Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 28: The Jungle King

While Atlas was in the hollowed-out tree stump, a noise caught his attention. He poked his head out and saw nothing, but a growing feeling in his gut told him to hide, which he instantly did without questioning.

Suddenly, roars and howls erupted all around him. Atlas sank into the stump, hiding in the corner as the ground shook. Vines and large banana leaves concealed him from the outside world, providing a small measure of calm.

Seconds later, monsters rushed past, causing his face to pale as there were too many to count. Atlas hunkered down and waited for them to pass but quickly noticed the two moons in the sky.

Zahidul's silver glow lit up the jungle. The light gave him a clear view of the first Monster Wave he'd experienced. He was shocked, but nothing spotted him, thanks to his clever hiding place. Atlas wrapped his cloak around himself and fell asleep while leaning against the inside of the tree.

The Monster Wave passed by while he was safe. The following morning, Atlas woke up with a yawn but caught himself in the memories of the monsters. He looked outside and noticed it was clear, which caused him to smile while stepping out and stretching his body.

Atlas continued trekking through the jungle while keeping his eyes on the surroundings. He didn't want to run into any more monsters, but he wasn't so lucky, as he tripped over a log and fell flat on his face.

He glanced behind him only to see something slithering among the jungle foliage. It had green scales that camouflaged it with the landscape, but Atlas did notice the muscles contracted under the skin. 'Oh, goddess! It's a giant snake.'

When realizing what the monster is, he quickly uses Void Sight on it.

[Titanboa]

[Rank: A+ - 1500 Exp]

'So strong,' Atlas thought before quickly firing several Void Arrows and Bullets at the massive snake monster. Explosions rang out as a wheel-sized head appeared right next to him, and a deep hiss let out a shiver down his spine.

Atlas didn't wait any longer and struck out by casting Void Bullet at its face. The Titanboa roared in pain, allowing Atlas to flee the jungle while dodging roots and bushes. Shortly after, he heard the monster chasing behind him as it took out trees.

He ran for a while as the massive snake continued chasing him just as he reached a waterfall that dropped to an eery dark canyon. Atlas looked down, then back at the incoming Titanboa, and decided to jump just as the snake went to bite him.

All he saw was a large jaws snapping mid-air as he fell into the darkness. Atlas didn't know how long he fell, but soon, water appeared, causing him to cast Void Guard just before he crashed into it.

He kept the shield up while swimming toward the shore as his head spun. While doing that, something massive crashed into the water behind him, causing panic and making him swim faster.

When Atlas reached the shore, something else exploded and started fighting with the Titanboa. He was shocked and scanned the new monster.

[Mossback Behemoth]

[Rank: Monarch - 15000 Exp]

'It's a Swamp Thing!' Atlas thought to himself as a hulking monster covered in dark green/brown moss rose from the dark water.

Atlas noticed it couldn't hide its glowing red eyes. The monster held the Titanboa in its moss-covered hands before ripping it in half quickly. Blood flowed out, and the Mossback started drinking it.

He watched as the Monarch Ranked monster devoured the massive snake like it ate a gummy. Once it was done, the Mossback Behemoth looked at him and grunted before sinking into the water.

'Did it just thank me?' Atlas questioned himself.

While standing there, he felt something latching onto his legs, causing him to yelp in pain and jump in the air. Atlas spotted weird-looking monsters crawling out of the water, and they creeped him out.

He looked at his legs and saw them biting down, ''Ouch!''

Atlas swung his tomahawk and sliced it in half before using Void Sight on another.

[Giant Swamp Leech]

[Rank: G - 50 Exp]

'I'm in a damn swamp!' he internally panicked while casting Void Bullets at the leeches that were crawling toward him.

Small detonations illuminated the surroundings, revealing the towering, twisted trees that loomed overhead. The moonlight struggled to penetrate the dense canopy, but Atlas found his path illuminated by the glow of his spells.

Continuing to shoot down the leeches, Atlas didn't stop until their slimy bodies carpeted the ground. Sensing his mana reserves dwindling, he checked them.

[Mana: 532/1132]

Quickly, he retrieved a blue minor mana potion and gulped it down, surprised by its sweet flavor. He repeated the process twice before assessing how much his reserves had been replenished.

[Mana: 832/1132]

'Three hundred mana, it seems worth it,' Atlas thought before examining the leeches.

