Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas waited until most of his mana returned before continuing his journey, which didn't take too long. While sitting there, he enjoyed the incredible misty mountains that stretched as far as the eyes could see.

The fog covered the peaks and seeped down the sides, making the area creepy as the sparse trees breached the top. He was surrounded by cliffs with a dirt road about two carriages wide.

He shook his head and rose, resuming his journey down the winding path. As Atlas rounded a bend, he noticed the dirt road expanding ahead, but the widening did little to help his unease; the ever-present threat of falling into the darkness below loomed ominously.

As Atlas walked, an unsettling sensation washed over him. Before he could react, the ground erupted in an explosion, a dozen spells slamming into the path ahead. The sudden onslaught hurled him into the abyss below, plunging him into the darkness.

'Oh damn! What the hell was that!' he panicked while falling.

While Atlas fell, he tried to figure out how to escape the situation. That's when he remembered the Dungeon Conquerer Skill; he activated it and summoned a Blood Bat that burst out of the portal with a screech, catching him with its claws and soaring out of the chasm.

This allowed Atlas to see a group of bandits lurking not far away. Without thinking, he ordered the monster to attack them, which it did by dropping him in the center of the group and dive-bombing the men.

While the Blood Bat did this, Atlas slashed and stabbed the confused bandits using Void Step to dodge the few attacks sent his way, 'Speed is the way, I can act before they react to me,' he thought with a confident grin behind his helmet.

They tried to flee in all different directions as Atlas was going wild with his stabs and slashes, bringing a dozen or so down before they regrouped. He managed to avoid all their attacks as the monster smashed into the tightly packed bandits. Discover hidden content at m,v l'e|m-p| y r

Its claws and teeth tore through armor and crushed bones, which caused panic to infect the enemies who tried to flee, but Atlas chased after them before slicing through their ankles, forcing the men to the ground.

Atlas drove his blade into the bandits' necks with ruthless efficiency as the Blood Bat descended upon the fallen corpses, its claws and fangs tearing through the flesh. He watched, captivated, as the creature started eating after eating.

While watching the monster eat, Atlas felt the experience flowing into his body, which brought a sigh of relief when feeling the level-up click. Following that, a surge of curiosity and excitement bubbled within him.

'How can I harness the power of dungeon monsters?' he wondered, his mind racing with possibilities.

He shook his head before approaching the giant bat and ran his hand through its soft fur, causing the monster to let out a happy chirp. Atlas smiled as the creature nudged its head against his body.

Afterward, Atlas leaped onto the bat's back just as the creature launched into the air. It soared above the dirt road, its mighty wings beating steadily. He looked around to try to find some monsters but saw nothing.

He then directed the bat to descend, guiding it closer to the ground for a better look. When Atlas saw the ground, rats the size of dogs were heading toward the adventurer party as they crawled out of holes in the cliffside.

Atlas decided to deal with the monsters himself and ordered the Blood Bat to attack. When the monster swooped down, it clamped two rats in its claws as he jumped off its back and cast Void Wave, sending dozens of them flying into the chasm below.

Following that, he scanned the monsters to find out what they were.

[Cannibal Rat]

[Rank: F+ - 150 Exp]

[They have poison on their teeth and fangs - So be quick]

Seeing this, Atlas readied his blade as the first Cannibal Rat lunged at him. He sidestepped the monster before plunging Nightblade into its body. When doing that, he cast a Void Arrow that burrowed through its body and struck another creature that attacked from behind.

Once Atlas started attacking, the Blood Bat landed with a crash before tearing through a giant rat with a few chomps as it swiped at the other monsters, sending them into the darkness below.

The more creatures they killed, the more that replaced them as more jumped from the cliff above, forcing Atlas to back off while defending himself, but that's when he decided to summon some help.

He activated Call Of The Void and summoned the Voidstalkers, who chirped as they slammed into the rats and started slaughtering them. Atlas chuckled at this and rushed forward, stabbing the monsters through their skulls.

