Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas stepped into the second library, which went the same as the first one as more Chaos Goblins attacked when he first entered. Thanks to Void Guard, he blocked the sudden ambush before blasting them away with Void Barrage.

His void magic obliterated hundreds of creatures, clearing a path toward the pedestal where a strange, floating orb hovered at its center. As Atlas approached, a warning flashed through his mind, urging him to step back—just as something slammed into the spot he had been standing moments before.

"What the fuck is it now!" Atlas growled.

As the dust settled, a figure emerged—a human or at least something that resembled one. Chaos mana radiated off him in thick waves, making Atlas tighten his grip on Nightblade, preparing for a fight.

'A Wendigo mixed with Slenderman?' he mused before readying himself to fight.

Without warning, the being lunged, forcing Atlas on the defensive. He blocked most of the rapid strikes but struggled to keep up with only one arm. The assailant seized him by the collar, effortlessly hurling him across the chamber.

He used the moment to reach for the floating orb on the pedestal, which activated when it made contact with him. Atlas, landing on his feet after being thrown, suddenly screamed in agony as something foreign invaded his body.

'More poison!'

A searing pain shot through his stump, and he watched in shock as an azure-blue limb began to grow, replacing the arm he had lost. The new limb pulsed with the same brilliant glow as his eyes.

Atlas flexed his fingers and could feel the raw power coursing through him. In an instant, the Chaos Being lunged again, but Atlas effortlessly caught its fist this time. A grin spread across his face as he met the creature's stunned gaze.

"Not so fast," he growled.

With a twist, he threw the creature off balance, sending it stumbling backward. Before it could recover, Atlas clenched his new fist, the blue light intensifying as void energy surged through him.

In one quick motion, he unleashed a devastating Void Punch, the force rippling through the air as it connected with the creature's chest, causing a loud clap that sent it hurtling across the chamber.

Atlas was shocked, but a notification popped.

[Artifact - Void Orb - Created by an ancient mage to replace the Voidwalker's lost limb - Made to be the nemesis of Chaos]

'What the fuck! Did whoever made this knew I would lose my left arm?' he thought in confusion.

Following that, Atlas started fighting the monsters and managed to use Void Sight on it to find out what rank it was.

[Chaos Mutant]

[Rank: C - 500Exp]

[Use your new arm to take it out]

After absorbing the advice, he sprinted toward the Mutant, narrowly dodging its clawed swipe before landing another solid punch. The creature tried to defend itself, but the force sent it skidding across the ground.

They clashed fiercely, but Atlas gained the upper hand. His new arm left scorching marks seared into the Mutant's torso. Minutes later, the monster became enraged and started trying to attack wildly, which turned the fight in his favor.

'I can see the damage building up,' he thought excitedly. 'Now If I can stab the damn thing and blow it up.'

Then, he deflected the sharp claws before stabbing the creature in the leg and casting Void Bullets inside. The explosion sent him flying but blew its leg off, bringing it crashing to the ground.

Atlas landed with a thud but burst forward and closed in on the Chaos Mutant before stabbing it through the head, ending its life. Following that, he collapsed and groaned as his new arm started hurting, and the Void Orb melded to his skin.

'This hurts so much. It's like torture,' he thought while cradling his arm.

Now Atlas wasn't fighting; he could feel every second of it, the burning that made him clench his teeth. Ten minutes later, the pain faded, and now he owned a glowing blue arm that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi show.

He shrugged and decided to use the Goggles of True Sight to see if there were any hidden rooms but found nothing. Atlas sighed before leaving the library behind, where he saw the Scalebreakers relaxing around the cleaning.

'Seems like nothing has attacked them,' he thought while approaching the leader.

When Atlas approached, she raised her head and happily said, 'I saw you found the older master's gift for you.'

'Yes it seems he knew I was going to lose an arm,' he replied while climbing on her back as he scanned their surroundings.

Thanks to the goggles, Atlas couldn't see anything, but that's when he said something that excited the dinosaur, 'Your name will be Cera. Do you want to rejoin the Otherworld? Your herd will be safe there.'

