Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

Atlas remained standing with that question still in his mind, ’My body feels completely different, it’s not strength but something else but what is it?’ He carefully observed his own body while trying to understand the strange sensation that had appeared after the assimilation, but even after thinking about it for a while, he couldn’t identify exactly what had changed.

It wasn’t simply an increase in physical strength because Atlas could already tell when his body became stronger, and whatever this was felt fundamentally different from that. He vaguely understood the terms he had received through the assimilation, but not enough to connect them with the sensation he was experiencing now.

Atlas sighed as he eventually gave up on understanding it and shifted his attention toward the next trait he intended to assimilate. There was no point in overthinking something when he didn’t have enough information to reach an answer, and he could always figure it out later once he had more knowledge about his current state. However, before he could do anything, Reiden suddenly reacted.

Atlas’s eyes immediately moved toward his right hand as the black carvings of Reiden began glowing. The markings moved slightly across his skin, almost as if they were trying to communicate with him, and Atlas quickly understood that Reiden was attempting to tell him something. ”You...can change into any weapon now?” Atlas asked, and the black carvings reacted immediately as if confirming his question.

Atlas raised an eyebrow before asking again, ”But how?” This time, Reiden reacted several times in succession, conveying more information to him through their connection.

Atlas remained silent for a moment as he processed what Reiden was telling him. His expression gradually changed as he understood that the Unknown Trait had apparently affected more than just himself. ”So that’s what happened...” he muttered before looking at his right hand again. The knowledge he had received from the Bloodline Assimilation that day had never mentioned that Reiden could freely change its form into different shapes, which meant that this strange ability was most likely connected to the Unknown Trait.

”Let’s see...” Atlas extended his hand forward while recalling the scythe Reiden had once been, the same weapon that Veloran Azatelth had created. The moment he focused on that image, the black tattoo-like carvings engraved across his hand suddenly moved, spreading outward from his skin before extending into the empty air directly in front of him. Within a few moments, the markings began taking the shape of a weapon until they completely formed the same scythe Reiden had once been able to transform into.

Although the colour had changed from green to complete black, the shape and overall appearance were almost identical to the original one. The newly formed scythe floated in front of Atlas for a brief moment before moving closer to him, allowing Atlas to reach out and grip its handle firmly. He moved the weapon slightly in his hand while observing it before speaking, ”I see, so that trait also changed your functions...”

”It’s a good thing then, now I don’t need to make weapons with Spirit Energy and make you remain as a trump card which could only use Null.” Atlas spoke calmly as he examined the black scythe in his hand.

Now Reiden could not only return to its original form to use its Null-related abilities, but could also take whatever weapon shape Atlas wanted while retaining those abilities, making it much more useful than before.

Reiden reacted again, and Atlas nodded after understanding its response. ”So you can also integrate inside my hand again, right?” he asked, and the black scythe immediately began changing. Its entire structure broke apart into countless black markings, which moved back toward Atlas’s hand before merging with the carvings already present there. Atlas watched the entire process carefully before nodding in understanding.

”Hmm, so you generate some amount of energy yourself to transform.” Atlas looked at the markings after Reiden had completely returned to his hand. The exact process was still somewhat unclear to him, but he could at least understand that Reiden possessed enough energy of its own to change its form without requiring Atlas to provide Spirit Energy for the transformation. After that, Atlas shifted his attention back toward the Codex.

The Codex remained open in front of him, displaying the remaining traits he had yet to assimilate. The two SSS-rank traits were still waiting there, along with the newly obtained S-rank traits he had gained from the Boss of the Ruin. Atlas reached toward the stylus floating in front of him, intending to continue assimilating them one after another, but before his hand could touch it, he suddenly felt something.

It was the same pull he had experienced just before going unconscious.