They were about ten inches long and three wide and oozed a strange purple blood, which Atlas thought would be helpful. He collected all the bodies and the 15 Black Monster Cores, which he stored in his Dimensional Storage.

Following that, Atlas walked toward the pathway he found, only to run into a wall of vines blocking his way. This caused him to sigh before using his tomahawk to slice through the vegetation, allowing him to continue.

Atlas traveled for a few days, avoiding the bigger monsters while slaughtering ten Rank E Jungle Hyenas who ambushed him while trying to get water. He sat on a log overlooking a lake while taking a break.

He thought it strange as the trees pierced the water's surface, 'Do they grow underwater? Strange.'

Atlas had never seen anything like it, but nothing shocked him anymore as the jungle revealed all kinds of nightmares, terrifying creatures, and mystical happenings. After eating some bread and drinking some water, he continued the trek.

A rumble caught his attention while traveling through the jungle, causing him to look around in confusion. However, Atlas soon saw the culprit, and it was shocking: a massive gorilla standing as tall as King Kong.

He was shocked but managed to use Void Sight on it.

[Jungle King]

[Rank: Titan - 20000 Exp]

The sight froze him in place. Hastily, he sought cover, scrambling for a hiding spot as smaller apes trailed behind the behemoth. Atlas dove behind a moss-draped log, wriggling underneath just as a horde of apes thundered past through the undergrowth.

Atlas scanned the smaller ones.

[Jungle Apes]

[Rank: A - 1000 Exp]

Atlas lay motionless, pressed against the damp earth beneath a fallen log, his heart pounding in his ears. The cacophony of the monster horde echoed around him, their snarls and heavy footsteps a terrifying symphony.

He scarcely breathed, praying the dense foliage would keep him concealed. Minutes felt like hours as he waited, his body tense and alert. Gradually, the sounds of the horde faded, replaced by the soft rustling of leaves and the distant calls of jungle creatures.

The monster's once-deafening roar was now a memory, leaving an eerie silence. Atlas cautiously lifted his head, peering through the thick undergrowth. The jungle, now tranquil, offered no hint of the deadly horde that had passed.

Atlas let out a slow, measured breath, his muscles relaxing slightly, and remained hidden a bit longer, ensuring the danger had indeed passed. He crawled out of under the log only to hear a chuckle, which froze him.

He looked around and spotted a small humanoid standing there with a big smile which creeped him out, 'What the fuck is it with the world! Its a damn horror movie,' Atlas thought while standing up and scanning the creature.

[Wild Human]

[Rank: G - 50 Exp]

Atlas didn't wait; they cast a Void Arrow at the human's chest and took it out; its body collapsed to the ground only to cause a chorus of wild howls and cheers, causing him to spin around and spot more of them.

He got a bad feeling and decided to hightail it by dashing into the underbrush while casting spells at the creatures. Atlas classed them as such because of their weird, jerky movements while running.

The chase continued for a while, and Atlas grew tired. He turned around to cast several spells, but nothing was there. This confused him, but an alarm went off in his mind, causing him to raise the tomahawk.

Atlas blocked a sword strike from one of the Wild Humans, but that wasn't all, as another creature tackled him and bit down on his shoulder. He screamed in pain before stabbing it in the head with his dagger.

He aimed at another and blasted it with a Void Bullet that sent the Wild Human flying backward. Atlas pushed the body off himself, but suddenly, the world went black as he was hit on the head with a club.

Atlas was encircled by a flood of Wild Humans emerging from the underbrush, their curious eyes fixed upon him like a pack of inquisitive animals. One of the elders prodded him with a stick, shouting something unintelligible before the others swiftly tied him up.

Atlas found himself bound tightly and carried aloft on a makeshift stretcher by the eerie Wild Humans, their haunting chant filling the air as they marched. Despite his futile struggles against their grip, he couldn't help but feel entranced by the stunning scenery around them.

They were on the side of a mountain that overlooked the sprawling jungle, adorned with vibrant flowers emitting a gentle, ethereal glow. Atlas was captivated as they journeyed along a winding path, where a majestic waterfall cascaded down from a cliffside, reminiscent of the one he had leaped from earlier.

He had hoped the girls were okay as they traveled through the jungle while two more women began their journey as fate played her game, trying to entangle a certain group.