Bainin

Chapter 264: The Library Section

Alistair watched as Riseth cut down the last of the Homunculi, Jack eagerly drinking in the blood—accompanied by an unsettling moan of delight.

"They can’t possibly taste as good as you’re making it sound," Riseth muttered, narrowing her eyes at the blood-soaked chainblades.

"Life force doesn’t discriminate," Jack cackled through the psionic link. "They’re not the richest vintage, sure—but still high-grade enough to savor."

"If you say so." Riseth dismissed Jack ...

Chapter 17: Stem the Tide

The displacement of air was the only warning the kobolds had before they looked up—just as the boulder came crashing down in their midst. Four were crushed instantly, their bodies reduced to mangled heaps, while six more were sent reeling from the impact, battered by flying shards of rock.

Gathering himself, Asterion watched as Theos hurled rocks at the kobolds with incredible speed. He lifted the next boulder with his gravity magic and once again sent it hurtling toward the kobolds. ...

Chapter 263: Blast from the Past

They didn’t have to wait long.

Roughly ten minutes in, they felt it—a subtle tug, building pressure like the subspace itself had noticed them. The air grew heavier. Energy warped.

Then lightning cracked through the storm wall.

Brief illumination cast the silhouettes of twisting staircases—dozens of them—spiraling into the void, tangled like roots, still and silent in the chaos beyond.

"Not keen on what looks like a labyrinth," Riseth muttered. "But it’s got o...

Chapter 16: Preparation

After dropping off his sixth haul of rocks, Asterion hunkered down beside Theos, who was busy sharpening wooden stakes.

“Did you get an accurate tally?” Asterion asked quietly, grabbing one of the wooden poles and joining his friend in whittling it.

“I think so, but their routine is so erratic it forced me to count them by color,” Theos grumbled.

“I didn’t know you struggled with your numbers,” Asterion said in a low, cheeky voice. “If it’s too much to ask,...

Chapter 262: High Alert

They sat in silence, watching the violence unfold on screen—unrelenting, hour after hour. The battle raged without pause, but it was the initial blow—the torn-off section of the station from the first wave—that remained the most devastating hit to the Coalition’s defenses.

Ships and drones continued to fall in droves, and while the station endured scattered damage, the invaders had failed to replicate the breach caused by their pre-charged opening salvo.

Alistair’s eyes ...

Chapter 15: The First Rift

“We should delve into it,” Theos announced, his expression dead serious.

Asterion clicked his tongue. He had known Theos would say that—and he understood why. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At their age, nearly everything they could extract from such a rift would change the way they progressed, potentially giving them a noticeable head start for the rest of their lives, especially if they only needed to divide both the records and rewards between the two of them.
<...

Chapter 261: Second Expansion

"Escape," Kirovar parroted in his surprisingly deep voice, eliciting a chuckle from Alistair as he made the wyrmling float and spin with his telekinesis, much to the delight of the small wyrmling which cooed and growled as it flailed excitedly.

Most of the wyrmlings had taken to Alistair as they could be as rough as they wanted with him like they were playing with their siblings, and his telekinesis was only the cherry on top for them as they often loved pretending to fly or tumbling th...

Chapter 14: Adventuring Guild

"Clara," Theos said, drawing out her name with a broad smile. "My favorite clerk, how has your day been?"

Clara shook her head, amusement clear in her expression as she tilted her head up to meet his gaze, one brow arched. "Theos, whatever you’re about to ask, the answer is the same. I cannot help you until you are of legal age."

"Clara, you wound me," Theos clutched his chest in mock outrage. "You’ve got me all wrong. I’m just here to sign up for some quests with my dear fr...

Chapter 260: Vexaldris Hatchlings

Alistair, Riseth, Nomura, and Kujo ended up having a great time in the Platijum Lily. Kujo even promised P.A.L. he would check in whenever he found the time and spread the word. Rather than rolling the dice on a dungeon reward, Kujo decided to hold off, waiting for a bigger payout since he had no immediate need for a skill point.

After spending a good while in the Platijum Lily, they spent the rest of the day exploring Lacustrine and Nautilis. After a lovely dinner, they said their temp...

Chapter 13: Snowy Day

"I think congratulations are in order," Mr. Seitz said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "However, unless you plan on giving us an encore, I’d appreciate it if you cleared the ring for the next fighters."

Asterion tore himself from his musings at his teacher’s words and gave a small, polite bow. "Thank you, Mr. Seitz."

