As continued to rx while waiting for the Howling Ghouls to finish looting the hidden city. When the creatures were done, a building-sized mountain of wealth towered over the surrounding buildings.


    When seeing this, his azure eyes glowed with greed before he sucked all of it into his Dimensional Storage. By the time he was done, he had no more room left, which surprised him, but he was happy.


    Following that, As dismissed all the Ghouls and summoned N, who appeared while letting out a deep and mighty roar. Once she was done, he climbed onto the lion''s back and pulled out five more quests.


    ''Their all the same, I could do this with ease,'' As thought.


    It consisted of wiping out five bandit groups terrorizing the surrounding area, which was easy for him. On top of N, As rushed away from the bandit city after ensuring he had the cards to prove his quest wasplete.


    While rushing across thendscape, he saw dozens of shooting stars passing across the star-filled sky. As smiled just as the Dreadmaw Queen''s voice sounded in his mind, ''Why don''t you rest for the night, Master? I could keep youpany.''


    He looked at the majestic monster and ran his hands through her soft ck fur while speaking, ''Only if you keep me warm for the night N.''


    The monster made happy noises as she nodded her giant head, ''''It would be my pleasure, Master. I will find a safe ce for us to rest.''''


    N quickly climbed up the side of one of the giant karsts and found a small cave that allowed him to create a fire. The Dreadmaw Lion Queen crawled in, allowing As to jump off her back before setting up a fire.


    Once the mes flickered to life, As gazed at the darkndscape as N gotfortable behind him. She said in a rxed tone, ''Set up the Dark One Runes Master. They can climb up here.''


    As smiled in agreement as he carefully crafted the Runes Grishna had taught him. Once finished, he pulled out thest Dragon Meat Feast box and began eating, savoring each bite.


    Mid-meal, a faint shuffling noise came from the entrance. He nced up, only to be met with the unsettling sight of a group of humanoid creatures crawling on all fours. The eerie, bizarre movement sent a shiver down his spine, but he remained calm.


    ''Damn monsters scared me,'' As thought before casting a Void Arrow at them, but they managed to dodge it by scuttling out of the way.


    He ignored the creatures until strange noises began to rise from them, catching him off guard. Startled, As woke to find the creatures gathered outside the protective Runes, trying to lure him out.


    ''When I get stronger I will butcher them,'' he mused before a growl rang out.


    Enraged, N lunged at them without hesitation as she let out a roar. Her sudden attack surprised them, and As couldn''t help butugh. The giant lion drove the Dark Ones back with her sharp ws and teeth, sending them scrambling into the shadows below.


    He chuckled as they vanished into the darkness. Once they were gone, N spoke in his mind, ''Lay against me, Master. I will keep youfortable throughout the night.''


    As smiled and nodded, then leaned against the lion, sinking into her soft fur just as the rain began to fall outside. While rxing, he started watching the peaceful weather. N wrapped a paw around him as the wind picked up and started making the air cold, causing him to shiver.


    ''So cold. Reminds me of the nights without heating in the orphanage.''


    He pulled out a nket before tightly wrapping it around himself, sinking into its warmth as he drifted asleep. The night sped by while the storm outside raged on, trapping As in the cave until the weather finally settled.


    The following morning, he woke up to the boom of thunder, which caused his eyes to open as the rain blocked the view from the small cave. When seeing this, As muttered, ''''What is it with this horrible weather?''''


    He put his hand outside and felt the sting of the rain, which surprised him. ''Aridonia is a strange ce. Will it be like this all the time?''


    As shook his head before relighting the fire, which roared to life and woke up N, whose red eyes opened as she spoke in a curious tone, ''Master. What are you doing?''


    ''We''re trapped in here,'' he answered. ''The weather is concealing a Monster Wave below.''


    The Deathmaw Lion stood up only to look out and sniff the air, causing her to reel backward as she warned him, ''That is a Rank S horde. Do not go out there Master.''


    As nodded in agreement, then sat down as his stomach rumbled, echoing the thunder outside. He pulled out several Forest Chick Wraps, the smell of the cooked meat filling the air, and began waiting.


