Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord-Chapter 30 - Ranks Beyond Reach

Atlas had plans to visit the Awakener Association Center, a central hub for information, dungeons, marketplace listings, auctions, and available mercenary awakeners. Conveniently, it was right next to the Guild Center.

He also intended to hold one-on-one talks with his subordinates, beginning with Karian. That’s why, this time, he invited him to join.

Just as they were about to leave, a voice called his name. Lyrassa approached.

"My Lord... may I join you both?" she asked politely.

"Of course. Walk with us," Atlas replied. "But you can walk faster, can’t you?"

She looked surprised. "Uhm... yes, My Lord. I can."

Atlas stepped out, with Karian walking at his left side. Lyrassa slipped in on his right. And to his surprise, she kept up with a remarkable pace.

But something felt... off.

He slowed, prompting both Karian and Lyrassa to halt. Lyrassa tilted her head at him, a puzzled look on her face.

Atlas glanced down, and there it was. She wasn’t walking at all.

She was hovering just a few inches above the ground. The slight lift made her look a little taller, but definitely more noticeable.

That would be far more suspicious than simply walking slowly.

"Can you manage that speed while actually walking?" he asked, raising a brow.

Lyrassa smiled. "Yes, My Lord, I can."

They continued walking, with Atlas easing his pace into something more leisurely, allowing them to talk as they went.

"Tell me, Lyrassa... would it be alright if I asked about your past? I mean, before you were summoned by me?"

"Of course, My Lord. I don’t mind at all," she answered in her soft, melodic voice. "I’ll do my best to answer any question you ask."

"I want to understand you both better," Atlas went on. "I know you’ve faced trials similar to the ones I’m up against now. This whole thing is new to me, and I feel like there’s a lot I could learn from your experiences."

Lyrassa nodded thoughtfully. "I once had a floating island too, much like ours... and I protected it for... five hundred years."

Atlas blinked, taken aback. As they stepped into the elevator, he shot her a stunned glance.

"Five hundred years?"

"I was a Rank 7, Champion, before tragedy struck my island."

"Champion?!" Atlas echoed.

He remembered Edrik’s theory that Morganna might have once been at least an Overlord, Rank 8, in her previous world. If the System had classified Morganna as an Exclusive Rank-S Character, while Lyrassa was listed as a Standard Rank-S, then Edrik’s speculation might very well be accurate.

"Protecting a floating island and fighting through hundreds of battles for five whole centuries," Atlas repeated, still trying to comprehend the scale of what this Nature Spirit had endured.

"The people I was meant to protect... they didn’t make it," Lyrassa said softly.

"Did you fall to another Lord, Lyrassa?" Atlas asked gently.

She shook her head. "I defended my island against every Lord that came for it. I even expanded it using the rewards the System granted me," she said quietly. "But then... an Arcane-grade Beast attacked."

"Arcane-grade?!" Karian cut in, clearly startled.

Lyrassa gave a slow, solemn nod.

"Wait, an Arcane-grade beast?" Atlas echoed, visibly taken aback. "So far, on New Earth, the strongest we’ve run into are Legendary-grade beasts. Common, Rare, Elite, Epic, Unique, and then Legendary."

He paused, the pieces starting to fall into place. "Legendary’s been the highest we’ve seen. There’s one more grade above that, Mythic. But that’s just theoretical. No one’s actually encountered one here."

He added, almost in disbelief, "But Arcane-grade?"

Karian stepped in. "Arcane-grade is actually ranked above Mythic."

Atlas stopped walking, letting the weight of that information settle. "An Arcane-grade beast attacked your island... and that’s how you lost it?"

"Yes, My Lord," Lyrassa confirmed.

Atlas tried to imagine the sheer power such a creature must have possessed, enough to bring down someone like Lyrassa.

"The strongest beast I’ve ever faced was Mythic-grade," Karian added. "Even then, nearly half of my army didn’t survive."

"Did you win, though?" Atlas asked.

Karian gave a faint nod. "With all the sacrifices made... I suppose it was both a victory and a loss."

Atlas exhaled slowly, thoughtful. "What rank were you before being summoned here, Karian?"

"I held Rank 6, Marshal. Just one tier below Lyrassa."

"And Edrik?"

"Edrik was a Rank 5 Guardian," Karian replied. "Mira was Rank 3 Pathfinder."

Atlas swallowed hard. Their world, their histories... their experience was massive compared to his own barely-begun journey.

Arcane-grade monsters? Seriously?

And their ranks?

Morganna: at least Rank 8, Overlord.

Lyrassa: Rank 7, Champion.

Karian: Rank 6, Marshal.

Edrik: Rank 5, Guardian.

Mira: Rank 3, Pathfinder.

Atlas nodded slowly, piecing together everything he’d learned so far. From the sound of it, Standard Rank-S characters probably held positions around Champion level.

Rank-A characters, then, likely ranged between Rank 3 and Rank 6. As for Exclusive Rank-S characters like Morganna... she could be at least Overlord, maybe even beyond that.

He still didn’t fully understand the gap in power between each rank, but one thing had become painfully clear: on New Earth, Lords only reached as high as Rank 6, Marshal, which had been Karian’s rank before his summoning.

Right now, that meant Karian’s former strength placed him at the absolute peak of what this world had to offer. And yet Lyrassa, and Morganna, especially, were from a realm of power that surpassed even that. They stood beyond the ceiling of New Earth’s current system.

Atlas exhaled deeply. The scale of it all was staggering. And beyond this world... How many others were out there?

These subordinates of his, they had the wisdom, the experience, the battle-hardened instincts of veterans. Even if they’d lost some portion of their former power, they’d once stood on heights he could barely fathom.

It made him wonder just how desperate their circumstances must have been. Defeated, torn from their homes, stripped of everything they once were, and summoned by a fledgling Lord like him.

But maybe... This was also their second chance.

"If someday we could visit your original worlds," Atlas asked, "do you think there’s a chance you could meet someone you once knew there? Or even... find justice for what you lost?"

Karian thought for a moment. "This world is still far from having that kind of reach. But anything is possible. So... yes."

"The Arcane-grade beast that destroyed my people," Lyrassa murmured, "it won’t stop with just my world. It will bring ruin to any world it touches."

Atlas’s expression hardened. "If beasts like that ever reached New Earth before the Lords were strong enough to face them... this world would be destroyed too, wouldn’t it?"

"That’s exactly what happened to my world, My Lord," Lyrassa said softly.

Atlas gave a slow nod, his thoughts darkening. "Have either of you ever met someone at the Overlord rank? How powerful are they really?"

Karian’s face grew serious. "An Overlord is someone who’s conquered their entire world. Not just ruled it, but claimed it, completely."

"The whole planet?" Atlas asked.

"Yes," Karian confirmed. "Their wars spill into other worlds. When Overlords clash, they leave behind nothing but devastation and ruin."

Atlas swallowed. "So... Morganna could actually be that powerful? Is that why Edrik said she was like a god?"

Karian nodded grimly. "Exactly. At that level, power becomes nearly limitless. But the cost of wielding it... is just as immense."

Through their stories, Atlas came to understand just how ancient his companions truly were. Despite her youthful appearance, Lyrassa had lived for centuries. Karian, while younger in comparison, had still seen over 150 years by the time of his final downfall.

And now, hearing it all firsthand, Edrik’s earlier comment about New Earth still being in its infancy finally made perfect sense.

Other worlds had already gone through tens of thousands of years of growth, war, and endless evolution. In comparison, New Earth was just beginning to crawl.

At last, they arrived at the Awakener Association Center.

"All right. Let’s get everything settled here first... then it’s back to building my island!"

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