The old man, who hadn’t changed a bit since Asterion had known him, simply waved him off. Without further delay, all three of them exchanged glances and step...

Chapter 259: EPIC PET BATTLEEE!

"AND WE ARE BACK!" P.A.L.'s voice boomed across the subspace.

Alistair perked up, a slice of pizza still in hand, while the rest of the group enjoyed the lavish spread laid out before them.

Meanwhile, in the arena, Fluffy looked mildly annoyed—having been dramatically introduced only to stand there while the core rattled off sponsorships, upcoming events, and exciting new services within t...

Chapter 258: Visiting the Lily

As they stepped into the Dungeon Entrance, they were greeted by a lively scene. The once somewhat modest space had expanded dramatically, now hosting a small crowd of people lounging with drinks, chatting, and watching the neighboring dome—a massive water park filled with magical slides and mini-games, most designed for younger delvers.

Four identical parks surrounded the entrance, each displaying a different instance—an adjustment made necessary by the overwhe...

Chapter 12: The Third Awakening

Asterion’s hand shot up, along with many others, but his teacher pointed at him.

"Yes, Asterion?"

"Since the trees represent our powers, the intertwining branches mean that our branches interact and combine with our other abilities to create unique effects," he answered.

"Excellently put!" Seitz nodded in approval. "It’s worth noting again that the trees are merely a visualization tool. While each powerset is unique, there are overlaps and similarities that we can draw i...

Chapter 11: Return to Normalcy

Asterion jogged toward the school building, carefully scanning the footing ahead of him. Still, he couldn’t help but let his senses wash over his surroundings. His spatial awareness picked up details he would have otherwise missed—like the small ring stuck in the dirt, its shape contrasting strangely against the natural contours of the ground, drawing his attention.

He bent down and picked up the silver band, turning it over in his fingers. There were no visible engravings, no marki...

Chapter 257: Draconic Arbiter

Alistair let out a long breath as the final battle ended and the system confirmed the edict had been fulfilled.

Three more levels. Several new Slayer titles.

It had been a long time since he’d earned that many titles in such a short span—perhaps not since the Trial. Even then, this would’ve been exceptional. He could feel the strength radiating through him—the stat gains were significant. And he wasn’t alone.

Most members of their clan had earned at least one or tw...

Chapter 256: Dragon Slayer

Riseth emerged from the now-still body of the elder dragon, drenched in blood and gore that was greedily siphoned away by Jack. Unwilling to waste the corpse, she stored it with a wave of her hand, eliciting a disappointed growl from her weapon.

Alistair scanned their surroundings, checking if their intervention was needed elsewhere or if they had suffered any losses. However, he found that their forces, alongside the dragons opposing the marked ones, were more than capable of meeting t...

Chapter 10: Adjustment

When Mr. Seitz entered the room, Asterion could tell he was scanning him—both with his eyes and his other senses. A mild breeze moved from his teacher, expanding outward until it enveloped the entire room and everyone in it.

Asterion observed the near-invisible streams of air weaving through the space, brushing against everything in their path. He was certain he wouldn’t have noticed them—let alone seen them—using only his eyes or magical senses.

"I thought so," Mr. Seitz ...

Chapter 255: Edict of Annihilation

It had taken them the better part of a day to gather enough forces to set out for the dragon world. Alistair’s nerves were frayed—nearly all of their strongest fighters had joined the subjugation. While their territory wasn’t undefended, the fact that neither Simon nor King had stayed behind was troubling.

The strongest individual left was Rovari, who refused to leave her clutch, but that wasn’t the only thing weighing on Alistair’s mind. His gaze shifted to Zeph...

Chapter 9: Heart to Heart

Asterion sat up. "Yes, sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak away, I…" But before he could finish, his father raised a hand and sat down beside him on the large blanket.

"You're not in trouble, I just wanted to check on you," his father said. "You've been going out a lot at night since I came back. I hope you aren’t upset with me."

"What?" Asterion blinked. "No, I just come out here to practice and watch the stars.”

He noticed his father glancing between him and the telescop...

Chapter 8: Expedition Debrief

Valerio moved to the large rectangular table that dominated most of his office.

On top of it, a massive map of the Old World was spread out, taking up nearly the entire surface. Markers were placed across it, indicating known areas, points of interest, and notable forces.

