When I awoke, it was still dark out. We’d just wandered off once we were kicked out, away from the outpost and just collapsed and fell asleep at some point. So I woke up in pain and face-down in a pile of dirt next to a snoring Erani, drool leaking from her mouth and into a small pool beside her.
Sitting up and glancing around, I saw that we’d collapsed in some bushes off by the road that led up to town, causing quite the picturesque scene of two drunks piled up on the side of the r...
2023-05-31 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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I stood, drunk out of my mind, receiving the worst news possible from Index.
“Arlan, Bon just got a notification saying he dealt damage to a Level 20 Minute Mage.”
My stomach dropped. Even in my state, I understood how bad that was. Yes, he technically wouldn’t know what a Minute Mage was, but a literally never-before-seen Class would obviously raise suspicion. They reported every little thing they saw, I couldn’t expect them to let that be. And if the Em...
2023-05-29 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“Cheers!”
Bon clinked his chipped mug against mine and took a gulp, as did I. The taste was pretty interesting, one I hadn’t had before. I’d been Unclassed last time I had alcohol, and the alcohol for the Classed and Unclassed was made very differently.
Since increasing your Endurance and your Health made you more resistant to harm, it also meant that alcohol—which was technically a poison—had a reduced effect on you as you increased in Level. So the “beer” we were...
2023-05-27 12:01:00 +0000 UTC
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I watched as Erani sat down at the wooden table with Bon—the table I was still sitting at, as well, since I still wasn’t able to stand without help. I’d gotten a bit of healing from Jannin, which helped me feel slightly better, but the real healing would occur from spending a decent bit of time staying at a high Health value, due to the natural accelerated regeneration that came from that.
Despite not feeling much better physically, though, I was feeling worlds better men...
2023-05-26 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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I opened my eyes, finally done with my choices. Erani, sitting on the floor, seemed to be still working through hers, and Ainash was keeping herself occupied exploring the small outpost. She was currently in the kitchen area, poking and prodding at the various foods and appliances, much to the annoyance of Bon, who was watching her intently.
But he glanced over when he saw me with my eyes open, and took a breath. “Okay, you ready to answer some questions? I’ll get the Truth Stone....
2023-05-24 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Once the three guards quieted down, I got back into my meditative state and tried to focus. It wasn’t exactly easy to do so, with the anticipation of finally Upgrading my Spells so close on the horizon, but I needed to focus on my current choices before I went to give myself even more.
One Talent and...
2023-05-22 12:01:00 +0000 UTC
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AN: Here's the extra chapter for Gold patrons! These will be every saturday, so you'll be getting 4/week instead of 3. Hope you enjoy! :)
“You done?” Bon asked when he saw I’d opened my eyes, his mouth full of bread and potato. A crumb dropped from the corner of his mouth.
“Uh, no,” I said. “I actually wanted to ask you guys a question. What are the general prices of Enchanted goods around here? I was considering trying to bu...
2023-05-20 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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So my main choice for Talent was between Cumulative Catastrophe and Future Sight. But I still had one more thing to look at before making my choices. Not wanting to wait any longer, I opened up the waiting Time Loop Upgrade.
Alright, definitely some less straightforward options than the ones I’d been shown for the first Upgrade. And they all seemed to follow this weird theme of being modified...
2023-05-19 12:01:00 +0000 UTC
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AN: Extra long chapter today, hope you all enjoy!
You have been blessed by the mercy of god. 10 Health restored.
Your Health is 170.
“Alright, that’s me below half Mana,” the Paladin Jannin said. He stood up from his previously-sitting position beside me. “Let’s ta...
2023-05-17 12:01:00 +0000 UTC
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The guards beckoned us over, down the road toward them.
“You’ve got medical personnel, right?” I asked as I limped forward alongside Erani and Ainash.
“Yeah,” one of them said. “We’ve got—woah! Hold on!”
I stopped short.
“You’ve got flamin’ monsters with you?! The Hell’s wrong with you?! Get back!”
Confused, I looked over at Ainash. Was she…on fire? What was this guy talking about?
“Uh,” I waved with my unbroken arm, unsure...
2023-05-15 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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A Succubus sat on a throne in a large, bright audience hall. The Succubus, currently using its shapeshifting powers to take the place of the late King Koinkar, had been cut off in the middle of an argument with some idiotic Human named Asmo by a call from its superior. At first, it had assumed the call would be a short one with some basic commands, and then it could get back to putting Asmo in her place.
