Level Up: Voidwalker

It took Atlas and Theo an hour to finally spot the Blackthorne Hill Dungeon, situated at the base of a prominent ridge west of a city named Stardust Wharf. The beautiful, lush green hills stretched out in all directions and were covered in a thin layer of snow.

'Frostwinter isn't as bad as the girls made out,' he thought, but Atlas would soon learn how wrong he would be.

The surroundings kept the cold air at bay; he would experience that shortly. Atlas noticed several forests covering some hills while villages were built outside. He ordered the Blood Bat King to land away from the people.

The monster chirped in agreement and swooped toward the ground, landing gracefully on the far side of the hill. Atlas slid off Theo's back and gave the creature a gentle pat. 'Thanks for that,' he thought with a grateful smile.

'Anytime, Master,' the Bat King answered.

After sending the Blood Bat King back to the Dungeon Realm, Atlas descended the hill, his ears catching the distant hum of conversation. As he reached the bottom, a bustling road stretched far north and south, swarming with caravans and adventurers.

With an excited smile, he thought, 'This dungeon should be challenging—after all, it's my first Level Three.'

Spotting an opportunity to blend in, Atlas headed toward the road, falling in step with the travelers as he made his way toward the entrance. While walking, he felt the cold air brush against his face.

Atlas started shivering as the cold seeped into his bones, which caused him to summon his helmet and Enchanted Winter cloak that he wrapped around his body, which kept him warm. 'I spoke to soon earlier; it's getting colder,' he thought.

He noticed the road was covered in mud, churned up by the heavy traffic of caravans and adventurers. The distant fortress of the dungeon loomed ahead, its silhouette dark against the snow-covered hills.

Then, Atlas continued walking down the road while swerving around the carriages and groups of travelers. This one was much bigger and looked sturdy than the others he had seen.

As Atlas approached the entrance, he reflected, 'It's been a decade since the last wave. No wonder they're building these fortresses over a Level Three Dungeon now.'

One of the guards stopped him and asked to see his adventurer's card. Atlas nodded before taking it out and showing the woman who asked, ''Here you go.''

The fortress commander was happy with that and let him pass as she signaled for the gate to be open. A small man-sized door opened before stepping through it and seeing a portal in the courtyard's center.

Atlas spotted several cannons and metal gates blocking the way out of the fortress, 'Are they worried about a Monster Wave?' he thought while studying the portal.

''The higher-ups believe a Monster Wave will occur soon,'' the woman commented as she appeared beside him. ''But the Duke dismissed the concerns, so be careful when in there, and if there are too many creatures, retreat to the entrance.''

''I will; I'm not about to die in a Level Three Dungeon, miss,'' Atlas responded. ''But if I can level up during my run, I'll be closer to ranking up and growing stronger.''

The woman offered a knowing smile as she spoke. "Just a word of caution: be careful when you encounter Bugbears. They have a nasty habit of ambushing adventurers right as they make their entrance."

He nodded with a smile, his excitement barely contained, before drawing his weapons and stepping through the portal. On the other side, he emerged at the edge of a vast expanse of rolling hills blanketed in a shadowy forest.

Atlas's initial surge of confidence wavered as a shiver of nervousness crept over him, but he quickly steeled himself, 'What's the worst that could happen? I'll summon some of my monsters to help me.'

He ventured into the forest, which resembled a horror movie scene—dark, twisted vines coiled around gnarled trees. The moment he entered, the oppressive heat enveloped him, making his skin prickle and sweat bead on his forehead.

Atlas drew his weapons as his senses alerted him to danger, just as a distant roar shattered the silence. As a monstrous figure emerged from the underbrush, the trees seemed to stir and shift in the distance.

With an excited smile, he braced himself for the upcoming fight while thinking, 'Another nightmare is closing in.'

Atlas stopped walking when he spotted a creature appear in the dark forest. This caused him to become wary as the new monster towered above him; it was an eight-foot-tall humanoid, a nightmarish mix of goblin and bear, its body covered in coarse, matted fur.

'A messed up Bigfoot, but these will be fun to fight.'

