It didn’t take long for the Mini-Boss to succumb. Felix and his Warriors were growing stronger; whether it was a boost in confidence or their Skill Runes improving, it didn’t matter. The massive Drakai was suffering.
Its strength faded with each passing second. The wounds spread across its body worsened, and it almost looked like it was deflating.
[You have contributed to the Herculean Darkai (Mini Boss)’s defeat.]
The message was pleasant to ...
2024-11-22 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Waiting was certainly something Percy wasn’t good at. He sometimes mentioned how patient he was, but the truth was that the crown prince was the opposite. If it was possible to solve something immediately, Percy would much rather do it right away.
That was also why he hoped the slavers would attack soon, preferably on the same night.
The first few hours, Percy was tense and ready to engage in a fierce battle at once, but his attitude changed quickly after the first night e...
2024-11-21 11:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
A detailed map showing dozens of forests, small plains, and a mountain range had been spread on a flat stone. Percy and the Beast King leaned over the map while Melissa and the Imperials studied the map from further away.
“Is it really okay if we see this?” One of the Imperials asked, but Melissa replied with a shrug.
She had never seen a detailed map of the Beastlands. The most recent map was from dozens of years ago, and it didn’t look anything like the one spread out befo...
2024-11-20 11:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
David had yet to see the other Mini-Bosses, but maybe that was for the best. One step at a time.
A dozen defenders charged, their hands clenched tightly around their weapons, their movements betraying hesitation as they pushed through. David tensed, ready to push ahead, but his eyes caught on the advancing Darkai.
The ordinary demons pressed on, their focus divided between the defenders and the Mini-Boss. David hurled the Obsidian Blade again, its edge biting into a demon’...
2024-11-19 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Nobody intercepted Percy as he revealed everything he knew about the Devil, Devil’s Touch, and his nightmares. He was ready to reveal as many details as possible to defend himself, fearing that the Beast King would have a point of view similar to the Old King's. But the Beast King didn’t respond as Percy expected.
“We do not believe in bad omens or prophesies. We are the source of our fates. We reach out to our fate, grasp it tightly, and change our fate as we please!” The...
2024-11-19 11:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
David couldn’t help but notice the Warriors around him growing stronger and more agile. Even their reflexes appeared to be improving at an astonishing rate. Their attacks hit harder, their defenses held firmer, and he realized they must have been ranking up mid-battle, just as the Hunters were.
Even the Hunters who had run out of arrows seemed to grow quickly since they did not necessarily require a strong Mind, let alone a well-nourished Soul stat. The Body property was the most cruc...
2024-11-18 11:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Percy didn’t remember getting hurled into a thick tree trunk. He perceived everything around him as hazy and could barely make out Fiona bending over him. Beads of sweat trickled onto Percy’s face, but he barely sensed anything. All he could perceive was pain. His abdomen was tense, and it felt like something pressed tightly against his stomach.
A warming hue shrouded him, but Percy felt cold nonetheless.
He hit me.
Percy realized way too late and scoffed. Th...
2024-11-18 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
David surveyed the chaos unfolding on the battlefield. Mages unleashed relentless barrages of Mana Bullets, feeding dozens of Darkai. Nearby, Hunters fired arrows in rapid succession.
He noticed that while some Hunters appeared ordinary, their arrows still pierced the demons’ thick hides with ease. Others released three arrows in five seconds, their accuracy unaffected.
It was a beautiful sight and would have put David at ease if the Darkai weren’t bloody dangerous. The Mages’ ...
2024-11-17 11:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
It was the evening on the third day since they’d entered the Beastlands when the atmosphere changed. The temperature increased instead of dropping, and the mana currents around them twisted in agony. The Beastmen halted in unison and looked into the sky. It looked like the trees were pulled aside, the canopy shoved in all directions to make space for a humongous, winged lion-
As it descended, the lion seemed to cover the sky in its entirety, the darkness of the night acting as an exte...
2024-11-17 11:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Darkai wore hideous grimaces, their disfigured faces giving them a dull, brutish look. David doubted they were intelligent, but he didn’t underestimate them. If anything, he would take the Darkai more seriously than the Fangs.
At least the Fangs resembled wolves, making it easier for David to gauge their speed, agility, and durability. But these demonic creatures were unknown territory—a blank sheet.
That might have been for the best. David didn’t freeze in shock when th...
