Chapter 238: Chapter 238 - The Sword Riders of the East
[Name: Atlas Blackthorn]
[Level: 96]
[Strength: 270 | Agility: 230 | Intelligence: 240 | Constitution: 200 | Stamina: 240]
[Available Stat Points: 35]
[Job: The Lord]
[Class: Tempest Warden]
Level 96!
Atlas felt an immense wave of relief as the number lit up before his eyes. His progress had skyrocketed in only a matter of days, each hunt pushing him further and further ahead. This was leveling at a pace he had never imagined possible.
Just a little more, level 99 was in reach. But before stepping into another class advancement, Atlas knew he would need to finish his current class quest. Better still if he could polish his talents before the system dragged him into yet another transformation.
Another day came. How many had they been here now? Time blurred, but there was still breathing room before the new Lord Battle season began. Enough time to hit his goal.
Their routine settled into rhythm. Daytime was for rest, shifts of watch to recover stamina. At night, they hunted together. Luna, however, often vanished into the woods on her own. Her Magical Girl form thrived under moonlight, her strength amplified by its glow. Atlas still found the "moon" part oddly amusing, but there was no denying her efficiency.
And then there was Serenith, who remained their vanguard of chaos. By day she roamed, bombing clusters of monsters and leaving them crippled for easier kills later.
But that morning, she returned far earlier than usual. Atlas was mid-breakfast when he noticed her stepping into camp, her face twisted with uncertainty.
"Sera?" he asked, setting down his food. "You’re back earlier than expected."
"My lord... uhm..." she hesitated, then moved closer, far too close, dropping into the chair beside him, her shoulder brushing his. Her voice lowered. "There is bad news. Very bad."
"Tell me."
"The monsters aren’t clustering together anymore like the nights before. They’re spreading out. My explosions aren’t effective enough to weaken them."
Atlas fell silent, until Tessa spoke up.
"It was bound to happen. These monsters are adapting."
Atlas turned to her. "So monsters at this level... they’re smarter than the weaker ones?"
"Yes," Tessa confirmed. "Especially these types. Their mental attacks are already proof of higher cognition."
Atlas nodded slowly. "Then we revert to the strategy from our first night here. Only..." His eyes shifted back to Serenith.
"You may not level up as fast as before. Will that be alright with you?"
Serenith’s ears perked up, her grin returning. "Of course! I can still blow up the forest, even if it doesn’t give me a huge boost."
Atlas reached out, ruffling her hair gently. "If you burn through all your stamina without the safety net of level-ups, you’ll collapse. Better to take it slow, alright?"
"Aigh, my lord..." Serenith chirped, smiling like it was nothing.
The days blurred into one another. Atlas spent every ounce of daylight asleep, collapsing into something deeper than rest. More like unconsciousness, and only waking when the sun was already low on the horizon. His body demanded it; his mind, even more so.
They had perhaps two, maybe three days left at most to push Atlas toward his target before they would have to return to their own islands. Every hour mattered.
When night fell, the hunt resumed. Atlas and Edrik rotated as before, Kate luring monsters from the treeline into their killing ground. The pace was slower now. Without Serenith’s bombardments softening the clusters, the monsters were stronger, harder to bring down. Yet the rhythm held steady, a grinding cycle of bait, battle, and recovery.
Two nights passed this way. By dawn of the next morning, Atlas saw the glow of another system message flash before him.
[Level: 98]
It was a victory, yes, but not without cost. Atlas collapsed onto the ground, too drained to even celebrate. His breaths came shallow, his head pounding.
Fighting monsters that specialized in mental assaults was not something the body could adjust to easily. It wore him down day after day, scraping at his mind until he felt close to breaking.
The monsters were high-level, resilient, and relentless. Each fight took longer than the last, and even though he grew stronger, Atlas could feel it: the edges of burnout creeping in.
Another day of collapse. Atlas slept through the entire morning, skipping breakfast without a second thought. Food meant nothing, his body demanded sleep above all else.
**
Time slipped away until he stirred again in the late afternoon. Crawling out of the tent, he noticed something different. The camp felt heavier, tenser. Everyone was already gathered, their expressions serious, their usual ease gone.
Atlas frowned, confusion clear on his face as he walked closer.
Luna was the first to speak.
"Atlas... I think we need to return. Immediately."
His frown deepened, but he said nothing yet.
"Ember reported a large-scale movement heading toward our islands. Most likely mine," Luna continued grimly. "Probably because it is the largest among us."
"Large-scale movement?" Atlas echoed, but then gave a short nod. He did not need further confirmation.
Level 98 would suffice. It was more than enough of a buffer for the coming Lord Battle season. He could handle the rest later. Training with Kurogasa, refining his talents, completing his class quest. Right now, the priority had shifted.
Not long after, they returned to Luna’s floating island. Ember and Mira were already waiting to receive them. Their faces seemed tense—no, not they. It was only Ember whose expression carried an unusual weight.
"Ember?" Luna called as the girl approached.
"They will be here soon," Ember said quickly. "There are many of them... perhaps hundreds."
"Hundreds?" Luna repeated, her tone sharp.
Without wasting another moment, Luna summoned her floating carriage. Atlas, Edrik, Luna, and Ember boarded together. The carriage chimed softly as it lifted, then shot forward, rising higher into the air.
It carried them swiftly toward the edges of the protective dome, where they would have the best vantage point. Ready to meet the "visitors" coming straight for the island.
They waited in silence as Luna’s floating carriage hung motionless in the air, steady and unshaking. It was a sharp contrast to Atlas’s Nimbus Carriage, which lacked the ability to hover in place like this. Though Nimbus boasted superior speed, it could not simply linger gracefully in the skies.
From the edge of the horizon, beneath the deepening glow of twilight, movement caught their eyes. Dozens. No, hundreds of streaking tails of light cut through the sky, racing toward them at astonishing speed.
At first, it looked like a flight. But as they drew closer, the truth became clear. These figures were not flying on their own. They were standing... standing calmly atop their swords, each blade carrying its rider effortlessly through the air.
Nearly all wore white robes with streaks of red, their attire cut in an unmistakably eastern style. Some bore pieces of light armor fitted over their garments.
One figure separated from the rest, his sword sliding forward through the air with effortless grace until it halted just short of the protective barrier, directly opposite Luna’s floating carriage.
It was an older man, his long hair flowing like silver against the fading light, his beard just as long and well-kept.
"I see a poor little girl, lost without her parents. Won’t you tell me where they are?"
Well, what a charming greeting. Surely, nothing bad could possibly come after that.