Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 159: Frostwinter

As Atlas approached the caravan leader, the man spun around, pushing his glasses up his nose. He addressed Atlas with a professional tone, "I'm Robert Malduney. You must be Azhar'Zul? The guild mentioned you're reliable and strong, even at a young age.''

Robert glanced at a group of guards and told them to return to work before continuing to speak to him, ''We need you to take up the rear while the other adventurers and guards protect the nobles and trade carriages during the journey to Starfallen City."

Atlas nodded in acknowledgment. "I understand."

He went to the caravan's rear, where a group of adventurers were stationed to guard the last carriage. One of the men, a human, glanced at him with curiosity. "Boy, are you a snow elf? Only they have the same pale skin and white hair as you do."

The man was human, but the three women with him were elves, clearly part of an adventurer party. Atlas shook his head slightly, narrowing his eyes at the man, though he felt satisfied at his disguise's effectiveness.

"Yes," Atlas replied, "I come from the Frostmark Kingdom to the north."

Following that, they continued asking questions, forcing Atlas to come up with even more lies as he was hiding his race. Once everything was ready, Robert shouted out to everyone, informing them to move.

The party stopped bothering him before getting to work as Atlas followed the caravan from behind. While walking, he summoned his helmet, as wearing all the armor felt right in case any monsters tried attacking.

As they left the city and entered the grassy expanse, Atlas couldn't shake a growing sense of unease. 'Why is it always me?' he thought, scanning the horizon. 'What kind of monsters will we encounter on the way to the city?'

He shook his head and continued walking, remembering to check the Level Three monster total.

[Void Golem – 922889/1000000]

[Void Warrior Golem – 497127/500000]

[Void Golem Commander – 99930/100000]

[Void Golem King – 1/1]

'This will take a couple of weeks to complete if I do it every night, but it might change when I get stronger during my journey to the Nubian capital,' Atlas pondered while following the carriage across the beautiful grassland.

They were traveling along a stone road that resembled the Roman ones back on Earth, which was well-built thanks to the Dawnstar Empire. The large caravan soon stopped, which baffled him, and the same human man approached with a concerned expression.

'What's happened now?' Atlas thought while glancing around.

''We're entering the Death Hills, which sits between Emberglade and Starfallen City. Make sure to stay close to the carriage, or the lurking horrors will try to attack you,'' the adventurer informed him.

Atlas nodded before replying, ''Thanks for the information. I will be careful during our journey.''

Minutes later, the caravan slowly started moving again as they entered the Death Hills, and the atmosphere instantly changed. Atlas's grip on his sword tightened as it felt like something was watching them from the shadows.

'There is something following us,' he thought while glancing around him. 'Whatever monster it is, they're stalking one of us.'

That's when a thick fog descended ten minutes later, causing the guards to close in on the carriages while the people remained inside. 'What is going on? Where did this dodgy mist come from? A monster, maybe?'

As Atlas walked, he summoned some Voidstalkers and ordered the small dinosaurs to scout the surrounding landscape. He watched his monsters rush off, but they were all killed within minutes, which surprised him.

The deeper they ventured, the more nervous Atlas became, anxiously waiting for an attack that never came. This place is unsettling... but I can't figure out why, he thought, scanning his surroundings with a growing sense of unease.

The caravan continued traveling for hours until it soon reached a river, where Robert ordered it to set camp. The adventurers set up Dark One Runes and many others to protect them from the monsters lurking around them.

While this happened, Atlas watched their surroundings until he set up his camp next to the last carriage. He had a roaring fire going, but he grew creeped out while looking around as the hair on the back of his neck stood on edge.

'This is worse than the Darkheart Jungle. I can feel monsters around us, but they're well hidden,' Atlas thought while he debated telling the other adventurers.

He decided it was a good idea to inform them and stood up to approach their camp, but Medusa's voice sounded in his mind, 'Stay in the Runes Master. They will be fine.'

'Can you sense them?' Atlas responded.

