Arriving at Trogan’s eastern gate, Seth pulled his hood over his head and discreetly blended in with a group of commoners. It felt unwise to expect the guards not to be tempted by his bounty. Some people would probably even sell their family for such an amount of gold coins.
As Seth passed between the armored men, one of them caught sight of his face, raising an eyebrow. The cold sensation of behind Identified spread through Seth’s chest, then a smile spread on the guard’...
2025-09-22 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Got my commissioned cover back! (Artist: Beebros)
This week there will be two chapters on Friday since I felt the cliffhanger was a bit too cruel to leave you there for the weekend.
'Are you alright?' Nightmare asked, releasing the Barbarian’s arm.
"Yeah, I’m fine," Seth answered, kneeling down to grab the dead man’s Endless Pouch.
Throwing his consciousness inside, he assessed its content; there were numerous pieces of Warrior equipment, five Escape Scrolls, water, food, several enchanted shackles, three communication orbs and dozens of different resources, including seven Desert Lilies.
That’s probably the one he used while Rift D...
2025-09-19 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Seth's fists clenched tightly, and his muscles tensed as he stared at the Black Hounds' leader, standing just a few dozen feet away. 'Wait for the right moment to come out,' he said to Nightmare before casting Intermediate Identify.
Ronard
Class: Warrior Rank: 50 (High-Iron)
Subclass: Barbarian &nbs...
2025-09-17 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Staring down at the brown-and-amber egg, Seth swallowed the very little saliva left in his mouth. 'Do you think I should—'
'Yes,' Nightmare answered before he could finish. 'If the bird killed that thing’s mother, it must have been Silver.'
'What if it was killed by something else?'
The direwolf stepped closer, sniffing along the egg’s cracked surface where deep claw marks scared the shell. 'Those scavengers couldn’t break itâ€...
2025-09-15 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Seth dashed toward the colossal Desert Snake, switching Share's link to Shadow Step while channeling aether into his arm. There wasn't enough left in his Well for Phantom Punch, so hopefully a powerful unenhanced punch would be enough to draw the attention of that thing.
Running by his side, Nightmare cast Chains of Darkness, and almost instantly the spell’s shadowy wolf surged out of his maw, bolting forward and ensnaring the giant reptile in black tendrils. Yet the Desert S...
2025-09-12 04:05:00 +0000 UTC
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Seth, concealed by Illusionary Emptiness, stood on the crest of a large dune, a Detonating Bomb clenched in his hand and his eyes locked onto the two dozen giant Desert Snakes dancing not so far before him. Their colossal bodies glided in and out of the golden sand with a predatory grace, the red crystal encrusted in their head gleaming fiercely under the sunlight. Nightmare's voice rose from inside the teardrop necklace. 'That’s a terrible idea.'
S...
2025-09-10 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Shit.
Seth's hands curled into fists, his knuckles whitening as he watched the horde of hyena-like beasts kicking and slashing Selena, who curled in a fetal position to shield herself. Then, a low growl rumbled through the crowd, and a massive Gnoll lumbered forward to approach the Rogue.
All the humanoid beasts gave space to the imposing figure, lowering their heads in respect and fear. It towered over them by at least a foot, its bulky frame rippling with muscl...
2025-09-08 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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After telling Seth about Selena, the bearded prisoner and Theodora activated their Escape scrolls and vanished into wisps of aether, leaving Seth alone in the cell. As he turned around and stepped out, Nightmare threw two dull, gray beaststones at his feet.
Seth's gaze briefly landed on the mangled carcasses of the Guardian and Artificer, then moved to the horizon, where Gnolls were converging from all directions, some climbing the jagged, rust-eaten debris of the building he had colla...
2025-09-05 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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As the first light of dawn painted the Desert of Misery's sky with gold and red streaks, Seth readied himself. Tightening the straps of his combat gauntlets, he could feel his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. For the past ten minutes, haunting visions of all the captives getting slaughtered by the Lancer Fishlord a month and a half ago kept surging vividly in his mind.
'Stop being so tense,' Nightmare said beside him. 'Things will be different this time. We’re str...
2025-09-03 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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"As if I'd let you get away!"
