Atlas sat in stunned silence, the warmth of Lyrassa's soft kiss lingering on his cheek. It was soothing, comforting, as if his entire body felt lighter and the fog in his mind began to lift.
He was truly speechless, caught off guard by her unexpected gesture, yet he also felt his body relaxing and his thoughts growing clearer and sharper, as if she'd breathed calm into him.
After a few moments, Lyrassa slowly drew back, settling beside him with that same serene smile and calm gaze.
"What… was that?" he asked softly.
Lyrassa giggled, covering her lips with her fingers before answering, "That was my blessing, My Lord."
"Blessing?"
"For us spirits, it means love… and caring."
"Love?" Atlas repeated, still processing the meaning of everything she had said.
He was beginning to understand that every race—and even every world—had its own unique perspectives and rules that he might not yet comprehend. It was a lesson he'd been absorbing ever since meeting his new subordinates.
"Yes, My Lord… it's a sign of my love for you."
Atlas paused, taking in her words. "Could you tell me more about what this means to you, Lyrassa?"
Lyrassa nodded. "For us spirits, a bond formed with a human is sacred… deep. It's like a connection of soul and life itself. The kiss I gave you… shows that…" She hesitated, meeting Atlas's gaze fully.
At that moment, Atlas felt a strong, direct connection in her eyes, as though they were locked into each other's gaze.
"For us spirits, My Lord… this kind of bond means I have given you my soul, my life, my everything," she continued softly.
"That's… a heavy reality," Atlas replied. "But isn't it true that all those summoned by a Lord share a similar fate?"
Lyrassa shook her head gently. "No, My Lord. It means more than that… for us…"
Atlas snapped to attention, his instincts flaring as he sensed something massive hurtling toward him!
He turned, but it was already too close—a Lava Hound, lunging straight at him. The beast was about to deal a devastating blow, too quick for him to block.
But in an instant, vines shot out, forming a net around the Lava Hound and binding it mid-air. The vines smoldered slightly under the heat, but regenerated almost immediately, tightening their hold until the beast crashed to the ground.
Lyrassa had reacted just in time!
Atlas, still shaken, looked down to see Karian kneeling. "My Lord, forgive my carelessness. You may punish me as you see fit."
Karian?
Lyrassa cast her protective spells over the others, while Atlas kept his gaze fixed on Morganna. Right—this wasn't exactly the moment for conversation.
Something sparked in his memory—an idea he wanted to test right away, related to the Exp Orbs he'd acquired from the Gacha.
How many did he have again? 15 Rare Exp Orbs and 20 Elite Exp Orbs.
Technically, he could use these on his subordinates, but he could also keep them for himself. The only downside was that, even if someone had an endless supply of Exp Orbs, they were limited in how high they could level up within each of the Lord ranks.
The Lord ranks followed a structured progression system, determining who would face off against opponents of comparable standing.
Since Atlas was still in the early stages, he began at Rank 1, Division 1, also known as the Seeker rank. Officially, this placed him as a Seeker Div 1.
There are 9 known Ranks, and Each rank has 5 divisions.
The ranks followed 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 a Seeker, he could only use the Exp Orbs up to level 50. But, with his current level still at 36, he had plenty of room to use those Exp Orbs for himself.
[Exp: 1,439/13,505]
He checked his own XP progress and saw he still had a long way to go before reaching level 37.
[You used a Rare Exp Orb and gained 1,000 XP!]
Whoa… a thousand Exp all at once. That felt pretty amazing.
[You used an Elite Exp Orb and gained 4,000 XP!]
And the Elite ones gave even more XP than the Rare. Since he could always get more from the Gacha pulls, why not just use them all?
Without hesitation, Atlas used all fifteen of his Rare Exp Orbs.
[You have leveled up]
[Level 37]
[Exp: 6,934/20,258]
In that instant, he'd gained a full level. He couldn't help but grin at how easy it was. No wonder so many people were eager to join the ranks of the Lords—leveling up with a Lord's privileges could be this fast and effortless.
Fueled by a hint of greed, Atlas decided to go all-in and use every single Exp Orb he had.
[You used an Elite Exp Orb and gained 4,000 Exp!]
[You used an Elite Exp Orb and gained 4,000 Exp!]
[..]
[You have level up]
[Level 39]
[Exp: 32,289/45,581]
He leveled up again! This time, he'd even reached level 39. Damn! If only he could get more Exp Orbs—he could upgrade himself further. And, well... Mira's level was still pretty low too, only at level 35, while Edrik had already hit level 50.
He could use Exp Orbs for both himself and Mira, aiming to get them both to level 50 before the first battle arrived.
And, with all the Gacha Tickets he still had, he could pull for more amazing items and keep this momentum going.
One of the biggest tasks remaining for Atlas was actually refining his set of talents. Sure, he only had one combat talent right now, but as a Lord, he was quickly realizing how crucial other talents were becoming—like Tactical Awareness and Instinctual Command.
There had to be items in the Gacha pull related to talents, like ones that could upgrade the rating of existing talents or even unlock entirely new ones. He definitely needed to enhance what he already had and unlock new talents that would no doubt come in handy.
But, of course, this wasn't the place to go all out on a Gacha pull—not with monsters closing in from all sides.
[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]
[A spear forged from the fiery fang of a Lava Hound. The spear's tip is infused with molten energy, emitting a faint glow and heat that sears through armor.]
Atlas's attention was suddenly snagged by a notification that immediately piqued his interest. Just then, a glowing blue orb shot through the air and embedded itself into his chest, transferring directly into his Inventory.
"Damn, finally, an Elite-grade Spear?!"
His curiosity flared, and he quickly summoned the spear, eager to check its stats and description.