Chapter 337: Replaced

Atlas sat in a lotus position with his eyes closed, preparing himself for the breakthrough he had been planning, ’Break the Core...’

His mind returned to the explanation Eliomor had given everyone earlier, recalling the detailed steps required to complete the process successfully. He needed to break his Astral Core, transform his Astral Domain, and complete the other necessary changes before he could advance to the next rank.

Although he remembered the explanation clearly, the actual process was something he would have to experience himself, ’I need to try and forcefully solidify the Core even further, making it break down on its own.’

With that thought, Atlas began the process by compressing his already solidified Astral Core. He continued applying pressure to it, attempting to force its structure into a state where it could no longer maintain its stability.

However, the moment he began compressing it, something deep inside him suddenly stirred, drawing his attention away from the Core.

It was something he recognized very well.

The same black swirl of Null that had existed inside his abdomen for so long had suddenly begun reacting in an unusual manner. Its position was precisely where his Astral Core was located, and Atlas immediately frowned as he sensed the strange change occurring within it. Before he could understand what the swirl was doing, a sharp cracking sound suddenly echoed inside his body.

CRACK!

His Astral Core had cracked.

Atlas wasn’t even trying to solidify it any further when the first fracture appeared across its surface, leaving him momentarily confused by the sudden development.

’What?’ Before he could understand what had happened, he felt an unfamiliar pulling force originating from within his abdomen. The sensation came from the black swirl, which had begun drawing the broken pieces of his Astral Core toward itself.

’It’s pulling the broken Core?!’

Shock spread through Atlas’s entire being as he immediately tried to stop the process. He forced his will against the pulling force, attempting to prevent the Core from entering the swirl, while simultaneously trying to make the swirl itself stop moving. However, neither attempt produced any result, and the broken Core continued moving toward the black swirl regardless of his resistance.

’WHAT?!’

His eyes snapped open as he looked toward his abdomen, unable to believe what was happening inside his own body. He immediately used Metadata Axiom to alter the logic governing the Core’s movement into the black swirl, then attempted to use Event Absorption to absorb the entire event of his Astral Core breaking apart.

Yet both abilities failed to produce the result he wanted, as the Core continued moving toward the swirl as though his abilities meant nothing against the phenomenon taking place, ’What in the hell is even going on?! At this rate, the Core is going to disappear, and my breakthrough will fai—!’

Before Atlas could finish the thought, the entire Astral Core was swallowed by the black swirl. In an instant, he felt as though every trace of Aether energy within his body had disappeared, leaving him completely empty.

His eyes widened further as an unfamiliar numbness spread through his mind, body, and soul, gradually affecting even his ability to think, ’Fu...ck.’

His pupils became indistinguishable from his white irises as his eyes remained open, while his body continued floating in the same lotus position. From the outside, nothing appeared to have changed, and his physical form remained completely motionless in the empty space.

However, inside his body, Atlas’s consciousness had disappeared, seemingly pulled into the black swirl along with everything else.

. . .

A long, incredibly long moment passed as Atlas found himself submerged in what felt like an endless ocean of water. His senses and thoughts had completely stopped functioning, leaving him unable to understand what was happening or even determine which direction he was moving. He continued sinking deeper into the ocean, while his awareness gradually weakened until even the sensation of drowning began to fade away.

However, just as that final sensation was about to disappear, Atlas’s consciousness suddenly snapped awake.

The moment he regained awareness, he found himself in a completely dark place with no visible end and not even the slightest trace of light. ’Where am I?’ His thoughts began moving again as he looked down at his own hands and legs, discovering that he was currently in his soul form.

Yet something about this place felt different from the deepest part of his own existence, making him realize that he wasn’t simply inside his usual inner consciousness.

’Where in the world am I?’

Atlas began looking around, attempting to understand his surroundings, when small and gentle waves of Aether energy washed over his soul form. He immediately noticed the energy flowing through this darkness, leaving him confused about how such a thing was possible in a place that appeared to contain absolutely nothing.

’???’ Questions formed in his mind, but he couldn’t find any explanation for what he was experiencing.

Nevertheless, he continued examining the darkness until he finally turned around. At that moment, Atlas noticed a tiny light emerging from somewhere far away, blinking in and out as though it were about to disappear completely.

Since there was nothing else around him that he could investigate, he instinctively began walking toward it, hoping to discover what was producing that faint light.

He continued walking for what felt like a considerable amount of time before finally reaching the source. As he approached, his gaze lowered, and he discovered that the light was coming from a tiny plant surrounded by a small amount of sand and mud.

Atlas stopped in front of it and examined the plant carefully, unable to understand how something like this could exist in the middle of such complete darkness, ’What’s this?’

He couldn’t figure out where the plant was obtaining the environment necessary for its growth. According to ordinary logic, there shouldn’t have been any plants or trees in a place like this, especially when there was no visible source of sunlight or other environmental conditions. Yet the tiny plant remained in front of him, producing a faint light while its five small leaves barely moved.

Atlas crouched down slightly and narrowed his eyes as he continued observing it. After sensing the Aether energy flowing through the darkness, he finally considered a possibility. ’Is it taking Aether energy as its nutrition?’ His right hand slowly moved toward the plant, and he carefully touched one of its five small leaves.

The moment his finger made contact with it, an electric shock suddenly spread throughout his entire soul form.

"Khug!"

Atlas immediately pulled his hand backward and stepped away from the plant, his expression changing as he tried to understand what had just happened.

’What even is this plant?’ He stared at it cautiously, but before he could investigate further, he noticed something unusual about its appearance. His eyes narrowed to a slit as he realized that the plant had grown slightly, with its five leaves extending outward just a little farther than before.

’Huh? The plant grew?’

Atlas continued staring at the tiny plant, trying to determine whether his touch had caused the change or whether something else had happened. However, before he could reach any conclusion, he suddenly felt his consciousness being pulled away from the darkness. The force also began dragging his soul form along with it, leaving him unable to remain in that place despite his attempts to resist.

’What’s happening again?! Damn it!’

Although Atlas cursed inwardly, he couldn’t do anything to stop the process. Every attempt to resist the pulling force failed, and his surroundings began disappearing as his consciousness was dragged away from the tiny plant. A moment later, he felt himself returning to his physical body, and his awareness finally settled back into its familiar surroundings.

His pupils returned to normal as he opened his eyes and began panting. "What even was that? Damn it, so many questions, and more questions keep appearing whenever something happens inside me or the Codex!"

Atlas was genuinely irritated by the entire situation, every time it felt like all his questions were meeting an Invisible wall that couldn’t answer him. He had intended to complete a breakthrough, yet the process had turned into another mystery involving the black swirl inside his body.

Still, he forced himself to calm down, knowing that allowing his irritation to grow would only give him an even greater headache. He shifted his attention toward his abdomen and carefully examined his internal condition, confirming that his Astral Core was indeed gone. However, the moment he understood what had happened to it, his eyes widened in disbelief.

’Huh?’

The broken Astral Core had been replaced by the black swirl itself.

Atlas stared at the strange phenomenon as the swirl continued rotating inside his abdomen, drawing in the remaining Aether energy from the separate space he had created.