Chapter 17 - The Floral Healer

Atlas stood up from his camp chair, eager to open the Rank-S ticket. His excitement was so intense that his hands trembled slightly in anticipation of what he might receive. 

Without realizing it, Edrik, Karian, and Mira had come closer. Mira was the nearest, trotting toward him with a bright, joyful smile.

Too cute!

Atlas refocused on the glowing red ticket float in front of him.

"My Lord, I always get excited when I see a red ticket," Edrik said. "I know it means you're about to receive an incredible boost to your strength."

"My Lord, please give me a new friend... something cute I can play with!" Mira giggled.

Stop talking, Mira!

With a quick tap, Atlas activated the ticket. It spun rapidly in the air before slowly descending to the ground. As it landed, a green aura shimmered around it. A complex magic circle, glowing the same shade of green, formed beneath it, swallowing the ticket into the earth.

It has to be a character, right?

Suddenly, vines and bark began to sprout from the ground, curling upward with a vibrant green energy. Slowly, a figure took shape. Yes, it was definitely a new character! 

As the form became clearer, he saw it was a woman. Vines and flowers grew from her body, and her brown hair was adorned with small blooms. Her skin had the texture of bark, blending nature and magic in perfect harmony.

Atlas grinned, pleased with his new summon.

[You have received Rank-S Character: Lyrassa - The Floral Healer]

The first sensation that hit Atlas was... what is this? Even Mira seemed to notice, sniffing the air with her nose twitching. 

Yes, the scent was unmistakable—so fragrant, so soothing. It felt like they were standing in the middle of a vast flower garden, and it was coming from the girl.

Atlas glanced at her, and she met his gaze calmly, tilting her head slightly before her lips curled into a slow, deliberate smile. Was she always this slow? He couldn't help but wonder. She then looked down at her feet for a moment. No, her feet weren't rooted to the ground like he half expected.

"Hi, welcome," Atlas said, breaking the silence.

The girl bowed, her movements unhurried, and then raised her head again. 

"Thank you for your kindness in summoning me here, My Lord," she spoke with a voice as peaceful and gentle as a breeze, her tone soft and serene. "I hope I can aid you in victory. I am a healer. My name is Lyrassa"

Atlas felt a headache coming on, as if he were watching a video in slow motion. 

Can she speed up a little?

He sighed inwardly

This girl must be some kind of Nature Spirit.

"Nice to meet you, Lyrassa. I hope we can work well together from now on," he said politely.

"Woah… Hahaha!" Mira exclaimed, clearly thrilled.

She rushed toward Lyrassa, her eyes wide with curiosity, inspecting Lyrassa's body—even glancing at her chest.

"Hi, my name's Mira, and I love carrots," she introduced herself cheerfully.

"Hi... Mira..." Lyrassa replied slowly.

Mira grabbed Lyrassa's arm, her fingers brushing over the bark-like texture of her skin. "Woah... your skin is so smooth! I love touching it."

Then, with a mischievous grin, Mira leaned closer to Lyrassa's chest. "Can I see what's in there? Is your chest as soft as it looks?"

"Mira?!" Atlas called out instinctively.

"My Lord?" Mira turned to him, eyes full of innocent curiosity. "Do you want to see Lyrassa's chest too? Are you curious like me, My Lord?"

"No, I mean—" Atlas stammered, completely thrown off.

Meanwhile, Edrik massaged his temples and sighed, while Karian looked away, pretending not to hear the conversation.

"Give Lyrassa some space, Mira," Atlas finally managed.

Mira giggled. "Thank you, My Lord, for bringing a new friend! Please bring more female friends… or, well, male friends are fine too! Someone as cute as Mr. Dragon Warrior, or as cool as Mr. Stiff Face."

"Stiff face?" Edrik muttered.

"Dragon Warrior sounds fine," Karian chimed in casually.

Mira shifted her attention back to Lyrassa, sniffing the air around the girl. "Woah… it's so sweet… I love your scent," she said, turning once again to Atlas with an excited smile. "My Lord, Lyrassa smells like flowers! Come, you should try it!"

Lyrassa giggled softly, her laugh slow and gentle. "Sorry, my body… tends to release floral scents. I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's amazing! So sweet," Mira replied, giggling along.

Atlas sighed, watching the two of them with amusement. 

He needed to know what Lyrassa was capable of.

"Let me check your status, okay?" Atlas asked.

"Yes, My Lord," Lyrassa responded with a serene nod.

[Name: Lyrassa]

[Level: 61]

[Strength: 64 | Agility: 48 | Intelligence: 432 | Constitution: 123 | Stamina: 154]

[Job: Healer]

[Verdant Aura (S) - Nature's Resilience (A) - Nature's Staff (A) - Forest Heartbeat (B) - Nature's Perfume (B) - Flower Song (B)]

Wow, these stats are incredible, Atlas thought as he looked over Lyrassa's profile. Her Intelligence stat was off the charts—perfect for her role as a healer. Not only that, she had an S-rated talent.

[Verdant Aura: Lyrasa passively emits a calming, healing aura that restores minor health to nearby allies over time. The aura represents the life-giving energy of nature and works continuously, even during battle.]

[Nature's Resilience: Harnesses the power of nature to bolster the endurance and defenses of herself and allies. This allows Lyrasa to act as a stabilizing force, providing protective buffs.]

Verdant Aura and Nature's Resilience were both amazing talents. She could passively emit a healing aura to everyone around her? Damn! Isn't that insanely powerful? And the best part—it was passive! 

The second talent boosted her and nearby allies endurance and defense, making her an even more valuable asset to the team.

[Nature's Staff: Allowing Lyrasa to enhance healing spells and generate a protective aura when wielded Magic Staff.]

She used a staff, which meant Atlas might need to do some more pulls to unlock better equipment and fully tap into her potential as a healer.

[Forest Heartbeat: Lyrasa can sense the heartbeat of the forest itself, feeling changes in the natural world that signal danger or shifts in the environment.]

Forest Heartbeat definitely seemed like a highly useful talent, especially for giving early warnings during monster hunts.

[Nature's Perfume: The flowers on Lyrasa's body release a sweet fragrance, which calms those around her.]

[Flower Song: Lyrasa's flowers hum faint melodies when she is at peace. It is simply a soothing part of her connection to nature.]

Nature's Perfume? That must be the talent creating the sweet, floral scent around her, like standing in a garden. And Flower Song? So, the flowers on her body can actually hum? He found himself curious about what that sounded like.

He couldn't help but smile, impressed with his new team member and eager to see what else she could do.

"Alright, everything looks good. Welcome to the team once again," Atlas said with a warm smile.

"Thank you, My Lord…" Lyrassa replied softly.

Mira grabbed Lyrassa's hand excitedly. "Come on! Let's go play in our garden!" she chirped.

Lyrassa gave a slow bow before following Mira. However, Mira quickly noticed how slow Lyrassa's pace was and giggled, adjusting her steps to match the healer's leisurely walk.

That's seriously a huge boost for the team, Atlas thought, watching them go. 

His thoughts then shifted to the progress on the teleportation pad. He was eager to explore the nearby islands and begin hunting. With Lyrassa now on the team, he felt ready for this early phase of their adventures.