Percy limped over to the others as he dragged a corpse with each hand, his expression gloomy. He was glad he and Micky had won the fight without casualties, but it would have been better to avoid it entirely.
‘At some point, House Tantalus is going to notice their people are missing…’ he grimaced.
Of course, if they took good care of the bodies and reached the town by then, it shouldn’t be too easy to link the murders to them. Still, the resulting unrest woul...
2024-11-11 07:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
The soldier stabbed repeatedly with its stinger, trying to poke holes into Percy’s brain. Though the latter didn’t have much difficulty dodging.
‘I can’t believe I even missed the scent of their acid…’ he thought, sniffing the acrid odour, unbothered by the slight burning sensation in his nostrils.
Ok… perhaps he needed to get out of the lab more. Brewing nonstop was clearly driving him insane.
In any case, Percy had yet to summon any of his weapo...
2024-11-11 07:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
A few minutes earlier
Micky flew in a wide arc around the pale man, trying to figure out how to attack him. Using the annoying trick Percy had taught him, he made his heart beat faster, and his body glow yellow. He was a lot stronger like this!
Micky had really wanted to slap Percy when he first showed him how to do it, as it always made him really hungry afterwards. But Micky forgave Percy, as the trick allowed him to get even more food, so it was a good thing. T...
2024-11-10 07:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Percy tried – and failed – to get some more sleep following his clone’s return. His insomnia was largely a symptom of his stress. He couldn’t help but glance around the room every few seconds, fully expecting to see Metatron standing there, smirking at him.
Only when the sun rose did Percy finally shake off his rampant paranoia. Of course, logic had told him hours ago he’d most likely be alright, but it wasn’t until the warm rays snuck past the curtains, gently caressing his...
2024-11-10 07:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
As it turned out, the people Percy had previously faced weren’t exactly the best the Yellow grade had to offer. Neither the guy he had killed in the hunting grounds, nor the bandits seemed to hold a candle to the nobles from House Tantalus.
One of them had the earth affinity, but he used it much more skilfully than that other guy. Rather than wasting a ton of mana to form long stone javelins, he instead concentrated it into smaller projectiles like knives and needles. Percy initially ...
2024-11-09 07:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
The moment Percy was dragged out of Gabe’s body, and before he had the chance to pick up much speed, something strange happened.
BUMP
‘What the hell was that? Did I hit something, or did something else collide with me?’
It was weird because the only things he had ever interacted with in this disembodied state had been other souls. Plus, it had always been him running into them – if not intentionally then at least knowingly. Though he didn’t think much of i...
2024-11-09 07:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Percy… seat… all day…” Micky said.
“Sit.” Nesha corrected him.
“Sit.”
Bored as she had been over the last couple of weeks, the girl had volunteered to teach Micky how to speak. By now, the crow’s vocabulary had expanded greatly. Even his ability to vocalize much of it had grown shockingly well. The bird still struggled to form complete sentences, but he was learning faster than a human toddler would.
“Yeah, Percy is sitting all day, brewing e...
2024-11-08 07:01:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Gabe’s palms burned as the white sphere expanded between them. The dark blob rapidly took shape right below the duo, putting pressure on them to fuse their mana faster.
Naturally, they’d already abandoned all caution, willingly accepting the painful cost of the technique. Their eyeballs felt like they were melting in their sockets, the entire front side of their body peeling.
‘We need to time this right.’ Gabe said. ‘We’ll only get one shot.’
2024-11-08 07:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Swinging with as much strength as he could muster, Percy cut through the vine. At first, the blade slid right through the black growth, slicing it apart like butter. However, this was the thickest one he’d encountered by far. Consequently, the edge kept slowing down, before ultimately coming to a halt about halfway through its width.
“Shit…” Percy pulled, trying to pry the sword out of the tendril, ducking in the meantime to dodge its erratic lashes.
“Pull again!” Seng...
2024-11-07 07:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
As it so happened, the two sides weren’t evenly matched at all. Their numerical advantage aside, the villagers seemed to completely outclass the raiders in both skill and the quality of their weapons. Hell, even if their numbers were reversed, Percy was confident ‘his’ people wouldn’t have struggled much.
Within mere minutes, over half of the invaders were dead, gutted like fish by the sharp slashes of the villagers. At least, Percy had to give credit to the survivors as they sh...
