As came to and was confused as he saw a cave ceiling illuminated by torches on the walls. ''Where am I? Didn''t that snake poison me?'' he thought.


    That''s when a horrid stench hit his nose, causing him to dismiss his armor, only to see the clothes covered in a foul-smelling liquid underneath. He shook his head before scanning the room he found himself in.


    He was sat on afortable bed, surrounded by monster hides that covered the ground like a makeshift carpet. As noticed a sturdy table in the middle of the room, nked by three chairs.


    A few bookcases and shelves adorned the walls, filled with various items and trinkets. ''Am I in a hermit''s home?'' he wondered, his gaze drifting to the nearby door.


    There were several all over the room that he guessed led to other parts of the cave. While sitting there, As shook his head before checking his status to see how much he had leveled up during all the fighting.


    [Level Up: 233→258]


    [Experience: 1300/10000]


    [Experience Gained: 251200]


    [Health: 2626→2786]


    [Mana: 10086→10334]


    [Strength: 2896→3078]


    [Stamina: 3544→3758]


    [Charisma: 900→984]


    [Intelligence: 2504→2616]


    [Core Points: 72490/100000]


    [Core Points Gained: 39400]


    [Void Lance: →2]


    [Void Punch: 0→1]


    [Void Infusion: 2→3]


    [Aqua Lung: 2→3]


    [Light: 0→1]


    ''Oh, I leveled up twenty-five times!'' he thought, a surge of excitement filling him.


    The sudden headache made him grimace, but a soft click quickly pulled his attention away. Absentmindedly scratching his head, As looked up—and his breath hitched at the sight before him.


    A woman in her twenties stood there, watching him with wide eyes. Her wless, smooth, dark brown skin highlighted her bright blue eyes, which seemed to shine with anger and confusion.


    Dark brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail, revealing her slender neck. The young woman wore nothing but a thick towel, which clung to her hourss figure, showcasing her well-endowed chest, toned arms, and tight stomach. Explore stories on empire


    As''s eyes briefly lingered on her long, slender legs before he quickly snapped out of it, realizing the wave of irritation radiating from her. Her voice sliced through the tension, icy and sharp.


    "Stop staring; it''s rude," she said, her bear-like ears twitching with annoyance.


    He turned away from the young woman before replying, ''''I''m Sorry. Seeing you surprised me. Thank you for saving me from that serpent; it knocked me out.''''


    After speaking, As got no reply as he heard rustling, but something told him to move; he quickly cast Void Step as a giant cat crashed into the spot he was just in, causing his eyes to widen as he summoned Nightde.


    An angry voice rang out as he moved toward the monster, ''''Atek! Don''t you dare attack our guest; what have I told you?''''


    The woman scolded therge cat, her voice sharp, causing the creature to shrink back at the sound of her words. Then, turning her intense gaze toward As, she warned, "You may be the Chosen One, but I will kill you if you hurt him."


    ''''He tried to attack me! Don''t threaten me over his actions,'''' he responded with narrowed eyes.


    She scoffed and walked off, leaving the cat to re at As with a dirty look. He scowled back and muttered, "You''re lucky she saved you. I would''ve turned you into a cloak—one for me and my girls."


    The cat narrowed its eyes as if offended by the statement. It lunged at him, which caught As off guard. However, he was able to cast Void Guard, causing the monster to crash into it. The impact sent him crashing into the nearby wall.


    As went to get up, but the cat pounced. Itnded on top of him while growling. He didn''t break eye contact while casting Void Punch into the creature''s side, which sent it flying across the room, causing a stir.


    As the monster hit the ground, the woman rushed back angrily and dered, ''''Atek! What did I tell you? Go to the boulder and don''t show your face anymore.''''


    He watched the cat slink off with its tail between his legs, causing As tough, but the woman spun on him, ''''And you! Why are you tormenting mypanion?''''


    As met her gaze before sighing, ''''It''s clear he doesn''t like me; I will stay away from the cat if he returns the favor.''''


    The woman looked at him briefly until she nodded, ''''I''m Nuliajuk Sivuraq. What''s your name?''''


