Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 73: Rat King

Atlas watched Estelle nod with a smile. ''Well, it's easier than calling you five different names, so we all agreed on Azhar'Zul to simplify things.''

He nodded before looking at all four ladies, ''Thank you, girls; it was starting to become confusing, especially when all the different kingdoms and empires have various names for me.''

The blonde knight smiled before turning to Amethyst, ''Do you want to join me after completing your quests with Azhar'Zul?''

Amethyst nodded excitedly, ''Yes, please. I want to see the government buildings from the inside; they are beautiful,'' she revealed.

Grishna suddenly stood up and announced, ''I will pick out some quests for Artemis and me while she gets breakfast.''

Once she spoke, the orc girl left the room, leaving Atlas, Amethyst, and Estelle baffled at her sudden actions. The three started chatting about the Seashell Dungeon they planned to visit tomorrow before leaving the city.

They all noticed Lilith was still asleep, curled up in the spot Atlas slept, making them all smile at her behavior. It took Artemis a little while to return, and when she did, Grishna appeared five minutes later, exclaiming that she had given her and the brunette some good quests just before the group started eating.

Atlas glanced at the food and noticed it was an omelet-looking food that tasted nice as he gobbled it down, causing the girls to laugh. Following breakfast, the group left the inn with Artemis and Grishna, who were going to complete their quests.

The four split up as Atlas pulled out the first sheet once outside after leaving Lilith in their room. Estelle suggested with a smile, ''Should you two do the rat quest first? Because the other two are in the city's southern portion, and the sewers are nearby?''

"Good idea, Blondie. We crawl around in the sewer, deal with the Blood Rats, then head south," Atlas said, and the two agreed.

That's when he got bonked on the head, ''Stop calling me blondie! It's Est or Estelle,'' she declared.

Amethyst giggled, and Atlas blew her a kiss before they followed Estelle, who led them to an access pipe guarded by two Argonian soldiers who saluted the blonde when they approached.

Estelle looked at them and spoke, ''These two are here to deal with the Blood Rats' quest for the commander.''

The soldiers nodded and opened the gate, allowing the trio to enter. The guard commander then asked, ''My Lady, why are you going in there?''

''Keeping an eye on my party, we shouldn't be too long,'' Estelle answered while walking into the sewers.

When Atlas saw the place, the first thing that came to mind was, 'Why's this place so clean?'

He couldn't see any dirt, muck, or anything else from the odd piles of bones, which Estelle said were from monsters who fell into the pipes that led to the sea and traveled until the Blood Rats killed them.

Following that, they continued down one tunnel until Atlas started hearing a weird, jiggly noise, causing him to stop walking. He used Void Sight and found the culprit at the end of the path they were on.

[Slime]

[Rank: G - 50 Exp]

'Slimes!' he thought.

''There are slimes down here; I will take them out,'' Atlas informed the group.

Amethyst giggled at his reaction while Estelle explained, ''Don't Azhar'Zul, they clean the sewers for the city; the mayor tames them to help him keep the place spotless.''

Atlas nodded before they continued walking through the tunnels while passing the slimes; he noticed they paid no attention to them, allowing the group to pass by without any problems until a scuttling noise was heard.

''Three monsters are heading in our direction,'' Amethyst called out as a group of dog-sized dark red rats with little beady black eyes.

He quickly scanned them.

[Blood Rat]

[Ranl: F - 100 Exp]

They hissed at Atlas, who showed no mercy and cast a Void Blast at them, lighting up the tunnel in a beautiful azure glow before annihilating the creatures, leaving behind three black Monster Cores.

''This will be easy,'' Atlas said before walking to pick up the cores, only for a rat to lunge from a crevice.

The Blood Rat latched onto his arm, making him yelp in pain before bashing it over the head until it went limp, ''What the hell! Where did it come from?'' he complained.

Estelle laughed before casting Healing Light on him while explaining, ''Blood Rats are ambush monsters who love to jump out on their victims, but as you saw, they're weak.''

Atlas felt his skin stitch back together, causing him to grimace as more scuttling could be heard. Amethyst stepped forward and let her Cosmic Blast tear through the horde of rats rushed toward the group.

