Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas stared at the large building in the middle of the jungle, which confused him. He looked at the Scalebreaker and asked, ''What is this place?''

She let out a bellow, which caused the herd to rest in the clearing where they would be safe before she explained, 'This has been here as long as we have. I believe it was a library of some sort.'

''A library?'' Atlas muttered before approaching the entrance.

The large stone doorway was covered in vines and other brush, but something told him to go inside. Once Atlas was close, he returned to the Scalebreaker leader and said, ''Wait here. I shouldn't be too long.''

She nodded and ordered her herd to keep an eye out while he stepped inside the library. Atlas looked around as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, but he saw a large foyer covered in dust.

'What people built this, and how long ago was it?' he thought while scanning his surroundings.

A dark counter was off to the right, while benches lined a wall to the left. Atlas noticed an old fountain built in the center of the foyer. Shortly after that, he spotted a staircase that descended into the darkness.

'I'm guessing I need to go down there,' he thought.

Then, Atlas descended while readying Nightblade but groaned when he saw his stump. He shook his head and entered the darkness, only to see a set of doors torn off the hinges, causing him to think, 'What kind of monster did this?'

When stepping through, he noticed several hallways leading in different directions, which annoyed him. Atlas didn't know which way to go while standing there until a surprising notification popped up.

[Voidwalker. Welcome the Path's first temple lost in great catalysis that destroyed the old world]

Atlas was about to reply, but the writing popped up once again.

[You will find something that will aid you on your journey to fight the Chaos King, but the library is full of danger, and if you survive, you will grow stronger]

After reading that, Atlas deadpanned before raging to himself, 'What do you think I'm doing!'

He started walking down the tunnel directly in front of him while readying himself for an attack that never came. Ten minutes later, he reached a dead end, but something was off about the scene.

Several skeletons lay huddled in a corner, surrounded by rubble scattered across the ground. Atlas paused, briefly wondering what had happened to them. But with a shake of his head, he pushed the thought aside, turned around, and began walking back the way he came.

Following that, he continued searching all the tunnels and found nothing until checking the last one, which led to a basement-looking place with a pedestal in the middle. Atlas's eyebrow raised as he thought, 'That is a trap, but it looks important.'

Atlas approached and noticed an ingot of metal that looked like the last piece he found that added camouflage to his armor. He reached out and took hold of the material, but it vanished into his body.

[Anti-Chaos Rune added to the Nightfall Armor - Will protect you against the taint and corruption of the enemy]

As he read that, a boom was heard, and the way out was blocked. Monsters poured into the room like a flood. Atlas spotted a key on the pedestal and grabbed it while casting Void Veil, which confused the goblin-looking monsters.

When Atlas saw them, he backed off and scanned the newcomers using Void Sight.

[Chaos Goblin]

[Rank: D - 300 Exp]

[Use explosive magic on these rats! If they hurt you, then you're a fool]

Atlas chuckled when hearing that before dashing around the battlefield and killing the Chaos Goblins, who were confused because Void Veil was hiding him in its shadows. He started killing them while making his way toward the exit,

It was lit up by torches like a beacon in the night. Atlas cast Void Barrage, which took out hundreds of monsters. A battle erupted as he dodged the crude weapons and strange spells that flew in his direction.

With only one arm, Atlas struggled to kill as many creatures, but he noticed a faint wisp of smoke dissipating each time the enemy weapons hit him. The strange phenomenon confused him.

'Why did it need an ingot to turn into this?' he pondered, unleashing Void Barrage to blast away the swarming monsters. 'Maybe the Rune was embedded in the ingot and transferred to the armor?'

Atlas shrugged off his thoughts; they didn't matter now. He needed to escape the chamber, which was suddenly shaking around him. As rubble crashed to the ground, he turned toward the open entrance.

He fought off several Chaos Goblins, dispatching them before dashing for the exit, the remaining monsters hot on his heels. Arrows and spells whizzed past him, and though pain flared from where they struck, he pushed through, determined to escape this hellhole.

'Hopefully, I will find some peace in the coming days. This is getting stupid now,' he mused with a fed-up expression.

By the time Atlas reached the tunnels, the library collapsed behind him. Just then, an arrow struck his shoulder, but he pressed on, adrenaline fueling his escape. He let out a yelp of pain as he continued running.

Atlas sprinted toward the distant light, hope surging within him. But to his horror, the floor beneath him suddenly crumbled, giving way and sending him plummeting into the darkness below.

'Not this shit again!'

As Atlas fell, he got an idea and quickly cast Void Step to reach the edge, but as he did, something tackled him while cackling. The sound sent shivers through his body before he cast Void Wave, which sent the creature flying.

He glanced back and noticed a more human-looking creature, but its black eyes and grey skin spoke of something different. Atlas didn't bother scanning the thing before blowing it away with Void Blasts.

'I need to get out of here now I have the new Rune.'

The spell sent the monster back to whatever realm it came from as Atlas exited the library just as it fell into a dark cavern that opened up. When the Scalebreakers saw this, they backed away.

Atlas thought he was safe for a moment, but suddenly, one of the creatures lunged out of the darkness, biting down on his shoulder. The shock of the attack caught him off guard, but he quickly drove his weapon through its head, killing it.

'Damn, things keep jumping me!'

As he pushed the creature off him, a wave of pain surged through his body. Stars danced before his eyes as the familiar poison coursed through his veins. But this time, the Rune activated, attempting to heal him.

The sensations sent him into a scream of agony as it fought against the venom's grip. Soon enough, Atlas threw up some black stuff but soon felt better before standing up. However, he felt the weakness take him out.

'This is bad. What is more monsters appear?' he thought with a foggy mind.

His vision was dark, but he was gently picked up and placed on something as the Scalebreaker leader's voice sounded in his mind, 'Rest, Master. We will protect you.'

Atlas blacked out as his body underwent a tumultuous transformation. The Anti-Chaos Rune fought against the taint while improving him, breaking down and rebuilding his muscles to grow stronger and thickening his bones to withstand damage better.

In a twisted way, Chaos was aiding him, which would anger the Dark Gods, but the Rune's regeneration couldn't restore his missing arm—only a powerful healer could accomplish that, and he hoped one would be in Carthage.

The night passed as the Scalebreakers circled their leader, guarding Atlas while he recovered. The immense stress of the previous day had taken its toll, and he fell into a deep sleep.

When Atlas finally woke up the following day, he felt refreshed, but his gaze fell on the stump, and he sighed, "I miss my arm. It feels so strange not having it anymore," he mused, confusion swirling within him.

Following that, he pulled out a Forest Boar Meat Box and started eating while recovering his energy as birds chirped and a light fog settled over the area. Atlas soon finished the food before standing up on the monster's back.

She soon woke up and spoke in a groggy voice, 'What are you doing Master?'

''Stretching,'' Atlas answered while putting away the rubbish before jumping off the monster's back. ''We can move toward the other libraries. I found a key, and I'm guessing it's to open the exit.''

'Yes, Master. There is one more, and then we can go find the other Void Monster so you can claim him,' she revealed.

The Scalebreaker herd prepared to travel through the jungle, warding off larger monsters. After hours of navigating the dense foliage, Atlas finally caught sight of another library, excitement bubbling within him at the prospect of discovery.

'I wonder what horrors await inside this place,' he chuckled, a mix of anticipation and curiosity coursing through him.

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