Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 26: Stay Out Of The Trees

The following morning, Atlas woke up and rubbed his eyes while sitting up. He remembered he hid inside a bush the night before. While hidden there, he heard sniffing, which made his blood run cold.

Atlas spotted a dinosaur that seemed to be an Allosaurus but looked more vicious and bloodthirsty. It was carrying a furry, human-looking monster thrashing around while letting out a howl of agony.

He quickly scanned the two creatures.

[Allosaurus]

[Rank: D+ - 550 Exp]

[Ursaling]

[Rank: E - 300 Exp]

Atlas was captivated by the creatures before him, and his desire to kill the Allosaurus consumed his thoughts. He prepared his weapons and spells stealthily, intent on ambushing the dinosaur.

'They would give a lot of experience that would be useful to me right now,' Atlas mused.

However, his plans were a no-go as two more creatures emerged from the brush. His heart skipped a beat as the gaze of two Allosaurus looked at the bush he was in, freezing him in place.

Panic surged through Atlas, paralyzing his mind, yet instinct took over, propelling his feet forward despite his inner turmoil. As he moved, one of the monsters crashed into the bush he was just in.

Atlas cast several Void Bullets that slammed into its head, causing the creature to roar in pain. The one with the Ursaling in its mouth dropped it and started chasing him, but all they received was a stream of spells hitting them.

One of his Void Arrows connected with the closest Allosaurus's knee, causing it to collapse, which took another with it. That left the last one quickly closing in on him, but Atlas fired a Void Bullet on the ground in front of the monster.

It stepped into the freshly made hole and tripped over, but Atlas heard a loud crack as the dinosaur broke its leg. He went to work with all three on the ground and continuously cast Void bullets and arrows.

The azure blue projectiles connected with the three dinosaurs, causing them to roar defiantly, but Atlas didn't give up as he got closer to the first one and dodged a snap of its jaw before plunging his dagger into its skull.

At first, he felt something stopping him, but soon, it broke through the tough hide and pierced the Allosaurus's brain just as the first dinosaur got back to its feet and lunged toward him while swiping at him with its giant claws.

Atlas swiftly invoked Void Guard, deflecting the attack. However, the force of the blow sent him flying backward, crashing into a nearby tree before collapsing to the ground. Despite the impact, he scrambled to his feet, his legs aching, and unleashed a barrage of a dozen Void Arrows at the charging monster.

As soon as the spells left his fingertips, he darted into the dense foliage to evade the second Allosaurus that had joined the fray. Atlas yelped while running around trees and large plants that caught the dinosaurs.

The first creature tripped up, allowing his arrows to pierce its skull, while the second bit through the plant to free itself. Atlas saw this but then noticed the Ursaling waving at him, which baffled him.

Atlas moved to pursue the creature, but the final Allosaurus charged at the furry humanoid. Moving swiftly, he hurled several Void Arrows that struck the dinosaur's ankles, toppling it to the ground.

Closing in quickly, he placed his hand on its head and unleashed a barrage of Void Bullets, shattering its skull into fragments. Atlas exhaled as the adrenaline started to wear off, causing his hands to shake.

Without wasting any more time, he cut out the three green Monster Cores before the Ursaling started panicking as the ground began to shake. Atlas throws the cores into storage before following the furry humanoid into the bushes.

It dragged him to the ground and covered him as another Allosaurus appeared, but this one looked bigger and meaner. Atlas gulped when he saw this, but he still scanned it.

[Allosaurus]

[Rank: C - 500 Exp]

Atlas froze and didn't move as the furry humanoid held him down like a protective mother, which baffled him and made him snicker. The dinosaur roamed the area briefly before it vanished into the jungle.

Once it was gone, the Ursaling grunted but hissed in pain, causing Atlas to take out a minor potion and pour it on the furry creature. He watched it panic, but it calmed down once the wounds healed.

He watched as it got excited before stopping and looking into the distance. Atlas wondered what had happened, but it grabbed his arm and dragged him into the jungle. They came to a massive tree that the Ursaling had started climbing.

Atlas looked at this and followed behind, climbing up the branches. He felt the ground start to shake as the Allosaurus approached. By the time he was halfway up the tree, the monster appeared.

It stared up at him with burning red eyes, which made him shiver, but the furry humanoid leaned down and pulled him into a hut-looking structure. The Ursaling pushed him inside, and Atlas found a living space with several other creatures sitting in a circle.

