JaceVAmor

Chapter 346: Third Phase

Coop waded through shallow water, blindfolded, but still seeing. He was moving slowly, as if he was carefully choosing each step, overwhelmed by an inundation of detail.

The lighthouse loomed behind him, shining like a massive lantern of ghostly energy. The spectral relic housed in the lightroom was like a barely contained turquoise star when viewed within the monochromatic world of mists. It pulsed and warped its surroundings as it emitted waves of immense energy into the se...

Chapter 345: Soul Shroud

When Coop exited the Coral Forest, he emerged into a world that was bathed in the rosy light of dawn. The atmosphere was almost flushed, as if the previous day’s sun had kissed pale cheeks, leaving a slightly ruddy sunburn on the planet. He wasn’t sure if the prominent reddish tone was due to his time spent underground causing his eyes to adjust, but somehow he doubted it was that simple. The atmosphere was noticeably changing as time went on.

The settlement was eagerly a...

Chapter 344: Back from the Depths

Coop continued to admire the newly claimed treasure at the bottom of the Coral Forest while his health and mana passively recovered. He was fully engrossed in the rough, unpolished jewel, musing to himself with his fists on his hips, as if he was appreciating an unparalleled work of art. The patterns that flowed through the large gemstone were endlessly fascinating. It was like the depth of an entire galaxy was hidden inside, perpetually swirling in colors that had spread throughout the mana ...

Chapter 343: Seed of Power

A low hiss escaped from between Coop’s teeth as he sat up and sought to check his injuries. The final boss fight of the mana well was over, but it had proven to be more perilous than he was comfortable with, especially compared to the ease with which he had been able to intensify his grinds along the way. The sixth layer of the Coral Forest was no joke, just like all of his companions had cautioned, but sometimes Coop was the type that had to confront a challenge for himself.

Chapter 342: Vanquisher of Demons

The first tentacles lashed out without warning, moving with blinding speed, like whips held together by constellations and space dust. They glowed with cool blue starlight, transparent like the main body of the mutant man of war boss, making it a challenge to decipher where they began and ended. To make matters worse, instead of charging toward him, they entered smaller versions of the gateway that had transported them both to what seemed like a stage floating in space, effectively teleportin...

Chapter 341: The Enigma

The atmosphere was bursting with a strangely familiar energy. Coop let his eyes wander across the clouds, sniffing at the particularly stimulated smoke with curiosity, eventually coming to the conclusion that he was detecting an obvious variant of abyssal mana.

The flowing currents that clouded the region weren’t exactly the same flavor as Coop’s newest affinity, but they were close enough to be incontrovertibly recognizable. He imagined that if he had selected a differen...

Chapter 340: The Ones That Fade

 Coop pressed deeper into the abyss, battling with the environment itself as he pursued the next variation of mana mutations within the Coral Forest. The further he moved away from the sandy ridge that led back to the fifth level, the more turbulent the local mana became. The initial hydrothermal vents seemed to be the weakest in terms of exhaust, as if the fuel that they tapped into had already been depleted over the course of the assimilation, but they were also the largest in terms of...

Chapter 339: The Coral Abyss

Coop descended further into the Coral Forest. He was delving into the abyssal depths without letting the threat of the unknown deter his increasing forward momentum. New frontiers meant new monsters, and new monsters meant more experience, more levels, and more stats. The prize of more stats was all it took to truly motivate him.

There was bound to be an opportunity in the unconquered region of the mana well, and he intended to take it. Then, if there were further depths, he ...

Chapter 338: Undiminished Return

Coop jabbed the three prongs of his ethereal trident into the sandy ground, letting it stand on its own at the peak of the perimeter ridge while he caught his breath. He let his head hang as he put his hands on his hips, chest heaving with each inhale. He watched droplets of moisture fall near his feet after collecting from the tip of his nose and the ends of his hair. The sweat and seawater was the physical evidence of the exertion that had been necessary to overcome the oversized flying ray...

Chapter 337: Platinum Progress

A flurry of narrow beams lanced from beyond the heavens, piercing the target almost simultaneously with their appearance. It was as though the stars themselves were turning against the invader, sending a volley of thin astral blasts in defense of Earth.

Streaks of pure light traced their trajectories, forming a glowing cascade of hail as they crashed into the angular shell of the metallic Siege Boss. Each collision sounded like a needle-sized bullet smashing through an alumin...

