In a different section of the catacombs, Kyle stood with Sir Tian and two other Clouds employees, waiting silently as the sewage water slowly surged along its path, leading far into the darkness beyond.
“The delivery is late,” Kyle remarked, tapping his finger on his crossed arms, staring.
“This was a rush order; don’t you dare try to blame us. We only had a day’s notice.” Tian grumbled. He had already delivered the message and retrieved a weapon for Kyle from Raktor, ...
2023-05-11 15:38:30 +0000 UTC
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“What?! Vice-President Mornero is the ringleader?!” Dekar exclaimed, his mouth agape as Kyle revealed the results of his interrogation of Yona at a meeting table set up in a completely different safehouse in the catacombs.
They had been rotating their locations each day, avoiding the continuous attempts of the military to find out where they were. Instead, Kyle had been leading the armed homeless dwellers to ambush the military that was entering, grabbing their equipment for himself...
2023-05-10 17:40:21 +0000 UTC
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The ravaged strip club that was the Nest hideout was in complete shambles – bodies, broken pieces of glasses and slave collars, pieces of flesh hanging on chairs and bloodstains creeping onto the main stage.
Soldiers were already investigating the place, half of them being Nest hitmen who were secretly picking up evidence. They were slightly shocked at the scale of the damage, not believing that a single person did all of this.
“Is there really a Ghost of Tenar?” One of the ...
2023-05-10 16:18:38 +0000 UTC
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Kyle lunged for the lady as the twelve guards tried to fire their repeaters. However, their repeaters failed to fire, to their surprise.
The lady, however, was also well prepared and battle-trained, immediately clambering over the sofa and kicking the sofa towards Kyle.
Kyle leapt over the moving sofa, landing between the two guards and throwing snap punches at them, knocking them out instantly.
The ten guards behind him rushed at him in synchronisation, forcing Kyle to grab...
2023-05-09 15:53:04 +0000 UTC
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The relic market of Versia was far more subdued after the protests, with the military searching everywhere for any hints of the Minister and his accomplices. Kyle walked through quickly, looking out for a symbol mentioned by Zayin.
Suddenly, the sound of metal scattering on the floor caused many to turn their heads, only for them to look away in fear as two soldiers beat up a merchant. “Where is the Minister?!” One of the soldiers roared as he kicked yet another of the merchant’s ...
2023-05-09 15:52:26 +0000 UTC
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Zayin winced as a Versian sergeant grabbed him by his long white hair, dragging him across the floor and tossing him against the wall, lined up with five other men who were wearing factory uniforms.
The women and children were huddled in the corner, their eyes stricken with fear as they stared at the barrels of the repeaters wielded by the soldiers who herded them.
“Where is the Minister?! Don’t lie to us; we know he visited you.” The sergeant questioned him.
“Wha...
2023-05-08 14:52:58 +0000 UTC
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Dekar watched in horror as the crowd of protestors cheered, forcing their way into the government palace as the guards and soldiers struggled to keep them in order.
“There must be a secret entrance or passageway into the palace,” Kyle asked Dekar. “Can we use that?” A few seconds passed before Kyle grabbed Dekar by the shoulders and shook him violently, shaking him out of his stupor. “Minister, get up and move. You’re not going to accomplish anything just staring at them.”...
2023-05-08 13:46:11 +0000 UTC
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As the two of them trekked down the sewers, guided by Dekar’s memory of the layout, Kyle wondered if Raktor had a similar layout. Weird, I don’t recall hearing anything about catacombs, only sewers. But most people stay in the alleyways or in concentrated slums.
“So, who were the people attacking us? Why did they want to kill you?” Kyle asked as they trudged along, avoiding the pools of sludge and rotten carcasses of unidentifiable creatures.
“The industrialists...
2023-05-07 15:24:55 +0000 UTC
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The sounds of fighting were still raging outside even after the barrage ended. Minister Dekar grimaced, confident that his bodyguards outside were locked in a firefight with another group.
A torrent of footsteps could be heard rushing towards the main entrance to the derelict warehouse, prompting Kyle to drag the Minister into cover behind a pillar quickly. “Who is attacking us now?”
“There are plenty of groups who want me dead.” Dekar replied hastily. “Enemy spies from ...
2023-05-07 14:05:00 +0000 UTC
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The five knights rushed down the hallway, prompting Kyle to focus on the first knight in front of him first. Without a word, Kyle immediately brandished his Vibration Cleaver, charging at the knight and swinging downwards.