2024-11-07 07:02:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
The sickening sound of their skull cracking never came. Gabe thought it might have already happened – too fast for them to register – but Percy had experienced enough deaths to be confident this wasn’t it.
Still, they held their breath, remaining motionless under the surface of the dark swamp, unsure whether the challenge had stopped in time, or whether the golem had simply lost track of them. It was most likely the former, but neither of the two was feeling brave enough to check....
2024-11-07 07:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Cube. Start the ‘gauntlet’ challenge. Green level. User ID: 004527945512.”
“Authorization granted. Starting ‘gauntlet’ challenge, Green level. The user has already cleared wave 5. Do you wish to resume at wave 6? WARNING: Wave 6 contains a far more powerful opponent.”
‘Are you ready for this?’ Gabe asked his guest.
Another month had passed since they first cleared the last wave, breaking Percy’s record for the longest-liv...
2024-11-07 07:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Percy watched the strange contraption grind the materials into fine powder. They swirled through the long metallic cylinder, its interior filled with steel teeth, rotating thanks to the heat from the furnace. It was actually ingenious how the locals harnessed the movement of the hot air to accomplish tasks otherwise impossible with brute strength alone.
‘I suppose we would have figured this out too, if we spent our whole lives stuck at Red...’
As for the materials Sen...
2024-11-06 07:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
___
Takeo Muramasa (Percival's clone)
Mana cores:
· [Mana core 1 – Red – ???]
· [Mana core 2 – Seed – ???]
Spells:
· [Parting Gift – Crude]
2024-11-06 07:02:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
‘Any progress with that book?’ Percy asked.
Another week had passed since their narrow victory against the fourth wave, though they had yet to challenge the fifth one. Acknowledging their inadequacy, they hadn’t been in a hurry to move on, taking their time to get stronger, as they fought against the same opponent again and again. Challenging a previously beaten wave didn’t reward any credits, but it was still good practice, letting them hone both their magic and t...
2024-11-06 07:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
Percy figured he’d been in the Vault for about a week, though keeping track of time was always difficult outside Remior.
It had only taken him a few days to clear enough mana channels to fill up his host’s second core. Piling onto the good news, the event had also gone down surprisingly smoothly. Sure, an elemental affinity wasn’t the flashiest one to have, but it was definitely more useful than pure mana. Also, activating the core did strengthen Gabe’s soul, causing the broken ...
2024-11-06 07:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Percy was a little bummed out by his latest venture. This was his first clone outside Remior in months, though luck hadn’t been on his side. He’d spent the entire trip looking for a suitable host, but all he’d found were crumbling souls that wouldn’t last a minute once he took over. In the end, he went with the least damaged option, though their grade left much to be desired. It was somewhere between a Red and an insect – which was a first for him.
‘Better than nothing, ...
2024-11-05 07:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Takeo… Don’t leave the village. It’s too dangerous.” Father said sternly.
But he wasn’t having it.
“This is exactly why we have to go! We can’t just wait here like cowards!”
Sengo reached for his son, but the boy shook the hand off his shoulder. Grabbing his father’s latest creation from a table, he bolted out of the room.
“Come back!” Sengo yelled, though his voice only grew more distant as the boy ran through the empty streets, his wooden san...
2024-11-05 07:02:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Evaluating request…”
‘Are you sure there is no other way?’ Gabe asked.
‘Hey, don’t complain! Tattoos might hide the core from Mana Sense, but people would still be able to see it through your skin. And you obviously can’t wear a shirt either due to your wings.’ Percy replied.
Before they could begin filling up Gabe’s second core, they needed to ensure it was concealed. Based on what Percy had come to learn abo...
2024-11-05 07:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
‘Experiments? What could gods possibly gain from us mortals?’ Percy raised an eyebrow.
‘Lots of things, actually.’ Gabe shrugged. ‘The most obvious benefit is getting more people to ascend to godhood, expanding their ranks.’
While the chances of any one child reaching divinity were laughably minuscule, it was ultimately a numbers game. Especially for immortal beings who could keep pumping out kids for millennia on end.
‘But t...
2024-11-05 07:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
“I look like a bandit…” Percy groaned, glancing down at his mismatched outfit. “You stink like one too.” Nesha said, pinching her nose as sh
“I look like a bandit…” Percy groaned, glancing down at his mismatched outfit.
