Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord-Chapter 357 - The Imagination Principle

After witnessing firsthand how Dullorak wielded the Crystal Element, Atlas couldn’t help but see the stark difference. Dullorak didn’t just launch crystal shards, he commanded them. In mid-air, he could shift their trajectory, rotate them in precise formations, even suspend them around himself like a ring of blades before the battle had even begun.

It was as if those crystal shards were alive, and extensions of his will.

And that was exactly what Atlas began trying to imitate, using only his Basic Earth element.

He grew increasingly fascinated with the Earthward Guard skill. As it stood now, his use of the Earth element only allowed him to form crude, condensed shapes. Dense, but lacking the physical definition or finesse of Dullorak’s crystal.

What if he pushed it further? What if he used actual stones - real, solid rock, and tried to control them directly? Throw them like weapons, not just manifestations?

That night, Atlas didn’t rest. He dedicated himself entirely to practice, diving deeper into experimentation. He tried countless approaches, embedding his Earth element and mana into small stones. Gravel, pebbles, anything he could get his hands on. Then hurled them, hoping they’d pierce through like sharpened projectiles.

At one point, he looked over at Dullorak.

The old man, with his ever-white hair and calm expression, simply smiled and gave a slow shake of his head. That was all Atlas needed to know, he still hadn’t gotten it right.

Still... he kept going.

By the next night, a full 24 hours had passed, and Atlas had only slept for two of them. The rest of the time, he’d pushed himself relentlessly. Testing hundreds of combinations, channeling his Earth element in every way he could think of.

His goal was to create a skill that hit hard. Brutally hard. A skill with real destructive potential. Something like Stormcall Domain, the kind that summoned a wrathful storm from the skies.

He exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair, fingers pressing to his temples in exhaustion.

He had to crack this. He needed to.

If not, he would have nothing to offer in the coming hunt. His only tools would remain the Water and Lightning elements provided by his class, and that simply wouldn’t be enough.

**

It was during a quiet moment, sitting beside Serenith, that Atlas found his thoughts drifting. The girl, as lively as ever, was animatedly recounting how she had managed to take down twenty monsters in one go using her Fire element. Something that, by theory, was supposed to be weaker than Lightning.

He simply listened, his mind scattered, weighed down by questions and theories.

Serenith laughed between words, her face glowing with that endless, carefree energy she always seemed to carry.

"How did you develop that talent?" Atlas finally asked. "The one that lets you use your stamina as an alternative energy for Mana?"

What occupied Atlas’s thoughts was this idea: if Mana was fuel, then Serenith had somehow found a way to convert her stamina into it, allowing her to push her magical output far beyond what her normal reserves should permit.

"Because explosions are fun, my lord," she said with a bright smile. "The deafening blast, the rush of it all. I love it. I want to see the biggest explosion. That’s it. I didn’t know if it was possible... I just wanted it. And in chasing that feeling, I discovered a way to turn my stamina into something powerful. Something magical."

Atlas furrowed his brows at her explanation. It sounded so random. So simple. She found a way to break through... just because she wanted it badly enough?

Wanted it...?

And in that moment, Atlas remembered something Dullorak had once told him:

Magic is imagination.

Mana is only the raw material. But imagination - that’s the true fuel.

So then... if he could imagine something grand, something powerful. Something no one had done before. Then he could make it real?

Don’t let elemental affinity, mana capacity, or level become the walls that define you.

Even someone like Serenith, with a seemingly reckless nature, was capable of wielding explosive force many times beyond what her magic alone should allow. She simply paid for it with stamina, knowing full well the cost.

And yet, she smiled through it all.

It was well past midnight.

This wasn’t the first time Atlas had thrown himself fully into something like this. But this time, there was a sense of urgency pressing down on him. The monsters they would face soon carried enormous power, and he didn’t have the luxury of time.

So that night, he centered himself again.

He sat in silence, meditating, channeling his Earth element again and again, searching for something, anything, that could become a breakthrough.

In both hands, he held a stone. Simple, unremarkable rocks. He tossed them into the air repeatedly, over and over.

And then... something strange happened.

Every now and then, the stones seemed to hang in the air for just a moment longer. Was it just his imagination? Or had they really paused?

He closed his eyes and focused deeper, pouring his Mana and Earth element upward, into the space where the stones moved.

Atlas had so many elemental affinities. But in moments like this, it became painfully clear how little he had actually mastered. They were like trophies on a status screen. Impressive to list, but hollow without true understanding.

Earth is solid. Unyielding. Heavy...

But then, why could Dullorak wield it with such finesse? Why could he make it move so freely, with such control?

What was Atlas missing?

Improve... evolve... combine?

What if there was more to Earth than just its hardness? What if he could reach into its deeper aspects, the layers beneath?

Two hours passed. Then three. Then four.

Atlas kept at it. Trying, failing, imagining. Over and over again. Applying everything he had: Mana, focus, instinct... and imagination.

Then it happened.

In that moment, just like when he nearly triggered something in battle the day before. He felt it again. That presence, waiting just beneath the surface. A hint of something new. Something almost ready to emerge.

He remembered that moment of desperation when the monster had nearly torn him apart. He had tried to will the Earth to move, to shift with his thoughts. But it hadn’t been enough.

What if...

What if I’m not supposed to control the stones themselves... but something else entirely?

He lifted both hands again, tossing the two stones upward one more time.

And when he opened his eyes. They stayed there.

Suspended in mid-air.

And this time, he knew without question. He wasn’t imagining it.

All these elemental affinities... all this magic. At first glance, they seemed to follow a set of rules. Like nature, governed by laws and balance. How people channeled their mana, shaped elements, and triggered wondrous phenomena from thin air.

But Atlas had forgotten something important.

"This is Magic."

And magic, by its nature, was never meant to be bound completely by logic.

Once upon a time, no one would have believed someone could shape shadow into a physical form. Yet now, it was reality. Because this was magic, rooted not in limitation, but in imagination.

As long as his mind could stretch far enough, and as long as the elements themselves didn’t strictly reject his will, then it could be done.

He looked at the stones again.

The Island beneath my feet holds itself steady, floating through the sky... So why can’t I make these two small rocks do the same?

And just as that realization settled deep into his spirit... A notification appeared before him.

[You have demonstrated advanced resonance and manipulation with the Earth Element.]

[Through sustained exploration and intuitive control, you have uncovered a core aspect deeply entwined with Earth’s nature.]

[Affinity with Earth Element has increased to: High.]

[You have successfully awakened and unlocked one of the advanced branches of the Earth Element: Magnetic Earth (Low Affinity).]

Atlas stared at the glowing message.

He had done it. Not by following rules blindly. But by understanding, questioning, and believing in the possibility of something more.

A satisfied grin spread across Atlas’s face. He clenched the two stones in his hands once more, feeling the raw connection now pulsing within them.

Then, he sensed a presence approaching.

He stood, turning toward the familiar figure. Dullorak, who watched him with a soft, knowing smile and a calm nod.

"My lord," Dullorak said, "you’ve taken your first true step in uncovering the process behind elemental magics. Now, you’ve gained access to an advanced form of the Earth element. You’ve brought your Earth to stand alongside your Water and Lightning. The power is yours now... but how you choose to wield it. That remains in your hands."

Atlas tightened his grip, then threw both stones into the air.

But instead of flying off wildly, the stones slowed... and began orbiting around him in a smooth, controlled motion. Like two small moons circling his body.

He smirked.

"Now let’s see how incredible this Magnetic Earth really is," he said.