Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas continued to relax while waiting for the Howling Ghouls to finish looting the hidden city. When the creatures were done, a building-sized mountain of wealth towered over the surrounding buildings.

When seeing this, his azure eyes glowed with greed before he sucked all of it into his Dimensional Storage. By the time he was done, he had no more room left, which surprised him, but he was happy.

Following that, Atlas dismissed all the Ghouls and summoned Nala, who appeared while letting out a deep and mighty roar. Once she was done, he climbed onto the lion's back and pulled out five more quests.

'Their all the same, I could do this with ease,' Atlas thought.

It consisted of wiping out five bandit groups terrorizing the surrounding area, which was easy for him. On top of Nala, Atlas rushed away from the bandit city after ensuring he had the cards to prove his quest was complete.

While rushing across the landscape, he saw dozens of shooting stars passing across the star-filled sky. Atlas smiled just as the Dreadmaw Queen's voice sounded in his mind, 'Why don't you rest for the night, Master? I could keep you company.'

He looked at the majestic monster and ran his hands through her soft black fur while speaking, 'Only if you keep me warm for the night Nala.'

The monster made happy noises as she nodded her giant head, ''It would be my pleasure, Master. I will find a safe place for us to rest.''

Nala quickly climbed up the side of one of the giant karsts and found a small cave that allowed him to create a fire. The Dreadmaw Lion Queen crawled in, allowing Atlas to jump off her back before setting up a fire.

Once the flames flickered to life, Atlas gazed at the dark landscape as Nala got comfortable behind him. She said in a relaxed tone, 'Set up the Dark One Runes Master. They can climb up here.'

Atlas smiled in agreement as he carefully crafted the Runes Grishna had taught him. Once finished, he pulled out the last Dragon Meat Feast box and began eating, savoring each bite.

Mid-meal, a faint shuffling noise came from the entrance. He glanced up, only to be met with the unsettling sight of a group of humanoid creatures crawling on all fours. The eerie, bizarre movement sent a shiver down his spine, but he remained calm.

'Damn monsters scared me,' Atlas thought before casting a Void Arrow at them, but they managed to dodge it by scuttling out of the way.

He ignored the creatures until strange noises began to rise from them, catching him off guard. Startled, Atlas woke to find the creatures gathered outside the protective Runes, trying to lure him out.

'When I get stronger I will butcher them,' he mused before a growl rang out.

Enraged, Nala lunged at them without hesitation as she let out a roar. Her sudden attack surprised them, and Atlas couldn't help but laugh. The giant lion drove the Dark Ones back with her sharp claws and teeth, sending them scrambling into the shadows below.

He chuckled as they vanished into the darkness. Once they were gone, Nala spoke in his mind, 'Lay against me, Master. I will keep you comfortable throughout the night.'

Atlas smiled and nodded, then leaned against the lion, sinking into her soft fur just as the rain began to fall outside. While relaxing, he started watching the peaceful weather. Nala wrapped a paw around him as the wind picked up and started making the air cold, causing him to shiver.

'So cold. Reminds me of the nights without heating in the orphanage.'

He pulled out a blanket before tightly wrapping it around himself, sinking into its warmth as he drifted asleep. The night sped by while the storm outside raged on, trapping Atlas in the cave until the weather finally settled.

The following morning, he woke up to the boom of thunder, which caused his eyes to open as the rain blocked the view from the small cave. When seeing this, Atlas muttered, ''What is it with this horrible weather?''

He put his hand outside and felt the sting of the rain, which surprised him. 'Aridonia is a strange place. Will it be like this all the time?'

Atlas shook his head before relighting the fire, which roared to life and woke up Nala, whose red eyes opened as she spoke in a curious tone, 'Master. What are you doing?'

'We're trapped in here,' he answered. 'The weather is concealing a Monster Wave below.'

The Deathmaw Lion stood up only to look out and sniff the air, causing her to reel backward as she warned him, 'That is a Rank S horde. Do not go out there Master.'

