Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 195: Stormtalon

Atlas was eating the Griffon meat while gazing into the night sky, lit by the stars shining down. He quickly noticed that the surrounding landscape was pure darkness, and the camp was lit up.

It reminded him of a beacon in a dark world, 'We are ringing the dinner bell for the night monsters.'

He shook his head before finishing the food as an eerie howl rang out, scaring some guards behind him. Atlas glanced in their direction only to spot the merchants had circled their carriages as a last line of defense.

'Rich people are all the same regardless. What happens if all their soldiers fall to the monsters?'

Tents littered the hilltop with guards and adventurers going about their business. While looking around, he could sense the Runes working their magic and keeping the creatures of the night from entering the camp.

Once Atlas finished eating, he climbed into the tent to rest while Nala guarded it from the surrounding people. When getting comfortable in his sleeping bag, he activated the Void realm.

He appeared on the plateau and readied his blades while casting Void Infusion on them. Atlas smiled when he saw his swords glow, and the rumbling was felt just as the Golems came into view.

'Here we go; hopefully, I can kill enough so I wont be stuck on this damn level for this long.'

Before Atlas started fighting, he checked the monster count. A grin spread across his face as excitement coursed through him.

[Void Golem – 218012/1000000]

[Void Warrior Golem – 298602/500000]

[Void Golem Commander – 91101/100000]

[Void Golem King – 1/1]

Following that, he burst forward like a rocket while swinging both blades and carving through the Golem's body before casting Void Bomb at the bigger monster charged at him, but when the spell connected with its body, it exploded.

'If I continue at this rate, I will complete Level Three,' he mused, giving himself some space.

The force sent a dozen Golems into the waters below. Atlas started his slaughter using magic and blades, causing chaos throughout the plateau. He dodged all but a few attacks that bounced off his armor but still felt the pain of the stone fist.

Atlas continued fighting with the Golems until running out of mana, but thanks to potions, he could take out thousands of the monsters to bring the total down even more, and by the time he woke up in the real world, he was tired.

'I need to rest,' he thought, feeling the weight of mana depletion overwhelming him.

He looked at the tent roof and sighed before downing a stamina potion while sitting up and scratching his head. Atlas quickly checked the total to see how many he could kill during the fight.

[Void Golem – 200012/1000000]

[Void Warrior Golem – 291223/500000]

[Void Golem Commander – 91101/100000]

[Void Golem King – 1/1]

'Its crawling along like a snail,' Atlas mused before activating the skill again and reappearing on the plateau.

The Void Golems came in waves but were washed away by azure flames and explosions that rocked the stone structure. Atlas was enjoying himself despite exhaustion, causing him to think, 'I'll just sleep through tomorrow. Nala will keep me safe.'

His head spun as he cast spell after spell, forcing himself to summon Void Guard to block the barrage of attacks. Still, a few managed to slip through. When a stone fist struck his helmet, the impact resonated like the toll of a bell.

Dizzy and disoriented, Atlas was jolted back to the real world. As he regained consciousness, Nala's voice echoed, 'Master, the Dark Ones have somehow broken through the Runes. They're slaughtering the people and the guards.'

He crawled out of the tent before throwing everything into his storage. After doing that, Atlas saw a few Dark Ones attacking a group of adventurers and cast a dozen Void Bullets that peppered them from behind.

'We need to get out of here before a stronger enemy appears,' he thought while readying his weapons.

The projectiles quickly killed the monsters, allowing the people to flee from the attackers. Then, Atlas looked at Nala before ordering her to attack as many creatures as possible so he could earn the experience.

She nodded before dashing toward the Dark Ones and slowly slaughtering them. Ten minutes later, a roar rang out over the landscape. When Atlas heard this, his heart sank as he knew a Titan was heading their way.

The survivors panicked as the attacking creatures fled into the darkness. Nala rushed over to him, looking at him panickedly, and exclaimed, 'Get on me now! The Titan is close, Master.'

