Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas dashed through the trees as the Achaemenids appeared on the beach to help the survivors, and Marcia approached them while ensuring he was out of sight. He crouched in a nearby bush, his heart racing, but luck was on his side as they hadn't seen him.

When he spotted the soldiers, they wore eerie devil-looking masks that sent chills down his spine. Their all-black armor looked menacing and foreboding. Seeing them filled him with a sense of dread.

'They're creepy,' he thought; Atlas quickly scanned the closest Immortal who was watching.

[-----]

[Level: 349]

[Rank: Expert]

'Better not let them see me; it would be game over if they did,' he mulled before fleeing toward the distant mountains where Tajariyah City was.

Atlas fled deeper into the forest, allowing him to hear the birds chirping in the trees above. The afternoon sun shone through the tree branches as the wilderness grew denser the deeper he got.

The smell of nature reached his nose, causing him to relax. While climbing over a fallen tree, Atlas mentally mapped out his journey, 'First, he would travel to Carthage to heal Lilith. Then, he would head north to meet the girls in Thalassar City or the Wildheart Kingdom.'

After that, Atlas continued trekking as he approached the mountain, looking for a path to make his trip to the city easier and prevent him from being attacked or ambushed by anything.

'If not for Marcia, they would have captured me again,' Atlas thought as he crossed over a stream where a group of deer-like monsters were grazing nearby.

He walked for a couple of hours only to find nothing. After climbing up a hill, he came to a clearing and bumped into a group of goblins; by the looks on their creepy faces, they were just as shocked as he was.

It looked like they were out hunting because of the shabby-looking weapons they held and the Forest Boar corpse they stood around. These goblins looked like your typical green instead of the blue ones he'd met.

Atlas shook his head before lunging forward and ramming the Blood Knife into the closest creature's skull just as the others attacked. He used Void Step to dodge most attacks, but a few hit him.

'Ouch!'

However, Atlas counterattacked by casting Void Bullets into the group. His attack sent the enemies tumbling into the nearby bushes, and he sprang into action. He charged at the closest opponent, driving his sword through its skull with a fierce thrust.

In quick succession, he decapitated two more of the grotesque creatures. The battle raged on for a few more minutes until the clearing was strewn with the lifeless bodies of goblins. Breathing heavily, Atlas surveyed the aftermath of the fierce fight before cutting out the 12 Black Monster Cores.

'I need to find a way to increase my speed and stamina,' Atlas thought. 'Maybe I can train myself by running?'

Despite the goblins being Rank G monsters and yielding only 600 experience points, he was satisfied and checked his status.

[Level Up: 66→68]

[Experience: 980/2000]

[Experience Gained: 3650]

[Health: 460→472]

[Mana: 2208→2238]

[Strength: 464→476]

[Stamina: 472→522]

[Charisma: 358→362]

[Intelligence: 390→398]

[Core Points: 26850→29450]

[Core Points Gained: 2600]

[Void Blast: 0→1]

'Close to getting the Mana Core benefits, but I need information on the Body Tempering,' he thought.

He soon noticed that Void Blast leveled up, which made him happy with his gains. After checking his status, Atlas continued walking until he reached the base of the mountains but didn't know where to go until he spotted a pathway up.

Following that, he started to climb up the mountain. There, he encountered no monsters but noticed the wind was getting worse. It was causing a screaming sound to echo all over. This caused him to shiver as it bit into his skin, forcing him to take out the Enchanted Cloak and wrap it around him and his armor to keep warm.

However, it only managed to keep out some of the wind. While trekking up the mountain path, Atlas looked to the right only to see a sea of trees stretching to the east, ending in hilly grasslands.

'Interesting. It doesn't seem to go on forest like the Darkheart Jungle I was in before,' he mused.

After that, Atlas continued traveling up the mountain until he reached a ledge with a tiny foothold entrance that would give him some sense of security. While standing there, he realized the sun was starting to set.

Without much thought, he set up his camp and started a fire using the camping gear he bought from the general store as the air was cold, causing him to shiver while pulling out an Orc's Delights Meat Box.

The scent hit his nose, making his stomach rumble before he started eating. He enjoyed the soft meats, spices, and other ingredients. Looking out at the mysterious landscape, he thought, 'I wonder how long it will take to get north.'