Yet, despite the map’s vast expanse, these markers covered barely a sixth of it. Most were concentrated around the Republic and its expansion, along with the connection to Havlheim in the far north—the only o...

Chapter 254: Heresy

Sotarr wasn’t the only one among his peers eager for the connection to the Ryser Clan’s world. Many members—even a few elders—had taken an interest in selecting a disciple from the clan, sensing that the link was on the verge of fully establishing itself.

For his part, Sotarr felt a deep sense of pride in his students and their followers. Even though he had given them only the lesser, heavily simplified version of the array, their rapid progress was impres...

Paths of Akashic 3: A New Home is now available!

Hi everyone!

I’m really excited to share that Paths of Akashic 3: A New Home is now available on Kindle & Kindle Unlimited!

The audiobook for Book 2, End Of Trials, has come out today as well, with the audiobook for A New Home being fast-tracked, so you do not need to wait as long for the next release!

Thank you all so much for your support, your patrons have been a big part of why I dared to work as hard and much as I did a...

Chapter 253: More Tree's

After recovering what beast cores and valuable body parts they could before they drifted too far into the depths of space, they turned their attention to the cracked-open asteroid. The interior was mostly hollowed out, revealing countless chambers filled with eggs. Aspected mana gems and ore lined the walls where the Viccai hadn't yet excavated, their nest reinforced by the natural sturdiness of the mineral shell.

"I swear, if it weren’t for all these gross eggs, this would actually b...

Chapter 7: Lessons and Legacies

Valerio watched from the window as the expedition returned to a warm reception from their families. He let out a small breath of relief after counting their numbers—no one had died.

However, his gaze lingered on their light haul. They didn’t appear to be carrying much loot or goods, and a few members had to be supported by others, their injuries too severe to be fully treated with Panacea bandages.

It couldn’t be helped. Their family still lacked many crucial roles, even wit...

Chapter 252: Matriarch-on-Matriarch Violence

It took the better part of twenty minutes before Alistair finally cleared out most of the Viccai, the surrounding space littered with floating corpses and viscera.

Turning, he noted the space around Riseth was tearing and distorting, vortexes and jagged rifts ripping through the remaining swarm as her Vortex and Realm Tear skills carved apart the creatures. At the same time, she danced among the beasts and rifts, Jack cutting through the Viccai, its ...

Chapter 6: Ambush

By the time the class ended, Asterion was drenched in sweat, his tunic sticking uncomfortably to his back from both the effort he’d put into mana refinement and the warm early summer sun. The exercise had been exhausting, both mentally and physically, and though many in the class had struggled, he knew he was one of the ones who’d had the hardest time.

While some kids couldn’t even sense their mana, others had managed to move and compress it with far less trouble. Theos, of course...

Chapter 251: Out and About

They didn’t deliberate long before accepting the Everrest Sect’s surrender, and almost immediately, new notifications flooded in—including a title. Alistair barely glanced at the wave of system windows before passing them off to Nessyra, who would handle the aftermath of the siege alongside representatives from Sol’s faction, set to take control of the territory.

He was still a little surprised at how quickly they had resolved the battle. After spending two weeks battling their ...

A small heads-up

Hi Everyone,

I have some bad news: my cat and the inspiration for Viv has been diagnosed with an inoperable tumor on her lower Jaw, and I am not taking it too well as she has been with me for 16 years. This has somewhat negatively affected my ability to write. Thankfully, my backlog is still there, and it shouldn't lead to gaps, but I will likely not communicate as frequently despite all the upcoming releases.

A small reminder that I am legally obligated to take down Book 3 on th...

Chapter 5: Weight of Effort

Asterion and Theos were among the first to reach the training yard, a large open space equipped with obstacle courses and sheds filled with tools that the older students used for their physical training. Asterion couldn’t wait to join them one day; the practice sessions looked like so much fun.

For now, their physical training was limited to weapon practice and obstacle courses. It was still enjoyable, though—Asterion loved racing his friends or sparring with wooden swords. He strug...

Chapter 250: Silent Hills

Alistair lowered the unconscious body with his Telekinesis, guiding it carefully to one of the backline troops for capture.

Xue had been a tough nut to crack—quite literally. It had taken several kinetically charged punches before he finally stopped struggling against Alistair’s grip.

He had no interest in unnecessary killing, but he also wouldn’t allow threats to roam free and endanger others. If they could be captured and contained, that was preferable. If not, he...