Level Up: Voidwalker

[Estelle Argonia's POV]

"May Goddess Sol bless my blade so I can smite the darkness that plagues our world," a woman said in a heavy French accent as the old mine she was in lit up, ''Solar Slash.''

A heavenly fire coated her longsword in white as she sidestepped the Wraith that was attacking her. She destroyed the monster, terrorizing a nearby village with one swing that destroyed it.

But that wasn't the only monster lurking in the old mine she found herself in. Ghouls rushed out from deeper within the cavern, but she was ready and cast Light Blast at the creatures, and thanks to her high affinity with light magic, it easily annihilated them.

The Ghouls continued to swarm, compelling the woman to dispatch each one skillfully with precise strikes of her sword. She instinctively dodged their attacks or raised her shield to block them, her every move guided by her rigorous training.

It took the woman several minutes to dispatch the Ghouls, who were screeching until she cut the last creature's head off with a quick swipe. Then, she cleaned the blade and sheathed it to scan the area.

This was Estelle Argonia, the 5th Princess of the Argonia Kingdom. Thanks to her skill in battle, the king allowed her to explore the world while accompanied by five Battle Sisters who kept her safe.

But this time, she snuck away from her guards to gain some experience instead of sharing it with them all, which was slow. Estelle looked around the mine and saw containers holding an unnamed ore.

While doing that, she heard a group running toward her; that's when her guards appeared ready for battle but looked around the mine in shock as the commander, an older woman named Maria, spoke, ''My Lady, you cannot go wandering off like that. The Thalassia Empire is dangerous for high-ranked monsters.''

Estelle waved her away, ''I was fine, Maria; I vanquished the Wraith plaguing the village,'' she said with a smile. ''We can head for the Everglade Kingdom; I want to test this new Devil's Swamp Dungeon. The Guild Master informed me it's the best to earn experience.''

Maria nodded as she said a small prayer, ''The one who points the way.''

''Why do you pray to such an old religion, Maria? The Le Messie Élu won't come,'' Estelle commented while collecting the Monster Cores.

''My Lady, the Chosen Messiah will come and bring light to this dark world,'' Maria said.

''Enough of this,'' she demanded. ''I don't want to hear about him anymore; it's an old children's tale, and that's all.''

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Maria and the four other women nodded before another Battle Sister named Jeanne spoke, ''We can catch the train from Suncrest City. One of the stops is Greenglade City, where we can travel to the dungeon on foot.''

Estella nodded, ''Agreed,'' she said. ''I've collected the cores and am ready to go.''

The six left the old mine and started their walk to the city, where Estelle and the Battle Sister were well-known because she had saved it from a Monster Wave a week back. When they exited the darkness, the moon was shining brightly.

''Charlotte! Set up the tent; Maria, Jeanne, and Sophie will be on watch,'' Estelle ordered the guards. ''Margot, you're on firewood duty.''

They all saluted until Maria commented, ''What will you be doing, My Lady?''

Estelle grinned as she took out her bow before answering, ''Hunting.''

Following that, the Battle Sisters started their tasks while she checked her status to see her gains from the latest battles.

[Experience: 4340/5000]

[Experience Gained: 2000]

[Health: 1146→1148]

[Mana: 3888→3900]

[Strength: 1212→1218]

[Stamina: 1100→1102]

'Lovely,' Estelle thought while looking at the blue screen. 'If I continue like this, I will rank up in no time.'

Following her departure from the mine, Estelle ventured into the nearby woods in search of monsters to hunt. Not long before, she encountered a Woodland Boar, a notorious Rank E creature known for its ferocious charges.

With practiced skill, Estelle approached stealthily, drawing her bow and aiming at the creature's head. The arrow strikes the side of the Woodland Boar's head instead, causing it to drop lifeless.

Estelle approached the corpse before dragging it back to camp so she could prepare it for dinner as a howl was heard in the distance.

***

[The Northern Wastes - Windpeak Mountain]

Atop the snowy expanse of Windpeak Mountain, a young woman with captivating blue eyes, dark brown hair, and a complexion as rich as mahogany stood out against the stark white landscape.

She made her home in a secluded cave, a sanctuary amidst the unforgiving terrain. The woman was Nuliajuk Sivuraq, a name whispered with reverence and fear among the Frostbear Tribe. Cast out for defying tradition, she refused the chieftain's hand in marriage and bested him in combat.

Branded as an outcast, she bore the title of the Frost Witch, a solitary figure shrouded in mystery. Yet, behind her solitude lay a story untold, a reason veiled by the icy winds that swept across the mountain peaks.

