Level Up: Voidwalker

'Very well, youngling. We shall fight, and I hope you do defeat me so that I may aid you in the unfortunate situation you find yourself in,' the Void Raptor King said.

Atlas readied his blades as the armor fixed the remaining damage just as he stepped forward. His armor covered all the weak spots but allowed him to move quickly to dodge any incoming attacks.

'Hopefully, I can defeat this monster and move onto level two,' he thought.

Following that, a horn rang out, announcing the beginning of the fight as the Raptor King charged forward, getting ready to swipe at him, but Atlas was ready and cast several Void Bullets that hit the ground in front of the monster.

When Atlas saw this, his nerves grew, 'Oh god, this is going to be difficult.'

The spells exploded, causing chaos all over the arena, throwing the creatures off course and allowing Atlas to duck under its claws. After that, he unleashed a Void Blast at the Raptor King's chest, causing it to roar in pain.

When it was distracting, he cast Void Step and materialized on the creature's back. He intended to drive his blade toward the Raptor King's skull, but the beast suddenly bucked his aim, causing his strike to graze its tough hide.

The creature then threw him off its back and managed to strike him with its tail, but Atlas threw up Void Guard and took the brunt of the impact. He was still sent flying before crashing across the arena's ground.

Atlas stopped when he hit the arena's wall; his head spun, but he looked up only to see the Raptor King's foot closing on him. He quickly cast Void Step again and vanished as a dust cloud erupted when it swung its massive claws, causing the monster to become momentarily blind.

When he reappeared on the other side of the arena, Atlas quickly got to his feet. The monster turned to face him, its azure blue eyes gleaming excitedly. 'Little one, you are amusing, but you cannot run forever. Death is right behind you, and I will deliver it,' the monster spoke in his mind before it charged at him.

Atlas unleashed a dozen Void Blasts and Bullets. The King Raptor barreled through the attacks, but that's when he noticed injuries beginning to cover its body. He continued to fling spells at the monster, but it never slowed it down.

The battle continued for an hour, with Atlas dodging around the arena while the creature relentlessly attacked with its claws and tail. Growing more confident, he Void Stepped onto the monster's head and cast a Void Blast directly into its skull.

The Raptor King proved more cunning than anticipated, swiftly dropping its head to dislodge Atlas, who tumbled off its back. It snapped its jaws shut, swallowing him whole. That's when the monster's voice echoed as darkness enveloped him, "Perhaps next time, little one."

Then Atlas just woke up as his abductors dropped his dinner in front of the cage. While looking at it, Tristan spoke up hopefully, ''Boy, can I have that food, please?''

He spun on the man and spoke, ''My name is Azhar'Zul, not boy. But yes, you can have it.''

After speaking, Atlas pushed the bowl over Tristan's cage as the man thanked him, ''It's nice to meet you, Azhar'Zul, and thanks for the food.''

Atlas nodded before pulling out some chocolate and one of the books that the girl got for him. He wanted to read one about the Zarandar Continent and saw hundreds of stories that caught his attention.

He recalled their destination: Titan Crest, once a part of the Wildheart Kingdom, now under the rule of the Achaemenid Empire. Rumors hinted at tales surrounding the mountains on the island's western part.

Following that, he skimmed through the book while eating some chocolate until he found a particular story about a scream that echoed through the Titan Forest and frightened the locals, with some going missing.

'Banshee maybe?' Atlas mused. 'Maybe its some kind of monster hunting?'

An eyewitness account describes a group of three hunters spotting a monster roaming through the forest before they were attacked by it. Only one survivor made it to Crestpoint Town on the southern part of the island.

The story caught Atlas's attention. 'Why are there monsters everywhere in the world? First, it's blue goblins, then sea monsters,' he complained internally.

The survivor said it was tall, hairy, and looked like a human, which made Atlas rant even more, ''First a Yeti and now a Bigfoot? What's next, the Loch Ness Monster or gnomes?''

