Floating Islands: SSS Gacha System - Chapter 371

Chapter 371: Chapter 371 – The Heart of the Void
Atlas gave himself a moment to simply enjoy his day. The delicious dishes and the company of a few important people from Gacha Haven filled the wide dining hall, a room large enough to hold thousands of tables.

The room’s ceiling rose high above them, even though the entire space was actually deep underground.

At that time, only they remained inside, since the others were out landing and hunting on the floating island beneath this one.

After spending nearly three weeks inside a storm-filled island, he truly missed meals as good as this, prepared by the best chefs Gacha Haven had.

While savoring the food, he also checked his latest status. He had leveled up drastically, and he still had several stat points left unassigned. Because of that, he took a moment to think it over and review them as he ate.

[Name: Atlas Blackthorn]

[Level: 167]

[Strength: 450 | Agility: 370 | Intelligence: 420 | Constitution: 320 | Stamina: 400]

[Available Stat Points: 2]

[Job: The Lord]

[Class: Tempest Reaver]

Nice, it looked truly perfect. And level 167 stood there with a grand presence. He only needed a few more pushes to reach level 200. Although for that, he also had to catch up and reach rank 3 first.

His target was clear after this. He would push all his forces to break through level 150, and if possible go beyond that, maybe even reach 160.

After that, he planned to gather as many Rank Points as he could for the next event. If he managed to reach rank 3 quickly, he would gain far more access to many features and privileges that only higher rank lords could use.

At the very least, with a level this high, Atlas now had enough strength to face Bolin and his army.

Atlas had massive area skills, ones he had already used some time ago. Even so, he knew that what he destroyed back then had only been that lord’s weakest troops.

But Atlas also understood that he could not afford to underestimate other lords either, not when they had yet to reveal the true power they carried, or what they had been preparing for the next battle against his Alliance.

He drew a slow breath. In less than a week, they would all return to their own floating islands and declare the challenge for the Alliance Battle.

Atlas did not want to waste this short amount of time. He needed to bring home one more remarkable achievement.

Because of that, later that afternoon, when another session was ready to begin, Atlas, along with Elyndra, Edrik, Kurogasa, and Dullorak, gathered on the island’s surface. They stood among large stone formations that formed a wind shield, giving them a safe space to stand and discuss on the small rocky ground beneath their feet.

They were all sitting this time, with Atlas in the center. Dullorak sat cross-legged, his body slightly lifted, positioned not far in front of Atlas.

“The Heart of the Void,” Dullorak said as a small crate suddenly appeared in his hand. It floated slowly and steadily toward Atlas afterward.

“I have made some modifications to this core, my lord,” Dullorak continued. “And with this method, you will be able to absorb the core more efficiently, although the process will take a bit more time.”

“It is okay. Now tell me what you have done, Dullorak.”

“Before that…” Dullorak replied calmly. “Do you not want to know more about the High Human, my lord, since you already have an affinity for the Light element as well?”

“Yes,” Atlas answered. “How do I reach that phase? How do I evolve my body into something higher?”

Dullorak nodded slowly. “In truth, when a human reaches a higher level and masters an element of a higher rank, either advanced, composite or ancient, they will naturally gain a longer lifespan.”

Atlas nodded quietly, because the concept of a High Human itself was a better version of an ordinary human. A longer lifespan, stronger regeneration, better control over magic, and so on.

Edrik then responded. “Among us, the closest examples might be Karian. He has a better body and everything else because of his habit of consuming higher grade monsters, including dragons. While Milo, even though he had a higher rank in the past, when we speak of lifespan, Karian’s age had already surpassed Milo’s before.”

Atlas simply nodded at that explanation. “Are Karian and Milo already considered High Humans?”

“Not yet, but they are close,” Edrik said. “They can be described as the peak a human can reach. But they still have a lifespan that is not as long as beings like vampires or spirits. They can still grow old.”

Dullorak continued. “A High Human,” he said, pausing for a moment. “In theory, they are almost immortal. Not because they have no limit, but because they can keep regenerating the cells in their bodies. And this regeneration speed surpasses the natural cell damage a human normally suffers. So as long as they keep caring for their body and continue to train, they will keep living.”

“Got it,” Atlas replied.

“However…” Dullorak continued. “Simplifying the High Human by calling it only better regeneration feels a bit misleading. Because in truth, to reach the High Human stage, a person must change several parts of the body they have now, sometimes even more than that.”

Atlas frowned for a moment. “That does not sound pleasant.”

Dullorak nodded again. “It is quite complex. Let us call this process Body Refinement. A human can perform a special ritual. The ritual forces the body to purge weak cells and rebuild stronger ones. The process is long and painful, but if the person survives, the new body structure becomes the foundation of a High Human.”

“So that indirectly replaces the body I have now?”

“Not a full replacement, my lord, but slowly renewing the damaged parts and perfecting them.”

“Can we perform that right away? Is what I have now enough?”

Dullorak gave a faint smile and nodded slowly. “Before I answer your question, I have one of my own.”

Atlas nodded as well, ready to listen.

“How far would you allow something within you to change?”

Atlas fell silent, his mind turning over the question. It was one of those things that needed a moment of thought before its meaning truly settled in.

“Does it matter to you,” Dullorak continued, “if that change turns you into something other than a High Human. Perhaps another race that stands above ordinary humans?”

It should have been an easy question for him. After all, he had already formed a bond with Morganna, a vampire.

His first child was not even human but a Dhampir. One with a lifespan far longer and strength far greater than any normal man.

There was also Lyrassa, who in her previous life had lived for more than five hundred years, and now Elyndra, a Faerie who had become part of his life as well.

To Atlas, whatever made him stronger was something he could learn to accept.

“As long as I still look human on the outside, I think I can live with it,” he said with a faint smile. “Even the Undead seem tempting when you realize they can wield Animus endlessly without rest.”

But… No, he was not ready to become one of the Undead. Not if it meant losing the simple joy of tasting food.

“So… is that answer good enough for you?” he asked.