Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord-Chapter 391 - Abyssbound Mantle

[First Guardian Defeated.]

[Target: Morvhal, the Soul Devourer]

[A Void Guardian that used shadow to reinforce its physical body, amplifying speed and raw power far beyond normal limits.]

[Primary traits included soul consumption, terror projection, and psychological domination. By instilling fear and prolonged suffering, Morvhal weakened its opponents’ minds before devouring their souls piece by piece.]

[Status: Eliminated.]

Atlas remained still for a moment, forcing himself to steady his breathing. The shock lingered. Even after surviving it, the experience was deeply disturbing, something that clawed at the edges of his mind.

The system message hovering before him confirmed it.

He had truly killed the demon.

Yes. He had killed that damned demon with his own hands. And the result felt both strangely easy, and unbelievably difficult at the same time.

[Dark Essence Absorption Complete.]

[A high density Dark and Shadow essence has been integrated into your body.]

[Due to your naturally high affinity with Shadow attributes, the essence has been absorbed with exceptional compatibility.]

[Integration has been completed directly into your core.]

[New Legendary Grade Skill Unlocked.]

[Skill Name: Abyssbound Mantle]

Something began to happen.

The demon’s corpse started to fade, its body breaking apart into fragments of shadow before dissolving into the empty air. However, the shadow bandages that had once wrapped around the demon did not disappear.

Instead, the shadow energy trembled violently.

Then, in the next instant, those shadow bandages shot toward Atlas at extreme speed. They spun wildly around his body, circling him again and again like living darkness.

Atlas raised both of his hands, watching the shadows swirl around him in rapid motion.

He slowly tried to stand, still observing the unstable energy. Then, little by little, something began to form behind him.

A shape emerged.

The shadows stretched, stitched themselves together, and wove into a single form. What took shape was something like a tethered cape, made entirely of condensed shadow. It continued forming, flowing downward until it settled perfectly against Atlas’s shoulders and back.

A cape.

[Abyssbound Mantle (Legendary Grade)]

[A living shadow mantle bound directly to the user’s core. Greatly enhances movement speed, striking power, and overall combat efficiency. The mantle reacts instinctively to the user’s intent, reinforcing attacks and defenses as a unified whole.]

[The cape can shift its shape freely, spreading to protect specific body parts or condensing to amplify offensive strikes.]

[Direct hits empowered by the mantle inflict damage not only to the physical body, but also to the target’s core.]

[In certain conditions, it can tear directly at the enemy’s soul.]

Atlas looked over his shoulder, feeling the weight of the shadows resting there.

Just as Atlas had suspected.

At the start, the demon used shadow to cover its entire body. It gained terrifying speed and power from it, but with precise timing and correct parries, Atlas managed to block every single attack.

Once the demon realized that Atlas could keep up with its speed, it changed its approach. It focused the shadow entirely into its legs and hands. With that, its speed multiplied several times over, and its strikes became far more destructive.

Atlas still remembered the sensation vividly. The moment when his soul was being torn apart by the demon. It was not something easy to endure. It was terrifying, disturbing, and horrifying. Even combining every bad word imaginable still would not be enough to truly describe it.

Still... Atlas forced himself to remain as sane as possible. He pushed through the fear, waiting for even the smallest opening.

And in that split second, he found it.

He cut off the demon’s head with ease.

Because the head was not protected.

It was almost too easy. Because without the shadow protection, the demon itself was actually that fragile.

But... nice.

Atlas gained a new ability. And more than that, it was Legendary Grade.

This was insane. Seriously.

The first guardian, and he already obtained a Legendary Grade skill?

Was this not an absurdly high reward for the price he had paid to obtain this Void Core?

**

Atlas found himself back outside the Void, his consciousness fully returned. He stood there as usual, accompanied by Dullorak, Kurogasa, and Edrik, while he explained the new ability he had obtained from the Void Core.

Atlas activated the skill.

A shadow cape manifested behind him. Though it looked tattered, it resembled dark fabric woven from living shadow. Faint traces of shadow fire drifted across its surface, separating and regrouping like slow, breathing flames. The visual alone was breathtaking.

Atlas tested his control over the cape, guiding the shadow toward his arm.

His arm became completely shrouded in shadow.

He then combined the shadow with his spear. The moment he did, the weapon felt lighter in his hand, yet at the same time, it carried far more power than before. Every movement of the spear flowed more smoothly, sharper, deadlier.

Dullorak spoke after that.

"My lord, what you absorbed was Abyss essence of immense value. Its worth does not come solely from its Legendary grade. That alone already signifies something extraordinary. But more than that, the shadow you obtained is truly alive. It can continue to grow, depending on how many souls you absorb through it."

Atlas frowned at those words. "Are you saying this shadow can still evolve? Like... become something beyond Legendary?"

"Correct, my lord," Dullorak confirmed. "Even if it is not specified directly, skills can be trained. And because this is Legendary grade, it exists as a separate entity from abilities that are simply triggered through understanding alone. There is soul, there is core essence, and there is the abyss itself. The darkness you absorbed here is alive in the sense that it exists fully under your control."

"Alive?" Atlas repeated, pausing for a moment. "That does not sound... friendly."

After testing the skill for a while, Atlas noticed something else. Something strange had changed within him, yet he could not pinpoint exactly what it was.

The moment came when Edrik pulled out the mirror he often used to discreetly tidy his perfectly styled hair. He bowed slightly and angled it toward Atlas’s face.

Atlas froze.

"What...?"

He stared into the mirror, his eyes widening in shock.

For a brief moment, he was completely stunned by what he saw.