Kernoel77

Chapter 104: Backlash and Reunion

Chapter 104: Backlash and Reunion

/Another guild which you'd find in most major cities is the Alchemists' Guild. This institution is very open in terms of membership, not having any restrictions, and more often than not, members are also part of other associations.

Just to give an example, many alchemists are also part of the Mages' Guild, or may be travelling physicians. Some take up delving into old ruins, and a few are seekers as well, since healers are well liked du...

Chapter 103: Next Quest

Chapter 103: Next Quest

/Howdy y'all! Tahday this little me thought to write in mah diary again for once. It's been quite some time, but today felt pretty monumentous! Y'see, it's my birthday for one, which is already a gift. Means we might even eat meat, and some of our relatives come to visit, whole place gets more lively.

But also, it's harvest day, largely. Wheat has grown tall and strong, now it's time to take in down before winter chill rolls in, ya know? We got g...

Chapter 102: End of Battle, Time for Food

Chapter 102: End of Battle, Time for Food

/Once there was a story of a sun turned red.

Not a moon, it is common ground that occasionally the moon will be tinted by dark forces and shine down on Chronagen with malicious light. We have known for years that occasionally, a red moon will appear, causing troubles for any who look upon it.

But the sun is not like the moon. Vah is in the sky, giving warmth, giving life. The moon only sustains dark nights, gives a shimmer...

Chapter 101: Always Vigilant

Chapter 101: Always Vigilant

/What are people without words? Since the dawn of time, all living things have communicated. Wolves howl, snakes hiss, birds sing and drakes roar. Even plants communicate, some older trees helping younger ones grow by supplying nutrients and stamina. Occasionally, druids even claim to hear what the greenery thinks and has to say.

There have even been accounts of people hearing whispers on the wind that weren't supposed to be there, a voice i...

Chapter 100: A well known Man

Chapter 100: A well known Man

Hello. This is Liam again. I really don't quite know what to say. This is chapter 100 of a story I wrote. Up until now, it has a little over 325 000 words. On average, I apparently exceed the chapter length of 3000 words, which is interesting.

For anyone who has made it this far, thank you. I know this has been a long journey up until now, and not every chapter has turned out as well as it could have. Some were better than I thought going i...

Chapter 99: Bloody Conflict

Chapter 99: Bloody Conflict

/These days, I believe I may be qualified to count myself as an expert on many things strange about our world. I have dedicated countless hours of study to history and happenstance, to the things that have plagued our world for eons, and those that have recently arisen.

But yet, most modern topics are so inconclusive. I can only really speculate on the truth of the matter. What really are rifts? Where do monsters end and people begin? Why is ...

Chapter 98: Destination in Sight

Chapter 98: Destination in Sight

/A friend of mine, well, more an acquaintance really, is a sailor. She tells me many stories, of foreign lands, foreign people and spices, drinks, good food, stories and customs, yet more than any of those, she tells me stories of the sea.

The stories are always different. The calm, benevolent sea, that gives fish to the hungry. The sea that washes ashore trinkets and messages in bottles to those who need comfort, the sea whose noise can...

Chapter 97: Clearing

Chapter 97: Clearing

/Never give in to authority. I mean it. No one can tell you what to do. You should be free, like a bird in the sky, free to spread your wings and follow where the wind takes you, or to flap them and decide your own path. You should not be held in a net, chained to the ground by those who would place themselves on a podium.

Your choices are your own to make. Do not fight a fight that isn't yours, or not dear to your heart. Don't follow order that go ...

Chapter 96: Something Exciting?

Chapter 96: Something Exciting?

/Spells. Such is the name given to magic one casts with the system. Simply speak its name, perhaps add a chant, and it is cast. If it fulfills its purpose, one gains mastery. Intriguingly enough, Spells seem to be just as much of a sliding scale as Skills - they can have higher or lower system assistance.

Take, as a simple example, the Spell <Gust>. It is very basic magic, one that most wind-attribute magicians will want to learn ea...

Chapter 95: A Way Forward

Chapter 95: A Way Forward

/To central command,

the northerners have pushed our front back. Bries has been taken over to them, the villagers who refused to evacuate now either dead or under new leadership. Our supplies from there have ceased coming, and we need more rations lest my soldiers starve at the front.

They also sent one of their heroes to us, Eylomer of the northern ice, and he has been hacking apart morale alongside any structures we establish. He doesn'...

