Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas and Theo flew above the landscape, allowing him to avoid all the monsters roaming the land below. While flying over towns and villages, he quickly noticed the tall defensive walls that encircled the buildings and farmland.

Train tracks dotted the land, and speeding machines rushed along as monsters chased them. Thanks to the weapons on board, they were killed. 'Master, a swarm of flying monsters is heading in our direction; you should hide in the settlements below,' the Blood Bat King's voice echoed in his mind.

Hours Atlas ordered the monster to drop him off outside the closest town, Philae. He jumped off Theo's back before dismissing the creature to the Dungeon Realm. He approached the city gates and quickly noticed all the corpses littering the outside.

When he got close, a loud voice rang out, ''Halt! What are you doing out there, boy!''

Atlas looked up and spotted the town commander standing above the gate with several men surrounding him. He took off his helmet and replied in a calm voice, ''Traveling to Carthage, but the Monster Waves have diverted me to Philae for safety.''

Silence was his only answer until a small door opened as a woman screamed, ''Move now! The Shadow Creatures are coming!''

He turned around only to see a group of Dark Ones charging directly at him. Atlas yelped before running while he cast several Void Bombs that exploded on contact. The azure eruption wiped out dozens and caused the wall to shake.

Atlas entered the town just as the woman slammed the door shut and activated the protective runes against the monsters outside. Without hesitation, he used Void Step to appear atop the wall.

In the shadows, he spotted dozens of Dark Ones lurking from his vantage point. He immediately began casting Void Arrows, targeting the approaching threat. Amidst the chaos, the commander on the wall shouted, "The runes need charging! Get to the stations now!"

The urgency of the command was apparent as Atlas continued his assault, but soon enough, the Dark Ones were driven back into the darkness as the sun set, causing darkness to descend on the town.

Afterward, the commander approached with a friendly smile, holding his hand, ''Thank you for your help, young man. Those Shadow Creatures are deadly when breaching the town.''

Atlas nodded before taking his hand, asking, ''Where is the closest inn? I need a place to sleep until the morning.''

The commander, rubbing his beard, pointed down the main street. "Macy's is on the right side of the town square. She offers great food and a comfortable bed."

Atlas thanked him and followed the directions, soon arriving at the inn, which was surprisingly large for a town of this size. He shrugged and stepped inside, only to find the place bustling with a dozen people.

'Let's just get a room so I can clear the Void Realm,' Atlas smiled before approaching the counter where an older man was waiting to serve someone.

The owner looked up with a grouchy expression as he spoke professionally, ''I'm Merrick. How can the Bumbling Bell help you?''

''Can I have a room until the morning, please?'' he answered the man.

''Yes, boy. That will be fifteen silver,'' Merrick revealed while handing out an iron key and handing it to him.

Atlas handed over the coins and received the key from the owner, who directed him to his room. A few minutes later, he entered the room, dropped onto the bed, and activated Void Realm.

He reappeared on the plateau and drew his blades, applying Void Infusion as the ground beneath him rumbled. Atlas glanced up to see three Warrior Golems charging toward him as the others slowly encircled him.

'Here we go; let's get rid of the first batch of creatures before clearing most of this level.'

Without hesitation, he cast Void Bomb. It sliced through the air before colliding with the monsters. Explosions erupted, sending them crashing to the ground, allowing Atlas to rush forward and cut through their stone bodies.

Following that attack, Atlas jumped back to clear some space while pulling up the monster total, which made him smile as it lowered.

[Void Golem – 200012/1000000]

[Void Warrior Golem – 291220/500000]

[Void Golem Commander – 91101/100000]

[Void Golem King – 1/1]

Once he checked that he got to work, he cast Void Veil, which covered the plateau in a shadow that covered him from the Golems. Atlas cut down hundreds while spamming his spells into the stronger monsters.

'This is getting easier,' he thought with an excited smile. 'I wonder what the next Void monster will be.'

