Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord
Chapter 79 - Blind Steps Through Hell

Chapter 79: Chapter 79 - Blind Steps Through Hell

Atlas now stood at the edge of his next trial. Training that would cut off every sense he possessed.

No vision. No hearing. No smell. No touch.

He stood still for a moment, as if bracing for the weight of it. Then, slowly, he raised his right hand, tapping the side of his helmet.

Silence. Absolute silence.

He could still feel the armor’s weight. But the moment he lifted his foot to step forward, that sensation vanished. It was as if he had walked into a void, suspended between reality and nothingness. No sound. No scent. No physical feedback.

Nothing.

Well... if he fell into lava, that he’d feel. Small comfort, right?

Atlas tilted his head upward slightly, relying on the mental map he had committed to memory. The terrain ahead was unforgiving. Thin streams of lava winding along narrow paths, with some sections requiring precise jumps across deadly gaps. One misstep, one leap too short, and he’d fall straight into searing heat.

He began to move.

Every step was disorienting, hollow. He had no sense of speed or direction. For the first time, even Kurogasa would not step in to adjust his course or give a subtle nudge. This challenge had to be completed without intervention.

He had to recognize his mistakes himself.

Twenty laps. Only then would the trial be considered a success.

Right then. If I can’t rely on my senses, then I’ll do what I’ve done before.

Trial and error. Endure the pain. And survive it all.

Atlas took off running, his movements now far smoother than during his earlier tries, even with the burden of the armor weighing him down. He had built up enough stamina by this point to run for hours without feeling winded.

Danger!

The warning surged through him, just as his right foot descended. But the signal came too late. Momentum had already committed him, and his foot crashed straight into the lava.

ARGHHHH!

ARGHHHH!

His scream erupted, raw and ragged, as he flung himself backward and crumpled to the ground. The sound, though deafening in his throat, seemed to vanish into the silence of his helmet. From inside, it was as though the cry had never existed.

In truth, Kurogasa, Lyrassa, and Edrik stood not far off, eyes fixed on him in tense silence.

Atlas writhed, his hands clutching at his leg while searing heat ravaged him. It felt as though the lava had bypassed flesh entirely, burrowing deep to pulverize his bones, flooding his body with waves of merciless agony.

But he bore it. He forced himself to bear it!

Centering his breath, he struggled to reel in his spiraling thoughts, pressing his mind toward calm, willing the pain to dull. To fade.

Moments later, he stood up again, steadying himself. Step by step, he searched for the edge of the molten stream. He had to cross it. He had to jump to the other side.

Atlas inhaled sharply, trying to calm himself, suppressing every ounce of fear swirling within him.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been burned by fire!

With that thought, he jumped, his body surging forward despite the weight of the armor.

And yet.

He missed.

Both his feet plunged into the molten river, searing agony shooting through his legs.

Atlas immediately scrambled to the edge, pulling himself out of the lava and collapsing onto the ground. His body trembled uncontrollably, sweat pouring down his face. The pain was unbearable, threatening to push him into unconsciousness.

He couldn’t take it!

He had to stop this madness!

Why?! Why did he have to put himself through such grueling, torturous training?

He had Elite Subordinates, didn’t he? Warriors strong enough to fight on the frontlines, while he could stay at the back, giving commands.

Wouldn’t that be easier?!

After all, he’d only ever had one combat talent. He wasn’t born a fighter! Why was he forcing himself this hard?!

Did he really think he could catch up to someone like Kareem? That he could become as strong as a man who had trained and fought for decades, probably 60 years or more?

And him? He was just 22 years old, for crying out loud! Why torture himself to this extent just to grow stronger?

Atlas screamed, his voice raw with pain, as he slammed his fists into the ground, trying to distract himself from the agony coursing through his body.

Minutes passed, but the pain didn’t let up.

HELL NO! HELL NO! HELL NO!

He roared at himself, forcing his resolve to surface.

I didn’t come this far just to stop now! This is still the early phase! I haven’t grown stronger at all yet!

With sheer willpower, Atlas pushed himself to his feet again and started running. His legs felt like they were on fire, literally. But he didn’t stop. He kept going until, once again, his body betrayed him.

He missed the jump.

And once again, his feet plunged into the lava.

The unbearable pain consumed him, but he gritted his teeth, enduring it. Every part of him screamed to stop, to give up.

There was no way this was possible!

No way anyone could accomplish this!

What was even the purpose of running without any senses? How could someone possibly ’feel’ their surroundings without traditional senses?

Atlas clenched his fists in frustration.

How the hell am I supposed to do this? What kind of concept do I need to use? Kurogasa hasn’t given me a single clue!

[Your Constitution has increased by 1 point.]

Were they just trying to torture him with this training? No. This was his own choice. Atlas had chosen the most grueling training menu, one designed to push him to his absolute limits and force growth.

Wait... absolute limit? forcing growth?

That’s right. He would only grow when he hit his breaking point, when there seemed to be no way out. It was in those moments of complete hopelessness that breakthroughs would come.

And where was he now? He was just enduring the pain of being burned by fire, over and over again. A pain he’d already faced countless times before. He could still keep going.

**

By midday, Atlas still hadn’t managed to complete even his first lap.

When the break for lunch arrived, none of his troops stopped to eat. They, too, kept training harder than ever.

Watching Atlas step willingly into what looked like Hell itself made their own suffering feel lighter. Inspired by his resolve, they pushed themselves even further.

"Hey, everyone, is the food bad?" the male cook asked nervously. "Please tell me. If it is, we’ll remake everything from scratch."

The female cook, panicking, only to drop a pot onto the ground in her rush. The loud clatter drew the attention of nearby troops.

"The food is fine," the female cook said.

The two cooks exchanged a sigh before curiosity got the better of them. They, too, wandered over to see exactly what kind of hellish training their Lord was putting himself through.

By late afternoon, as the sun began to sink toward the horizon, Atlas was still nowhere near completing a single lap. He wandered aimlessly, his sense of direction completely lost, plunging into the lava over and over again and enduring the unrelenting agony that followed.

From the sidelines, the troops watched with disbelief written across their faces.

"He’s still going?" one muttered, unable to tear his gaze away.

"I don’t get it," said another. "That should’ve ended him hours ago..."

Now, Atlas lay sprawled on the ground, his body feeling utterly destroyed. Exhaustion gripped him, and his consciousness began to waver.

In this void where none of his senses worked, it was as though he was teetering on the edge of passing out entirely.

He didn’t even know how long he had been enduring this torment or how many laps he might have completed. Time had dissolved into a blur of pain and effort.

As his eyes began to flutter closed, a faint glimmer caught his attention. A single, floating dot of light hovering near him.

Wait, what is that? he thought sluggishly, forcing his hazy mind to focus.

The dot was a soft reddish-orange, faint and delicate.

Half-conscious, Atlas strained to look around him. To his surprise, more faint lights began to appear in the area surrounding him.

Soft orange, deep brown, pale blue. More and more faint dots of light emerged, scattered around him.

What is that?!