First, I forcefully take control of my mana, straining my brain to do so. But I already know what to do. I tried it on the man who wanted to kill me; I also tested it on so many monsters. I gave it a lot of thought and testing. So, it's time to do it for real.
I take a wisp of my mana and use it to etch the construct inside my body. Then I add more and more skills to do it.
I use [Mana Manipulation]
I use a super weak version of [Oscillation]
2023-05-21 12:31:43 +0000 UTC
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She radiates absolute confidence as always, even while sitting in a cheap wooden chair in the middle of the small, simple room.
The moment I enter, her eyes land on me. I don't even feel her mana, yet I know I am being probed.
[You have defeated an Ironbeak - lvl 54]
A notification sounds in my mind, and I realize that she just killed the monster I left outside. Without a single move. Without any trace of mana from her.
"Are you satisfied with your gro...
2023-05-18 17:08:28 +0000 UTC
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POV Maya Jones
I slip into [Focus], and everything goes too quiet for comfort. My senses go into overdrive, picking up details that make my head pound. Unsettling feelings, like fear, weaken. Yet I hate it, every time I use this skill, it feels like I'm leaving a piece of myself behind.
I notice the monster's left leg twitch and I dart to the left, quick and instinctive. The monster mirrors me, springing my way with its left leg as the launch pad....
2023-05-17 08:49:23 +0000 UTC
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The small body of the best doggo hits my chest, making me let out a quiet groan of pain. Yet, I still hug the corgi and keep him close to my chest while carefully petting him with my now slightly healed arm.
(Asshole! Asshole! Asshole! Asshole!)
Yes, yes, I missed you too.
Also, we will have to put some parental control on your access to the community; you are learning bad words from those guys there.
“Master wanted me to buy this creature from Henry as well...
2023-05-15 12:36:40 +0000 UTC
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Using the remaining kinetic energy, I propel myself forward, my hand holding a knife covered in oscillating mana. I read the direction of the projectiles that the sniper fires at me, a much weaker version of the skills she used to kill so many of the group.
I dodge two and block the last one, barely avoiding breaking my hand. Meanwhile, I once again absorb the energy of the rain and mold it into as thin a cone as I can, shooting it at her. She dodges it but a few orbs of mana start spin...
2023-05-14 13:36:53 +0000 UTC
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Hey! Here's the promised Tess and Biscuit commission! :)
For laughs, we had a misunderstanding while talking with the artist and they ended up giving Tess the mana tentacles instead of Biscuit :D
You can check out the picture here: https://i.redd.it/ax0oqb1k84za1.png
Also, here's a larger version of the final one: https://short...
2023-05-11 19:10:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey, hey! I added a bit more to Chapter 75 - right after Lily's POV.
I did get some good feedback and after a bit of thinking, I came to agree with it, so I added dialogue between Nathaniel and Ruby where they go over the way Nat killed Emeric.
I like the contrast between Lily's POV and the dialogue between Nat and Ruby.
Please, let me know what you think!
2023-05-11 17:49:26 +0000 UTC
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[Lvl 36 > Lvl 37]
I pause briefly to invest my stats. After a moment's hesitation, I put them into mana; I don't believe any other stat will help me at this moment. I quickly skim through the notifications, paying no mind to the ones about kills.
[Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 14 > Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 15]
[Mana Manipulation - Lvl 14 > Mana Manipulation - Lvl 15]
[Oscillation - Lvl 9 > Oscillation - ...
2023-05-11 09:12:04 +0000 UTC
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We do the only thing we can do: run.
We charge toward where the horde of monsters seems thinnest.
Flames surge into the monsters; I hear the crackle of electricity. An arrow from one of our scouts flies ahead of us with enough power to destroy a tank back on Earth.
Pushing through isn't the problem; the problem is a sniper.
Another arrow comes flying, obliterating one of the men along with the monster he was fighting.
Meanwhile, my [Focus] keeps ...
2023-05-10 12:00:16 +0000 UTC
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Two mana projectiles created thanks to [Armament] and [Mana Manipulation], hover over my shoulders as I dodge the charge of a weredeer. The monster doesn't seem too pleased and charges at me again.
[Mana Surge] fires up, and I shoot one of the projectiles at the monster's head.
The weredeer ignores the wound and continues to charge, so another projectile hits it, finally making it stagger a bit.
