Chapter 260: Chapter 260 - Bloodrush Tempest
To improve the efficiency of every skill he possessed, Atlas had to do far more than just activate them on command. He needed to truly understand how a skill formed. How mana particles cycled, gathered, and transformed into the ability that produced its effect. This was far from anything he had done before.
Understanding the process wasn’t enough. He had to feel it, sense every shift within his body, until he could consciously control and optimize it.
Take his Epic Bloodrush skill, for example. An ability he had gained through his Blood Contract with Morganna, directly tied to blood and vampiric energy.
[Epic – Bloodrush (Active) Lv. 9]
[Channels vampiric energy into muscles, granting a surge of speed and agility. Allows the user to move with supernatural precision, darting through enemies with explosive force.]
Every time Atlas used it, he felt a torrent of energy flood his bloodstream. His senses sharpened, his stamina spiked, his limbs grew explosively stronger.
Unlike spells that manifested outside the body, like a fireball or lightning bolt, Bloodrush worked entirely within. Mana was drawn from his core, infused directly into his blood and muscles, igniting them with vampiric power. The skill temporarily reshaped his physiology: mana flowing into the circulatory system, fueling muscle fibers, sharpening reflexes, even heightening perception.
But because it was internal, the strain was brutal. Repeated use quickly drained both mana and stamina. During Dullorak’s training, spamming Bloodrush had left him vomiting and collapsing, his body pushed beyond its limits. There were no visible injuries, but the internal stress on his core, nerves, and blood was immense.
By the second week of training, Atlas had already improved. He could now track the entire process of the skill, following every stage from mana flow to physical transformation.
That was when Dullorak introduced the next layer.
"To improve mana efficiency," the old man explained, "we need refinement."
"Instead of dumping mana all at once, pulse it in short bursts, matched to muscle groups, legs for sprinting, arms for striking. This cuts waste."
"Sync your breath to the mana flow. Inhale to draw mana in, exhale to release it into your bloodstream. This stabilizes the flow and prevents overdraw."
"Fuse Bloodrush with your Water and Lightning affinities. Water smooths circulation, reducing strain. Lightning sharpens nerve responses, boosting reflex speed."
"Don’t spend everything on raw speed," he continued. "Split your output. Seventy percent into muscles, thirty percent into nerves. That balance prevents your body from outrunning your own reflexes."
"And don’t spam Bloodrush back-to-back. Use it with rhythm, short burst, recovery, short burst. Like martial footwork. This way, your stamina stays stable."
At the advanced level, there was even Partial Activation. Instead of buffing his whole body, Atlas could focus Bloodrush into just his legs for a sprint, or only his arms for a devastating strike.
**
By the third week, doubt began creeping into Atlas’s mind. Was this too slow? He had hoped to achieve high affinity with all of his basic elements by now, yet he was still stuck wrestling with Bloodrush.
But Dullorak reassured him. The first step was always the hardest and longest. Once mastered, everything afterward would accelerate. And compared to most, Atlas was already grasping the fundamentals far faster.
Training shifted to combat practice against the Sentinel Training Mannequin. Atlas went bare-chested, fists clenched, testing his body in its rawest form.
Punches, kicks, flips, blocks. His movements echoed across the volcanic arena. Kurogasa and Dullorak stood nearby, watching his progress closely.
This time, Atlas tried something new. Instead of instantly activating the skill, he deliberately guided mana through his body, mimicking the process of Bloodrush without fully triggering it. It was slow, clumsy, and often ended in failure. But each success, even brief, carried weight.
Once, his attempt only lasted a heartbeat, but in that instant, he boosted the speed in his legs. The android lunged for a kick, but Atlas blurred forward, his body moving too quickly for the machine to land the strike. Another time, he pulsed mana into his arms at the exact moment of impact. His fist slammed into the android’s head, a clean hit that rocked its frame.
A crackling burst of lightning erupted with the strike, sparks dancing across the metal.
