Jack surveyed the battlefield, taking in the aftermath of the fight. The mountain pass was scattered with fallen romies.
He wouldn’t call this last wave easy, but it had been comfortable. Even though Marie couldn’t one-shot the mobs anymore, her explosive power still tore through the swarms.
With the two bears charging the rear of the wave, Christoff’s arrows striking true, and Jack’s melodies reinforcing their efforts, they had handled the romies without much trouble. Any...
2025-02-26 16:53:14 +0000 UTC
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Hi, everyone!
First off, a huge thank you for participating in my recent polls! Your feedback has been incredibly helpful, and thanks to you, I’ve been able to make some great decisions.
📖 Book 4 of Hidden Class: Handyman will be titled "The Candle-Making Cook." I’ll be commissioning a cover soon and will share it with you as soon as it’s ready!
📖 Book 1 of Card Slinger
2025-02-25 20:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Your mead has aged successfully.
+3000XP in [Brewing]
Congratulations! You’ve reached level 8 in [Brewing]!
Jack’s breath caught in his throat.
“Wait… what?”
For a split second, he thought he’d misread it. His heart pounded as he scrambled to inspect the amphora, his fingers gripping the ceramic as if that would somehow confirm the results.
The glow of the system notification hadn’t vanished. ...
2025-02-25 11:43:12 +0000 UTC
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As the hat touched the surface of the bubbling hot terracoat, it hovered for a moment, as if it had landed on something solid. Jack narrowed his eyes. That wasn’t the reaction he had expected. The viscous sludge churned beneath it, but the hat remained stubbornly afloat, refusing to sink.
He crouched closer, watching intently. He hesitated before reaching out, then gently pressed down on the brim, attempting to submerge it. The moment one of the fibers dipped beneath the surface, the ...
2025-02-24 12:40:08 +0000 UTC
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Hey, everyone!
I'm about two-thirds through writing Book 1 of Card Slinger, and it's time to start thinking about the best title for Volume 1. I have a few options in mind, but I’d love to hear your thoughts! Which one do you think fits best? Or, if you have a better idea, feel free to share!
2025-02-24 12:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Deckard lifted the lid of the chest, expecting disappointment.
A dull gleam of rust and the faint scent of seawater clinging to the corroded metal greeted him. He sighed—more junk. But as he sifted through the pile, his fingers brushed against something solid. His eyes narrowed. Maybe not all of it was useless.
Rusty Shield (Common)
Description: A battered metal shield, crusted with salt and rust from years at the bottom of the ocean. It barely loo...
2025-02-24 10:10:45 +0000 UTC
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Outthink. Outcraft.
Kai and his wife are dying. Their only chance lies inside the Daisy Trials.
This year, contestants must capture components, craft cards, and defeat their opponents in a merciless gauntlet where every decision matters.
He’s trained for this moment his whole life—studying past Trials, memorizing every pattern. But so has everyone else, and the...
2025-02-21 11:19:58 +0000 UTC
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353rd Daisy Trials, Elimination Round.
A figure emerged in the woodland, her grey tunic marked with a blue hexahedron—a clear sign of her rank as a sixth-tier mathematician. Black and grey hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing what she liked to think was impeccable skin for a woman her age. She was Helen from sector 1J, and as the laws of probability would have it, a second-time trial runner.
Feeling the weight hanging around her neck, she ran her bony fingers along...
2025-02-21 11:14:07 +0000 UTC
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Summer of 345, A.D.
Since Neil returned, he hadn’t been to a single bonfire. When Kai asked Trudy about him, she only shook her head. “Give him time,” she said.
But Kai had never been good at waiting.
Now, he was standing at Neil’s door, knocking.
No answer.
“Neil! Come on, it’s me, Kai.”
A heavy silence stretched before a hoarse voice finally answered. “Go away, lad.”
2025-02-21 11:12:05 +0000 UTC
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Spring of 345, A.D.
The fire burned low, its glow casting flickering shadows across the small gathering. It was positioned deliberately near the capital’s main square, where the summons would soon be announced. The square could accommodate thousands, making the sight of their small group feel even more isolated, more fragile.
Kai studied the others, noting how they each dealt with the impending summons in their own way. Albert and Sunny chatted, their force...
2025-02-21 11:10:24 +0000 UTC
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Summer of 343, A.D.
“Haha. I should have holographed you, Kai. Your face when you were tased was priceless.”
“That’s just too funny, Alex.”
