David S.R

Chapter 183

Later that afternoon, after the horses had settled into their long, steady rhythm, Ludger decided to test what Taron had shown him.

He lifted one hand from the reins, index finger cutting slow arcs through the air. Mana pulsed faintly at his fingertip—a dim, golden-brown glow, like sunlight trapped in dust.

The idea was simple: keep the flow precise, equal from start to finish. In practice, it was anything but. The horse shifted beneath him, the road rolled uneven, and his first...

Chapter 182 (Thank you for your support, Spencer Moua!)

The trip back home was quite easy, as they avoided the main roads. Ludger rode in the center, reins loose, sand gourd thumping against his hip. Every few miles he’d lag half a length and let his mana seep forward. The ground remembered feet; he told it to forget.

Hoofprints softened, edges sloughed, the soil shrugging back to how wind and rain would have left it. Where the sun had hardened earth into plates, he lifted a whisper of grit from his pouch and tickled the surface, just enou...

Chapter 181 (Thank you for your support, Shain Oleson!)

Ludger did not pretend he liked it. He had never pretended to be a saint; he was practical, efficient, and very careful with his moral arithmetic. The men they’d captured were ankle-deep in other people’s misery—moving herbs that burned minds, hauling bodies, taking coin for lives. He pictured the trader’s face, the empty stalls, the mothers who’d lit candles and gotten silence in return. Mercy here would be a liability.

They’d made no effort to cover their features—faces ...

Chapter 180 (Thank you for your support, Pokemod97!)

Maurien glanced back toward the tunnel, eyes narrowing. “The rest of what used to be the Empire splintered. Those regions became the countries beyond the range—the academies, the city-states, the forges that mix magic and machinery. Each of them with its own pride and grudges. Each claiming they’re the true heirs of civilization.”

Ludger absorbed the words silently, the flickering light from Maurien’s conjured flame reflecting in his eyes. “So what’s on the other side of t...

Chapter 179

They advanced carefully at first—three shadows moving in tense silence. The air inside the tunnel felt heavier with every step, carrying the stale weight of mana left to rot. Dust motes drifted in the faint glow of Maurien’s wind-light, and even Freyra’s breathing sounded too loud.

Ludger kept his hand hovering just above the ground, feeling the rhythm of the earth like a heartbeat beneath his palm. Every few meters, a faint echo pinged through his senses—pressure plates, hidden...

Chapter 178 (Thank you for your support, Sparaten!)

Maurien’s eyes narrowed, his expression shifting from analysis to grim understanding. “That would make sense. Forgotten mines run all through this range. The Empire used them before. Plenty of space to dig a new network without anyone noticing.”

Freyra crossed her arms, looking toward the dark cliffs ahead. “So they’re rats hiding under rock.”

“Rats who know how to cover their scent,” Ludger said quietly. “If they’ve been using earth mages to maintain the route...

Chapter 177 (Thank you for your support, Allan Miller!)

They had finished a transaction here recently, he thought. Not a raid, not a hurried theft—this had the careful, cleaned-up feel of the underworld. Boxes opened, goods accounted, traces deliberately minimized. Whoever ran this route didn’t move stray spoils; they moved inventory.

Ludger let the knowledge settle, a cold stone in his gut. Maurien had wanted the whole thing cut out. Finding a waypoint where coin, blood, and those same dangerous herbs passed through in the same breath w...

Chapter 176 (Thank you for your support, ER313!)

Across the tavern, one of the armed men snorted quietly. Another leaned closer to his companion, muttering something under his breath. Heads turned, attention sharpening—not on a quiet group of strangers anymore, but on a ridiculous one.

Perfect.

Ludger finally looked up, his voice cutting through the room again. “Either way,” he said, “we’re going into those mountains tomorrow. If the stories about people vanishing are true, we’ll find him—or what’s left.”

Chapter 175

As they walked away from the trader’s house and back toward the square, Derrin caught up beside Ludger, lowering his voice.

“Hey… why’d you stop there, Captain?” he asked. “That old man probably knew more. You could’ve pressed him for names or details—maybe even who those fake guards were.”

Ludger didn’t slow his stride. “I didn’t need to.”

Derrin frowned. “Didn’t need to? He was right there.”

Ludger gave a small shrug. “If I’d pushe...

Chapter 174 (Thank you for your support, Eric Sweeney!)

“Here’s the plan,” he said, voice low and even. “Derrin, Freyra—you’re with me. We’ll handle direct questions, talk to merchants, and look for anyone nervous around the guild’s name.”

Freyra smirked. “Finally, something that doesn’t involve doing nothing.”

Ludger ignored that. “Taron, Mira—you stay on the outskirts. Find a good vantage point near the well and one near the barns. Watch the people who watch us. Anyone lingering too long or preten...