    ''''As,'''' he replied with a friendly smile. ''''Why does it feel cold? I''ve felt Frostwinter, but this is something different.''''


    Nuliajuk giggled before revealing, ''''That would be a mana storm. It happens once a year, but this time, it seems even colder.''''


    As nodded while wrapping his cloak tighter around himself, but the biting cold still seeped through. As he shivered slightly, Nuliajuk''s voice broke the silence as she left the room, "Rest. I''ll bring us some food."


    Once she was gone, As sat back down and wanted to clear Level Three of the Void Realm. He activated the skill and appeared on the teau, which was eerily quiet as there was no more normal Void Golems.


    ''I nearly forgot I cleared them thest time,'' he mused excitedly.


    That''s when the ground started trembling as the Warrior Golems rushed out of the mist that surrounded him. As yelped at their speed but dodged the first set of strikes before retaliating with Void Barrage, which peppered the stone monsters.


    As continued battling therger creatures, noting they were slower than the first but far stronger. Each time he blocked one of their punches, the sheer force behind it reverberated through his body, leaving him stunned.


    He shook his head before continuing to fight, using his des and magic to beat the bigger Golems. As was redirecting their giant fists that passed too close to his face as he leaned back.


    Following that, the battle went on for another hour until one of the warriors managed to sneak up on him and hit him with a sucker punch. As was sent crashing along the ground before falling straight off the edge and waking up in the room.


    As was confused but pulled up the monster tally to see how many he had killed during the fight in the Void Realm.


    [Void Golem – 000/1000000]


    [Void Warrior Golem – 203111/500000]


    [Void Golem Commander – 89123/100000]


    [Void Golem King – 1/1]


    ''Gone down a little,'' he mused as Nuliajuk returned holding two tes full of meat.


    When smelling the delicious food, As''s stomach grumbled, causing the woman to giggle as she spoke, ''''You will like this; the Giant Mammoth meat is delicious.


    ''''Thank you, Nulia,'''' As smiled as she handed him the te.


    After hearing him, Nuliajuk remained still for a moment, then shook her head and quietly began eating. He followed her lead, enjoying the warmth of the meat and mushrooms. A low rumble echoed through the cave as they settled into the meal.


    ''An earthquake?'' he thought while looking at the cave''s ceiling.


    As nced over at Nuliajuk, noticing how her bear ears twitched in response to the noise, ''''The storm is getting worse; maybe the cave entrance may be blocked,'''' she said to his silent question.


    Following that, the young woman went quiet, leaving As confused. He shrugged before eating even more as the cave tumbled. The beast Atek rushed into the room and let out a low growl.


    When Nuliajuk heard this, she spoke to them in a concerned voice, ''''Don''t wander around the cave; a few corridors could copse due to the storm.''''


    As smiled as he pulled out some meat buns and started eating, which surprised Nuliajuk and Atek when they smelled the food. Her head snapped to him as she spoke, ''''Where did you get that from?''''


    ''''My storage,'''' he answered before offering one to her and the cat. ''''Here, taste one; it''s a mean bun from thest town I visited.''''


    As they continued eating, the cave suddenly shook violently, far more intense than before. A roar echoed from deep outside, reverberating through the stone walls. Atek, who had been quietly curled up near the fire, jumped up in terror.


    His fur bristled as he scrambled to hide behind Nuliajuk. His wide eyes darted around, trembling at the sound. Nuliajuk stood up, her expression tense but calm. As could tell she was worried.


    ''What kind of monster is inside to worry her?'' he thought.


    "Stay here," she muttered, her hand resting briefly on Atek''s head to calm him before moving toward the entrance.


    As followed behind as he questioned, ''''What''s going on, Nulia? I can tell there''s something outside.''''


    The brown-skinned woman stopped walking and looked at him worriedly before answering, ''''The Dark Ones roam thend outside trying to hunt anyone trapped in a storm.''''


    When As heard this, his eyes widened before she started walking again and made it to the boulder. The giant stone moved slights as he saw it, causing him to think, ''Are they trying to get into the cave?''


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