Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

[ Spirit Barrage - Rank S ]

[ Spirit Daggers - Special S-rank ]

[ Spirit Sword - Special S-rank ]

Atlas stared at the three Traits listed among the S-rank section. From their names alone, he could confirm that they had come from Heddeon, Raison, and Armado of the Asfalon team, but what caught his attention most was the Special S-rank classification attached to two of them. This was the first time Atlas had encountered such a rank, and it gave him a new possibility that he hadn’t considered before: perhaps he could use the Unique Abilities of other people by obtaining them as Traits.

That possibility was terrifying when he compared it to everything he knew about Eliomor. According to what he had learned, no one in this world could awaken or wield multiple Unique Abilities. People could develop powerful Techniques through their own understanding and cultivation, but that was completely different from possessing several Unique Abilities at the same time. As far as Eliomor itself was concerned, only two people had ever been judged as anomalies capable of doing something like that: Eliana, the Elven Queen’s Disciple, and Atlas himself.

Yet Atlas’s situation seemed even more abnormal. He wasn’t simply gaining another person’s Unique Ability as a separate power; the Codex was turning that ability into a Trait that he could potentially Assimilate into himself. And as he had already learned from the Traits he had obtained before, Assimilation didn’t simply give him the original ability. It allowed him to inherit the characteristics connected to that Trait and potentially evolve them together with himself.

That made the Codex far more terrifying than even the Unique Abilities Kael Mortisano had gained through his System. Atlas still didn’t know whether Kael could somehow evolve those abilities in the future, so he couldn’t make a definite comparison, but the Codex’s method already seemed ridiculous enough. If it could continue turning the abilities and characteristics of others into Traits for him to Assimilate, then there was no telling what kind of possibilities it could give him in the future.

”All that aside, I need to think about those Monsters now... there were thousands of them, and all of them had Null.”

Atlas closed off the Trait page for the moment and returned his thoughts to the incident from the third day. The memory of that enormous army still remained clear in his mind, especially the fact that every single Monster carried Null. ”And each of those Monsters was at least S-rank or SS-rank. What the hell is even going on? This is clearly someone’s doing... but how do they have Null?”

Atlas scratched the back of his head as the confusion returned. He had never encountered a situation where he had so many questions and so few answers. If someone could send thousands of S-rank and SS-rank Monsters toward Solara at the same time, then whoever was behind it had to possess enough influence and power to make something like that possible. There was also the possibility that the person responsible wasn’t merely supporting the attack but had arranged everything themselves.

’Could there be Royals from other continents involved? Does the Angelic Continent have some kind of conflict with another continent? Hmm... this leads back to the same solution again. Only Seraphiel can help me get the information I need.’

Atlas sighed and stopped himself from thinking any further about something he couldn’t currently investigate. He didn’t have enough information to determine who was responsible, and guessing without evidence would only waste his time.

Even if he wanted to trace the source of the incident, there was no clear path for him to follow. The moment those Monsters reached the city, they had simply disappeared without leaving anything behind, which meant Atlas had no corpse, trace, or other clue that could help him determine where they had come from or who had sent them.

For now, the mystery would have to remain a mystery.

Atlas got up from the bed and stretched his arms and legs, feeling the immense strength coursing through every fibre of his body. The difference was on a completely different level compared to every previous increase in his Attributes, and even a simple movement now made him feel the change. ’This is on a whole different level than any previous increase in Attributes. I have to check how strong I have become... I already decided that hiding my strength is not my priority anymore.’

With that settled, Atlas turned toward the living room where the door of his room was located. Before he could leave, however, he heard the familiar voice of the maid from outside. ”Mr. Atlas, your breakfast is ready. Should I keep it at the same place as usual?”

”Yes, keep it in front of the couch. I will eat there as usual.”

The maid entered shortly afterward, placed the serving cart in front of the couch, and left the room without saying anything else. Atlas sat down and began eating, his thoughts still occupied with everything he had discovered over the past few days, especially the changes within his body and the questions surrounding the Monsters that had appeared around Solara.

- - -

Some hours later...

Atlas stood in front of the Guild once again. Unlike the last two times, when the entrance had been crowded because of the Relic he possessed and later because he had returned from the Divine-rank Ruin carrying Himalton and Alberion, the Guild was relatively quiet. Only a few people were entering and leaving while others went about their own business.

The moment Atlas entered, his eyes immediately shifted toward a group of Explorers discussing the Monsters that had appeared two days ago. Their expressions were still tense as they talked about the incident, and beside the Mission area, Atlas noticed that a massive notice board had now been placed on the wall, clearly meant to inform every Explorer about what had happened.

Atlas narrowed his eyes for a moment before turning away from it. ’They probably just want everyone to be aware of what happened and remain careful. I doubt even the Guild knows the whole story unless they have some deeper connection with the Royals. The Royals most likely have all the information about this.’

With that thought, Atlas stopped paying attention to the matter and walked toward the same Receptionist he had visited before. She noticed him approaching and immediately greeted him. ”What can I help you with, Sir Atlas?”

”I would like to re-evaluate my overall strength.”

The Receptionist raised an eyebrow at his request. She remembered that Atlas hadn’t appeared at the Guild for the past five days after returning from the Divine-rank Ruin, and only then did another thought cross her mind. ’Could it be that Sir Atlas has been cultivating these past five days? That would explain it. His aura has also changed... it’s almost as if I can’t sense his strength anymore.’

”Of course, please follow me to the evaluation chamber. Unlike the evaluation equipment you saw in Lumivale, we have more advanced equipment here that can measure up to SSS-rank easily. If you can display strength and Spirit Energy reaching at least SS-rank, many opportunities will become available to you.”

The moment she finished speaking, her figure blurred and appeared beside Atlas, her hands resting together in front of her dress as she began walking toward the stairs at the far left side of the Guild Hall.

Atlas followed her with a small nod, his expression remaining calm as his thoughts settled on the evaluation ahead. ’I think... if I use all my strength, I could reach SSS-rank? Well, I will have to see how high the ceiling for an SSS-rank actually is in the first place.’

- - -

[A/N: From Tomorrow there will be two Chapters at once as usual, Thanks for Reading!]