Atlas took a deep breath and stepped back, sitting down on the edge of the bed again. Still trying to process how his morning had started with waking up in Serenith’s room and now included another one of Edrik’s "brilliant" ideas.
Before he could say anything more, Serenith had already stepped closer to the egg. She placed her hands gently on its surface and began channeling her mana into it.
"Oh! The egg is responding to my mana!" she said with a delighted giggle.
Atlas frowned, glancing toward Edrik, whose expression... as always, remained completely unreadable.
"Does that an I’ve beco the egg’s mother, Edrik?" Serenith asked cheerfully, her eyes sparkling as she looked back at Atlas. "My lord... does this make your fourth wife?"
"Can you both stop with these ridiculous ideas," Atlas said flatly before turning his attention to Edrik. "Edrik. Explain."
Edrik bowed slightly before explaining, his tone steady and asured. "My lord, under normal circumstances, the egg would hatch on its own without any external interference. However, when soone supplies mana during this stage, it affects the nature of the creature that will erge. Since Sera has a strong affinity with the sa elent as the beast within, the egg is responding directly to her mana."
Atlas tilted his head slightly. "And what did you an by ’mother’ earlier?"
Edrik straightened, his tone calm and precise as ever. "The egg typically requires mana from two individuals of opposite genders. You can think of it as a symbolic balance. Like a father and mother for the creature. So, you may consider whatever hatches from this egg as your child with Sera, my lord."
"Yeay!" Serenith exclaid instantly. "My first baby! I’m so happy!"
Atlas rubbed his forehead, sighing deeply at both Edrik’s overly logical explanation and Serenith’s dramatic reaction.
He took another breath and looked at the egg again. "Does it still need my mana, or is Sera’s enough for now?"
"Sera’s mana alone will be sufficient," Edrik replied calmly.
Atlas smiled faintly as he watched the egg glow softly in response to Serenith’s mana. The light pulsed with a steady rhythm, almost like a heartbeat, a clear sign that the creature within was reacting positively.
If the monster had been that strong before it was killed, then with the influence of both his and Serenith’s mana, the beast that would hatch from this egg could be sothing far greater.
Still... the thought of this being a "baby" between him and Serenith was just absurd.
No! He shook his head. He refused that idea entirely. This was simply a monster egg. One he and Serenith were helping to hatch, nothing more.
He smiled again at the thought, but the calm mont didn’t last.
Serenith was hugging the egg tightly. "My cute baby," she cooed.
"That’s not your baby!" Atlas said imdiately.
"Agree," Edrik added in his usual flat tone, causing Serenith to glance at him with a puzzled look.
"I an," Edrik continued without any hint of emotion, "babies normally co out directly from your stomach, Sera. So you can do it the correct way next ti."
"Shut up, Edrik!"
Serenith stared at Edrik for a mont before bursting into laughter, giggling until tears welled in her eyes.
"Edrik really works hard to help the Lord collect more wives, huh?" she teased.
"You’re catching on quite well, Sera," Atlas replied dryly.
"But you skipped and claid Elyndra first." she sniffled dramatically, pretending to cry.
Atlas could only sigh and rub his forehead as Serenith continued to cry loudly in the room. Whether those tears were real or not, she was definitely making a scene. Actual tears running down her cheeks as she sniffled and whimpered dramatically.
Why did his mornings have to start with this kind of drama?
After a while, the emotional chaos finally cald down. The so-called "mont" ended, and the three of them left the room together.
Soon they were seated in the usual dining area, surrounded by the familiar noise of morning activity. There were still thousands of people in the sa hall, all busy preparing for the journey ahead.
They were en route to the next island, and the large-scale hunt would begin in just a few minutes.
Only four days remained before the expedition would co to an end, and they would soon return to their region. According to Luna’s latest report, their progress was nothing short of extraordinary.
Nearly 95% of the soldiers participating in the hunt had already reached level 150, and around 30% of them had even advanced to level 160. It was an incredible achievent by any standard.
In just two more days, every mber of the force was expected to be at least level 150. This would grant a trendous boost to Atlas and his entire alliance, greatly strengthening their position.
After all, Atlas knew that the enemies he would soon face would likely have armies just as powerful. Most of them probably above level 150 as well.
And who knew? There might even be so who had already crossed into level 200.
After finishing his breakfast that day, Atlas spent a short while training, running across the upper surface of the floating island. The wind there was fierce, constantly threatening to drag anyone careless enough to the island’s edge and throw them into the open sky below.
It was a wild and unstable place, even though its owner only possessed a B-rank system ability.
Still, training like this no longer offered any real challenge for Atlas. Running? That was nothing to him anymore. He could probably sprint for an entire week without rest and still be perfectly fine.
So, he pushed himself further. Jumping off the edge of the floating island straight toward the ground far below. Yet even that no longer felt dangerous.
Each ti, he activated a passive skill that allowed him to hit the ground unhard, making the fall feel more like a simple landing than a death-defying act.
Thankfully, he still had options. Far more demanding, far more brutal challenges that truly tested him. The kind that left scars on the mind rather than the body.
Damn it.
Now he stood once again on that wide, circular ritual floor. The sa one inscribed with glowing magic patterns. The air around him was dim and heavy, the only light coming from the pale, distant moon above.
And there it was again.
The demon.
Its gaunt, skinny figure erged from the darkness, its long, tangled hair obscuring most of its shriveled face. It looked every bit as starved and lifeless as before, its presence radiating hunger and malice in equal asure.
"Khi! Khi! Khi! Look, the coward has co back again!"
"Shut up and fight already!" Atlas snapped, cutting off the starving demon mid-laugh. His teeth clenched tightly as his fists began to glow with a brilliant golden light, illuminating the dark chamber around them.
This ti, the result will be different!
The demon blurred forward, its movent impossibly fast.
What! How?!
Before Atlas could react, a light tap from the creature’s hand sent his body flying backward, crashing hard into the trees behind him. The impact shook the ground, splinters scattering everywhere.
He tried to rise, but before he could even lift his head, the demon was already standing right in front of him again.
"I’ll show you what it feels like," the demon hissed, "when your soul is ripped out of your body."
"Can’t you co up with a more creative line?!" Atlas shouted back.
Then ca the pain. Searing, indescribable pain that tore through his entire being. It felt like his very soul was being dragged violently from within him.
"No! No way!" he gasped, his eyes wide in panic.
Am I... going to die here?
Reviews
All reviews (0)