Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas and Medusa swam through the quiet underwater river that intrigued him. Ten minutes into their journey, they came across a massive skeleton stretching as far as his eyes could see.

'What are these things?' he mused while glancing at it.

The bones were ancient-looking and massive, which surprised him because of their size. He thought, 'Was this place bigger in the past? No way this thing would fit down here.'

Lights from the surrounding plants lit up the skeleton, which was covered in moss and home to many small creatures, 'This place is beautiful, but there's a strange feeling lingering in the water,' he thought while glancing around.

Atlas stared at the colossal bones, unable to shake the feeling of insignificance, 'These are known to most races as the Underwater Gods, Master,' the Death Serpent informed him. 'I believe they used to roam the Valoria when the previous master was alive.'

'Were they gods though? What made them so dangerous?' Atlas asked, his gaze still fixed on the ancient bones.

'No but my parents said that most races see them as one due to their power and to answer your second question, yes, they were angry beings. Their descendants live in the seas between Zarandar and Aridonia. Much like their ancestors they are angry and attack the surface dwellers ships all the time,' she answered.

Atlas grew even more interested before asking, 'Have you met any of them?'

Medusa replied while gazing at the dead monster, 'Yes but that was before I found myself in the dungeon. I was young and still with my parents when my father was killed by one causing us to flee.'

He felt bad for the monster, but it caused him to think, 'Fighting these sea gods will make me stronger. Though I do have to wait until I'm older.'

Following that, the duo stopped speaking while Atlas cast Aqua Lung so he could breathe again, for which he was thankful. It took them about an hour to spot a light in the distance, which meant a way out.

'The exit!'

Medusa continued swimming until stopping before leaving the water, but she warned, 'Monsters are up there, Master? Be careful when leaving.'

Atlas gazed at the surface and wondered what was lurking above, causing him to think, 'What creatures will I be fighting once up there?'

Before swimming up, he checked his status after fighting the Swamp Crabs back in the tunnel.

[Level Up: 179→181]

[Experience: 760/5000]

[Experience Gained: 9300]

[Health: 1728→1736(200)]

[Mana: 7576→7608(1000)]

[Strength: 2018→2022(100)]

[Stamina: 2480→2486(250)]

[Charisma: 760→764]

[Intelligence: 1594→1602]

[Core Points: 59420/100000]

[Core Points Gained: 6200]

[Void Infusion: 1→2]

'Good, at least Void Infusion leveled up,' Atlas commented before looking at Medusa, who was using her tail as a spring on the bottom of the river.

He used Void Step to appear next to her and raised an eyebrow, asking, 'What are you doing?'

Medusa's head turned in his direction, and she answered, 'Climb on my back, and I will propel us out of the water so the ambushers won't be able to hit us.'

Atlas nodded before climbing on her back as he held on while sensing the monsters above setting up their attack. The Death Serpent shot out of the water just as a wave of spears and arrows tried hitting them.

The duo moved too quickly, causing him to jump off while summoning Big Momma with an excited smile. Atlas, Medusa, and the Void Bear Queen would overwhelm the attacking monsters, tearing them apart.

'Take this surprise. She will deal with you,' he thought with a growing smile.

The giant bear fell out of an azure portal while roaring before crashing into a group of Wild Orcs and Goblins. Her vicious attacks turned many of the monsters into bloodmist. Atlas cast Void Veil, plunging the chamber into a dark blue shadow that swallowed the light.

'I'm starting to love this spell,' he mused excitedly.

The veil blinded all the monsters, leaving them disoriented, while Medusa and Big Momma, unaffected, continued their relentless assaults. As darkness enveloped the room, Atlas gracefully landed on the ground, drawing his twin blades in a fluid motion before charging forward, ready to strike.

He slashed through several Wild Orcs and Goblins that covered the ground in blood, which made him smile, 'The weaker monsters are getting easier,' Atlas thought, cutting down an enraged Wild Orc.

When seeing this, Atlas quickly cast several Void Bullets into the swarm of monsters, causing them to go flying. Medusa crushed the remaining ones as he stopped after the last creature dropped dead.

