Shaking his head, Atlas brought up the orange one, which he could see even in the darkness, thanks to the stars above. After examining them, he put the 8 cores back into his pocket before checking his status.
[Experience: 700/1000]
[Experience Gained: 400]
[Health: 70→72]
[Mana: 550→554]
[Stamina: 70→72]
[Intelligence: 70→72]
[Core Points: 500→850]
As he did that, the pain in his left arm worsened, causing him to look at it. He noticed the torn-up skin and jagged tears, making him feel sick when seeing it, but he held onto his bile that tried to force its way out.
Atlas quickly checked his Health.
[Health: 47/72]
'Oh shit, I need some of that stuff the man gave me,' Atlas mused to himself before yawning. He decided to find somewhere safe to sleep before going to Wildwood City to get off this island.
After resting, Atlas got up and continued walking southwest, gripping the Battle Staff in his right hand. His left arm was hurting, and he had it cradled against his chest as it throbbed in pain due to the wolf bite.
Atlas checked his Health to see if it was increasing.
[Health: 44/72]
When seeing this, Atlas ripped a piece of his ruined shirt and tied it around the wound, slowing the bleeding so he could reach Wildwood Port, where he could get it treated by the people there.
While trekking onward, a skill Atlas hadn't yet examined came to mind. With no immediate threat of monsters, he read the information about it.
[Void Realm: A realm home to an uncountable number of monsters, accessible solely to the Voidwalker and their chosen]
Atlas's curiosity grew, so he selected it again to bring up more information about the skill.
[Comprising over 300 levels to conquer. You must defeat each level boss to gain control over that part of the Void Army. These creatures are entirely under your command and can be summoned instantly at the expense of 400 mana per portal]
[Can enter level 1 when reaching the Apprentice Rank and start on the path of the Voidwalker]
When Atlas read that, he grew excited but knew it must be dangerous in this realm. He decided to ask Luxia about it the next time they spoke. Afterward, he soon found a small hiding spot under the roots of a large tree.
Just as he was about to climb in, a rustle from behind caused him to swing around, hand outstretched, but he saw nothing. Looking around, Atlas remained cautious as he rested, preparing to cast Void Guard immediately.
He burrowed deep under the tree, curling up and cradling his arm, which had stopped bleeding thanks to the homemade tourniquet. Soon, he drifted off to sleep as the wind picked up and a storm brewed above the forest.
Atlas's snug hiding place shielded him from the monsters that emerged at night, far stronger than those roaming during the day. Hours passed as the storm battered the forest, and he was comfortably sleeping, shielded by the tree above him.
The following day, Atlas stirred to the cheerful chirping of birds and the resonant bellow of an elephant-like creature. Sitting up amidst the roots, he instinctively examined his arm, relieved that it showed signs of healing.
With a sense of optimism, he then checked his Health.
[Health: 60/72]
'At least I'm slowly healing,' Atlas thought. 'Now, let's get to Wildwood, then the mainland so I can start my adventure.'
After that, he climbed out of the roots and started walking. Atlas's journey to the city took three more days. Luckily, he only encountered five more wolves he managed to kill before they injured him anymore.
When Atlas noticed the trees had started to thin out, he realized that his arm had fully healed on the second day, thanks to mana. However, mangled scars were left behind, which annoyed him. Once he checked on his arm, he turned his attention toward the city in the distance.
What he saw shocked him: Black smoke billowed beyond the walls, and no one was on guard. Now that Atlas knew the city had been attacked, he slowly approached and examined the surrounding landscape.
While crossing the field, he was drawn to a group of humanoid monsters emitting ear-piercing, hate-filled shrieks. Standing there, Atlas spotted the new creatures. They reminded him of Ghouls from the video games back on Earth, with sickly gray skin and twisted human features.
After spotting them, he quickly scanned the monsters to evaluate their strength and rank.
[Howling Ghoul]
[Rank: F]
'Damn,' he thought to himself as he spotted the five Ghouls heading in his direction.
