Chapter 215: Chapter 215 - The Blooming Maw
For now, it was manageable. One monster, no matter how strong, was still within their ability to control. But if there had been more...
The situation would’ve turned deadly.
Mira and Morganna continued their barrage, attacking from unpredictable angles, while Lyrassa fought to keep the monster’s movement restrained. Even if only temporarily.
Atlas slipped between the creature’s massive legs, redirecting its focus with carefully timed strikes to its ankles and joints. He aimed to topple it, to reduce its balance. But it wasn’t just strong. It was fast, and its skin was nearly impenetrable.
This wouldn’t be easy.
Not at all.
Atlas darted between the towering legs of the beast. Each strike of his spear dug deep into flesh, slicing through thick layers of leaf-like scales and drawing more furious roars from the monster’s gaping maw.
The beast was massive, yes. But the coordinated onslaught from all four of them was beginning to tear down its advantage.
Morganna surged forward, her scythe carving through the air in a deadly arc. With a sudden burst of speed, she slashed across the monster’s face. Each swing left ragged cuts along its head and jaw, disorienting it further.
And then—the opening came.
Atlas shot upward in a single pulse of energy, rising above the staggering creature just as it faltered, its legs giving way under the damage they’d taken. The beast was beginning to fall.
[Elite - Thunderpierce Thrust activated!]
Electricity surged down his arm, channeling into the spear. With a fierce cry, Atlas drove himself downward like a lightning bolt, his weapon aimed with ruthless precision.
The spear struck.
It plunged straight into the monster’s open mouth, piercing deep into the throat. A sickening tear echoed as he dragged the blade downward, ripping through sinew and flesh. Blood sprayed in wide arcs, and the beast’s roar turned into a choking gurgle.
A final slash. Clean, brutal, and the creature collapsed with a thunderous impact, the ground trembling beneath its weight.
The battle was over.
One monster down.
And the real leveling had just begun.
[You have killed The Blooming Maw Lv. 125]
[You received 36,301 Exp]
[Exp: 242,036/310,059]
Atlas stood still for a moment, his breath steadying. Then his eyes widened as the numbers appeared before him.
The EXP gain was massive.
Even after being split four ways between himself, Morganna, Mira, and Lyrassa, the amount he received was still overwhelming. One monster gave this much?
Damn.
It was almost enough to make him laugh.
If he could kill twelve monsters like this, even shared evenly, he’d gain an entire level. Just like that.
The real issue wasn’t the monsters themselves. It was the system.
The EXP scaling was brutal. Unforgiving. It punished high-level progression harshly, forcing players to work through an uphill grind. It wasn’t designed to be fair. It was designed to slow them down.
But...
If killing one monster could go this smoothly, Atlas could work around that barrier. He could beat the system at its own game.
The key was speed.
If he could increase his kill rate. Even just slightly, then leveling wouldn’t take weeks. It would take days.
And Atlas was already calculating.
Mira, as cheerful as ever, immediately began hopping excitedly around the fallen monster’s body. Her eyes sparkled with glee as she pulled out her battle hoe and began digging into the monster’s leafy corpse. Face innocent, almost childlike, as if she were tending a garden instead of desecrating a kill.
"Ember! Do you like leaf-monster meat?" she called out with unfiltered excitement. "It looks chewy! We could grill it and season it with fire dust!"
"Yeah, Mira! We’re having leaf-monsters for dinner tonight!" Ember laughed from the back, matching Mira’s energy with a wide grin.
Meanwhile, Atlas stood quietly, recovering his breath and stamina. He was waiting for the return of Kurogasa and Serenith, who had split off earlier to scout the area.
Not long after, both of them reappeared. Serenith descending from above in a swift glide, and Kurogasa slipping out of the shadows.
"My Lord," Kurogasa began, "two other Lords are hunting in this area as well. Both are Rank-2. Each of them has roughly fifty troops, but they’re currently positioned far from our sector."
He continued. "As for monsters, there are several clusters. Most gather in packs of around a dozen, with some reaching up to thirty."
Atlas nodded slowly, absorbing the information before turning to Edrik.
"What do you think?"
"Thirty monsters at once?" Edrik replied calmly. "I believe it’s still within our control."
"Good," Atlas said.
Without wasting time, he moved toward an open clearing, eyes scanning for the right position. He knew what needed to be done next.
This time, he wasn’t just going to rely on direct combat.
Atlas brought out the explosive devices Baldric had crafted. Sleek, cylindrical charges made from volcanic alloy, capped with energy coils. They didn’t look like much, but he knew what they were capable of.
He coordinated with the others, directing them to place the charges carefully in a wide-open area. Setting a trap big enough to catch an entire monster cluster.
The bombs weren’t infinite. They took time and rare resources to create. But used correctly?
They could wipe out dozens of monsters in seconds.
Atlas crouched beside the final charge, pushing it into place with a firm press, then stood and scanned the treetops.
Now all they needed... was bait.
And timing.
Serenith, Kurogasa, and Morganna moved swiftly. Vanishing into the dense treeline once more, their task was clear: lure a cluster of monsters straight into the trap.
It was risky.
If the explosions weren’t enough to finish them off, or at least cripple them. They’d be forced to engage the entire horde in close combat. Not ideal. But they were ready for that, too.
Atlas had placed ten of Baldric’s explosives across the clearing. According to Edrik’s calculations, it was the optimal number. Not to wipe the monsters out completely, but to weaken them just enough for the rest of the team to finish the job with minimal resistance.
Atlas stood at a vantage point, watching from a distance, eyes sharp and focused.
Luna and Ember flanked him, both looking genuinely impressed as they observed the setup.
"These are the same explosives you used to collapse that cave last time?" Luna asked, glancing sideways at him.
"Yes," Atlas replied, nodding. "But these are even stronger. And with Sera in the air to amplify the blast from above, it should be enough to take out thirty monsters in one go."
From the treeline ahead, the first echoes of chaos rang out. Roars, crashing branches, stomping footsteps shaking the ground.
Lyrassa landed beside Atlas, her usual calm replaced with a slight unease in her expression. "My Lord... are you certain you don’t want me to provide crowd control for this group?"
Atlas shook his head, resolute. "No. Let’s try it this way. I need to boost my level as much as possible first, so I can move on to the next phase."
It might’ve sounded a bit greedy. But he had a plan.
Atlas wasn’t going to waste this opportunity.
He reached into his inventory and retrieved something he had been saving: Rank-A Items: Experience Scrolls.
The moment the monsters charged into the open field. Snarling, crashing into each other, their grotesque forms tangled in rage and confusion. Atlas activated the scrolls.
Golden glyphs spiraled around him, vanishing into the air like sparks.
The monsters reached the trap.
"Let’s see," he muttered. "Just how much EXP can I get from this?"