dirk_grey

Blacksmith vs. the System 135

I said nothing until l opened another gate back to the first floor. Harold led the team he had collected for me. Six hundred people in total; a hundred guards, supported by five hundred Farmers.

“How are we going to handle the class upgrade, sir?” Harold asked me as we watched the rest of the team arrive.

“We’re just going to use the Mana from the claws for the first one, then revisit,” I said. I had multiple concerns relating to how the dungeon operated still, but one...

Blacksmith vs. the System 134

Repeating the trick with the fragmenting container, I drew another batch of lizards toward the entrance, which had been simple enough. I killed them all, but the weakest one, which I wrapped with a chain, and started dragging it toward the dungeon gate.

The more I dragged it toward the gate, the more it reacted in agitation, but ultimately, I was able to drag it to the entrance. The moment it touched the gate, the lizard started thrashing even more, but the chains were able to keep it ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 133

Soon, I was on the first floor, which was currently empty, leaving the team on the third floor to operate alone. While it was a risk to leave them unattended, it was nowhere near enough to let them fight against an unknown threat without my presence. The guards weren’t exactly strong, especially since we hadn’t trained them through the new methods properly.

However, even with my control, I wasn’t sure whether to train them to their full capability yet. I had a strong strategic ad...

Blacksmith vs. the System 132

Silence ruled at the declaration before Terry raised his hand. I appreciated his initiative. “Is it open for the farmers as well, sir?” he asked.

“Of course,” I replied, then looked at the guards as well. “Farmers, guards, the other classes … anyone that’s willing.”

“What about the lack of Strength?” Terry asked. “We can’t even learn the common variant without it.”

“You can still learn the Basic variant, so it’s not a problem,” I replied. I...

Blacksmith vs. the System 131

Soon, I was standing before the residents of the dungeon, split into four distinct groups. The most crowded group was the farmers, more than seven thousand of them, pushing together tightly, understandably looking tense.

It had only been hours since they were evacuated, and they hadn’t received a proper explanation other than it being a monster wave.

The second group was the guards, with Harold strategically positioned in front of them, seeming ready to support me. I wasn’t ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 130

Bringing down the hammer was a scary experience. I was tense, afraid of the pain that might arrive. Luckily, it was easier than facing my fear of flying. All I needed was to trigger the skill, and my hammer landed on the metal.

I wasn’t forging anything fancy. Just an ordinary iron dagger, but even as every blow helped it to bring to completion, my fear was in place. Only when it was completed, did I let out a relaxed sigh, enjoying the absence of pain.

“It went well,” I m...

Blacksmith vs. the System 129

Thirty minutes later, I was outside the dungeon, watching Eleanor and Maria disappear into the horizon. Eleanor was running, using the Floating Stride while also carrying a huge crate of equipment, while Maria sat on top of the crate, both wearing thick cloaks to hide their identity.

Maria could have flown, but it would have made it difficult for them to hide.

“I just hope they stay safe,” I muttered as I glanced out, watching the way the flame monsters spread. Only twenty m...

Blacksmith vs. the System 128

I nodded at Eleanor, and with the signal we both rushed forward while Maria used the crusher to replenish her mana. She only needed a few seconds to replenish her reserves, but the three ascended we faced were more than fast enough to take advantage of it if we didn’t slow them down.

The idea of facing even one ascended warrior was a scary idea, let alone three. Luckily, we didn’t need to actually fight with them. Just delaying them for a few seconds, until Maria could replenish he...

Blacksmith vs. the System 127

If there was one good thing about the astral torture I had just experienced, it was that the exhaustion I was feeling was completely gone.

But there was also bad news: I didn’t feel like myself. As I walked, I could feel the corrosion around me, one that I didn’t call decay despite the name of my skill, because I could feel that it was nothing more than an inferior copy of what I had seen in my dream.

A mere echo.

That echo felt like a part of my body, one that preven...

Blacksmith vs. the System 126

When I stepped on the fifth floor, the first thing that greeted me was … homecoming. At least, it felt like that. It was not something I expected to feel in a dungeon, particularly at its most hostile location. Yet, I did.

I closed my eyes, and made a pushing gesture before I removed my filter. “What are you doing?” Eleanor asked, looking shocked.

“I can remove it as well,” I told her. “I can … control the corrosion aura,” I said, feeling fascinated. It was a wei...

