Apocalypse: Transmigrated with an Overlord System
Chapter 139: Who Are You to Me?

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Who Are You to Me?

Atlas shrugged like it was nothing. "Yeah. Exactly the same moment."

Her breath caught.

"...So all my friends—"

"Still here," he confirmed, interrupting her before she could even finish.

Her eyes widened, a spark of joy flashing through them.

"They didn’t leave?" she whispered. "They didn’t move on? I... I don’t have to search for them through this entire damned world?"

Atlas nodded lazily. "Nope. To them, it’s like you vanished for half a second. A blink. That’s it."

She could’ve hugged him if she wasn’t still emotionally recovering from being kicked through a window thirty-seven times.

A weak laugh escaped her lips instead. She looked away, blinking fast. "I was really starting to think I’d never find them again..."

"You’re welcome," he said again, even smugger than before.

She shot him a look. "Don’t ruin the moment."

Atlas chuckled and walked over to the broken window, casually inspecting it like nothing had happened. "Time inside the misty forest flows differently," he explained. "It’s one of the few natural ’time pockets’ left. When I opened that teleportation circle, I tethered it to the exact moment we left."

"Tethered it?" she echoed.

He nodded. "Think of time like a rope. Normally, when you move between places using teleportation or portals, you’re just jumping locations. But I anchored the portal’s destination to the same second in this timeline. So even though you spent a month inside the misty forest, the timeline here never advanced."

She frowned. "But the mist still flowed normally, didn’t it? We aged, we felt time, we slept..."

He shrugged. "That’s what my ability does. I have full control over it. I can go on any timeline I wish."

Liora exhaled deeply, absorbing the weight of it all.

So all that pain, that confusion, the loneliness of being stuck there for weeks thinking she’d been abandoned... It had only been a heartbeat here.

She let herself sink to the floor, finally allowing the tension to drain from her shoulders.

"God, I hate your ability," she muttered.

Atlas chuckled again, "You’ll get used to it."

Liora snorted. "No, I won’t."

Then after a moment of silence, Atlas reached into his coat pocket, pulled out something small and metallic, and then casually tossed it toward her.

Liora caught it with one hand, not even looking at first.

It was a small, round device, no bigger than a plum. Smooth silver surface, slightly warm to the touch, with faint etchings that looked almost like runes. She turned it once in her hand, curious.

"Teleportation ball," Atlas said simply.

That made her freeze.

Her eyes snapped up to him, disbelief written all over her face.

"Wait—what?"

Atlas shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the cracked wall. "Just wish where you want to go. It’ll take you there. Works on the energy of high-level crystal cores, so don’t waste it."

Liora looked down at the object again, this time with much more care. Her grip instinctively became gentler, more deliberate, like she was holding a rare gem.

She had thought it was just some trinket. A toy, maybe. But if what he said was true...

"You’re giving this to me?" She asked quietly, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You? The guy who trapped me in a time loop just to hear me beg?"

Atlas smirked. "What can I say? I’m full of surprises."

She scowled but didn’t throw it back. "What’s the catch?"

"No catch," he said, shrugging. "I’m not completely heartless."

"Debatable," she muttered under her breath, then brought the ball closer to examine the markings. "So this... this can take me anywhere?"

"Any location," Atlas corrected, holding up a finger. "Not a timeline. You can’t link this thing to a specific point in time—that’s my ability, not the ball’s. What you’ve got there is just a high-grade space-jumping tool. Think of it like... punching a hole between here and wherever you want to be."

Liora’s brow furrowed. "How does it know where I want to go?"

"It reads intent," he explained. "You have to focus clearly on the place—visualize it, imagine yourself standing there. The more accurate your image, the more precise the teleportation."

She raised an eyebrow. "And if my image is not accurate?"

"You’ll still land somewhere near," Atlas said. "But don’t try to imagine a mountain and end up on a volcano. That’s on you."

Liora stared at the silver sphere. "You could’ve just given me this instead of kicking me through windows."

"Where’s the fun in that?" he said without shame.

She sighed and turned the sphere in her hand again. "So... it needs energy?"

"Yeah. High-level crystal cores only. Don’t bother with those low-level ones—they’ll fry the circuit. And don’t expect it to work endlessly. One core equals one use. And the purer the energy inside the crystal core, the farther it can teleport you."

She gave him a deadpan look. "You’re telling me this now?"

He ignored her tone. "There’s a slot that’ll open when it senses a core nearby. Insert it, hold the ball, focus on the destination, and wish. That’s it. Smooth and fast."

Liora tapped the device lightly, then glanced up. "Can I use it for other people too?"

Atlas tilted his head. "If they’re holding onto you when you activate it, yes. Otherwise, no. It’s keyed to the first soul it locks on. That’ll be you now."

"So no remote rescues. Got it."

"Nope," he said. "You’re the teleporter now."

Liora was silent for a while. She held the ball carefully, like a fragile dream. A month ago, something like this would’ve felt impossible. She’d been running blind, scared, swinging her sword just to survive. But now—this changed everything.

"It’s a gift," Atlas added quietly.

She glanced up again, a little surprised by the shift in his voice.

He met her gaze without a grin this time. "For when you get stuck. Or scared. Or tired of running. Use it. Don’t hesitate."

Liora blinked. The weight of it all started to sink in.

"Thanks," she said, softly, honestly.

Atlas gave her a rare, quiet nod. "Don’t lose it."

She held the teleportation ball tighter against her chest. "I won’t."

Suddenly, Liora noticed something different in Atlas’s voice.

It had softened. There was no sarcasm this time, no teasing edge. Just a quiet sadness.

"...I’m going," he muttered, almost to himself. "Take care of yourself. And Eli."

Liora froze.

The words hit her harder than she expected.

He was leaving?

Just like that?

Her fingers curled tightly around the teleportation ball, and she stood rooted in place, staring at him with disbelief.

They had bickered constantly. He annoyed her more than anyone else ever could. But not once... not even for a second... had she hated him. In fact, somewhere deep in her chest, there had always been a strange warmth when he was around. A familiarity. A sense of belonging that she didn’t even understand.

He turned away and walked over to Eli, crouching slightly so they were eye level. With a soft smile, Atlas ruffled the boy’s hair gently, like an older brother would.

"Protect your aunt, okay?" He whispered so low that Liora couldn’t hear it. "She’s suffered enough."

Eli nodded quietly, unusually serious.

And just as Atlas was about to stand, Liora finally found her voice.

"Wait."

He paused.

Her voice cracked slightly. "Why... Why are you so good to me?"

Atlas didn’t turn around.

Liora swallowed, her throat dry.

"Who are you to me?" she whispered.

For a long moment, there was only silence.

Then Atlas slowly turned back, and for once, there was no smirk or sarcasm in his expression.

Only a beautiful, quiet smile that carried something unreadable. Gentle. Wistful. Almost like goodbye.

He didn’t answer her question.

And just like that, he disappeared.

Gone.

As if he’d never been there at all.