“You stink like one too.” Nesha said, pinching her nose as she inched further away from him.
“Hey, remind me again… Who was it that took all my spare clothes?” Percy asked in a faux-offended tone.
But the girl just shrugged una...
2024-11-04 07:03:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Oversized fireballs and blasts of pressurized water rained upon Percy one after the other, keeping him on his toes. The surrounding patches
Oversized fireballs and blasts of pressurized water rained upon Percy one after the other, keeping him on his toes. The surrounding patches of grass had all been reduced to soggy cinders, his boots leaving dozens of prints as he danced along the soot and mud, dodging the apocalyptic storm of magic.
Had it been a single enemy, he wouldn’t ha...
2024-11-04 07:02:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
‘You mean I get to keep this after you’re gone?!’ Gabe asked.
‘I imagine so, assuming you survive. After all, it’s already taken root inside your body. Though it’s hard to say for sure. I’ve never come this far with one of my hosts.’ Percy replied.
Gabe frowned.
‘But I don’t feel any different.’
‘That’s because it’s still inactive. As soon as you fill it up for the first time, you’ll experience an a...
2024-11-04 07:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Multiple green symbols lit up underneath their feet. Together, they formed an intricate circle, woven out of the same script decorating the rest of the cube. Gazing up, Percy noticed a similar shape forming on the ceiling right above them, as a beautiful gem glistened in its centre.
It fell, flying through the air like a verdant droplet, before landing on their forehead. The liquid was cool to the touch, swiftly seeping into their skin. Percy felt an itch snaking down through their body...
2024-11-04 07:00:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
‘Percy!’
‘What is it?’ the young man asked, sensing the crow’s urgency through their bond.
Getting used to hearing actual words from Micky would take a while.
‘People…’
He sighed. They were bound to run into somebody sooner or later – it was the downside of travelling along a paved road. Especially one leading to a destination as popular as the Alchemists’ Guild. If anything, it was more surprising it had taken three days ...
2024-11-03 07:03:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Grandpa!! Why are they taking you?” Floria cried as the members of the Divine Root placed Bronn in handcuffs, escorting him out of the building. The man could free himself of course – if he wanted – but he didn’t seem to have any intention of resisting.
The girl just couldn’t understand how things had come to this. Hadn’t her grandpa been the one who came forward with the information the gods wanted? Why was he getting punished?! Panicking, she rushed behind...
2024-11-03 07:02:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
The blazing spell made a grating sound as it clashed with the golem’s fist, encountering far more resistance from the Green construct than it had from its lesser brethren. Percy felt a sharp ache in their back, the torque threatening to rip the ethereal wing to shreds. But it held somehow, digging into the material inch by inch, the dark metal slowly parting under the burning blade.
More ambient mana surged to repair the axe. Sadly, the same couldn’t be said about Gabe’s own...
2024-11-03 07:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
A strange gelatinous liquid oozed out of the walls, the black droplets of sludge pooling at their base.
Bulky appendages rose from the tar-like substance, before solidifying, making metallic groans as they pushed against the floor. An army of obsidian golems slowly took shape, pulling themselves out of the swamp, each of them as tall as a man. Their features became increasingly defined over time, a series of shallow indentations forming on their surface, before ultimately lighting up in...
2024-11-03 07:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
“What do you mean you can’t find anything?” Deimos’s voice boomed, the entire room shaking.
The idiot in his grip trembled as he was held by the collar, not even daring to blink as the spittle splashed all over his face.
“S-Sir, we’ve searched the settlement inside out. We’ve already interrogated all the registered alchemists too. Nobody knows anything about this Aurora Dew. Or well… at least nothing they’re willing to share.”
Deimos felt his blood freeze...
2024-11-02 06:36:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
The trio ran for hours until they felt safe enough to take a break. And even then, they only gave themselves a few minutes to catch their breath and rub some more dirt on, before resuming their journey until nightfall. Perhaps, the Green or Blue bugs could still track them down, but Percy guessed the queen wouldn’t bother sending her elites that far from the hive.
‘Do you see anything suspicious?’ he asked his familiar.
Ever since they exited the tunnel, he’d...
2024-11-02 06:34:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