Chapter 173 (Thank you for your support, Payton Ramirez!)

They broke camp before the sun had properly climbed the ridge, the air thin and bright. Maurien rode with them now, cloak pulled up against the wind. The road narrowed as it wriggled eastward, trees thinning to rocky scrub and the first real scars of mountain coming into view. He moved like he was floating since he didn’t want to ride anyone’s horses. That was a neat trick.

Ludger rode ahead by habit, Seismic Sense pinging the ground every few breaths. Now and then the earth spoke�...

Chapter 172 (Thank you for your support, Kronos blood!)

The man stopped a few paces from the fire, the corner of his mouth lifting. “You’re punctual, Ludger. And you brought an audience.”

Freyra blinked. “Wait, this is the Lone Terror?”

Maurien smirked, brushing ash from his sleeve. “Depends who’s telling the story.”

Ludger folded his arms, the weight of tension leaving his shoulders at last. “You could’ve sent a signal. My recruits almost declared war on a tree line.”

Maurien’s eyes glinted...

Chapter 171

The group was still reeling. Ludger had conjured water out of thin air, nailed the spell in one shot, and even triggered a whole new job in the process. Callen was still staring at his sleeves like the laws of magic had personally betrayed him.

Then, before anyone could say another word, Ludger swung one leg over his horse and jumped down. The motion was smooth but weary—like someone running on pure instinct. He pressed a hand to the ground, and the earth trembled lightly. In seconds,...

Chapter 170 (Thank you for your support, RRRegl!)

Still, Ludger wasn’t about to complain. He was gaining experience at a ridiculous pace without swinging a weapon or fighting for his life.

By the time Freyra finally dropped to a knee, panting and laughing like she’d just gone three rounds with a bear, the fire was almost out and everyone looked like they’d aged a year. At some point, she joined them for some reason.

“Enough,” Ludger said, voice calm but final. “You’ve used up your mana reserves. Any more and you’l...

Chapter 169 (Thank you for your support, Goat E!)

A few days later, the landscape began to change.

The frozen cold plains gradually gave way to gentler slopes and denser trees, the air warmer, the ground less brittle under the horses’ hooves. They had officially left the northern territories behind, moving into the eastern stretch of the Empire—less wild, more watched.

Ludger rode at the front, map open in one hand, the parchment marked with Yvar’s neat handwriting and small red crosses. His route cut between towns...

Chapter 168 (Thank you for your support, Ninta Silverwind!)

The morning sun crawled higher as the group finally left the town behind, hooves crunching against the frostbitten road. He turned around and then saw a board with the name, Lionfang… when they did name the town after Dad’s special technique? In any casey they had seven riders in total—six half-trained, one half-patient. Their breaths fogged the air in rhythm with the horses’ huffs, the smell of leather and cold iron hanging heavy.

Ludger rode near the middle, reins loo...

Chapter 167

That made Ludger frown deeply. “Me?”

Arslan nodded. “Yes. He was clear about it — said it had to be you. Didn’t explain much beyond that.”

Ludger crossed his arms, his brows furrowing as he stared off toward the icy plains. “That doesn’t sound like the Maurien I know.”

Kharnek grunted. “Your teacher, eh? The one who taught you magic?”

“Yeah,” Ludger said, still thinking. “And that’s exactly why this doesn’t make sense. Maurien’s a mast...

Chapter 166 (Thank you for your support, Desmond Willey-peck!)

Ludger’s smirk deepened slightly. “Oh, I can imagine. Probably half the border would end up buried under the snow again.”

Freyra clicked her tongue, muttering something under her breath about “southern arrogance,” but didn’t move.

Kharnek just laughed, clapping his hands together. “Then it’s settled! No punching, no kicking, and no collapsing the alliance before dinner.”

“Fine by me,” Ludger said, already turning to leave. “I’ve got enough broken bo...

Chapter 165 (Thank you for your support, Becca Mi!)

For the next few days, Ludger stayed mostly on the edges of the camp — a quiet shadow with sharp eyes. From the wooden rails near the fields, he watched the recruits come and go from the labyrinth, tracking their progress with calm.

They were improving, slowly but steadily. Bruised but not broken. Exactly how he wanted them.

Every evening, when they dragged themselves back, he’d meet them halfway — healing their cuts and sprains without much ceremony. On the surface, it look...

Chapter 164 (Thank you for your support, Jaden Pearce!)

Kharnek rubbed the back of his neck, still chuckling. “Didn’t expect me to pull this off, honestly. Guess I proved both of them wrong.”

Ludger raised an eyebrow. “So now you’re sending your daughter here to work with me?”

Kharnek nodded proudly. “Aye. She needs to learn how the world works beyond the snow as well. Besides, she inherited my good looks and charm — can’t let that go to waste.”

