Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas discovered that the dungeon was also home to several monsters that he found hilarious. 'There are Gremlins! I wonder what they look like? Then there are the Thunder Beetles that could be used as stun grenades,' he pondered.

He found five more dungeons across the Dawnstar Empire that caught his interest, 'Blackthorne Forest, Cavern Of The Cursed, Ravenhold Dungeon, The Howling Warrens, and Tomb Of The Fallen King. These are Level Two or Three, with the last being the only Level Four.'

With his plans to conquer those dungeons on his journey to the Greenskin Confederation, Atlas finished his milkshake before looking for the library on board to see if there was more information on the dungeons, but he had no luck.

Walking down one of the ship's corridors, he noticed the same couple following him, 'It's them again!' he thought as he recognized the Nightowls tracking him.

This made him panic, but he had nowhere to go. He slipped into a side passage while taking out Nightblade and Deepforge, and his paranoia skyrocketed when he heard the duo talking about him.

'I need to get rid of them before they alert the rest,' Atlas pondered as he held his swords.

When they passed by, his blood ran cold as he noticed the daggers, causing him to act first and step out. Atlas used Void Step to appear behind them before thrusting his blades into their hearts.

Atlas felt the cold steel of Nightblade and Deepforge sink into the Nightowl's flesh, their blades cutting through with brutal precision. Blood gushed from the wounds in a shockingly vivid spray, catching the enemies entirely off guard.

The woman's startled scream echoed down the corridor as she fell back, but the man attempted a desperate counter. Before he could react, Atlas unleashed Void Blast. The spell's force struck the man's head, causing it to explode.

This sent a gruesome spray of blood and shattered bone splattering across the corridor walls. As that happened, he noticed the woman pushed a button she held while dying, which he guessed was an alarm.

Atlas felt a surge of adrenaline as he realized escape was no longer an option—more Nightowls were closing in, their sinister presence filling the corridor. His heart pounded; the chaos was matched only by the feverish energy of the fight.

With a flick of his wrist, he deflected a barrage of throwing knives, their clattering impacts reverberating through the narrow space. The corridor became a battleground, a brutal dance of steel, shadows, and blood.

Fueled by fear and exhilaration, Atlas moved with a wild, almost frenzied grace. His every motion was a testament to his power, and thanks to all his experiences, his strength was shaped beyond the limits of his rank.

The air crackled with the clash of blades and the burst of sparks as he ruthlessly cut down the Nightowls. Another lunged at him, a dagger aimed at his throat. His instincts flared, which allowed him to deflect the attack, his blade a blur.

Atlas drove his sword into the opponent's heart in the same fluid motion. Without missing a beat, he spun on his heel, evading another strike with a narrow escape, and delivered a lethal slash to his assailant's face.

The corridor erupted into a storm of violence, and Atlas's movements were a deadly ballet in the face of overwhelming odds. Following that, Nightowls backed off but still trapped him as they cast a barrier around the battle.

Atlas glanced left and right, his heart sinking as he saw dozens of enemies closing in on him. Panic surged through him, but he forced himself to focus. His mind raced with a single, urgent thought, 'How am I going to escape this? Failure here means I'll never rise to the top.'

'Master use me to break out,' the Death Serpent's voice sounded in his mind.

He nodded his head just as the first enemy charged forward, but Atlas sidestepped him before casting Void Wave, which slammed the Nightowl into the wall while the others reacted and dashed forward.

Atlas used everything he had learned since arriving in Valoria in this fight. He crossed his blades to block an enemy sword before twisting his wrist and taking the opponent's weapon before driving Nightblade into the man's forehead.

As that happened, he cast a Void Arrow at the Nightowl behind him through the corpse's skull before he started fighting them in the packed corridor, where he had the advantage due to his small frame and speed.

Sparks flew all over the place as he remembered Estelle's training and went for the adult's legs, which brought them down like dominos, causing Atlas to think, 'How many are on board? This isn't good.'

