Level Up: Voidwalker

[Habibi - my dear]

At last, Atlas reached the front of the queue but was stopped by a tall man in Achaemenidian armor. The stern and vigilant guards requested a silver entrance fee, which he paid. As the gate creaked open, he stepped through and was met with a breathtaking view.

The city sprawled across the mountainside, blending with its natural surroundings. Some buildings basked in the morning sun, their light grey stone facades gleaming warmly. Others were embedded within the mountain, their structure appearing as though it had grown from the rock.

'So beautiful. There's no city like this on Earth,' he mused while looking around.

Cobblestone streets went in all directions, their surfaces smooth and well-worn. Atlas noticed that the homes and stores were constructed from the same spotless stone, which gave the area a harmonious and inviting appearance.

Sunlight danced off the clean surfaces, creating a soft, shimmering glow, 'Did they carve these buildings directly from the mountain? How intriguing,' Atlas mused, his gaze sweeping over the bustling square that greeted him.

The unusual blend of natural and constructed elements was fascinating and striking, 'I need to find Jaspers Spellbook Store to buy a disguise spell so at least I can travel normally without being recognized all the time,' he thought.

Atlas glanced around and spotted several nearby stalls where he could ask someone for directions. Approaching one, he saw a kind-looking elderly woman stirring a pot of aromatic, mouth-watering food.

He shook his head to refocus, reminding himself not to get sidetracked, ''Habibi, how can I help you?'' she asked cheerfully.

''Can you point the way to Jaspers Spellbooks, please?'' he requested politely.

The old woman nodded with a warm smile, ''Yes,'' she pointed down the street. ''When you see The Mirage Maker, take a right and continue walking; it will be on the corner. It shouldn't take a young one like you long.''

Atlas smiled at the woman and thanked her before following the directions, ''Thank you for your help.''

He looked around and admired the strange but beautiful fantasy-like city.'Valoria is amazing; I can't wait to see the rest of the world,' he mused as he spotted the Mirage Maker store near his destination.

Atlas thought it came straight from a novel, which he found amusing while passing it and taking the first right. Once he did this, he spotted a few soldiers patrolling the street, forcing him to avoid them if they recognized him.

When he got close he quickly noticed the front of the shop was made from beautiful blue wood, which sparkled as the morning sun hit it. He spotted drawings of scrolls, books, and other objects he didn't recognize.

He shook his head and approached the store before entering, only to see shelves and counters lined with hundreds of spells. While looking around, a man's voice reached his ears, ''What is a young boy doing in my shop?''

Atlas spun around in surprise, as he didn't spot anyone when entering. That's when he spotted a bald man who looked to be the owner, causing him to answer, ''Marcia sent me here to buy a disguise skill.''

When Atlas answered, the man's eyebrows raised in surprise, but he soon smiled, ''How is that silly niece of mine? I haven't seen her in a while.''

''The empire is deploying the Everlasting Shields to another city,'' he replied before continuing. ''Do you have the skill or something like it?''

''Yes, boy, let me fetch it, but I must warn you it's expensive due to its rarity,'' the shopkeeper commented.

Atlas nodded, ''I'll take it.'

After that, the man disappeared into the backroom. Atlas waited for ten minutes, his anticipation growing. When the shopkeeper finally reappeared, he carried an object wrapped in white cloth.

Setting it gently on the counter, the shopkeeper looked up and said, "This will cost twenty gold coins. Do you have the funds? Because if not I must warn you not to touch it."

Atlas retrieved the required coins and placed them on the counter. As he picked up the object—a black orb—he felt a sudden jolt as a notification appeared before him, startling him.

[Maskweaving skill learned]

'Nice, I instantly learned it, which is odd,' he thought before turning to the shocked shopkeeper with wide eyes.

The older man shook his head while taking the gold coins, ''So quick.''

Atlas was confused but thanked the man before leaving the shop after storing the spell orb. Once outside, he looked for a nearby alley and found one before rushing into it and activating Maskweaving.

As his features began to shift, Atlas experienced a peculiar sensation. He noticed a nearby window and quickly glanced at his reflection. To his astonishment, he now had hair as dark as the night, piercing green eyes, and olive-toned skin.