Its long limbs ended in razor-sharp claws, and its face was a ghastly fusion of a goblin and a bear with glowing yellow eyes that stared at him with malice. The beast's pointy ears and fearsome snout, lined with jagged teeth, only heightened its menacing presence.

Built like a bodybuilder, it radiated raw power. Atlas instinctively stepped back while bracing himself for the fight; he readied his blades and focused his enhanced vision on the creature, searching for any advantage.

Atlas felt his heart racing as he activated Void Sight to determine the monster's rank.

[Bugbear]

[Rank: C - 500 Exp]

[These will be tough, but I know you can do it!]

'Not that strong, but where is the advice!' Atlas thought, excitement surging through him as he dashed forward.

The Bugbear barely had time to react before several Void Bullets cut through the air, striking its body and erupting in a series of azure explosions. When Atlas came close, he dropped low and sliced at its ankles, bringing the monster down.

'Stay low and use your speed to take these beasts down.'

Atlas then pounced on its back and drove Deepforge through the creature's skull until it vanished into the dungeon as the experience poured into him, ''That sensation is always good,'' he said with a smile.

That's when he spotted the loot that the Bugbear left behind; Atlas crouched down and picked up the red Monster Core, ten silver coins, and a mana potion, which he instantly drank to top up his mana.

'This will be useful and keep me in the fight,' he believed, feeling a surge of determination.

While doing that, he quickly jumped forward and rolled as if a wooden club had smashed into the ground. Atlas spun around and shot several Void Blasts at the Bugbear that attacked him from the nearby bush.

Atlas noticed three of them circling him, chittering at each other. His grip tightened on his swords as the first monster lunged, claws slashing through the air. He deflected the attack with a quick parry, then cast Void Wave, sending the other two creatures tumbling back.

He quickly cast Void Infusion on his blades, the dark energy coursing through the metal. He slashed the first Bugbear across the wrist, forcing it to drop its club. Atlas followed up with a low sweep, cutting deep into its ankles and bringing the creature crashing to the ground.

Using the same strategy, he disabled the remaining Bugbears, each collapsing as their ankles severed. They struggled to rise, but with their legs crippled, they were helpless against him.

'You won't be getting up after those attacks,' Atlas mused with a smirk.

Atlas finished the three monsters, causing them to vanish into the dungeon, leaving behind three red cores, thirty silver, and some potions. He gathered them all before continuing to travel through the first floor.

As Atlas navigated the dark forest, he had to tread carefully. The ground was riddled with treacherous holes and uneven terrain, and shadows obscured his path, making each step uncertain.

To cut through the inky blackness, he cast a spell of Light, its glow pushing back the encroaching darkness and revealing the hazards ahead. The deeper Atlas traveled, the more eerie the place became as the feeling of being watched intensified the dreadful feeling that washed over him.

'This place is creepy,' he mused while glancing around. 'It feels like something is going to jump out.'

Just as Atlas thought he was safe, manic giggling erupted from the darkness, making his skin crawl. He instinctively raised his blades as a cold dread creeping over him. 'What the hell was that?' he thought.

He searched the shadows surrounding him but saw nothing. The cackling grew louder, accompanied by incoherent babbling that seemed to close in from every direction, sending a wave of unease through him.

That's when something flew out of the darkness, forcing Atlas to cut through it only to realize it was a shabby-looking arrow. When figuring this out, he quickly cast Void Guard, which deflected more attacks.

Atlas used Void Sigh and finally found out what the new monster was.

[Gibberling]

[Rank: C - 500 Exp]

[Your surrounded boy]

'Oh fuck,' he thought while spotting the Gibberlings.

The creatures were unsettling, hunched figures that seemed to be a bizarre fusion of man and wolf. Their fur ranged from dark brown to black, and they bore sharp teeth and claws akin to Bugbears.

However, their crimson eyes, filled with an unsettling madness, truly unnerved him. Without warning, the forest erupted into chaos as these eerie, fur-covered beings launched a fierce attack.

Atlas fought desperately, his weapons and armor deflecting many of their blows, but the relentless onslaught began to wear him down.

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