    Noticing N staring at him, he chuckled and asked, ''Do you want one, girl?''


    The giant lion''s red eyes gleamed with hunger, causing him to chuckle as he gave her enough to be whole. He sat back down and started eating while trying to see through the rain curtain blocking his view.


    ''This is a nightmare, but at least I know the Dark Ones are out there.''


    Shortly after, a roar echoed, and arge crash was heard as one of the karsts crashed down. As jumped up and wondered what was going on, ''What horror is out there?''


    Another roar sounded off, and this time, it sounded close, causing him to use Void Sight only to see the culprit finally.


    [Tyranodon]


    [Rank: Monarch - 60000 Exp]


    [Do not let this monster see you boy]


    As saw a massive Tyrannosaurus with dark green skin and sharp ridges running down its back. The monster''s deep ck eyes scanned the surroundingndscape, looking for something to eat.


    He quickly ducked down as N''s voice sounded in his mind, ''Hide Master! That beast is too strong and would knock this rock over.''


    As ventured deeper into the cave, his steps cautious and deliberate. A Pteranodon circled briefly overhead before diving to snatch its prey from the ground. With a swift motion, As summoned a Darkling, its shadowy form swirling into existence.


    "Scout a few miles around the cave and report back to me," hemanded, sending the creature to ensure their hiding ce remained undiscovered.


    He turned to N after feeding more wood into the crackling fire. "Do you want to return to the Dungeon Realm?" he asked, his gaze steady as the mes danced in the growing darkness.


    ''No Master. I want to make sure you''re okay,'' she replied while lying at the back of the cave.


    Following that, As pulled out the sleeping bag and set it up. The roaring outside intensified, and it sounded like more monsters were passing by, which caused him to grow paranoid.


    He then sat down and checked his status to see his gains from killing all the bandits during the three quests.


    [Level Up: 194→204]


    [Experience: 2560/10000]


    [Experience Gained: 49840]


    [Rank Up: Adept→Journeyman]


    [Health: 1768→2254(200)]


    [Mana: 7740→8666(1000)]


    [Strength:2046→2584(100)]


    [Stamina: 2518→3166(250)]


    [Charisma: 768→860]


    [Intelligence: 1622→1964]


    [Core Rank Up: Adept Low→Mid]


    [Core Points: 22220/100000]


    [Core Points Gained: 32250]


    ''Oh, I ranked up and got a big boost,'' As thought excitedly. ''That''s the reason I feel stronger.''


    Following that, the Darkling reappeared, looking breathless. It told him that a swarm of monsters was below and not moving because of the storm. It also informed him that the Monarch-ranked monster was nearby eating a Titan.


    ''There was two giant creatures out there!'' he internally panicked.


    As shook his head and jumped into the Void Realm to clear some Golems. When he appears on the ne, he quickly checks the monster''s total to see how many must be defeated.


    [Void Golem – 300019/1000000]


    [Void Warrior Golem – 391790/500000]


    [Void Golem Commander – 92171/100000]


    [Void Golem King – 1/1]


    ''Still a lot,'' As mused with annoyance. ''But now I''m stronger, it shouldn''t take too long.''


    Once that thought crossed his mind, the rumbling was felt, and he started casting dozens of Void Bullets and Void Lances into the swarm of stone monsters. Explosions rang out all over the ce.


    ''I can use my swords and magic against them,'' he mused with a smile. ''I can save the bombs for the real world.''


    Void Golems were sent flying just as the warriors appeared. Therger foes charged at As, casting Void Infusion on his des before dashing in their direction and cutting through their legs.


    As easily carved through the stone, his de slicing cleanly, but he wasn''t finished. He unleashed a Void Lance in the same breath, hurling dark energy towards his enemies. The projectiles ripped through their torsos, exterminating them while he dispatched the regr Golems.


    The battle continued for hours as As wiped out thousands of Void Golems and Warriors, who attacked him even more than in the previous turns.


    [Drop some powerstones,ments, and gifts to help the novel grow; I appreciate all the support you can give]