JaceVAmor

Chapter 259: Marooned

Hai Yun diligently etched a subtle smile onto her face. She portrayed an unrealistic depiction of grace that embodied her station, but completely failed to capture her true mood. The feigned expression was directed at no one in particular. It was simple discipline that had her maintaining a charming visage for the benefit of everyone else.

The smile did little to hide the hopelessness that defined her continued existence, but it was as much effort as she could currently give....

Chapter 258: Winds of Change

Before long, Coop was being baked by the toasty wind skills of a level 97 Hellsinger. The heat was nothing compared to the Avatar of Huracan’s onslaught in the Central American heat, but combined with the warmth of the midday sun, it was enough to feel like a giant blow drier was being used to dry him off.

A small group from the Forager’s Guild had joined together to attack the mud monster with their spells before heading to their assignment on the boardwalk. Their eventu...

Chapter 257: Mud Boss

Empress City had grown significantly after Coop claimed the civilization shard in the name of the Lighthouse. While the population had gone unchanged since he left them to reconcile the expulsion of the Endless Empire, the actual physical base was flourishing.

With the change in leadership, the subordinate settlement had refocused its efforts away from ill-advised global conquest, aiming instead at providing beneficial living conditions and safety for its current residents on...

Chapter 256: Reverence

Thick stands of unkempt canal grass, topped with distinctly feathery flowers, lined the water-filled culverts that separated the road from uninspired apartment blocks. The two-story buildings were united by unmanned and rusted gates, and shared unshaded parking spots. Cars partially filled the lots, visible to Coop whenever the breeze caused the overgrown grasses to lean the long blooms to the side. The vehicles looked like they belonged in a junkyard rather than having been commuter vehicles...

Chapter 255: Touched by Madness

Coop approached Empress City on foot, looking like the Skunk Ape that Bobby Jon had enthusiastically advertised to ignorant tourists on their way to the amusement parks. Beneath the layers of mud splatter, Coop felt absolutely fantastic.

He had strolled across half the state of Florida, grinding monsters the entire time in what was essentially a marathon of high-tension combat, the likes of which would leave a better-adjusted person exhausted. For Coop, it had taken at least ...

Chapter 254: Universal Cattitudes

Zalanth would carefully follow the directions she had been given, down to the letter. Luckily, she had received a simple request to meet at a specified location, so she would make no mistakes. There was no room for argument or excuse when it came to almost any of the largest or more influential factions, and that was more true for the Blessed Mau Collective than it was for any of the others. Unlike a faction of Demons or Undead, the solitary group of felines had a wider variety of willing age...

Chapter 253: When Luck Runs Out

Zalanth watched as the one called Erasimus Doomthread utilized a storm of needles to puncture the skulls of 15,000 Undead of the Arisen faction in a showman’s demonstration of his lethality. The unperturbed defender used the battle as an opportunity to advertise his business as the remaining minions meandered without direction, their masters defeated.

Then, during the next battle in what she thought was a satirical twist, a proper Undead Lich called Abithik appeared on the ...

Chapter 252: All Bets Are Off

Former Prime Commander Zalanth was paying as close attention to the events that were taking place elsewhere in the galaxy as anyone. In spite of her relatively high expectations for the Humans of Earth, the scenes that played out on desolate battlefields managed to leave her shell-shocked.

She rubbed the outside of her pale blue arms in a desperate bid for self-comfort, feeling the thin faded scars that crossed her skin through calloused hands. She tried to use the texture of...

Chapter 251: Persistence in Resistance

Mud splattered onto Coop’s cheek, adding a fresh layer to previously dried stains that decorated his face. His lunge carried him forward, through the spray, and he pierced the metallic head of an Ancient Vanguard with all three prongs of his ethereal trident, firmly gripped with both hands. A crunching sound reverberated through the thin fog bank as he struck the monster and followed through. The fiery red-orange glowing weak points hadn’t been something he looked for in a long time, but ...

Chapter 250: Vanguard

The chores were done. Coop spent a single day working hard, using all of his non-combat strengths to their full extent, and his diligence had earned a few days of free time. The Underlayer Event was still six days away from starting. The period was too short of a gap to tackle any of the larger projects that needed doing, like exploring the Fallen Zone north of Neptune’s Bridge, but it was more than enough time for what he needed most.

Coop was officially going on spring br...