Blacksmith vs. the System 125

As we moved around on the fourth floor, I said nothing other than pointing directions, which was only partially about the undignified nature of my current transportation.

It was more about getting a sense of my new connection with the dungeon. Just the act of passing through the dungeon gate had turned into an adventure that was hard to describe. There was the usual sense of weightlessness, but there was more as well.

As I shifted floors, I realized that I had some kind of conne...

Blacksmith vs. the System 124

Maria looked at me, her concern clear, so I forced a smile on my face. “Success,” I said, trying not to show my exhaustion too much.

“Are you feeling alright?” she said. “It’s still not too late. We can find a way to—” she started.

I cut her off. “No need, everything is perfect,” I said. “We have done this for a reason. Now, why don’t you go and talk with Eleanor before they start panicking about the disappearance of the gate,” I said.

“And, wh...

Blacksmith vs. the System 123

Watching Maria approach while carrying clear signs of battle damage, while Eleanor was absent, was not good news. However, as she approached closer, there was no grief on her face, which prevented my mind from going to the worst place.

“What’s going on,” I asked as the griffin landed near, looking worse for wear.

“I- it’s bad, I need mana,” she called. “Quick!”

My eyes widened as I quickly activated the crusher, glad that we were prepared for this exact ev...

Immortal Freeloader Ending - What's Next?

Hi everyone,

With chapter 172 done, we have finally reached the end of the story. For those that are interested in, I want to say a few things about the story.

Immortal Freeloader had been my first foray into writing a cultivation story, which, I have to admit, had quite a few challenges that I hadn't been expecting when I had started, especially since I had mixed it with both a cheat and isekai concept. Overall, I enjoyed writing it, but I can also understand why it wasn't my m...

Immortal Freeloader 172 - The End

I didn’t know what was the reinforcement they had summoned, but one thing was certain. It was not a mere Nascent Soul force.

“The chips are down,” I muttered even as I triggered the formation to send a message to the agents I had sent around every capital, giving them the signal to kill the imprisoned Everdawn nobles under the capital.

Was I confident it would work? Definitely not, but I found myself in a weird situation where I had lost any semblance of control, and it wa...

Immortal Freeloader 171

From the new, smaller flying boat, flew out a team of elite cultivators. Three Nascent Soul cultivators, and a hundred Golden Core ones. I watched even as the one at the center of the formation turned to the other ship. “Mrinta, I should have known. Exiled in a pathetic lesser world, and still failing. You’re the disgrace of our family.”

I continued to float, glad to have a moment to examine the situation, which allowed me to connect with the formation and hastily update several ...

Immortal Freeloader 170

After a momentary consideration, I refrained from triggering the latest technique I had received. While the techniques triggered considerably less Providence than artifacts, it would still consume more than the singular Qi Drops I had been summoning earlier. And, it meant that the Nascent Soul cultivator in front of me might notice the fluctuation in the Providence.

Admittedly, I didn’t put that chance very high, not with the way the Providence cycled around him. It must interfere wi...

Immortal Freeloader 169

Even as the ship started to gather the power for an intense blow, I took a deep breath, preparing to build several formations if needed if they chose to attack with too much power. The power gathered for merely a second before being released.

It was an intense ray of light, almost pure Qi. It was also not as strong as I expected, merely double the strength of the one that they used to attack me when I had first come across them in misty mountains.

It was still a formidable attac...

Blacksmith vs. the System 122

As they left the dungeon for an aerial scouting trip, I flicked open the notebook, my fingers brushing over the cramped handwriting. It was clearly not written by someone who was concerned with precision … or any kind of order.

The notebook was filled with half-complete sentences, random observations, and weird formulas. I was glad that Maria’s earlier explanation had given me some kind of a basis, or I might have just skipped all of the relevant sections.

However, as I read...

Blacksmith vs. the System 121

“… So,” I muttered after a long silence, during which we stared at the book on the ground, radiating a disgusting yet dangerous feeling like I came face to face with a monster I could not fight back against. “I’m guessing we’re not touching that.”

“Depends on what we find in the notebook,” Maria answered. “I want to burn it completely, but …”

“We can’t take the risk, not when the notebook could be empty. Do you want to do the honors?” I said.