Seth's voice thundered across the desert expanse as he sprung out of the boulder’s shadow and charged toward the Gnoll Barbarian. He had felt it—the moment the beast's eyes had shifted back to their regular yellowish color, its speed, and strength had faltered, along with its once impenetrable defense. Its skin and muscles, previously hard as stone, had begun to yield under his punches.
It was now time to hit. And hard.
As Seth closed the di...
2025-09-01 04:05:02 +0000 UTC
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Seth's muscles tensed and coiled like springs as he activated his Protecting Belt, aether swirling around him to form a shimmering blue layer. His core erupted in his chest, flooding every fiber of his body with torrents of its mysterious energy—it was time to thrive.
Pushing aether into Huntbound Rush’s and Dark Shocking Strike’s grooves, Seth spun around, charged, and closed the gap with the Gnoll Barbarian in a heartbeat. The hulking beast cackled and swung its right ax, aiming...
2025-08-29 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Seth cautiously navigated through the desert, staying in the shadow of the giant rocks whenever possible. For now, he’d decided to keep Shadow Step as his available spell, but depending on how challenging it was to conceal himself, he would link back Share to Illusionary Emptiness instead. He still had Professor Reat's pocket watch, but the twenty-minute duration was far from ideal.
'There are two ahead,' Nightmare said, already invisible.
Squin...
2025-08-27 04:05:02 +0000 UTC
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I got a few comments about the bonus attributes on Royal Road, and decided to do a poll to see which of the two people preferred. I'll do the same here. It doesn't change the story, outside of having to add a few sentences in early chapter to show that other people only see the base attributes and not the total.
(Got also a few person who wanted to show progress since the previous time when Seth Identify himself, but I don't think it would make sense with how Identify read the current a...
2025-08-25 04:08:02 +0000 UTC
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Orwen moved toward Seth, his hand reaching out and grasping his shoulders. "Can I—"
"Easy, Orwen," Professor Reat intervened. "Let's not squash my candidate, please."
"Alright, alright," he answered, slightly releasing his hold slightly on Seth. "Any chance I could talk to your father? Maybe get some pointers?"
People don't know, Seth thought, his expression darkening. "Sorry uh, my father is dead. He fled Draeria and settled here, but a noble sold him out,...
2025-08-25 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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As they left the coliseum, Seth, Elena, Devus, and Jenna walked along a cobblestone path winding through the academy's garden. The colorful flowers, the vibrant trees, and the neatly trimmed hedges on both sides were even more striking under the setting sun's glow.
Devus shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're up against Lucius in the next round. That's going to be tough."
Jenna nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good luck with that prick's high-quality spell...
2025-08-22 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Seth strode through the dimly lit corridor leading to the arena, putting on his combat gauntlets and tightening their inner straps. His hands curled into fists, knuckles turning white, the skin stretched to its limit. Always the damn Faertis. The information Devus had just shared with him still lingered in his mind and fueled him with intractable anger.
Lucius' three cousins—in their second and third years—had also shown a sudden Rank growth. But for them, it wasn’...
2025-08-20 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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'Do you still think that was a good idea?' Seth asked, still lying on the ground, trying to catch his breath.
'We could’ve won,' Nightmare muttered with a low growl, his ribcage gulping up and down. 'It got a hit in on me for free at the start.'
Seth blinked and lifted his head from the ground, unsure at first that he’d heard the Nightmare correctly. That’s unexpected.
The direwolf never usually admitted a mistake or show...
2025-08-18 04:05:02 +0000 UTC
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Seth sat in the library, surrounded by the mountain of books Elena had brought over. While Jenna and Devus were watching that day’s fights at the coliseum, he was stuck here on a Sunday wading through pages of history and archaic theories he doubted he’d ever use.
Since he only had one fight per week, the tournament stretching out to eleven weeks, Seth had plenty of downtime between the classes and matches—but this was not how he wanted to spend it. He had no intention of jo...
2025-08-15 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Seth hurried out of the changing room, his footsteps echoing in the corridor as he cursed under his breath for chatting too much with Yline and Toren. Over his gray academy uniform—his best armor—he now sported his new combat gauntlets. The weight on his wrists was noticeable, but not enough to hinder his movements.
'You should’ve kept the daggers, just in case,' Nightmare grumbled from within his necklace. 'I won't be able to save your ass if you're in trouble...