'Yes, but won't attack anytime soon,' Medusa answered. 'Your projection is perfect, and they won't be able to hurt you unless a high-ranked monster appears.'

The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the Death Hills shrouded in a twilight gloom that seemed to stretch endlessly. The caravan had settled for the night beside the river, the soft murmur of the flowing water barely cutting through the heavy silence.

'I'm tired, but this creepy feeling is annoying me,' he thought while getting comfortable.

Atlas crouched by his camp, the only source of light the flickering embers he was coaxing into a fire. His breath formed small clouds in the chill night air as he arranged dry kindling and twigs, his fingers numb from the cold.

The sounds of the caravan's camp setup—tent pegs being driven into the ground, murmurs of the guards—faded into the background as he focused on his task. The fire's warmth would be a small comfort against the encroaching darkness.

'I feel like I'm being watched. Is this the feeling people used to talk about on Earth?' Atlas mused while using Void Sight all around him but found nothing.

As the flames began to crackle, Atlas leaned back on his heels, trying to shake the unsettling feeling that had been gnawing at him since they entered the Death Hills. He cast a wary glance at the surrounding landscape.

The thick fog had settled heavily over the area, wrapping the camp in an almost tangible shroud of mist that seemed to absorb the light. His fire sputtered and hissed, the flames dancing erratically.

The shadows cast by the flickering flames twisted into grotesque shapes, playing tricks on his mind. The chill in the air grew more pronounced, making the fire's warmth feel like a thin, unreliable shield. Your next chapter is on mvl

Atlas yawned before standing up and stretching before glancing around the quiet area where a few adventurers patrolled the Rune circle, not stepping outside so the Dark Ones couldn't get them.

He crawled inside the tent and sleeping bag while wrapping a blanket around himself for extra warmth, only to fall asleep minutes later as the weather got worse. The caravan was trapped in the Death Hills until it calmed down.

The following day, Atlas woke up and rubbed his eyes while sitting up just as the cold air hit his body, stiffening it. He reached for his cloak, wrapping it tightly around himself before crawling out of his sleeping bag.

He noticed the air in the tent was colder than before, an unnatural chill that seemed to cling to his skin. Atlas hesitated momentarily, then unzipped the tent flap and climbed outside, blinking against the brightness.

Snow was falling. Thick, silent flakes drifted down from the sky, coating the Death Hills in a thin blanket of white. The entire landscape had changed overnight—a bleak and foggy expanse was now a hauntingly quiet winter scene.

The fog was still there, but it mingled with the snow, making everything feel otherworldly, almost like stepping into a dream. Atlas quickly noticed the adventurer approached him with an annoyed expression before informing him, ''Robert ordered us to stay put as the road to Starfallen City is blocked due to the weather.''

Atlas nodded in understanding before starting another fire, but the wind and snow rebutted his efforts. Following that, he crawled back into his tent to go back to completing the Void Realm while they were stuck there.

He activated the skill and appeared on the plateau just as the swarm of Golems headed in his direction. Following that, Atlas spent hours butchering the stone monsters, and he felt some of his attributes increase thanks to all the fighting.

Once Atlas killed enough Void Golems, the Warriors started appearing, and he hacked and slashed at them while dodging the stronger monsters' attacks. He slaughtered them quickly, thanks to the speed and experience he had gathered since being on Valoria.

It wasn't until a Golem Commander cast an earth spell at him. Atlas raised Void Guard but was still knocked into the water below, ending his run in the Void Realm. He woke up only to hear the hiss of wind lashing against his tent.

Atlas shook his head to clear his thoughts and checked the monster tally. He was impressed by the total, a number higher than he had expected.

[Void Golem – 921114/1000000]

[Void Warrior Golem – 496871/500000]

[Void Golem Commander – 99930/100000]

[Void Golem King – 1/1]

Following that, he pulled out a Griffin Meat Box and started eating, causing him to smile as his stomach grumbled. Atlas began to eat while the wind picked up outside, but he was warm, thanks to the tent.

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