Level Up: Voidwalker

Soon enough, Atlas saw a sign that pointed to a city named Kayacke, from which he could get a train, but something else caught his attention, 'A Level Three Dungeon? This could be fun.'

With that thought, he headed in its direction and traveled for an hour until he saw a fortress built into the side of a karst bordering a lake. Atlas was stopped at the entrance by a group of Nubian guards.

An older man approached with a stern expression as he spoke gruffly, ''Are you here to dive into the dungeon, young one?''

Atlas nodded before taking out his Adventurer's Card, which surprised the commander as he continued, ''You can go through, but be careful past floor twenty; the monsters get twice as strong.''

''Thank you,'' he replied while stepping through the gate only to see the dungeons named Siren's Abyss, which gave him a bad feeling.

'Water monsters it seems?' Atlas mused while stepping through the portal that appeared.

Once, it appeared on the other side, on a beach. He glanced around to see an ocean surrounded by deadly-looking mountains, but that's when Atlas noticed the flag in the distance, causing him to think, 'That must be the direction I need to go.'

Following that, he activated Aqua Lung and stepped into the water, only to drop to the sea floor with a crash. When that happened, Atlas was surprised when he saw his surroundings. It was like an underwater forest with colorful foilage and trees that swayed with the current.

He was baffled, but a bad feeling suddenly appeared as the first monster lunged from the brush, catching him off guard. Atlas saw a dog-sized piranha that started snapping at him with its knife-sized teeth, but it didn't hurt, thanks to Void Guard.

Atlas cast Void Blast and Void Arrow at it, which burrowed through the giant fish's body. Afterward, he unsheathed his swords and cast Void Infusion before cutting through another monster while scanning the third.

[Quipper]

[Rank: C - 500 Exp]

[Be quick]

'Here we go, let's start leveling up,' Atlas thought before casting several Void Bullets at another Quipper.

Explosions rang out underwater as another monster rushed out of the shadows and attacked him from behind. A Giant Octopus wrapped its tentacles around his torso, but he started slashing at the creature.

'Now these Octopus! What creepy creature is this.' he pondered before scanning the monster.

[Giant Dark Octopus]

[Rank: C - 500 Exp]

[Keep attacking!]

Realizing it wasn't letting go, he quickly cast Void Wave, severely burning the newcomer and Quippers, but this allowed him to stab the slippery monster as Nightblade pierced through its eye.

Then, Atlas battled across the first floor and was attacked by more Quippers, who Void Barrage blew away. The explosion rang out as he continued and finally reached the flag, where he saw a staircase leading to the next floor.

'I wonder what nightmares are lurking down there,' he thought while readying his spells.

Before Atlas could get close, something erupted from the sand below, blocking his sight as a pair of pincers flew out and closed around his torso. When he saw this, he quickly cut them down.

The giant claw dropped to the seafloor, allowing Atlas to back off while casting Void Wave that knocked a few crabs backward, allowing him to scan them to find out their rank and name.

[Giant Deep Sea Crab]

[Rank: D - 500 Exp]

[Move quick]

When Atlas saw these new monsters, he used Void Veil to confuse them before attacking them with blades carved through their shells. Following this, he summoned Medusa. The Death Serpent rushed out of the portal and slammed into an enormous Giant Crab, sending it flying into the distance.

The battle erupted as Atlas darted around using Void Step to cut down dozens of monsters who couldn't stand up to his blades. Medusa was destroying any Giant Crab she came across.

'Im glad I managed to get the Death Serpent on my side,' he thought, attacking even more.

Thanks to his Void Arrow and Lance, Atlas could kill many thanks to their piercing power. Half an hour later, the crabs vanished into the dungeon, allowing him to collect all the Monster Cores and gold coins that littered the sea floor.

Once everything was stored away, he walked down the second floor only to have more Quippers charging at him. Atlas quickly cast Void Veil, which confused the monsters, allowing him to kill them quickly.

Medusa helped out by eating loads of the annoying fishes, but what came next shocked him as a giant shark rushed out of the nearby bushed of the underwater forest. Atlas quickly cast Void Guard, which sent him skidding backward.