The knight blocked the cleaver with his vambrace before throwing a jab at Kyle’s waist, forcing Kyle to back off. The Vibration Cleaver hardly made a dent in the surface of the knight’s armoured arm, the backlash rippling through Kyle’s arm. High defence –...
2023-05-06 17:17:19 +0000 UTC
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The wagon rumbled slightly as the wheels bumped against loose rocks on the dirt path, jostling its passengers as it went along a large semi-arid grassland, the climate slightly changing from what Kyle had been used to in Raktor. Much like the tailored tourist planets I used to relax on.
Kyle was sitting in a luxurious compartment with Makoa, leaning back on a plush comforter while he glanced at the window outside. The wagons were part of a convoy owned by Masir, who used it for...
2023-05-06 14:32:21 +0000 UTC
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Usually if you see this kind of update, it's authors saying they will downgrade the number of chapters.
Well I'm here to assure you that the end of Writeathon does not mean chapter releases are being toned down - I will still release two chapters a day patreon, one chapter a day on RR.
There's a period of time where I may slow down temporarily on June 16, due to me flying over to prepare my upcoming satellite for integration into ...
2023-05-06 01:55:10 +0000 UTC
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The fight was over in less than half an hour, with Kyle dominating them in a single instant. He had killed nearly a quarter of them before Masir finally surrendered with the rest, all of them kneeling in front of Kyle in a row as the blood from his men streamed along the uneven flooring of the warehouse.
Despite the numerical advantage, the Ocra gang members were a cut below the average standard of an associate in Raktor – ill-trained with bad equipment.
Kola, too was bruised he...
2023-05-05 15:36:50 +0000 UTC
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AUTHOR NOTE: Makoa's slave collar has been converted into a body engraving. Not visible from his neck.
The streets of Ocra hardly changed – beautiful crafting arctech signs of the various brothels lined the walls of luxurious buildings, enticing tourists from Raktor to visit. The sex workers stood on the side of the pavement, luring potential clients who were stumbling out of one of the many pubs nearby.
Ocra flourished as a trade hub for smuggling, but also...
2023-05-05 15:36:09 +0000 UTC
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The shopping arcade ran by the Seven Snakes boomed like never before. Having overcome the initial troubles and issues with arcite ore as well as supplies, the security of the goblin trade route made it even more stable.
Haui smiled as he watched hundreds of local residents browse his expanded alchemist store, with the potions flying off the shelves at record rates. The store was focused on selling low-cost potions that could treat everyday ailments, along with diluted health and stamina...
2023-05-04 17:26:01 +0000 UTC
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The redevelopment of the Culdao Peaks area went smoothly, save for a few minor hiccups from rebellious tribes, which were easily solved by the strike force under Sasha’s control.
Thanks to the effects of the evolution chambers, hobgoblins were now much more common among the goblin population. This made the agricultural, mining and irrigation projects a lot easier – though Kyle controlled the number of hobgoblins carefully, with only a thousand being uplifted in two days.
“Wh...
2023-05-04 15:52:09 +0000 UTC
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Kyle gasped as he jolted awake, his eyes darting around the room. He raised his arms gingerly, noticing he was lying in a puddle of vomit, piss and blood combined – a side-effect of his class upgrade.
Two screens hovered in his vision.
Kyle smiled to himself, despi...
2023-05-03 16:10:51 +0000 UTC
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Kyle headed back to the Oracle chamber himself. While he was seen leaving the palace, he still kept in contact with Orisa, explaining to her what she needed to do in sequence.
Pacifying the entire goblin population here in the Culdao Peaks was not going to be easy – but with the advanced capabilities of the A.I. and the puppet head that was Sahusa the Great, it made it easier for Kyle to implement an agricultural revolution.
However, first on the menu was stabilising the local a...
2023-05-03 15:03:12 +0000 UTC
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Kyle ignored the message, staying wary as he stepped through the now-opened door of the administrator’s room. However, instead of seeing a control centre of some sort, it was instead a long hallway, dimly lit by barely functioning lights. There is still electricity in the place – entirely possible for someone to be alive.
He slowly stepped down the hallway, minimisin...
2023-05-02 14:59:24 +0000 UTC
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Kyle did not stand around in the open circular chamber, immediately retreating to the entrance. He fired the rest of his magazine at the two closest hobgoblins, overwhelming their point defence systems.
His hand instinctively grabbed a magazine to reload the handgun while feeling his belt. Only two more magazines left after this one – thjrty-six shots left, including my current magazine.
Instead of exposing himself to attacks from all sides, he funnelled them into the t...