When hearing this, Atlas was shocked and rushed to the Dreadmaw Lion Queen before climbing on her back just as a massive stone annihilated a carriage trying to flee down the hill.

'We need to get out of here, but this exhaustion is killing me,' he thought while downing a stamina potion, which made him feel a little better.

Atlas's eyes widened as a massive giant stepped out of the darkness, making his skin crawl. The monster saw them running and went to grab, but he cast a Void Bomb at its limb, and when it connected, the explosion knocked it off course.

It let out an angry roar before chasing them. Nala looked back and yelped as she tried to speed up, but the giant was close. Atlas quickly summoned Theo, who burst out of a portal and soared into the air.

When he saw the Blood Bat King, he called out to the monster, 'Pick me up, Theo! This giant will get us otherwise.'

'Yes master,' the bat answered while swooping down.

His claws grabbed Atlas before quickly ascending. Nala was sent back to the Dungeon Reakm, and the Titan's foot crashed down where they were. Theo promptly darted through the air and fled from the angry giant.

The monster started throwing stones at them, but the bat was agile and dodged all the projectiles before vanishing into the night. While flying, Atlas ordered Theo to land on a nearby karst as he needed to sleep.

'Yes, we have escaped the Titan, but I will go scout out the area while you sleep Master,' Theo revealed.

Atlas agreed, and when the bat landed on top of the karst, it checked everything out to ensure it was safe. He climbed off Theo's back before the monster took off, leaving him alone and causing him to take out his tent and sleeping bag.

Thanks to all the gear he bought, he could start a fire while glancing at the dark and ominous landscape, 'Aridonia is a nightmare. Hopefully it gets better and that Titan doesn't follow,' he thought while stoking the fire.

His eyelids grew heavy, and he barely managed to crawl into the tent when a giant's roar echoed in the distance. A sudden piercing screech followed. Curiosity stirred despite his exhaustion, and Atlas stuck his head out of the tent—only to freeze in shock.

A massive eagle-like monster was staring right at him. Before he could react, the creature's voice thundered in his mind, 'You dare fly in my domain, child?'

Atlas swallowed hard, pulling himself out of the tent, his thoughts racing. 'Oh, goddess... What trouble am I in now?'

He shook his head and used Void Sigh on the newcomer.

[Stormtalon]

[Rank: Primordial - 100000 Exp]

[You're meeting one of the sky gods, boy! Don't offend it]

Atlas was amazed and shook his head before replying, ''Well, I had no choice as an angry Titan was about to kill me.''

The Stormtalon shrank even smaller as it got closer while speaking, 'Was it the Titan Giant?'

''Yes, that's the one,'' Atlas answered as he sat in front of the fire. ''Between that and the Dark Ones, traveling across Aridonia is a headache.''

'So you casually go against the Sky Gods?' It questioned.

''Well, it's not going against you guys; I was fleeing from something that nearly killed me,'' he said while stoking the fire.

Atlas pulled out a Horned Rabbit Kebab and started eating before offering the Stormtalon one, ''Want some? It's delicious.''

The Primordial stared at him in bewilderment before answering, 'Yes, but don't think that gets you off the hook.'

Atlas gazed at the bird, its white feathers gleaming and its blue eyes piercing. Curiosity overtook him, and he dared to ask, "How did you become a Primordial?"

He noticed the monster paused its eating, fixing its gaze on him before speaking. 'What are you fighting for, boy?'

The question struck Atlas deeply, forcing him to reflect. After a moment, the answer surfaced. "To live life on my own terms... and find a family who won't abandon me like my mother did."

'Is that all? Don't you want to be the strongest warrior?'

''Yes, but that happens along the way; I'm already at Journeyman Rank at fourteen,'' Atlas revealed.

The Primordial nodded, 'Continue your path, boy, and soon enough, we Titan and Monarch Monsters will be wary of you.'

Atlas chuckled and got back to eating the Horned Rabbit Kebab. Once the monster ate, it spoke, ''You can fly using your bat friend, but you must stop before reaching the Golden Magna River. Others of my kind won't be happy.''

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