A wildly oscillating blade ma...
2023-05-09 08:54:53 +0000 UTC
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"You got rid of that rudimentary thing clinging to your brain, why?" she asks me immediately.
"It was too dangerous to leave it without oversight, and I'm not skilled enough yet to do that many things at once. Plus, I believe I learned all I could from it."
She stares at me for a second and then slowly nods.
"You walk a dangerous path."
As if I don't know that.
"Do you like mana that much?" she asks, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"Yes," I say without an...
2023-05-09 08:32:47 +0000 UTC
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I enter the bar in the inn Aelric frequents, which is situated in a small village near the wilderness where hunters gather to hunt monsters.
Surprisingly, he is there, together with his group. They are drinking happily without a care in the world.
It pisses me off.
I walk towards the inn owner, who works from behind the counter.
Five silver coins leave my hand – half a year's wage for a farmer.
"I need to have a 'talk' with Aelric and his buddies."
2023-05-08 15:59:09 +0000 UTC
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I dash to the side, strengthening my body as I do so.
The world becomes quieter, black and white, with only mana retaining its color in the world of [Focus].
My [Mana Perception] works overtime as I continue tracking the four weredeers' mana signatures around me.
Thankfully, only the Battle Weredeer seems to be able to create mana projectiles, so I keep running away from them or dodging after determining their trajectory.
One weredeer ...
2023-05-07 13:52:19 +0000 UTC
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Hello, just a question. What would you like to see more of, or what do you feel is missing from the story?
2023-05-05 06:50:55 +0000 UTC
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My job? Killing monster boars.
Pay? 1 to 2 silver per piece.
Bonus? Level ups.
A problem? They are heavy.
Solution? Hire a group with a skill similar to Kim's [Gravity Well] to carry them.
Price for that group? Thirty percent of every boar delivered.
God damn it.
But there is one thing I like about them. They use some glowing stone that they use their skill on and then put it on the corpses. At that point, the stone works like a mediu...
2023-05-04 10:13:24 +0000 UTC
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"Please give me the 92 gold you stole."
"No."
So goddamn shameless.
"Nat, please don't look at me like that. It doesn't suit your pretty face."
Damn it, don't call me Nat.
But wait a moment. The main objective of the quest is to witness the end of the world. Do I really need to pay back all this money?
"How long do I have to pay it back?" I try.
"A year?"
Huh?
I know that I might not have to pay it all back, but what the heck!
"You s...
2023-05-03 11:55:14 +0000 UTC
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Hey! I've got the first two sketches for the commissioned art featuring Tess and the amazing doggo. What are your thoughts?
Feel free to let me know if you'd like to be part of this process in the future, or if you'd rather have me decide on my own. I'm okay with either approach.
2023-05-01 17:30:54 +0000 UTC
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The redhead woman's name is Ruby, or at least that's what she claims. The way she tells me makes me think it might be fake.
She doesn't tell me her master's name, nor does she tell me what will happen to me.
My suspicion is that it's because it's more fun this way.
Look, I understand it. I do. I would find it funny too if I were in her position.
I would totally enjoy it.
But damn, it's annoying when it's happening to me.
"First floor, second floor, system,"...
2023-05-01 11:59:29 +0000 UTC
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She keeps staring at me as we sit alone in the room with only her attendant nearby. Then she turns away, and to my surprise, I am still alive.
"Why did you do it?"
"He wanted to kill me."
She pauses once more and doesn't ask more about that, as if my answer explains everything.
"Do you regret it?" There is a hint of curiosity in her voice.
I open my mouth, about to lie, but then stop myself just in time, remembering her warning. I still believe that I have no oth...
2023-04-30 18:43:38 +0000 UTC
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"It's a shame that you're being sent to the frontlines. Sure, they don't instantly put you in the most dangerous spots, but in the end, you're just monster fodder."
Emeric taps my shoulder; it seems friendly, but it's anything but that.
"That old man Henry said you have quite a few gifts. Actually, a lot of them for someone of your level. Unfortunately for you, you're messed up; your mana is too high, and it will break your body fairly soon. You're crippled, too."
He looks a...
2023-04-30 18:32:20 +0000 UTC
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POV Tess Hansen
The man with a question mark instead of his level leaves us with a warning that we'll be killed if we leave the room without being asked to. I end up behind the closed door with Maya.