2023-05-02 14:58:40 +0000 UTC
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“The Oracle has been with us since the beginning of time,” Sahusa explained as he put on the dead hobgoblin guards’ gear, having healed up to full with another of Kyle’s health potions. “But Osir is no easy foe; he is one of the strongest hobgoblin there is, which is how he maintains his position as leader of the Howling Wind Tribe. In order to defeat him-“
<Hey! What happened here?> Another group of patrolling guards spotted Sahusa and Kyle in the open, prompting Kyle...
2023-05-01 14:58:25 +0000 UTC
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“Clean up the guards.” Kyle motioned with his hands, the trojan force under him immediately lashing out in a surprise attack.
The guards were caught off guard, the prior excitement of victory and finally having enough food to eat was replaced with horror and confusion as they tried to retreat from the walls.
“Sasha, don’t let any of them retreat!” Kyle ordered, pl...
2023-05-01 14:57:33 +0000 UTC
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The fight was over in less than thirty minutes, with the flanking groups attacking from the sides, along with Sasha flanking from the mountain. The armoured goblins and hobgoblins sent by Osir were no match for the archers and fighters trained by Sasha and Kyle.
Kyle himself had exhausted all his ammo, though he could easily form new pellets back at the goblin den. The arctech handgun was a simple contraption that accelerated projectiles, so there was no need for any complicated bullet ...
2023-04-30 14:13:21 +0000 UTC
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<Move faster!> Gulak grinned as he slapped the back of a captured goblin, who was shambling off in a line, heading off back to the main goblin den. <You will now follow the orders of those of the First Tribe and me!>
Kyle did not concern himself with how the goblins were being assimilated, as he already expected the first batch of goblins that he dominated to create a class hierarchy. This meant that Gulak and his tribe were motivated to capture and ensure that the new gobl...
2023-04-30 14:12:40 +0000 UTC
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Author Note: This is NOT a replacement for the two chapters due today, but just showing off how the first version of blackmarket started. I wrote a total of ten different versions, and this one nearly made the final cut.
Chapters today will be later by about 2 hours or so (e.g coming out 1600 UTC+0)
The man struggled to breath, until the suffocating bag was pulled off, with a bright lightbulb illuminating the man, his face sunken and body sullen. He was restrict...
2023-04-30 04:30:42 +0000 UTC
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Sahusa the Great was not having a good time, contrary to popular belief.
It was not the fact that he was named after a myth of his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, or that the name automatically implied that he was a goblin ladykiller or that he had five arms. Of course, those made him irrationally angry as well.
But what really irked him was the bickering of the five goblin tribe leaders in front of him, which had been going on for nearly five days in a row now. And he,...
2023-04-29 13:19:39 +0000 UTC
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Moving Forward: <This symbol for dialogue represents a different language than the language used in Raktor> The symbol can be combined with others.
[<Ahhhh, save me! Anyone, help me!>] A female goblin wailed in its own language as it cowered on the ground, the flames erupting all around here as the trees were burnt down all around here. The sounds of fighting and fellow goblin tribe members’ screams of pain echoed all around her, causing her to tr...
2023-04-29 13:18:47 +0000 UTC
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Deep underground in an unknown location of Versia…
The sound of panting and grunts filled the wide cavern, with the flashes of metal striking metal glinting through the darkness, illuminating the shadows thrown by the arctech lamps situated all over the ceiling.
A dozen rock spiders circled and scaled the walls, their red beady gem-like eyes glinting at the man who was being assaulted now by three of their brethren. The man heaved as he swung a sword in each hand, duel-...
2023-04-28 14:35:29 +0000 UTC
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Two days later…
The Seven Snakes were in a complete frenzy as Kyle began to ramp up the production.
Keith was over the moon with the Baron’s acceptance of the steel and weapons factory, but was slightly confused with the next request of Kyle.
“Wait, you want me to find people to look exactly like you?”
“It is normal for every person to have a body double. As long as they look about sixty to seventy percent alike, we can make up for the rest using mak...
2023-04-28 14:34:44 +0000 UTC
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The procession was public as the Versia diplomatic team arrived via a wagon convoy, protected by more than three dozen guards. The diplomats stared in curiosity as a dozen light capturers had their beady black lenses aimed at them.
The news of the lightcapturer invention was not particularly new in Versia, where a few entrepreneur companies had already tried to create their own knockoffs, but it was still a sight to see it spread through society so quickly. News companies were capitali...
2023-04-27 15:20:34 +0000 UTC
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