Nova's eyes widened at the sound of the old language, then grew even wider as realization struck him like a physical blow. "... The clockwork ballerina?" he asked in the same tongue. "Annelie?"
She fell to the ground in shock, staring up at Nova with a thousand emotions on her face, the most prominent one being tearful joy.
She continues in their old language, still with a trembling voice. “It can’t be you, can it? How?”
Nova was frozen in shock, unable to comprehend h...
2025-01-16 22:14:53 +0000 UTC
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Nova set the steel in place inside the forge with practiced movements, using the tong from a nearby tool rack. While waiting for it to heat, his essence flowed into a new formation around the anvil.
[You have learned the skill: Resonant Anvil Formation (Master - 92%) {Grade 4}]
[A formation that holds the material in place while hammering, and maintains the heat within the metal for longer than usual. Creates perfect resonance between hammer and anvil.]
2025-01-16 22:13:51 +0000 UTC
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The Holy Signus went still, jaw clenched as he studied Nova. “... Order. That is how the world has survived for many millennia." His voice hardened. "And what is your suggestion?”
“Justice.” Nova's reply was simple but firm.
“A word without meaning." The Signus's lip curled. "A word the unlucky shout to make themselves feel better. What is justice in a free world? What justice exists when bandits cut you down for a handful of coins? Does punishing your killer return your...
2025-01-16 22:13:06 +0000 UTC
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After leaving Millie with Animo, Nova entered the men's bath. He was momentarily stunned by its grandeur. Polished marble stretched in every direction, and steaming pools of varying sizes were set into the floor. Ornate columns rose to a domed ceiling painted with scenes of divine providence. Though the space was currently empty, it could easily accommodate fifty people.
He quickly shed his sweat-filled clothes, eager to wash away the dirt and sweat of the cultivation. The hot water fel...
2025-01-16 22:12:25 +0000 UTC
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Millie moved away from the window and climbed onto the ornate bed, lying back to stare at the ceiling. It looked very soft, nearly consuming her.
"Would you like to meet the others again?" Nova asked, feeling like looking around a bit.
"No..." She shifted against the sheets, a look of discomfort crossing her face. "This bed is too soft. Like the one at the school. I couldn't sleep there either."
‘Oh, so that’s why she was on the floor. Well, part of the reason, at le...
2025-01-16 22:11:39 +0000 UTC
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Nova held Millie's small hand as they walked through the hallway, feeling her grip tighten with each step. Her nervousness was understandable— nearly every adult in her life had been distant and uncaring, only supplying them with food and taking her older friends, never to be seen again.
Suddenly, she stopped walking, pulling Nova to a halt. "There's something scary ahead." Her voice trembled slightly. “Like… a dragon.”
"I know." Nova squeezed her hand reassuringly. "But s...
2025-01-16 22:10:44 +0000 UTC
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Nova glanced at their surroundings, wondering why it seemed so silent. He would have expected someone to have passed this place by now.
Sar noted his questioning look. “If you’re wondering about the absence of people, they all sensed my presence on their way here. We won’t be disturbed.”
“I see… Well, good.” Nova looked back at Sar, not wanting to reveal his lack of ability to sense someone’s Soul Power. He could feel something from her, but it was faint, like a so...
2025-01-16 22:09:16 +0000 UTC
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The steel doors swung wide, framing a woman whose very presence commanded attention. Her silver hair was elegantly styled, and piercing blue eyes studied Nova with unsettling intensity. Her face bore the refined beauty of aging royalty—what had once been striking in youth had matured into something more dignified.
But Nova barely registered her appearance. The raw power radiating from her made his skin crawl. For the first time since arriving in this world, he could sense someone's ov...
2025-01-16 04:19:26 +0000 UTC
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A full three hundred kilometers away, in the capital city, Gorwell, an older lady sat in her favorite spot, looking out at the many rooftops. She was chewing on a piece of dried meat, slowly savoring its taste in the midday sun.
It was far from the safest spot to sit in, being on top of the clock tower of the giant cathedral, but it was the place with the best view—except for a few towers in the royal castle.
‘I wish someone would kill that scheming king already. His despe...
2025-01-16 04:17:31 +0000 UTC
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The heavy steel door opened with a simple touch of Brother Morrin’s amulet, hanging safely from his neck. A mechanical contraption started moving the doors to the side, letting them both stride through.
“We prioritize your safety here, you see." Brother Morrin patted the mechanical door frame. "You children are our most valued asset, and we need to be able to protect you at all costs.”
Nova hunched his shoulders. “I s-see… B-but how often can we leave?”
"Oh, we h...