2024-11-15 11:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
A light touch with [Cleanse] active was enough to remove the corruption. It couldn’t have rooted deep in the patients’ Souls. While maintaining [Cleanse] wasn’t expensive, each use cost quite a bit. Energy consumption decreased significantly after [Cleanse] reached Rank V, but the cost was still high, with nearly 200 patients tending to it.
He had to split his attention, releasing tendrils of holy power into the surroundings to access the ambient Aether. He pulled it into the ener...
2024-11-14 11:00:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Beastlands wasn’t unlike the Moonlight Forest. Nature hadn’t been altered much, even after the Beastmen occupied the lands for centuries. The surrounding environment was overflowing with life and beauty. Towering trees could be found everywhere, with smaller bushes and magical plants seeking protection.
Even though I expected the Beastlands to be different, I didn’t expect it to be like this. There are no streets, but even their paths are mostly trodden paths rather ...
2024-11-14 11:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Snakeman wasn’t unconscious for long, but it was long enough to check out the other Beastmen.
Their bloodlust disappeared, and they don’t seem to hate me as much as they did before. Some of them are still similar to me and the others, but Fiona's focus on healing the Snakeman first affected them. This isn’t within their expectations of the human race. The younger ones only heard about the Beast War, but the older ones participated. They know how cruel and greedy humans can...
2024-11-13 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Thin tendrils of holy power oozed from the Skill Slates, drifting toward David. He watched closely as the dimly glowing tendrils coated his hands. The foreign holy power entered David’s body slowly, spreading everywhere. It reached the energy pathways, which squirmed as the energy circulated through them several times before settling near the Holy Sea.
He could feel some tendrils seeking out his Skill Runes, merging with and nourishing them. Simultaneously, other tendrils created some...
2024-11-12 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Percy couldn’t be certain about what was happening, but he had a fair share of theories flashing through his mind as he bolted toward the Snakeman. His mind went blank as if on command, and he moved instinctively.
Percy accelerated, his blood boiling and his mana circulating frantically through his body in a desperate attempt to regulate his body temperature, but he noticed none of that. His only focus was the Snakeman ahead of him.
The Essence of the Azure Dragon surged through...
2024-11-12 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
“You’re nuts,” Elion, the young elven merchant, muttered, “I am nuts!”
David smiled, watching as Elion finally relented after a tense exchange.
He had expected the negotiation to be tougher—it hadn’t been easy—but in the end, Elion’s business instincts took over, as David had hoped.
Revealing his ID slate as proof of his Rift Boss kill, demonstrating the power of [Holy Touch], and materializing his soulbound weapon had all helped steer the discussion ...
2024-11-11 11:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
The six Beastmen stared at Percy until their leader stepped forward. He kicked the ice blade, shattering it into countless tiny fragments, and snorted.
“Peace? Are you seriously asking us to stay calm after everything you cretins have done to us?!” He hissed, the scales covering his body clattering.
The Beastman had serpentine eyes, large fangs – venom dripping to the ground –, a long tail smashing impatiently on the ground, and verdant scales instead of fur or hide.
2024-11-10 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
A tinkling pouch landed on the wooden counter before David.
“You may take on a higher loan using your earlier eliminations as a deposit, sir.” The elven receptionist repeated, looking into his eyes, “But since you do not wish to take on the risk of repaying the interest rate, this is all the Familia can offer.”
David’s eyes narrowed. Even though he wasn’t good at scheming and hated politics, he could sense that something was off with the receptionist. She wore a good p...
2024-11-10 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Blue was majestic.
While the Gnoll Warlord was a fierce powerhouse, capable of crushing Evolved Monsters and tearing apart Elite Demons with brute force, the Glacial Roc was an agile and dexterous creature with a majestic gait.
The Glacial Roc resembled a massive eagle with a wingspan of close to eight meters. It had feathers made of ice, but Percy didn’t think the Glacial Roc was heavy. It landed on his arm and felt as light as a feather.
Blue screeched in excit...
2024-11-09 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
They split up. Melach said he had something to do and left, but David noticed something odd. The elf had been acting oddly since they returned to Arc. His face turned, and he muttered something in the elven tongue. David couldn’t quite grasp what was going on. However, he noticed Melach’s hand reaching for the pouch with the Fragments as he walked away.
Torb must have seen that as well. David’s gaze drifted to the dwarf, who shook his head. “That guy is as crazy as you are.”
