Free Web NovelChapter 26: First [Trait] Assimilation
The moment the Sanguis Stylus touched [ Spirit Tails — Rank-B ], the Trait melted into crimson light and entered Atlas’s chest.
Atlas dropped to one knee immediately.
"Ghk—!"
The pain was different from increasing attributes.
When he wrote numbers into the Codex, his body had been strengthened according to a value. This time, something was being added to him directly, as if the Codex was carving the Hybrid Muxical’s trait into his body and Spirit foundation at the same time.
His spine burned first.
Then the heat spread through his nerves, muscles, and Spirit flow.
Four phantom tails emerged behind him, formed from distorted crimson Spirit. They lashed against the ruined floor before Atlas could control them, breaking chunks of stone apart around him.
Boom.
Atlas pressed one hand against the ground and clenched his teeth.
The Codex was not simply granting borrowed power.
It was changing him.
That realization was more unsettling than the pain itself.
’If this continues...’
The phantom tails flickered behind him again.
’...will I even remain human?’
The thought lasted only a moment before another wave of heat forced his mind back to the assimilation.
Several minutes passed before the pain finally weakened.
The crimson tails faded, and the ruined structure became silent again.
Atlas slowly stood.
His body felt lighter.
Not simply faster.
Better balanced.
The wild amplification that had made his movements unstable was still there, but Spirit Tails seemed to adjust the flow of force through his body. His strength, speed, and Spirit no longer felt as if they were pulling in different directions.
Atlas took one step forward.
Fwoosh.
He blurred several meters ahead and nearly crashed into a stone pillar before stopping himself with one hand.
Small cracks spread across the pillar.
Atlas quietly exhaled.
"...So this is Spirit Tails."
The Trait had improved his movement, but it had not given him mastery. He was faster and better balanced, but his control was still rough.
The Codex flickered.
[ Spirit Tails — Rank-B ] [ Assimilated ]
New lines appeared beneath it.
[ Grants enhanced agility, balance, movement instincts, and Spirit flow adjustment derived from the Hybrid Muxical. ]
Atlas read the description once and understood the rule.
Trait details only appeared after successful assimilation.
Before he could study further, a low growl echoed from the deeper corridor.
Grrrrr.
Eight monsters stepped out of the darkness.
They looked like lean ash-colored wolves, but their front claws were not made of flesh. Each claw was formed from compressed pale-blue Spirit, with sharp currents flickering across the edges.
Ashclaw Rippers.
All eight attacked at once.
Sixteen crescent-shaped Spirit slashes tore through the air toward Atlas, cutting long marks across the ruined floor.
Atlas activated Condor’s Locket.
Fwoom.
A pale silver barrier expanded around him, and the Spirit slashes struck it together.
Boom.
The dome held, but the impact created brief cracks of unstable Spirit across its surface before stabilizing again.
Atlas narrowed his eyes.
"...They are Strong."
The relic could block D-Rank attacks, but not without cost. Stronger attacks would likely break it.
That was enough testing.
Atlas moved. freewebnøvel.com
His first burst was still messy. Spirit Tails made him faster, but his mind had not adjusted to the extra balance and correction. Instead of moving like a trained fighter, he moved like someone learning a new body in real time.
Even so, the difference was clear.
The Trait corrected his oversteps.
It reduced wasted force and helped him turn without losing balance.
The Ashclaw Rippers were fast enough to force him to adapt, but not strong enough to overwhelm him. After the first few exchanges, Atlas stopped treating Spirit Tails as a speed boost and began using it as a stabilizer.
That changed the fight.
One Ashclaw Ripper lunged toward his throat.
Atlas shifted sideways, let its Spirit claw pass beside him, and crushed its skull against the floor with one controlled strike.
Boom.
The others attacked immediately after, but the result became easier with every movement. Atlas still overused force at times, but each mistake became smaller than the last.
Eventually, the final Ashclaw Ripper collapsed.
The Bloodbound Codex pulsed before Atlas could move on.
The Sanguis Stylus emerged on its own and pierced the nearest corpse. Blood flowed from the monster into the Stylus, then disappeared into the Codex. One corpse after another dried until all eight had been absorbed.
Atlas watched quietly.
New blood meant new Traits.
More Traits meant more possible evolution.
Silence returned.
Atlas looked at the destroyed corridor.
Spirit claw marks covered the walls.
Several pillars had collapsed.
The floor was torn apart in long lines.
But compared to his earlier fights, the damage was less random.
That meant his control was improving.
Atlas lifted his gaze toward the deeper part of the ruin.
Another presence waited there.
He reached the deepest chamber several minutes later.
The Spirit density was heavier there, and old claw marks covered the walls. The presence inside felt stronger than the Ashclaw Rippers, though still not strong enough to compare with the monsters from the Eternal Ruin.
A growl echoed through the chamber.
Grroooowlll.
A gigantic beast stepped out from the shadows.
It resembled a large dark-furred lion, but two massive Spirit fangs extended from its jaws. Pale-blue Spirit flowed through them continuously, and the nearby air distorted faintly around their edges.
Greg’s Fang Lynx.
Almost C-Rank, despite being classified as D-Rank.
The monster vanished from its position.
Boom.
The floor exploded beneath its movement.
Atlas moved with Spirit Tails active.
The massive Spirit fangs passed beside him and sliced through a stone wall behind him.
Atlas’s eyes sharpened.
’.... it’s Fast.’
But no longer impossible.
The first exchange showed him the difference between Spirit Tails and ordinary Agility. Agility improved his speed, but Spirit Tails helped him survive sudden directional changes. Against a monster that moved in bursts, that mattered more than raw movement.
The Greg’s Fang Lynx attacked repeatedly, using its Spirit fangs to cut apart pillars, walls, and the floor.
Atlas used the fight to refine the Trait.
He stopped dodging too far.
He stopped striking from bad angles.
He let the phantom tails correct his balance during each sidestep, then countered only when the monster overcommitted.
The opening came when the Lynx lunged forward too aggressively.
Atlas stepped inward.
The crimson tails flickered behind him.
His fist struck the monster’s skull.
Booooom.
The impact cracked the ruined floor and sent the gigantic beast crashing lifelessly against the far wall.
The chamber fell silent.
The Codex pulsed again.
The Sanguis Stylus manifested and pierced the Greg’s Fang Lynx’s neck. This time, far more blood surged into the Stylus, and the Codex glowed brighter during the absorption.
Atlas observed the process calmly.
The Greg’s Fang Lynx had stronger blood than the Ashclaw Rippers.
That probably meant a stronger Trait.
Once the absorption ended, Atlas walked toward the pedestal at the back of the chamber.
A small rune-covered sphere rested on top of it.
He picked it up, then compared it with Condor’s Locket.
The difference was obvious.
The sphere had Spirit inside it, but its energy was weaker and less refined.
Atlas muttered quietly.
"...Looks like I’m not lucky enough to find Rare-grade relics every time, huh?"
The sphere was still valuable, but it was not comparable to Condor’s Locket.
Atlas stored both relics and turned toward the exit.
Outside, afternoon sunlight already waited beyond the ruined entrance.
