Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 31: First Dungeon

Atlas was still being carried up the three-foot-wide mountain path, so he decided against moving. He wanted to wait until they were in their home before attacking so he wouldn't be thrown off the cliff.

He wondered how Amethyst and Artemis were doing but hoped they were okay. While Atlas was busy thinking, the Wild Humans reached the summit, where several cave entrances could be seen, and more creepy beings rushed around like ants.

'What the hell is this hellhole!' Atls internally thought.

The Wild Humans carried him into the middle cave entrance. Once inside, a rotten stench hit his nose as the creatures put him on a rack and secured him to a pole. Atlas gagged, his face paling when he saw the source of the horrid smell.

Monster and humanoid corpses littered the chamber, and a Wild Human was busy chopping something on a ramshackle table. Squinting for a better look, he realized with horror that it was a severed hand, causing him to vomit.

He knew he couldn't wait any longer. Summoning his strength, he cast Void Bullet at the ropes, binding him. The azure projectile exploded when it touched the rope and wood he was tied to.

Atlas yelped as the sharp pain tore through his left hand, but when he hit the ground, he fired another bullet at the nearest Wild Human. His Void Bullet struck the creature's chest with a thump, sending it crashing into a nearby wall.

Chaos erupted as Atlas scrambled to his feet, looking for his weapons, but saw nothing and used magic. While backing up, he continuously cast Void Bullets at the Wild Humans charging at him, their screams and howls filling the air.

A headache slowly intensified due to the mana drain, pushing him to charge forward and punch the nearest creature. It was sent flying, dropping a club that he quickly picked up. He began using it to bash the Wild Humans' heads, skillfully ducking and diving around their attacks.

Atlas had just killed one of them and spotted his dagger on one of the corpses. He lunged for it while casting several Void Bullets that connected with the Wild Humans running into the cave to see what was happening.

He continued to spam spells while using Void Guard to block the attacks that slipped by. It wasn't long until the Wild Humans stopped coming, but Atlas was tired and checked his mana.

[Mana: 60/1132]

'Damn, I need to let it recover before I get attacked again,' Atlas thought while glancing around. 'Hopefully, there aren't any Wild Humans left.'

After looking around, he left the horrifying chamber behind and walked out to the summit to find it empty. He found a stone to lean on again while watching the horizon as a beautiful orange glow lit up the world.

While doing that, Atlas checked his gains.

[Level Up: 29?31]

[Experience: 250/1000]

[Experience Gained: 1900]

[Core Points: 9650?11550]

[Core Points Gained: 1900]

Pleased with the outcome, Atlas scanned the distance and spotted the mountain where he had to meet the two girls. His only issue was that there were miles of jungle between him and there, which would allow him to level up even more.

Then Atlas curled up as he wrapped the enchanted cloak around him before falling asleep. Thanks to clearing out the Wild Human tribe, he would be safe up there while the moons rose in the distance.

The following morning, Atlas woke up with a yawn; he opened his eyes to see the beautiful jungle before him. He sat up and stretched before shaking his head, 'I'm thankful for the cloak. It keeps me warm.'

Atlas stood up while taking out some food, which consisted of bread and a canteen of water, which he quickly ate before doing the water until he felt refreshed and was ready to search the cave.

He approached the entrance before stepping inside, only to see dead Wild Humans lying everywhere. Atlas found no treasure but couldn't see his tomahawk, which annoyed him; after that, he left the cave,

Once outside, Atlas started making his way down the mountain path. He was carried up until he stepped into the jungle. The hot and humid air hit his skin, but he continued toward the mountain where the girls were.

While journeying through the dense jungle, Atlas couldn't see the mountain but assumed he was heading in the right direction. While walking, he spotted a pond and approached it. But he soon ran into a problem.

There were two pillars he used to jump across, but the ravine was dark. Atlas shrugged and got the courage. When he leaped onto the first pillar that bridged the gap, it began to tremble violently, throwing him off balance.

He plummeted toward the ground, hitting it hard before continuing to fall until he crashed onto a concrete floor with a resounding thud. The impact knocked the wind out of him, leaving him sprawled on his back. 'This has to be a joke!' he fumed internally.

Atlas struggled to his feet, noticing he was now in front of a stone doorway filled with foreboding as a blue door glimmered. Glancing behind, he saw a staircase leading back up to the jungle. 'Is this a dungeon?' he wondered.

