Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 188: Cliffhanger

Atlas continued walking down the dark, damp corridor, heading for the vault where the nobles hid from the prowling monsters. He quickly cast Void Infusion on his blades just as a group of Fleshfiends rushed out of the darkness.

'Here we go.'

Without missing a beat, he dodged several attacks while countering with his swords that carved through the creature's flesh. As Atlas realized he was surrounded, he cast Void Wave, which wiped out a dozen.

This gave him enough time to use Void Arrow to kill many more. Five minutes later, the creatures ceased their attack and scattered into the darkness. Atlas was about to chase after them but stopped as he remembered why he was there.

'Let's get the Arcane Ember and leave this horrifying place,' he thought while traveling through the shadows.

Atlas continued and passed through storage rooms and other mechanical halls that ran the ship. He traveled for an hour until finding the first signs of the noble district. When he got inside, he felt exhaustion wash over him.

'I need to rest before continuing; otherwise, they may get the jump on me,' he wondered while looking for a safe place.

He searched until he discovered a cleaning cupboard with a cubby above it. Once Atlas slipped inside and closed the door behind him, he noticed the space was stocked with spare uniforms and other supplies.

'At least there aren't any monster eggs in here.'

Once inside, Atlas tried to touch the clothes, but they crumbled into dust as if they were old. He internally chuckled before taking out a dozen blankets and piling them up after using Void Blast to burn the dirt from the confined space.

"Well, it's as clean as possible," he muttered.

Following that, he pulled out a Dragon's Meat Feast Box and started eating while checking his status due to leveling up due to all the fighting.

[Level Up: 187?194]

[Experience: 2720/5000]

[Experience Gained: 33460]

[Health: 1760?1768(200)]

[Mana: 7718?7740(1000)]

[Strength: 2042?2046(100)]

[Stamina: 2518?2524(250)]

[Charisma: 764?768]

[Intelligence: 1614?1622]

[Core Points: 89970/100000]

[Core Points Gained: 18800]

[Lvl 2: Void Punch Unlocked]

[Lvl 3: Void Form Unlocked]

'At least I leveled up a few times,' Atlas thought while chewing on some juicy meat covered in spices.

He continued eating before pulling out Amara's Diary to discover what had happened to the Silverstar Family as he ate some Forest Chicken Wraps.

***

Amara and the surviving nobles reached the bottom decks, and the elevator doors opened in a dark corridor. A bad feeling washed over her, but the Federation Soldiers rushed forward with large shields to clear the way for them.

Her Father, Samuel, ushered the family and others forward as the Blightborns slammed against the soldier's shields. Ebba grabbed her arm while casting Wind Missiles that carved through the horde of creatures.

''My lady, let's get to the store room while the Master opens the vault,'' the older woman said as they moved down the corridor.

Screams and howls around them just as the ship jolted to the side. An alarm blared out, and a robotic voice started speaking in a monotone voice, ''The Starforge has been struck by a Sea God! Get to a lifeboat as soon as possible.''

When Amara heard that, she panicked, but soon enough, the soldiers were stopped in their tracks as the mutated creatures swamped the hallway. As she stood there, she spotted a figure in the distance.

'Who is that? And why are the monsters avoiding him?'

The soldiers killed the monsters as the group reached a storage room. Her father ushered them inside while some troops stayed behind to hold the angry creatures back, 'There are vents all over the walls,' she thought while glancing around the large, dimly lit room.

She breathed heavily as she got out her diary and jotted down everything to calm down. While writing, Ebba commented, "My Lady." The others will be moving in ten minutes. The Master and some guards have gone to open the vault.

Amara nodded in understanding as she continued writing, thinking, 'If the empire comes down here, they will try to cover up what happens. This will be the truth that exposes the Asotrians.'

After finishing her recordings, Amara scanned the room and quickly spotted a sturdy toolbox perfect for keeping her diary safe. She hurried over, casting a protection spell on the book before securing it inside.

***

'What happened next? Why leave it on a cliffhanger?' Atlas thought while putting the old book away.

