Chapter 37 - Atomic!

Sam fought continuously for three hours. This was the first time he truly felt the pressure of battle. Not even the lightning bear of the first day had pushed him to use his full power like this. His Grandmist reserves, seemingly limitless before, were now halved. It wasn't just the constant spamming of his two Mythic skills—it was the relentless onslaught of Chaos Beings employing every suicidal tactic they could muster to harm him.

Despite their best efforts, the Chaos Beings only managed to leave minor scratches on his body. But with their overwhelming numbers, those scratches multiplied into injuries he could no longer ignore. Grey mist seeped from his wounds as he continuously expended Grandmist to heal himself, preventing further damage. His once-pristine form was now marred with scratch marks, a testament to the intensity of the fight.

BOOM!! BOOM!!

Proton spheres erupted from both of Sam's hands, obliterating the Chaos Beings closing in on him from both sides. Before he could catch a breath, an arrow pierced his chest. It was a Chaos Soldier, hidden amidst the swarming horde, who had taken a calculated shot while Sam was distracted by enemies flanking him.

Unfazed, Sam sealed the wound with Grandmist and retaliated with a Proton Sphere aimed directly at the bow-wielding Chaos Soldier.

BOOM!!

The explosion annihilated the Chaos Soldier, leaving a gaping void in the ranks of the horde. Sam barely had time to reposition before another wave pressed in, thousands strong. By now, he estimated he had slain more than 500,000 Chaos Beings, but the tide showed no sign of slowing.

From amidst the throng, he began to notice a new presence—Tier 2 Chaos Beings. Though fewer in number, around a hundred, they were sturdier and harder to kill than their Tier 1 counterparts with normal attacks. However, they fell quickly under the might of Sam's Mythic skills.

As another swarm closed in, Sam decided to escalate. He activated Atomic Fissure with both hands, pressing his palms together and aiming toward the front of the encroaching horde.

"Haaaa!!!" "BOOMMM!"

The resulting explosion unleashed a colossal wave of red-hot flames. The ground in a 500-meter, 90-degree arc ahead of him melted under the intense heat, leaving nothing but scorched remnants of the Chaos Beings.

The devastation momentarily halted the onslaught, giving Sam a fleeting reprieve as he prepared for the next wave. He steadied himself, listening for any sign of an approaching attack.

Then, he heard it. The deep, resonant blast of a war horn.

Sam recognized the sound instantly—it was the signal his group had agreed upon. Relief washed over him as he realized his allies were finally ready to rejoin the fight.

"So, they're ready," Sam muttered, a faint smirk crossing his face. He cracked his knuckles and prepared for another round, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the next wave of Chaos Beings was already advancing.

Sam thought for a moment, then decided. "Retreat for now."

He gathered an enormous Proton Sphere above his head, its unstable energy growing with alarming intensity. The sphere, now a massive 3-meter radius of light, had shifted from its usual white to a volatile purple, leaking arcs of plasma in all directions. Recognizing the danger, he hurled it into the sky with all his strength, then immediately turned and began running toward the safe zone.

Using Flash Step repeatedly, Sam covered the ground quickly, his focus sharp. About 2 kilometers away from the point where he had thrown the sphere, he spotted Eddie in the distance. Sam shouted at the top of his lungs, "Eddie, retreat now! I just dropped an atomic bomb!"

Eddie's face turned pale at the warning. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted after Sam. Within their group, "atomic bomb" was the code name for Sam's most unstable skill—an attack so uncontrollable that even Sam could suffer from its aftermath.

Thirty seconds later, a blinding light erupted behind them, illuminating the landscape like a second sun. Though Sam didn't turn to look, the light cast sharp, defined shadows in front of him.

"Ahhhhhh! My eyes!" Eddie screamed in panic, having glanced back at the flash. The brilliance was enough to cause permanent blindness to ordinary people.

"Shut up, don't look!" Sam barked, still moving forward.

Ten seconds later, a thunderous shockwave slammed into them, almost throwing Sam off balance. Eddie, however, stumbled, nearly falling. Sam quickly scooped Eddie onto his back and continued running toward the fortress.

Minutes later, the fortified structure came into view. Michael rushed out to greet them. "Is Eddie injured?" he asked, concern evident on his face.

Sam replied casually, "He tripped while running."

Michael frowned. It was almost impossible for a Tier 2 being to trip and get injured.

"I didn't trip!" Eddie shouted indignantly from Sam's back. "The shockwave hit me! Someone heal my eyes—I can't see well!"

A healer stepped forward to take care of Eddie as Sam set him down. Michael turned back to Sam. "What about the Chaos Beings? How many of them are left?"

Sam thought for a moment, calculating the numbers. "It's definitely more than a million, but it might not have reached two million. The flow started to slow down while I was fighting them."

Michael's face paled at the figure, but he squared his shoulders, determination hardening his expression. "Sam, we'll hold the front here. Go on your rampage as much as you want. If you need to rest, come back. We'll fight without holding you back."

Sam felt a pang of frustration. His power was undeniably a shield for his people, but it was also a force of destruction, especially when he couldn't fully control it. He nodded. "Understood." Then, without another word, he turned back toward the battlefield.

With the "atomic bomb" dropped, Sam estimated he might have just taken out another 100,000 Chaos Beings. As he made his way back to the battlefield, he quickly pulled up his system notifications to get a sense of the impact.