The ground was littered with fifty orange and one hundred black cores, which caused Atlas's greed to soar. He went around collecting them while watching his surroundings. The Death Serpent closed in on him as he dismissed the Void Bear Queen back to the Void Realm.

She stopped while watching him loot everything and asked curiously, 'Why are you collecting low-rank cores? They're worthless, Master.'

Atlas turned to her with a smile as he explained, 'Yes, but I can sell them whenever I need the coin, and my Dimensional Storage can hold millions of the things.'

Medusa nodded her giant head before Atlas climbed on her back. She started traveling through the cave and eating any Wild Orcs or Goblins they encountered. An hour passed by, and he spotted a light in the distance.

Atlas pointed at it and spoke to the Death Serpent, 'Head for that light, and it may be a way out of this horrible place.''

She agreed, and within five minutes, he was looking at a well as there was a large pool of fresh water below it. Atlas was about to use Void Step to get up there, but Medusa raised her body until he reached the bottom.

He drove Nightblade into the stone wall before dismissing the monster and hanging there. Atlas drove Deepforge into it by climbing up using his blades. Soon enough, human bodies were dropping down the well.

When they hit the tunnel ground, the monsters below snatched them up, 'What the fuck is this? Is there a battle happening?' Atlas thought while glancing up.

Without wasting any more time, he used the walls to spring back and forth, using Void Step to climb the well until hearing the sound of fighting. Atlas reached the top and soon noticed he was in a small village.

'Are the Shadowrealm Empire attacking?' he thought.

Atlas quickly surveyed the chaotic scene. The village was under siege by ruthless bandits while the desperate villagers struggled to defend themselves. Without hesitation, he darted into action, his twin blades flashing with deadly precision.

Each strike was swift and decisive, sending the attackers tumbling to the ground, lifeless. His sudden intervention caught the bandits off guard, creating confusion among them. Sensing the shift in momentum, the remaining orcs and goblins seized the opportunity to attack.

Within minutes, the tide had turned, and the bandits were being ruthlessly cut down. Just as the battle seemed to calm, a massive shadow loomed overhead. Atlas looked up to see an airship descending from the clouds, its cannons roaring to life.

Explosions rocked the outskirts of the village as the airship bombarded the remaining bandits, obliterating any chance of their escape. Once the enemies were dealt with, the town turned on him.

Atlas spotted a spear flying in his direction, causing him to cut it down while exclaiming angrily, ''I was the one who helped you!''

The villagers didn't listen as a large orc that was seven feet tall and was enraged, ''A dirty elf! Kill him!''

He readied his blades before pleading with them, ''Please don't make me kill you all; I was only helping against the bandits.''

Following that, the orc and goblin warriors charged at him, forcing Atlas to fight back even if he didn't want to. He deflected several slashes of a man's sword before he spun around the opponent and sliced at his ankles.

'I'm sorry, but you gave me no choice.'

The orc warrior dropped to the ground before Atlas stabbed into his skull, casting Void Guard to block the other attacks. He felt regret but wouldn't let his life end to the villagers who kept charging at him.

Atlas deflected a sword swing while casting a Void Bullet that slammed into the orc's chest and sent him backward. With that, he lost his temper and started killing everyone that attacked.

By the time the Confederation forces reached the village, Atlas had killed every living being as they all had tried to attack. He was covered in blood as the armored Hobgoblins surrounded him while they were ready to strike.

'Why force me to kill you people! Are they stupid?' Atlas thought while enraged and noticed a large Hobgoblin approaching him.

The man stopped and spoke in a tone full of malice, ''Butcher of Brookhaven. You shall answer for your crimes in Goblintown.''

Atlas's grin widened upon hearing the name they had given him. He swiftly drew his blades and invoked Void Step, reappearing directly before the Hobgoblin Commander. With a fierce punch to the man's stomach, he sent the massive Hobgoblin crashing into his soldiers.

Without missing a beat, Atlas lunged forward, driving Nightblade through the Commander's skull. He then unleashed a Void Blast, sending another opponent flying and causing the soldier to crash into the others.

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