They all turned to him with wide eyes, making Atlas think they were more human than he initially thought. That's when they started singing in an unknown language, but it reminded him of the beautiful tribal music of when they were back on Earth.

Atlas didn't know what to do, so he looked around. He saw blankets stacked in one corner and food and water taking up most of the free space. Soon after that, the Ursaling who helped him dragged him outside.

The two of them looked over the edge only to see the Allosaurus, causing Atlas to get frustrated and peppered the monster with Void Bullets. The explosions rocked its body but only damaged it a bit.

'Stop attracting its attention! It will go away once it's bored,' Atlas heard an older woman's voice in his head.

He jumped while turning to the furry humanoid as it continued, 'You saved me, am returning the favor. Its the way of the jungle little one.'

After speaking, the Ursaling ruffled his hair before returning inside, causing Atlas to stare at the humanoid creature. He waited outside and watched the Allosaurus wander into the jungle.

While waiting, he checked his status, as he felt he had leveled up during the fight.

[Level Up: 26?28]

[Experience: 650/1000]

[Experience Gained: 2100]

[Health: 244?248]

[Mana: 1114?1124]

[Strength: 226?230]

[Stamina: 228?232]

[Charisma: 302?304]

[Intelligence: 230?232]

[Core Points: 17100?17700]

[Core Points Gained: 600]

[Void Guard: 0?1]

After checking his status, he noticed the Allosaurus was gone; that's when the furry humanoid appeared and advised him, ''Stay out of the trees, little one. Many dangerous monsters up here and will attack you.''

Atlas nodded before speaking, ''Thank you for your help. I hope you stay safe.''

The Ursaling nodded as Atlas started climbing down the tree after saying farewell. Once he touched the jungle floor, he heard the sounds of chirping birds, and other monsters could be heard around him.

He continued his journey toward the mountain in the distance. Atlas trekked through the jungle, using his tomahawk to cut away the foliage. Soon enough, he heard a growl, causing him to jump to the side as something hit the spot he was standing at.

Atlas pointed his hand, but it was too late. A large black cat landed on him from the shadows, biting his right arm. When he felt the pain, he let out a primal scream as he felt the bones snapping in between the creature's maw.

His vision blurred, but Atlas put his hand on the creature's neck and cast a Void Arrow that seared right through the monster's neck. Atlas felt its jaw loosen as it fell to the ground, but that's when he was attacked again.

Another cat pounced towards him, yet Atlas swiftly summoned his tomahawk and intercepted its swipe, forcing it to slide backward. This time, he carefully assessed it before anticipating its next move.

[Jungle Panther]

[Rank: F - 100 Exp]

The Jungle Panther lunged toward him again, but Atlas sidestepped the monster and brought the tomahawk down on its neck. The blade cleaved right through flesh and bone, causing it to die instantly.

Atlas let out a heavy breath as he felt his left arm radiating pain as the skin was torn up and crushed bones. He pulled out an High Health Potion before pouring some over the wound.

Once Atlas had used all the potion, he sat down after checking his surroundings. He started watching the ruined arm repair itself, which amazed him. The skin stitched itself together as he felt the bones reforming.

Ten minutes passed until he could use his left arm, allowing him to continue with his journey, and he soon found himself standing next to a river as the afternoon sun filtered through the canopy above.

Atlas looked at the dark water and knew something was there, 'No thank you,' he thought. 'I bet some evil crocodile is lying in wait for me to get closer.'

He skirted around the river, but suddenly, something emerged from its depths, startling him into a jump as skeletons emerged from the riverbank. Atlas was bewildered and unnerved to see them dressed like adventurers; he scanned the newcomers.

[Skeleton Adventurer]

[Rank: G - 50 Exp]

As they shuffled towards him, bones rattling ominously, Atlas swiftly reacted, unleashing a Void Bullet that shattered all ten into dust. Yet his relief was short-lived as more skeletons appeared, prompting him to disregard the creatures and bolt into the jungle.

Atlas kept running until the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the jungle into darkness. Finally, he stumbled upon a hollowed-out stump and quickly crawled inside. He wrapped his cloak tightly around himself.

While doing that, Atlas checked his status again.

[Level Up: 28>29]

[Experience: 350/1000]

[Experience Gained: 700]

[Health: 248>258]

[Mana: 1124>1132]

[Strength: 230>232]

[Stamina: 232>236]

[Core Points: 17700>17950]

[Core Points Gained: 250]