Chapter 336: Weeping Forest

Coop tried his best to guess how they would reach the fifth level of the Coral Forest. As he followed Hai Yun into a tubular tunnel that angled down from the larger cavities of the sea sponge, flanked by protective guards, his expectations for a longer journey quickly changed. The tunnel opened up to some dim light at the end, causing Coop’s anticipation to increase as they drew closer.

If there wasn’t too much distance, would there be another magical barrier? Perhaps the...

Chapter 335: Human Resilience

Coop flickered through the darkness for hours, letting the moments blend together as he was absorbed by the grind. Physically, the demand was much more conventional than it had been on the algae bog, so he was well-prepared for the exertion. He was able to push himself to establish a proper extended hunt, but the environment itself was still somewhat of a hindrance that stifled the absolute top speed he had been able to demonstrate with his ability to take down the Primal Constructs on the su...

Chapter 334: Experience Sponge

The route to the fourth layer of the Coral Forest was about as straightforward as it could get. It required minimal active involvement, unlike the previous long hikes and challenging descents. All they had to do was go a bit further down and they would arrive at their destination. It sounded easy enough.

Hai Yun directed Coop to just let himself sink through one of the nearby gaps in the algae, adjacent to the primary coral column, where the boggy mat had been dispersed by pr...

Chapter 333: Algae Bog

As Coop descended from the upper levels of the Coral Forest, through dense shapeless clouds of mana, the visibility of his surroundings was severely reduced. Before long, he could only see the individuals on his immediate right and left, but the ropes they held onto extended into a washed out void of vague shapes and undecipherable features, above and below. The shroud of mana created a whiteout condition that they had to pass through before they reached the third layer of the mana well, some...

Chapter 332: Coral Theater

Hai Yun revealed the route that would take them on their journey toward the lower levels, guiding Coop into the depths of the Coral Forest along with her massive entourage. Though she hadn’t spent much time in Ghost Reef’s mana well, she had already established her proficiency within such alien formations, having been one of the primary individuals who conquered the first mana well on the planet. It was one of the few achievements that Coop hadn’t accomplished himself, not that it had e...

Chapter 331 : Strange World

“Okay, Coop, you ready for this? Here’s what we got prepared for you.” Derek began, flipping a poster board that had been positioned on a simple stand behind the bar. The front side displayed ‘Derek’s Drinks of the Day (no refunds),’ but turning it around revealed a complicated diagram full of information. Scattered papers broke loose as he dramatically presented the board, but he ignored them as if shedding the excess notes was fully intended.

They were ...

Chapter 330: Second Phase

Coop finally made his return to the Coral Forest. It was actually something like the fifth time he had entered the strange natural domain, so he believed he knew what to expect before he leapt beyond the edge. The unfamiliar sights that hailed his arrival had other ideas. His expectations were overwhelmed as soon as he crossed the threshold between Ghost Reef territory and the confines of the mana well. All of his senses were flooded by curiosities, and that feeling extended to his mana sight...

Chapter 329: A Friend of Life

As the rough walls of the caves gradually smoothed out and Coop approached the pearlescent chambers at the center of the subterranean zones, he noted the distant echoes of people hard at work. The banging of hammers, what could have been drilling, and the shouts of workers organizing with each other drifted through the tunnels, aided by the reduced obstructions of an undeveloped level.

Coop found himself intrigued by the difference in textures as he moved closer to the chasm ...

Chapter 328: Phase One Complete

Coop slowly emerged from the sweeping darkness that filled the larger monster-infested caverns, over 100 layers beneath Ghost Reef. The monsters were well under control after experiencing a grind session with the Champion, but his formidable presence maintained a frightful atmosphere for the underground hollows.  

A haze of abyssal mana made it seem like the shadows were clinging to his form as he stepped forward. If anyone witnessed his current appearance, he might...

Chapter 327: Silent Meow

The territory of Ghost Reef had increased considerably at various points during the assimilation, but when it came to population, it had never experienced a period of such explosive growth. The previous influxes of refugees had seemed massive at the time, especially compared to the relative population of the island, but they hardly compared to the past month of change.

Ghost Reef was undergoing an unprecedented shift. New faces had become a fact of everyday life and new corne...

