Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 145: Mireclaw Crocodile

Atlas continued down the tunnel while battling more Cave Void Bears as he used the shadows against the creatures, which he found easy to deal with thanks to his extreme speed and reaction time.

'I can't wait for Level Three. Hopefully, there are stronger monsters or even flying ones.'

While traveling through the dark tunnel, he heard rumbling from the exit, which he guessed was a group of monsters on the other side. That's when Atlas spotted a group of Cave Bears fighting each other on a mountain ledge to which his path led him.

When Atlas stepped outside, he felt the wind blowing, causing a low whistling sound to emanate from the surrounding mountains, 'Are they living beings? It does seem like it,' he pondered with a curious expression.

While standing there, he enjoyed the wind hitting his face, which felt refreshing; he watched the monsters fight before one of them spotted him. One of the bears reared up, but Atlas spoke amusedly, ''Don't mind me. Continue your brawl, and I'll kill you a lot after.''

The Cave Void Bears roared in anger as they charged at him. Atlas chuckled as he went to work, killing the slow-moving giant monsters. Thanks to their armor-piercing ability, he used Void Arrows to damage the creatures more.

Atlas slung many spells at the monsters to keep them out of striking range before he exploded forward and stabbed one of the creatures through the heart by lunging at its chest after dodging one of its attacks.

It took him under ten minutes to kill the bears blocking the entrance forward. Following that, Atlas continued, and before he called it a day, he killed more Savage and Cave Bears until coming to another Arena.

The fight with the Polar Bear was easy for him, and thanks to his powerful spells, Atlas quickly won the battle. He continued until running out of bears to fight, as none showed up or tried ambushing him.

Once Atlas understood he needed to keep moving to find more, he quickly checked his total before returning to the real world.

[Savage Void Bear – 1796/5000]

[Cave Void Bears – 723/2000]

[Brute Void Bears – 6/10]

[Void Bear Queen – 1/1]

Atlas shook his head and opened his eyes to see the ceiling of the room Captain Sunny assigned to him. He looked out the nearest window only to spot the stars and waves hitting the ship's hull.

'Let's go to the top deck and check out the view.'

After that, he exited the bed, stretched before summoning his gear, and stepped out of the room. He ran into some sailors who nodded at him as they entered through several doors.

'Do they get many passengers from the town guards?' he pondered with a curious expression.

Once the corridor was clear, Atlas strolled toward the staircase leading to the upper decks, where he found a watchman on guard. 'Are they looking for sea monsters?' he mused while stepping toward the railings.

The watchman turned to him with a curious glint in his eyes as he asked a question, ''You aren't an Achaemenidian; are you from Astoria?''

Atlas turned to the man with narrowed eyes and sensed no malice before answering, ''Yes. I used to live in the Thalassia Empire, but I was captured by Slavers and transported to Zarandar.''

''Are you planning to go home? Is that why you're going to Jurda?'' the watchman asked.

''Not just yet; I have three more quests to complete before I need to head to the Nubian Empire capital to find a Spirit Mage to heal a friend,'' Atlas responded while watching some dolphin monsters jumping out of the water.

He noticed the watchmen casting curious glances in his direction before continuing, "Be cautious when you're on Aridonia. It's a perilous continent, constantly embroiled in conflict between the Empire, Nubians, Graecorians, and the countless outlaws infesting the land."

When Atlas heard this, a spark of excitement flashed in his glowing red eyes, catching the watchman's attention. "You're a battle junkie, aren't you?" the watchman remarked with a knowing smirk.

Atlas grinned and nodded. "Absolutely. There's nothing like the thrill of a good fight—gets my blood pumping like nothing else."

''You must be thirteen or fourteen, right? What rank and level are you, if you don't mind me asking?''

He gave the man a cautious look, then nodded slightly. "One hundred and fifty," he replied, "Adept rank."

The watchman's eyes widened in shock, but soon, he laughed, causing Atlas to grow confused. The man explained, ''Not many young ones your age care about leveling up like you do; it's unusual to see nowadays.''

''Are children lazy?'' Atlas curiously asked.

