Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 162: The Order Of Shadows

Atlas was soaking in the overwhelming feeling of experience pouring into his body, making him feel high as his head spun, 'It feels so good when leveling up and getting stronger,' he thought.

Once it calmed down, he could feel the soldiers approaching, but it took a few more minutes before a loud screech rang out. Theo crashed down behind Atlas to ensure the people wouldn't harm him.

He stroked the giant bat with a smile before speaking in an exhausted voice, ''They won't hurt me, boy. We saved their city after all.''

'Yes, Master. Make sure to get rest; I'm exhausted,' the monster's voice echoed in his mind.

Following that, Atlas dismissed Theo, causing the surrounding soldiers to relax as a commander approached with a friendly expression, ''Young adventurer, thank you for aiding Starfallen City.''

As the man's voice reached his ears, a bad feeling overwhelmed his senses, causing him to move forward, "Move!" Atlas roared, shoving the commander aside with a powerful thrust as his twin blades came alive and started slicing through the air.

Each swing cleaved through the oncoming barrage of projectiles, shattering the spells that rained down like a relentless storm. But Atlas didn't falter while casting Void Infusion on his blades to help.

He stepped forward, his feet pounding the ground with unstoppable force as more and more projectiles streaked toward him and the commander. Atlas weaved between the deadly onslaught, dodging with lightning reflexes, his blades carving through the rest.

Without breaking stride, he charged toward the attackers, his eyes locked on his target. He leaped onto one of the projectiles in a daring move, riding its momentum before launching himself like a missile at the enemy.

As he hurtled closer, the truth struck him—it was an elite squad of powerful mages. But Atlas was undeterred. Spinning mid-air, he unleashed a devastating kick that slammed into one mage's face, sending them crashing.

In the same breath, his hand shot out, casting a Void Blast that tore through another enemy just as he landed with a thunderous impact. His presence radiated power and defiance; the soldiers on the walls could only stare in awe as Atlas started battling with the mages.

He was so fast that they couldn't see him, which spooked them and caused the attackers to flee into the night. Atlas killed another one by throwing Deepforge at the man's back and summoning the blade back to him.

After that, he felt exhaustion take over his body while returning to the city. He dismissed his armor, and the guards cheered. The commander slapped him on the back when he stepped into the city, ''Thanks for saving me, young man. The Order of Shadow has been attacking the Dawnstar and Shadowrealm Empires, looking for the Koschei, which is rumored to be on Nivaria.''

Atlas nodded with a smile while ignoring the new name he had earned from Joel before questioning the man, ''The Order of Shadow? What's that?''

The commander found out Atlas was heading to the Adventurers Guild; he walked him there while explaining in a quiet and concerned voice, ''They are a group of shady individuals who are searching for the Koschei, who they believe will unite Nivaria under their banner.''

'Oh god,' Atlas chuckled when hearing the commander. 'Better not let these people know I'm the Voidwalker, or they will start chasing me along with the empire.'

With that, the two walked through the city until reaching the guild, where the man commented, ''Once you're done here, come to the barracks for a reward. I will talk to the mayor to see what we can give you.''

Atlas nodded before entering the building, only to spot Joel and his three wives. The older man rushed over to him and said in shock, ''Azhar'Zul! You're alive. How did you survive those many monsters? We heard from the soldiers that there were thousands of them.''

He laughed before answering, ''The city guard helped me along with my tamed creatures, but it's good because I earned a lot of experience during the fight.''

The man smiled as one of the receptionists called them over to register the escort quests. She took all their cards and scanned Atlas's before glancing at him with a friendly smile, ''Your Rank Up test is scheduled for tomorrow morning; report here at the first bell.''

Atlas agreed with a nod as she turned to Joel and his wives, ''The mayor wants you guys for a job. She asked me to tell you to report to her manor straight away.''

Joel and the three women exchanged farewells before departing from the guild. As they turned to leave, the older man extended his hand, "I truly hope our paths cross again, Azhar'Zul. Be cautious on Nivaria—the Order of Shadows is relentless, and they're hunting for you."

Atlas shook Joel's hand and said warmly, ''I'm always careful when exploring, and I'm sure we'll meet again one day.''