Atlas nodded in agreement, then sat down as his stomach rumbled, echoing the thunder outside. He pulled out several Forest Chick Wraps, the smell of the cooked meat filling the air, and began waiting.

Noticing Nala staring at him, he chuckled and asked, 'Do you want one, girl?'

The giant lion's red eyes gleamed with hunger, causing him to chuckle as he gave her enough to be whole. He sat back down and started eating while trying to see through the rain curtain blocking his view.

'This is a nightmare, but at least I know the Dark Ones are out there.'

Shortly after, a roar echoed, and a large crash was heard as one of the karsts crashed down. Atlas jumped up and wondered what was going on, 'What horror is out there?'

Another roar sounded off, and this time, it sounded close, causing him to use Void Sight only to see the culprit finally.

[Tyranodon]

[Rank: Monarch - 60000 Exp]

[Do not let this monster see you boy]

Atlas saw a massive Tyrannosaurus with dark green skin and sharp ridges running down its back. The monster's deep black eyes scanned the surrounding landscape, looking for something to eat.

He quickly ducked down as Nala's voice sounded in his mind, 'Hide Master! That beast is too strong and would knock this rock over.'

Atlas ventured deeper into the cave, his steps cautious and deliberate. A Pteranodon circled briefly overhead before diving to snatch its prey from the ground. With a swift motion, Atlas summoned a Darkling, its shadowy form swirling into existence.

"Scout a few miles around the cave and report back to me," he commanded, sending the creature to ensure their hiding place remained undiscovered.

He turned to Nala after feeding more wood into the crackling fire. "Do you want to return to the Dungeon Realm?" he asked, his gaze steady as the flames danced in the growing darkness.

'No Master. I want to make sure you're okay,' she replied while lying at the back of the cave.

Following that, Atlas pulled out the sleeping bag and set it up. The roaring outside intensified, and it sounded like more monsters were passing by, which caused him to grow paranoid.

He then sat down and checked his status to see his gains from killing all the bandits during the three quests.

[Level Up: 194→204]

[Experience: 2560/10000]

[Experience Gained: 49840]

[Rank Up: Adept→Journeyman]

[Health: 1768→2254(200)]

[Mana: 7740→8666(1000)]

[Strength:2046→2584(100)]

[Stamina: 2518→3166(250)]

[Charisma: 768→860]

[Intelligence: 1622→1964]

[Core Rank Up: Adept Low→Mid]

[Core Points: 22220/100000]

[Core Points Gained: 32250]

'Oh, I ranked up and got a big boost,' Atlas thought excitedly. 'That's the reason I feel stronger.'

Following that, the Darkling reappeared, looking breathless. It told him that a swarm of monsters was below and not moving because of the storm. It also informed him that the Monarch-ranked monster was nearby eating a Titan.

'There was two giant creatures out there!' he internally panicked.

Atlas shook his head and jumped into the Void Realm to clear some Golems. When he appears on the plane, he quickly checks the monster's total to see how many must be defeated.

[Void Golem – 300019/1000000]

[Void Warrior Golem – 391790/500000]

[Void Golem Commander – 92171/100000]

[Void Golem King – 1/1]

'Still a lot,' Atlas mused with annoyance. 'But now I'm stronger, it shouldn't take too long.'

Once that thought crossed his mind, the rumbling was felt, and he started casting dozens of Void Bullets and Void Lances into the swarm of stone monsters. Explosions rang out all over the place.

'I can use my swords and magic against them,' he mused with a smile. 'I can save the bombs for the real world.'

Void Golems were sent flying just as the warriors appeared. The larger foes charged at Atlas, casting Void Infusion on his blades before dashing in their direction and cutting through their legs.

Atlas easily carved through the stone, his blade slicing cleanly, but he wasn't finished. He unleashed a Void Lance in the same breath, hurling dark energy towards his enemies. The projectiles ripped through their torsos, exterminating them while he dispatched the regular Golems.

The battle continued for hours as Atlas wiped out thousands of Void Golems and Warriors, who attacked him even more than in the previous turns.

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