'Damn. These are stronger monsters,' he thought as his arms strained before he cast Void Blast into the shark's face. 'What are these?'

Atlas used Void Sight on it.

[Hunter Shark]

[Rank: B - 800 Exp]

[Evil creatures that love to ambush]

Seeing this, he cast Void Blast into the nearest shark and tore it in half just as Medusa rushed out of the shadows and bit down on another. The force of the attack ripped the monster in two.

'She's getting stronger like Theo and Nala,' he pondered.

Atlas and the Death Serpent fought off the sharks until the floor was covered in glowing blue cores. He went around collecting them all, along with the silver coins. The two continued through the second level while fighting more sharks and other giant monsters.

While walking, he activated Aqua Lung again as Medusa spoke concernedly, 'Master. Many creatures surround us. It may be the best time to level up.'

'I agree, girl,' Atlas replied while readying his blades with Void Infusion.

The two pressed forward through the underwater forest, which gradually gave way to a sprawling valley strewn with massive boulders. Unease crept into his mind as his eyes darted to the shadows between the rocks.

'There must be monsters hiding there... ready to pounce on me.'

A chill coursed down his spine. He glanced at Medusa and muttered, "Stay alert. I've got a bad feeling. We might be walking into an ambush."

She gave a silent nod, and they continued their journey. Suddenly, the faint sound of singing drifted through the water, freezing him in place. His heart raced as a single word echoed in his mind. 'Sirens!'

The singing intensified and started to affect Atlas, but Medusa nudged his body with her tail, bringing him back to reality. He shook his head to clear the confusion, and that's when he heard the beautiful singing.

'I'm surprised I haven't met these monsters sooner.'

They continued through the boulder field, only to have a spear fly out of the darkness. Atlas quickly cut the weapons down the middle as a wave of spells flew in his direction. He cast a Void Guard, which blocked the attack just as Medusa dashed off and blended into the surrounding darkness.

'Where is she going? Maybe to attack the enemy from behind?'

Confusion flickered in his mind as Atlas caught a glimpse of her strange actions. 'What is she doing?' he wondered, but his thoughts were cut short by the sudden rush of a Siren. The creature lunged at him, swinging its sword in a vicious arc.

He barely managed to block the strike, steel clashing against steel. The impact gave him a moment to take in his surroundings and get a closer look at his new adversaries—fierce and savage, far more dangerous than the Sirens he had faced before.

'These things are creepy.'

They were humanoids with fishtails, but they looked horrifying, with twisted faces, black eyes, and a row of sharp teeth. Atlas quickly moved the monster's weapon before stabbing it through its skull.

After killing the first one, he scanned the closest monster.

[Siren]

[Rank: B - 800 Exp]

[Use your magic to pierce their armor and ignore the singing, or you will be screwed]

Then, Atlas unleashed a barrage of Void Bullets and Arrows into the swarm of furious Sirens charging toward him. The glowing azure projectiles tore through the water, killing dozens of the creatures before they could get close.

'They are moving fast,' he thought while firing more spells at the incoming monsters.

As they got closer, Atlas dodged the flurry of flying weapons at him. One spear grazed the surface of his helmet, leaving a sharp scratch across his faceplate, causing sparks to fly all over the place.

'That was close!'

Atlas fought his way through the relentless swarm of Sirens, pushing forward until he reached the next floor. But something felt wrong. He scanned the area—the third floor was eerily still, lifeless.

'Chaos again?' he thought, his nerves on edge.

As if in response, the ground trembled violently. Dozens of grotesque humanoids and hulking trolls surged out from the shadows. Atlas quickly began casting spells, his hands crackling with magic.

The ground gave way beneath Atlas just as he was about to unleash his magic, collapsing into a dark abyss. Medusa lunged for him, her hand outstretched, but he was already falling, swallowed by the inky blackness below.

For a fleeting moment, Atlas looked up and dismissed her before crashing violently into a jagged stone. The impact sent a searing pain through his skull, and the world went black as unconsciousness claimed him.

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