Atlas realized then, he wasn’t only channeling Bloodrush. He had woven his lightning affinity into the process, amplifying the effect and sharpening his speed beyond what Blood alone could offer.
He punched, dashed, dodged, and kicked with explosive force. His control grew tighter, more precise. Piece by piece, Atlas was learning to partially activate Bloodrush across individual parts of his body, and even integrate lightning to push his physical limits to new heights.
**
And then... on the twentieth day, it finally happened. Atlas drove his fist straight into the android’s face, the impact launching the machine across the arena with a metallic crash. The recoil sent Atlas tumbling backward as well, his chest heaving, his body trembling from exhaustion.
He had done it.
At that moment, a familiar glow spread before his eyes. A System message appeared.
[Congratulations! Through relentless training and refinement, you have mastered the inner cycle of mana.]
[Epic Skill [Bloodrush] has evolved!]
[Bloodrush Tempest – Unique]
[The refined evolution of Bloodrush. Mana now flows in perfect sync with the heartbeat, fusing vampiric essence with storm-charged energy. Each surge ignites the body in crimson lightning, turning every step into a storm and every strike into a thunderclap.]
[Greatly increases movement and attack speed for a short duration.]
[Each dash or strike releases storm-charged blood lightning, damaging and slowing nearby enemies.]
[Can be channeled into specific body parts (legs, arms, or senses) to conserve mana and stamina.]
[Landing a killing blow during the effect restores a portion of stamina.]
[Your growing mastery of Lightning has refined your elemental understanding.]
[Affinity with Fire has increased to Medium.]
[Affinity with Air has increased to Medium.]
[As Lightning is born from Fire and Air, your improved synergy grants smoother elemental convergence and greater versatility in storm-based combat.]
Atlas closed his eyes for a brief moment, letting the weight of accomplishment sink in. Bloodrush Tempest. The name echoed in his mind. Should he work on Lightning Step next? The similarities were obvious, but for now... he was simply relieved. Finally, his effort had paid off.
To add to the victory, his affinity with Fire and Air had also risen to Medium.
After some time, he sat back down on the scorched field. Dullorak and Kurogasa soon joined him.
Dullorak spoke with his usual composed tone.
"My lord, working on internal skills such as Bloodrush is indeed easier compared to external spells. But this serves as your foundation. From here, we will move forward, one skill at a time. We will refine them, improve them, and when the time is right, evolve them. Along the way, each step will also raise your affinity with the elements themselves."
The System displayed his updated status:
[Basic Common – Water (High)]
[Basic Common – Earth (Low)]
[Basic Common – Fire (Medium)]
[Basic Common – Air (Medium)]
[Basic Special – Dark (High)]
[Advanced – Shadow (High)]
[Advanced – Blood (Low)]
[Composite – Lightning (Low)]
"As I said before, your Water is already at High, so there’s little need to focus further for now. Fire and Air have finally advanced as well, which is a great achievement." Dullorak nodded with satisfaction. "But chasing High affinity immediately would be too heavy a burden. Next, we will push Earth upward, while continuing to refine your Lightning until it reaches Medium. This balance will serve you well."
Dullorak continued, his voice calm as ever. "As for Blood, we need not worry. That affinity will rise naturally." He offered a faint smile before adding, "But Earth... we lack an effective skill for you to train with. Perhaps it’s time you opened your skill inventory."
Kurogasa glanced toward Atlas. "Edrik has an Earth-element skill scroll from one of the hunts. We could put it to use for you, my lord."
And then... just as their conversation carried on, another presence appeared near them. Atlas turned his head, and there stood Edrik. The man bowed low, his expression calm, yet his lips curved into a smile... a smile far too warm for someone like him.
"My lord, I believe the time has come," Edrik said, voice steady.
Atlas’s chest tightened. "Are you saying..." His words trembled.
"Yes... Morganna."
Before Edrik could finish, Atlas shot to his feet, his hand already raised. With no hesitation, he activated the teleportation portal, the air crackling as the gateway tore itself open.