Chapter 249: Animal Farm

“I can’t believe you found my Buttercup!” Bobby Jon rejoiced long after the brightly colored snake was safely placed into a plainly broken exhibit. He slapped Coop on the back with unbridled relief. His gratitude was undiminished regardless of Coop’s more grounded concerns.

The return of another one of the unique farm animals had slightly sobered him up, but not nearly enough in Coop’s opinion. He had to be impaired to not notice that half of the transparent walls i...

Chapter 248: Cultural Victory

Coop found himself in the unusual position of negotiating with an alligator, and it wasn’t even the first time. The two didn’t exactly have a standard meeting of the minds, given their inability to directly communicate, but Coop did his best on behalf of both of them.

Rather than a negotiation that included a give and take with regard to different conditions as they came to an agreement, it was more of an offer for them to decide if the compromise was acceptable. Coop tri...

Chapter 247: The Swamp Lord

The sheltered landmark tucked into the Everglades demanded Coop’s attention. Once he spotted the stained concrete and rusted corrugated metal sheets, the entire structure stuck out like a sore thumb. It might as well have been lit up with runway lights with how it lacked camouflage from above.

Coop aimed to make a soft landing, controlling his descent by repeatedly throwing and catching his spear while he was still high in the sky. Instead of one long throw, he made precise...

Chapter 246: Territorial Claims

Ultimately, Coop decided to circle back to the Placid Lake Outpost after taking a quick survey deeper into the occupied territory. The reptilian sentries of the region were too adept for him to avoid with his limited stealth abilities, so he leaned on the other advantages baked into his kit. In this case, his speed.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that this particular Infestation was less of an invasion on Earth and more of a stronghold of native fauna. In fact, their claim w...

Chapter 245: Heart of the Glades

Coop squinted through a curtain of sawgrass. Using the side of his hand to form a gap wide enough to slip his body through the fringes of the wetland, he ventured forward.

Strips of emerald blades rippled under the relentless Florida sun, presenting the only visible evidence that a breeze drifted across the environment. Waves swept across the region, formed by the flowing edged stalks of the glades rather than the protected water. In contrast to the grasses, the shallow water...

Chapter 244: The Boardwalk

Coop spotted the lodge on Placid Lake while it was still far in the distance. The night after the Lighthouse’s official induction into intergalactic relations had already come and gone. Coop hadn’t wasted time while mentally recovering from the crash course in the affairs between sovereign states. He covered significant ground traveling up the mainland peninsula, intent on fulfilling his own role in safeguarding the faction.

The pastel purple and gray-blue sunrise that st...

Chapter 243: Business as Usual

“Achoo!” Coop’s sneeze caught him by surprise, though he managed to cover his mouth despite hurtling through the air.

“Someone’s probably talking about me.” He muttered into the wind.

It was an easy guess considering his name had been broadcast to the entire universe. They’d probably be disappointed by the fact that he wouldn’t be changing his routine just because some aliens saw them as the freshmen to be hazed. Thanks to the volunteer alien ...

Chapter 242: Edge of the Fray

Blue emergency lights strobed in a desperate rhythm, as if the overwhelming smell of burnt ozone wasn’t enough for the hapless spacefarers to understand that their ship was on the verge of complete failure. Flashes of fire added a chaotic flare to the steady cadence of illumination. The buzzing of ungrounded energy reverberated off the insulated metal jackets of their housing, loud enough to be distracting. The temperature had risen, but that wouldn’t last long in the vacuum of space.

Chapter 241: When to Stay Away

The Xyl’thari Brood was a faction that spanned hundreds, but not thousands, of planets. Grand periods of conquest earned the faction a fearsome reputation with their galactic neighbors, but it was to their great shame that they had yet to extend their reach further across the stars. A series of unfortunate clashes with multiple greater factions had prevented their World Swarms from expanding beyond their current limits, putting them at an impasse that had lasted tens of thousands of years. ...

Chapter 240: When to Play

Former Prime Commander Zalanth was lying on her side, unsoldierly and pacified, with her elbow on a luxurious pillow and her jaw resting on her knuckles, smooshing her cheek. Her tightly bound battle braids leisurely rested over her shoulder and across her collar bone. If any of her former subordinates witnessed her current state, they would assume she had been defeated in battle before being disgracefully captured and contractually enslaved. Nearly 16,000 years of dedicated military service ...