2025-01-16 04:16:42 +0000 UTC
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Brother Morrin led Nova through the white doors into a building that seemed plucked from another time. Nova's footsteps echoed against worn wooden floorboards as he followed the priest inside. Stark wooden walls stretched ahead, lined with dusty portraits in gilded frames—a jarring contrast to the extravagant outer shell.
Nova's eyes darted from window to window, mapping every possible exit. His fingers twitched as he sensed the barrier magic protecting the walls. The barrier would be...
2025-01-16 04:15:48 +0000 UTC
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Nova thought back to his distant life of blacksmithing on the fringes of a new world. He had been born on the ship sailing there, so the new world was the only world he knew. And it was extremely hostile.
Since he wasn’t allowed to join the hunts as a child, he instead started learning the trade of smithing. And at the young age of thirteen, he surpassed all his teachers. After that, not a day went by when he didn’t keep perfecting his craft.
After all, the hunters thinned in ...
2025-01-16 04:14:57 +0000 UTC
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Larena stared at the small figure lying beside her on the office carpet. Although his decision to surrender to the church seemed absurd, she recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same determination she'd seen when he first confronted her about the children.
"She's not alone," Larena tried anyway. "The other kids need you as well."
"They've taken a blow, but it will be fine." Nova's voice softened. "Losing people has been a common occurrence for them since birth, and ph...
2025-01-16 04:13:37 +0000 UTC
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“Do you have any preference in materials?” Valeria asked, still not taking her eyes off the stone.
“Mmh? Oh, yeah, just…” Nova had to step out of his thoughts, at least with one foot. “Whatever can be used for smithing and infusing. The higher the quality, the better.”
"Great!" She finally looked up from the stone. "We can arrange for you to pick it all up here tomorrow."
"Yeah, sounds good." Nova turned abruptly and strode toward the door.
"Uh, sir?" Val...
2025-01-16 04:12:52 +0000 UTC
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The soul trader. Still adorned with glowing lamps and draped with blue and silver cloth. But now, two additional guards were standing outside of it, for some unknown reason.
‘I guess I made an impression. Will they let me in?’
He approached the door like last time, hoping this wouldn’t become an issue. His fragment had regained ten minutes of time, but he wanted to save it for his visit to the castle later if he could.
“Hey, kid, this place isn’t a place t...
2025-01-16 04:12:08 +0000 UTC
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Standing before the gate, Nova wondered how the process of getting back inside usually went. He half expected it to start opening as he approached it, but it remained silent.
“... Hey! Can I come back in?!”
The massive gate remained closed, showing no reaction.
‘Are they even able to hear me from here? The gate is massive, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it blocks sound… Well, they might want to keep it shut after hearing the noise from the outlands.’
<...
2025-01-16 04:11:12 +0000 UTC
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[Gained soul of Outland Troll Gragh.]
[Gained Outland Troll Bone (Uncommon) {Grade 4}]
[Gained Outland Troll Skull (Rare) {Grade 5}]
[Gained Outland Troll Flesh (Uncommon) {Grade 5}]
[Gained Blood of the Mountain King (Legendary) {Grade 5}]
Nova stared at the notifications, panting heavily after the fight. The appearance of a legendary drop seemed very lucky, but he wouldn’t co...
2025-01-16 04:10:24 +0000 UTC
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Nova felt the three souls floating around his core, along with a small object he had never seen before. A small organic pouch filled with liquid, purple in color.
‘The Venomous sac? So objects can be stored in my core, and there are things I can obtain from animals I kill? But what’s the difference between this sac and one gained from the corpses?’
The surrounding had turned quiet after the lizards escaped. Nova sat still on top of the maned salamander below him, sw...
2025-01-16 04:09:25 +0000 UTC
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The distant mountains loomed closer now, with jagged peaks cutting into the northern sky. Nova and the chronicler had been traveling for hours, trading questions back and forth as the landscape gradually changed from rolling plains to rocky foothills. Scrawny bushes dotted the rough terrain, and the air had grown noticeably cooler.
Nova was grateful that the chronicler had agreed to use a traveling spell, letting them both travel with speed comparable to a horse. It had reduced the trav...
2025-01-16 04:08:40 +0000 UTC
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Magical runes were pretty. Especially the way they flickered when activated together. They also made a faint sound, almost like a beautiful melody. But the melody was always over before she could enjoy it properly.
‘Hmm… What if I make a circle? Maybe it will continue until I stop it?’
The runes she drew glowed with soft blue light, pulsing gently as her essence flowed through them. In the darkness of Chamber Seven, they cast dancing shadows on the sleeping forms of...