2025-08-13 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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As the night caravan came to a stop, Seth stepped out and stretched his limbs, the cool early-morning air of Trogan enveloping him. He adjusted his cloak to be sure to conceal all three of the Black Hound's pouches strapped underneath, then set off toward the Adventurers Guild’s outpost. The streets were quiet, and only the faintest traces of dawn painted the sky.
Seth intended to sell his beaststones to Celine before heading to the academy for his selection match. For t...
2025-08-11 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Perched atop a building, Seth kept a watchful eye on the bustling request office of Arthuri below. Nestled in the heart of the city, the small structure was teeming with citizens seeking help and Wielders offering their services. He had been observing the comings and goings for hours, the sun now dipping below the horizon and leaving the sky to the twin moons.
'This is a waste of time,' Nightmare muttered inside the teardrops’ necklace. 'We should just go.'
...
2025-08-08 04:05:02 +0000 UTC
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Seth's boots crunched against the rocks of the road leading to Renwal's blacksmith as his heart still pounded in his chest. A freaking Legendary spell… he mumbled inwardly. Even the academy's shop didn't have any of those.
Glancing down at his hand, he cast Identify to see how much more Strength and Arcane power he needed to be able to learn Phantom Punch.
Seth
&nb...
2025-08-06 04:05:00 +0000 UTC
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Wearing his leather armor instead of his academy's uniform, Seth ran down the dirt road with Nightmare beside him. Seth’s Endless Pouch was firmly secured to his belt’s side while the Black Hounds’ bags were at the back, hidden beneath his dark green cloak—carrying three at the same time would raise too many questions.
'Don't complain later if they find out we killed two of their members and leave the city before we come back,' Nightmare muttered beside him, fading into...
2025-08-04 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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The evening was cool and crisp as Seth stumbled out of the Rift, the sun barely visible on the distant horizon. Hand on his dagger’s handle, he scanned the surroundings, especially the long shadow behind the massive rocks, yet found no sign of other members of the Black Hounds.
I’ve got probably a day or two before anyone realizes they’re dead, he thought while setting off toward Arthuri, Nightmare still within the teardrop necklace. After taking care of them… I’l...
2025-08-01 04:05:02 +0000 UTC
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Seth withdrew into Illusionary Emptiness and started feeding aether into Fog Shroud's grooves, all while keeping his eyes on the colossal Fishlord Lancer.
'We can't face him head-on,' Seth said, moving away from the prisoners. 'Especially not with all these Fishlords around.'
A collective murmur rippled through the crowd of enemies, and the three-finned leader lunged forward, thrusting his strident toward where Seth had been seconds before. A blast of wate...
2025-07-30 04:05:03 +0000 UTC
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'Those bastards make me sick,' Seth hissed, blood boiling in his veins. 'Selling humans to the Fishlords.'
'What’s the plan?' Nightmare said, his crimson eyes fixed on the duo.
The blond Elementalist's cries and screams still echoed in Seth's mind. The youngster was Rank 13. He must’ve known Rifts were dangerous, so he’d trusted these two to keep him safe. And they’d sold him out like damn livestock.
'We kill them,' Se...
2025-07-28 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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The three-finned Fishlord suddenly grabbed the blond youngster from the line of prisoners and, with its fang-like knife, sliced both of his ankle tendons. The adventurer let out a gut-wrenching scream, yet without seeming to care about the Elementalist’s reaction, the giant humanoid creature tossed him into the circle, right in front of the small Fishlord.
Seth's throat constricted, and his blood threatened to boil over. Taking slow, measured breath, he restrained himself from ...
2025-07-25 04:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Seth quickly looked down at his hand and cast Identify.
Seth
Class: Primalist Rank: 21 (Low-Iron)
Subclass: Beastmaster
Core: Feral Instinct
Strength: 58 (+7) Arcane Power: 52 ...
2025-07-23 04:05:02 +0000 UTC
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Seth was seated cross-legged by the extinguished campfire as the rising sun crested the horizon, a skewer of roasted fish in his hand and Nightmare lounging on the ground beside him. Minutes earlier he had put out the fire, reducing it to smoldering embers to avoid drawing unwanted attention. Over the past ten days, they had learned that smoke was a beacon to curious Fishlords—especially during daylight, when the protective cover of mist was absent. The first time they’d bee...
2025-07-21 04:08:01 +0000 UTC
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