"Now we will—"
The moment Himalton started speaking again, everyone felt something change around them. A sudden chill ran through their bodies as all of their trained instincts reacted at the same time, telling them that something...was making its entrance and that they needed to be careful. None of them were exceptions to that reaction, not Himalton, not Alberion and not even Atlas.
Yet...no one moved from their positions. Everyone remained where they were, but their expressions had already changed as they waited for whatever had caused their instincts to react. The entire area had become quiet, and for a few seconds, there was no movement from any of the three pathways. Then they heard it.
THUMP.
It sounded like a heartbeat coming from somewhere inside the dark pathway on the right side of Himalton. The sound wasn't particularly loud, but everyone heard it clearly because of how quiet the surroundings had become. A second later, another sound came from the same direction.
"GRRRRR..."
The moment that growl came from the dark pathway, a heavy pressure suddenly spread through the entire chamber. It was not like the Spirit Waves' pressure they had felt when the Ruin door opened. This time it was concentrated and carried a clear sense of danger, enough to make everyone's body react before their minds could even understand what was happening. None of them moved from their positions, but their expressions changed as their instincts started warning them about the same thing.
Then came a single sound.
THUMP
It sounded like a heartbeat coming from somewhere inside the dark pathway. For a brief moment, nothing else happened, and then...a low growl came from the darkness.
"GRRRRR..."
The sound was not particularly loud, but the moment it reached them, the pressure around them increased again. Before anyone could even react, something moved through the darkness at the right side of the chamber. It was so fast that most of the team members could not even perceive its movement. Only Atlas, Alberion, and Himalton managed to sense something passing through their surroundings, but even they could not clearly see its entire form.
"Kheukkk!"
"KHUAAGGGGHH!"
Two screams came from the right side almost at the same time. The two members standing closest to the pathway suddenly dropped to their knees, blood coming out from their mouths as their bodies shook from the attack they had received. Their eyes turned red for a moment before slowly becoming completely black, and within the next second, their bodies stopped responding.
The other members of Asfalon were stunned by what they had just witnessed. They had not seen an attack, nor had they seen the Monster move toward the two people. One moment their teammates were standing there normally, and the next moment they were already on the ground with their bodies no longer responding. Even their trained perception had failed to determine exactly what had happened.
Himalton's expression immediately became serious as he understood that they could no longer follow the strategy they had prepared before entering the Ruin. He raised his voice and shouted, "Team Asfalon, get ready! This is the Boss Monster! Mr. Atlas, Mr. Alberion, you sensed it too, right? Attack from the rear with everything you have! I will take the front!"
The three remaining members of Asfalon immediately adjusted their positions. The one on the left brought both of his fists together, causing the metal of his gauntlets to produce a sharp sound as he prepared himself for close combat. Another member tightened his grip around the same forward-curved dagger he had used against the Monster from earlier, while the third placed one hand near the long sword at his waist. None of them spoke after that command because they already understood the situation.
They were facing something that had killed two Special S-ranks before anyone could even see its attack.
Atlas, however, remained where he was and did not immediately move. His eyes stayed on the dark pathway while his mind went through what he had sensed. 'That Monster is on a completely different level. Its movement was too fast that If I wasn't using Spirit Instinct and Spirit Perception, I might not have noticed it at all.'
Yes...The two Traits Atlas just used now were the same Rank B Traits he had obtained back in Lumivale. They allowed him to sense danger and perceive things around him, while also helping him conceal his own presence from detection. Until now, Atlas had mostly treated them as Traits that needed to be activated when he wanted to use their effects, but...his understanding of them had changed after experimenting with his other Traits.
Atlas had already realized that a fully activated Trait was not necessarily the only way to use it. Once a Trait had completed its Assimilation, it became part of his own abilities, meaning he could use its effects naturally whenever the situation required it. It was different from an Unique Ability that needed a deliberate activation, because a Trait could simply function when the conditions for its use were met.
This also meant the Rank given by the Codex did not necessarily represent the exact strength of the Trait when Atlas used it. The two Traits were classified as Rank B, but they were now being used through Atlas's body and Spirit as an S-rank. The amount of Spirit he supplied could also affect how effectively those Traits performed, allowing them to display a level far beyond what a normal Rank B user could achieve.
That was the reason Atlas had managed to sense the Monster's movement. But sensing it and understanding it were two different things.
Atlas narrowed his eyes as he replayed the movement in his mind. The "Something" that had passed through the two members of Asfalon without giving them enough time to react, and the speed alone was already enough to put the Monster above anything he had encountered inside this Ruin so far. Even more importantly, Atlas had caught only a small portion of its movement.
His gaze remained fixed on the darkness as one thought slowly formed in his mind. 'If I am right then that... was just one hand of the Monster?'
- - -
[A/N: I know the chapters are shorter than usual, I had to go to the graduation ceremony after getting Discharged from the Hospital...
Thank you all for your understanding and support.
Gifts and Golden tickets welcome.]
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter