Sun Meta

Occultist 294

Getting a blank check from someone as wealthy and powerful as the Duke of Alluria, guaranteed to be cashed by an influential Archmage like Tholm, was a heady thing.

For a moment, Nick wondered how far he could push it. Could he ask for a Prestige-tier treasure? He was sure the castle’s vaults would contain something he could use, and that would surely help him reach new heights.

Perhaps he could even try asking to be given a nominal position that would bring him fame and money. ...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 113

Esmeralda’s intervention was enough to prevent the evening from turning into disaster, and as Cordelia moved away, thoroughly chastised, Orion had to face the annoying truth that he was quite vulnerable to a vampire’s unnatural charm and that his hopes of finding more allies among the younger generation beyond Esmeralda might prove harder than he expected.

After staring down several thralls in Silverpeak, he believed himself to be immune, or at least resistant. However, even those b...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 112

The city of Valderun rolled by as the carriage sped through the nearly empty streets.

It was just past twilight, and most businesses had closed for the night, with only a few people still out and about. Every day that no solution was found for the political crisis caused by Mallon’s retirement, which had plunged the Magocracy into chaos, people grew more nervous.

No one knew what to expect now that the greatest stabilizing force within the High Council—the man who had led its ...

Occultist 293

The memory mist dispersed, and the image of Nick swinging his dagger down into the ritual circle was the last thing it could show before the magical backlash overwhelmed Anthony.

Since Nausicaa’s method depended on the vessel being conscious enough to perceive something, and the burst of mana released by the broken ritual had caused Anthony to fall into a coma, what happened next couldn’t be shown.

I’m very lucky, Nick realized, internally sweat-dropping. He couldn�...

Occultist 292

Watching his brother fight multiple warriors at once, turning what should have been a one-sided beatdown into a fair fight, and then starting to push them back, was quite something.

Nick had known Devon had grown, as he’d sparred with him quite a bit since coming to Alluria, but it seemed that in the weeks he’d been staying at the Tower, he hadn’t been idle.

His ghostly figure ducked and weaved through blows that shattered chairs and tables, always using the least amount of ...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 111

The fight with the orc shaman had gone under the radar, given everything that happened afterward, but Orion still remembered the feeling of his only layer of protection crumbling under its relentless red mist.

As far as he could tell, shielding was considered essential in magical combat, mainly because most mages hunted weaker creatures than themselves in large groups and needed protection against being swarmed. In the rare cases they dueled another mage, it often turned into a slugfest...

Occultist 291

Learning the name of the shadowy organization he’d encountered multiple times should have made Nick feel more at ease, especially since it turned out to be a known entity, at least among the upper echelons of society.

Unfortunately, the small amount of information Tholm provided only made things more confusing.

Oh, it wasn’t that Nick couldn’t understand the purpose of the Circle of Pure Souls, no. He had personally felt on his skin what unchecked power in religious organiza...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 110

Orion didn’t forget things. His memory had always been excellent, and the improvement it experienced with every level-up only enhanced it further.

His mind was his strongest weapon, and he took pride in it.

It was, however, prone to focusing on those things that intrigued him—great mysteries he would have to devote himself, body and soul, to unravel, often at the expense of less important matters.

Well, sometimes, those secondary things popped up again, and although it o...

Occultist 290.5 - Interlude Alexander 3/Devon 4

Staring at the full moon, Alexander took a drag from his pipe, feeling the fortifying smoke fill his lungs and burn as it went down, letting it linger a little longer than he should have, until it felt uncomfortably hot even for him, before exhaling in a long breath.

It wasn’t something he’d ever seen himself doing, smoking rare herbs for a little hit, but then again, his life hadn’t exactly been going as expected for the past year.

“It started with the Class Ceremony. Thi...

Occultist 290

“How high did you reach on your Tower Exam?” Nick asked, warily watching the tear in space.

[Empyrean Intuition] was telling him this was the Tower’s magic, and since the presence on the other side was muffled in the same way Tholm’s usually was, he was tempted to believe the man was who he seemed to be. However, he thought he could be forgiven for feeling a little paranoid after just facing someone who could wear skin masks and make himself look like anyone.

The Archmage ...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 109

Staring up at the stone ceiling of his room, Orion realized that it was painted with the different phases of the moon, and that he’d never noticed before.

Have I become so accustomed to this kind of thing that I no longer notice it?

It was a small detail, and he could be forgiven for not noticing it, considering how little time he spent in this room besides sleeping, but it felt symbolic.

Even in his past life, he had been prone to forgetting his surroundings when...

Occultist 289

Though Changer had generally appeared interested in maintaining politeness and civility, even with a human sacrifice awaiting death behind him, he was very quick to become aggressive once the situation escalated.

Nick found himself darting around the ritual chamber, constantly moving to dodge the wickedly sharp blade aiming for his head.

At first, [Crest of the Thunderbird] easily brushed aside the skills Changer repeatedly added, letting him entomb Anthony inside the stone altar ...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 108

Awe and fear blended for a moment until the cold wash of rationality swept them away, leaving Orion with the startling realization that he wouldn’t have many better chances to study a high-level rank up.

The System wasn’t often described using theological terms — in fact, it wasn’t discussed that much at all— but rather as a reflection of the world’s laws or a gift from the gods. Still, every faction and culture agreed that it dealt with these matters personally and that its...

Occultist 288

Multiple options emerged in Nick’s mind after understanding the ritual’s purpose. He was fairly confident in his preparations to beat the man, but it would be risky, and that was only if he was a pure mage. Considering the complex ritual he had arranged, it didn’t seem like he was.

That is, assuming he’s the one who set everything up. His mana levels are higher than mine, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the caster.

If he ran, he could probably make it b...

Occultist sidechapter Poll 14

Too many options?

Occultist 287

Now that Nick knew he was dealing with an entire organization of what he was pretty sure were anti-religious fanatics, ignoring the nagging voice at the back of his mind that he really should turn around and bring this matter to someone with the proper power and authority to deal with it was becoming increasingly difficult.

And yet, his feet guided him through the dark corridors, sinking deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth.

He could have easily justified his decision. H...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 107

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION

+1 Attunement

+107.340 Exp

Level up!

Level up!

Reaching level forty-five and then forty-six so quickly wasn’t exactly what he’d expected, but given the danger he had faced and the effort he put into transforming [Gamma Ray] into something less likely to kill him than his opponent, he felt it was justified.

Of course, it was only a fraction of the exp...

Occultist 286

There was no need to speak now that he could sense the entire complex, so Nick limited himself to overpowering the unfortunate guard’s body with a well-aimed [Spirit Blast], then moved on once the body was safely hidden behind the brick wall.

As expected, the same basement floor found beneath all other buildings in the area extended here as well, but additions had been carved out over time. Now, a vast underground lair spread in all directions, with tunnels and safe rooms.

Nick ...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 106

A part of Orion knew this battle couldn’t end any other way than with their complete victory. No matter how powerful this orc shaman might be, it would never withstand a single serious blow from Seothyn, who had to be watching them from somewhere nearby.

He knew that, but he was also aware that just a small mistake, a brief moment of hesitation or distraction, could lead to tragedy.

Since it appeared to be in no rush to attack again, he examined the shaman.

[Gatura...