After doing that, he cast Void Infusion on his swords before carving through another enemy while kicking another. He managed to slay even more while approaching the barrier that was trapping him.

The Nightowls couldn't keep up as he bounced around, sidestepping, ducking, rolling, and keeping out of their reach while striking their legs and torsos, driving them back. As he drew near his prison, he unleashed a Void Lance at it, sending a surge of dark energy crashing into the mana barrier.

It shattered under the force of his attack, splintering into a thousand fragments. In that instant, Atlas brought forth his Death Serpent. With a flick of his wrist, the serpent's jaws enveloped him, and together, they plunged through the gaping breach in the ship.

The monster's colossal body surged through the wreckage, smashing aside Nightowls and security personnel. Bursting through the vessel's side, they plummeted into the stormy waters below.

They left the ship's chaos behind in their wake, the night sky illuminated by the debris and the echoes of destruction. He was comfortable but wet while feeling the monsters dashing through the water.

Hours later, the Death Serpent erupted from the depths, charging towards the beach with a colossal shark hot on its heels. Atlas could feel the predator's relentless pursuit, but his monster managed to reach the shore and eject him safely.

Atlas was hurled across the sand, skidding to a halt at the base of a towering hill. He was spent and battered by the weight of exhaustion due to the fight with powerful opponents took its toll, pulling him toward unconsciousness.

The Death Serpent coiled protectively around him, her massive form a shield against the night. He fell asleep only to be awakened by the screech of a flock of terrified seagulls flying above.

He opened his eyes to the blinding brilliance of the sun overhead, squinting as he sat up. The sight before him was serene: a stunning beach stretched out to the horizon, with a quaint village visible to the south.

"Too close," Atlas thought urgently. "I need to get away from the shore."

That's when he quickly noticed the Death Serpent covering his body. Atlas smiled before stroking the monster, speaking in a grateful voice, ''Thank you for saving me once again, but I have come up with the perfect name for you.''

The giant creature's head moved to him, and its yellow eyes watched him as he revealed, ''You will be called Medusa.''

Atlas watched the monster register the name before hissing until a glow washed over its body as its voice echoed in his mind, 'Thank you for that, Master. I was wondering when you was going to give me one.'

He let out a soft chuckle as he stood. With a snap of his fingers, Nightblade and Deepforge materialized into his hands, their familiar weight reassuring. After sheathing the swords, he deactivated Maskweaver within the Dawnstar Empire's domain.

'It feels so much better having these two back,' Atlas smiled.

Following that, Atlas sent Medusa back to the Dungeon Realm to rest. At the same time, he pulled out the History Of Valoria book he had in his Dimensional Storage before reading about the Dawnstar Empire.

Atlas learned it was a powerful magic realm where people valued someone's spellcasting, alchemy, and crafting skills. Surprised, he realized that the Achaemenidians would come here in large numbers to find him.

'At least I can fight them now,' he thought with a smile. 'The more I fight and gain experience, the stronger I become.'

Once Atlas finished that, he took out his map and discovered a town named Emberglade just over the hill. With a goal in mind, he stood up and started climbing, only to be shocked when he reached the top.

A stunning green landscape covered in a fine layer of snow causes him to think, 'So beautiful.'

Atlas started walking toward the town and noticed no monsters were lurking around. When he sent the Voidstalkers out to search for some, they reported that only weak creatures could be found.

He was intrigued but thought while glancing around, 'Adventurers must keep their numbers down around population centers. I wonder where the nearest dungeon is.'

Then, Atlas continued and spotted a medieval-looking town with large walls protecting the people. Towers dotted the grey-stoned barrier, and soldiers patrolled the top, but the cannons caught his attention.

'Those things can target things miles away,' he thought in amazement while closing in on the town.

Atlas was stopped by the guard standing in front of the gate. ''Stop, young man! What is your business in Emberglade?''

He stopped moving while looking up at the older woman but noticed she was an elf, which caused him to shrug before answering, ''I come here to dungeon run and take quests in the bigger cities so I can rank up.''

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