Level Up: Voidwalker

When Atlas heard Theo's concern, he smiled and reassured the monster, 'Go, rest, boy. I will deal with this now.'

Following that, he jumped off the Blood Bat King's back before falling toward the surface while summoning Medusa. The giant Death Serpent let out a roar as they crashed into the water below.

Atlas held onto the giant snake as she darted through the dangerous sea, and her voice sounded in his mind, 'Master, this ocean is dangerous. We must move quickly.'

He nodded while they traveled through the rough sea. Atlas was on watch, and something told him to cast Void Guard around the two of them as something crashed into them from below.

'Oh no! What kind of monster is this? ' When he thought this, he saw the culprit: a giant dark blue shark hiding among the deep sea's darkness.

Its black eyes made his blood run cold, but that's when Medusa tried to counterattack. The monster was too strong, causing Atlas to cast a Void Bomb to clear some space. He watched the explosion force the giant shark back and quickly scanned it to find its rank.

[Stormmaw Shark]

[Rank A: 1000 Exp]

[Wolf of the Deadmaw Sea. Use your magic to fend them off]

When reading this, Atlas pointed his hand at the monster and cast a dozen Void Arrows at it, forcing the Stormmaw Shark to flee into the distance. Medusa dashed away but soon dived as a Kraken appeared from an underwater mountain.

'This is hell underwater; powerful monsters everywhere,' he thought, glancing around only to spot a massive vessel lying on the ocean floor. 'I will return here when I get stronger.'

Medusa headed straight for it as the Kraken chased them while trying to grab the Death Serpent. Atlas turned to look at the monster and noticed it was dark in color and was the size of a building.

He quickly used Void Sight on the newcomer as they raced through the chaotic ocean.

[Deepmaw Kraken]

[Rank: S - 10000]

[Use explosive magic, then run]

'Oh god, this thing is strong,' Atlas thought when reading it.

Its evil red eyes locked onto him like a homing missile as it continued chasing them. Atlas recast Aqua Lung so he could breathe, but he pointed his Nightblade at the monster before casting Void Lance at it.

'This should do some damage and drive it off,' Atlas thought with a worried smile.

The massive creature attempted to dodge, but the azure projectile tore through the water with lethal precision, piercing its body and burrowing deep. Wounded but relentless, it continued its pursuit, forcing Medusa to dive into a nearby canyon, desperate to shake the Kraken off their trail.

'Why am I always getting chased by stronger creatures.'

Atlas continued spamming Void Lances and Void Arrows at the pursuing monster. The spells hit the beast and everything else around it. Explosions ripped through the water, causing it to crash into the side of the canyon.

'Speed up, Medusa,' he quickly commanded while sensing the Kraken was recovering. 'Head for the ship! We will hide there!'

The Death Serpent slithered up the canyon walls as Atlas watched the Deepmaw Kraken thrash in a frenzy below. Moments later, the two found an opening in the ship's hull, just large enough to slip inside.

Atlas noticed they entered the vessel's cargo hold, where he saw several skeletons trapped by crates. 'I wonder what happened here?' he thought.

He glanced around and noticed there was a way up far above them. Medusa swam toward it while slithering through the cold water. Atlas made sure there weren't any monsters hiding in the shadows.

'I can't feel anything but something is giving off a creepy vibe that he couldn't put his finger on it,' he mused while they approached the surface.

Medusa and Atlas surfaced in a vast, shadowy chamber, where the air was thick with the stench of decay. The oppressive darkness made it hard to see, but the unmistakable scent of death lingered in the stagnant air.

As they floated there, Atlas could feel Medusa's weariness and, with a silent command, sent the Death Serpent back to the Dungeon Realm to recover.

'Thank you, Master,' Medusa's voice echoed in his mind, her tone soft with exhaustion. 'Be careful… and please, don't die.'

With that, she disappeared, leaving him alone in the cold, foreboding chamber. Atlas smiled before swimming back down to check the crates of rotten material, 'Seems like this ship has been here for years.'

He continued searching only to hear a roar echoing through the water, which spooked him into swimming back up to search the air pocket. Atlas climbed out and stepped into the stale air and smell of death, causing him to cast Light so that he could see.