After another exhausting day of studying, Kai and Alex were walking home. Today had been yet another nightmarish, practical lesson taught by Neil.
“And weren’t you happy that Ariel was reading poetry to you?” Alex grinned.
“Shut up!”
Alex laug...
2025-02-21 11:08:37 +0000 UTC
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Summer of 343, A.D.
Kai wasn’t the first to arrive. Neil had already lit the fire, and Alex, intrigued by what was under the covered contraption, had beaten him there.
“Hey, Alex,” Kai greeted as he sat down. “What’s the old fox up to?”
“No clue, but it looks fun. Hope he calls me first.”
“Nah. Neil smells fear.”
“And?”
“Come on, man. You’re not scared of anything.”...
2025-02-21 11:07:03 +0000 UTC
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Summer of 343, A.D.
“Neil, please tell me today isn’t another practical class.”
After the snakes and Damocles’ sword exercises, Kai dreaded Neil being firekeeper again. It had been too long since Neil had taught a purely theoretical class, and Kai hoped today would finally be his lucky day.
“Relax, Kai. It isn’t.”
Kai exhaled, relieved—though not completely convinced.
“The setup for the next pract...
2025-02-21 11:05:20 +0000 UTC
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Summer of 343 A.D.
“Who here has heard the story of Damocles?” Neil asked.
The group exchanged glances. It was too soon to tell whether this was just a theoretical lesson or the prelude to another ‘practical’ one.
Only one hand went up.
Trudy. Of course. Kai wasn’t surprised—sometimes, it felt like she knew everything. That’s what happened when you were practically a gazillion years old.
Neil smiled. ...
2025-02-21 11:03:42 +0000 UTC
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Summer of 343 after Daisy
The sunrise bonfire crackled, sending embers swirling into the early morning air. Neil stood beside it, wearing his usual khaki shorts and that ridiculous explorer’s hat—an item he swore was indispensable for survival, though Kai had never heard a convincing reason why. He had asked plenty of times. The old man had yet to deliver a proper answer.
“Listen up, everyone. Today, we’re having a practical class.” Neil’s voice h...
2025-02-21 11:01:43 +0000 UTC
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Welcome to my rewrite of Snap Craft!
Writing this has been an incredible experience, and I genuinely hope you enjoy it.
If you're reading for the first time—welcome! If you're returning for a second read, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Does the story flow better? Do the emojis help make it more engaging?
I'll be releasing this story in packages. This first package covers the elimination round, and the next challenge—eight new chapters—wi...
2025-02-21 10:57:09 +0000 UTC
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Deckard sifted through Ratu’s cards.
Not long ago, Ratu had been playing with a fox deck packed mostly with commons, sprinkled with a few uncommons and the odd rare. But now, uncommons were the new baseline, rare cards were plentiful, and at the heart of it all was something he’d never seen before—an epic card.
His gaze locked onto the purple gem shimmering in the corner. The artwork was breathtaking, almost too vivid for ink and paper. The Whale Shark’s glos...
2025-02-20 11:51:40 +0000 UTC
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Greetings, dear readers,
First off, a huge thank you for all your feedback and encouraging comments yesterday. You guys are amazing, and it truly means a lot to have such a supportive community to share these stories with.
(Clears throat before things get too emotional…)
Now, I’d love to tap into the group’s collective wisdom once again.
Each of my books averages around 55–56 chapters. I’m already at chapter 50 of Volume 3, but there...
2025-02-20 09:57:30 +0000 UTC
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Hey, everyone!
I came across a review on Amazon today about HC: Handyman, and it got me thinking:
"Love the story, and can't complain about the writing style. Biggest issue for me is that there is too much detail, especially when crafting. Just felt like I skipped a third of the book because of this reason."
This made me curious—do you feel the same way? Does the crafting process go into too much detail, or do you enjoy that level of depth? I'd lo...
2025-02-19 20:11:32 +0000 UTC
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Ingredients, check. Hot pot… ouch! Check.
Now that everything seemed ready, it was time to test the [Terracoat] recipe.
Jack dropped the wax into the pot. At first, nothing happened. Then, as the heat seeped in, the edges softened, curling in on themselves. Slowly, the solid pieces slumped, losing their shape, and melted into a glossy amber pool. A rich, warm scent drifted up, carrying traces of honey and resin. It wasn’t overpowering, but it clung to the air, mixing ...