Ding!

You have slain an enemy [Chaos Spawn: level 48]

...…..

...…..

...…..

You have slain an enemy [Chaos soldier: level 60]

...…..

...…..

...…..

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have earned a new title: Annihilator of Chaos]

[Annihilator of Chaos]: You have defeated over 100,000 Chaos Beings in a single battle - Increases all stats by 10% While against Chaos Beings.

Ding

[Congratulations! You have reached level 65]

[Source of All Matter ] had been strengthening.

Sam gritted his teeth. "Not bad," he muttered under his breath, but he knew this was far from over. The pit continued to churn out Chaos Beings, and the sheer number still out there was enough to overwhelm even him if he didn't act carefully.

Closing the notifications, he clenched his fists, the grey-silver mist of Grandmist swirling around him. "Alright, round two," he said as he stepped back toward the chaotic fray.

Sam leaped high into the sky, ascending to 500 meters above the battlefield. The air was eerily calm at this height, but below, the scene was pure chaos. The red, scorched ground spread out like a massive wound across the terrain. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the pit. It had finally stopped spewing Chaos Beings, but the creatures were now moving in coordinated waves, forming an enormous army that was marching straight toward the safe zone.

From his vantage point, Sam estimated their numbers. "Two million or less," he murmured to himself. Despite the numbers thinning from his relentless attacks, the swarm was still overwhelming. Worse, he noticed the Chaos Beings had divided into smaller groups spread across the floor, likely to counter his area-of-effect attacks.

"They're learning," he thought grimly. These weren't mindless creatures anymore. The hive mind was evolving, adapting to their tactics. This new development made the battle far more dangerous.

Without wasting another second, Sam extended his hands, gathering Grandmist to form several Proton Spheres. He unleashed a quick barrage of them down at the largest army, each sphere trailing streaks of light before colliding with devastating impact.

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

The ground erupted in flames and shockwaves, obliterating thousands of Chaos Beings with each hit. From above, it was like watching meteors crashing into the earth. By the time gravity began pulling him down, Sam had already wiped out a significant portion of one group.

As he descended, Sam took note of the smaller armies spreading across the floor. The hive mind's strategy was working; dividing their forces made it harder for him to deal critical damage with his large-scale attacks.

When he landed, the impact cracked the ground beneath him. He stood there momentarily, the faint grey mist of Grandmist swirling around his battered form. He clenched his fists, his thoughts racing.

"I can't protect them all the time," he thought bitterly, his mind drifting to Michael, Eve, Ann, and the rest of his team holding the front line. "This is no different from the old wild world. They'll have to learn to protect themselves."

He exhaled sharply, steeling himself. "But I can at least buy them time."

Sam turned his focus back to the battlefield. He locked eyes on the largest of the Chaos armies, the one marching closest to the safe zone. "I'll crush the big one first," he decided, his voice cold and resolute. "Then I'll deal with the smaller ones."

Grey-silver mist erupted from his body as he prepared to charge. His fists glowed with energy, ready to unleash destruction upon the chaos. Without hesitation, Sam dashed forward, leaving a trail of scorched earth in his wake.

Sam hovered above one of the largest Chaos Being armies, his focus sharp. The army below swarmed like ants, numbering around 100,000. With a deep breath, he gathered his Grandmist, channeling it into his ultimate attack.

He raised his right hand, the energy around him surging wildly as he unleashed an Atomic Fissure directly into the heart of the army.

BOOOMMMMM!!!

The nuclear energy hit the ground like a meteor, carving the earth into the shape of a massive fist. A millisecond later, the ground erupted with an earth-shattering explosion. The blast sent Chaos Beings flying in all directions, their forms disintegrating in the heat and shockwave. The impact left a deep crater, its edges glowing with residual energy.

Sam hovered for a moment, admiring his handiwork. "This move... it's too satisfying," he thought, a smirk tugging at his lips. It reminded him of the martial arts techniques he'd read about in cultivation novels. A punch that could level armies.

But there was no time to bask in the thrill. Chaos Beings continued to pour out from other directions, their numbers seemingly endless. Sam dove back into the fray, striking down the monsters with ruthless efficiency. Every move was calculated, every attack devastating.

He didn't stop there. Sam shifted his focus to ensuring that the scattered Chaos armies didn't converge on the safe zone all at once. He intercepted waves of monsters, keeping their numbers manageable for the defenders. It was a balancing act of destruction and control.

As he fought, his movements became almost mechanical, his body a machine of pure annihilation. He repeated the process over and over unleashing destruction, shifting to another army, repeat. The battlefield around him was littered with the remains of Chaos Beings, their dark forms crumbling to ash under his relentless attacks.

While Sam was traveling to the next target, Then a thought struck him—he hadn't checked the leaderboard even once since the stage began. Curious, he paused briefly, activating the interface mid-battle to see the progress.

[The Endless Abyss Leaderboard]

Samuel Barlow - 833,994 pts.

Kim Jin-Ho - 25,999 pts.

Asteroid Destroyer - 7,040 pts.

Michael Barlow - 6,790 pts.

Anne Lee - 6,504 pts.

Sam blinked at the absurd disparity in the scores. "What the heck is this? Am I seriously in a Korean novel now!?"