"Master! Look, look!" a silly half-demon with those undeserved four trait slots rushes towards me, her red eyes showing a smile.
In her hand, a rare dagger is coated in nearly transparent, pale blue mana. That mana flickers and would most likely disappear after hitting anything stronger than air. Yet, she is still smiling happily.
"My [Mana Manipulation] also leveled up!" she adds.
I stop examining the effect the mana compressed by my heart has on my skills ...
2024-01-30 08:55:01 +0000 UTC
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The field around her cabin on top of the rooftop most likely wouldn't be able to make me fall asleep, but if I were weaker, it could become a bit dangerous.
As always, natives of the floors are dangerous, and I have known it ever since the start of the second floor. Thalen, Isola, and Obelia also showed their true colors in the end.
Well, maybe it's too much to call it true colors. It's mostly that they did have their own interests in mind and put more importance on them over some...
2024-01-29 08:44:47 +0000 UTC
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Around half a day passes. During that time, I keep infusing my mana into my disciple. She is still sick and woke up only once, briefly enough for me to let her drink some water.
When the transmitter in my hands finally attempts to connect me, I accept it quickly.
(Darren here. We have confirmed your story, Nathaniel. To be honest, I didn't expect you to leave the items there as well.)
(It's a risk from my side as you can take them and disappear, but take it as a...
2024-01-28 08:50:00 +0000 UTC
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Keeping up with strengthening her body, I realize that I'm not very good at it, unlike Sophie. It seems I lack the ability to help others effectively.
My body? No problem, I can move my mana however I want, I can even change my heart and slowly turn myself into a construct or whatever the end is. To help someone else, I would need much more time to examine them, as unlike Lily or Sophie, I don't have that instinctual feeling and ability to do so.
Another thing to work on, as I dis...
2024-01-25 09:03:38 +0000 UTC
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I diligently observe my body and my upgraded construct while I slowly let more mana trickle into the pathways I created or upgraded. The heart that Gigachad Nathaniel from the third floor created in his moment of genius, or stupidity, slowly activates.
The name is simple: Thermokinetic Mana Heart, so I hope when I upgrade it for the next time, it will be a bit cooler. Not like it would change anything, but it would surely be nice.
Thankfully, the heart can do everything I wanted i...
2024-01-24 08:38:49 +0000 UTC
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My disciple is a weird little creature.
The young half-demon doesn't notice when I return back, and I can see that she is shaking slightly, sweat on her brow. However, she still finishes the task I gave her, and when I move closer, she hands me the mana stone that contains a tiny bit of her mana. The amount is so small that it is almost only felt on the surface.
Taking no note of that, she wipes sweat from her forehead, and I could swear for a moment a smug smile flashes on her fa...
2024-01-23 09:18:28 +0000 UTC
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I came up with the best way to ask questions of my untrusting disciple. The answer is simple.
It's money and items.
Yup.
It's totally not suspicious, like some random adult offering candy to a little kid. Not at all.
I'm too curious to spend weeks gaining her trust, so I have decided to use some things I bought from the 4th floor. I try with rare items, mana stones, more food, and the little girl loves it, even though she tries to hide it.
After hours of observin...
2024-01-22 08:36:37 +0000 UTC
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When our eyes meet, my disciple immediately hides behind the tree, and I feel her mana reaching towards me, examining me. She does it carefully, extremely so.
I think, out of a lot of people I met up until now, she is the one with the most covert way of sensing the mana of other people. Her probing is almost unnoticeable, just a whisper in the hurricane. I try to replicate it and examine her as well, but I notice she has protection against the exact same sensing she is using, so I stop ...
2024-01-21 09:02:19 +0000 UTC
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Flashbacks - Earth, 1 week before Nathaniel got into the tutorial
"Yes, as I said. Lower security prisoners have disappeared, around 15 women as well as a similar amount of men. Guards, a doctor, and some visitors. An entire block of the building is gone."
"Explosion?"
"If it was an explosion, it's the weirdest one I've heard about. We already had someone here, telling us… no, ordering us to blame it on a gas leak and declare them dead."
"FBI?"
2024-01-18 09:01:41 +0000 UTC
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Congratulations! You have cleared the 4th floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial. Welcome to the 5th floor: Mentorship
You have acquired:
Epic Passive skill
Skill upgrade token
2000 Shards
60 stat points
Access to other Communities
Well, there goes my 6 thousand shards for killing Myrra.
Do I regret it?
Not even a bit, yup, not even slightly. The system can go an...
