Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

Atlas’s frozen figure moved.

His hands, which had been hovering in front of him as if he had stopped while being shocked, slowly moved toward the scythe without Atlas deciding it himself. The horizontally hovering scythe shifted in the air, and its long black handle came into his grip. The moment Atlas’s fingers closed around the handle, all the blinding light inside the hut erupted outward at once.

BOOOM!

An ear-deafening blast tore out from the hut and spread into the surrounding forest. The ground around the hut shook, the mountain base trembled slightly, and everything within a hundred meters was affected. Trees bent violently, roots tore from the earth, loose stones flew away, and the air became filled with dust and broken leaves. The hut itself did not collapse, but cracks spread across the floor and walls as the light pushed outward like a wave.

Veloran was already gone from there.

The moment he saw Atlas move toward the scythe, he had neutralized his Essence Forging Threads and drawn them back. He did not wait for the reaction to happen while standing in the same place because he knew what came after the wielder touched an Essence Forged weapon.

The weapon always reacted to a certain extent when the bond became complete. Sometimes it was only a small burst of light. Sometimes it was a wave of pressure and Sometimes the weapon released a hum, a cry, or a pulse that proved the weapon had accepted its owner.

Veloran had seen many such reactions before. He had even seen the reactions of two Legendary weapons he had made for two major figures in this world. Those reactions had been far larger than ordinary weapons. One had affected the sky above the mountain range for several minutes, and another had spread so much that the Angelic Queen herself had arrived here to check what had happened.

So, after seeing that Atlas’s scythe had surpassed Legendary, Veloran had no reason to stay close and act careless.

That was why he vanished from his position and reappeared two kilometers away.

He was not running away because he thought the blast would kill him. He simply wanted to measure the reaction range. If the reaction spread even to where he stood, he would move farther away. If it reached the city, he would have to deal with the trouble that followed. If it reached the Queen’s senses again, the matter would become annoying again.

As Veloran appeared above a tall tree branch two kilometers away from the hut, he looked toward the direction of his home and watched the reaction carefully.

But to his surprise, it was small.

Yes... Small.

The blast spread only around a hundred meters from the hut.

The whole continent did not react. The sky did not change. The mountain range did not tremble beyond the nearby area. There was no wide pressure spreading toward distant cities, and nothing that would force the Angelic Queen to appear personally. For a weapon that had gone one rank above Legendary, this result was strange.

Veloran frowned as he looked at the fading glow.

’How could this be? That scythe was clearly one rank above Legendary, so why is the reaction as small as a Rare-rank weapon’s reaction?’

That did not make sense to him. The forging process had already shown the truth. The scythe’s Essence was unimaginable, Its evolution had been abnormal. The materials it accepted were not ordinary materials either. The weapon had used the Dragon Emperor’s scale, the Angelic Queen’s Elixir of Light, and the World Tree’s root to form its vessel. A weak reaction after all of that was not normal.

Veloran did not think the weapon was weak.

That possibility was impossible.

So there had to be another reason.

Either the scythe had suppressed its own reaction, or the connection between Atlas and the weapon was not the same as ordinary Essence Forging. If the weapon did not need to announce its birth outward, then it might have kept the reaction close to its owner only. But that was also strange because most new weapons released their reaction naturally before calming down.

After the blast slowly faded, Veloran vanished again and reappeared inside the hut, at the same position where he had been before.

The inside of the hut had been damaged, but not destroyed. Some furniture had been pushed aside. A few shelves had cracked. The floor had marks from the pressure wave, and dust was still moving in the air. But the hut itself remained standing because almost everything inside had Spirit hidden in its structure. Even the simple-looking walls and floor were not as ordinary as they seemed.

Veloran looked forward and saw Atlas standing there.

Atlas was holding the scythe.

His eyes were fixed on the weapon with surprise and curiosity, and he seemed so focused on it that he had not even sensed Veloran returning. Veloran had intentionally made his presence stand out slightly after appearing again, but Atlas’s mind was completely on the scythe in his hand.

Atlas gripped the long, sleek black handle and slowly scanned the weapon from bottom to top.

The handle was completely black with a slight green hue hidden deep inside it. It did not look like normal wood, and it did not look like normal metal either. Instead, it felt like both had somehow become a single material. Faint green lines ran through the handle like thin veins or roots, but they were not bright enough to look decorative. They looked quiet, controlled, and alive in a strange way.

The handle itself was very long.

It was taller than Atlas.

Even taller than Veloran.

A weapon like this was not made for small movements or short exchanges. It was made for reach, wide sweeps, distance control, and attacks that could cut across a large space. Atlas could tell that just by holding it. The weight felt strange too, It was long enough that it should have been awkward, but in his hand it did not feel that much weight, it was s

Then his gaze moved toward the blade.

The blade was pure black.

Long and curved.

Thin at the edge.

Its edge looked so sharp that Atlas felt touching it carelessly would cut his skin before he even realized it. A faint purple-black hue moved along the surface when the light touched it, but the main color remained pure black. The curve of the blade was clean and long, not crude, not bulky, and not like a farmer’s tool. It looked like a scythe made only for battle.

PICTURE

As Atlas held it, the weapon gave a low hum in his grip.

It felt as if the scythe had finally met him properly after taking physical form.

Atlas narrowed his eyes at that feeling.

’Hmm... so my weapon is a scythe?’