Chapter 94: Long time no See

Chapter 94: Long time no See

After revelling in his success for a while, Mercury was still smiling ear to ear as he headed out again. Every foot he placed in front of the other, the touch of his newfound companions seemed to envelop his paws. It was a very good feeling, welcoming and warm, and it lifted his spirits up by a long shot.

The rain kept pattering down softly, but the cat didn't mind. Nothing could ruin this day, well, at least there wasn't a lot that could pu...

Chapter 93: Outside and Inside

Chapter 93: Outside and Inside

/I like dogs./

Some biologist, probably.

- - - - - -

The next few days passed in a similar vain. Mercury didn't do anything extraordinary. There was nothing he really needed to do, and with the pressure gone, he decided to let meditation take as long as it needed to. He would wake up, walk to the pond, drink some water, hunt for food, work on his Skills a little, then meditate.

Of course, ...

Chapter 92: Thoughts

Chapter 92: Thoughts

/I have meditated over this many a time now, and it has become abundantly clear to me. We have been too lenient before with people who have gone against order, shown to soft a grasp on those that would violate the principles our world requires to function.

My eyes have been opened as I have journeyed through the cities, witnessing priests give blessings to the poor rather than food, watched as people who had stolen food were taken in rather than pun...

Chapter 91: An Invention and a Choice

Chapter 91: An Invention and a Choice

Well, this is a little awkward. Mercury was supposed to have woken up by now, yet here we are. And he's still sleeping. Let me quickly check how long he actually keeps his eyes shut for. Wow, three whole days? He better remember where that waterhole is. Then, in the meantime, why not stop by someone else?

Yes, let's go with that.

Somewhere quite far from the central continent, to the west of Damoy, laid Arterus. The continent ...

Chapter 90: Rest at Last

Chapter 90: Rest at Last

/I was once told by a professor that life is many things.

Back then, I laughed. I did not think much of life, having just passed my exams and walking over the ones who failed. I was on top of the world, and refused to listen about the cruelties of the world, or about pressure, or what kindness could do. It had been a professor who taught me for a long time, too. He knew me well, yet while he knew I wouldn't listen, he still spoke to me.

Pe...

Chapter 89: Care for a Walk?

Chapter 89: Care for a Walk?

/It is cruel to be betrayed by ones own feelings. My love for my wife burned so bright I could not see when she went astray, how she lost her interest. Perhaps, if I had not been blinded by my love, she would still be with us.

Alas, she is not, and her story is mine to tell another time. For this once, I wish to indulge in my own thoughts.

When she disappeared, my world crumbled for a while. No, that is not right, it wasn't for a while...

Chapter 88: Territory

Chapter 88: Territory

/Welcome back everyone to this dumpster fire of a book. We have once again gathered to complain about life as a whole, because quite frankly, there's a whole fucking lot to complain about. Now, last time in this shitty system I ranted about the shit it keeps from us, but this time, I wanna talk about what we're actually fucking told.

Because let me tell you, this <Appraisal> Skill we get is a fucking sham. Seriously. It tells you a lot about ...

Chapter 87: Evolution part 2

Chapter 87: Evolution part 2

/An arch has opened up in Stormbraver. It appears to be low-tiered, standing in the middle of the noble's quarter. As per the analysis of the Mages' Guild, it is a temporary one, perhaps at the level of a rift. Not approaching a tear yet, luckily.

Many forces are outside the city dealing with regular occurrences as of right now, but a small adventuring party is currently performing the second scouting. If they do not return within 4 hours, w...

Chapter 86: A warm Goodbye.

Chapter 86: A warm Goodbye.

/These may be the last writings I ever put to paper. Times are... dire, I daresay. Aethervale is falling. The city of great minds, unmoving in the sky for as long as anyone can remember, is falling. The time has come to perhaps say our goodbyes to it, for I can hear the rumbling under my feet.

My ink has almost run dry as I have been recording the events that have recently transpired. When our fellow men turned on us, looked at the sky and sa...

Chapter 85: Unpleasant Visitor

Chapter 85: Unpleasant Visitor

/"Hmm, yes, I enjoy dirt as well, fellow dwarves."

That is how I got my ass thrown out of a city once. Hah! Totally worth it. See, if I cannot even openly admit my fascination for dirt with dwarves, then who would understand. Us golems, we have it hard. There are none other than us who can relate to the fascination we have with the underground.

