Level Up: Voidwalker

Chapter 96: Exploring Zarandar

The Brute Void Bear stood on her back legs, towering at least twelve feet tall, with a tank-like build and massive paws capable of crushing him. Her claws, Atlas's forearm size, and beautiful white fur with light blue stripes made her an imposing figure.

He noticed her claws, which were the size of his forearm. She had beautiful white fur with light blue stripes running down their body. The monster's eyes gleamed as her eyes fixed on him, making Atlas wonder, 'Is this Polar Bear a battle maniac? She looks thrilled about the upcoming fight.'

Following that, a bell chime rang out, which was the start of the fight; Atlas watched the Void Brute Bear charging forward, causing the ground to shake, which threw him off, but as she closed in on him and swiped, he used Void Step to dodge.

When Atlas appeared behind the bear, its claws smashed into the ground, which felt like a small earthquake. He watched this and wondered how he would defeat the monster, 'How can I beat this thing?'

''Oh, so you use speed to fight Little One,'' the bear woman's voice rang out. ''I do enjoy chasing Thunder Rabbits.'

Atlas was shocked when hearing this, but he shook his head before replying, ''I'm not a Thunder Rabbit!''

The bear laughed as he dashed forward, aiming his Nightblade at his ankles and firing a Void Blast. It soared toward his foe, but she dodged out of the way before returning the attack with one of her own as three blue claws flew toward him.

'She can use magic! What the hell are these bears,' he thought as the spell struck him.

Atlas was sent flying back by the Brute Void Bears sudden attack and crashed into a wall before falling to the ground with a thud. The armor took most of the attack, but it slipped through and ripped his chest into a bloody mess.

He tried to get up, but his body was aching, and the pain caused his vision to blur. However, Atlas pushed through and stood up as the bear spoke again, ''Very good Little One. You're still alive while others would be dead.''

''Barely, my body is screaming in pain, and my Regeneration has just started healing the injuries,'' Atlas replied while wiping blood from his mouth. ''I dread fighting your queen if she's strong like you.''

The bear woman laughed as she replied, ''I like you, Little One. But I must inform you that the queen is much stronger than the us generals.''

Atlas nodded in understanding before spamming Void Bullets at the bear, followed by a dozen Void Arrows that peppered the monster's body as he rushed forward and slashed at its ankles, which sliced deeply into the flesh.

After his attack, the Void Brute Bear swung one of its claws at him, which left no time to dodge. Atlas was kicked out of the Void Realm as his run ended, thanks to the first boss he came across.

'Damn, the Void Realm isn't easy; I have to get stronger,' he mused while staring at the ceiling of the tent that was shaking due to the wind.

Atlas crawled to the entrance and opened it, only to see that things had worsened. Between the wind and rain, he couldn't see past the ledge he was on. 'Things are bad, but at least it gives me enough time to try to complete level two.'

Following that, he pulled out a meat box and started eating while taking a mouthful of water from his canteen, which the man from the general store sold him. Once Atlas finished the food, he decided to watch the weather.

The two moons loomed overhead, their light dimmed by the storm clouds. Atlas wrapped himself in the blankets and drifted into sleep. When he awoke the following day, he found that the storm had finally subsided.

Atlas climbed out of his tent and put it in his Dimensional Storage while equipping his gear. Once that was all sorted, he made his way across the ledge until reaching a Plateau with large bushes dotting the landscape.

'There's monsters lurking inside those things,' he thought while taking out his blade and scanning the bushes.

[Wild Mutants]

[Rank: E - 200 Exp]

'Mutants? I wonder what they look like,' Atlas mused while approaching the closest bush.

As he pondered this, a humanoid figure suddenly emerged from the bushes. It resembled the Dark Ones but was smaller and more skeletal in appearance while covered in dark hair that covered their bodies.

The creature lunged at him, its eyes glowing with a malevolent red hue and a row of jagged, yellowed teeth bared in a snarl. Its razor-sharp claws swung at him, forcing Atlas to lean back in a narrow escape.

