“Oh. Boss, you still haven’t returned to Earth yet?”
“Hmm. I was still examining Crystalons.”
“That’s… its name?”
Dodona was now completely dark. But occasionally, a sliver of moonlight pierced through the thick fog rolling above them, but those moments were fleeting, swallowed up just as quickly as they came.
Their only light came from the fire. Flickering, shifting—dancing in the wind, but never quite going out.
Much like the way Ju...
2025-04-15 07:31:36 +0000 UTC
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“Do… you think they might be friendly?”
“Why… wouldn’t they be?”
Cyrus and Juliet kept their eyes on the figures approaching through the thinning fog. At first, they thought the cold was playing tricks on their vision—seeing three different races walking together?
They’ve never seen that before—for Juliet, Cyrus and Julian’s existence as creatures who live in a completely different realm was more believable than this.
But now, as the silhouettes s...
2025-04-12 17:31:34 +0000 UTC
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“W… we’re going to die here.”
The vapor surrounding Julian and the party’s cart had thickened, suffocating the air, and it still showed no signs of clearing. When they first arrived in Dodona, the ground had at least held some grass beneath the frozen surface, but now? They couldn’t even tell if they were still on solid ground or crossing a vast river.
It wasn’t even white anymore. It was gray. No snow. Just endless ice stretching from one dark horizon to an even dar...
2025-04-09 18:08:51 +0000 UTC
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"Why… is he not moving? Is he dead?"
"Does he look dead to you? How did he even survive?"
"Who… is it?"
"Right, you wasn't here yesterday. The motherfucker's crazy, man. He was popping them motherfucking snakes left and right."
Everyone was hesitant to approach Adam. The veteran creeps made sure not to make a sound, but that didn't stop them from whispering among themselves.
"He's not moving… we sure he ain't dead?" one asked, clutching his weapon tighter.<...
2025-04-08 10:45:52 +0000 UTC
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Julian didn’t hold anything back. He told Ellie and Victoria everything, even revealing that he shared the same abilities as his clone, that he had the abilities of the Shadow Blacksmith.
If he had been born on Artemia, then logically, somehow, someway, Humanity Engineering must have known. It seemed impossible that they wouldn’t.
But judging by Victoria’s expression, maybe they hadn’t.
Thirty seconds passed. Victoria hadn’t said a word. Her coffee ha...
2025-04-07 10:29:59 +0000 UTC
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"The Boss is here!"
That was all the veteran creeps needed to hear.
They had seen Adam get swallowed whole—and that was enough reason to turn and run without looking back.
Some shoved others out of the way, but no one complained. That was just life now.
Instead, those who stumbled forced themselves up from the murky swamp water, clutching at the thick roots or crawling through the muck if they had to. Nothing mattered. No pride. Just survival.
The Heroes—Vinc...
2025-04-06 05:47:31 +0000 UTC
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“Julian… Winters?”
People recognized him instantly.
If there was one thing Julian always underestimated, it was just how popular he had become among humanity. Even civilians in the middle of being rescued—already running for their lives—stopped in their tracks the moment he descended from the sky.
No. Not just them.
Even the daemons—normally void of any instinct or emotion—paused to acknowledge his presence. Or at least, it seemed&n...
2025-04-04 16:26:30 +0000 UTC
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Hello patrons and free members! I just released a new book on Royal Road, please do check it out and leave a nice rating if you liked it!
2025-04-03 05:13:13 +0000 UTC
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"Wha…"
Adam froze. His mind was struggling to process the horror unfolding before him.
He had never really seen someone get eaten in front of him—it was always him getting eaten or chewed during the Game.
Was this… what Grace saw when the ratatusk was munching me?
He stared at the massive snake—its scales a mix of greens and the browns of the swamp. He then looked at its name that was hovering above it.
[Verdlecks, Lv. 2 | HP: 121%]
2025-04-03 02:57:55 +0000 UTC
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Leaks.
Very much like the Game, they were tears in reality—but their name truly carried their meaning. They were rips between dimensions that allowed nightmares to spill into the world.
Monsters from the Game, leaking out into the world.
But unlike the Game, they don't only appear once a month—no.
They appear without warning, punching holes through the fabric of everyday life, anywhere. The monsters emerge from them, without rules or boundaries.
The governmen...
2025-04-03 02:50:56 +0000 UTC
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[Duelist of Rose nearly defeated by a B-tier Team!]
[In what many are calling the most controversial Game of the year, S-tier Hero Sylvie Rousseau narrowly secured victory despite three of her teammates hiding after experiencing multiple deaths.]
