Chapter 263: Chapter 263 - Earthen Pulse
Dullorak explained that the skill Atlas was now learning should not be as difficult as his first attempt. For one, it was a relatively simple ability, and its technique was not particularly complex. It drew only on the Earth element, which made its application more straightforward.
Atlas had returned to Shattered Ember, training in a quiet place far from the bustle. The wise version of Dullorak guided him as Atlas gripped a standard spear in his hands.
As Atlas began to activate the skill, Dullorak’s calm, steady voice accompanied him:
"Draw mana from your core and guide it to your legs or weapon. Attune it to the Earth element, make the mana dense, heavy, resonant like stone. Release it downward with a stomp or a light strike. Let it flow, not burst. Ripple outward like waves on water. Then feel the echoes return through your feet and mana sense. Solid ground will echo back steady. Hollow or unstable terrain will scatter. And hidden enemies... they will distort the wave unnaturally."
Atlas felt the pulse spread out beneath him. He understood quickly why this skill was not extraordinary. Its detection range was limited, and it couldn’t even locate someone like Kurogasa, whose presence blended too perfectly with nature. Worse still, the feedback wasn’t visual. It was sensed, faint impressions in his awareness.
Still, it had advantages. The skill required little mana, could be spammed without much strain, and its process was not overly complicated.
So Atlas focused. He stood tall and cast it again and again, channeling through his spear or stomping his foot, following Dullorak’s instruction to the letter.
Yet... something felt off. His concentration faltered. His senses buzzed with an unexpected ripple.
Another feedback.
Someone new was approaching. From directly behind him.
Atlas turned at once. He already knew who was coming.
Morganna walked toward him, Vienne resting in her arms.
Wait. Wait...
Atlas quickly closed the distance. "Morganna, are you sure about bringing Vienne to a place like this?"
She smirked faintly and shook her head. "I told you, she is not a fragile human baby."
"But still," Atlas argued, glancing around at the heat rising from the volcanic ground. "This place is scorching, and no matter what she is... she’s still a baby."
Without another word, Morganna held the infant out to him. Atlas blinked in confusion but instinctively took her. Then, to his greater surprise, Morganna produced a carrier and fastened it across his chest, securing Vienne snugly against him.
"What...?" Atlas muttered, looking down at the tiny bundle.
Morganna gave no reply. She simply turned her back to him and stood a few paces away, watching without another word.
Why?
Kurogasa stepped closer. "My lord, the bond between you and Vienne is more than emotional. Carrying her, keeping her close, will strengthen your focus. Your mana will respond to that connection, and it will hasten your learning. In turn, she will feel the resonance of your growth as well."
Atlas let out a sheepish grin. "Maybe I’m just worrying too much as a father."
He looked down, and the baby turned her tiny face toward him, then laughed, the sweetest sound he had ever heard.
"You like being with Daddy, huh?" he whispered, gently brushing her forehead with his finger.
"Well... if your mother says this is fine, then I guess I don’t have much choice."
Atlas continued his training that day. For whatever reason, whether it was the joy of having Vienne strapped to his chest or the strange boost he felt when she was near. He found himself grasping the new skill far faster than expected.
From time to time, Morganna would step in, take the baby, and disappear for a short while. It was obvious why, she was feeding her. Soon after, she would return and place Vienne back into Atlas’s arms, as though the rhythm of training with her there was perfectly natural.
This went on through the entire day, and even into the next. To Atlas’s surprise, the skill leveled up steadily, climbing higher without him ever needing to use it in battle against monsters.
By the third day, it had already reached Level 4. Still, no message came about an upgrade for the skill or increase in his Earth affinity. Perhaps it wasn’t that simple. Perhaps raising affinity was always a harder path than raising the level of a skill.
Was it always this easy to increase a skill’s level? Or was it just because this one was inherently low in difficulty?
Regardless, Atlas found himself enjoying every moment. Especially because during this time, his little girl had begun showing more expression. She cooed, laughed, and responded to him with her sweet little "da-da-da" and "ba-ba-ba" babbles.
To his ears, it was the most beautiful melody he had ever heard.
Should these moments really be moving so quickly? Watching her grow so fast was both joyful and bittersweet.
Honestly, Atlas wished Vienne would grow at the pace of a normal baby.
By the fifth day, the skill had already reached Level 5. Atlas could now activate it with ease, weaving it naturally into his movements. It was as if he had gained a new pair of eyes. Ones that could stretch farther than sight alone, even reaching beyond obstacles that his vision could never pierce.
Atlas had trained before with all of his senses sealed, relying only on instinct, but this was something greater. Enhanced. If he combined this with his other abilities, he felt confident he could fight flawlessly even in absolute darkness.
Later that afternoon, Edrik arrived with an update.
"My lord, we’ve reached our target. Over eighty percent of Gacha Haven’s residents have achieved at least Level 100. The rest should reach it within the next two weeks."
That meant Atlas could finally pursue Level 100 himself. Something he had deliberately held back from for almost a month. But the thought lingered in his mind. Had this month of training truly been worth the delay?
Dullorak answered before he could voice the doubt, his wise tone cutting through Atlas’s thoughts.
"My lord, your achievement is already extraordinary. Normally, even raising a single elemental affinity takes months, sometimes years. Yet in this single month, you’ve raised two. This is only possible because of your Sacred Bond with Lyrassa, which allows you to attune to multiple elements more easily than most. But more than that... you devoted yourself fully. That is why you stand here with such progress today."
Atlas exhaled, a small grin forming. "That was one hell of a trial... but a rewarding one. So then, what’s next?"
Dullorak continued, his tone measured and clear. "If you still hope to raise your Earth affinity, my lord, we must hunt beyond the island. Training alone won’t be enough, we need practical exposure. Gain experience in the field, and push your level while you reinforce the element through real use."
Atlas took that in, nodding slowly. Then Morganna stepped forward, her expression unreadable as ever.
"I will go with you," she said simply. "And I will bring Vienne."
"Morganna?" Atlas blinked, surprised.
She shook her head once, small and decisive.
Atlas continued. "We could meet enemies out there. This is a completely new continent and region."
Morganna’s gaze didn’t waver. "I might let you die if you’re reckless," she said flatly, "but I will not let her."
Atlas’s brow tightened. He knew Morganna’s exterior was hard and uncompromising, but could she not say such things in a gentler way?
"She needs the scent of battle," Dullorak said quietly. "Her potential is greater than simply being hidden away. Hiding her will not keep her safer in the long run."
Kurogasa nodded. "Exposure and careful training will accelerate both your learning and hers. It is risky, but controlled risk builds strength, my lord."
Atlas swallowed. He had wanted to shelter his daughter, to slow down time and savor every small moment. But the council’s logic was compelling. There was no easy answer, and no safe path that guaranteed zero danger.
Perhaps Atlas was setting his standards too strictly on Vienne, measuring her by the limits of a normal human child. She was barely a week old, yet already looked closer to a month. Soon she would be able to sit up, perhaps even crawl.
Still... she was his daughter. To him, she was fragile no matter how much her bloodline said otherwise.
"All right," Atlas said at last. "First we choose our destination. Then we prepare. We go together."