Azure explosions erupted everywhere, sending loads of the Golems into the water below while he rushed around, slashing and slicing. Afterward, he started butchering the monsters easily as they fell to his powered-up swords.

Thanks to his previous experience, fighting even the Warrior Golems became easy for him. Atlas continued to fight until he was tired, but he pushed forward and killed so many monsters that he lost track of the number after the first hour.

'I'll check the total tomorrow,' he thought with a yawn.

When Atlas finished fighting, he returned to the real world and collapsed into bed. He removed his helmet and curled under the sheets before falling asleep as the battle took its toll on him.

The following morning, he woke up as the townspeople's voices sounded from outside. Shortly after that, loud booms rang out as the wall defenses fired upon a Monster Wave trying to attack.

Atlas shook his head and decided to stay in the inn for a few days as he felt rough. He exited the bed before going to the counter, where a young woman was waiting to help someone. She smiled when she saw him and spoke cheerfully, ''How can I help you?''

''I want to extend my stay for three more days,'' Atlas replied while taking out the coins, which surprised the woman.

She smiled, took the payment, and asked curiously, "Could I see your room key, please?"

Atlas handed over the key, and the woman nodded as she wrote something down. "All done. Would you like breakfast?"

He shook his head and returned to his room. Once inside, he sat at the table, pulled out a Griffin Meat Box, and began eating. The food quickly revitalized him, boosting his energy to fight in the Void Realm again.

While eating, Atlas pulled up the monster total to see how well he did.

[Void Golem – 130321/1000000]

[Void Warrior Golem – 291108/500000]

[Void Golem Commander – 91101/100000]

[Void Golem King – 1/1]

Following that, he activated the skill and appeared on the plateau before he started fighting the monsters. Atlas spent the next few days bringing down the numbers and cleared a lot by the time he had to leave the inn.

Thanks to having food in his storage, he didn't have to go out to get anything. While cleaning up the room, he checked out the number of Void Golems he needed to kill.

[Void Golem – 91345/1000000]

[Void Warrior Golem – 242309/500000]

[Void Golem Commander – 91101/100000]

[Void Golem King – 1/1]

'Not long now, I managed to kill enough,' he thought while leaving the room.

As Atlas left the inn, he immediately noticed the town's panic and heard an enraged roar from the north. Reacting swiftly, he used Void Step to ascend to the roof and then rushed toward the noise source.

His blood ran cold as he approached when he spotted the cause of the commotion: the Giant Titan he and Theo had previously encountered. Atlas was about to run until the creature's malice-filled eyes locked onto him.

"Oh shit, it saw me," Atlas thought, immediately turning and running south.

The Giant Titan roared and began sprinting toward the town, its massive form threatening to obliterate everything in its path. Atlas dashed across the rooftops, quickly summoning Nala to get away faster.

Atlas leaped onto Nala's back as she materialized, and the Dreadmaw Lion surged into motion, racing. Atlas glanced back to see the Titan barreling through the town, its force shattering the shield and flattening buildings into rubble as it pursued them.

'This Titan is annoying. Is it going to be chasing me across Aridonia?' he wondered while fleeing.

Nala accelerated, reaching the wall surrounding the town. With a mighty leap, she soared over it, landing heavily on the other side as the ground shook beneath them. The Titan appeared behind them, causing the lion to run again.

'Master! We need to slow the monster down,' the lioness's voice rang out in his head.

Atlas nodded and sent his mana into her body, which boosted Nala. She pushed herself to her limits as the Giant kept up with them, shocking the duo. This caused Atlas to cast Void Bombs at the creature's feet.

When the azure projectiles hit the ground below the Titan, they were sent tumbling. Atlas celebrated, but several other monsters appeared and started chasing them. They reminded him of Hyean's but more menacing-looking.

'This is getting harder,' Atlas thought before blasting the monsters with Void Blasts.

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