Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas continued down the dark tunnel, and he could see thanks to his Light Skill, but just after he entered, a group of five Savage Bears rushed in to attack him. Using Void Step, he dodged the attacks effortlessly while his blades found their mark, sinking deep into monster flesh.

The bears roared in anger, and the pain he inflicted sent them into a rage. The fight was close quarters, as the tunnel was twelve feet wide, and the bears were clambering to get to him while trying to bite and swipe at him.

He quickly dealt with the Savage Bears, piercing their skulls with his blades. Once they were dead, he checked the total as the monsters turned into azure motes and vanished into the Void Realm.

[Savage Void Bear – 4977/5000]

'This will take a while before I clear the first hurdle. I won't be able to use them as I travel across the Titan Fist Mountains,' Atlas pondered as he took a break before continuing walking down the tunnel; he soon noticed the air was getting colder the deeper he got.

After trekking for twenty minutes, Atlas came upon a large chamber with monster bones littering the floor, which made it look like an underground graveyard. There were large claw marks gauged into the ground and chamber walls.

'Something lives here, it seems,' he thought.

Seeing all the signs caused him to ready his weapon just as he heard a defeating roar that shook the ground. The sound bounced off the walls, changing the atmosphere to one of dread. 'What kind of monster is this?' he thought.

That's when a massive Grizzly Bear-looking monster charged out of the shadows. Its dark fur hid it in the darkness, while its glowing blue eyes were the only thing he could see fully. The monster was the size of a car, and its massive paws ended in claws the size of a man's hand.

Atlas quickly used Void Sight on the creatures while preparing for the fight.

[Void Cave Bear]

[Rank: D]

'D Rank! This will be tough as it's two ranks above me,' he thought as the Grizzly Bear closed in on him.

The Cave Bear lunged forward, snapping its massive maw. Atlas quickly cast Void Blast, slamming it into the monster's face before it reached him. Then, he jumped to the side and thrust his blades into the creature's side.

When they pierced the skin, Atlas went to cast Void Bullet, but the bear's paw swung in his direction, causing him to cast Void Guard to take the brunt of the attack. Regardless, he was sent flying back down the tunnel before crashing onto the ground, which gave him enough space between himself and the monster.

Atlas got to his feet just in time to see the Cave Bear rushing forward and swiping at his torse. He quickly leaned backward as the tip of the monster's claws scrapped against the armor, causing him to feel the air against his face, 'Too close!'

He quickly counterattacked by slashing the creature's paw, which sent blood splattering against the wall while he fired a Void Bullet in its face. The explosion reverberated through the tunnel, causing the Cave Bear to stagger in agony.

Seizing the moment, Atlas lunged forward, quickly driving the Nightblade deep into the bear's skull. At the same time, he released a Void Arrow through the weapon. The azure projectile sliced through the skull, emerging from the other side just as the creature dissolved into motes of light.

Atlas exhaled deeply, his breath coming in heavy gasps as he bent over, hands on his knees, catching his breath and savoring the hard-earned relief. While doing that, a notification popped up.

[Cave Void Bears – 1999/2000]

'Level two is so much harder, I just need to get stronger,' Atlas thought before continuing down the tunnel where the bear came from.

This continued for another hour until two of the monsters appeared and attacked him. Thanks to being under five feet tall, Atlas dodged most swipes and bites of the Cave Bears, but he managed to kill one with a void Arrow through the head.

The monster vanished as the last one barrelled into him, but he managed to impale the bear with the Nightblade. Atlas heard two snaps as his arms broke, and the body flopped down on him, putting its total weight on him.

Atlas struggled to push the Cave Bear off him with broken arms, but he did it after putting extra effort into it. Once free, his Regeneration repaired the bones before stitching the skin together.

He got to his feet before continuing down the tunnel while checking on the Void Bear total.

[Savage Void Bear – 4977/5000]

[Cave Void Bears – 1997/2000]

'Nothing comes for free in life,' Atlas mused as he saw light in the distance but was cut off by another group of Cave Bears blocking his way.

