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Chapter 200 - TFF

It didn’t take long to bring down a side of the shabby rock pyramid. Alan used his shadows as supporting nets, to make sure no stone fell upon the corpses and the items still in their possession. It was a strange feeling, robbing the rotting dead, but loot was loot, and in the name of loot all was well.

After a lot of effort, they managed to salvage a bunch of items. It was a surprising amount. Most of them seemed like they were falling apart, and even if there had been magic in them,...

Chapter 92 - War Hound, SC

Sunday retreated to one of the large halls of what had been the departed Versum’s manor. It was only a two-story thing, without windows, and with a litany of fancy carvings and paintings decorating every possible surface. Sunday had neglected to take a proper look around before.

Due to his light sparring with Rubien, most of the first floor was torn apart, and so was everything else. There were holes in the ceiling, broken furniture covered in vampire blood splashed everywhere, and st...

Chapter 199 - TFF

The giant had to use most of his hands to find balance and hold on to rock outcroppings and ridges that were within reach. It was a difficult thing to do and he leaned over, screaming as more unbalanced weight fell on his hurt ankle. A strong pull from the dark servants only added to the torment, and he fell on his knees with a large crash. His attacks had practically ceased at that point, allowing Alan to go crazy without much worry.

He wasn’t shy when aiming for the face or the neck...

Chapter 91 - Baron and Spells, SC

Sunday grabbed the Shield spell from the Arcanum first. He didn’t care how Mera had gotten ahold of it so quickly but hoped it involved a deeply traumatized Zihei. His dislike for the guy was only growing by the minute, without proper reason. He seemed secretive and self-serving behind all the smiles and help he offered. Even if that was all untrue, Old Rud had proven time and time again that it was absolutely all right to dislike people without proper reason. Hate knew no bounds and it was...

Chapter 198 - TFF

The blood and gore that spilled out made even Alan cringe. The foot was still attached to the rest of the leg, but it seemed like his new friend had pulled out pieces of cartilage through the flesh, tearing apart everything in the process. It was an amazing feat of strength and just proved the danger of a tier two.

Especially a special one, like Jay. Alan very much doubted such weird and dangerous skills were the norm throughout the vast universe. And everyone had repeatedly to...

Chapter 197 - TFF

Crawling on the rock walls surrounding the valley and leading the four-armed giant around turned out harder than Alan had expected. The boosted [Void Pierce] attacks were enraging the giant, but Alan likened them to mosquito bites rather than anything significant. It was only when Alan started using his strongest charged shadow slashes, boosted by [Sacrificial Attack], that he finally did some damage to the thing.

The results were still only shallow cuts that barely allowed for blood to...

Chapter 90 - Audience, SC

Sunday saw the red world beginning to fracture, and bits of pieces of an uglier reality started peeking through, staining the red landscape with their mundanity. With the shattering, the control over his own gravity waned. It was like a muscle inside of him had snapped from overuse, turning into a painful and worthless lump of flesh. The pain wracked his body, and a deep discomfort surged through his soul space.

His mind struggled to catch up and make sense of all that had happen...

Chapter 89 - To Fall, SC

It was beautiful. The more time Sunday spent in this new world, the more he enjoyed it. He could move freely here. Up and down, forward and backward, as if gravity was but a suggestion and not an anchor that kept him one with the world. Everything spun and shifted, guided by his unconscious desires.

Falling through the empty sky and shooting for the red moon as he desired.

Why was it happening? He could vaguely feel something, a current, a sensation of energy passing through and f...

Chapter 196 - TFF

The slaughter earned Alan two levels. He was glad because his opponents were mostly weaker jadari who seemed to be present only to fluff up the numbers. Between the six of them, they had killed more than forty of the creatures, with the bulk going to Alan and Jay.

The buff from Amir’s strange fireball had allowed him to unleash his full potential. It countered the weird skill of the [Screamers] and allowed Alan to fight without any worries. He had disliked the strange fire caster at f...

Chapter 88 - Red World, SC

The sound of hissing filled the night and the smell of burning flesh accompanied it. It was a match made in hell. Screaming and curses rang out along too.

Sunday remained unmoving and unblinking. He wanted to witness the carnage he was unleashing. This was different than killing ghouls or the servants of the Divine. The vampires were living and thinking creatures that he had just met for the first time, and they resembled humans a lot.

They were cruel, arrogant, and lacking common...

