L.E. Miranda

SSR - Chapter 38: Build-up (2)

Sitting on the edge of his bed with his legs crossed, Rylan closed his eyes. Behind him, standing up, Gerard touched his back. Instead of circulating his mana as he usually did, he let it flow through his body as if he were about to cast Magic Missile, the only spell he knew. After some time, Gerard pulled away and spoke.

“You’re still some distance away from the Second Circle. However, something’s off. I’ve never seen a Circle like yours; it isn’t just an ordinary First Circl...

SSR - Chapter 36: A Gentlemen's Agreement (2)

The blade had aimed straight for Evenon’s throat. Unshaken by the collision, Rylan pulled the blade back and grabbed the hilt with both hands. Evenon had no time to think about how the boy was moving so quickly or about the power behind the thrust.

A slash fell upon his Shield as the well-honed edge dragged itself across it, seeking to pierce through it. The room’s guards shot Magic Missiles at Rylan, who effortlessly dodged them as if he had eyes on the back of his head. Once again...

SSR - Chapter 37: Build-up (1)

On his way to the Flameheart estate, Rylan seriously contemplated this. Roland had killed far too many people for him to be averse to the idea. Evenon was an opportunistic parasite that leeched off the young and the lost. He offered them a severe addiction or even actively ruined their lives in exchange for money. Most of his customers weren’t like Rylan’s past self; they only sought comfort, a way to escape reality, or just to have fun, and Evenon bled them dry for everything they were w...

SSR - Chapter 29: Culmination and Hunt (1)

Rylan adjusted the sword on his waist, looking at the group of seven soldiers before him. Jack, Scott, Daniel, and Raniel were among them. The soldiers talked among themselves. Behind him, Sarah stood silently. He glanced at the System notifications floating in front of him, wiping the sweat on his brow.

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Endurance has increased by 1.]

Just like usual, it was gratifying to make progress. With a grin, he dismiss...

SSR - Chapter 27: Spar (2)

Rylan readied himself. To prevail, he would need to mix and match different sword styles. As he could only use a single Sword Art before running out of energy, he would need to save it for the best moment.

Now that Father is using dual casting, he’ll keep his Shield up at all times.

There was no way to inflict damage without piercing through the omnidirectional shield; at the same time, it meant that he didn’t need to worry about injuring his father. Even if he got th...

SSR - Chapter 35: A Gentlemen's Agreement (1)

Silence reigned for a few seconds.

Evenon’s objective was simple: he knew that the past Rylan wouldn’t have any reason to refuse this. Even if the soldiers had already returned to the estate and talked to Gerard, he still wouldn’t have cared. Rylan lived for each and every hit; that was all. All else came after.

Rylan moved his eyes, looking at Evenon. There was a mysterious edge to his gaze that Evenon couldn’t identify.

“Do you expect me to go back to the estate ...

SSR - Chapter 34: Culmination and Hunt (6)

Evenon drummed his fingers on the desk. In front of him, two guards stood by the door, one on each side, unmoving. Only the sound of his fingers against the wood resounded. Ever faster, ever louder. Slowly, he frowned. The desire to Whisper to the messenger surged, but he knew he needed to stay calm. It felt as if time were passing by more slowly.  

The minutes ticked by. He looked at the staff on the left side of the room, analyzing it carefully. He never got tired of looking at i...

SSR - Chapter 28: Suspicion

Evenon looked at the bowing man in front of him with a heavy frown. He spoke.

“Are you certain?”

His voice carried a clear edge. The bowing subordinate trembled.

“Y-Yes, boss.”

Silence. Evenon looked at the ceiling.

“You can go.”

The man bowed repeatedly before virtually running out of the room.

How did this happen?

The contents of the message were simple. The City Guard had managed to discover and raid two more dealing spot...

SSR - Chapter 33: Culmination and Hunt (5)

Rylan opened his Status Window.

Status Window

Name: Rylan Flameheart

Level: 17

Race: Human (F)

Class: Mage

Profession: none.

Trait: Weak-willed

Stats

Strength: 23

Agility: 26

Endurance: 29

Body: 24

Intelligence: 39

Wisdom: 31

Free Points: 16

Active Skills

Magic Missile (F), Stormcaller Sword Style (S), Mountainpeak Swordsmanship ...

SSR - Chapter 32: Culmination and Hunt (4)

Rylan’s biggest priority was keeping the troll from aiming for the soldiers. Using the Falling Snow Steps, he kept circling the troll and attacking, without committing too much to any blow.

It’s fast, but only when compared to the other troll.