2025-02-19 11:46:13 +0000 UTC
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Jack dumped the pickles from the pots where they’d been fermenting into the cooking pot. He stirred the pan, letting the ingredients sizzle in the oil until the faintest caramelization formed at the edges. As he stirred, a golden crust formed along the edges of the pan, the rich scent of pickled broth mixing with the smoky air.
By the time the food was ready, the group had nearly finished their last-minute preparations, chatting between bites.
“I’ll be heading out west now,...
2025-02-18 10:06:28 +0000 UTC
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Author's note: Thank you for your suggestions for an alternative name for 'piercers'! Even though I also liked 'breachers,' I think I'll implement one of ByLaw's suggestions and use 'scalers."
*
Jack surveyed the battlefield. The scattered carcasses of defeated romies lay motionless, their forms still intact until looted. The wave hadn’t been the worst they had faced, but without the aid packages, things could have been a lot tougher.
<...
2025-02-17 12:22:49 +0000 UTC
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A ramp deck. Deckard’s gaze hardened. Good thing I started building my board on turn one.
A memory flashed: a perfect hand, an opponent summoning a hulking leviathan on turn three while Deckard sat helpless, his cards useless in his grip. Not this time.
Ratu had only played one cost-reduction card so far. That meant there was still time—a slim window before something big hit the board.
But Ratu’s grin only widened. "Enjoy it while it last, yeah?"
<...
2025-02-17 12:01:32 +0000 UTC
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Jack studied Horace as he dropped down beside the group, his breath ragged, chest heaving like he’d just sprinted uphill. Dark circles carved hollows beneath his eyes, and his gear was slick with droplets—condensation from lingering ice. The usual energy in his movements was gone, replaced by sluggishness, like every step had been a battle.
“No luck with the hidden package, then?” Amari asked.
“The coordinates you sent were a no-go. The One-Eyes probably relocated once t...
2025-02-13 09:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone!
I hope you're having a great week. I just wanted to share a quick update—I’ve given my Patreon a bit of a face-lift! My goal was to make it easier for you to find your rewards and benefits, so feel free to check out the pinned post on my homepage for all the details.
And that’s not all—I’ve also added two free novels for everyone to read:
2025-02-11 16:59:00 +0000 UTC
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After a good night's sleep and a hastily scarfed-down breakfast, Deckard returned to AstroTerra, spawning atop the lighthouse of Trash Islet. The faint sound of waves crashing against the rocks below mixed with the distant mews of seagulls, a welcome improvement over the hum of passing cars outside his apartment.
Around him, players clustered near the grizzled NPC, handing over items with eager grins as flashes of light signaled their level-ups. Others in the islet prepared to contest t...
2025-02-11 11:27:38 +0000 UTC
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The bears’ gazes bore into Jack. He could feel them weighing their odds, measuring whether attacking Snowy was worth it.
Jack tightened his grip on a Molotov cocktail in one hand and the ocarina in the other, mentally running through his options. If he could rush past them, put the traps between himself and the bears, and rejoin the others, they might just have a chance at fighting them off.
Snowy, however, didn’t share his apprehensions.
She kept moving. No hesitation. ...
2025-02-11 11:09:39 +0000 UTC
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…good conversations over the years.
Trother didn’t know about the legend of the phoenix. He and I both agreed it was a poetic accident. Yet, it’s hard to think of a better analogy for the Ignian people. Like the mythical bird, they have risen again and again, forging strength from the ashes of despair. Their hunger, their pain—it all burns away, leaving behind something unbreakable.
On one occasion, I asked Trother how he was so sure Eli was the right...
2025-02-10 12:34:39 +0000 UTC
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…more and more about the Burrows, I became captivated by the role of the Blues. I couldn’t help but laugh when Trother first told me about the fearsome and mighty Blue Monarchs. Amused, he asked me why, and I explained that there was a butterfly species on Earth called the blue monarch. When I mentioned how harmless and delicate these creatures were, he laughed with me.
Despite this humorous moment, the Blues were extraordinary individuals. Exceptionally talented and wi...
2025-02-10 12:33:45 +0000 UTC
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“The settlements, even though they have evolved from the original designs, remain faithful to their purpose. Each part plays a role in the survival of the tribe. The Throne Room, where the king lies ready to serve when called upon, and the AI mainframe, which oversees the settlement’s functions, form its heart. The Womb and the Nexus nurture the young, providing them with sustenance and guidance. The Golden Guard protects the Vault, safeguarding the tribe’s most vital resources. The...
2025-02-10 12:32:11 +0000 UTC
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