“Done,” I said, signing another waiver before I started resistance training this morning. Healer Melon had checked everything as well and signed as my current guardian.
“Alright, come on to the resistance training chamber. We have come a long way from the days of the Eldarin Empire and have reworked one of their more sinister inventions,” Thoron said.
“That is a soul compressor,” Healer Melon said with a frown as we walked into the room.
“While it looks like a ...
2025-09-09 19:42:02 +0000 UTC
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After looking at the map in City Hall, the highest concentration of offered services for skill tutoring was Thoron’s Training. After asking a nearby dwarf we were told it was partnered with the College of Advancement and had the most comprehensive training and preparatory entry program possible.
This was why I had come to the city. We chose to walk there. There was one minor collision between magical carriages on the way there. They didn’t even come to a stop but sped up. I would la...
2025-09-09 19:41:20 +0000 UTC
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“Raise,” I said and pushed out 10 copper.
“Call and swap,” Dustin replied. We then pushed in our ante of 1 copper for the final round and revealed.
“Triple Peak,” he said with a smile.
“Dual Core,” I replied as he scooped up the main pot and then recorded our scores for that round.
“I believe that is round 100, good match,” Dustin said.
“Good match,” I replied as he won a silver coin off me for winning the main tournament between us. I had...
2025-09-09 19:40:31 +0000 UTC
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PulseStrike: A High-Intensity Gambling Card Game
Overview
PulseStrike is a fast-paced, high-stakes card game for 2–8 players using a 100-card deck with unique values 1–100. Players wager chips to build dynamic "Pulse Chains" through aggressive bidding and tactical card plays, aiming to outscore or outmaneuver opponents. Games last 15–30 minutes.
Deck Composition
100 Cards: Each card has a unique ...
2025-09-09 19:39:37 +0000 UTC
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“Express magical carriage to Undercraft City!” an attendant called out. I made my way over with Healer Melon, each of us carrying a pack. My spatial pouch was at my side, but I didn’t want to be seen using it in the open. Hence the reason for my pack. The magical carriage was massive, the size of a small house.
“Two, gold class,” Healer Melon said and handed over our tickets. There was no platinum class. At that point it would have been private transportation.
“Welcome...
2025-09-09 19:38:38 +0000 UTC
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“All teams are in place along with scouts to report disturbances. Interceptions have picked up,” Joker Seven reported.
“We are all set on the outflow canal. Explosives are being put into place at the mouth,” Quant Z stated in the command center. We were personally located where the water from the Mineral Springs would flow into the Black Swamp.
Two minutes went by, and I thought I heard an explosion in the distance. It was hard to say. “Outflow good. Defensive teams are ...
2025-09-08 23:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Level: 1 Experience: BLOCKED
Healing: 390/390 Stamina: 400/400 Mana: 230/230
Class: Tier 0, Child(Blue)
Effect: Increased Skill Acquisition(+10%), Increased Learning Speed(+10%), Increased Stat Gain(+10%), Increased Physical Gain(+10%), Increased Mental Gain(+10%)
Vitality: 39 (+4)
Endurance: 40 (+6)
Strength: 32 (+3)
Agility: 38 (+6)
Perception: 29 (+5)
Mind: 84 (+20)
Magic: 23 (+3)
Focus: 41 (+6)
Free Points: 0
Tier 1(21)(10+): Light Armor(...
2025-09-08 21:57:56 +0000 UTC
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“Half a centimeter higher on that swing. You should take a slightly greater step to the right to set yourself up better for your next movement. Increase the rate of your breathing slightly, then decrease it with the flow of combat. Tighten up your dagger throws, predict the flow of combat, your aim is poor. Adjust it.”
As I fought the horde of humanoid bear creatures on the 8th layer, my mother kept up a running commentary of things I needed to correct. I had been down here with her...
2025-09-08 21:54:28 +0000 UTC
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The Mathemancer
I knocked on the door of an old friend. I hadn’t come to visit in a long time. But the younger generation was stirring things up and it would be good to chat once more. The door opened and his glowing white eyes looked at me.
“Still alive you math head? Come in, I have a new blend of tea some young elf legend brought down,” The Librarian said as he let me enter his home in the Last Bastion.
“Thank you. I was feeling a bit lonely and w...
2025-09-08 21:53:54 +0000 UTC
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“That is why when facing ratlings, you should account for swarm tactics. In addition…” she trailed off. She never did that. I looked up from my cleaning as my mother drew her sword and turned to face a tunnel.
“Stay behind me. Healer Melon, go stand next to my son,” my mother said. He didn’t hesitate and ran over to me. I picked up my sword and stood ready. “If I say run, you will run down that tunnel, staying together. Don’t slow down, no matter what. This shouldn’t c...