After that, he left the guild to visit the Level One Dungeon Moonshade Grotto to conquer it so he could use the Darklings in the future, as he felt they would be helpful. It took him twenty minutes to reach the northern gate.

'Hopefully, they let me out. I want to continue west so I can conquer the other dungeons while heading for the Greenskin Confederation to get an airship across the dangerous sea in between Nivaria and Aridonia,' Atlas mused while approaching the gate.

The city guard opened the smaller gate and let him pass. As Atlas stepped out, the commander greeted him with a warm smile. "So the rumors are true—a snow elf saved our city."

Atlas nodded in response, his eyes catching the signposts pointing toward the Moonshade Grotto Dungeon a mile north. Setting off in that direction, he found himself among a steady flow of merchants and travelers, all moving along the busy road.

While walking through the city, he checked his status to see how long it would take him to rank up and grow stronger.

[Level Up: 170?173]

[Experience: 4810/5000]

[Experience Gained: 15250]

[Health: 1390?1602(200)]

[Mana: 6534?7350(1000)]

[Strength: 1604?1822(100)]

[Stamina: 1990?2214(250)]

[Charisma: 660?700]

[Intelligence: 1290?1500]

[Core Rank Up: Apprentice High?Adept Low]

[Core Points: 8720/100000]

[Core Points Gained: 9000]

[Void Infusion: 0?1]

[Health Regeneration: 3?4]

Atlas got excited when he saw all the gains and felt a buzz, which made him want to fight even more. Towering trees flanked the path ahead, their branches weaving together to form a canopy that cast deep shadows over the ground.

As Atlas walked, he summoned his armor and weapons, preparing himself for lurking monsters waiting in the darkness, 'It's better to be ready than caught off guard,' he mused while watching his surroundings.

Five minutes later, Atlas reached a small fortress that guarded the dungeon entrance. When the Dawnstar soldiers spotted him, the leader asked for his Adventurers Card, which he showed and allowed into the dungeon.

'Now its time to get more monsters for my Void and Dungeon armies before this mysterious order finds me.'

When the gate opened, Atlas saw a small cave entrance with a translucent portal that led into the dungeon. He smiled before stepping through it and readying himself to fight any monsters he encountered.

'This should be easy if nothing has gone wrong with this place,' he pondered.

As Atlas stepped into the clearing, he was surrounded by a dense forest. The sound of running water reached his ears, drawing his attention deeper. Moving cautiously, he approached the source of the noise—a small stream cutting through the landscape.

Along its banks, a group of slimes aimlessly wandered, their gelatinous bodies shimmering under the dappled sunlight. Atlas's eyes narrowed as he studied them, preparing for his next move.

'Slimes! I forgot this is a Level One Dungeon,' Atlas thought while getting close to the Slimes and scanning them using Void Sight.

[Forest Slimes]

[Rank: G - 50 Exp]

[Is there anything to say about this monster?]

Atlas chuckled softly, raising the Nightblade and aiming at the creatures. With a flick of his wrist, he cast Void Bullets, sending azure projectiles streaking through the air before striking the slimes dead-on.

'Easy kills!' he internally celebrated.

One by one, they exploded into a spray of ooze, vanishing with a hiss as the magic killed them. Atlas noticed ten black Monster Cores lying on the ground and a few copper coins as a reward.

He collected everything while thinking, 'Rank G monsters are easy to kill.'

Atlas continued along the river bank while killing fifty more Forest Slimes until he came across a new monster that made him jump when it lunged from the nearby water. He quickly cut it down using Deepforge.

'Leeches! I hate these things!'

They were the size of his arm and black so that they could hide at the bottom of the river. More tried attacking while Atlas took in the monsters, allowing him to scan them.

[Giant Leeches]

[Rank: G - 50 Exp]

[Don't let them bite you] Explore stories on ???

As the creepy creatures lunged at Atlas, he quickly cut them down before moving on and slaughtering even more slimes as he came to the second-floor entrance. While standing there, he remembered Level One Dungeons have three to five floors.

Atlas rushed through the floors, killing low-level monsters, including Howling Ghouls, Horned Rabbits, and Shadow Widows. None of them stood a chance against his speed as he moved like a thunderbolt while cutting down any monsters he encountered.

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