This time, five Cave Bears charged at him, their blue eyes blazing with fury. Atlas felt a gulp catch in his throat as he faced the onslaught. He managed to take down two of the bears swiftly, but before he could react further, the remaining three leaped onto him, suddenly ending his turn at level two as they tore into his bodies.

Atlas woke up to the tent's ceiling shaking all over the place, thunder boomed overhead, and rain poured down like a flood. The sun hadn't risen yet, covering the world in darkness, and he thought, 'The weather is terrible. I'm lucky I bought this thing to keep me hidden from the rain.'

He sat up and pulled some chocolate while checking the void monster tally.

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[Savage Void Bear – 4977/5000]

[Cave Void Bears – 1995/2000]

After doing that, Atlas pulled up his status to see if he had gained anything from fighting the Void Bears.

[Health: 472→474]

[Mana: 2238→2242]

[Strength: 476→480]

[Stamina: 522→532]

[Intelligence: 398→400]

[Health Regeneration: 1→2]

Following that, Atlas waited until the sun rose before continuing his journey through the mountain, but when it did appear, the storm blocked it out, causing his trek from the ledge he was on to become even more dangerous.

While traveling, he saw dozens of thunderbirds that flew overhead, screeching in happiness as thunder and lightning lashed the mountain peaks. Atlas noticed a forest on one nearby hill was on fire.

Black smoke billowed high, causing him to think, 'This is chaos; I need to get to the city as soon as possible.'

Atlas pressed on, dodging the encroaching blaze that crackled and roared as it spread. Glancing at his map, he pinpointed his location and noted that he was near a pass leading to the route toward the city.

He looked up and saw the flames rapidly closing in, forcing him to sprint toward the escape route. Acting instinctually, he activated Void Step, propelling himself across the landscape with blinding speed and narrowly outrunning the fire.

As he burst through the pass, the flames surged behind him, engulfing the trees and underbrush and sealing off the route he had just crossed. 'I'm glad I made it; it should take a couple of days to reach Tajariyah,' Atlas thought with relief.

He continued his journey, navigating carefully across a gully. Suddenly, a roar jolted him, causing rubble to cascade down from above. Atlas looked up and saw a massive bear descending the cliffside.

Atlas quickly scanned the creature, bracing himself for the impending confrontation.

[Mountain Bear]

[Rank: D - 300 Exp]

When Atlas saw this, he sighed, 'I have to deal with them in the real world as well,' he thought while readying his blades.

The Mountain Bear crashed into the spot he was just in; while using Void Step, he avoided the creature before attacking. He dashed forward just as it swung its claws at him, but Atlas ducked that while peppering the monster with Void Bullets.

Explosions erupted all across the bear's body, causing it to stumble. This allowed him to cast Void Step and appear behind the monster while slicing the back of its thick legs, bringing it crashing to the ground.

Atlas plunged his blade into the bear's skull and ended its life; he felt the experience pouring into his body before cutting out the green Monster Core and storing it in his Dimensional Storage.

Atlas pressed on until he spotted a narrow pathway ascending the side of the mountain. After an hour of steady climbing, he took the path and reached a breathtaking vantage point. From the summit, the forest below stretched out endlessly, dotted with villages and punctuated by the outlines of towns and cities in the distance.

'I can't wait to explore this place,' Atlas thought, marveling at the expansive view.

Descending into the valley, he encountered and fought off five more Mountain Bears, each battle leaving him more tired. As he examined his map, he noticed that the path to the city was now within reach.

Realizing the sun was setting, Atlas knew he needed to find a safe place to rest for the night, 'I can't be bothered to keep fighting these damn bears that keep appearing; it's bad enough I have to fight them in the Void Realm.'

Soon enough, he found a small cave with nothing inside. Atlas entered after setting up the Runes to keep him safe throughout the night. Once that was done, he put up his tent and cooked some of the Forest Boar Meat.

Atlas placed it on fire while adding the spice Marcia had given him, which gave off a delicious smell. This caused his stomach to rumble; he noticed the meat was cooking beautifully and only had to wait a little longer.

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