2024-11-08 11:00:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
Percy was surrounded by corpses. There was a pile of Minos bodies to his left and a river of Gynll carcasses to his right. Both pile and stream were surrounded by the corpses of Lifefeeder, Cursias, and Pleacis. There were fewer Elite Demon corpses, but they all had one thing in common.
The Elite Demons had been killed with one decisive strike.
After upgrading [Blade Mastery] to [Master of the Blade], Percy’s understanding and comprehension of the blade skyrocketed. Combin...
2024-11-08 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
The clearance reward was... a lot to take in. His Holy Sea expanded, and his Skill Runes improved, implanting even more knowledge into his mind.
His updated status was interesting, to say the least.
Name – David Stears
Class – Cleric
Rank – Iron VIII
Body –Middle(+)(Basic)
Mind – Middle(Basic)
...
2024-11-07 11:00:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
The envoy’s first encounter with demons didn’t remain the last one. It was the start of a daily occurrence, transforming the envoy’s journey to the Beastlands from a peaceful trip to a dangerous odyssey.
Sometimes, the envoy was forced to fight a small Demon horde in the morning and another one in the afternoon or evening. Their encounters with hundreds of Demons at a time didn’t make any sense as the number of Demon sightings across the Kainesh Kingdom didn’t increase. If any...
2024-11-06 11:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
As he followed the Dwarf and Elf, David used [Cure Wounds] on himself and Torb whenever possible. Since he had no idea how to loot the Bosses, David watched silently as Melach strode toward them at an agonizingly slow pace. The Elf walked around the first Mini-Boss, his eyes locked on the dead creature.
After a few seconds, he slowed, and a thin smile blossomed as he picked up a small, gray slate. Melach and Torb made eye contact before the Elf handed Torb the slate. A moment late...
2024-11-06 11:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
The communication crystal connecting him to the royal palace drained enormous energy. That was to be expected as the mana consumption increased exponentially with distance, yet Percy didn’t think he would only have enough mana to maintain the connection for a minute.
“Good afternoon, Your Excellency. Do you wish to talk to your parents, or–...” The recipient of all communication crystals in the royal palace responded, but Percy intercepted.
“Sorry, Herbert, but I don’t...
2024-11-05 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
David lay among dead bodies, soaking in his blood. The Rift Boss’ claws hadn’t disappeared. They remained embedded in his chest, piercing through.
Another notification popped up from the ID slate, materializing before him as he looked at it through a blur.
[The Demon-type Rift is expanding. The spawn rate of demons has come to a sudden halt, but the Aether overflow affects the surrounding environment. A connecting link has been detected, spreading the Main Rift’s...
2024-11-04 11:00:14 +0000 UTC
View Post
Percy sustained a lot more injuries even after the first Thousand-eyed Hellhound was dead. That wasn’t within his expectations, but it was fine as Fiona maintained his state very well. Healing Star, boosted by [Aura of Healing] and what felt like another Augmentation, yet might as well have been a runic enchantment, were powerful enough to mend grave wounds within seconds.
That was enough for Percy to block the Hellhounds and inflict more and more wounds. After killing one Greater Dem...
2024-11-03 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
David’s mind was racing when the Rift Boss turned to him. He continued absorbing the crimson motes, hoping they would change something.
[Bless]!
[Superior energy has been detected. Skill Rune overclock has been initiated.
[Proficiency of Bless reached 100%.]
[Tier-0 III] → [Tier-0 IV]
David cocked an eyebrow at the notifications. He didn’t use more holy power than usual to activate [Bless]. But...
2024-11-03 10:53:49 +0000 UTC
View Post
Fiona was drenched in sweat, but not because of her mount. She’d switched her mount to ride on the Holy Triceratops, which could protect her even better than the Guardian Spirit. The Guardian Spirit was the first line of defense and beheaded a Pleacis when the Elite Demon charged at Fiona.
Its’ defense was already powerful, but with [Circle of Protection], it was increasingly more difficult to injure the Guardian Spirit. Once the Pleacis bladed arm pierced [Circle of Protection] and...
2024-11-02 11:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
The survivors of the other group were exhausted. Only a Warrior and a Mage were left, but they weren’t in good condition either. The Warrior was badly wounded, but David could tend to that if he reached the Warrior. The Mage, on the other hand, seemed to falter. Her legs caved in, and David was certain she would collapse soon, just like Melach.
“Once the Boss is dead, the Rift will close, right?” David asked Torb, who’d sustained the least injuries. A trace of hesitati...
2024-11-02 09:32:34 +0000 UTC
View Post