[…In related news, C-Tier Hero Bjorn, known as the Silent Brawler, appeared in court today facing serious allegations of Game fixing. Bjorn has not denied any of the charges against him, and we could see him here in this drone footage r...
2025-04-03 02:47:05 +0000 UTC
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“We lost.”
Adam didn’t respond.
He heard Grace's words—they were so clear, almost to the point that it rang through his ears and pierced through his skull. But even then, he didn't understand them.
He refused to.
His breath turned heavier, uneven. His fingers started to twitch, wanting to reach for something—anything—to distract him. His eyes moved everywhere, searching, desperate.
And then, he saw it. The steel pipe resting beside Grace.
He qui...
2025-04-03 02:40:29 +0000 UTC
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“Adam!”
Adam barely felt Grace’s shove before his boots scraped against the dirt, sliding back. But Samantha was still in his arms. He gritted his teeth and stomped down hard, his foot digging deep, stopping him cold.
He set Samantha on her feet and spun around—his eyes widening at the blur streaking toward the spot where he had just been standing.
Helsinki.
The Little Wolf Man slammed into the ground, claws carving deep furrows in the dirt as if it were nothin...
2025-04-03 02:32:50 +0000 UTC
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"You're… late."
Adam could barely stand, staggering where he stood as he looked at Bjorn.
Bjorn signed something to him, but he couldn't understand what it was. But, then again, even if Bjorn spoke, he probably also wouldn't know what he was saying from how foggy his mind was.
What he did know, however, was that Bjorn did not see his wounds heal, and his limbs correct themselves—if he did, then he probably would have attacked him by now.
Either that, or Bjorn truly...
2025-04-03 02:27:13 +0000 UTC
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No one from the Red team moved.
Despite Adam facing the Blue team alone, no one from his team moved.
But not because they were frozen in place by fear, but because Adam ordered them not to fight.
Even Grace, fully wanting to, didn't follow. She clutched Samantha's shoulders, watching Adam walk alone toward the crystal.
The burden of what needed to be done—he'd claimed it entirely for himself. Grace wanted to share it with her, to fight alongside him now, at least for...
2025-04-03 02:11:47 +0000 UTC
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[Your team's East Outer Crystal has been destroyed! Deploying allied Middle Crystal troops in one minute! Help them!]
"What…?"
Sylvie's jaw clenched as the announcement echoed through her ears, and the ears of the Blue creeps.
Her fingers started to twitch, instinctively reaching for a weapon that hadn't yet materialized.
And soon, the Blue ripple pulsing across the Dome's ceiling faded in her eyes.
East Lane... undefended?...
2025-04-03 02:05:48 +0000 UTC
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"En garde."
Sylvie didn't move, her eyes only staring at Adam and his resolution.
But Adam wasn't as elegant; he charged at Sylvie. His knuckles turning white from how tight he was gripping it. Each of his steps felt heavier than the last, but he had no choice but to move forward.
He knew this was futile—like trying to swim with weights attached to his feet—but this is a choice he had already made.
"Please!" He gritted his teeth, swinging his blade in a wide arc. "...
2025-04-03 02:00:00 +0000 UTC
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The Duelist of Rose.
A hero that even a recluse like Adam knew all about, even more than the Game itself. She possessed the ability to transform her blood into weapons – one of the strongest Heroes in the entire world.
She was known for her grace, nobility, and compassion.
But right now, as Adam watched her standing coldly beside Paik's fading, headless corpse, the only thing he could think of was death.
He had contemplated death countless times. So many times that h...
2025-04-03 01:53:35 +0000 UTC
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No one moved. For twelve long seconds, both teams stood frozen in place. In the Game, twelve seconds was forever—yet no one dared move.
The Blue team stayed still from fear, shock, and losing all hope.
The Red team, from pure confusion.
Why wasn't there a Hero with the Blue creeps? Why were they marching alone? Paik and the IBAA man suspected a trap—but this seemed risky for everyone involved.
What could they possibly be planning?
Paik narrowed his eyes at th...
2025-04-03 01:12:02 +0000 UTC
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“That’s… the last of them. Most probably retreated to the Middle Crystal.”
“They didn’t get burned by the Administrators?”
“It’s a valid retreat. But honestly, who knows what the Admins are thinking? They burn whoever, whenever, for whatever reason these days.”
“Ssh! They might hear you!”
“Let them. My girl already left me. What’s the point in living?”
The chaos had finally subsided. The Red Team’s creeps could now catch their brea...
2025-04-03 00:31:52 +0000 UTC
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"Adam!?"