Cera looked back with her dark eyes before nodding. Excitedly, she revealed, 'Yes, Master. Everyone here knows you're the true Voidwalker.'

Atlas smiled while placing his hand on his head and activated the skill Voidbound, which covered the monster in a beautiful azure glow. Soon enough, a notification popped up, surprising him.

[Otherworld: The Scalebreakers have returned to the Otherworld - Make sure to use your mana to creature somewhere for them to live and grow - Only you and your women can enter, and if anyone else tries, the void will kill them]

'That's good, as no one can sneak inside,' he thought before jumping off Cera's back.

As Atlas hit the ground, he activated Otherworld, summoning a vast azure portal that shimmered before him. Without hesitation, he stepped through, emerging into an endless expanse of flatland stretching toward every horizon.

The barren, featureless landscape stirred his curiosity, drawing him deeper into the mystery of this strange new realm, 'The notification said I have to use mana to create something for the Scalebreakers,' he thought.

Atlas turned around as Cera entered the portal and spoke while glancing around, 'It gives me the same feeling as the old master's realm, but your mana is much stronger than his.'

He was just about to reply, but a screen popped up, giving him several options to add things to the landscape.

[Stage 1]

[Lush Jungle - Grows over time and spreads out when you inject more mana into it - Cost: 1000 Mana]

[Rivers - Gently alters the terrain, enhances the fertility of nearby land, and provides water for creatures - Cost: 500 Mana]

[Floating Islands - Suspended above the ground, these islands provide new realms for your monsters to explore/Can make yourself a home - Cost: 3000 Mana]

[Grasslands - A fertile expanse of open plains/Food for certain members of your army - Cost: 500 Mana]

[Hills - Gently rolling terrain that adds texture to the landscape - Cost: 750 Mana]

[Mountains - Majestic peaks rise from the earth, providing shelter for rare species - Cost: 2000 Mana]

[Scalebreaker Nest- Home for the first of the Void Army - Cost: 2000 Mana]

[Seasons - Manipulate the climate to reflect the cycles of nature or shift into new seasons - Cost: 1500 Mana]

When Atlas saw this, he became excited but thought, 'Can I force other monsters to join my army? The meat eaters will need prey to hunt.'

[Yes, Voidwalker, but they have to submit to you before you use Voidbound on them]

'How big is the Chaos Army?' he shivered. 'I will only recruit the strongest monsters.'

Then, Atlas turned to Cera and smiled, ''Get the herd inside while I create a home for you guys.''

The monster nodded before stepping through the portal, and seconds later, a swarm of baby and young Scalebreakers followed in a chaotic rush, trailed by the towering adults. Atlas quickly realized there were over a hundred of them.

Seeing the number made him think, ''Wow. Hopefully, I can get more of these things in the future.''

Following that, Atlas pulled up his mana amount and was pleasantly surprised to see it.

[Mana: 8666/8666 (1000)]

'Oh nice, I can create a lot right now and maybe make some mountains for the second monster down here,' he thought excitedly.

Atlas considered creating the Scalebreaker Nest, causing the ground to tremble as ancient-looking trees popped out all around them. Ferns that looked like they came from Earth popped up as the nests were built last.

They were between the trees and bushes, but their area was circled by massive trees that acted like a wall to stop more giant monsters from getting to them. Once Atlas was finished, he felt all the mana being sucked from him while doing it.

"Their nest is complete; now for the jungle, rivers, and mountains," he pondered.

With that thought, Atlas began to shape the surrounding jungle, watching it stretch for miles in every direction. As he worked, he floated gracefully into the air, and a metallic platform emerged beneath him, granting him a breathtaking view of the vast landscape.

'So beautiful but it seems never ending,' Atlas mused. 'Is the power of the Void?'

He shrugged and focused on shaping the rivers, watching as they snaked gracefully through the landscape, disappearing into the distance. In the north, majestic mountains began to rise, their peaks piercing the sky.

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