2024-01-17 09:10:21 +0000 UTC
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I decide to ignore the side quest for now and look at the entrance to the 5th floor that appeared next to where I'm standing. Inside the portal, I can see a grassy hill and a few trees to the side, not unlike the forest on the first floor.
“Feral One,” Myrra calls to me, “Who are you and your group?”
“I can't tell you.”
The movement of her tail continues, but as of late, it's somewhat lifeless.
I observe her.
Myrra is taller than me by two heads, she ...
2024-01-16 09:01:51 +0000 UTC
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The group enters a formation unlike any they've used before. For the first time, Tess stays behind, the opposite of her usual position, which is close to the opponent. She is so far behind that it would be hard for her to move close to help.
It surprises me, but I come to realize why she does that. Tess will be focusing on dealing as much damage as possible without being distracted by an opponent attacking her. From such a distance, she will be able to make each of her attacks as strong...
2024-01-15 09:19:55 +0000 UTC
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Close to two weeks have passed, and I'm ready to leave the old capital. I believe I gained a lot from here, and I think I could discover more. Maybe find some secrets I missed, hidden items, and more about this floor. However, when I weigh it against what I could gain from the next floor, it pales in comparison.
“Status.”
Name: Nathaniel Gwyn
Difficulty: Hell
Floor: 4 - Wa...
2024-01-14 09:04:29 +0000 UTC
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The combination of Mana Wavelength Iris and [Tether] is really strong, but taxing, and I can barely activate my new trait for just a second or a few. Placing anchors that are difficult to notice is nice, but I'm not sure if they are well hidden or if Thalen was a type that is not very good at detection. Or maybe it was because it wasn't his real body.
I will need to test it a bit more, and yes, there will be people quick enough to run away the moment I send something th...
2024-01-11 09:14:47 +0000 UTC
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“A bit. Sending Obelia after my guild member might be a bit rude, don’t you agree?” I tell to the man.
Still floating there with the golden circle behind him, Thalen looks down at Isola, shakes his head, and then turns back to me. “There was a misunderstanding.”
“Sure.”
“My intention…” he starts, but I interrupt him.
“I’m not interested in talking with not even your real body,” the moment I say that, his expression changes. A look of sheer sur...
2024-01-10 09:28:16 +0000 UTC
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The area where the fight happened is destroyed, with walls crushed and the road full of deep craters from attacks that came from the duo. For the first time, I detect the mana of the attacker in the air.
I recognize the signature almost immediately.
Oh my, isn't this interesting?
After looking at the corpses of lynthari she probably known for over a hundred years, Myrra follows me, and both of us enter the tower.
The tower is the biggest one I've entered so far, and us...
2024-01-09 09:19:53 +0000 UTC
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“I will need a bit more time for this,” I tell Myrra.
“Sure, I will keep watch,” she answers and continues to sunbathe without any shame.
Immediately, I open the Community again and wait.
During the time I spent helping her before the fight against the Calamity, Lily improved a lot and I believe that she didn't enter Beyond unprepared. The problem is that the trials are customized to everyone who does them, testing their weaknesses and forcing them to improve their s...
2024-01-08 08:43:58 +0000 UTC
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In the end, we rest for over two days, one of us sleeping while another takes watch. After those two days, I feel much better. I even sacrifice some shards to buy food and water, which I share with Myrra. When she starts asking too many questions about where it comes from, the system interferes, and from then on, she acts like it's normal.
Such a display of control by the system over natives is disturbing, but knowing there's nothing I can do, I try to ignore it.
I look towards th...
2024-01-07 13:27:55 +0000 UTC
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There is no mana radiating from the First One, all of it is sucked by the black dagger tethered to his body. He is just using the sheer strength of his stats.
Using my mana as effectively as I can, I block his body, and the armor around my body disappears, reforming only at the places that crash with the black ant.
My mana is sent towards the pillar where Myrra, trusting in me to protect her, continues to control the orbital base and look for signs of ants to crash it against.
...
2024-01-07 13:27:36 +0000 UTC
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One of the reasons the First One teleported so far is to put a distance between me and the anchor I left on him. Probably in hopes of cutting off my connection and getting rid of the black mana orb. Or there is something else, and the reason for him going there is different.
Staying over the ancient array, I hear a soft ding of the notification and open the system. Going through the options, I notice that a side quest was added.
Side quest: Save Virelia from a...