Atlas raised his hand and cast ten Void Bullets before willing them toward each of the creatures. The azure projectiles soared through the air, connecting with their heads while using his imagination to guide them.
The Ghouls all dropped dead as the spells pierced their heads, causing an explosion that tore them apart from the inside out. Their deaths allowed a flow of experience to pour into his body, and he soon heard a click that indicated that he had leveled up.
Still, he couldn't check now as even more creatures appeared from the city gate. There were six this time, and the group started rushing in his direction, so Atlas used six Void Arrows like homing missiles.
He sent them soaring into the Ghouls and soon connected with all six, but only four dropped to the ground, leaving only two alive. As the survivors continued their charge, Atlas was taken aback and quickly scanned them to see what was different.
[Feral Ghoul]
[Rank: E]
[Feral Ghoul]
[Rank: E]
'Oh, they're Rank E,' Atlas thought as they came into range of his spells.
He wasted no time, unleashing a barrage of ten Void Arrows that streaked through the air, finding their mark on the creature's bodies. Yet, to his dismay, they dodged the spells with minimal damage, closing in swiftly.
Atlas let out a startled yelp as one of the creatures swiped at him with sharp claws, but he quickly stumbled backward before striking out with his Battle Staff and connecting with the Ghoul's head, causing it to snap backward.
When that happened, the second creature tackled him to the ground, forcing him to hold off the thing's jaws as he reached for the dagger and quickly sunk it into the monster's temple, causing it to drop dead.
The Ghoul went limp, forcing Atlas to push it off himself as he remembered the first creature and aimed his hand at it while casting a Void Arrow that pierced the creepy humanoid head and sliced through the air.
It crashed to the ground with a thud, leaving Atlas letting out heavy breaths as he got to his feet and brushed the dirt off him before approaching the corpse with his dagger in hand and saw an orange glow just under the Ghoul's chest.
This caught Atlas's attention, causing him to crouch down and cut into the creature, making himself heave as he removed the orange core. This Monster Core was bigger than the white and black ones he collected.
After studying the cores for a second, he returned to harvesting even more and came away with 11 in total: 9 white and 2 orange. These were the only ones he could store as he ran out of room in his pockets.
With a shrug, Atlas approached the ruined city and wondered what he would find inside. As he got closer, a metallic tang hit his nose, which puzzled him. He quickly noticed the pools of blood that littered outside the gate.
Atlas readied his staff and ensured his dagger was tucked into his pants while entering the city's gate. As he stepped across the threshold, what he saw shocked him, causing him to throw up at the scene.
Bodies were lying all over the entrance; some were strewn on the stairs that led to the top of the wall, while others lay in the street. Atlas gazed around while steeling himself as he spotted strange-looking blue-skinned humanoid monsters.
When he got close, he recognized it as a goblin, which caused him to think, 'Aren't they usually green? Why are they blue?'
Atlas shrugged, as he wouldn't figure anything out by glancing at all the dead bodies. He noticed the bags hanging off some human remains, igniting his inner loot goblin while approaching them.
'I feel sorry for them, but as Luxia said, death is common in Valoria, and the loot will only go to waste. Whoever comes here next will take it,' Atlas thought while approaching the first corpse after getting over his guilt.
The man looked like a soldier, wearing armor crafted from leather and a strange metal that shimmered in the morning sun. The helmet covered his face except for his eyes. He chose to ignore the face behind it as he grabbed the pouch and pulled it off the corpse's belt.
After looting the first body, Atlas checked inside and found 23 copper and 5 silver coins, which excited him as he stored them in his pocket. He proceeded to search the other bodies, using his dagger to cut off their pouches.
Having finished looting, Atlas ventured into the nearby guard tower connected to the gate he entered through and soon discovered a spacious room with a table at its center with beds along the walls.
Despite the allure of the soft-looking beds, he resisted their temptation and laid out the twenty-seven coin pouches on the table. Surveying his newfound collection, Atlas wanted to find a larger bag to hold it all, as it would be more accessible during his journey.