'They won't find me now,' Atlas snickered to himself before leaving the alley after dismissing his armor.

When stepping onto the street, Atlas headed for the adventurer's guild to take some quests and sell some of the Monster Cores he had collected. He walked for a while until spotting it on the edge of the mountainside overlooking the drop below.

Atlas entered the guild and noticed it was busy, but no one had paid attention to him. He approached the quest board only to see hundreds of requests, and he started going through them before picking out three that caught his attention.

He started reading the ones he chose.

[Rank D - The Missing Scouts: A group of mountain scouts has gone missing while exploring a newly discovered cave system. Try to find any signs of them or what happened – Reward – 60 Silvers completion – Proof: Anything related to the scouts]

[Rank D - The Forbidden Quarry: An abandoned quarry sealed off centuries ago has been reopened, and now strange, aggressive creatures are emerging. Deal with the monsters and see what is causing it – Reward 2 Gold on completion – Proof: Anything which shows you went there]

[Rank E - The Skybridge Protection Detail: Join with city guards and adventurers in defending the Skybridge against monster attacks as it is being built to the new portion of Tajariyah – Reward 40 Silver on completion – Proof: Report to the commander]

'Hopefully, they let me take higher-ranked quests; I don't want to look for someone's cat or bake bread in the local bakery,' he thought.

Atlas approached the counter where a young man was attending to a group of three adventurers. He waited patiently in line, and within just a few minutes, the man called out to him.

''Come forward, young adventurer; I'm Ronan and will be helping you today,'' the young man said. ''Can I see your guild card, please?''

He handed it along with the three quests, causing Ronan to look at them both before glancing up from the paper, ''Are you sure you want to go high so fast, Azhar'Zul? Don't you think it's too risky?''

Atlas shrugged as he replied, ''It's okay; I will retreat if things become too dangerous.''

''Okay, but so that you know, the guild won't take responsibility for anything?'' Ronan informed him while registering the three quests on his card.

''That's fine, it's my choice, Ronan,'' Atlas said with a smile that reassured the man.

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Ronan returned it just as a group burst through the door and declared, ''The Dahaka has been spotted in Tajariyah. Reports say he's here hunting for someone; every adventurer should keep an eye out for him and report it to the city.''

'I am? That's new to me,' Atlas thought with a grin before turning to Ronan and asking, ''Where can I sell Monster Cores?''

The man pointed to one corner of the guild hall where a store was sitting, ''Find Robert; he's the Guild Quartermaster of this branch and will purchase them,'' he answered.

Atlas nodded before walking over to a small shop and entered only to see shelves lined with beautiful Monster Cores; purple ones were glowing until the mana lights above alongside a silver one.

Afterward, he went to the counter and saw Robert, a portly man in a guild uniform. As he approached, Atlas said, "Excuse me, Ronan mentioned that you buy Monster Cores. I have quite a few to sell."

Without looking up at Atlas, the man slid a piece of paper across with the prices. He looked for the cores he had in storage and found the price.

[Black Monster Core - 5 copper]

[White Monster Core - 10 copper]

[Orange Monster Core - 20 copper]

[Green Monster Core - 10 silver]

[Blue Monster Core - 50 silver]

'Better than nothing,' Atlas thought before speaking to Robert. I have hundreds. Is there anywhere I can store them?''

The man looked up while taking out a small box and placing it on the counter before explaining, ''This is a Guild Storage Box. Deposit the cores inside, and I will be able to see the total.''

Atlas nodded before pushing out all the cores from his storage, which consisted of Ninety-four Black cores, eighty-six White cores, thirty-eight Orange cores, twenty-four Green cores, and finally, two Blue cores netted him two hundred and thirty copper, fifty-nine silver, and one gold.

Robert was shocked and smiled, ''Someone's been busy, but I'm happy to see so many cores. The Crafters Guild will love all this.''

''What are they used for?'' Atlas questioned in curiousity.

The man looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes before motioning for a nearby chair just as he started explaining, ''You see, little adventurer cores can be used to craft gear, artifacts, and many other magic items, but what is truly valuable is the Blue Core Stones which are used to power everything.''