2025-01-16 04:07:56 +0000 UTC
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Seeing no reason to delay, Nova approached the gate with steady steps. His backpack and sword were clear indicators that he was going to hunt, but he still expected resistance.
And sure enough, as he approached the gate and expected it to open, nothing happened.
“Are you… heading out?” one of the guards closest to the gate asked, looking down at Nova with the same questioning eyes as everyone else he had spoken to lately.
“Yes, going to hunt some monsters. Is that fi...
2025-01-16 04:07:22 +0000 UTC
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Once again, Nova found himself in front of a large building, wondering how he should enter. The buttons syndrome had worked last time, but he might do better without the boastful attitude. After all, this time, he wouldn’t be trying to negotiate.
‘I might have to demonstrate my usefulness, but if any of them can use Assess, it should be fine. Maybe I’ll call myself a halfling?’
The hunter’s guild reminded him of places where adventurers would gather in some of h...
2025-01-16 04:06:43 +0000 UTC
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In the end, nothing happened. The essence remained unomved, even after he counted a new three minutes in his mind to make sure.
‘... Fuck. This is a major bump in the road. Only the fragments can gather essence while not equipped, then… Is it because it’s part of my own soul, which technically is always equipped?
This means I can only gather essence in one soul at a time, outside of my own. And it means that absorbing the first Don Casanova fragment was a mistak...
2025-01-16 04:05:40 +0000 UTC
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Nova left the warehouse, feeling a slight reluctance. This was a great chance to rid the city of a cancerous growth. But despite his boasting, he wasn’t confident in a victory. Not even in a one-on-one.
‘That blade was special… If enchantments or special types of forging exist in this world, I should hurry up and get my next fragment.’
His third life was spent as a master blacksmith, forging weapons and tools for the greatest warriors, helping them expand in the n...
2025-01-16 04:04:51 +0000 UTC
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Wooden planks bridged the gaps between crumbling buildings in the lower district, creating a maze of makeshift paths that stretched three stories high. Children darted across these precarious walkways while women hung patched laundry on lines strung between windows.
The air grew heavier here, thick with the stench of neglect—moldy wood, human waste, and the desperate dreams of thousands packed too tightly together. Without easy access to the river, the cobblestones had accumulated yea...
2025-01-16 04:04:00 +0000 UTC
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The cobblestone streets echoed with the chaos of port life. The salt-laden air carried a medley of scents—fresh-caught fish, tar-sealed wood, spilled ale, and the ever-present brine of the sea.
The spirited sailors and dockworkers nearly drowned out a struggling fiddle player, even before the sun had set. Each building seemed to tell its own story near the port—windows fashioned from old portholes, roof tiles that might once have been hull planking, and door handles that had surely ...
2025-01-16 04:03:14 +0000 UTC
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Nova stared at Millie in surprise. He had never expected her to be some kind of rare talent, or that they even existed in this world in the first place.
‘Her Soul Power is more than twice as high as mine from the get-go? Hmm… Well, it’s not a big deal, considering I can get just as strong in about a week. But this makes it dangerous to leave her here.’
“Millie, can you ask the system to show you your aspects?” he asked, hoping to learn just how strong sh...
2025-01-16 04:02:24 +0000 UTC
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The room didn’t change at all, but Nova assumed the guard had left in silence. ‘Now I only need to gauge the governor. I saw a lot of affection in the girl’s memories, so… I think he will be willing to negotiate.’
A low rumbling interrupted his thoughts, followed by storming steps approaching the entrance of the room. It swung open without a touch, revealing the grey-haired old man called Governor Newark. His face was twisted with fury as his eyes searched the room fo...
2025-01-16 04:01:15 +0000 UTC
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The golden and velvet door opened without a sound as Nova slipped into Larena's office once again. Candlelight danced across the ornate walls, casting long shadows. The familiar scent of ink and parchment filled the air, mingled with a trace of sea salt from the open window.
Larena sat behind her desk like last time, surrounded by parchments and books. The candlelight caught her red hair as she looked up, a smile spreading across her face. “Welcome, Nova! Have you spoken to the govern...
2025-01-16 03:59:25 +0000 UTC
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Nova stood outside, hidden in one of the many shadows littering the castle's roof. The guard seemed very experienced, and was clearly stronger than Nova, even with the fragment.
‘This is problematic… How will I negotiate with the governor without any leverage? I don’t have the power to stop the harvesting without him, unless I protect every child that comes of age. No, I need his cooperation.’
Now that he knew there were people with more strength than himself, Nov...
2025-01-16 03:58:32 +0000 UTC
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