Just as he was about to move, an angry roar rang out nearby, causing him to jump before rushing toward the doorway. He stepped through the blue portal and appeared in a long corridor with green torches lighting the way.

'Definitly a dungeon,' Atlas mused as he started walking.

Suddenly, a buzzing noise broke the silence, approaching Atlas. Recognizing it as a monster, he activated Void Sight to see what was coming his way.

[Swamp Wasp]

[Rank: F - 100 Exp]

'Insects!' Atlas thought before casting a Void Arrow toward the monster. A small explosion ripped through the tunnel, giving him a good view of the Swamp Wasps.

They were the size of medium-sized dogs and were a greenish-brown color. Atlas noticed they moved fast, but his spells were quicker. He started casting Void Bullets and arrows that struck the giant insects.

The monster's bodies were weak and couldn't withstand the arrows, as multiple hit them. Atlas felt the experience flow into him as he attacked the Swamp Wasps that appeared out of nowhere.

He continued battling the monsters until none were left, and the creatures' corpses covered the corridor. Seconds later, they vanished into the floor, leaving 8 white Monster Cores behind.

Following the battle, Atlas continued walking and soon arrived at a large chamber that resembled a swamp. He glanced around and knew monsters were in there, causing him to step forward to attract their attention.

That's when Atlas spotted monsters rising from the dark swamp water. They were covered in moss and swamp flowers. These new creatures caught his interest before scanning the closest one.

[Swamp Creeper]

[Rank: E - 200 Exp]

''Swamp thing? What else does this dungeon have,'' Atlas mumbled to himself.

The monster stumbled toward him, letting out a long, eerie moan that caused him to step back. Atlas raised his hand and cast several Void Bullets at the creature. The projectiles sliced through the air until they connected with its chest.

An explosion burned the Swamp Creeper, but that's when Atlas saw many more approaching him. Without a second thought, he started spamming Void Arrows at the monsters, lighting them in blue flames.

The creature let out a pain-filled roar, which filled the chamber as it collapsed to the floor. It vanished into the dungeon, leaving behind 7 glowing orange Monster Cores, which caught his attention.

Atlas was still perplexed by the disappearing bodies but chose to ignore them as he continued his trek across the swamp. He ran into a dozen more Swamp Creepers until bumping into a new monster.

This one creeped him out to the core just how it walked. It looked like a giant green lizard that blended in with the greenery. The monster crawled toward him like it couldn't see him, which made Atlas chuckle at its stupidity.

He scanned the monster to see what rank it was.

[Swampfiend]

[Rank: E - 200]

'Swampfiend? What a name,' Atlas mused before firing several Void Bullets at the monster, but to his shock and horror, it dodged the attacks.

It charged at him, causing Atlas to yelp before he turned and sprinted in the opposite direction as more Swampfiends emerged. Despite his retreat, he continued to cast Void Bullets and Void Arrows at the pursuing creatures.

Gradually, he whittled down their numbers until only two remained, but Atlas breathed heavily, sweat dripping down his face. Though the Swampfiends still chased him, he could see they were growing tired.

Without wasting any more time, he stopped by the dungeon entrance and aimed at the Swampfiends before casting Void Bullets at their feet, which blew them to bits and brought them to the ground.

When seeing this, Atlas rushed forward while holding his dagger and dodged a swipe of one of the monsters before plunging the blade into the creature's head while casting a Void Arrow into the chest of the other.

Atlas couldn't see any more Swampfiends, so he collected the 10 orange Monster Cores and some weird vine material they dropped. He shrugged before storing it in his Dimensional Storage before moving on.

He continued to travel through the swamp while dealing with several more Swampiends and Swampcreepers. By the time he found a set of stairs, he had killed over a dozen monsters, allowing him to level up again.

While walking down the stairs, he checked his status.

[Level Up: 31?35]

[Experience: 450/1000]

[Experience Gained: 4200]

[Mana: 1132?1140]

[Strength: 232?238]

[Stamina: 236?240]

[Intelligence:232?236]

[Core Points: 11550?15400]

[Core Points Gained: 3850]

Pleased with his gains, Atlas didn't realize he had wandered into a vast, arena-like chamber. When he finally looked up and took in his surroundings, he gulped. "A boss fight? Just my luck," he muttered to himself.

In the meantime, three people were close to starting their journey to help him grow stronger so he could be powerful enough to ignore fights like now while others were fighting for freedom or to survive.