Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas was waiting for the Stonecrawlers to return while the Dreadfiend Knight stood like a sentinel, but it suddenly reacted and blocked an attack, which let out a loud clang, causing his monster to skid backward before crashing into the wall.

'What the hell!' he internally thought while looking at the knight whose armor was cracked under the force of the attack.

He spun around to see a massive humanoid-looking insect, a monstrous amalgamation of chitin and muscle that seemed to pulse with a dark, unsettling energy. It stood over six feet tall, its four powerful limbs ending in clawed appendages that dug into the ground as it moved.

'What is this nightmarish monster!' Atlas panicked before he quickly used Void Sight on it.

[Umber-Hulk]

[Rank: C+ - 550]

[Don't let it catch you! Use your speed to bring it down]

The Umber-Hulk's head was a grotesque fusion of insect and beast, with multiple, multifaceted eyes glowing a sinister yellow. Its massive and sharp mandibles clicked ominously as it surveyed its surroundings with an unsettling intelligence.

'This thing is smart,' he pondered. 'The way it's looking at us is creepy.'

Atlas watched the creature's mandibles flex, revealing jagged teeth dripping with a viscous, greenish fluid. His heart pounded as he saw the Umber-Hulk. Its presence exuded a palpable menace, and the ground around it seemed to shiver in fear.

The beast's gaze locked onto him with an unsettling intensity, and the air thickened with tension. Atlas tightened his grip on his blades as the Dreadfiend Knight prepared to swing at the monster.

However, the Umber-Hulk acted first, forcing the knight to block rather than attack. When the creature struck his ally with full force, it obliterated the Dreadfiend Knight. Atlas watched as the knight's black armor shattered due to the impact of the blow.

'Oh shit, that attack must have been strong to obliterate the knight,' he thought.

When Atlas spotted this, he started casting Void Bullets and Void Blast at the new nightmare that had appeared. The azure projectiles sliced through the air before hitting the monster's chitin armor, causing several explosions that sent him flying down the tunnel before crashing into a wall with a thud.

He felt some of his bones break on contact, but his Regeneration kicked in as the Umber-Hulk rushed toward him with rage in its creepy yellow eyes. As the monster swiped at him, Atlas gulped but struggled to his feet.

Seeing the monster's fist heading straight toward him, Atlas cast Void Step to reappear behind his foe before he thrust his blades into the creature's back and cast Void Blast, which caused the Umber-Hulk to roar in pain.

He continued dodging the creature's wild attacks while attacking the soft flesh between the chitin plates. Blood started running from the wounds, causing him to grow confident as he rushed in one more time.

The Umber-Hulk was ready and swung its massive fist, striking Atlas and making him yelp in pain. It felt like a car had just hit him. He was propelled down the tunnel like a bullet before crashing down inside a large chamber.

As Atlas lay in pain, he knew the monster was heading his way, and the ground below him trembled with every one of its steps. He managed to get to his feet after doing a health potion that made him feel better.

He shook his head and saw the creature's fist hurtling toward him. He cast Void Guard, successfully blocking the attack but sending him skidding backward as the barrier shattered from the impact.

The Umber-Hulk was confused, but Atlas pointed his Nightblade at the monster and cast Void Bomb before running to find some cover. When the spell hit its target, an explosion occurred just as he saw a boulder to jump behind.

A shockwave rang out, causing Atlas's hiding place to tremble, but he was fine. Following that attack, he crawled out only to see the beautiful red monster core left behind, which made him smile.

Atlas stood up and approached the core before picking up and storing it away just as the ground shook again, 'More of them!'

He quickly leaned back as another Umber-Hulk's fist passed by his face within a few inches causing him to feel the wind through the slit in his helmet. Atlas quickly fired off a Void Bullet that exploded in the monster's chest, making it stumble back.

As Atlas continued to dodge the monsters' attacks, he discovered their weakness: targeting their unarmored ankles. Striking there caused the creatures to roar in pain each time he made contact.

'There we go, now I'll kill you easier.'

With a smile, he dashed forward and kept slicing at one of the Umber-Hulk's ankles, which brought it to its knees after a few minutes, allowing him to stab through the chitin plates at the neck before casting Void Blast that tore off its head.