Even the Night Eyes Rune couldn't penetrate the darkness, but his skill was able to. When his surroundings were lit up, he spotted patches of dried blood, which caught his attention. 'Did a battle happen here?'

While thinking, a clang rang out throughout the creepy ship, which made him jump in fright as it was sudden, 'Maybe it was a monster on the outside?'

Atlas tried to reassure himself as he scanned the chamber, which looked like an elevator room, and went down to the cargo hold, 'It's a huge transport ship; it isn't like one I got to Nivaria.'

He shook his head and approached the nearest door while holding Deepforge in his left hand, and the ball of light followed him. Atlas noticed no skeletons were lying around like the cargo hold.

'Maybe they used the lifeboats to escape?' he thought as another clang rang out, and thanks to being dead quiet, he could hear it even louder.

This made his skin prickle with unease, but Atlas pressed on, slowly pushing open the door. Beyond it lay an unsettlingly pristine, unnaturally long corridor that sent a shiver down his spine.

'Have I walked into a horror movie?'

The sterile quiet only deepened his dread as his eyes darted around. He noticed the rows of identical doors lining each side, their presence oppressive and wrong. Some lay open, while others were shut, but he noticed marks all over the walls further down.

'What did this? Did monsters invade the ship?' Atlas thought while slowly walking down the corridor.

As Atlas continued, he felt his mana returning exceptionally slowly due to something in the deep sea. 'Why is it returning so slow?' he wondered.

[Mana: 2160/7608 (1000)]

'I can't summon any monsters or use too many spells,' he pondered while gripping his blades tighter as his nerves were already on edge. 'Looks like I'll have to use my speed and swords to fight, well, if there is anything here.'

Atlas fumbled with the Lover's Band, desperately trying to reach Amethyst. Just as he began to send her a message, a loud bang echoed through the corridor, so close it jolted him upright.

He scanned the hallway, heart racing, but it was as empty as before, the silence pressing in with an almost tangible weight. Atlas started getting the feeling that the monsters were waiting for him to leave the ship.

'How am I going to get out? I could use Medusa and rush to the surface,' he thought while shaking his head and continuing walking down the corridor.

Atlas cautiously opened the doors, one by one, but each room revealed nothing but emptiness. The orb of light cast eerie shadows across the rooms, illuminating a thick layer of undisturbed dust that seemed to have settled over everything like a shroud.

His search revealed more of the same—a haunting stillness that clung to every surface untouched. Atlas didn't know what to make of it all and decided to continue searching as a monster roar echoed outside, shaking the ship.

'Where is everything? There aren't people here, or there would be signs,' he thought while reaching the engine room.

Atlas stepped inside, only to have something lunge at him. He rolled to the side and slashed at the monster that had dropped dead. He brought the light over it and saw a dog-sized spider, causing him to shiver, 'What is it with giant insects?'

He directed the orb of light toward the wall, and his stomach churned as he saw a swarm of spiders emerging from the shadows. Their black bodies were nearly invisible in the darkness, and their yellow eyes glowed with a predatory hunger that made his skin crawl.

"These things are horrifying!" Atlas thought, a shudder running down his spine.

Without wasting a second, he activated Void Sight, revealing the grotesque forms of the spider. With a grim determination, he launched his attack, hoping to drive away the creeping terror that threatened to overwhelm him.

[Deepsea Crawlers]

[Rank: C - 500 Exp]

[Keep out of its webs, or you'll get stuck]

'I swear, Luxia, you've sent me to a damn nightmare world,' he internally complained.

Following that thought, he threw two Gravity Bombs that slammed into the closest monsters, sending the crawlers slamming into the floor. When Atlas saw this, he dashed forward and started attacking the creatures.

Atlas thrust Nightblade and Deepforge into the spider's heads, causing them to drop dead as the experience poured into his body. He continued slaughtering the monsters that tried to attack, but thanks to his armor, their legs and fangs could penetrate it.

[Drop some powerstones, comments, and gifts to help the novel grow; I appreciate all the support you can give]