Grace’s scream was louder than the roaring exhaust of the car. But even her voice was drowned out by the howling, manic laughter of the woman behind the wheel.
"Vroom, vroom, motherfucker!"
Tongue out, eyes wild, the woman shook her head violently as she slammed the gas pedal harder, pressing Adam even deeper against the wall.
Adam couldn't even feel his legs anymore. He wasn’t sure if the cracking sounds filling the air were coming from the wall behind hi...
2025-04-02 23:41:41 +0000 UTC
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Once again, Grace was reminded of just how savage humanity could become.
Just a few hours ago, these people were probably like her—spending time with their families, working while dreaming about the end of their shift.
But now?
Now, their faces twisted with desperation, their eyes gleamed with something primal, and their hands reached for her, for Samantha, for Adam.
There was an on-and-off switch to humanity’s brutality.
And it had just been flicked.
O...
2025-04-02 23:17:26 +0000 UTC
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[Bjorn, the Silent Brawler.]
You're dead, Adam.
You'll be forever stuck inside the hospital again, these people won't let you go.
All that pain, that suffering. It will happen to you again.
The only way you're ever going to escape this situation... is if you got burned by the Administrator.
And that means losing this game.
A torrent of thoughts flooded Adam's mind. His eyes trembled as they fixed...
2025-04-02 22:36:56 +0000 UTC
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[Ratatusk, Lv. 1 | HP: 26%]
Grace watched as the ratatusk's health continued to dwindle, its squeals growing weaker with each passing second.
A whispered rumble and rippled through the entire lobby as the monster's bloated stomach began to wriggle and stretch unnaturally.
Then came a thud.
Followed by a quiet squish as a piece of bone pierced through its distended stomach. Another shard emerged, then another.
And another, until an entire arm tore through the crea...
2025-04-02 22:05:48 +0000 UTC
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[Ratatusk, Lv. 1 | Health: 100%]
Dome Monsters.
As their name suggested, these creatures were born from the Dome—manifestations of its mysterious and ever-shifting power. The Ratatusk was just one of many that roamed this sophisticated cage.
A Dome Monster’s strength varied wildly. Some were weak enough for a Hero to take down alone, while others required three or more fighters working together to stand a chance.
But one thing had always remained true:
No one...
2025-04-02 21:41:53 +0000 UTC
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"Adam. Aren’t you… tired? I can carry her."
"No, it’s okay. Holding her… calms me down. Just hold on to our weapons."
Minutes passed. Adam and the group had already put distance between themselves and the restaurant, leaving behind the brutality that had been served inside.
But really—were they leaving anything behind at all?
As long as they remained inside the Dome, as long as they moved through its streets, carnage would follow.
Smoke had swallowed th...
2025-04-02 21:07:48 +0000 UTC
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[1 Status Point has been granted!]
“Huh…?”
The voice that rang in his ears drowned out the pounding of Adam’s heart and the sharp rhythm of his breath.
Any thoughts or memories that had been racing through his mind went silent.
For the first time, he was hearing something other than his own voice.
It felt... nice.
And just like that, the crushing weight of guilt in his chest was gone.
Will I hear the voice again if I kill more...
2025-04-02 20:34:01 +0000 UTC
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A few minutes earlier, somewhere in the Dome, Dr. Aniston—the doctor Adam had been running from—managed to locate two of her colleagues amidst the chaos. One was dressed casually like her, while the other wore a suit.
All three of them, however, shared one thing in common. They wore the same armor as the creeps who attacked Adam.
The Halos hovering above their head: Blue.
They were on the other team.
The doctor and her party didn’t mingle with the other creeps, i...
2025-04-02 20:28:58 +0000 UTC
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Adam’s eyes widened when he heard Jake’s words.
Kill them?
Grace and Samantha?
He was ready to grab the knife from Jake, but he stopped and completely froze when he heard that. He was ready to protect them, he had the resolve to do so.
But kill them?
Why?
But Adam didn’t think that he would get his answer immediately.
“I’ve already seen the worst of humanity right in front of me,” Jake muttered through gritted teeth, his gaze lock...
2025-04-02 20:26:10 +0000 UTC
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Creeps weren’t supposed to have weapons, at least not normally. They could carry crowbars, steel pipes, and all other things they could use as makeshift weapons on the ground, but they could never have brought weapons into the Game unless they were made from special materials.
So why? — was everyone’s question as they looked at the army marching toward them. Why were the enemy creeps that were approaching them now all armed? They had swords, spears, a shield… some ...
2025-04-02 20:24:01 +0000 UTC
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