to assimilate the low-ranked Traits too.’

Atlas stood still for a moment, then slowly turned back toward the deeper part of the ruin.

The Third Page had distracted him too much.

Attributes had reached 30.

The unknown Bloodline had appeared.

And because of that, he had almost forgotten the Traits he had been storing since the first Hollow-Rank Ruin.

Atlas exhaled quietly.

”Let’s finish that first.”

Then he walked back into the cleared ruin.

Before leaving this place, he still had one more thing to complete.