See, other people just see it as "dirty", just because it's dirt, or "gross", simply becau...

Chapter 84: Inside and Outside

Chapter 84: Inside and Outside

/Hello everyone. I am an elf. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

Today's host has asked me to give a short speech. Recently, trade between our regions has been increasing, and both of us thought it beneficial to have a general round of information on who we are. Well, not all of us are the same, but we definitely share some opinions.

My name is Björn. Yes, I understand, many would not consider that an elvish name. I understand I loo...

Chapter 83: Catching up

Chapter 83: Catching up

/As I said before, there are many guilds, and one of the most commonly found ones would be the Blacksmith's Union. These fine folk are one of the very most widespread and influential guilds on all of Chronagen. Why, you may ask yourself?

Quite frankly, it is a service everyone needs. Some places are self-sufficient and trade little, others consider themselves pacifists, rarely hiring mercenaries or monster hunters. Rural villages don't often need...

Chapter 82: Return

Chapter 82: Return

"So yeah, I won the bet."

"That's quite impressive. You almost doubled your mana pool in one day?"

"Hm? Haha, no, no, I cheated. No reason to lie about it, I totally fucking cheated. I got a lot of mana just from investing my leftover attribute points, and then a bunch more from having like three days of time," Mercury said, chuckling.

"Are you sure you should be telling me this?" Zyl asked, raising an eyebrow.

"People close themselv...

Chapter 81: Bet's End

Chapter 81: Bet's End

/The dwarves of history. People say that a whole lot without knowing much of what it means. My auntie Berganra was a dwarf of history, for example. Old hag survived for more years than she could count, and we dwarves are fine at accounting.

That's also throw around a lot. "We dwarves". What's that supposed to mean, are all of us carbon copies of each other, hm? You think we all look the same? Can't tell a Gronbar from a Lirgrob? That's called being...

Chapter 80: Confidence

Chapter 80: Confidence

/The world of Chronagen is large. The continent of demons and devils to the west, Arterus, or the frozen wasteland Koriel in the north, where ancient ones still roam. Yet, even beyond those and the others, there is a vast sea, and we do not yet know what lies after it.

And even still, with a world so large, many places seem hostile to people. Humans largely have been confined down to the continent most of us are very familiar with, Damoy. It is th...

Chapter 79: Sinister

Chapter 79: Sinister

The place was old. The walls of the tower, once having stood proudly against the sun, were  dilapidated, the stones that had once been stacked now laid down in piles of rubble, and the ones that still stood were shaky, eroded, and overgrown. There were smashed weapon racks around the place, as well as supply crates whose wood had began rotting by now, the food inside turned to dust.

There wasn't even much of anything left around the tower. Hous...

Chapter 78: Training

Chapter 78: Training

/'Where there is an anvil, there must be a forge, and where there is a forge, there must be a fire', or at the least, that is how Vhali was introduced by Lucien, an ancient historian I quite like.

But I think this is one of the rare cases where he is wrong. See, if we were talking about a normal fire, perhaps he would be right. Usually, a fire can be lit and extinguished, heated, fed, and starved, as we humans please. But in the beginning, things we...

Chapter 77: A glimpse of the Past

Chapter 77: A glimpse of the Past

/Those who do not obey will be punished, those who do not listen will be smitten down, and those who do not care to better themselves shall be doomed for eternity. Redemption is at the core of our church, yet redemption must always be earned, never freely given, and is certainly something that requires discipline, and patience, as well as repentance.

It is for that repentance that those who sin must be punished, all punishment dealt in ...

Chapter 76: A storied Past

Chapter 76: A storied Past

/To be loved by the wind is quite a wonderful thing, is it not? To be fair, it's not very easy to achieve that status, you know? Especially if you're a human, you know? There are some, sure, but most of those are spirit mages and contract with the sylph. Nothing like those that the wind really, likes, those spirit mags are more like leeches you'd find in the river, entirely unsuitable for the adoration that the air around us can give, you know?

Chapter 75: Associations

Chapter 75: Associations

/Ah yes, necromancy. A Skill so rarely mentioned in the story of a hero, yet so popularly associated with evil. Yet, why? Perhaps because it rips the souls of unwilling participants back from beyond the grave and forces them into eternal servitude? Perhaps, but it is not all.

The people of Chronagen have often been pragmatic and practical. Necromancy is tolerated if it stands by one's side. If the soldier of the country you live in kills someone...