Chapter 214: Chapter 214 - Beastwood Reach
Atlas found himself standing in a place unlike anything he’d seen in recent weeks: A world apart from the volcanic wasteland of Shattered Ember.
The moment he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of vivid greenery. Lush, thriving, almost unreal. Trees towered in every direction, but these weren’t ordinary trees. He glanced upward, blinking.
Damn.
The trees here were massive. Not just tall—they were colossal, like something torn out of a myth. Their thick trunks stretched into the sky, branches sprawling like living canopies, their size closer to titans than flora.
Around him, the expedition team had already gathered. Morganna, Serenith, Lyrassa, Kurogasa, Edrik, and Mira had come along for the mission. Luna and Ember were here too, standing comfortably amongst the group, ready for whatever came next.
Luna stepped up beside him on the right, her expression calm, a faint smile curling her lips.
"Beastwood Reach," she said, softly naming the floating island they had arrived on.
She continued, her voice steady, "Atlas, this island’s monsters are mostly around level 120. Most of the Lords that operate in this region are Rank-2. Luckily, I’m familiar with a few of them. But as long as we don’t cross paths directly, it should be safe."
"Level 120..." Atlas echoed, nodding slowly, already calculating what that meant in terms of combat speed and risk.
Then Ember suddenly popped in from his left with a smirk. "So, cunning lord. Do you think you’ve got what it takes to tame the beasts around here?"
"The real issue isn’t about beating the monsters," Luna replied. "It’s the chance that roaming Lords in the area might see us as a threat."
"Well, let’s wait and see first," Atlas added. "If someone approaches... and they do turn out to be a threat—"
"Don’t say it. Don’t say you’ll fight them," Ember interrupted with a laugh. "You battle-thirsty maniac."
"You’re adding another title now?" Atlas sighed. "At this rate, you’ll run out of ideas."
"Don’t worry," Ember grinned, hands on her hips. "As long as you’re leading this alliance, I’ll always have a new title ready for you. Let’s see, so far we have... Cunning Lord, Womanizer Lord, Overconfident Lord, Gambling Addict Lord—"
"Enough, Ember."
Ember just burst into laughter, clearly entertained by her own list.
At that moment, Kurogasa, Lyrassa, and Serenith stepped forward, stopping before Atlas in unison.
"I’ll take to the skies and scout for targets from above!" Serenith said.
Lyrassa gave a graceful bow, her tone soft. "I’ll keep watch for any monster threats approaching us, My Lord. Nothing will take us by surprise."
Kurogasa bowed as well. "I’ll scout the ground paths, gather data on monster types in the area. We need to know what we’re dealing with first."
Atlas gave them each a nod of approval.
In a flash, Serenith shot into the sky, wings slicing through the air. Kurogasa melted into the shadows between roots and trees, vanishing in seconds. Lyrassa stepped away, hands coming together in a quiet, reverent motion, her presence already blending into the natural energy of the forest.
Atlas had brought only a select few on this hunt. Just enough to stay nimble and sharp.
His goal was simple: push himself to level 100. Get a few elite subordinates there as well. Once that was done, they could begin rotating out and helping the others catch up.
Then, in that still moment, Lyrassa suddenly opened her eyes. Her calm expression sharpened, and she turned toward them with a subtle, alert glint in her gaze.
"My Lord, a monster is approaching. Just one."
"Alright! We take it down. Fast," Atlas responded immediately, summoning his full armor, and his spear flashing into his hand with a satisfying hum.
Morganna stepped to his right, calm and unreadable. On his left, Mira was already bouncing in place, while Edrik positioned himself just a few steps behind them, composed and watchful.
Atlas’s eyes flicked briefly to Morganna. She was still willing to fight. She looked perfectly ready to tear through the battlefield like always. Still... was the baby really going to be fine through all this?
The ground shook.
Branches snapped and groaned in the distance, and then. An unearthly roar tore through the trees ahead.
Lyrassa darted sideways just as the monster burst through the forest line.
Atlas’s eyes widened.
It was huge. At least three times their size. A quadruped beast with a body coated in scales that looked like hardened leaves. Its neck was ringed with a blooming collar of foliage and vines that writhed like living tendrils.
It threw its head back and roared again, baring rows of jagged, yellowed teeth.
"Can we take this thing down quickly?" Atlas asked, tightening his grip on his spear.
"If you’re scared, I’ll handle it myself," Morganna said coolly, summoning her scythe with a swirl of dark energy. Shadows coiled around her, and from her right side burst a massive, black wing.
"Yeay... a plant monster," Mira chimed in cheerfully, raising her battle hoe. "I love plant monsters."
The monster let out another ear-splitting roar, slamming its heavy limbs into the ground with a thunderous rhythm. The forest floor trembled beneath them, vines whipping wildly from the impact zones. Thrashing, writhing, as if the earth itself had turned hostile.
"Atlas, say the word if you need backup!" Ember shouted from behind.
"Just stay there," Atlas called back, a sharp grin pulling at his lips. "Let us enjoy these experience points for ourselves."
As he spoke, crackling lightning and a shimmer of water aura surged across his armor, wrapping his frame in elemental energy. The charge in the air intensified.
This monster was level 120.
Nearly twice his current level.
If they could bring it down. Even if the EXP had to be split four ways. It would be a major push toward level 100. Worth the risk.
"Yeah—let’s go!" he shouted, his spear pulsing with energy.
The monster charged with a roar, vines exploding from the ground around its stomping limbs. Each step summoned a flurry of entangling tendrils, aiming to bind and crush everything in reach.
Lyrassa was already airborne as she darted through the sky. She activated a skill similar to the monster’s, conjuring her own tendrils to bind its legs. But the sheer bulk of the creature allowed it to shake free with ease, its movement violently snapping through the restraints.
Morganna was a shadow in motion, circling the beast with lethal precision. Her scythe grew massive mid-swing, slashing across the creature’s flank with brutal force, drawing a guttural snarl from the monster as it staggered, just slightly, from the blow.
On the far side, Mira darted like a specter. So fast she was nearly invisible. She hurled the blade from her hoe with a spinning motion, the edge spiraling toward the monster’s neck. Then she vanished. Only to reappear midair, right in front of the beast.
It lunged at her with snapping jaws, but she was faster. Vanishing again just before the fangs could close.
[Epic - Lightning Step activated!]
Atlas burst forward in a streak of blue and gold, his body propelled by lightning energy. Vines shot toward him, trying to ensnare his movement, but he weaved through the strikes, his momentum never faltering.