''Unless they come from a noble family, most your age work with their families on farms or shops,'' the man answered.

The two continued talking until the ship was slammed against, causing the watchman to look over the railings only to yelp in shock, ''A Sea Leviathan!''

The man pushed him away from the edge as a tentacle slammed against the deck and destroyed the spot they were in. While this happened, Atlas noticed the monster swam away from the ship to charge at them.

He scanned it using Void Sight to find out its rank.

[Deepmarrow Serpent]

[Rank: A+ - 1500 Exp]

[Don't you dare fight this monster, Atlas!]

'How did you know Nyx? I'm going to fight this monster to grow stronger,' he replied to the warning.

When Atlas saw the warning, he equipped his armor and helmet while pulling out his swords, causing the watchman to panic, ''What are you doing! You cannot fight that monster as an Adept Rank boy,'' the man barked out.

''I'm not alone, though,'' Atlas said with a smirk as he activated Dungeon Conquerer, causing the air around him to change.

The man instantly felt it, causing him to step back as the Death Serpent rushed out of the portal, aimed straight for the Deepmarrow Serpent, and clashed with the massive sea monster.

'So epic!' he thought when seeing the battle.

Atlas vaulted over the railings, vanishing midair with Void Step before reappearing atop the Leviathan's massive back. With precision, he plunged his blades into the creature's flesh, the cold seawater crashing against him in waves.

Below, the Death Serpent clashed savagely with the Leviathan, their battle shaking the waters, which shocked all the people watching from onboard the ship, including the amazed watchman who spoke to him.

Together, Atlas and his summoned beast were gaining the upper hand. He thrust his blade deep into the Deepmarrow's body before casting Void Bomb directly inside, causing a massive explosion that sent him flying across the sea only to be caught by his monster.

'Ow, that hurt, but it weakened the monster,' he thought as his head spun.

While flying, Atlas noticed the Death Serpent stopped attacking and rushed after him like a worried parent. He quickly cast Void Step to reappear on the monster's back. It started thrashing around in agony as the spell blew a massive chunk of its body apart.

Seeing the blood spread through the water, Atlas struck repeatedly, each blow sinking deeper into the Leviathan's flesh. The sea churned red as his summoned Dungeon Monster, the Deepmarrow Serpent, crushed the Leviathan's skull between its massive jaws.

Atlas's heart raced with excitement at the brutal victory. But before he could savor it, an explosion tore through the air. His head snapped toward the ship, where a monstrous sea creature surged toward the vessel, towering three times larger than the one they had just defeated.

'That is an ocean nightmare! Why am I so unlucky,' Atlas internally complained before making up his mind.

He looked at the Death Serpent and spoke concernedly, ''Let's try to lead the monster away, boy. You're fast and agile, and we can get away.''

The Dungeon Monster nodded before darting through the water while Atlas activated Aqua Lung so he could breathe when it dived into the vessel. When below the surface, he saw a massive crocodile beast charging at the ship.

'Oh god, there's sea crocs now!' he panicked while aiming Nightblade at the monster and casting a dozen Void Arrows at it.

The azure projectiles sliced through the water like it wasn't there and slammed into the sea monster's body. This attracted its attention, allowing Atlas to scan it to determine its rank and if it could fight it.

[Mireclaw Crocodile]

[Rank: S - 3000 Exp]

[RUN!]

Atlas gulped and realized he had fucked up before turning to the Death Serpent and panicked, ''Flee, boy! That thing will eat us.''

The Dungeon Monster fled, as did the ship; the sailors cheered and thanked Atlas, making him smile. The two raced through the rough sea as the crocodile was right behind. He turned around and cast a Void Bomb at the pursuing monster, but it quickly veered to the right and dodged the attack, which made things worse.

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Atlas didn't know what to do, but a mature woman's voice sounded in his mind, 'Summon Theo and have him pick you up, darling; I can't have you being hurt on my watch,' the voice expressed.

Atlas jumped before realizing it came from the Death Serpent as he replied, 'You can speak?'

'Not the time boy!' the monster said while dodging a lunge of the crocodile before she continued. 'Dismiss me when Theo grabs you. Do it NOW!'

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