While contemplating, Atlas pulled out the map, started looking for Zarandar, and soon noticed a little blue dot on the paper that represented him. 'Is that a marker for me? Must be as it is an expensive-looking world map embued with several Runes,' he mused.

Following that, Atlas continued to eat until the meat box was empty, causing him to remember that he could send Amethyst a message. [Amethyst, meet me at Wildheart Kingdom. If you cannot travel there, meet me in Thalassar City in the Thalassia Empire. I have to travel to the capital of the Nubian Empire to find a Soul Mage that can heal Lily before I turn back north]

It took seconds to receive a reply from Amethyst, [Azhar'Zul, we're currently on route to the Wildheart Kingdom to aid in the war effort as all adventurers have been asked to help the Asotria Realms push the Southmen back across the Sands Of Sorrow. More importantly, how did you get to their homeland? Make sure to get a disguise skill and stay out of their way unless you want to be captured again]

Atlas smiled when reading the Phoenix girl's words, but Marcia's message shocked him next.

[Boy! They know you're on Zarandar and have sent a small army of Nightowls and Immortals to find you. Get to Tajariyah City and get that skill; once you do that, you will be somewhat safe unless you come across a high ranker who can see through it. I do hope to see you soon]

'Glad I left the beach now,' Atlas thought. 'They would have found me otherwise, I don't want be captured again and executed.'

After that thought, he watched the two moons beginning their ascent. Zahidul bathed the world in a silver glow while Azadul's golden light illuminated the sky, revealing a stunning display of stars sparkling above.

Atlas pulled out the map and spotted his marker on the side of the mountain. He started looking for the city on the opposite side of the range. 'I can travel through paths; I doubt soldiers or Immortals will be traveling around here.'

Once he was done planning his trip through the Titan's Fist Mountain Range to Tajariyah City, he crawled into his tent and activated the Void Realm Skill and was sucked into the strange realm only to wake up on a mountain ledge.

Following that, Atlas checked the amount of Savage Void Bear counter.

[Savage Void Bear – 4994/5000]

'Only managed to kill six before that flying bear took me out,' he chuckled when remembering the scene.

Atlas started his journey by readying his weapons and looking for a pathway down while being careful. He soon found one and started slowly walking down as roars rang out from all around him.

'They are already onto me,' he thought. 'I'll use magic for now.'

Without thinking, Atlas glanced up just in time to see two Savage Void Bears plummeting from the sky toward him. His heart pounded as he let out a startled yelp, barely having a moment to react.

He unleashed a Void Blast that roared through the air, striking them with a devastating force. The explosion sent them hurtling through the air, their massive forms colliding with the mountainside before crashing into the gorges below.

Atlas then checked his total when he felt something change after killing the monsters.

[Savage Void Bear - 4992/5000]

Afterward, he continued down to the foothills, facing and defeating another ten savage bears along the way. Atlas traveled for an hour and soon realized he was in a valley surrounded and blocked by massive mountains.

'What's the point of trapping me here just to fight savages?' he wondered, dispatching three more bears that had attempted to ambush him from behind some boulders.

Atlas soon discovered a cave entrance, the only escape from the valley without climbing the mountainside. Glancing up, he saw distorted reflections of the two moons, which struck him as odd, but he stepped into the dark tunnel without hesitation.

'I hope there aren't any creepy insect monsters,' he thought as a shiver ran up his spine.

***

Atlas's current status. (Won't be seen for a while)

Name: Atlas

Age: 13

Race: Voidborn

Class: Voidwalker/??????? ????????

Level: 68

Rank: Apprentice

Experience: 980/2000

Affinity: Void

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Attributes:

Health: 472 (50)

Mana: 2238

Strength: 476 Continue the excitement on m_vl-em,py-r

Stamina: 522 (100)

Charisma: 362

Intelligence: 398

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Mana Core:

Core Rank: High Novice

Core Points: 29450/30000

Body Tempering Level:

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Spells:

Attack: Lv-1: Void Bullet (2) Lv-1: Void Arrow (2) Lv-2: Void Blast (0>1) Lv-2: Void Wave (0)

Defence: Lv-1: Void Guard (2)

Support: Lvl-1: Void Step (2)

Utility:

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Skills: Void Realm (0) Silent Casting (-) Void Sight (1) Dual Wielding (2) Health Regeneration (1) Dimensional Storage (1) Aqua Lung (1) Light (0)Call Of The Void (1) ??????? ???????? (0)