Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 155: Emberglade Town

The guard let him through after seeing his Adventurers Card. Atlas entered Emberglade. He saw dozens of elves and humans wandering around. 'It seems the Dawnstar Empire is a mixed empire,' he thought while glancing around.

Atlas noticed the buildings were made of beautiful white stone, gleaming under the morning sun, and had green roofs the color of leaves, which intrigued him. He then started walking down the town's main street while people watched.

'This place is peaceful,' Atlas thought while glancing around.

He observed the town's mixed population, noticing a man walking hand in hand with an elven woman while their three children laughed and played around them. The sight brought a faint smile to his lips, though he quickly shook his head and pressed on.

Soon, Atlas reached the guild and pushed open the heavy wooden doors. Inside, the hall was surprisingly quiet. Only three adventurers were scattered across the room; each lost in their thoughts or tasks. Read latest stories on mvl

'Seems quiet for a town,' he pondered.

Atlas decided to pick out some quests before approaching the counter. He walked over to the board and noticed dozens of requests. Some were about collecting herbs, while others were about monster slaying, which interested him.

He grabbed at least ten before approaching the counter, only to spot an older elf woman with silver hair going through some paperwork. She looked up with a bright smile and gleaming red eyes when spotting him.

''Hello, little Snowdrop. I'm Tilifa. I didn't know your lot was still around. Is your tribe still living in the Frostmark Kingdom?'' she said in a curious tone.

'What is she talking about?' Atlas was confused, but he would soon find out as she continued speaking.

''I haven't seen a snow elf since they left Nivara decades ago after the last war. You do know the empire wants your people to return?'' the woman questioned.

Atlas shook his head before lying so no one would discover he was a Voidborn, ''Father never spoke of other elves. We lived in seclusion after assassins killed my mother when I was young,'' he said with a convincing voice thanks to his charisma stat.

Tilifa frowned and was about to talk, but he cut her off to change the subject so she would suspect him of lying, ''I'd prefer not to speak about the incident. It's the reason I decided to travel the world after being trained since I could walk.''

The older elf nodded sweetly, ''How can I help you, darling?''

Atlas put the stack of papers on the counter, ''I want to take all these. Also, can I get any information on the dungeons in the local area, please?'' he responded.

''You want to try to complete all these?'' Tilifa questioned with a raised eyebrow.

''Yes,'' Atlas responded. ''There are some herb collection quests, but the bulk are monster slaying. It seems Emberglade is having problems with them.''

Following that, the older elf asked for his card before she registered the quests to his account, saying, ''Azhar'Zul, it says here you've completed twelve so far; if you take three more, we can arrange your Rank Test, which will be held in Dawn's Edge City to the north.''

Tilifa suggested two more monster-slaying quests alongside an escort one that will head toward a farming village between Dawn's Edge and Astralkeep City before heading to his test.

''Take these quests, Snowdrop,'' Tilifa said with a warm smile, handing him the stack of papers. ''If you report back here, I'm sure you'll be considered for the escort quest. The recipient mentioned that they need one more person by tomorrow evening.''

Atlas accepted the quests with a nod of determination. "I'll have them completed soon. You can count on it," he replied confidently.

The older woman smiled before returning to work as he left the guild to start completing his quests. Atlas departed Emberglade and stopped on a nearby hill, where he pulled out the first two quests he would do before reading them.

[Kill the Owl Bears that are attacking travelers in the Ember Forest - Reward: Eighty Silver - Proof: Claws or hide]

[Destroy the Wild Orc Tribe that infests the hills to the north - Reward: One Gold - Proof: Orc tusks]

'Not bad for my first two,' he thought with a smile.

Atlas gazed out over the vibrant green forest, a vast expanse stretched far to the south. He spotted a few striking red trees standing out like fiery beacons among this sea of autumnal hues.

'This world is beautiful but I know a Titan is lurking in there,' he thought with a shiver.

Afterward, Atlas summoned the Voidstalkers and ordered them to locate the Owl Bears. The Troodon-looking monsters hopped around while chirping before rushing into the Ember Forest below the hill he was on.