She is perhaps five years older than me. Her figure bears the marks of a lot of exercises. I think I heard that she was a fitness trainer back on Earth.
Her eyes turn to me, not even attempting to look friendly. She has a skill called [Focus], a...
2023-04-29 19:13:38 +0000 UTC
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What flashes through my mind are the memories of me dragging my wounded body to the second floor, and all of them waiting there like vultures for an opportunity.
On the first floor, I didn't hurt any of them too much because I needed them, and in the end, it was the right decision. It was logical, and Sophie, Hadwin, and Maya did pull their weight during the last moments of the first floor.
I was so angry, really angry at them for pulling all this on me the moment the first floor ...
2023-04-28 17:56:05 +0000 UTC
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Henry, seemingly a battle-hardened veteran with a stern expression, carefully observes our group as we gather in the training hall. His keen gaze sweeps over each one of us, pausing briefly on Biscuit.
He shakes his head, mumbling under his breath, "What kind of monstrosity…"
His brow furrows slightly when he sees my missing hand, but he quickly moves on to assess the others.
"You're drifters, and that means you're expendable. Don't expect any special treatment or protecti...
2023-04-28 17:53:56 +0000 UTC
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So, Stonehaven? Well, it's a city, and we are currently strolling through its streets.
The medieval age-like and brimming with life. The cobblestone pathways, worn from the passage of countless feet, lead us past timber-framed houses and market stalls.
Vendors continue to spew out their sales pitches, and I can smell the food they are offering: fresh baked goods and oily meat from who knows what animal.
I can even hear a blacksmith's hammer.
It all feels so unreal.
...
2023-04-27 11:20:34 +0000 UTC
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Finally, at last! And it looks amazing! God damn, I love it :D
This is the artist: https://kotikomori.art/category/image/Original/
Goes as Kotikomori on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/kotikomori/
Amazing to work with and the result is gorgeous :)
Here is fullsize of the picture: 2023-04-26 15:55:05 +0000 UTC
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"Roland, who did you bring here this time? And what happened to your scouting?"
The man's voice is authoritative. He is tall, muscular, and has curly black hair. His face is clearly shaven. He is dressed in comfortable-looking clothes, and at his side, there is a sword with a thin blade.
Roland only bows slightly and smiles at the man.
"Drifters, sir! I spotted them while on watch. Talon is still out there, keeping an eye on things."
"Drifters, you say," I feel a wave ...
2023-04-26 10:01:52 +0000 UTC
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Hey there!
Guess what? I just wrapped up chapter 74!
So, why am I telling you this? Well, it means I'll be able to bump up the membership tiers again, probably at the start of the next month.
Tier 3 will either go up to 14 (totally sure) or maybe even 16 chapters (50% sure), and the other tiers should improve too.
I'm aiming to keep a week or two's worth of chapters in my backlog, just in case something comes up in real life or I need more time to think things th...
2023-04-25 20:11:18 +0000 UTC
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Everyone jumps at the defenseless-looking monster, hungry for some food.
A small stone flies at its head, and Maya dashes, I feel a pulse of Sophie's mana, but the monster blinks its eyes and dashes so quickly I can barely track it with my eyes, disappearing where it came from.
I feel it with my perception, but then it disappears.
Huh? Can it hide its mana? Is that why I didn't feel it coming closer?
"It's gone," Tess says shortly.
Already? Tess's skill has a mas...
2023-04-24 11:51:08 +0000 UTC
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Okay, that might make me change my plans a little bit. At first, I wanted to go and upgrade my [Mana Manipulation], but now I'm not that sure.
Yes, there are some amazing upgrades for it, especially [Advanced Mana Manipulation] and [Mana Amplification].
BUT!
What the hell is this!
[Dual Focus]?
Is it what I think it is?
Instead of one [Focus], would I have two? Does that me...
2023-04-23 12:06:28 +0000 UTC
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Okay, later, I will think about it later.
First, let's pick the name for our group and for myself.
Welcome to the Community! Your group is now registered as "Group 4," and your alias will be "Noname." Your daily time limit is 10 minutes; after that, your access to the Community will be cut off.
Then a window appears, looking similar to a forum style.
Easy difficulty: 1869/2000
2023-04-20 12:34:48 +0000 UTC
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