Blacksmith vs. the System 120

As Maria worked on her magic, I started examining my own creation, hoping to find a way to replicate it. The only problem was that, I didn’t have an idea where to start. “Do you mind helping me for a second,” I asked.

“If you think it’s more important than the contents of the satchel.”

“Potentially, yes,” I said. “I need your opinion on how the special effect works. Maybe we can replicate it.”

“Fine,” she said. “Give me a minute so I can stabiliz...

Blacksmith vs. the System 119

“Welcome back,” Eleanor said even as she pulled the box open, and I once again found myself in the dungeon.

“Thanks,” I replied, then took a deep breath, finally feeling safe now that I was in a location where I had the absolute advantage. Though, the irony of feeling like that in a dungeon was rather amusing. “It has been … an interesting journey.”

“How interesting?” Eleanor asked.

“Not much. I was lucky enough that they weren’t very well organized. ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 118

The moment I picked up my equipment, I rushed out, ready to cut a path. Behind me, I could see the four bodyguards trying to chase me, but it was clear that their full speed wasn’t enough to match mine. Without an obstruction, they wouldn’t be able to catch up with me.

Unfortunately for me, with an army positioned around the fortress, they had plenty of obstruction. If I could use the Floating Stride efficiently, I might have a hope of ditching them, but the last thing I needed was...

Blacksmith vs. the System 117

After the familiar sensation of slipping through the gate, I stepped on a smooth, stone floor, radiating heat. A dry, hot wind that felt like I had just opened the lid of an oven. Calling it uncomfortable would have been an understatement.

The dungeon mist here was a familiar sight, blocking my view of everything above seventy feet to the side, but what I could see was enough to make a judgment about the nature of the dungeon.

It was a volcanic environment, which had many danger...

Blacksmith vs. the System 116

Once I saw the fortress that was built deep into the valley, with enough effort put into its construction to make it difficult to notice from the sky, I didn’t rush down immediately no matter how tempting it was.

Instead, I first picked an empty cave with a concealed entrance halfway down the mountain where I could drop down without being noticed, and started watching the place. My job was made easy by the fact that they didn’t have any patrol running at the side I was. There were ...

Immortal Freeloader 167

It wasn’t the first time the source of Providence talked with me, but it didn’t get any less unsettling. It was one thing for such an entity that might be termed as some kind of god to exist, but another thing entirely for it to speak and ask for assistance, however limited.

The special treatment might have been welcome even with the size of the requests … but this time, it came with an unwelcome addition.

A great burst of power in the form of Providence, with three differ...

Immortal Freeloader 166

I stood at the giant tree that was barely concealed by the formation, letting its majesty wash over me despite the urgency. Always running around and fighting, it was easy to forget the majesty of the world I found myself in.

A world in which I was supposed to live calmly, in a carefree manner after being punished by a weird deity. Instead, somehow, I ended up as the protector of billions of people, a choice I made, one that I needed to truly fulfill.

I took a deep breath as I l...

Blacksmith vs. the System 115

Once I felt the tapping pattern at the crate, followed by a shift, I counted to thirty before I pushed open the hatch, and stepped into the ditch.

As far as plans went, this was a simple one. Once I hid in the crate that was mixed into a bigger delivery to the town, Harold brought me out, only to drop the crate into a deep ditch when the vision around them was blocked.

Just to be on the safe side, I dug a tunnel from the bottom of the ditch rather than climbing directly. Luckily...

Blacksmith vs. the System 114

“And, this is the last one. Five hundred pieces, ready for any emergency,” I said, annoyed that all that work didn’t give me even a handful of points. It wasn’t surprising, but that didn’t prevent the blooming annoyance. “Along with the upgraded condenser, we’re ready to help the farmers improve as necessary. It’s time to leave.”

“Are you sure you want to take this risk?” Maria suddenly asked.

I sighed. While forging, Maria had asked the same question in va...

Blacksmith vs. the System 113

“What’s wrong?” Maria asked the moment Eleanor arrived. Eleanor said nothing, just passed a letter to Maria. From the way her face fell, I doubted that it was good news. Then, I noticed the familiar seal, a tankard with a crack, signaling that it was a letter from Rosie.

I said nothing until Maria passed the letter to me, and I read it quickly. “An undiscovered dungeon? Only three days from a breach?“ I asked.

“Yes,” Maria said, looking tense. “Can we trust her?�...