Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas noticed several tunnels stretching in two directions, which caused him to grow annoyed. However, he also saw dozens of ants charging in his direction. He waved his hand without wasting time while casting dozens of Void Arrows.

The azure projectiles sliced through the air before peppering dozens of monsters, causing them to collapse dead. Atlas chuckled at this, ''Thanks for showing me the way,'' he muttered.

He started walking down the tunnel in his Voidwalker form, tearing apart more creatures until they stopped appearing. Soon, Atlas came across a large chamber where several bigger ants lunged at him.

'No you don't,'

Atlas thought with a chuckle as he cast Void Blast at one of them while dodging the other by leaning back as it passed him by inches.

A battle erupted as the queen's defenders launched their attack, forcing Atlas to use Void Guard to defend himself. Ants bounced off the azure shield before being hit with Void Blast, which sent some monsters crashing into the walls.

Following that, he continued spamming magic until the ants stopped coming and the queen came into view. She was three times the size of the regular ones, which caused him to be ready for a fight.

Atlas was about to dash forward, but a woman's voice echoed in his mind,

'Why are you attacking us? Our fight is with the Yeti's.'

He waved it away before replying, ''They belong to me now; I've offered them a home to live in, and the only thing I ask for in return is to fight for me when the time comes.''

When the Snowvein Ant Queen heard this, her mandibles snapped closed as she replied,

'Is there food and safety?'

Atlas nodded, ''Yes, you may have to fight other monsters, but that helps you grow stronger.''

'Okay, it's becoming hell on this mountain since the food ran out,'

the queen revealed.

'My children can barely eat.'

He smiled before replying, ''There are billions of monsters roaming the Otherworld. You're free to fight any, but don't attack the Scalebreaker babies.''

The monster agreed before she started letting out a loud chittering noise that bounced off the walls. She looked at him with her icy blue eyes; Atlas noticed she was a dark blue color and reminded him of a Bullet Ant back on Earth.

'These creatures will come in handy,'

he mused with a greedy smile.

'Could attack the Acheamendians mountain fortresses.'

Then, Atlas opened a portal to the Otherworld while speaking, ''I need to use a skill on you before entering your new home.''

The queen's eyes narrowed, but she nodded, allowing him to cast Voidbound on the Snowvein Ant Queen. An azure blue washed off her body before seeping in, causing the monster to make a strange noise.

This caused the other ants to react, but the queen stopped them and exhaustedly said,

'What did you do? You've boosted my strength tenfold,

and

now my children will be much stronger.'

Atlas smiled as he explained, ''You're now a Void Snowvein Ant. I've given you a gift to help your new colony thrive, but I want to see some new types.''

The queen made another chittering noise before stepping through, followed by her children, who formed one extensive line. Atlas chuckled when he heard this while sitting down and watching the possession of monsters march into his realm.

It took the Snowveil Ants a few hours to empty their failing colony. Once inside, Atlas took out a few dumplings, entered the Otherworld, and quickly noticed the ants fighting with a group of mantis monsters.

He rolled his eyes before scanning the newcomer.

[Bloodtree Mantis]

[Rank: A - 1000 Exp]

[You've finally met the tweaker-like monsters who jump on their prey from the trees]

Atlas chuckled when reading the advice. He let out a loud whistle, ''Stop fucking fighting already, let the damn ants move in, then continue,'' he said.

The Bloodtree Mantis scuttled back into the trees, which made Atlas shiver at the way they moved. He thought,

'They're freaky; I swear those Monster Hunters bring back some strange creatures.'n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Following that, the monster scattered as the Snowveil Ants started digging into the base of a mountain. The queen asked in a respectful tone,

'Can we claim under the mountain, Master?'

''Go for it, but those pesky Bloodtree bastards will keep attacking,'' he answered while looking at the trees.

'These things creepy me out, I swear I will go slap them in a minute.'

The ants began burrowing into the mountainside, their sheer numbers allowing them to carve out a primary tunnel within half an hour. Atlas watched as waves of the creatures poured into the passage.

'Interesting; I will make sure they eat more and see how they grow,'

he mused while looking at the larger ants standing guard at the entrance, their mandibles poised and ready.

Atlas left the Otherworld while traveling across the mountaintops looking for the last monster he wanted to capture, a small Trex-looking thing that the traders called Cold Jaws due to their white hide.

'Now it's time to find my new monsters,'

he mused before trekking through the mountains.

After a few hours of searching, he found them in a secluded valley with a river winding through it. The unexpected beauty of the scene took Atlas by surprise. He was crouched on an outcrop, his eyes narrowing as he spotted movement in the distance.

A pack of Cold Jaws prowled along the snow-covered grassland. He quickly noticed the creature's snow-white hides blended seamlessly with its surroundings. The jaws' eyes glinted as they moved in unison, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth with each snarl and snap.

'They look strong; I'm sure I can use them against the empire,'

he pondered with an excited glint in his eyes.

One of them paused, its nostrils flaring as if it sensed something amiss, but Atlas took this time to attack. He used Void Step to travel across the grasslands before arriving under the monster and attacking with a Void Smash.

His fist sent a shockwave ringing out as the Cold Jaw tumbled across the ground and took out even more. The rest let out rage-filled roars, but Atlas was ready and started beating them up using Void Smash and Punch, sending them flying everywhere.

By the time they were all dazed, Atlas was standing on the leader's body with glowing azure eyes as he spoke, ''You will fight for me, or I will kill all of you here. I'll make you stronger, but agree to it.''

The creature's icy blue eyes met his and nodded its giant head, allowing Atlas to cast Voidbound on the Cold Jaw and claim all of them before opening a portal to another part of the Otherworld.

An azure glow washed over them, causing all the monsters to let out growls, but it soon died down as they felt much better than usual. The place the portal took them lay far from the Scalebreakers and other deadly creatures.

The dinosaur leader took in the unfamiliar landscape before gazing at him. Calmly, Atlas explained, ''This is a realm where you can grow stronger and be free from hunger.''

When the monster heard this, an excited male voice echoed in his head,

'This place looks perfect for us, Master. Thank you for this gift.'

Atlas stared at the Cold jaw leader before nodding and replied with a smile, ''Find a place to call your own. I will visit in a few days.''

Following that, he stepped back into the real world and summoned Theo, who appeared with a screech as Atlas jumped on his back, saying, ''Head south; the girls will be set up by now.''

Theo chirped in response before taking off and flying across the stormy mountains while ducking and diving out of the way of the dark clouds. Atlas was perched on Theo's back, feeling the powerful beats of his wings as they cut through the cool night air.

The dark mountains below stretched like giants, their jagged peaks barely visible in the starlight. The wind whipped past, carrying the scent of damp earth. After some time, the rugged terrain softened into rolling hills, where a soft glow marked the girls' campsite.

As they descended, Atlas could see the flicker of firelight and the faint, familiar shapes gathered around it, waiting. Soon enough, Theo landed in a crash, which caused Amethyst to yelp in fright.

Grishna and Artemis started giggling while Nulia was sitting by the fire, brushing her hair. Estelle jumped up and exclaimed, ''You little fucker! Stop making us jump like that.''

Atlas started laughing at the blonde and blew her a kiss, which made her cheeks go red. Then he announced, ''I got the three monsters I set out for.''

''Was the Cold Jaws a problem?'' Grishna questioned.

He shook his head, ''No, I beat them up for a bit, but then the leader submitted fast,''

The women laughed as he joined them once Theo returned to the Otherworld.

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