Chapter 38: Jungle Boar

Atlas rose and began pulling out the ten white Monster Cores, storing them carefully with every piece of edible meat he could find. Then, inspired by an idea, he used his dagger to slice off slabs of meat to try.He searched for sticks to make a campfire, and after finding some, Atlas started a fire by casting a Void Bullet at it. After five minutes, it roared to life, causing him to smile before grabbing two slabs of crab meat, stabbed to stick into them, and hung them over it.

When the flames touched the meat, it sizzled, causing Atlas's stomach to rumble as Lilith walked up and plopped beside him while watching their meal cook. As he sat there, he checked his status.

[Level Up: 35→36]

[Experience: 950/1000]

[Experience Gained: 1500]

[Health: 258→266]

[Mana: 1140→1150]

[Strength: 238→242]

[Stamina: 240→244]

[Intelligence: 236→240]

[Core Points: 15400→16750]

[Core Points Gained: 1350]

[Void Bullet: 1→2]

Happy with his gains, Atlas watched the Tidebreaker meat cook and turned it around when one side was done. After that, he gave the first piece to Lilith, who started chewing on it after making an adorable noise.

It took him another half an hour to finish cooking, and Atlas got excited as the crab meat smelt delicious, causing his mouth to water just as his stomach growled. Without wasting any more time, he started eating it.

There was no seasoning, but the meat was still delicious and tasted like chicken, which Atlas loved. After that, they traveled along the beach, eating his piece of meat, which he thoroughly enjoyed and left wanting more.

They didn't encounter any more monsters on their way to another river. Lilith was sitting on his shoulder before launching herself into the water and swimming across, making Atlas shake his head.

He started searching for a cross, which he soon found as a fallen tree bridged the river. Atlas cautiously traversed the bridge-like tree, his steps deliberate to avoid any misstep into the water below.

Suddenly, Lilith growled, startling him so much that he almost lost his footing. Shaking his head in frustration, he gestured towards the creature. "Shut up, Lily! You nearly made me fall," he exclaimed.

Grumbling, he hurried across the tree trunk while Lilith appeared to be stifling laughter at his expense. When he finally reached solid ground, he couldn't resist giving her a playful bonk on the head.

She growled, but Atlas ignored her as he spoke while looking toward the beach, ''We're not far from the Everglade Kingdom where Amethyst and Artemis are.''

Following that, the duo continued to walk the beach while avoiding the jungle, only for Tiebreakers to appear again. Atlas killed eighteen of them and collected the cores and meat while basking in the feeling of leveling up.

Following that, the duo had to enter the jungle when the beach ended. Once he stepped into the treeline, Atlas checked his new status.

[Experience: 750/1000]

[Experience gained: 1800]

[Core Points: 16750→18550]

[Core Points Gained: 1800]

Pleased with the gain, Atlas picked Lilith up and stroked her soft fur. However, being the hyperactive badger she was, she attacked his fingers, but he ignored her as he continued walking through the jungle.

While trekking through the jungle, Atlas encountered only a Blue Viper hidden among the vines. He wouldn't have noticed it if Lilith hadn't lunged at the small monster and started eating it.

It was only Rank G, but it gave Atlas a bad feeling, prompting him to leave the area quickly. As he continued through the jungle, the surroundings became less damp, and the smell of smoke hit his nose, causing him to stop abruptly.

Atlas crept closer and saw a camp of soldiers who looked like they were hunting monsters. They had a mix of metal and leather armor with the crest of a tree. He scrambled into a nearby bush when he heard noises nearby.

That's when Atlas saw several tiger-looking monsters creeping up on the camp, causing him to use Void Sight on them.

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[Rank: C - 500 Exp]

'Hope they don't spot me,' Atlas thought while a chill ran down his spine.

The Wraithclaws stalked up to the soldiers' camp before exploding from the bushes and charged in, panicking them. As Atlas watched this, Lilith struggled out of his arms and darted after the powerful monsters.

Atlas was shocked, but he couldn't leave her to die. He rolled out of the bush just as an explosion rang out. Hearing it, he dashed after the demoness, drawing his dagger as he entered the camp where the soldiers were fighting the tigers.

That's when he saw Lilith on the back of one of the monsters, which roared in anger as she mutilated it. Atlas rushed forward and skidded to a stop as a tiger swiped at him. Dodging the attack, he got close to the one the angry badger was attacking and cast a Void Arrow into its face.