Atlas and his monsters fought for over an hour. All the Voidstalkers were gone thanks to the overwhelming number of Cannibal Rats, but the Blood Bat stood firm even though it was seriously injured.

'This needs to end now,' he thought while aiming his blade at a group of rats and firing several Void Blasts at them before activating Dungeon Conquering and using the last of his mana to summon a Death Gorilla.

After the portal opened, the massive muscled primate rushed out before slamming its enormous fist into the side of a bigger rat. When Atlas saw this, his legs gave out, and he felt weakness over his body as he stopped to the ground.

'I shouldn't have done that, but I needed the extra strength to finish them off,' he thought as exhaustion overwhelmed him.

Atlas looked at the Blood Bat and whistled, causing the monster to come to him. He climbed onto its back and told it to escape while the Death Gorilla butchered the remaining Cannibal Rats who targeted it.

The bat emitted a screech before attempting to fly towards the adventurers' camp. However, its injuries took a toll and faltered, crashing onto a nearby cliff. As the creature vanished, Atlas began to slide down the cliff face, barely conscious.

Instinctively, he drove his blades into the rock, slowing his descent just in time to prevent himself from plunging into the darkness again. Atlas stopped as his arms strained, but he still managed to look around.

Atlas noticed a mountain ledge not far off and used Void Step to reach it safely. However, the exertion left him faint, and he collapsed onto the ledge. While sleeping, the Death Gorilla continued its relentless assault on the remaining Cannibal Rats, eventually finding its way to the ledge where he lay.

The massive primate appeared and, upon seeing Atlas resting, let out a low grunt. Gently, it removed his helmet and settled down behind him. With a tender touch, it began to comb through his white hair, keeping him warm and secure as he rested.

When Atlas woke up a few hours later, it was pitch black, and he couldn't see. This made him panic, but the memories returned when a big hand grabbed him and huffed. He shook his head and realized his helmet had been removed, only to wonder if this monster had done it.

He put his helmet back on and noticed the Death Gorilla staring at him with a surprisingly tender gaze as if he were its offspring. 'Is this creature female?' he wondered.

The monster let out a gentle huff before carefully wrapping Atlas in a warm, protective hug, its large form shielding him from the biting cold. When the warmth washed over his body, it caused him to fall asleep slowly due to the mana exhaustion.

Hours slipped by as rain and wind battered the mountain ledge. The Death Gorilla remained vigilant, its massive frame providing a steady shield against the storm until Atlas stirred a few hours later.

When Atlas finally awoke, the darkness of the night still enveloped him. He blinked groggily and wondered, 'I must have regained my mana by now.'

He glanced around the ledge and noticed the Death Gorilla was still looking at him; this caused him to think, 'I feel a connection with each one of these monsters. Is there something else to this skill?'

Atlas shook his head, peering at the Death Gorilla with curiosity. "Can you understand me?" he asked.

The gorilla responded with a nod and gently enveloped him in a hug. Atlas smiled, "Alright, I get it—you care for me. Just don't squeeze me too tightly, okay?"

Then, Atlas asked the monster to take him back to the path, which it agreed to do. It put him on its back and jumped across the gap without warning but grabbed the ledge before pulling them up.

As they did that, some appeared from below them, causing Atlas to spin around only to see three large scorpions crawling up the side of the mountain, 'How are people going to travel this path? It's too dangerous,' he wondered before scanning the newcomers.

[Mountain Scorpions]

[Rank: D - 300 Exp]

They were dark grey, which allowed the creatures to blend into the mountain, but their beady yellow eyes glowed with malice. Atlas watched the monster's pincers snap in his direction before he cast a Void Arrow at the closest.

The azure projectile sliced through the air and pierced the scorpion's face before hitting another behind it. While Atlas was casting spells, the Death Gorilla went wild and squashed the monsters into critin paste.

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