Prized Objects

Atlas screamed as the pain spread throughout his body. He wondered who had attacked him, only to see the monsters responsible. Twenty light blue Goblins dressed in monster skins rushed out of the nearby bushes.

[Health: 70/80]

He grimaced whenever touching the arrow lodged in his shoulder but still managed to scan the creatures.

[Snow Goblins]

[Rank: F]

That's when Atlas decided to deal with the new threat by rushing at the closest Goblin while taking out his dagger and casting a Void Bullet into its face, causing the other creatures to scramble.

More arrows and small spears were aimed at him, but Atlas quickly cast Void Guard, blocking the attacks as a blue shield appeared. Just after that, he rushed out, casting more Void Bullets and slashing at the creatures.

His dagger tore through one Goblin's neck while his bullets peppered the others, causing small explosions to light up the pass they were in. Atlas was too slow as a spear pierced his back, causing him to yelp in pain.

[Health: 45/80]

'Oh no,' Atlas thought. 'Can't take too many hits.'

He quickly turned around and fired a Void Bullet at the Goblin that stabbed him. The clumsy fight continued for a while, with Atlas jumping around like a rabbit while luckily dodging most attacks, but some still made it through.

[Health: 25/80]

Atlas continued shooting Void Bullets at the monsters but also started blocking the Goblin's rusty swords using his dagger. He killed all but five who began to circle him while holding spears, knives, and swords.

He was breathing heavily as the battle took its toll on his small body, but Atlas knew this would strengthen him in the long run, so he continued studying the Goblins. 'If I attack one, the others will go for me, but if I can knock them back using Void Guard, I can get the upper hand,' he mused while gripping his dagger tighter.

Atlas was staring at the creatures circling him just as they launched their attack, but he cast Void Guard, causing the shield to throw them backward, allowing him to begin his counterattack.

With his dagger, Atlas rushed forward and swiped at the shocked Goblins while casting three Void Arrows that slammed into the remaining creatures, causing them to fly back with a thud as the force overwhelmed them.

Once the fight was over, he dropped to the ground in pain while checking his Health to see how much he had left.

[Health: 9/80]

Atlas's heart raced with panic as he fumbled for a High Health Potion, hastily bringing it to his lips and forcing himself to swallow despite the disgusting taste. He grimaced but soon felt the wounds on his body begin to close, and his Health gradually rose.

He remained sprawled on the frigid ground of Deadwood Pass, his form smeared with blood and had several arrows embedded in his flesh. Atlas looked at them before figuring out how to pull them out so the potion could fully heal the wounds.

With several tugs, he pulled them out while screaming in pain as the arrowheads sliced his skin from the inside before they were out.

Afterward, he rechecked his Health.

[Health: 65/80]

When seeing that, Atlas pulled out a Minor Health Potion before consuming it. He started to feel better after an hour and finally stood up while stretching his body. Once feeling better, he started walking toward the Goblins and cutting out the Monster Cores.

Atlas managed to loot 17 white and 3 orange cores, which he stored in his space bag before checking his status.

[Level Up: 5→7]

[Experience: 300/1000]

[Experience Gained: 2000]

[Health: 80→84]

[Mana: 580→590]

[Strength: 80→84]

[Stamina: 81→85]

[Intelligence: 78→80]

[Core Points: 3350→5350]

[Core Point Gained: 2000]

[Void Bullet: 0→1]

'Three more levels until I get access to the Mana Core benefits,' Atlas thought while looking at his status.

After that, he checked his mana to see how much he used.

[Mana: 340/580]

'I didn't use that much and I have mana potions to use in case,' he mused while traveling through the Wailing Woods until the sun started to set.

In search of a resting spot, he eyed the branches overhead and swiftly ascended, seeking shelter. With his clothes in tatters, he quickly changed into something more comfortable, then into his space bag and reached for his book, "The History of Valoria," eager to learn about the world.

Atlas started reading while conjuring a Void Bullet, allowing it to hover in the air and providing some light as he read. Within its pages, he learned about the dominant power in his region of Valoria—the formidable Achaemenid Empire.

This vast realm ruled the whole Zarandar Continent and the northeast of the Aridonia but was pushed back by the Nubian and Graecoria Empires. They weren't beaten, but the war ended in a peace treaty between the three powers, thanks to one key factor: the army of 600 Nova Mages that served the empire.

The Achaemenidians, known as the Southmen, lived across the Sands Of Sorrow, a massive desert that separated the Astoria Continent from Zarandar. The author's descriptions of the people and customs reminded Atlas of the Persians back on Earth.