His spell only annoyed the monster, making his heart drop. Atlas was torn between helping Lilith and running, knowing the tigers were too strong to fight. He decided to flee while shouting, "I'm leaving, Lily! They're too strong!"

After that, he fired more Void Arrows at the monsters before fleeing into the jungle, climbing over the soldiers' wall. Seeing this, Lilith stopped attacking the Wraithclaw, dashed after him, and jumped on his back.

Atlas smiled when he felt this. ''Thank you for listening, girl; I don't want you to get hurt,'' he said while fleeing the chaos.

He ran for another hour until he came to a peaceful-looking lake. Trees lined the shore, their branches extending over the clear water. Atlas looked into the sky and noticed it was still afternoon before putting Lilith down.

The badger wandered the lake, scanning for anything to attack, but her nose found nothing. She shuffled back to Atlas, who was preparing to start a fire by gathering some dry sticks and using stones to create a firepit.

Lilith settled in comfortably, her gaze fixed on Atlas as he meticulously arranged a circle of stones and placed the sticks inside. He cast a subdued Void Bullet into the firepit, igniting a gentle azure flame.

The warmth embraced Atlas's exposed skin, eliciting a sigh of relief from him. After that, he pulled out some meat, which caught Lilith's attention. This caused her to jump up and wander off into the jungle, confusing him.

He ignored the silly creatures and skewered two large chunks of crab meat to cook over the fire. As the meat began to sizzle, Lilith bounded back carrying a pile of leaves, which she dumped beside him.

Curious, Atlas picked one up and recognized it as a bay leaf. Using the butt of his dagger, he started crushing the leaves in his palm. After cooking for a few minutes, he dumped the dust on the sizzled crab meat, giving off a delicious aroma.

Once the meat was cooked, Atlas handed a piece to Lilith. She chirped happily as she began to eat, joining him in the meal. They sat by the lake's edge while the duo ate, the fire warding off the encroaching cold air.

It didn't take the two of them to finish the food, and when they did, something moved in the lake, causing Atlas to jump back, followed by Lilith as a tentacle slammed into the firepit he made.

Atlas didn't want to face the monster, so he rushed into the treeline as the tentacle swung toward them. Fortunately, they escaped and continued their journey through the increasingly sparse jungle without encountering more creatures.

As they continued walking, Atlas was drenched in sweat. When the humid air finally vanished, he felt relieved since the sweat had irritated him. While walking, he thought he heard something in the distance.

Curious, he turned and headed in that direction as Lilith crawled up to his shoulders and looked around with narrowed yellow eyes. They soon reached a clearing where six people were battling a massive, enraged boar.

The beast slammed into a towering man with a large shield and a greatsword. 'People!' he thought, examining the adventurers. The defender was a big man with blonde hair and blue eyes in plate armor.

A blonde woman with pointed ears, likely an elf, fought beside him by casting spells over the group. Two humans—an archer and a warrior—fought alongside a wolf woman who guarded their flank.

However, it was the last woman who captured Atlas's attention. She had green skin, short black hair, and glowing green eyes. Atlas found her stunning, with a warrior's physique and wielding a spear like a master, which held his gaze while she struck out at the monster.

The group of six initially fought the powerful monster easily, but the tide of battle shifted when a smaller, similar creature appeared. One of them charged at the green-skinned woman who was fighting the bigger one.

She quickly spotted it and threw something, causing it to become dizzy after a loud, shrill sound confused the monster. Seizing the opportunity, she swiftly rushed forward and plunged her spear into the monster's forehead, ending its life in an instant.

Intrigued, he decided to scan the larger monster to gauge its strength and was shocked at the results.

[Jungle Boar]

[Rank: A+ - 1000 Exp]

'Strong,' Atlas thought as he looked at the Boar before turning to the adventurers. 'They must be on a quest.'

Atlas stepped forward, grasping the excited Lilith, who bit at his arm, prompting him to yelp and release her. She dashed eagerly towards the battle, earning a sigh from Atlas. "Little demoness wants to be in the middle of everything."

Drawing his dagger, Atlas hurried towards the larger creature the little monster had pounced on, his internal frustration simmering. 'I swear, one day she's going to get me seriously hurt.'

While he and Lilith were caught up in trouble, the other women had just begun their journeys or were about to start. Despite the chaos, everything seemed to fall into place, even without their knowledge.