Chapter 195 - TFF

“Are you sure about this?” Jay asked.

“As sure as I can be,” Alan said.

They looked over the valley with the four-armed jadari giant. He was sat on his chair, warily looking around. Due to Alan’s efforts and some contributions by his new friends, the jadari were almost halved as far as numbers went.

The plan was simple – they would do what Jay and his group had started, but this time Alan and Jay would contribute to the killing. Culling the numbers before trying ...

Chapter 87 - Unchained, SC

“Moving in? When this is all over, I’ll tear you bone by bone and make sure you can see and hear it all with your own two eyes. Neither the Arcanum nor the meddling Mesmer will save you. Your skin will be a tapestry on the wall of my draining room; your flesh will be jerky for the pit ghouls; and your heart or the shriveled-up excuse of one will join my collection in a jar. The Baron as my witness, I’ll fulfill my words or burn under a wrathful sun.” Rubien slowly chanted. He didn’t...

Chapter 194 - TFF

The walk back was done in a slower manner, giving Alan and Jay some time to talk more. They had changed directions haphazardly, throwing themselves in random directions. It was a miracle that no jadari or other monsters had found them. Alan had certainly done a good job of killing all he met previously, but this was on the side of the valley he had yet to explore. Perhaps it was Jay and his team’s effort that allowed them to pass unbothered.

“Aren’t the monsters here a bit too str...

Chapter 86 - Moving In, SC

Sunday barely had time to summon some soul moths in front of himself when the hand reached for his throat. It pierced through the grey moths and burned, but less than he had expected. He felt death coming but remained calm. He could feel the eyes on himself through it all.

Eyes that didn’t belong to the vampire or anyone else from Blumwin. It was strange, feeling observed like helpless prey, but it was only natural.

Thieves of prey, meddlers, and fools....

Chapter 193 - TFF

Jay started to struggle but Alan held his own. He had never used [Shadow Creation] in such a way before, but it seemed like a good way to hold down weaker opponents. Perhaps smaller monsters if he ever decided to try and catch them alive. Who knew what way his path would lead him?

Making money and seeking food and shelter seemed like unnecessary things. For all he knew, he could spend eternity in his own Spirit Domain, living a boring life of safety. Sure, he had to adapt as Enid had wa...

Chapter 85 - Oh Lord

Sunday almost attacked at the first sign of movement, but it was just Vyn’s head that appeared, followed by the rest.

“Gods be thrice damned, what is going on?!” the man asked in a hushed voice. He stopped when he noticed the headless vampire remains that were starting to let out a thick dark smoke. The skin was beginning to flake like ash from a cigarette and the process was only picking up speed.

Sunday looked away from the smoldering corpse of what had been a scary vampir...

Chapter 192 - TFF

Alan sauntered, enjoying the sense of growing tension with each step. Some part of him scoffed at the ants of excitement running beneath his skin. The anticipation was so enjoyable though. Would they be friends? Would they fight together to fall the giant in the Valley? Or would he have to kill them all? It was fun.

“Halt,” the one with the shield said, stepping forward as if preparing to protect his group. “Identify yourself!”

The mages behind straightened up as ...

Chapter 84 - Concession, SC

Sunday scrambled out of the way. Two white moths came into existence and faced the darkness, pushing away at it. It made sense for light to combat the dark. It was not very effective though. The cold dark was quickly overpowering their weak presence, but it won him a few more moments.

The vampire lord reacted differently. He was defiant against the shapeless horrors that grabbed and lunged at him. His movements were lightning and thunder, breaking the air with such speed that Sunday was...

Chapter 191 - TFF

The slaughter that followed was something out of a horror movie. Alan moved around a lot at first, mapping out the tunnels in his mind. The whole of the valley seemed to be the center of a system of caves and passages dug through the surrounding mountains that created a circle around it, and each cave was a potential point he could use to sow chaos.

It was as if the place was designed to function this way and make his strategy work almost perfectly. And if he had a team, it would’ve b...

Chapter 83 - Hunter's Fury

Sunday’s essence was an endless wave of power that fueled his newfound desire for blood. The moths delivered it with enthusiasm. They were bloodlust incarnated and knew no peace. Two-thirds of them were white, brimming with vitality – those headed for the vampires who were still busy attacking the hound with their weapons.

Their teamwork was giving results, and the hound was struggling to disengage. It fell apart into darkness a few times, but the hallway was not wide enough for it ...

