[Choose one of the available Ultimate Skills]
___
1. Absolute Command — Rank S
Issue an irrefutable order to allies or enemies. Success depends on Willpower vs target resistance.
2. Selfless Will — Rank S+
With allies: Share buffs, healing, and damage taken.
Alone: Sacrifice parts of your body to temporarily gain overwhelming strength.
3. Legion's Echo — Rank S
Summon spectral echoes of yourself or past allies to fight at reduced strength for a short duration.
4. Tactical Rewrite — Rank S+
Rewrite the battlefield once per day, changing terrain, enemy positions, or ally states to your favor.
5. Undying Resolve — Rank S
When HP reaches 0, remain standing for 30 seconds with boosted stats. Cooldown: once per battle.
___
Back when I played Atlas Online, I always picked [Undying Resolve].
It was a passive skill—simple, reliable, and practically made for solo play. A perfect insurance policy when things went wrong.
But I wasn't in a game anymore.
Looking at my current situation… [Undying Resolve] wouldn't cut it. Not this time.
My eyes lingered on [Selfless Will]. An S+ skill. Flexible. Dangerous. And—more importantly—something I could actually use even without a team.
The choice was obvious.
"I'll take [Selfless Will]."
The moment I tapped the prompt, the system flickered.
[Sending the Player…]
The world around me unraveled. The ruined temple, the broken walls, even the monster's corpse dissolved into shadow.
Darkness swallowed everything.
I blinked, and suddenly I was standing on a vast, endless expanse of water. Its surface rippled gently with each step I took, but it carried my weight as if it were solid stone.
The strangest part? My shoes stayed perfectly dry.
A shiver crawled up my spine. "Weird… I've never seen anything like this before."
Suddenly, a faint glow flickered in the distance.
It drew closer—slow, steady—like some ghostly ember drifting across the endless dark.
My throat tightened. "What is it this time…?"
Fear rooted itself deep in me, so bad my legs shook like loose gears. If anyone saw me right now, they'd think I was some cheap, broken-down machine.
But the light wasn't a monster.
It was just… a lantern.
It floated to a stop right in front of me, its warm glow spilling across the water-like ground.
A small voice seemed to hum from within.
"Do you want me to grab you?"
I hesitated, then wrapped my hand around the handle.
The moment I touched it—
[Follow The Light Thread!]
A beam of radiant string shot out of the lantern, stretching far into the horizon—farther than my eyes could reach.
I sighed. "So I don't have a choice, huh?"
And so, I walked.
Step after step, ripple after ripple. The glowing thread stretched endlessly ahead, never seeming to shrink no matter how far I went.
Still, I kept walking.
Because in this place, what else could I do?
◇
"How long have I been walking…?"
In all of Atlas Online, there was no place like this. The closest thing might've been the Corrupted Earth, but even that didn't feel half as empty or endless as this dark void.
The thread of light still stretched far, straight into the horizon, with no sign of it shortening.
I sighed. "Fine… let's just walk a little more."
◈ A few hours later ◈
"Just a little more…"
◈ A few days later ◈
"Just a few more…"
◈ A month later ◈
"Okay, what the actual fuck is happening?"
I finally stopped and dropped down onto the strange water-like ground. For an entire month I've been walking—nonstop—without food, without water, without sleep.
And yet… my body felt fine. No hunger, no fatigue. In fact, I felt sharper, stronger—like I was at the peak of my prime.
I rubbed my face and muttered, "Is this what they call a time chamber?"
Suddenly, a prompt appeared before me.
[You have fulfilled the condition]
___
• Walk continuously for a month while staying sane: ✓
• Follow the thread without question: ✓
Description:
"You have impressed me with thou determination." — The One Who Devours Fate
___
The dark terrain around me shattered like glass, fragments of shadow scattering into nothingness. In its place, a towering white pillar erupted from the ground, stretching high above, reshaping itself into the structure of a vast, surreal museum.
And at the very center of this endless hall sat a figure.
He wore a pristine tuxedo, a glass of red wine swirling lazily in his gloved hand. Yet, where a head should've been, there was only a perfectly smooth, floating black sphere.
The figure raised his glass in greeting. His voice was calm, regal, and unsettling.
"Welcome, thou art, to the Hall of Fame."
I straightened myself, trying to sound as polite as humanly possible.
"May I ask your name, kind sir?"
The being's voice resonated, low and commanding.
"I am he that doth devour Fate itself — Barbatos."
My eyes widened at the declaration. Not because I recognized it—but because I didn't. I had never heard the name before in my life. Still, I forced myself to act surprised, masking my ignorance.
"What a great honor it is to meet such a high being. I am truly thankful. But… may I ask why I have been summoned here?"
Barbatos tilted his wine glass upward, and in one impossibly smooth motion, the liquid transformed into parchment. A single flick of his fingers sent the paper drifting gently toward me.
"Fear Not, for we tarry within thy mental realm,
where time itself doth halt, unmoving." he said, his faceless head inclining slightly. "Take thee this, and read."
I caught the paper. Letters burned into its surface, forming before my eyes.
___
[Contract of Selfless Will]
By choosing Selfless Will, you agree to form a pact with Barbatos, The One Who Devours Fate.
Terms:
• When you sacrifice a body part, it will be claimed by Barbatos.
• In return, Barbatos grants you power equal to the worth of what you give.
◊ With allies: your will shields them, sharing their burden.
◊ Alone: your body is the offering, your strength the reward.
~~~~~
Warning:
The pact is absolute. Once sacrificed, nothing returns.
Break the contract, and your fate is forfeit to Barbatos.
[Accept] [Reject]
___
Barbatos leaned back, folding one leg over the other. His voice was calm, almost casual, but every word carried weight.
"Whate'er limb or part thou dost surrender,
shall be borne unto me and in return, I shall bestow thee strength."
I asked myself quietly.
What choice do I even have?
"I accept your offer."
Barbatos raised his pale hand, expectant. A handshake. I grasped it firmly, answering his gesture.
His faceless orb tilted ever so slightly, as though smiling.
"Then awake, child. Thy fate begins anew."
◇◇◇
My eyes shot open—only to be met with a stabbing pain behind them. A torrent of information flooded my mind like a bursting dam.
"So this… is what characters feel when they unlock a new skill?" I muttered, clutching my head.
In an instant, knowledge of every possible way to wield Selfless Will imprinted itself into me. It wasn't just theory—it was like the game's skill tutorial hardwired into my brain.
A slow grin spread across my face.
"Now… with this skill, I can kill those monsters."
I pushed myself up from the cold ground, each step toward the temple heavier, steadier—carrying a plan born not of fear, but resolve.
To be continued...