2025-09-08 21:53:18 +0000 UTC
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We all advanced into the fortress. The guards bowing deeply towards my mother, not even daring to question her. We reached the spiral staircase down into the depths, the three of us. My mother, Healer Melon, and myself.
My mother took the lead, and I followed her with Healer Melon in the back of our group. Coming up the stairs were three faces I didn’t expect to see ever again. Alf, Rand, and Kar. The three young adventurers who had hitched a ride on my pass to the dungeon all those m...
2025-09-07 23:06:04 +0000 UTC
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“Have you procured the necessary supplies, Healer Melon?” my mother asked the middle-aged man who was completely bald. His head glinted in the light of the courtyard he was standing in with a lot of crates. His head looked like a shiny egg.
“I have, Supreme Warlady. But you expect me to be using my skills constantly?” he asked.
“Yes. The training will be relentless. I need to see to some final preparations. Son, you get into your armor. We will depart into the dungeon th...
2025-09-07 23:05:01 +0000 UTC
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“Welcome Supreme Warlady Elena,” the Master Blacksmith said while bowing deeply.
“Let us see your work Master Blacksmith Verox,” she declared.
“Of course, right here,” he went over to a counter and pulled away a piece of cloth. A sword inside of sheathe was resting on a wooden stand. My mother looked over it and then gestured to me to pick it up. I grabbed the gold inlaid sheath and hilt before freeing the sword.
“The Dungeon metal was decent. Not the best of c...
2025-09-07 23:03:01 +0000 UTC
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My mother called the attendants back in and we enjoyed the spa day quietly together. She didn’t say anything else, but the day felt ruined. Once it was over, she brought me to her suite at the top of the most expensive inn. She sent me to bed that night while I stewed in my own thoughts.
Was I weak? Was it so wrong to relax a bit? The fights on the 3rd layer were hard enough. I didn’t want to trap myself on the 4th layer. It was just a standard safety concern. But to become a suprem...
2025-09-07 23:02:02 +0000 UTC
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“Clarissa, good to see you,” I greeted her as we both descended from our respective airships.
“Michael, better looking Michael,” she greeted both of us.
“Ah, you wound me,” I replied while putting my hands over my heart.
“Looking good Clarissa. Nice airship,” Young Michael said, ignoring my antics. It was a large airship, bigger than ours. But that was fine, I didn’t need a large airship.
“Thanks. Keeping things mobile to help manage the situation i...
2025-09-07 23:01:04 +0000 UTC
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“Oh, they have an airship port already,” I replied looking at Purgatory. There were no docked airships, but the tall tower jutting above all the other buildings near the plaza was unmistakable. That brought back memories, of leaping off the tower and fighting the Ritualist. Naran had been a good teammate. I looked at Young Michael’s back, I had another good teammate.
“Shall I dock?” he asked.
“Yes. Since they built a place to dock, we will be polite. No need to make a ...
2025-09-07 23:00:08 +0000 UTC
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“What’s the count?” I asked Young Michael. This was the going to be our last day tower grinding. It was time to return to civilization and get some more stat points, specifically Regeneration.
“A new high, 1,068 level 7 point crystals,” Young Michael said. I wrote down the number in a log book with a smile. “Did you dip below a third?” he asked.
“No. I just got better. Emperor Michael, monster slayer.”
“You mean more like kiting and positioning. I watch y...
2025-09-06 23:01:01 +0000 UTC
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“Retreat!” I called out loudly so that Young Michael would know when to fall back. We had learned the hard way, that it was much different collecting crystals in an active battle zone with a tower to a zone that had already been cleared.
I was plummeting towards the ground, that way the flying monsters wouldn’t spawn anymore. Young Michael was already running and flying towards our airship in the distance. Once I landed at the base of the tower, I began retreating and wiping out t...
2025-09-06 23:00:06 +0000 UTC
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“Plate,” the guard on duty asked. I handed over my copper adventurer plate. “You go down here?”
“Yes, about three months ago. Also found these plates from lost equipment,” I said and handed over other plates.
“Found, you Justin, solo copper. Thank you for bringing back plates. You are free to go,” the guard said after checking the log book. There was no reward for turning in plates, it was just a considerate thing to do. Higher ranked adventurers were deemed to be ...
2025-09-06 22:53:41 +0000 UTC
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I looked at the vine trellis that was the passage back up to the 2nd layer. “Plants,” I muttered. I had some experience with plants from my time with Squire Jessica and they were a massive headache. I preferred to avoid them if possible.
It was just that finding this passage up had taken far too long. Even with my Depth Sense, it was much easier feeling out the next passage down, rather than the passage up. And they could be next to each other, or far apart. They just couldn’t be ...
