Valknar

Chapter 151

Change was always present.

The world was constantly changing. Be it by the actions of the strong or just the changing seasons.

These last few years have seen the rate of change increase like the previous great upheaval of Adrils Folly—the appearance of a strange Dungeon, the discovery of void corruption and the disappearances of two Gods. These were just some of the variables driving the change in the world.

Some thrived in this time, while most struggled.

This was a...

Chapter 150

My perception of reality shifted as I returned to my standard view of the world from refining my Core.

Everything was wobbly for a few seconds as my perception would itself again.

I had run out of space in my Core when I gained Celestial Mana, but I could create a mana stone to hold it and did so. I spent the next 14 days creating new places within my Core to store the mana. I had lost another 2% of my core integrity to do it, taking me to 88%, but I was willing to make the trade-...

NM - Chapter 51

He lay there for a good half an hour before he started to move again.

I watched him pull himself up to his horse. After several attempts, he managed to get up onto it and ride off. I watched him until he left my sight in the treeline.

I summoned my avatar and walked back to the church. As soon as the Challenger left the Dungeon, Rigger would return to his lair, and the others would start to heal. Things would be quiet for a few days while they healed. I was in no rush.

I rea...

Chapter 149

The Pantheon gathered on the divine plane at the Circle of Equals, a place rarely used.

Like the other planes, they were still counting the cost. They had gathered to discuss what they knew and what had to be done. Rickle looked around, taking note of the state of many of the others. The circle was designed like an amphitheatre with the gods sitting around it. The space was designed to have everyone look at the three thrones.

They presented a confident front, but privately, they w...

NM - Chapter 50

Rodriguez was waiting for the Challenger and watched him from a vantage point on the roof of a mausoleum annexe.

This was becoming his favourite method of ambushing Challengers.

The Challenger was in sight of the church now, holding the lantern in one hand and the short sword in the other. He was moving faster, and he could now see the church. He would be in the church’s central ring as soon as he was past the mausoleums.

Rodriguez was getting ready to jump as he approache...

Chapter 148

Their return was met with great acclaim.

The adventurers cheered for the returnees but took note of their condition. The two fighters were battered and worn. They observed, factoring it into their calculations for those planning to go to the new floor. Doltum was a diamond-tier adventurer; whatever lay down there was dangerous enough to batter him. What would it do to them?

Reports and rumours spread fast, as many outside the city were interested in what could be learned from the ...

Chapter 147

Word of the new floor spread fast.

The sight of Guild Leader Woodland joining Doltum and Seela to enter the Dungeon would only increase speculation. Elian managed to stop herself from grunting at that.

“Ya know they are gossiping up there.” Seela gave voice to her thoughts.

“Speculation will be rife, I am sure.” Doltum agreed.

The pair were acting differently right now. Gone was the legendary banter and insults between them. Each was quieter and more focused on...

NM - Chapter 49

June arrived, and the economic impact of the crash continued.

Crossway felt it with several businesses and farms going under and declaring bankruptcy. That was just here. Nationally, it was worse. The northeast was the hardest hit by the economic crash.

I watched it all. This was the second crash I had been present for, but it was the first that I could fully grasp the implications of. I remembered that the next century had a far worse one. Would this timeline have it too?

I...

Chapter 146

The assessor ran up the stairs as fast as anyone I had seen. I was surprised he could keep up the pace. I suspected that fear was a great motivator in this regard.

The adventurers who came down with him were a new group I had not seen before. They were well equipped and moved professionally. They went on to the floor, ready for trouble. From what little I saw before, they were promptly annihilated they were most likely a gold-tier group.

I had made alterations to the floor, includ...

Chapter 145

Thirty days ago, the Dungeon reopened after being closed to create a new floor.

The dungeon had yet to reveal the secrets of its new floor, leaving many to wonder what was occurring. The betting pool continued to grow, with no clear favourite emerging. Elian monitored the situation closely in case someone attempted to manipulate it.

She was alone in her office, trying to sort through the ever-present pile of documents that needed her attention. As she signed off the one before her...

NM - Chapter 48

1892/93 was a hard winter.

I spent much of January cleaning the church. Snow and ice covered various sections of the building, leading me to work most days and nights. I was eager to find out what was happening between the United States and Cuba.