It couldn’t catch up to his speed when using the Steps. The creature crouched and buried its left hand in the ground, filling it with earth. Rylan blinked, jumping to the right as the troll’s left arm tensed up. The monster ...

SSR - Chapter 30: Culmination and Hunt (2)

In an instant, Rylan evaluated the other party. The speaker was a man of average height and build, wearing light leather armor and a cloak. There was no hood to hide his face or unusual clothing, which actually made him appear inconspicuous. Above all, it was a face that Rylan recognized.

He resisted the urge to smile. As expected, Evenon wasn’t willing for him to return from the quest. The subordinate glanced at the soldiers, who had turned towards him. Rylan waved his hand and spoke...

SSR - Chapter 31: Culmination and Hunt (3)

Rylan dashed towards the enemy, unwilling to let it get too close to the soldiers before he knew what it was capable of. The distance between the two was narrowed by the second. The moment he got within two meters of the troll, it raised its right arm, claws glinting against the rays of sunlight that pierced through the canopies. Rylan reacted.

Falling Snow Steps: Drifting.

His speed rose suddenly. Lightly stepping to the side and tilting his body without losing his balance in the...

SSR - Chapter 25: Tightening the Noose (5)

Rylan raised an eyebrow.

“He wants me to meet him in the main room?”

“Yes.”

He had kept track of time. It had been around an hour since he started his meditation. It was possible that the Vaard family’s envoy hadn’t left yet; if that was the case, it meant that Rylan was at least somewhat related to this. At the very least, the envoy might be trying to ask him for information.

Either way, I’m going to find out when I get there.

He stood up ...

SSR - Chapter 21: Tightening the Noose (1)

Calan Vaard breathed in the fresh air as he opened the windows of his study room. There was no better way to start the day. With a smile on his face, he looked at the scenery outside.

A beautiful garden spread out. Red, yellow, and white flowers joined one another to create a harmonic picture. Tall trees extended themselves towards the sky, their green leaves shaking gently in the breeze. The scent of flowers filled the room. Calan took another deep breath. Then, he turned around and sa...

SSR - Chapter 24: Tightening the Noose (4)

His brother blinked and then frowned. Rylan continued.

“In a world like this, we need power to protect ourselves and what we treasure. I’m already working on strengthening myself and the soldiers,” His tone was firm, “But you need to make use of your talent.”

Aelfric scoffed.

“What talent? I’ve never been capable of doing anything right.”

“You say that and yet, even though we spent most of our time sinking deeper into drugs and whores, you’re still ...

SSR - Chapter 22: Tightening the Noose (2)

Rylan sat on his bed, shirtless and alone. His deep breathing carried a certain rhythm. All of his attention was focused on the whirlpool of mana revolving around his Mana Core. Mana flowed into it from the atmosphere, at a much faster pace than before. However, there was no need to feel proud of his progress. Based on Roland’s standards, he was still a long way from becoming adequate.

As the mana unceasingly flowed into him and joined the whirlpool, he felt himself getting stronger, ...

SSR - Chapter 20: The Truth

Rylan quickly walked through the halls of the mansion, reaching the study in the center. He entered. His father was staring at the garden through the room’s sole window. Rylan inched closer, appreciating the sight of the orange and red flowers drifting in the wind. Neither of them said anything for some time.

Gerard turned to him with an inscrutable expression.

“Who are you?”

Rylan bowed his head. His father continued.

“You’re not the same person as before. I...

SSR - Chapter 23: Tightening the Noose (3)

It was almost completely dark. Under the dim candlelight, he walked up to the bed. Aelfric lay on it, staring at the ceiling. He turned to Rylan, dark circles under his eyes. His clothes were damp with sweat. His expression changed as he looked at Rylan. He extended his hand; it was shaking. Rylan gladly took it into his own. He spoke in a soothing, tender tone.

“Brother.”

Aelfric’s expression collapsed. Tears streamed from his eyes.

“Rylan it’s so… So hard…”...

SSR - Chapter 26: Spar (1)

Behind the Flameheart mansion, surrounded by red and orange flowers, in the middle of a large clearing, Rylan and Gerard stood. The leaves of the nearby trees rustled in the breeze, as a few of them freed themselves and fluttered in the wind. The atmosphere around the clearing was peaceful, but Rylan knew that this was merely the calm before the storm. Around ten meters in front of him, his father spoke loudly.

“Are you sure about this?”

He nodded.

“Yes. As I told you,...

SSR Chapter 16 - Improving and Adapting (2)

Rylan unsheathed his sword and looked at the blade as the sun shone down on it. With an approving nod, he turned to the soldiers. They had finished putting away the spears and were all looking at him, including Jack. He let them organize themselves before walking to the forefront. Jack joined the crowd with expectant eyes. Rylan spoke.