He ate until fatigue crept in, prompting him to curl under his blankets. Soon, Atlas drifted into a comfortable sleep, unaware that Fleshfiends were prowling the ship, hunting for him, knowing he was still on board.

The following morning, Atlas woke up feeling refreshed. He stored away his blankets and ate some chocolate. Once done, he climbed out of his hideaway and continued walking through the corridors.

After an hour, Atlas arrived at the storage room where he had first entered the ship. 'It feels like forever since I was here last,' he said.

He passed through the area and soon found the door to the vault, which held the Arcane Ember. Once reaching the entrance, Atlas pulled out the key from the captain's quarters and opened the door.

The thick metal door clicked open, only for it to open with a loud screech that echoed throughout the ship. This made him cringe while thinking, 'Well done Atlas. You just rang the dinner bell.'

Just after that, howls started bouncing off the walls, causing him to force the door open before rushing inside. Atlas slammed it shut with a thud as bodies slammed against the opposite side.

'That was close,' he mused with a smile.

Atlas turned around and noticed he had entered a large apartment-like place covered in dust. Seeing this, he activated Light, which illuminated everything around him. He spotted several corpses sitting on the sofas with glasses in their hands.

This scene caused him to approach them while thinking as he took in the scene, 'Did they kill themselves? Most likely because they were trapped down here.'

As Atlas observed the scene, he noticed that some figures were couples while others stood alone. His search of the vault continued until he discovered the reason behind their desperation—two lifeboat pods.

One was crushed beyond use, and the other was missing. 'Did some people escape?' he wondered, glancing around for clues.

Soon enough, Atlas found the Silverstar Family huddled in one room as a horde of bodies outside the door. He pushed through them and entered only to see several skeletons littering the room.

His gaze landed on a figure he guessed was Amara, sitting on a chair slumped backward. 'It's a shame you died but you're still alive in a way as I remember who you're,' he thought.

Atlas turned his attention to a nearby skeleton, a key at its feet. He picked it up and scanned the room using his True Sight Goggles until he spotted the vault on the far side. Excitement surged through him as he approached.

He tore down the painting covering a metal door. His heart raced as he unlocked it, revealing a stunning red gem nestled inside. Its allure seemed almost irresistible as it seemed to call out to him.

'This is definitely part of the Vanquisher Blade and will be useful,' Atlas mused while taking the gem and storing it away.

There was a chest full to the brim with strange-looking gold coins. He shrugged before taking it all and leaving the vault empty. Following that, Atlas looked around and searched for any more valuables but found nothing.

'I don't think there's anything else here,' he pondered while looking around. 'I can use Void Bomb to get out before summoning Medusa to get me to dry land.'

With his plan set, he went to the ship's side. Upon reaching his destination, he cast the spell, enveloping himself in a Void Guard to shield against the impact. The shield absorbed the force as the water surged, ensuring he remained unharmed.

'Now let's get out of here and reach Aridonia.'

Atlas quickly summoned the Death Serpent, which he grabbed before she shot out of the hole and into the dark ocean. The Dungeon Monster rushed along the seafloor, avoiding the Sea Gods and other creatures.

He quickly cast Aqua Lung so he could breathe as they passed through the shadows. After traveling for hours, Medusa's voice sounded in his mind, 'Land is nearby, Master. We shouldn't encounter any powerful monsters.'

After speaking, they ascended until he noticed the sun beaming down, causing him to smile while thinking, 'It's been a while since I saw the light. Hopefully, the journey to Carthage is peaceful.'

Following that, the Death Serpent burst out of the water as Atlas went flying before landing with a thud. He quickly shook his head while admiring the landscape, a snow-covered savannah stretching out in all directions.

Atlas spotted a road in the distance and began approaching it when Theo's voice echoed in his mind, 'You cannot fly here, Master. A Sky God protects this place and will sense us if we try.'

Nodding in understanding, he pulled out some chocolate and marveled at the towering stones that jutted into the sky. 'Wow, that's beautiful,' he thought, admiring the majestic landscape.

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