Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 148: Not Long Now

Atlas approached the inn's counter while the older woman greeted him with a warm smile, "Boy, I'm sorry for being rude, but I haven't asked your name yet,'' she questioned. Find adventures on m_v l|-NovelBin.net

"My adventurer name is Azhar'Zul, I'm a Rank E adventurer from Astoria," he replied, introducing himself while sitting at the counter.

Mariam nodded, but the big man spoke in a friendly voice, ''Thalassia Empire?''

''Yes, but I was shipwrecked on Zarandar a week back; all I've been doing is exploring the continent while leveling up,'' Atlas revealed, causing the two adults to smile.

''So you're a Ranker then?'' Mariam questioned while sipping some ale the owner gave them.

Atlas nodded before answering, ''I love the feeling of earning experience as it flows into my body.''

The two adults laughed, and the older woman commented, ''It makes sense since your aura is chaotic and flares up occasionally. All I can see is a beautiful blue glow from you, which is odd.''

He looked confused, causing them to laugh again before the owner explained, ''The higher you rank, the more your aura stands out. Right now, I'm guessing you're an Adept and way past halfway of ranking up?''

Atlas's eyes opened wide in shock, causing the man to nod with a knowing smile, ''When you get to a big city, find an aura control skill; it will allow you to restrain and hide it from those who chase you, Azhar'Zul,'' he said in a knowing voice.

Shortly after that, Atlas was introduced to the big man, Wilson, who owned the Prancing Pony Inn alongside his wife. That's when he discovered the couple was from the Wildheart Kingdom but moved to Zarander many years ago.

After that, Mariam thanked him again before leaving the inn to return to work. Wilson led him down a corridor and smiled as he started a conversation, ''It's an Unusual name; maybe it comes from another continent?''

When hearing the big man's question, Atlas shrugged, ''I saw it in a book and liked it. The receptionist rushed us to choose names, so I picked Azhar'Zul because of its uniqueness,'' he answered.

Wilson gave a friendly nod and opened a door to reveal a room. "Here you go," he said with a grin. "This one has an adjoining bathroom—you look like you could use a good freshen-up!"

Atlas started laughing before thanking the man as he asked with a grin, ''Where is the closest bank, old man?''

Wilson chuckled heartily, giving Atlas a friendly pat on the back. "Oh, come on now! I'm only thirty myself, but if you're looking for a bank, your best bet is Karwila City to the south. Muallerah City is closer, but they've got hefty withdrawal fees thanks to the mayor. Karwila's your place for better rates."

He thanked the big man before entering his room, dismissing his gear, and walking toward the bathroom, where he saw a large circular bath that reminded him of a jacuzzi back on Earth.

The room was decorated with beautiful colorful tiles depicting Achaemenidian history; Atlas spotted the coronation of Emperor Cyrus Safavi and the birth of the empire's princes and princesses.

'I hate that damn family,' he thought as annoyance passed through him.

Atlas ignored the artwork as he undressed and slid into the soothing hot water. He sank into the bath, closing his eyes and letting the warmth envelop him. The gentle caress of the water against his skin melted away his tension, leaving him in complete relaxation.

Following that, he started washing while plotting his journey, 'I will head to Karwila City and tell the Adventurers Guild about the five completed quests before getting his five hundred coins.'

Once deciding that, Atlas cleaned up and put on some fresh clothes after drying his hair before walking into his room. As he entered the bedroom, he spotted a trolley full of food with a note and a silver plate with the town symbol.

Atlas picked up the note and read it, 'Thank you for saving the town. I heard about your fight outside the walls and guessed you'd be hungry. — Old Man Wilson.'

He chuckled at the message, then glanced at the food left for him. It looked like a hearty meal of dumplings, rice, and a sweet dessert, which made him smile. Atlas started eating while looking at the Town Plate.

'This will help me prove I completed the quests,' Atlas mused while chewing on a dumpling.

Following that, he decided to try to complete Level Two of the Void Realm before researching local dungeons and spots for strong monsters. He closed his eyes while activating Void Realm and being sucked into the strange world.