Atlas’s hand stopped in midair as his expression immediately changed. The sensation had come from somewhere far away outside the Ruin, but this time its intensity was far greater than before. It wasn’t something he could physically see or hear, yet he could somehow feel it pulling at something deep inside him. Atlas widened his eyes slightly as he tried to understand the sensation, ’What...? What’s this pull?’

Reiden reacted at almost the exact same moment. The black markings on Atlas’s right hand began moving violently, their reaction far stronger than anything Atlas had seen from them before. Atlas lowered his gaze toward his hand and immediately understood that Reiden was sensing the same thing. Whatever was happening wasn’t limited to him alone, and that reaction was enough for Atlas to realize that whatever was causing the pull was worth investigating.

Without thinking any further, Atlas vanished from his position and appeared directly in front of the double-door entrance of the Ruin. The door immediately reacted to his presence and opened automatically, giving him a path outside. Atlas stepped through the entrance and emerged from the Ruin, but the moment he reached the outside, his senses immediately picked up the source of the strange sensation.

His head turned upward toward the sky, which was now completely dark and covered by a strange red colour spreading through the clouds. However, that wasn’t what caught Atlas’s attention. His eyes quickly moved toward the distant horizon where a massive beam of energy could be seen shooting directly into the sky. Pure Null mixed with Spirit Energy was concentrated within that beam, and its immense power was cleaving through the clouds as it continued rising upward.

Atlas’s eyes trembled as he stared at it from such a great distance that the beam appeared relatively small from his position. Despite that distance, however, he could clearly sense the amount of Null contained within it. The pressure spreading from the beam was enough to make the surrounding weather change completely, with the dark clouds being pushed apart and the sky taking on an unnatural red appearance.

Yet none of those changes truly caught Atlas’s attention.

His eyes remained fixed on the beam.

A strange sensation suddenly emerged from deep inside his body, and Atlas’s expression changed as he realized what it was.

Hunger.

It wasn’t the normal hunger that came from needing food, nor was it a simple desire to obtain more energy. It felt as if something inside his body was incomplete, and the enormous amount of Null contained within the distant beam was somehow making that incompleteness impossible to ignore. Atlas could feel his own Null reacting to it, almost as if something within him had recognized what was in front of him.

’Th-That...should be mine, no?’ Atlas’s pupils shook slightly as the thought appeared in his mind. For the first time since seeing the beam, genuine confusion and shock appeared in his eyes, but he didn’t suddenly lose control or rush toward the source. His mind remained rational even though the strange hunger continued growing inside him.

Was he hungry because of the Null inside the beam?

No.

That couldn’t be the answer.

Atlas could already write the Null attribute into the Codex, so there was no reason for him to feel this kind of incompleteness simply because another source possessed a large amount of Null. Something else had to be responsible, but he had no way of knowing what it was from this distance.

’Then why...?’

Atlas continued staring at the distant beam as he tried to understand the strange reaction taking place inside his body. Something about that beam was attracting him, but he couldn’t determine whether it was the Null itself, something hidden within the Null, or something else entirely. After a moment, Atlas slowly swallowed before making his decision.

’I have to go.’ His gaze remained fixed on the distant beam, ’I have to see what it is and why I’m feeling this overwhelming hunger.’

Reiden reacted immediately after those thoughts formed, its black markings pulsing strongly against his skin as if agreeing with him without hesitation. Atlas lowered his gaze toward his hand for a brief moment before looking back at the beam. Whatever was happening, both he and Reiden were reacting to it, and that alone was enough reason for Atlas to investigate.

Atlas finally turned around and looked back at the Ruin entrance one last time. He had already cleared the entire Ruin, and there was nothing remaining inside that required his attention immediately. The Guild could handle it now, while the remaining traits inside the Codex could wait until he returned.

’The Guild can handle it now...’

His thoughts became detached from everything else around him as his attention remained fixed on that distant beam. He needed to understand the source of that strange hunger, and the only way to find the answer was to see what was at the other end of that beam.

Atlas took one step forward.

The next instant, his figure vanished from the Ruin.