2024-01-07 13:27:14 +0000 UTC
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We rest for a while, and the power of our stats heals our bodies. In my case, it's mostly my passive skill doing the work, but it's good enough.
When we finally continue through the tunnels, I feel a bit different. Weirdly, I feel better, some of the tension leaving my body, and Myrra seems to be similar.
“Fuck, feral one, I didn’t expect you to kick at my crotch, twice. Do you have no manners?” Even her voice is a bit different from how she usually talks to me.
“Sai...
2024-01-07 13:26:43 +0000 UTC
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Author's note: As promised, I am upgrading Patreon memberships! Tier 3 will increase by 5 chapters, and I will post them right away. If you wait a few minutes, you should see the "Next Chapter" button under every chapter soon.
Thank you for being patrons!
***
POV Tess Hansen
A day has passed since the attack of the Colony and the city is still a mess. Lynthari are left without th...
2024-01-07 13:26:22 +0000 UTC
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I leave people from group four to deal with the aftermath and head to the area under Storm Brigade's tower.
My body hurts terribly, but after getting healed, I feel much better, and my mana keeps regenerating as I feed my passive with thermal energy. Even that little bit is helping.
It is worse for my head and especially my eyes. Despite all the healing I received, my vision is still blurry. My new trait seems to be even more demanding than I thought, just the sheer amount of info...
2024-01-07 09:04:26 +0000 UTC
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Heya! I will be boosting Patreon memberships.
I will most likely do it sometime next week, or maybe (really, only maybe) at the end of this week. I will see how it goes :)
Tier 3 - from 30 to 35 chapters
Tier 2 - from 15 to 17 chapters
Tier 1 - from 7 to 8 chapters
P.S.: please no spoilers in the comments. This post is visible to everyone.
2024-01-05 21:32:43 +0000 UTC
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Myrra and the enforcers surround the First One the moment the mana disappears. Dozens of attacks crash against the carapace, damaging it, destroying limbs, and wounding the body, that is constantly being restored.
(Attacking!) Sophie sends, and I can feel her skills and the web she was preparing reaching towards the ant.
The moment she does so, I realize that this is what the First One was waiting for. He doesn't even turn his body or anything, but I know he immediately d...
2024-01-04 09:22:22 +0000 UTC
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Quickly, I read all the descriptions and without hesitation, I pick Mana Wavelength Iris. Immediately, I feel the trait making changes to my eyes, and I squint a bit because of the pain as they gradually change.
A terrifying pressure weighs on the city, and from under me, I feel Myrra activating something the Matriarch left behind.
The three giant trees inside of Virelia start moving, branches cracking and leaves glowing. Those trees start releasing their leaves that float around ...
2024-01-03 08:52:22 +0000 UTC
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After getting back, I train on my own to the point where my head starts to hurt. I keep trying to improve efficiency and create tiny black mana orbs that crumble on their own after a while. They take quite a big amount of mana for their size, and I have to reduce the amount I send into the mana stone I'm charging, but I think it's worth it.
The last king seemed to recognize the black mana, and he was someone who used to be close to the Absolute of their planet, so it surely is something...
2024-01-02 09:12:34 +0000 UTC
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After Min-Jae restores some of his mana, we do a few more tests, and I conclude that the eye is not giving him a new ability. It seems to allow him to utilize his skills more or use them combined?
It's hard to say what exactly it does, and he says his “connection” to his skills improved, whatever that means, and that he can see waves that he suspects are gravitational ones, again, whatever that is.
So, what he did was send his skill through that wave with a bit of mana and cau...
2024-01-01 09:15:09 +0000 UTC
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I keep looking at the tube and just wait for the word that will surely soon follow.
It's inevitable.
(Food?)
“No, it's not food,” I say my prepared answer and send a bit more mana towards the eye.
It's as I thought, the eye is different in a way that's hard for me to detect properly. Pathways feel normal, yet it's not a normal eye. Maybe it's an eye changed by the trait the owner of the eye had. Maybe it's because it belonged to a high-level being.
I take the...
2023-12-31 09:22:40 +0000 UTC
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Two days pass, each similar to the other. I wake up, I train, I spend some time with others, I join Cael and the Craft Guild, I meet with Myrra, I rest on my own for a while and experiment with the items I got from the auction.
A few weird mana stones with delicate inscriptions and a bracelet that reacted to my energies.
For the bracelet, I already found out that it's the metal that reacts to them so nicely and weirdly, and even after asking around, no one was able to identify it,...
2023-12-28 09:08:48 +0000 UTC
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