Next in line was the formidable Dark Elf Thalassia Empire, which resembled the Greeks. They boosted fielding 200 Nova Mages, which put them second to the Achaemenidians, positioned north of the Sands Of Sorrow and west of the eastern realms of the Orientia Continent.

The book said the Deeproot Jungle and Deathbloom Grove blocked any advance from the west. It depicted the great Golden Lotus Empire viciously clashing with the Nightshade Kingdom, which hid in a vast mountain range that none of the region's powers couldn't breach.

Their allies, the Akkadian and Atlantisian Empires, joined them in attacking the mountain kingdom. They all hated the killers who had slain their generals and commanders before any attack to prevent a war, which it always succeeded in doing.

Losing twenty high-ranking generals, nobles, and influential figures would dent an empire's strength. During one war, several high-ranked Nova Mages went missing in the Nightshade Mountains due to the assassin Demi-God that prowled in the darkness.

Upon his research, Atlas uncovered that the Thalassians' primary rivals were the High Elves of the Aethyrian Empire, who resembled Romans. Although smaller than Thalassia, the Aethyrians boasted equal strength, owing to its formidable magic and the presence of 140 Nova Mages.

Thanks to their magical knowledge and love for exploration, the Aethyrians established several colonies worldwide. They also built alliances with the nations surrounding the Thalassians, keeping them on the defensive since the last war.

Atlas realized that the Thalassians were strong and growing stronger yearly. They would soon outmatch the Aethyrians and their allies. The author mentioned rumors that the Dark Elf emperor wanted to conquer Astoria to compete with the Achaemenidians.

The next thing to note was the Demacia continent to the west, where war was endless, and kingdoms rose one year only to fall the next. Atlas wanted to visit such a place because it would be good to level up.

After that, he read about the Trade Federations that held considerable power in Valoria. He discovered four prominent ones, including the Azure Tade Federation, which specialized in building ships.

The Greenskin Confederation built Mana Airships, which carried people across Astoria and other continents. Then, the Morozov Trading Federation built Mana Trains, which the world used to traverse vast distances.

Finally, the Khemarath League in the Far East produces some of the best mercenaries on all three continents. Many rulers and powerful people hire them for wars or expeditions. They seek their unmatched prowess in battle by bidding for available Khemarathians in an auction hosted yearly in Alexandria, their capital.

But the league wasn't the only one; there was also the Confederation Of The Northmen, based on the Island of Bears to the south of Astoria. The soldiers were well-trained heavy infantry whom the Achaemenidians hired exclusively.

Then there was the famous Silvershade Company that only took on women, second only to the Khemarathians, and was based in the Thalassia Empire. After that, he stopped reading because there were too many mercenary companies, trade federations, and realms.

Once he had stored the book away, Atlas started looking at the night sky, where he spotted two moons. Their glow lit up the forest he was in, and soon, he heard a noise below. When he looked over the side of the branch, he nearly jumped out of his skin when dozens of creepy monkey-looking monsters passed under the branch he was on, which caused him to scan them.

[Dreadclaw Howlers]

[Rank: G]

While doing that, one of the creatures stopped running and looked directly into his eyes, causing Atlas to raise his hand to cast a spell, but it started howling, a screeching wail that alerted the others.

'Oh crap what is it with this damn nightmare forest,' he thought.

Atlas gulped but cast a Void Arrow at the monster's head, causing it to fall to the ground, and more howls echoed around him. Without wasting more time, he jumped out of the tree and started running.

Two dozen Dreadclaw Howlers chased after him while letting out excited hoots, but as they got closer, Atlas blasted them with more Void Arrows, causing explosions to throw some of them off.

Soon, he came to Black Mirror Lake and spotted the strip of land that led to the Frostmark Kingdom. He didn't have enough time to think as one of the Howlers jumped on his back and bit down on his shoulder, causing Atlas to scream in pain when he felt the searing pain.

He put his hand on its head and blew it away using a Void Bullet. But when doing that, the blast also affected him, sending Atlas tumbling backward just as a dozen Howlers appeared on the shore looking at the corpse.

[Health: 55/84]

Atlas shook his head, but pain shot through him, and his sight started to turn dizzy. He could still cast several Void Arrows at the incoming monsters, which caught them off guard and caused their bodies to drop as the spells wiped them out.

He managed to kill all but two of the Dreadclaw Howlers, whose eyes were full of rage before they charged at him. Atlas quickly cast Void Bullet, but one of the creatures dodged it, and the other died without knowing what happened.