“I’ll continue teaching all of you the basics.”

This was the arrangement they had come to after a couple of days. After his match with Jack, ...

SSR - Chapter 19: Improving and Adapting (5)

Rylan withstood the persistent gazes as he entered the Adventurer’s Guild, carrying the hobgoblin’s head. He walked to the counter and placed the head over it, not caring about the fact that it was still bleeding. The brown-skinned, bearded man stared at it before shifting his gaze towards Rylan. It was as if he were looking at a beast of legend. Rylan heard the whispers.

“There’s no way he really killed that hobgoblin, right?”

“I don’t get it. What is he trying to d...

SSR - Chapter 17: Improving and Adapting (3)

On the way to their destination, Rylan mentally organized all the information he had about goblins and hobgoblins. It wasn’t much, which was why he kept asking Sarah questions about them. She answered every question calmly. After nearly half an hour of questioning and thinking, he came to a conclusion.

It’s possible.

He was prepared to retreat at any point. With mana empowerment active, he should be able to almost match the physical capabilities of the hobgoblin, give...

SSR - Chapter 18: Improving and Adapting (4)

The man was thin and of average height, with long brown hair and small eyes. His expression had contorted into a smile. Yet, Rylan could still see the shock hidden beneath it. Slowly, the man clapped.

“As expected of the young master. To think you could kill three goblins so easily. I’m amazed.”

Rylan ignored the man’s words, focusing on analyzing the rest of the man’s group.

They were in the Guild when we arrived.

He was certain that he and the sold...

SSR Chapter 12 - The Mire (4)

Rylan left the room and narrowed his eyes. Robert and Sarah waited for him side by side; he wore a strange smile, while she merely looked at Rylan with a slightly furrowed brow. Robert bowed in an exaggerated motion.

“I’m sure your discussion was very fruitful, Master! Please, allow me to lead you to your destination!”

Sarah frowned while Rylan stepped forward, grabbed the man’s shoulder, and leaned in. Once his mouth was almost against Robert’s ear, he growled in a low ...

SSR Chapter 13 - The Mire (5)

Rylan wore a slimy smile as he waded through the streets. Behind his smirking expression, however, there was a Sword Saint. He accurately grasped his environment, taking note of all the alleys and nooks where an attack could come from. Every person that crossed him was carefully studied. Of course, not many did.

They avoided him like the plague. People walked away from his side of the sidewalk, none of them meeting his eyes. Women with children pulled them away, hastening their steps. L...

SSR Chapter 14 - The Mire (6)

Evenon waited for his subordinate’s report to finish with a smile on his face. He nodded.

“You can go.”

The man bowed and left the room. The report’s contents had been simple: Rylan Flameheart had arrived and was seeking Evenon personally. There was nothing strange about it; this happened enough times that Evenon had long lost count. It only had one meaning: money.

A lot of it.

At his core, Evenon was a businessman. There was no reason for him to rejec...

SSR Chapter 15 - Improving and Adapting (1)

The Mages blinked, then bowed slightly and opened the gate. Rylan let out a sigh as he walked through them, circulating his mana out of habit. He was now in the family’s garden. The red and orange flowers fluttered in the breeze under the moonlight, creating the illusion that the garden was on fire. It was a welcome change from the fires of war in Roland’s memories. For a few seconds, he stopped in place, merely looking at the garden.

Calm down.

Keeping one’s cool w...

SSR - Chapter 11: The Mire (3)

Rylan breathed deeply as he returned to his room from the soldiers’ morning training session. There would be another one in the afternoon, but it was still too early to push his body so far. He opened the door to his bedroom, looking at the food on the table. It was in accordance with his new diet. He smiled. Behind him, Sarah walked in as he sat down. He spoke.

“I’ll make sure they add enough food for you, too.”

Watching someone eat when one couldn’t do the same was pai...

Apologies for no chapter today.

As the title says, I won't be able to post a chapter today. That does not mean, however, that this chapter won't be accounted for. This week I'll have more time to write, so I think I'll be able to increase the backlog and the number of chapters offered. My new story is going to launch soon, too. I apologize once again for the inconvenience.

Best regards,
L.E. Miranda. 

B2 Chapter 16: The Consumed Territory (6)

Michael’s Dragonheart galloped within his chest, but his Constitution was high enough to harness its power without letting even a sliver go to waste. His movements and chanting became faster, improving his casting speed. He tried to make the Waves as large as possible, seeking to hit enemies that he couldn’t see.

As his concentration hit its very limits, it was as if the Waves were an extension of his body. He could feel the Curse holding them back, slowing them down and weakening t...