Floating Islands: SSS Gacha System - Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Chapter 374 – Gale Veil
“Someone’s falling from above!”

Someone shouted among a group of others, all dressed in full battle gear as they stood on an open field surrounded by tall, wild trees.

“What are you talking about?” another one called back.

The first man ran to a clearer spot and pointed upward. “Look! Someone’s falling!”

“No way… did they miss the jump?”

“Looks like it. Every unit should’ve already been deployed onto the island.”

“But why haven’t they opened their glider yet? At that height, they’ll hit the ground hard if they don’t slow down!”

“Wait!!!” another one yelled suddenly. “That’s Lord Atlas!”

“No way!”

In an instant, twelve of them broke into a sprint, rushing across the open field in panic, trying to reach the spot where Atlas was about to land.

But before they could get far, they all froze. Some even stumble to the ground in shock.

Because out of thin air, someone appeared before them. A man in a perfectly tailored black suit, his dark hair neatly styled, his expression calm and composed.

“Edrik… Lord Atlas!” one of the soldiers gasped.

Edrik raised his hand slightly. “Do you really think the Lord would do something reckless enough to put himself in danger?”

The soldiers went silent, glancing at each other awkwardly.

“Uh… isn’t that exactly what he always does?” one of them muttered.

“Hey! Watch your mouth!” another snapped.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!” The first soldier protested quickly.

They all tensed up again as Atlas drew dangerously close to the ground. Every single one of them held their breath, eyes wide in disbelief. At that speed, without any form of protection, the impact would be fatal.

Worse still, Atlas was falling headfirst. If he hit the ground like that, it would be over instantly.

A heartbeat later, he struck the earth. The sound was sharp and heavy, followed by a violent tremor that rippled through the grass. Everyone flinched, squinting to see what had happened.

None of them dared to move past Edrik. If Edrik believed everything would be fine, then they had no right to question it. Still, tension clung to the air like static.

As the cloud of dust began to settle, they could finally see Atlas in the distance, lying in the middle of a cracked patch of ground. The impact site was clearly visible around him.

No one approached yet. They didn’t need to. Each of them was connected to Atlas through the system, and the readings were clear.

“Lord Atlas is fine,” one of them murmured in disbelief.

“But how…?” another whispered. “I didn’t see him use any skill. He just fell, like he was unconscious! How did he survive? Did he just… use a flying ability?”

“I don’t remember Lord Atlas ever having a flying ability,” one of the soldiers said, still staring in disbelief at the distant figure.

Edrik began walking toward the impact site, calm and composed, the others following behind him with hesitant steps.

“Gale Veil,” he said quietly.

“Gale Veil?” one of the soldiers echoed in surprise. “No way… was that really Gale Veil?”

[Skill unlocked: Gale Veil.]

[Elite – Gale Veil (Defensive / Passive Trigger)]

[Reduces fall damage and absorbs kinetic force. Can also weaken blunt attacks.]

Another soldier spoke up hesitantly, “Gale Veil should be a high-grade defensive skill, right? Usually, only those with strong affinity toward the Air Element can use it.”

“Air Element?” someone else echoed in disbelief. “Since when does Lord Atlas have a high affinity with Air?”

The group fell silent for a moment, the only sound being the crunch of boots on grass. Then Edrik’s calm voice cut through the air, steady and unreadable, as he continued walking without turning around.

“Anyone can unlock something extraordinary when they’re pushed into a desperate situation. When there’s no other way out,” he said quietly.

Suddenly, Edrik stopped in his tracks. The soldiers froze too, a chill running down their spines as he slowly turned to face them. His expression was cold, his eyes sharp as blades.

“One, two, three,” he said evenly. “Three of you have an affinity with the Air Element.” His gaze then fixed on one of the men. “You even have a high affinity.”

The man, looking to be in his thirties, flinched and instinctively took a small step back.

“You want Gale Veil?” Edrik said

The soldier swallowed hard, his body trembling. “Y-yes, Edrik… do you have a skill scroll for Gale Veil?”

Edrik’s expression didn’t change. “Yes. The name of the skill scroll is ‘Fall from extreme height without any protection.'”

“Hy-Hyaa!” the man yelped, stumbling backward in shock, his face turning pale as he gulped again, wide-eyed.

Edrik’s face remained completely expressionless as he turned away from the soldiers and continued walking toward Atlas. From a distance, it was clear that Atlas was lying on the ground, motionless. Almost as if he had simply decided to take a nap there.

But there were no signs of injury. Not a single scratch. He just looked… deep in thought.

“Are we not brave enough to die?” one of the soldiers muttered quietly.

“Right,” another replied. “We’ve been on countless missions that constantly pushed us to the edge of death. Those extreme, suicidal assignments.”

“But maybe… that still isn’t enough,” someone else said under his breath.

“So, what? You planning to try the same stunt Lord Atlas just pulled?”

The man who had been teased earlier swallowed hard and said nothing.

They all fell silent again as Edrik reached Atlas’s side. He moved with calm precision, lowering himself to one knee beside the lord.

Atlas still hadn’t moved, his expression distant.

They all tried to listen closely to what Edrik was saying.

“You’ve unlocked an Elite-grade skill in just one attempt, my lord,” Edrik said calmly.

Atlas sat up, brushing the dirt from his shoulder and shaking his head a little.

“The wind was so loud it made my ears feel a bit numb,” he said with a grin before turning toward the soldiers. “Hey, everyone. You’ve done well. Is everything alright?”

The soldiers, startled by his casual tone, quickly straightened and bowed in unison.

“Lord Atlas, we received the best training from this expedition, and our levels have increased significantly!” one of them said with visible pride.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Atlas replied as he rose to his feet again.

He stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders and moving one arm to the side, then the other, before raising both above his head to loosen up.

Atlas began hopping lightly on his feet, shaking off the stiffness, while Edrik stood tall nearby, his usual composed presence unchanged.

“Ah, I unlocked the wrong skill,” Atlas said casually.

“The wrong skill?” several of the soldiers repeated at once, completely stunned.

“Why wrong?” one of them asked, confused.

Atlas chuckled. “I was hoping to unlock an actual flying skill. But with Gale Veil activating automatically like that, it means I won’t be under pressure to unlock something better.”

He then turned toward Edrik. “Do you think if I keep doing free-fall jumps over and over until I’m completely exhausted, it’ll help me unlock a flying ability, Edrik?”

The soldiers’ jaws dropped. They stared at Atlas, horrified by what they had just heard.

“My lord,” Edrik said in his usual calm, measured tone, “I’m not sure whether you’re training to master the Air Element… or simply bored. But in theory, your current affinity with Air is already strong enough to let you glide or even hover briefly in the air.”

The soldiers collectively exhaled in relief after hearing that.

So that meant Lord Atlas wasn’t really planning to jump from the sky again, right?

Right…?