Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 41: Hot Food & Gobbo's

[Amethyst and Artemis's POV]

While waiting for Atlas, Artemis was looking over the edge only to panic when she saw the Jungle Apes climbing in their direction with rage in their red eyes. The two narrowly evaded the Monster Wave as it surged towards the summit.

Panicked, the Phoenix Girl seized Artemis and leaped off the ledge, causing the older girl to scream and carry them far before landing in a clearing far enough away from the mountain. As Amethyst touched the ground, her purple wings vanished, and she dropped to her knees due to the mana overuse; she was breathing heavily.

Artemis brushed the dust off her dress as she spoke, ''Thank you for helping us. We would have been in trouble if we stayed.''

''Shut up, Fish! I need to catch my breath and recover my mana,'' the phoenix girl retorted, making the older girl smile.

''I see you're okay. Recover, and we can reach Setoria City before sunset,'' Artemis said while scanning their surroundings.

Amethyst finally felt better and stood up. She looked around but saw nothing with her Cosmic Sight. ''I'm ready, let's go.''

They traveled through the jungle and only encountered a few Jungle Wolves. The Artemis dealt with them using her slingshot to take them out. Amethyst used Cosmic Bullet to kill several monsters.

When the duo reached a clearing in the dense jungle, they rested for a few minutes. The trees acted like a wooden wall that circled them, and there was a small clear pond in the center with all kinds of beautiful flowers littering the area.

Amethyst let out a breath before sitting down and checking her status.

[Level Up: 31?34]

[Experience: 970/1000]

[Experience Gained: 3800]

[Health: 276?280]

[Mana: 1236?1292]

[Strength: 296?300]

[Core Points: 2700?6600]

[Core Points Gained: 3600]

'Nice, leveled up three times,' Amethyst internally thought.

While the phoenix was studying her stats, Artemis did the same after scanning the surrounding jungle.

[Experience: 4640/5000]

[Experience Gained: 3400]

[Health: 1330?1334]

[Mana: 2100?2120]

[Strength: 2400?2408]

[Stamina: 2100?2104]

[Core Points: 9750?13750]

[Core Points Gained: 4000]

[Arc Lightning: 1?2]

Artemis smiled when she saw her upgrades before turning to Amethyst. ''Little Bird, when we get to Setoria City, we will register as adventurers to earn some coin.''

The purple-haired girl nodded in agreement, ''We can rent out a room; I bet Azhar'Zul will be tired by the time he reaches the city.''

''Yes, but we need to use a coin for that,'' Artemis said. ''We can gather some monster parts before leaving for the city. Hopefully, Jungle Termites are lurking around; their antennae and mandibles will get us a lot at the guild.''

Amethyst smiled in reply before jumping up and stretching. Artemis followed suit, and the two walked back into the jungle to search for any monsters they could farm for parts to sell. It didn't take too long until they found their prey.

Artemis dragged the phoenix girl behind a tree as the lion-sized monsters roamed the jungle, ''Jungle Termites! We can hit them with magic and my sling. Are you ready, Little Bird?''

''Of course, I am,'' Amethyst replied with a beaming smile. ''We can buy some hot food.''

After speaking, the two rushed out as Artemis took out her sling and started hitting them with explosive mana shells that startled the monsters. Amethyst could see the Termites moving around the jungle thanks to Cosmic Sight.

She aimed her hand at the approaching Jungle Termites and unleashed Cosmic Bullets upon them. The two girls coordinated seamlessly, cutting down the creatures as they tried to sneak up on them.

Dozens of Termites fell before the onslaught, forcing the rest to retreat into their colony. As the immediate threat passed, Artemis caught her breath and pulled out a knife, handing it to Amethyst.

"You cut off the antennae while I gather the mandibles and Monster Cores," she instructed.

The phoenix girl nodded resolutely and approached the nearest Termite. As she got closer, she realized the creature towered over her, its size daunting. Undeterred, Amethyst shrugged off her initial surprise and swiftly sliced off the antennae, piling them up efficiently.

It took them a solid hour to fill Artemis's space bag with the valuable insect parts. After securing their loot, the two continued through the jungle, noticing that the dense foliage was beginning to thin out.

Soon, the distant sound of voices caught their attention. They cautiously approached and soon spotted a group of lumberjacks chopping down trees. Artemis readied her sword as the men smiled when seeing them.

One of the lumberjacks swaggered forward with confidence, his voice laced with a creepy undertone. "What are two beautiful girls doing wandering around a dangerous jungle?" he asked, his tone unsettling.

The other men nearby tried to intervene, sensing the inappropriate nature of his comment, but before they could act, Amethyst reacted swiftly. She pointed her hand and unleashed a Cosmic Blast at the lumberjack's head.