While the void monsters were locating the bears, he pulled out the herb collection quests and started going through them.

[Herb Collection: Gather Moonshade Fern from the lakes and ponds of the Ember Forest - Reward: Depends on how many bundles you bring back]

[Herb Collection: Gather Sunflare Jasmine from the hills around Emberglade - Reward: One Gold]

[Herb Collection: Gather Raven's Claw Ivy from the Redwood Trees - Reward: Three Gold]

[Herb Collection: Gather Wispfern Leaf from the Redwood Tress - Reward: Five Gold]

[Herb Collection: Gather Lunarleaf Herb from the caves under Ember Forest - Reward: three Gold]

'This is going to be annoying. Why are those two quests giving out so much gold?' Atlas internally pondered before climbing down the hill while using Void Sight on the ground. Ten minutes later, he spotted an orange plant just as a notification appeared.

[Sunfire Jasmine - Used in Alchemy and some food recipes]

Atlas got excited and started picking the herbs until he had two arm falls. He wondered how he'd store it before throwing it into the Dimensional Storage after collecting even more while leaving the hill behind.

'That was lucky. Maybe I can find the other herbs this easily.'

Following that, Atlas continued through the forest and fought a group of Goblins that tried to ambush him, but thanks to his instincts, he blocked all their attacks before using Void Wave to kill them all.

When the last Goblin dropped dead, he spotted a massive red tree that stretched into the clouds, causing him to gulp, 'I bet I have to climb this nightmare,' he thought.

He shook his head, sheathing his swords before scaling the Redwood Tree until he emerged above the forest canopy. A sudden sense of dread washed over him, prompting him to scan his surroundings just as several large fruits hurtled toward his head.

Startled, Atlas swiftly invoked Void Step and reappeared on a nearby branch. There, perched with a menacing glare, was a creature resembling a giant baboon. Its yellow eyes glowed with an evil intent as it stared back at him.

He quickly scanned it to find out what rank this newcomer was.

[Tree Devil]

[Rank: D - 300 Exp]

[Behind you!]

He quickly jumped to the side while sending several Void Bullets at the monkey, who easily dodged them. Atlas watched the monster hit the tree before lunging at him, but he raised his blades as the beast got close.

They pierced the monster's chest, but Atlas cast a Void Wave, which sent the Tree Devil pummeling to the ground below. Following that, he jumped back up and readied to fight as more of them surrounded him.

'I'll summon the Death Gorillas if this gets out of hand,' Atlas thought, bracing himself.

The Tree Devil leader emerged from the shadows, beating its chest in a primal display before charging toward him. Atlas let out a startled yelp and swiftly cast Void Lance. The azure projectile streaked through the air and pierced the monster's torso, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

After that, chaos erupted as all the monsters attacked, but Atlas blocked the swarm using Void Guard and summoning Kera and two more gorillas. They burst out of the portal while letting out a fierce roar.

The Dungeon Monsters battled with the Tree Devils in an epic battle in the trees. Atlas watched this with excitement after stabbing one and blasting another with Void Blast, causing the attacking creatures to back off.

An hour later, with all the monsters defeated, Kera fussed over Atlas, who was smiling as the giant gorilla tenderly cleaned him. "Kera! Why are you doing this now? I'm out here searching for herbs," he protested.

She focused on ensuring Atlas was unharmed and continued her assistance before finally letting him go. Afterward, he dismissed the Death Gorillas before spotting black ivy that grew all over the tree.

Atlas's gaze fell upon a nest-like structure below the branch where he perched, a realization dawning on him. 'They were protecting their young,' he thought.

Shaking off the last remnants of Kera's concern, he focused on harvesting the Raven's Claw Ivy. Its dark blue vines released an unexpectedly sweet fragrance, which intrigued him. He carefully gathered the ivy and stowed it away.

Next, he turned his attention to finding the Wispfern Leaf, which grew on the same tree. It blended so seamlessly with its surroundings that locating it required a keen eye and a steady hand.

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