Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

”Hah!” Atlas suddenly sat upright, his eyes snapping open as his head moved around instinctively, trying to understand what had just happened. The moment he moved, water splashed around him, soaking his body once again. Only then did his gaze lower, his pupils landing on the bathtub beneath him.

”Huff...Huff...” His breathing remained heavy as he looked around once more, his blurry vision gradually clearing while his heartbeat slowly settled. The familiar wooden walls, the bathing room and everything around him came back into focus. He frowned before speaking under his breath, ”The bathroom of the Inn?...Was that really the Relic’s doing?”

The moment that question surfaced, another realization immediately followed behind it. Atlas narrowed his eyes as he stepped out of the bathtub and grabbed the towel hanging beside it. While drying himself quickly, his thoughts continued, *’My memories are still intact...which means going back in time didn’t erase anything I experienced. But...how far did I actually go back?’*

Without wasting another second, Atlas wrapped the towel around his waist and hurried out of the bathroom. He ignored everything else and walked straight toward the couch where he had left the spirit bag. If the Relic was still inside exactly as before, then most of his doubts would already have an answer.

Reaching the couch, Atlas immediately picked up the spirit bag and opened it. His eyes fell upon the same black-and-gold Relic resting quietly inside as though nothing had happened. He slowly took it out and examined it once again, his fingers running over its smooth circular surface while comparing every memory he still possessed with his current surroundings.

*’The Relic remained with me...my memories also remained...then I really did return to an earlier point in time.’* Atlas concluded silently. *’This isn’t an illusion.’*

Just as that thought settled in his mind, the same gentle voice echoed from outside the room.

”Mr. Atlas, your meal is ready. Although it isn’t dinner yet, we always prepare a complimentary meal for our new guests as part of our services. If you would like, I would be happy to introduce you to our Inn’s signature dishes.”

Atlas looked toward the door, a faint smile appearing on his face as another piece of confirmation fell into place. Even the maid had repeated the exact same words.

He answered calmly, ”You may come in with the dishes. I’ll eat after I change into some normal clothes.” After speaking, Atlas placed the Relic back inside the spirit bag without hesitation before taking the bag with him toward the bedroom.

Almost at the same time, the maid gently pushed the door open while guiding a small wheeled serving cart into the room. Several dishes rested neatly on it beneath polished metal lids, and the warm aroma escaping through the edges had already begun spreading through the room. As she looked up, her eyes unintentionally landed on Atlas’s broad back and well-built physique before he entered the bedroom. A faint blush appeared across her cheeks, and she quickly looked away, reminding herself not to stare.

A moment later Atlas disappeared inside the bedroom toward the wardrobe. Only after he was out of sight did the maid let out a quiet breath before pushing the serving cart beside the couch and arranging it neatly where it would be easy for him to eat.

Then she turned towards the way Atlas’s bedroom was and spoke with a slightly raised voice, ”Mr. Atlas, The dishes are here, I hope you enjoy them, I will be taking my leave now, if you need anything just tap the Relic beside the door!”

Only after saying that did she turn around and leave the room, closing the door behind her. On the other hand, Atlas came out of the bedroom wearing completely new clothes, a loose black attire and matching black pants. After washing away all the dirt and blood from the day, his appearance looked much cleaner than before as he walked towards the dish tray placed before the couch.

A moment later he sat down and removed each of the metal lids one by one. The aroma from every dish spread throughout the room almost instantly, making his stomach growl from the hunger he had been ignoring since morning. Without wasting any more time, Atlas started eating at a steady pace, not rushing yet not slowing down either.

As he continued eating one dish after another with quite vigour, his thoughts gradually drifted back over everything that had happened since leaving the Eternal Ruin. The incidents in Ormolio, arriving at Lumivale, clearing the Cataclysm-rank Ruin, meeting the Guildmaster and finally obtaining the Relic...all of those events replayed inside his mind one after another.

Among those memories, one question surfaced again.

’Why did Lady Seraphiel approach me in Lumivale?...It couldn’t be just because of an Epic-rank Relic, there must have been something and...She already said there was something important she wanted to discuss, i will just have to ask her directly.’