Ludger gave him a long, deadpan stare. “…Good looks ...

Chapter 163

An hour later, the group finally stumbled out of the labyrinth’s mouth.

The morning light hit their faces like salvation — pale gold against a landscape of ice and snow. The recruits were breathing hard, their boots dragging through frost, every one of them looking like they’d just crawled out of a blizzard and wrestled it for good measure.

Their cloaks were torn in places, their cheeks raw from the cold. Mira’s braid was stiff with frost. Rhea’s gloves were ripped at th...

Chapter 162 (Thank you for your support, Wade!)

Two hours later, the group crossed the last ridge, and the northerners’ camp finally came into view — smoke curling from the forges, the sound of axes and laughter breaking through the cold morning air.

The recruits stumbled in behind Ludger, their breaths heavy clouds of white vapor. The snow crunched beneath their boots, half-melted by the sheer body heat they were throwing off.

They had made it.

Barely.

Derrin was still on his feet, jaw clenched, pushing through...

Chapter 161 (Thank you for your support, Endre Myrvang!)

Ludger led the group a short distance from the house, stopping in the open yard where no building had been erected. The morning wind cut through the air, carrying that clean northern chill, and the five kids stood in a straight, uneasy line before him — backs stiff, eyes alert.

They looked nervous, though they tried hard not to show it. Ludger crossed his arms, sizing them up.

He was shorter than all three of the boys — barely came up to one’s shoulder, actually — and abou...

Chapter 160 (Thank you for your support, Seppo Marx!)

When Ludger finally returned, the moon had climbed higher, its pale glow tracing the outline of the border town’s walls. The night guards straightened at the sound of his boots crunching through the area, but they relaxed once they recognized his silhouette.

Near the main gate, a lone figure leaned against the stone archway — broad shoulders, familiar posture, the glint of steel eyes that could only belong to one man.

Arslan.

He was waiting for him, arms crossed, that ha...

Chapter 159

Ludger stepped closer, still half in disbelief. The twins were impossibly small, bundled in soft cloth, their breathing light and steady — one with faint wisps of pale hair like Elaine’s, the other with a darker hue that matched Arslan’s.

He cleared his throat, his voice quieter than usual. “...So,” he said, “what are their names?”

Arslan’s expression softened immediately. He shifted his stance slightly, adjusting the baby in his arms with a kind of care Ludger rar...

Chapter 158 (Thank you for your support, Brennan Wilson!)

A few months had slipped by before Ludger even realized how much time had passed.

When he finally stepped out of his quarters that morning, the sunlight caught him square in the face — pale gold and clear, not the weak, cold shimmer of winter. He yawned once, stretching his arms overhead until his joints cracked. The familiar weight of his armguards hung from his belt, and his boots sank slightly into the soft earth instead of frozen ground.

It took him a moment to realize why t...

Chapter 157 (Thank you for your support, Tejas Patel!)

The thought wasn’t reckless — it was calculated. The labyrinth wasn’t just a threat; it was an opportunity. A living training ground with infinite data.

He flexed his right hand absently. Those frost paladins hit hard, but they’re predictable. If I can read their timing, measure their reaction to mana bursts, I can use that to evolve my own flow.

Every fight down there had shown him something — how his Overdrive synced with Weapon Enhancement, how Rage Flow stra...

Chapter 156 (Thank you for your support, Atilla M!)

After a short rest to catch their breath and shake the frost from their clothes, the group pressed onward into the second zone.

The stairway sloped downward, cut into the ice itself — smooth, unnatural, each step glowing faintly with pale blue. Their torch sputtered as the air grew heavier, the temperature dropping with every meter they descended.

When they reached the bottom, the corridor widened — dramatically.

Ludger slowed his pace, eyes scanning the space. ...

Chapter 155

As they moved deeper into the frozen labyrinth, Ludger drifted toward the back of the group. Kharnek led the way, meanwhile, Ludger was busy with something far less serious.

He balanced the earth spear on his fingertip, a faint pulse of mana humming through the air. The weapon hovered, steady as if gravity had forgotten it existed. A twist of his wrist made it spin — slow at first, then faster, until it blurred into a brown-gold ring above his hand.

Brynja glanced back once, fro...

Chapter 154 (Thank you for your support, Ben Evans!)

For half an hour, nothing happened aside from a few duels between Kharnek and some frost skellies. The air grew colder the deeper they went, the walls shining with veins of faint blue froststeel that pulsed like arteries.

Then the echo came — soft at first, then splitting into two distinct sets of steps.

Ludger’s eyes narrowed. “Two this time.”

Kharnek rolled his shoulders. “Good. I was getting bored.”

Out of the frozen corridor ahead, the first silhouette ...