A time was upon them when the Chaos Hordes invaded the world, and the Northern Waste Tribes fought them to a stalemate, but Nuliajuk knew the Chosen Messiah would arrive soon and beat back the monsters.

Just as Nuliajuk thought that her stomach grumbled, causing her to laugh, ''Time for dinner, it seems, Atek,'' she said with a smile. ''Are you joining?''

A growl was all that was heard, causing her to laugh, ''You're a big bad Frostfang, not a kitten.''

When she said that, a large sabertooth tiger-like monster lazily walked out of the cave. The creature's fur was a beautiful white, and its yellow eyes spoke of intelligence and amusement.

''I'm going hunting; Frostwinter has brought the Giant Mammoth herds back to the Snowdrift Plains in the north,'' Nuliajuk said. ''Do you want to come?''

Atek nodded his massive head, eliciting a smile from her before she leaped off the mountainside. As Nuliajuk plummeted toward the icy tundra below, she shifted into her Frostbear form, crashing onto the ground.

A colossal dust cloud billowed out from the impact. She walked out in her true form, twice the size of a polar bear; Nuliajuk exuded a menacing presence. Her intense blue eyes gleamed amidst her white fur, seamlessly blending into the snowy landscape.

Atek joined her after he jumped down the boulder he used to climb up to their home. After seeing that, Nuliajuk took off and rushed across the landscape, followed by her Frostfang companion.

The two continued traveling until they reached a hill and got a perfect view of the herd. Nuliajuk saw the monsters grazing on the bluegrass covering the ground below. There were hundreds of monsters stretching as far as the eye could see.

Standing twelve feet tall, these creatures resembled Earth's mammoths, yet their demeanor exuded a savage aura. With dark brown fur and piercing red eyes that seemed to glow with malice, they presented formidable adversaries.

Nuliajuk recognized the daunting challenge they posed. However, she and Atka possessed the skill and cunning to take down two of these behemoths, a feat that would provide sustenance for weeks to come.

Aware of the Giant Mammoths' formidable strength yet limited intellect, Nuliajuk strategically positioned herself beside a dense bush, blending seamlessly with her surroundings while she scanned the herd.

Meanwhile, Atek patiently awaited her signal nearby, poised for action. Soon, a small group of mammoths emerged from the herd and headed for a nearby water hole. When Nuliajuk saw this, she knew they were her target.

She grunted, signaling Atka to follow her as she stalked the monsters. Ahead of them were two giant mammoths and a younger one. Nuliajuk planned to take down one while her companion dealt with the other.

After setting up the ambush, Nuliajuk erupted from the bush with a powerful roar, lunging at the largest mammoth and sinking her claws into its throat. The scared monster started to panic and wildly thrashed around.

Nuliajuk held on tight and started hitting it with her Ice Claw spell, which demolished the mammoth's hide. Soon, the giant beast collapsed once it lost enough blood, allowing her to target the smaller one fighting Atka.

With a roar, she crashed into the younger mammoth and swiped at it with her massive claws, sending it collapsing to the ground. The monster stumbled back as Atka jumped onto the last adult.

The battle continued for a few minutes, and the Giant Mammoths died when it went quiet. Nuliajuk was breathing heavily as she started dragging the corpse back to their home. She saw Atek lying down with his eyes closed.

Nuliajuk looked at him before complaining, ''You lousy pet! I'm dragging our food back home, and you're lying down.''

The large cat looked at her and huffed before resting even more. She laughed at this before dragging the mammoth corpses until it was at the bottom of their mountain ledge. Nuliajuk clamped her jaws around the neck before dragging it up like a jaguar trying to take its food into the trees.

It took her a while, but she finally managed to drag the mammoth back to the entrance of their cave. Moments later, the smaller mammoth carcass landed beside her with a heavy thud. Nuliajuk looked up to see Atek climbing up with a flustered expression.

She giggled and said, "I'll get the other corpse and try to hunt one more. Come with me."

With that, she leaped off the ledge, and Atek followed. Nuliajuk hunted tirelessly for hours, and by the end of the day, they had amassed a collection of several Giant Mammoths. She was back at the cave entrance and returned to her humanoid form.

As Atek glowed, he transformed into a house cat-sized Frostfang and padded over to Nuliajuk, nudging his head against her leg. She picked him up and stroked him, saying, "Let's get inside. The moon is rising, and those things come out at night to hunt."

The little cat growled, but Nuliajuk laughed before dragging the mammoth corpses inside the cave. She blocked the entrance with a boulder just as the howling started.