Braided Sky

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 42 - Return to Reality

When the timer approached zero, a portal appeared in front of me. The NPCs nearby gave no indication they could see anything, which was no real surprise.

I smiled sadly as I handed Coco to one of the neighbors I’d been chatting with as I waited for my time within the virtual world to end.

“Please take good care of her,” I said, completely ignoring the fact that the simulation would likely end as soon as I stepped through the portal.

I knew, logically, that none of it w...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 41 - Practice Run

I appeared in a small ritual room and was quickly greeted by a priestess named Helen. She eagerly showed me around, explaining several basic things about the situation in which I found myself.

I was considered a ‘traveler’, not an ascender. I had also arrived in a small temple instead of one of the many ascender dungeons spread throughout the realm where a ‘real’ ascender would have appeared.

That was fine. It was probably the dungeon’s way of making the logic work out, ...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 40 - Decisions and a Discussion

I immediately eliminated the fourth option since I didn’t see the value of improving or learning a weak skill at this point in my progression. Perhaps if I’d been offered such an opportunity earlier in my path, my choice would have been different.

Of the remaining options, the affinity boost appealed to me the least. Sure, it might make casting Arcane spells a slight bit easier and cheaper, but I felt like the benefit was limited compared to the other options.

I was tempted by...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 39 - The Trial

I shook off my feelings of melancholy and stared at the portal leading to the dungeon’s final trial with focused determination. I was as ready as I’d ever be to face the trial’s challenges.

I’d trained my skills and spells so much over the past decades that I was confident I’d be able to use anything I needed without the system. Even the spells I intended to select as my legacy skills hadn’t been neglected.

“Well, I guess I might as well get to it.”

I stepped...

PftA Book 5 - Interlude 4 - A Celebrated Ascension

“Are you going to watch the ascension ceremony tonight?” a young woman asked her friend as they sipped their specialty drinks leisurely at a small bistro table next to the door leading to the neighborhood market.

Avery Mercer recognized both girls from the apartment complex, filling all but the first story of the building. They were both relatively new additions to the neighborhood, having moved in shortly after finishing their mandatory post-awakening training.

She smiled at ...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 38 - A Sudden Change in Plans

“How was your visit with Wilham?” I asked.

My mentor had started spending time with his fellow Alchemist during the monthly markets shortly after his arrival, and seemed to enjoy his visits greatly. I’d tagged along at first, but it quickly became clear that I was more of a third wheel since I did not share their interest in the field.

Instead of joining them during their monthly chats, I started taking advantage of the various amenities available at the Challengers’ Retre...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 37 - The Rewards of Training

“You are getting quite good at using the Core Four elements,” Kai commented when the last of the simian creatures were defeated.

I’d been practicing with Direct Casting the basic four elements of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth via my Arcane affinity, and I was happy with my advancements thus far.

I’d even managed to cast simple elemental spell effects in just a handful of seconds. It wasn’t quite fast enough to be truly effective in combat, but I was getting there....

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 36 - Training

A/N: I'm still tweaking my worldbuilding for the next series, so I've made a few minor changes in the last few chapters. Basically, the zones limit how many spells a challenger has access to, in addition to suppressing the system's assistance with skills.

“Again!” my virtual trainer shouted as my opponent rushed to reclaim his staff.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I adapted to fighting without the system’s assistance. But after giving it so...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 35 - Sharing Information

“Before we do, there is something I want to talk to you about,” I said, motioning toward one of the sets of chairs placed strategically throughout the open area.

We headed toward the closest pair of chairs and sat down. I could have transported us back into my demesne for the conversation, but aside from saving a bit of time, I didn’t see the point. I could sense the privacy formations encircling each of the sitting areas.

“Is this about the conversation you had with the g...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 34 - A Deal with the Dungeon

The ants provided more experience than I expected, and it took me a moment to remember the floor’s welcome message had mentioned something about bonus experience based on the zone we were in.

As expected, the dungeon nerfed my ability to travel freely on the floor. As soon as I entered Zone Two, I lost the ability to open a portal directly to the Trading Pavilion.

It really wasn’t a big deal since I could still transport us to the portal through which we’d entered the zone. ...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 33 - An Unexpected Advantage

“Before you start crafting, you should probably put this on,” Kai said before handing me a familiar-looking ring.

“Isn’t Anya supposed to wear this until she reaches the pinnacle?” I asked as I took the experience-boosting ring Anya and I had earned together from his hand.

“She said to give it to you,” Kai replied with a shrug. “Since she’s already reached level ninety-seven, I figure she thought it would be better to pass it over early.”

“Ninety-seven!...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 32 - The Last Floor of the Dungeon

“If only I could progress as swiftly as you,” a dual Earth/Water Mage named Mikael sighed when I appeared at the Challenger’s Market.

I’d decided to leave through the primary portal instead of bothering with one of the bosses now that I’d reached Tier Ten. As an added bonus, leaving through the primary portal allowed me to say goodbye to the few acquaintances I’d regularly interacted with over the decades I’d spent on the ninth floor.

I wasn’t particularly close wi...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 31 - The Final Fight as a Tier Nine (plus a Mini-Interlude)

I teleported behind the massive wyvern, barely avoiding the corrosive spray of its breath attack. This wasn’t my first time fighting this boss, so the attack didn’t catch me off guard like it had the first time I’d fought the boss of the second zone.

Having prepared the technique in advance, I shot a beam of plasma created from Arcane mana at one of the boss’s weak points, where the thin membrane of its wing connected to the creature’s side. It was one of the non-spell ...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 30 - Another Primer

I was a little worried about how few waves I’d managed to complete. Failing during the sixth wave seemed like a poor performance, especially since I was used to finishing dozens of waves during trials.

The challengers I’d spoken with about this particular trial never gave details about how many waves they managed to complete, but I’d gotten the impression that it was more than a handful.

They’d also been pretty consistent with claiming that the fake ‘adventurers’ didn�...

PftA Book 5 - Chapter 29 - Town Defense

The ninth-floor trial’s challenge was a town defense scenario. Aside from the dungeon-spawned town members, some of whom could ostensibly provide a bit of assistance with the challenge, the setup wasn’t all that different from the wave trials I’d undergone on earlier floors.

In fact, making the challenge a town defense instead of a standard wave scenario made things more difficult since protection was a core part of the challenge.

[Protect the town and its people! 2025-08-10 01:06:02 +0000 UTC View Post