And then, its superior said, “We need to talk. Xhag is dead.”
The Succubu...
2023-05-14 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Hello my wonderful patrons!
So, to start off, I'm uploading an extra, free chapter for everybody tomorrow, at the normal time!
Why, you ask? Well, to celebrate the introduction of even more extra chapters! For Gold Degree Patrons and above, I've decided to increase my upload schedule from 3 per week to 4 per week. The upload schedule on RoyalRoad will stay the same (other than the extra free chapter coming out tomorrow), but you guys will start seeing an additional chapter on Satu...
2023-05-13 21:53:36 +0000 UTC
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Asmo sat at a desk in a repurposed King Koinkar’s quarters. “King Koinkar,” of course, had no need for these quarters anymore, so she was allowed to live in them instead. Well, what she considered “allowed to live in” others would consider “imprisoned in,” but what others thought was of no matter to her. She technically wasn’t allowed to leave while not under supervision, now that she was privy to such tightly-held secrets about the conspiracy surrounding the kingdom, but as f...
2023-05-12 13:54:20 +0000 UTC
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Threshold reached. 2.20k XP.
Your Level has increased to 19.
Due to achieving Level 19 in the Minute Mage Class, you have been granted the following benefits:
-You have gained 1 Endurance.
-You...
2023-05-10 12:01:00 +0000 UTC
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I looked up as Xhag’duul ranted at me. Ainash was putting her plan into place to kill the Demon. As he screamed at me, there was a rumbling up in the tops of the cliffs. Slowly, something came into view.
Something that rolled over the edge of the cliff. Something massive. It was…a boulder?
I limped back, away from the area it would impact, but Xhag’duul didn’t notice.
The rumbling stopped as the boulder left the edge of the cliff and entered freefall, meteoring down ...
2023-05-08 12:01:01 +0000 UTC
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I stood holding my broken arm steady, looking at Erani, who had collapsed to the ground, with her entire forearm ripped from her elbow. Xhag’duul had let her go at this point, too busy doubling over, cackling with his hands on knees.
I ignored him and rushed over to Erani. My hands were shaking. What do I do?
Erani half-groaned, half-screamed in pain, her remaining hand holding onto the stump as it squirted out more and more blood.
“I—I,” I stammered, franti...
2023-05-07 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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AN: This chapter is extra-long!
I was sitting up against the stone wall Xhag’duul had thrown me into, Dark Plate broken and sure that I wouldn’t live to see the next ten seconds. The Demon marched toward me, fist clenched.
But then, before he could reach me, Xhag’duul exploded in a ball of fire.
…What?
The explosion dissipated, leaving the Demon staring off to his side with a scorch mark on his enraged face. Then something flew in from the side again...
2023-05-05 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Seconds passed. Then a minute. Then two, three, four, five. I stood there, waiting for the Demon that would be my death to come to me. I had 480 Health, 231 Stamina, and 1220 Mana to my disposal, and I intended to use every last point, every last Stat, every last Spell and Talent, every last muscle in my body, thought in my mind, and droplet of determination left in my soul to bring that Demon’s home plane up to the Overworld and make him experience a living hell. I didn’t care if I died....
2023-05-04 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Ainash frantically turned to me. “Memories! Have memories, from future! Know what will happen! Need to get to the outpost, with Humans, they will help!”
For a moment, I stood there, trying to process what she was saying. Memories? From the future? How in the hells—
Erani spoke, breaking me from my thoughts. “Arlan, did you hear her? What’s going on?”
“I…I don’t know,” I shook my head. I was still reeling from the recent death, and now this? I cou...
2023-05-03 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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“I’ve got more resets,” I said to Xhag’duul, trying my best to buy time as Erani and Ainash went to get help from the guard post in the distance behind me.
“Oh?” the Demon said. “How many?”
I straightened my back, trying to show as much false confidence as I could. “One hundred.”
He blinked, and for the first time, I saw this unbeatable being actually show a bit of fear. “One… hundred?”
I nodded, getting a bit more confident. “Yeah, a hundre...
2023-05-01 12:00:09 +0000 UTC
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The plan was simple. The Dragon, Paiiniak, wanted to keep the peace between Xhag’duul and us. So all we had to do was go along with that. A simple “yes, clearly you are wiser than us. Please help us accomplish peace,” and Paiiniak went along with it.