Atlas felt a surge of experience flooding him when the second monster appeared and slapped him aside. He crossed his swords just before the impact but was still sent flying due to the blow.

He managed to right himself in mid-air and landed on both feet before casting two more Void Bombs, driving his blades into the ground below and casting Void Guard just before the spell hit the two monsters.

An explosion shook the chamber as it wiped out one of the monsters, allowing Atlas to rush in and finish off the survivor by driving both swords through its neck and splattering the ground below with its blood.

'Now you're both dead,' he thought with a tired smile.

Atlas was drenched in sweat and covered in bruises; he could barely stand due to exhaustion. While looking around, he spotted a boulder with a hole under it, which allowed him to hide.

'I need to rest, my body hurts.'

He crawled inside before pulling out his Enchanted Winter Cloak and wrapped it around himself to get comfortable, only to fall asleep seconds later as his body started to heal itself and mend all the cracked bones.

A couple of hours later, Atlas woke up feeling refreshed. He puzzled over what had happened before recalling that he was in a dungeon. He shook his head, sat up, and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

'I feel so much better after a nap, but I can't wait to sleep in a real bed,' Atlas pondered while shaking his head.

Minutes later, he was ready to continue but checked his status before leaving his hideaway.

[Level Up: 114→121]

[Experience: 1280/5000]

[Experience Gained: 35500]

[Health: 986→1010(200)]

[Mana: 4326→4426]

[Strength: 1034→1052(100)]

[Stamina: 1278→1310(250)]

[Charisma: 524→536]

[Intelligence: 798→820]

[Core Points: 7090→27340]

[Core Points Gained: 20250]

[Dimensional Storage: 2→3]

'Oh nice, I'm slowly getting stronger,' Atlas thought before continuing through the sixteenth floor where there fought another the Umber-Hulks.

He avoided all their attacks by focusing on dodging and attacking their weaknesses, bringing them down. The more Atlas fought with them, the easier it became for him to find the way, and by the time he reached the seventeenth floor, he had slaughtered ten of the monsters.

Atlas looted some of their chitinous armor and red Monster Cores. He continued through the next few floors and fought the creepy Cave Weavers, Spiders, Landsharks, and Cave Fishers, which were quickly dealt with.

Many monsters fell to his blade and magic, and when reaching the staircase to the twenty-third floor, he thought, 'The previous floors had creatures I already fought. When will some new ones appear?' Your next read is at m v|l-e'-NovelBin.net

Following that thought, Atlas entered the next floor only to realize he was in another enormous tunnel. He looked around but couldn't see or sense anything, causing him to think, 'This is creepy; I know the monsters will appear soon.'

Atlas started walking down the tunnel, and twenty minutes later, he felt a slight rumble coming from the ground below, which put him on edge as he readied his blades. Seconds later, a boulder flew out of the darkness, forcing him to jump to the side as it crashed into the spot he was just in.

The large rock exploded, causing Atlas to keep his head down. Then, he glanced at the culprit and saw a massive monster staring at him with hate in its black eyes. Atlas yelped when he saw this creature before jumping up and slowly backing off while scanning it.

[Cave Troll]

[Rank: C - 500 Exp]

[Either run or fight, but don't stop moving]

'A damn troll! I swear the God of Luck is laughing at me,' Atlas thought while preparing to fight.

The monster stood taller than the Umber-Hulks, with sickly grey skin and rippling muscles underneath. Atlas didn't know how to fight such a beast but decided to try using his magic and swords.

When the Cave Troll noticed his determination to fight, it roared angrily before swinging a massive wooden club as it charged toward him. Atlas ducked under the weapons and launched himself forward.

He dodged another attack while casting Void Barrage at the monster, peppering it with azure projectiles that exploded. Atlas then used Void Step to reappear behind the troll as he slashed its ankles.

In a furious flurry, the troll swung its massive arms backward, but Atlas evaded each blow as he battered the beast to its knees with a thunderous crash. Seizing the moment, he leaped onto its back and drove his blade through its skull, ending the battle with a decisive blow.

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