Chapter 190 - TFF

Alan’s mana clashed with the vitality coming from both curse marks he had placed. The feeling was like being torn apart, but his body held. The destructive life force was struggling to find an outlet.

His first swing toward one of the warriors coming for him produced a line of red that made blood and guts spill fly everywhere as it made contact with the panther-man. The crystal coating on their limbs had no chance of withstanding the attack.

The blade of vitality continued its f...

Chapter 82 - Finally Here

Sunday dreamed of the tree, and he dreamed of the graveyard for his birth once again. What had been just a waking vision before was something real now, almost like being back in the city of stone and death. He took a deep breath of fresh air and lamented that he could not appreciate it for the simple pleasure it was. His lungs worked only as inflatable balloons, unable to deliver oxygen to his dead body and make it feel the wonder of being alive.

Thoughts of his situation were distant, ...

Chapter 189 - TFF

NOTE: Sorry for the delay. Left home without my laptop due to an emergency. SC chap late tonight or tomorrow morning!

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The tunnels flowed up and down, never making it apparent which way they were leading. Alan believed that being a Dungeon, he would not reach a dead end or an obstacle he could not pass unless it forced him to go a different route. However, there was also the possibility that he was being led astray by his preconceived notions of Dungeons from the games he ha...

Chapter 81 - Pride, SC

Clarity and dizziness took turns and made holding on to the current moment many times harder. The vampire that had struck him in the chest was looking at him in sheer confusion, and so were the others in the hall. Savia was wide-eyed and on the verge of passing out herself, judging by her breathing.

Any minute now. Sunday thought. The strange sensation of fatigue was making him worried, but he had accounted for that. His very status was sure to keep him safe even if a nap was d...

Chapter 188 - TFF

Now that the presumed boss was dead the web of threads shattered almost like glass. The pieces hit the ground and the jagged stone protruded from the walls, creating a rain of cacophony that sounded like a thousand windows being shattered at once. The sound was disturbing and lasted a while, but Alan was focused on the corpse. He tried to put the whole thing inside of his shadow space, but nothing happened, which was a first. He had assumed there were limits to it but didn’t know what they ...

Chapter 80 - Unwilling Breakthrough

Savia scrambled backward wide-eyed and confused. Her stomach was turning and her lunch was threatening to leave from where it had entered.

Ganor and Danor had already given up and lay on the tavern’s floor, groaning. They had weak stomachs. She still remembered the first time the two had stepped on a boat. It had taken only a few paces from the bay before they were crying and hurling into the clear water. There had been no flower scent coming from the flower lake that day.

And a...

Chapter 187 - TFF

Alan flew to the side, thin walls of shadows appearing to his side and trying to block the savage attack of the creature. The whip of crystal threads didn’t seem like it would exhaust itself. [Shadow Creation] was working overtime and Alan felt his mind grow heavy from the effort to shape so much mana so quickly. It was weird touching a limit once again, and in such a situation, but there was no time to dwell on it.

He hit the wall hard and felt the passive shield covering fully crumb...

Chapter 79 - Preparations

NOTE: Edits coming tomorrow and the next few days to this and the last couple of chapters. Mostly stylistic and typo ones. I've been all over the place lately. Thanks for reading. <3

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Sunday fiddled with his badge, frowning at the piece of matte metal as if it were responsible for all his troubles. Contribution points, while very useful in the Arcanum itself, were underwhelming. One could touch gold, caress it, feel its cold weight on the palm, and enjoy its shine. Poi...

Chapter 186 - TFF

Alan used [Void Step] to move out of the way and toward the first one he had seen. Without pause, he slashed with both of his daggers only for his eyes to widen as the creature easily dodged. Its speed was the fastest Alan had seen so far – a sharp contrast to the previous monsters he had observed which acted like slow and heavy golems.

The two panther-like humanoids that had dropped down on him rushed at his back simultaneously while the one that had dodged attacked him. Without paus...

Chapter 78 - Stingy, SC

“You’re offering me a Lampyria spell? Seriously?” Sunday asked flabbergasted. He knew the Arcanum would be stingy despite all the grand words and the prestige. Spells were finite and valuable, and while they were surely finding some use in him and the talent they suspected he had, investing too much made no sense on just clues alone.

“Lampyria? An interesting name I haven’t heard before. We know it as the Light spell, as all it does is produce a ball of light in the hands of m...