His fingers tightened slightly around the handle.

’And it seems to resonate with me... what is this feeling?’

The feeling was familiar but also different from the Codex. It reacted, drank blood, opened pages, and showed things he didn’t even know. The scythe did not feel like that. It felt connected, but more silent. It felt like it was waiting for his grip, his movement, his Spirit, and maybe his understanding.

As Atlas remained focused on the scythe’s structure and the strange feeling moving in his chest, Veloran finally broke the silence.

”Do you like it, boy?”

Atlas turned his eyes toward him.

Veloran’s gaze remained on the scythe for a moment before he spoke again.

”It is the most powerful weapon I have ever made and seen in my entire life.”

Atlas’s eyebrow twitched slightly in confusion.

”How so?”

Veloran looked at him for a moment as if he did not know whether to laugh or sigh.

’Can’t he hear its Essence Resonance? Most wielders can hear it within mere seconds after completion.’

Veloran studied Atlas again. The boy was clearly the owner. The scythe had accepted him directly. The weapon had reacted to his blood and soul, and it allowed itself to be held without resistance. But Atlas did not seem to properly understand the weapon’s rank, Essence, or resonance.

Veloran spoke after a moment.

”Before I explain, tell me one thing. What is your name, and where are you from?”

Atlas answered through his mask without changing his expression.

”It’s Atlas... Atlas Crosswood. From the Human Continent’s Ormolio City.”

Veloran arched an eyebrow for a moment.

A thought came to him, but he quickly pushed it away.

There were many humans named Atlas, and surnames could be real or fake depending on the person’s situation. That was not the main matter right now. The main matter was the scythe in Atlas’s hand and the fact that its reaction had not matched its level.

Veloran sighed and spoke.

”This weapon is one grade above Legendary.”

Atlas became still.

Veloran continued before Atlas could ask anything.

”And before you misunderstand, it is not because I made it above Legendary like some graceful craftsman or something. I guided the process, yes, but the one that pushed it above Legendary was your own soul and blood. The Essence came from your bond with the Whirlstone. I only controlled the process so it would not collapse.”

Veloran looked at the scythe again.

”As for the name of that grade, even I do not know it.”

For the first time since coming to this place at the bottom of the mountain, Atlas’s eyes widened.

’One... one grade above Legendary?’

He had known the Whirlstone was valuable. He had known Nors Solace had called it an Epic-rank catalyst. He had also known that a good craftsman could possibly make a Legendary weapon from it. But one grade above Legendary was not something he had expected. Atlas did not even know what that rank meant, and Veloran himself had said he did not know the grade’s name.

Before Atlas’s shock could settle properly, Veloran spoke again.

”Now, you are the sole wielder of this weapon. No one except you can touch or use it properly. That is how an Essence weapon works. It refuses to obey someone else and Cultivation rank does not matter in this aspect.”

Atlas lifted his eyes toward Veloran.

He stared at him for a few moments while processing the situation.

Then another thought came to his mind.

’The way Veloran spoke, it seems like this is the first weapon he made that is above Legendary. He might demand something, and that price will be quite high.’

Atlas did not show much outside, but his mind already prepared for that possibility. If Veloran asked for something impossible, the situation could become troublesome. The Spirit Contract with Seraphiel covered Rosaria Household, not Veloran himself. Atlas did not know how this craftsman would act after making something this valuable.

Veloran also stared at him for a few moments.

Then he laughed as if he had guessed what Atlas was thinking.

”Hahaha, don’t worry. I am not going to ask for any price.”

Atlas looked at him quietly.

Veloran continued.

”That Rosaria girl’s father already paid the price with the favor I owed him, so it is settled. And as a craftsman, what more could I ask for if not making the greatest weapon that surpasses all the ones I made before?”

Atlas did not argue.

He simply nodded.

”...Thank you.”

Veloran nodded back.

”Now, it is time for you to know something. The Essence Forging method makes every weapon have a resonance with its wielder. Through that resonance, the wielder learns about the weapon’s abilities. Do you not feel that resonance?”

Atlas looked back at the scythe.

Then he nodded slowly.

”...I can feel something, but I don’t know if it is what you said.”

Veloran became confused this time.

”Hmm? What do you mean?”

Atlas answered without hesitation.

”I can feel the resonance, but I am not sure about knowing its abilities.”

Veloran went silent for a moment.

Then he thought about the scythe’s unknown rank and nodded to himself.

”Hmm... it might take you some time then. This weapon is one rank above Legendary, so anything about it is unknown. Maybe with time your resonance will grow stronger, and then you will be able to communicate with it properly. After that, you should learn its abilities.”

Atlas nodded after listening.

Then he slightly bowed his head.

”Thank you... umm, Craftsman Veloran? Should I call you that?”

”Hahahahah! You can just call me Veloran, boy.”

Veloran laughed as he spoke.

Atlas nodded.

”Yes, Veloran then. I would like to excuse myself now, Lady Seraphiel Rosaria and I had an agreement, so I have to go and fulfill that.”

Veloran nodded.

”Well, goodbye for now then, Atlas. We will meet again if that Rosaria child comes here, I suppose.”

Atlas did not say anything else.

He turned with the long black scythe in his hand and walked out of the hut with quiet steps.

His weapon had been made.

Now his next goal was clear.

The Abyss-Rank Ruin.