Late February brought Herbert to the dungeon with the backlog of papers.

The weather around the dungeon still threatened more snow, so I focused on the papers from Crossway and Portland. I took them to the crypts below the church an...

Chapter 144

Success.

That was hoped.

The mana stone attuned to void corruption was created and given to High Healer Selmum. She was guarding it in a hidden location until she needed it. The stone could safely hold an amount of corruption. Once filled, it would be returned to the dungeon to be disposed of.

Selmum was preparing to witness the core remove the corruption from other patients and create several more void stones, which would then be used to remove the corruption from others. T...

Chapter 143

“Can you recreate what you have learned?” Ranus asked. He and many others were sitting in his office around the big table, discussing what they could do to limit the corruption of the city’s population. Selmum had been quiet throughout the entire discussion.

Selmum had not spoken much to anyone since returning from the Dungeon. She had spent two days with the man, who was now free of corruption, checking his condition. She thought about his question.

“The process is one I ...

NM - Chapter 47

The next day, I observed my two Hunters tidying up the mess from the previous day. I was using my abilities to aid in this by the end of the day.

Hunter Name Charles McGregor

Level 4

Kills 0/18

Loyalty Neutral

Skills

Acting. IIV

Blades. VI

Handguns. II

Rifles. II

Stealth. VI

Dark Traits

 Sadistic Predator

Another increase in stealth.

His appearance had changed significantly. His skin was so ...

Chapter 142

Ranus opened the doors from the Dungeon's surface building. The sunlight blinded him for a few seconds; he blinked to clear his vision.

He stopped, surprised at the number of people waiting to hear what he had been doing in the building. Hundreds possibly stood there waiting for him. Over the last few months, rumours had grown about the relationship between him and the Dungeon.

People were desperate and were ready to cling to anything that could bring hope in these times. Ranus ne...

NM - Chapter 46 (surprise!)

1892 came with snow and a few sunny days.

Most were overcast and grey.

It was late January by the time contact was re-established with the world. I received nearly two months' worth of papers all at once and spent almost a whole week reviewing them.

Internationally, nationally, and locally, things were quiet.

Reading the papers took me back to February, and February again was quiet, as there was still a lot of snow on the ground, and traffic on the roads was minimal. I...

Chapter 141

Aftermaths.

They come after every event, whether tremendous or small.

They are always heralding a change and always come with a cost.

Ranus walks through the devastated temple district of the city, thinking about something one of his family members once said to him.

When I was a young boy, he asked one of his great-uncles about fighting in great battles and the glory that came from them. The older man had looked at him for a few minutes and then said something that he ...

NM- Chapter 45

I watched the thunderstorm approaching.

“It's going to pass over New Midian.”

It was the start of July, and it had rolled in from the north. I watched the lightning flashing as it approached. The Hunters had been warned, and all retreated into their lairs.

“Great, the chance of more lightning strikes.”

I was watching the approach and thinking about the things about to happen. The rain would fall through the spatial bubble, and its trajectory would be changed. A...

Chapter 140

Battle, fire, and chaos that was all he saw.

Rickle was exhausted by the fighting and had been forced to step away. He watched as the battle unfolded around the plane. He was a lower-tier god and could not last long in the fight that was taking place.

Oda’s corruption had been a shock, but the turning of those who served him only added to it. Those in his realm had been corrupted almost entirely. This had rippled down through his followers on the mortal plane. Their level of res...

Chapter 139

The divine plane was burning.

It had never burned before.

Not during the Wars between the Courts.

Not during Adrill’s Folly.

Today, it burned.

Those who served Oda were turned. The corruption was sleeping and hidden. With the reveal of the corruption in Oda, it erupted through his servants. Its awakening was another shock. Like the mortal realm, none were ready for the assault.

Rickle looked on from his realm. The spreading violence was shocking to see. S...

NM - Chapter 44

The young man stood with his hands on the doors, breathing hard. He was slightly bent over, recovering from the run. Sweat covered his face and was dripping down to the floor. His deep, gulping breaths were all that could be heard.

After a few minutes, he stood and looked around the church's interior.

He looked across the room's interior, which was now mostly in darkness, trying to pick out any details or possible signs of threats. He reached around and pulled the lantern from his...