The purple burst burned dozens of rats to ash as Archer started casting Void Bullets. These bullets caused explosions to ring out, sending the creatures smashing into the walls with splats as they exploded into blood mist.

While the two were doing that, Estelle spoke, ''Young ones, don't forget to keep moving as the Blood Rats will find a way around you.''

The trio continued their trek through the tunnels, clearing them of any creatures they met. Atlas managed to kill dozens of the rats, which allowed them to travel fast. After twenty minutes, they arrived at a massive chamber with dozens of tunnels leading in all directions.

That's when Atlas felt something rushing from one of the nearby openings, and a massive rat appeared, making Amethyst yelp in fright. Estelle laughed and spoke, ''Scan it Azhar'Zul.''

[Blood Rat King]

[Rank: D - 300 Exp]

'It's strong,' Atlas thought before turning to the phoenix girl, ''Attack it from a distance while I get up close,'' he said with an excited smile.

She nodded as Atlas dashed toward the giant rat who lunged at him, but he used Void Step to avoid the attacks while casting Void Blast into its flank, causing the monster to roar in pain.

Atlas kept pelting it with magic while Amethyst closed in after summoning her wings and flying around the chamber, casting Cosmic Blasts and Bullets into the horde of Blood Rats rushing out of a nearby tunnel.

The Rat King went berserk, its speed increasing rapidly, forcing Atlas to use Void Step to evade its attacks repeatedly. The monstrous creature lunged at him, pinning him to the ground.

In a desperate move, Atlas cast Void Blast and fired an arrow into its chest at point-blank range. The impact of the projectiles sent shockwaves through the Rat King, but he was caught in the blast as well, feeling the force ripple through him.

That's when the phoenix girl shoulder-checked the giant rat, sending it flying off Atlas. The rat lay on the ground, covered in blisters and severe injuries. Estelle moved to cast Healing Light, but he raised a hand to stop her.

"Don't. My regeneration will heal me and level me up," he said, his voice strained.

While he rested, Amethyst and Estelle collected the cores and rat tails, dividing the loot between them. The blonde knight declined any share, insisting it belonged to them. Meanwhile, Atlas lay on the sewer floor, his body gradually repairing itself as the phoenix girl watched over him.

It took him twenty minutes to heal fully, a sight that left both girls in awe. Amethyst asked curiously, "How did you heal so quickly? It's shockingly fast."

Estelle nodded in agreement, her eyes wide with amazement. Atlas shrugged, "I'm not sure, to be honest. I unlocked this ability when I kept getting hurt, and it's come in handy ever since."

Following this, the trio left the sewer, ensuring no more Blood Rats lingered in the Volantis tunnels. After searching for a little while they arrived at the entrance, a carriage was sitting not far away, and a group of knights was waiting.

He became concerned and readied his spells alongside Amethyst, which caused Estelle to giggle. ''These are soldiers of the Volantic Mayor Azhar'Zul, but I must go,'' she said before glancing at the Phoenix girl. Are you coming?''

Amethyst looked at him, but Atlas spoke before she could. "Go and enjoy yourself. Make sure to meet me at the inn when you're done; I'll have your half of the quest rewards."

She beamed and then hugged Atlas, causing him to smile. He returned the hug, and Amethyst kissed him before heading off with Estelle as they entered the carriage. Once they were gone, Atlas turned and started walking southward toward the beach.

Atlas didn't know where he was going, so he asked a nearby stall owner, who pointed him in the right direction. It took an hour to cross the city, and when he entered the southern part, it looked more like a grassland.

Finally, he saw the beach in the distance and approached it while keeping an eye out for the Tidebreakers that infested the area. Atlas used Void Sight on the nearby sand, and soon, dozens of alerts popped up.

[Tidebreaker]

[Rank: F - 100 Exp]

He looked around and found a stone he threw onto the beach. The moment it landed, the monsters roared to life. Atlas began casting Void Bullets into the Tidebreakers, each explosion ringing across the beach and cracking their shells.

They were quickly killed from a distance as Atlas kept away from the giant crabs he didn't want to get near without any weapons. The Tidebreakers spotted him and started scuttling toward him.

Atlas chuckled at their strange movements and found it funny before casting Void Blasts into the creature's face, causing them to recoil or die as the azure flames burned their exposed flesh.