2025-09-06 22:53:02 +0000 UTC
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I eventually passed out and when I woke up, I was feeling a lot better. I didn’t want to pass out like this, but my body felt miserable. With no threat nearby, I could only drift off to sleep.
That soul attack was definitely a move of last resort. Since I had been left with a crippling weakness afterwards. A soul was not meant to be used as a weapon. I wondered if I had gotten a skill, and it felt like I had. But I didn’t use it again.
I needed to get advice from my mother or ...
2025-09-06 22:52:27 +0000 UTC
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My Shadow Vision caught a bug like monster scurry out of the hole. It was hard to properly see, blending in with the background. I quickly backed away and drew my sword. The bug like monster was shaped like half a sphere, with a shell and lots of tiny legs, about the size of my head. It had barely fit through the hole I had made in the wall.
Despite its small size, I could see a tremendous amount of Mana coming off of the monster and my Danger Sense was practically screaming at me. This...
2025-09-06 22:51:48 +0000 UTC
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“Real name, Samantha Heraldson, in game name, Clara Smiles,” I said while looking at the woman in front of me.
“If the name is a problem, I can create a new character if that is necessary,” the older woman stated. I shook my head.
“I will be sticking with Clara if that is okay, in game?” I asked and she nodded. “Your resume is incredibly impressive, and you were one of the early entrants into Exponential. Level 45, is that accurate?” I asked.
“Level 46 now,...
2025-09-05 23:00:01 +0000 UTC
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This was going to be a hard fight. The minotaur had a large club in one hand and based on its appearance had a high Strength stat. Its longer reach would make it a pain to fight. There were no traps or other monsters in the large chamber, but there were thick stone pillars with magical torches on their sides.
The dungeon did have a sense for dramatics adding in light like this for the Champion’s chamber. A bow would work best and then switching to my sword. My shield would be useless....
2025-09-05 22:51:02 +0000 UTC
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Lord Darren, Husband of Supreme Warlady Elena
“Here,” I said and placed the container in front of my wife. My only wife. My first wife had divorced me when I had been stripped of my title. She wouldn’t be making it home. There would be some unexpected bandits. I did not take betrayal lightly and it was time to sweep the board clean of unsightly individuals. Elena opened the container and looked inside.
“I thought you would have killed yourself. With how we...
2025-09-05 22:49:30 +0000 UTC
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I had been overly concerned. Compared to the first time I was down here with Jessica, things were incredibly easy, but I didn’t allow myself to get complacent. I just stopped worrying so much.
Also, I really wanted the Clean spell. There were water sources in the dungeon that I could use to clean myself, but having a spell do everything was so much nicer. Even the nurses at the Five Star Institute of Healing had the skill.
The chamber in front of me held the passage to ...
2025-09-05 22:43:43 +0000 UTC
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I slept with my pack and sword in my arms. I didn’t trust the other people in the bunkhouse with all my gear. No one said anything. The sheets were clean but had a faint smell to them. The mattress had some lumps.
But I had endured hardship before. I would survive. It was paradise compared to the hard dungeon floors. The following morning I had breakfast and waited in the common room, working on Meditation and Breathing.
Breathing was at its final breakthrough and Meditation was...
2025-09-05 22:43:04 +0000 UTC
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“Thanks to the recent interview by our Guild Leader profits have increased by a factor of four and we are rapidly expanding our operations in Halfenbrook. The charts,” Quant Z said and waved at the staff member who began displaying charts with lines going up showing how we now bringing in a lot more money. That brought back memories. I was the one holding up the charts in my past while Quant Z presented his accomplishments.
“Due to my efforts, the in game financial situation has c...
2025-09-04 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Level: 1 Experience: BLOCKED
Healing: 340/340 Stamina: 330/330 Mana: 200/200
Class: Tier 0, Child(Blue)
Effect: Increased Skill Acquisition(+10%), Increased Learning Speed(+10%), Increased Stat Gain(+10%), Increased Physical Gain(+10%)
Vitality: 34 (+3)
Endurance: 33 (+5)
Strength: 28 (+1)
Agility: 31 (+1)
Perception: 22 (+1)
Mind: 64 (+2)
Magic: 20 (+2)
Focus: 33 (+1)
Free Points: 0
Tier 1(23)(3+): Eldarin History(99+2), Bre...
2025-09-04 20:29:46 +0000 UTC
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“Another day in paradise,” Dan said as we got up in the morning. A Nurse rolled in a tray of food for each of us.
“I don’t understand how they can make food so bland,” I said.
“That’s how it is,” Sam replied while the conjoined people took turns eating. I had gotten used to it, but it had creeped me out at first.
“So, leaving any day now?” Dan asked me.
“When my mother returns, yes,” I replied.
“It would be nice to get out of here one da...
2025-09-04 20:28:59 +0000 UTC
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