Chapter 239: Warbound Warband

“Balor!” Coop excitedly greeted his friend when he made it inside the citadel, trying to suppress his building anxiety. However, the stonemason’s extraordinary polished armor continued to make him nervous. It was too much like the military dress of a retiring soldier. “What’s with the get up? You look like you’re going to war.” Coop tried hiding his nervousness with what he thought was a silly joke. The group of phantoms that had been laughing on their own quieted down and were ...

Chapter 238: Chasm Configuration

Coop was lounging in Ghost Reef’s citadel, seated on a comfortably contoured bench while waiting for Balor to arrive at their scheduled meeting. Coop savored the relaxing moments while he could, doing his best to ignore the nagging stress at the back of his mind. The civilization shard hovered in the center of the enclosure, emitting a subtle glow that mixed with the filtered sunlight emanating through the edges of the ceiling and the skylight above. Coop had a newfound respect for the stur...

Chapter 237: Underlayer Understanding

Coop accompanied Jones, Camila, and Charlie as they entered the Clumsy Shark together. It was still the premiere hangout in Ghost Reef, despite the growing population driving demand for other venues that were popping up around the fort, diversifying the options. The group sat themselves at a table in the center of the half-filled dining area of the Tavern, letting themselves in just like old times. The main difference was that they were surrounded by phantoms and a small number of human resid...

Chapter 236: Sun Up Sum-up

Coop startled himself awake. He had been completely enveloped in cozy fabrics, peaceful and comfortable, but he sat straight up as soon as he roused himself. The feeling that he had let his guard down was like a ringing alarm clock. His sudden movement removed the draping covers that blanketed his limbs and he unceremoniously tossed sheets to the side, exposing his skin to the tranquil morning air. It was refreshingly cool, especially compared to the pocket of heat his body had generated duri...

Chapter 235: One with the Mists

Coop concentrated on his ethereal spear, watching as motes of turquoise mana drifted off the surface and were carried away by the warm night’s breeze. He cleared his mind, trying to forge a connection with the misty manifestation. His brows furrowed and he squeezed his eyes shut as he focused on the physical existence of the reliable spear within his hands, contemplating the corporality of the vaporous summon, and seeking to expand the link between himself and his weapon. He was a Mistwalke...

Chapter 234: Abyssal Valor

Coop knew something was up with his build after his last skill selection, so he was eager to take a more comprehensive look. The perception that his connection to mana had changed was a strange sensation that he found hard to assign to any of his senses in particular, but he was still sure of the feeling. Perhaps, now that humans were being subjected to the active influence of mana, they were developing ways to discern its vacillations. After experiencing the sweeping transformation of mana a...

Chapter 233: Downfall

The darkened sky doused Coop with a gentler rain than what he had left behind when he delved into the temple. He closed his eyes when he reached the open air, angling his head into the drizzle, feeling deeply exhausted. He took a moment to let the rain wash over him and provide a small mental reset. The droplets struck his face and he turned his hands to catch a few drops in each of his palms. The arm of mists caught the rain as if it was real, and he felt the normal sensations as water splas...

Chapter 232: Small Sacrifices

Coop was fixated on the palms of his hands as he waited for his vibrating vision to fully return to normal. The ambient mana within the settlement had undergone a rapid collapse before replenishing itself with a flood that left him feeling like he was back in the deep ocean, struggling to keep his head above water, and ultimately at the mercy of an unfamiliar elemental force. The settlement territory had completely withdrawn and the rush had surged directly through everything, including him, ...

Chapter 231: The Deep One

Coop doubled over, face contorted in a silent agonized cry. No sound escaped from his throat because his breath was trapped in his lungs while all of his muscles seized. The possession caused by Inheritance of the Mists was not gentle. It felt as though his brain was being kneaded like dough and he wanted nothing more than to tear through his scalp with his fingers to remove the defilement.

He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately fighting the sudden harrowing pain that made de...

Chapter 230: Hunger

The death empowered scythe bulldozed through the air as it reached for Coop’s neck. Rather than whistling with speed, it drove through the atmosphere like a semi-truck speeding on a snowy highway. A cloud of dark smoke billowed like a gas fire from the edge while a single streak of razor thin blackness traced the scythe’s exact trajectory from behind. The cloud dispersed into tiny curling waves with the rain helping wash it away.

Coop barely deflected the blow with the li...