With a swift thrust, he drove the Nightblade into the creature's head, silencing its advance as more of its kind emerged from the underbrush. Atlas danced around the incoming attacks, his movements a blur as he countered with bursts of magic.

Void magic swept over the monsters, causing them to collapse lifelessly. He finished the onslaught using Void Step to materialize behind the remaining foes, dispatching them with precise strikes.

Thanks to using speed so much, Atlas became used to it and slaughtered all the Wild Mutants quickly until fourteen of them lay dead on the ground. He was sitting in the middle and took off his helmet, which had a long scratch along the front of the metal.

''That was close; those creatures were exactly like the Dark Ones but much weaker and dumber,'' Atlas muttered while standing up.

While fighting, he felt himself level up but decided to leave it until later. As he crossed the plateau, he spotted a manmade staircase on the other side. 'Oh, it looks like the city is close. Maybe I can sleep in a comfortable bed,' he thought.

Atlas started walking down and didn't encounter any monsters but noticed dozens of footprints littering the bottom of the stairs. He looked around and saw a pathway leading around a bend he traveled down.

A bad feeling overwhelmed him, but he shrugged it away before following it until someone grabbed him and held a blade against his throat. Atlas was confused but noticed several adventurers surrounding him as a young woman held the knife.

''Who are you, and how did you travel through the Titan's Fist Mountains?'' a man in his thirties with blue hair and red eyes questioned.

''I'm an adventurer exploring Zarandar after being washed up after a shipwreck,'' he answered. ''And I was careful as many monsters lurked in the shadows, and I had a mountain bear ambush me on one pathway.''

Upon hearing this, a mature brunette woman with coffee-colored skin and striking green eyes—dressed in mage attire with a pointy hat—spoke in a Persian accent, "Show us your guild card, boy."

Atlas retrieved the black card from his pocket, and the woman accepted it, reading its contents before returning it to him. As the younger woman withdrew the blade, allowing him a better look, he noticed her distinct features.

The woman had short brown hair and piercing red eyes. Her Amazonian build was complemented by smooth, light brown skin. She resembled the man and woman and was assumed to be the leader. 'daughter, perhaps?' he wondered.

As Atlas surveyed the area, he noticed five figures hidden in a narrow pass—two men and three women—each observing with a wary interest. The final man was dark-skinned, bald, strong, clad in knightly armor, and wielding a massive greatsword.

The last woman, older than the others, had short blonde hair and glowing yellow eyes. She was dressed in a blend of leather and metal armor, resembling a seasoned warrior. Atlas shook his head before questioning the group, ''Where are we? I was traveling to Tajariyah City to get some rest.''

The man stepped forward at that moment, extending his hand in greeting. "I'm Kaelus Vexmoor, leader of the Rank A party Crimson Vanguard," he introduced himself.

Atlas took it and responded, ''Azhar'Zul.''

Kaelus smiled before introducing the other four, ''The mage is Elysia Vexmoor, my fiance and our spellcaster.''

The mage smiled at him while giving him a small wave before the man continued, ''The big guy is Eli Stormrider, who fights alongside his wife, Aurora Stormrider.''

When Kaelus finished speaking, the couple greeted him with a smile before introducing the last member: ''This little demoness is Aria Vexmoor, mine and Elysia's daughter.''

Atlas greeted them as the mage woman spoke up. "To answer your earlier question, we are stationed here to guard this pass, known as the Dreadmist, against an ongoing Monster Wave threatening Tajariyah. The governor has hired us to remain here for a week, which concludes in a few days."

''Can you point the way to the city? I need to buy a few things and sleep in a bed,'' Atlas asked, dismissing his armor but leaving the weapons on his belt.

''No can do, lad, it's not safe for you out there,'' Kaelus replied. ''A Rank S Cycolps is lurking along the path. Rumors speak of a Rank S party a day away from here. The empire hired them from the Astoria Continent before the war broke out.''

Atlas was disappointed, and it showed as Aria spoke, ''We're heading back to the city in a few days as Mother already stated; you can join us then, boy.''

'Boy? She's only a few years older than me,' he thought as the group returned to whatever they were doing before he arrived.