Artemis jumped before spinning around, ''Why did you do that? she demanded.

''The way that filth was looking at us, only Azhar'Zul can give me those sorts of eyes,'' the phoenix girl declared while pointing her finger at the other men.

When the lumberjacks saw this, they panicled before dropping to their knees and pleading with her. Amethyst smiled, but Artemis spoke, ''As long as you don't try anything like that idiot, then we won't have an issue.''

The leader nodded. "Rest assured, Little Ladies, we are married and faithful men. The Temple of the Eternal Flame teaches us never to harm those who mean us no harm."

After speaking, the men whispered in unison, "May the Messiah Azarus bless our path forward and shine bright in the coming darkness."

When the two girls heard this, their eyes widened in shock, but Amethyst smiled, ''Legends of Azhar'Zul are all over Valoria Fish.''

***

[Grishna's POV]

The Thalassian guards granted Grishna access to the dungeon's entrance after signing a form acknowledging the risks involved. As she approached the gate, marked by a shimmering blue portal, she couldn't help but scoff inwardly, 'Stupid humans. Gobbo's could never never take me down.'

She confidently strode through the portal and emerged on the other side in a dense forest. Immediately, Grishna readied her spear and grasped several metal marbles just as a group of Goblins emerged from the bushes.

They charged at Grishna, who was already smiling as she met them head-on. She swung her spear, slicing through two Goblins effortlessly, then threw one of the marbles into the middle of the monsters.

'Hera ya go Gobbo's.'

The marble emitted a shrill noise, causing the remaining Goblins to drop to the ground, clutching their ears and screaming in pain. Grishna moved swiftly, finishing them with precise thrusts of her spear through their chests.

She moved like the wind as more Goblins rushed out. She slaughtered them with skillful spear thrusts and powerful spells, leaving a trail of dead monsters in her wake. Each Goblin that dared to attack fell swiftly, unable to match her lethal prowess and agile movements.

Grishna knew that Level 1 Dungeons had four floors, with a Goblin boss waiting on the final level, a challenge she eagerly anticipated. 'I hope it's a Shaman Gobbo! They give good experience,' she mused.

She unleashed her Razorwind Blades as the battle raged, deftly dodging the shabby arrows aimed at her. Her spells sliced through the enemies with deadly precision, cutting two Goblins cleanly in half.

Once Grishna started fighting, she was consumed by bloodlust, slaughtering her way down to the third floor. There, she encountered the formidable Goblin Warriors. The Orc girl paused, taking a moment to plan her attack.

'If I use Silver Shriek and use the distraction to get in close I can wipe them out with ma Iron Fists,' she thought before taking out another marble.

With a smirk, Grishna hurled the object towards the charging Goblin Warriors. Upon impact, a shrill sound erupted, disorienting them momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, she dashed forward, her fists enveloped in a luminous glow from her Iron Fist spell.

Closing in on the first warrior, it swung at her, but she swiftly ducked under the blow. With precise timing, Grishna unleashed a devastating punch that struck the monster's chest, sending it hurtling into its comrades among the Goblin Warriors.

She moved across the battlefield with the grace of a Death Dancer, swiftly dispatching every creature within reach of her spear with well-placed stabs. When the last of the Goblins fell, Grishna leaned on her weapon, taking a moment to catch her breath.

While resting, Grishna did the math and calculated that she earned 1000 experience from the twenty G-Rank Goblins while getting 1500 from the fifteen Goblin Warriors. After that, she checked her status.

[Level Up: 107?108]

[Experience: 2420/5000]

[Experience Gained: 2500]

[Mana: 2500?2520]

[Strength: 2152?2156]

[Stamina: 1424?1428]

[Intelligence: 392?394]

'Nice! Only a slight boost to the attributes, but it's better than nothing,' Grishna mused before making her way to the boss floor.

She had gathered dozens of copper and silver coins and some Health and Mana Potions. Luckily, Grishna owned a regular space bag that easily accommodated the 10 Black and 15 White Cores without issues.

Grishna finally reached the boss floor and saw a large amphitheater with a tall Goblin clad in black knight's armor. Her excitement grew as she readied her spear and marbles for a good fight.

She stepped forward and pointed the tip of her spear at the Goblin Knight, ''Fight me, Gobbo! Give me a good fight!''

Following that, she burst forward and swung her weapon while throwing the marble that erupted, causing the monster to stumble back. Grisha raised her hand and cast Razorwing Blades at it.

The three silver blades sliced through the air, but the Goblin Knight deflected them with his Greatsword. Grishna's excitement grew as she charged forward and dodged his attack. She struck out and pierced a gap in its armor.

'Got ya! Now ma magics will ware you down!' she mused.