Chapter 326: Bronze Rank Party

When Coop was fully immersed in his various spectral manifestations, the proximity his class had with the Undead was never more obvious. An ominous, supernatural fog that seemed to have a mind of its own, filling a specific cavern of an already dark and menacing cave system set a heavy atmosphere. It seemed threatening, penetrating even his normal obliviousness, and that was before any intruders were impacted by the disorienting effects inherent in the Mind-based skill.

Then,...

Chapter 325: Midnight Sun

Coop made use of the central teleportation hub beneath Balor’s Tower to travel down to the sixth level of Ghost Reef, skipping a short hike in favor of instantaneous traversal. The runed portals really felt like the first pieces of proper ‘manatech’ seen by humanity. Everything else, like the various notification displays, the fort’s giant defensive shields, and all of the contracted resource production buildings were distinguished by the authority of the system. The portals were crea...

Chapter 324: Hidden Hegemon

Coop stretched his shoulders as he strolled along one of the beachside pathways that circumnavigated Rock Key. He was letting the footpath guide him away from the overgrown mangrove forest, around the edge of the island, where the open beach transitioned into low dunes. Coconuts had been lined up all along the trail, acting like a miniature retaining wall that kept most of the sand off the custom stepping stones, but the rest was swept by the passing feet of regular phantom patrols and human ...

Chapter 323: The Eternal Spear

It was still early in the morning of Day 186 and Earth’s doomed assimilation into the galactic community rolled on. The sun was shining, the pigs were swimming, the owls were hooting, the pelicans were soaring, and the main streets of Ghost Reef were chock full of human activity. Future challenges failed to cast a pall upon the tropical settlement and its residents.

Coop had checked in with a handful of his closest friends and was ready to get back to his hunt. As he stroll...

Chapter 322: Exceeding Expectations

“You’re crazy, man.” Derek mumbled before yawning dramatically. He rubbed one of his knuckles against the bridge of his nose before shaking his head, as if he was disgruntled about being awake at all. It was obviously too early for him, though he had reappeared by the lighthouse in a surprising display of diligence.

Even Derek was working hard. He wasn’t sleepy because he had just woken up, but because he had been pulling an all-nighter to help make sure Coop’s prog...

Chapter 321: Vaporform

The first day of Coop’s grind was coming to a rapid close, but he had no intention of pausing just because the sun was setting. He wasn’t ready to rest after such a brief 12 hour grind.

As time passed, Coop’s companions rotated in and out, leaving him with a series of new people waiting to record his rank after Camila and Charlie. First, Tiny Cleary hung out with a handful of wraiths for a few hours, discussing mana affinities, then Jonah from the Clumsy Shark brought a...

Chapter 320: First Phase

“You know what?” Coop spoke to himself as he cast Retribution and his spear manifested from a swirl of mists that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, solidifying at the exact moment that his hand snapped shut. “Let’s just say I gave everyone else an extra week, just as a little favor.”

He stared at his spear with a determined look as he watched abyssal mana leak between his fingers. Both of his affinities were comfortably in equilibrium as he prepared for the grind. ...

Chapter 319: Unorthodox Cultivation

“Look! What’s that?” Lyriel grabbed Coop’s shoulder and pointed to the shallows they were leaving behind, eagerness communicated through both her voice and grip.

This was a query she had already repeated hundreds of times as they crossed the continent on a shared hike through the American South. She seemed intent on keeping it up, even as they sailed away from the mainland. Her fingers gently squeezed, as she silently insisted he answer.

Coop checked ...

Chapter 318: Birds of a Feather

When Coop manifested from a splash of mists in the center of an empty field outside of the Heartland Settlement, abruptly confronting the massive collection of human warriors, the preparations for battle had already ceased. All of the fiery aggression had been doused by the overwhelming power displayed in response, then the appearance of a familiar Champion, briefly thought to have been dead, extinguished any battlelust that remained. The growing competitiveness was replaced by general confus...

Chapter 317: Rank and File

Marcus wielded his unique scepter in one hand as he stepped toward the front of the battlelines. He activated his base abilities and liquid gold mana condensed on the pommel of his weapon, dripping with thick globules that shone with a reflective illumination. The droplets evaporated before touching the ground, revealing themselves to be splashes of an almost spiritual molten fire. The effect established the impression of a weapon crafted from sacred flowing metal.

Others par...