Atlas pondered as he contemplated the journey to the Zarandar Continent beyond the Dragon's Deep Strait, separating the island from the mainland. Thoughts raced through his mind, 'Could this strait be my escape from the island? I have Aqua Lung, but how long does it allow me to breathe underwater?'

He pulled up the skill and started reading through the information.

[Aqua Lung: Allows used to breathe underwater for ten minutes - Time increases as the skill is leveled up]

Following that, he read about local legends, consisting of man-eating trolls roaming the Titan's Fist Forest on a peninsula leading to the mainland. There was Tajariyah, a city built on the side of a mountain.

'What the hell? How is a city built there?' Atlas thought before turning to Tristan, who was now trying to sleep.

''Prince, what is this Tajariyah City? Why is it on the side of a mountain?'' he questioned.

Tristan commented on the city, saying it used to be free, but the Immortals conquered it a few generations ago. The founders carved out a mountain to build inside it, and they sustained themselves by growing food using planters.

The city is renowned for its dungeon, rated as level two. It attracts thousands of adventurers every week, arriving by ship from all corners of the world. Then, Atlas questioned the Graecorian Prince, who bargained for the information; he gave the man chocolate and bread, which got him talking.

Tristan told him that Zarander's northern coast was full of pirates, bandits, and mercenaries who worked for the Achadmenidian army. Atlas told the prince that he needed to get north, but Tristan advised against it due to the higher-ranked scum roaming that region.

This didn't deter him, and when he voiced this, his new friend waved him away. ''If you come to the Graecoria Empire, I'm sure Mother and my aunt Gorgo would be able to smuggle you to the Wildheart Kingdom,'' Tristan suggested.

He looked at the man and said, ''I'll think about it as your homeland is on Aridonia, and I need to make it to Astoria, but I guess you want me to help you get out of here?''

''Yes, Azhar'Zul, but I have no doubt Mother is organizing something now,'' Tristan said. ''I activated my Life Token, and a few of my guards escaped the slaughter when the Nightowls bundled me back onto their ship.''

Atlas looked at the disheveled prince before nodding, ''If I can help, I will.''

Tristan smiled as he started questioning Atlas about his life, but there wasn't much to tell as the old memories were fractured and broken. All he knew was his adoptive family was from the Thalassia Empire, and they found him when he was a baby.

Following that, Atlas continued reading through the different legends and myths of Zarander, only to find creepy stories and haunting tales. Once he finished the book, he put it back into storage while pulling out a Dragon Meat Feast.

He began to eat, prompting Tristan to glance at him with pleading eyes; this caused Atlas to chuckle. He then tossed a piece of food to Tristan, drawing the attention of the other prisoners.

With a sigh, he decided to share the meal with them. Afterward, Atlas sat down and got comfortable as the journey continued for another week. During this time, he tried to fight the Void Raptor King, but the monster always managed to beat him.

Tristan was waffling on about his fiance who lives on Demacia and how beautiful she was, which caused Atlas to ask where she was, only to find out that the guards that were spared the ambush managed to protect her and would have been taken to the empire.

While the two were talking, a horn rang out, causing the other prisoners to panic. This confused Atlas, but soon, the sounds of seagulls could be heard, making him realize, 'Land is nearby; let's see where they take me.'

Then, Atlas put away the book he was reading just as the Nightowls appeared with their creepy white marks and black bodysuits. They approached his cage while holding a chain and shackles.

He looked at the Nightowl, who started to open the cage, and noticed her figure was womanly, causing him to speak, ''Why do you think I'm this Dahaka?''

Atlas was dragged out by two of the assassins before the one he assumed was a woman slapped the shackles on him; a feminine voice answered, ''You're the bringer of chaos and blood. It is foretold by the elders that you will cover the empire in the blood of innocents.''

'So they believe I'm so sort of demon king?' Atlas mused.

''Do you think I'm a Demon King? It sounds like it,'' he questioned.

The female Nightowl pushed him forward as the others parted ways, ''You're the much worse devil,'' she said.

Atlas chuckled, but that's when he heard Tristan's voice ring out, ''Azhar'Zul! We will meet again. Thanks for all the help.''