Level Up: Voidwalker

Zena placed Atlas gently on the ground before returning to her human form and started fussing over him. ''Are you okay? Sorry I couldn't get to you in time,'' she asked in a worried voice.

He was dizzy and the pain nearly knocked him out again as his wounds slowly healed, causing him to grit his teeth. ''I'm fine, just need to rest,'' he muttered.

When Zena heard this, she scanned their surroundings before spotting something and turned to him with a concerned expression while revealing. ''Theres a Snow Bear cave over there. I'll go kill the monster and we can stay there.''

''Okay, be careful,'' Atlas commented while sitting up and rubbing his head.

She gave a confident nod before vanishing into the dark opening without another word, which made him smile. Minutes passed in tense silence, broken only by the distant sounds of a chaotic struggle to echo from within.

Atlas's curiosity was caught as a massive bear came hurtling out of the opening, its heavy body crashing to the ground with a thunderous impact. Hot on its heels, a fierce white wolf emerged with a menacing growl.

Zena moved with shocking speed, each step oozing raw power as it closed in on her prey. He couldn't look away as the scene captivating him before trying to stand up. He gritted his teeth just as she snapped its neck and throwing the body into the cave before coming to help him.

Zena leaned up against his body, allowing him to lean on her. A snowstorm suddenly started just as they entered their hideout, prompting Atlas to look back at the snow-covered world as he muttered, ''Damn winter, its needs to end already.''

The two of them stumbled deeper until coming to a warmer part of the cave. Zena sorted out the place before returning to her human form as she looked at him with a concerned expression. ''Are you okay, Atlas?''

''Yes,'' he said, while slumping down against the nearby wall. ''I just need some rest so my body could heal itself.''

Following that, the dark-haired beauty looked around and sighed. ''I'm going to get some firewood as it's going to get extremely cold tonight. Stay here, handsome,'' she said with a small smile as her cheeks went red.

Atlas nodded before activating the Void Realm skill to clear out some monsters while waiting for Zena to return. Seconds later, he appeared in the jungle just as loud chittering echoed out through the trees.

He readied himself by casting Void Infusion on his blades when the giant ants rushed out of the underbrush. Atlas dodged the monsters, snapping mandibles before driving his blades through its head.

Following that, he quickly cast Void Wave to knock the other Kraxari's back just as the Bloodwings appeared. The flying insect creatures tried to pierce him with their stingers, but he sidestepped it.

Atlas countered with a Void Lance that destroyed the beast's body. While doing that, he cast Void Guard to block a few lunging ants, causing them to crash into the protective barrier with a heavy thud.

Just after that happened, he quickly checked the monster total before entering to see how many he killed in his last

[Void Broodmaw - 10,000/10,000]

[Void Kraxari - 52,231/1,000,000]

[Void Bloodwing - 10,101/2,000,000]

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'Impressive, but I need to clear the levels quicker the further south we travel,' he pondered while checking the current tally.

[Void Broodmaw - 10,000/10,000]

[Void Kraxari - 53,131/1,000,000]

[Void Bloodwing - 10,911/2,000,000]

[??????????????]

Atlas felt a surge of amusement as he looked over the carnage scattered around him. Yet, his thirst for battle hadn't subsided, it was only growing to new heights. With a smirk, he turned back to the oncoming horde of monsters. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire

'Now let's kill more to get the tally down,' he mused with an excited smile.

Hours passed in a blur of chaos and destruction. Atlas fought tirelessly, his blades carving through the monsters with ease. Bolts of magic erupted from his hands, igniting the battlefield in explosions.

The ground trembled beneath him as Kraxari and Bloodwings fell in the dozens, their screeches drowned by the roar of his power. Atlas moved like a storm, an unstoppable force amidst the chaos, his every swing and spell leaving devastation in his wake.

Before long, fatigue washed over his body, and he decided it was time to leave the Void Realm. His eyes opened as his eyes opened to the real world, an unexpected sight, Zena, dragging an entire tree behind her with surprising ease.

The sight caught him off guard, and he couldn't help but let out a chuckle, as it was amusing because she was strong. His laughing drew her attention, and she turned to face him, her ears twitching slightly.

''We're going to need warmth,'' Zena explained while gestured toward the tree. Her black hair whipped around her face as the wind howled outside. ''The storm's getting worse and the forest is being buried by the snow.''

Atlas smiled, impressed by her insight. ''Good call,'' he said.

Following that, Zena transformed into her wolf form and left the cave to go get more wood as he got to his feet. He stumbled toward the tree and took out his two swords before using his swords to cut pieces off it.

After stacking it into a neat pile once he cut it up, Atlas tossed several logs onto the fire, causing the flames roared to life, crackling hungrily as they devoured the wood. Slowly, the warmth spread, pushing back the biting chill that had seeped into the cave.

Satisfied with his work, he stretched while enjoying the heat. Just as he relaxed, the sound of dragging caught his attention. Turning toward the entrance, the sight of Zena greeted him, appearing once again, this time with another entire tree.

He raised an eyebrow, a mix of amusement and astonishment crossing his face. ''Another one?'' he asked, unable to suppress a chuckle.

Zena shrugged as she dropped the massive trunk next to the pile. ''The storm's not stopping and only getting worse,'' she replied matter-of-factly, brushing a stray strand of dark hair from her face. ''Better to be over-prepared than freezing later.''

Following that, Atlas started cutting up more of the wood before she continued bringing in more downed trees. An hour later, they had a massive pile of fuel that would keep them warm.

The wolf woman slumped down while letting out heavy breaths. He looked at her before taking out some dumpling that he had left over. Zena looked confused, but took the food and ate.

''Thank you,'' she spoke with a smile.

As they sat by the roaring fire, the dark-haired beauty suddenly leapt to her feet a while later, full of energy, which surprised him. She started stretching, causing her back to crack, causing the wolf woman to smile.

''I'm going to hunt for something for us to eat,'' she announced, her voice tinged with excitement. ''I could go for some monster meat. There's some Forest Elk roaming outside as I caught their scent.''

Atlas smiled, leaning back against the cave wall as he watched her. ''Just be careful out there, Zena,'' he warned. ''The Dark Ones are bound to be lurking outside like they usually are. I hate those things.''

Her yellow eyes sparkled with a mix of determination, excitement and joy as she turned to him, her grin revealing her sharp teeth. ''Don't worry. They should be afraid of me. I'll destroy them with ease,'' she quipped confidently.

Without another word, Zena strode to the cave entrance. As the wind howled around her, she tilted her head back and let out a fierce, resonant howl that echoed across the snow-covered landscape.

Moments later, she shifted into her wolf form as she took off across the snowy forest in search of prey. Atlas turned his attention back to the fire, watching the flames dance and flicker.

The light pushed back the encroaching shadows, creating a small haven amidst the storm. As he reached into his Item Box and pulled out more food to eat, a sudden jolt of pain coursed through his body.

He winced, but the sensation quickly faded, replaced by a warmth spreading through his entire body. A knowing smile tugged at his lips. It was another sign that his strength was returning.

After that, Atlas leaned back against the cave wall, letting himself relax while stoking the fire to keep its warmth alive. The hours passed with crackling flames and the distant howl of the storm, his only companions.

Eventually, the sound of crunching snow reached his ears, and he sat up, instantly alert. Emerging from the storm was Zena, back in her humanoid form, dragging a massive elk-like monster behind her.

''This will last us a while, Atlas,'' she said with a big smile.

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