Atlas woke up outside a cave as a storm raged high above, causing him to summon his gear along with the Enchanted Winter Cloak. He pulled out his blades before walking down a nearby path as he checked the Void Bear totals.

[Savage Void Bear – 1796/5000]

[Cave Void Bears – 723/2000]

[Brute Void Bears – 6/10]

[Void Bear Queen – 1/1]

During his journey to the next arena, Atlas fought many Savage and Cave Void Bears that tried attacking him from caves and cliffs. After hours, he made it to the next Brute Void Bear fight, increasing his excitement for the upcoming battle.

'I can't wait to fight the Sub Boss; it will be one more step toward Level Three,' Atlus mused with a smile.

The polar bear-looking monsters rushed forward as the arena blocked him inside. Seeing this, Atlas grinned before casting Void Bomb at it, causing an explosion to ring out, which sent the creature stumbling backward.

Atlas dashed forward and started attacking the creature's soft flesh while dodging the monster's claws, which were swiping at him. The fight didn't last long, as the Void Brute Bear was riddled with bad injuries.

He used Void Step to escape the monster's range while blasting it with several Void Bullets that exploded all over its body. Atlas knew this was working as the bear got angrier as the pain overwhelmed it.

Following that, Atlas cast Void Guard before spamming Void Bombs at it and finally ended the Sub-Boss, allowing him to continue to slaughter many more monsters until he grew tired and bored of it all.

'So beautiful, I wonder if this place was every a world,' he thought while looking over a lake surrounded by mountains with a path leading around the edge.

Atlas shook his head before pulling up the Void Bear totals to see how far he had to go.

[Savage Void Bear – 1423/5000]

[Cave Void Bears – 501/2000]

[Brute Void Bears – 5/10]

[Void Bear Queen – 1/1]

'Not long now until I can face the queen,' he mused, pressing on through the arenas. One after another, he encountered three more, and with little difficulty, he defeated the Brute Void Bears in each.

After hours of hunting bears, Atlas was fed up and decided to return to the real world for some much-needed rest. Exhausted, he crawled into bed and quickly fell asleep, the moon's glow casting a serene light over the town outside.

Unknown to him, while he slept, a group of rebels had stealthily infiltrated the town and destroyed several Rune Stones, which had long safeguarded the town from the Dark Ones' nightly incursions.

Atlas woke up to a shrill scream, and an alarm went off. He jumped out of bed while equipping his gear and looked out the window to see several Dark Ones stalking terrified people who were trying to flee down the street.

Seeing this, Atlas used Void Step to appear outside before attacking the creepy-looking humanoids and slashing through their bodies using his swords. This sudden attack shocked the monsters, who started trying to attack him.

He blocked and deflected the claws, feeling the sting of other attacks scraping against his chest. Leaning back to avoid a deadly swipe, he retaliated with his Nightblade, skillfully slicing off several limbs and heads.

Following that, Atlas crossed his blades as a spell hit him, but all it did was reactive Maskweaver, exposing his true face to the surrounding guards. He noticed their eyes widened in shock and fear while pointing at the wanted posters everywhere.

'Oh no. This is bad,' he thought while the grip on his swords

A voice rang out, riling every soldier and adventurer nearby, ''The Dajjal is here! The devil who will bring ruin to the Achaemenid Empire.''

Atlas gulped just as the surrounding soldiers charged at him. He blocked one attack before striking several men and women before casting several Void Bullets that peppered the swarm of enemies.

He blocked most attacks thanks to his speed while the armor stopped the rest. Atlas kept using Void Guard to deflect many attacks. He looked for a way out and couldn't see one, forcing him to summon a pack of Death Jackels that scared the people, and that's when Theo swooped down to help.

The giant Blood Bat King picked him up while blocking arrows with an ear-piercing shriek before flying high. He watched as the soldiers below tried to follow him, but Theo was too fast for them.

Atlas was happy as they flew south while thinking, 'What magic was the Dark Ones using? I've never thought about it.'

He shrugged before telling Theo not to attract attention, causing it to chirp as a wave of mana washed over them. Atlas realized that the monster was hiding them from anyone below.

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