Atlas did not continue thinking about it any further. There was no point making assumptions when he would be meeting her tomorrow anyway, so he simply focused on finishing the meal before him.

After a few more minutes every dish had been emptied. Atlas stood up from the couch and walked back towards the bedroom. Rest was the only thing left for him to do before entering another Ruin tomorrow, but the moment he stepped inside, his eyes shifted towards the large open window beside the bed.

He slowly walked over until he stood a few feet away from it and looked outside. Even at night the city remained lively, Spirit lamps hanging across the streets illuminated the surroundings with a gentle glow while countless buildings stretched into the distance. Spirit jets continued flying across the sky above the city, and far away the Royal Palace still stood with the same overwhelming grandeur it possessed during the day. Even though he was only seeing one part of Solara, the scenery before him was enough to leave a deep impression.

’Does the Human Continent’s Central City even have something like this?’ Atlas wondered.

It was a genuine question, He knew almost nothing about the Central City of the Human Continent, but after seeing Solara with his own eyes, he found it difficult to imagine humans building a city of this scale. A continent where commoners were treated the way they were...he doubted they would create something this magnificent.

After standing there for a few more moments Atlas turned back and walked towards the bed where the spirit bag rested. Once again he took out the Relic and observed it with narrowed eyes, still finding it difficult to believe what had happened earlier.

’It sent me back about thirty seconds while consuming only half my spirit energy...that doesn’t match Carial’s estimation at all. According to him, that amount should only have been enough to return about a second.’

That conclusion only made the Relic feel even more mysterious, after thinking about it for another moment, Atlas let out a small sigh.

’Even setting that aside...a Relic capable of turning back time itself shouldn’t exist. It completely ignores logic.’

Finding no answer no matter how much he thought about it, Atlas put the Relic back inside the spirit bag before laying down on the bed. His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling while his thoughts moved to another matter.

’I still don’t know who sent those assassins...or how anyone managed to connect everything back to me. If the Nobles are truly involved, then the Royal Family has most likely already heard about me as well.’

He closed his eyes for once before thinking with a long sigh, ’No need to think this over, anyone who comes at me again like that, I will just have to deal with them.’

Only after reaching that conclusion did Atlas finally allow himself to rest, his head sinking slightly into the soft white pillow while his body relaxed. Even then, he did not let his senses fall completely asleep. His Spirit Instinct remained active, silently monitoring everything around him as he could faintly sense several powerful individuals staying in the neighbouring rooms and on the lower floor of the Inn.

Only a few seconds passed before that calm was shattered.

Atlas’s eyes snapped open as his entire body stiffened on the bed. A cold chill crawled down his spine while every nerve inside him screamed at once, At almost the exact same moment, countless presences throughout the Inn reacted as well. Doors burst open one after another, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridors, and shocked voices erupted from the lower floor.

”Wh-What was that?! That spirit pressure??! It was so intense!”

”I-It’s coming from the Palace!! What is happening there?! Her Majesty’s spirit pressure isn’t like this!!”

One shout followed another, filling the entire Inn with confusion and panic. Atlas immediately rose from the bed, his eyes narrowing as his senses continued sending warning after warning. Even his B-rank Spirit Instinct, which had remained calm against S-rank opponents before, was now reacting so violently that every instinct in his body urged him to flee immediately, to run as far away as possible from whatever had appeared.

But Atlas did the opposite.

Suppressing the instinctive urge to escape, he forcefully restrained Spirit Instinct from influencing his judgement and walked straight toward the window. Outside, the streets below had already fallen into chaos. The people who had been eating, walking or working had all stopped and were staring toward the same place in the sky. Atlas followed their line of sight, and the moment his gaze reached the distant heavens above the Palace...his pupils contracted.

Floating silently in the sky was the same kind of creature he had seen inside the Eternal-class Ruin.

The same black Monster...the same monster that had pierced through his stomach.

And now...it had appeared once again, hovering above the Palace of Solara.