"My Lord..." Lyrassa said softly, "when a seed falls, it does not choose where it lands. Sometimes, it finds fertile soil. Sometimes... stone. But it grows, either way. Slowly. Gently. Root by root." She looked up at him. "That is the flow of nature. We do not force it. We follow it."
Atlas tilted his head, listening. "And yet... There are battles like this. Monsters. Destruction. How is that part of nature’s flow?"
"It is not that battles must exist... but that they do. Nature does not ask why the storm comes. It simply prepares. A tree does not hate the lightning. It grounds itself. Spreads its roots deeper. Strengthens its bark."
Atlas let out a slow breath. "So it’s not about the storm, but how we face it?"
She nodded. "Exactly. Life doesn’t wait for peace to grow. It grows through chaos. What matters... is how we respond to what comes."
He watched her a moment longer, before asking quietly, "You’ve been through many battles, haven’t you, Lyrassa?"
Her smile was small and slow. "Yes, My Lord. I have. Not with swords or fire... but to protect what’s dear to me. That’s how nature survives. Not by conquest, but by preserving what matters."
"You did that as a Lord?"
She nodded gently. "Yes, My Lord. I did. And even now... I still do."
"That’s beautiful," Atlas said with a faint smile, though he added with a small chuckle, "even if I barely get what you mean half the time."
Lyrassa giggled quietly. "I get told that often. Spirits of nature... we see things a little differently, I suppose."
"But it helps," Atlas said earnestly. "Seriously, even if I don’t catch every metaphor... the way you speak, the way you carry yourself. It calms the madness in my head. Makes me think clearer."
"That means more to me than you know, My Lord."
Atlas tilted his head, watching her. "You’ve seen so much. I should listen more. I want to understand my team better... your stories, the battles you fought. The pain you endured. There’s so much to learn from each of you."
Her eyes met his again, steady and serene. "Ask, and I will share. But not all pain grows wild. Some are meant to be planted carefully, so it can bloom into something healing."
Suddenly, Atlas snapped to full alert!
Something massive was bearing down on him at blistering speed.
He spun around just in time to see it, a Lava Hound, flung through the air and hurtling straight toward him.
There was no room to dodge, no time to raise a defense. The impact would be brutal.
But then, in a flash, vines burst forth, weaving into a net that wrapped around the beast mid-air. The searing heat caused the tendrils to smoke, but they mended just as quickly, tightening their grip until the creature slammed to the ground with a heavy crash.
Lyrassa had reacted in the nick of time.
Atlas’s gaze dropped, and there was Karian, down on one knee. "My Lord, forgive my carelessness."
Karian?
Lyrassa was already casting protective wards over the others.
"No worries, Karian. I should’ve been more alert."
Thank the stars Lyrassa had his back.
**
Then Atlas remembered something he’d been putting off. The Exp Orbs he had pulled from the Gacha. He needed to test one, and soon.
Now, how many did he have again? Fifteen Rare Exp Orbs and twenty Elite Exp Orbs.
He could, in theory, use them on his subordinates. Or he could keep them for himself. The only drawback? No matter how many Exp Orbs one had, there were strict limits on how far a Lord could level within each rank.
The Lord ranks were part of a rigid progression system, meant to match contenders against rivals of similar strength.
Atlas, still early in the game, was currently at Rank 1, Division 1. The official term: Seeker, Division 1.
There are nine known Ranks in total, each one split into five divisions. The hierarchy moved in this order:
Rank 1 – Seeker
Rank 2 – Scout
Rank 3 – Pathfinder
Rank 4 – Sentinel
Rank 5 – Guardian
Rank 6 – Marshal
Rank 7 – Champion
Rank 8 – Overlord
Rank 9 – Immortal
Since Atlas was still only a Seeker, he was capped at level 50 when it came to using Exp Orbs. But with his current level sitting at just 36, he still had plenty of room to grow.
[Exp: 1,439 / 13,505]
He checked his current progress. Yeah, still a long way to go before he’d hit level 37.
[You used a Rare Exp Orb and gained 1,000 XP!]
Whoa. A thousand experience points in one shot. That felt incredible.
[You used an Elite Exp Orb and gained 4,000 XP!]
And the Elite ones were even better. Four times better. With more Gacha pulls waiting in the future, there was really no reason to hold back.
Without a second thought, Atlas burned through all fifteen of his Rare Exp Orbs.
[You have leveled up]
[Level 37]
[Exp: 6,934 / 20,258]
Just like that, he gained a full level. He couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. So this was what it felt like to level up as a Lord. No wonder so many people were desperate to get into this game.
Tempted by that rush, and maybe just a touch of greed, Atlas decided to go all-in. Every last Exp Orb, used.
[You used an Elite Exp Orb and gained 4,000 Exp!]
[You used an Elite Exp Orb and gained 4,000 Exp!]
[You have leveled up]
[Level 39]
[Exp: 32,289 / 45,581]
He’d leveled up again. This time hitting level 39.
If only he had more Exp Orbs, he could push his growth even further. And Mira... well, she was still trailing behind at level 35, while Edrik had already maxed out at level 50.
He could definitely split some of the Exp Orbs between himself and Mira, aiming to bring them both to level 50 before their first major battle. With all the Gacha Tickets still stashed away, there was a good chance he could pull some top-tier items and keep this momentum rolling.
But leveling wasn’t the only thing on his mind. One of the biggest tasks still looming over him was refining his talent set. At the moment, he only had a single combat talent. But as a Lord, it was becoming painfully clear how important non-combat talents were turning out to be. Tactical Awareness. Instinctual Command. These were just as critical.
There had to be Gacha items related to talent upgrades, things that could boost the rank of talents he already had or unlock new ones entirely. He needed those. He had to enhance his arsenal, both in combat and leadership.
But now wasn’t the right time to start pulling Gacha like a madman. Not with monsters swarming in from every direction.
[Your Subordinate has killed Lava Hound Lv. 54]
[You received 352 Exp]
[Exp: 32,641 / 45,581]
[You have obtained (Elite-grade) Fang of Infernos Lv. 54]
Just then, a bright notification flashed across his vision, yanking his attention. A glowing blue orb whizzed through the air and slammed into his chest, vanishing into his Inventory.
"Finally! An Elite-grade spear?!"
His curiosity caught fire, and without wasting a second, he summoned the weapon, eager to inspect its stats and see exactly what kind of power he now held.