And what did it do to help? Well, perch up high above us, as visible as it could be, to signal to Xhag’duul where we were. Something so obvious, he would have to come to us, right?
Obviously, I was taking advantage of the Drag...
2023-04-28 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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A Devil sprinted through a chasm in a barren, gray mountain range. He was on a mission. One last mission, to kill Arlan Nota himself.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s finish this.”
“Did you say something, Xhag?” the voice of his superior spoke into his ear.
“No, Superior,” he said. “Just eager to get back home.”
“Yes, I’m sure you are. Just think of everything you’ll get back once this is done.”
He nodded. Everything would come back. All h...
2023-04-26 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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And then I was back, five hours beforehand, asleep. Of course, I instantly jolted awake, hands instinctively going to my face to make sure it was all intact. Yes, yes, all there. Then I opened my eyes, heart pounding from the sudden wake-up.
“Father, what is it?”
I looked over to see Ainash, who was currently taking her turn for watch, looking over at me.
“Did you have bad dream? It okay, I normally have those too.”
“No, no,” I sa...
2023-04-24 13:24:45 +0000 UTC
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“The message is,” the Demon said, hands lifted into fists, “‘I’m here to kill you all.’”
For a moment, I stood frozen, shocked at the sudden declaration of intent. But Ainash clearly wasn’t deterred. In an instant, she lunged toward it, whip twirling around her in a whirlwind of flames.
The Demon sneered and leaned back, dodging one strike, lifted its arm, parrying the second, and then at the third, it reached out and grabbed the whip out of the air. It all happene...
2023-04-21 12:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Erani, Ainash, and I all continued to move through the mountains of Kingdom’s Edge. It was the morning after Ripley had come and given us a warning. Apparently the Demons were planning on sending something after us. But we had no idea what it’d be, or when it’d be sent. We just needed to be on-guard, it seemed. Not that that was any sort of change from our normal life.
So we continued to move through the valley. Maybe we could get to the empire before whatever elite Demon that was...
2023-04-19 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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A Devil sat on a stone in a cold, rocky wasteland.
It’d been around eight more days since he’d arrived here. In that time, he’d tried his hand at many more creations. Part of him was doing it out of genuine interest, the other part just trying to keep himself busy.
It was a strange feeling. On one hand, he knew he was going to die soon. The long, long life he’d lived, cut so unexpectedly short. How could that not be a distressing thought? Sure, he’d probably have a while...
2023-04-17 14:16:39 +0000 UTC
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We continued traveling throughout the day. Thankfully, due to everyone’s raised Stats, we didn’t need to take many breaks anymore. Our Stamina/Minute values were all high enough to significantly lower how much Stamina we actually lost in an hour of travel, not to mention the fact that we all started out with a much higher bank of Stamina in the morning.
I also continued practicing Noxious Grasp, which Ranked up yet again over the course of our journey.
Threshold reache...
2023-04-14 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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When I woke up in the morning, one of the first things I did was check my Status, looking at Noxious Grasp. Over the night, it’d garnered an extra 667 Spell XP! Up to around 700/1.13k, which meant I was already pretty close to Rank 14. But that new Spell XP requirement of 1.13k, it was getting pretty steep. Even with Exponential Reclamation, a four-digit requirement for my next Rank was quite a massive amount. But, if I kept going at my current pace, I’d most likely be able to finish this...
2023-04-12 13:22:27 +0000 UTC
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During my time on watch, I continued to practice Noxious Grasp with the help of Ethereal Armor’s Light Plate, as well as continuously activate Regenerate whenever my Stamina got high enough in order to help heal up some of my still low Health. It’d been a while since I’d actually practiced Noxious Grasp; back when I’d gotten Exponential Reclamation, I’d also gotten Expedite at the same time, and that was the Spell I’d spent most of my Mana on since then. Any time we were traveling...
2023-04-10 13:44:56 +0000 UTC
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AN: Extra long chapter!
A Devil was alive.
He was alive.
He was alive?!
How was he alive?
He opened his eyes, having shut them tightly in anticipation of the death that was inevitably coming.
And when he opened them, he saw something…how could he even express the feeling? Amazing? Breathtaking? Awe-inspiring? Or maybe the correct term was closer to terrifying. Enlightening?
It was an empty expanse of stone...
2023-04-07 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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