PenguinKills

Chapter 120 - Evolution

"Is that him?" I asked.

"Yeah, they say he's already in the E-rank with a powerful class. We aren't sure what rarity but it's Rare at the bare minimum." Abigail answered.

When we heard that a merge with the last standing faction was a possibility Abigail worked to get all the information she could about the faction's strength. Their numbers, average level, level of the Leader, things like that.

She couldn't find out everything but she managed to get a decent amount. We knew ...

Chapter 119 - Thoughts from the Heart

When I came to, the first thing I did was pull up my status sheet. I needed to know that the ding I heard was the Body of Wood notification and not something else.

If it wasn't the case, and I had to go through all of that again, I wasn't sure I would make it.

Body Stage Upgraded:

Unranked -> Body of Wood (Northern Winds Body)

Even with the notification saying I did it, I pulled up my status to make double sur...

Chapter 118 - Pain and Castles

Pain.

Pain was a constant in life. It crept up anywhere it wasn't wanted. Joint pain, back pain, any kind of pain. It followed people around chronically in some instances.

For me, my life wasn't full of pain. There was the occasional scrape and bump here and there, but generally, my life was pain free.

The worst was the rare sprains or bruises from when I did something particularly stupid. Sometimes while alcohol was involved. Alright, mainly when alcohol was involved. It wa...

Chapter 117 - Wind Chamber

"Ohh, yess."

This was exactly what I wanted, after the skill upgraded, the snow morphed and changed as I channeled mana into the new skill structure. From what I glimpsed already, the skill was vastly different than it once was and I couldn't help but feel giddy at the upgrade. Something told me waiting to upgrade it was the right choice.

Mana flowed into the skill and snow exploded into existence from my hand. Even the upgrade couldn't get rid of that requirement. The snow appear...

Chapter 116 - Stubborn Skill

"Are you sure this is going to work, Chris?" Austin questioned from beside me.

We were both standing next to each other admiring the pinnacle of my creation. A marvel of magic and engineering combined together flawlessly. The system couldn't have done better if it tried.

"As sure as I can be," I answered.

"I'm not questioning your... masterpiece, but it doesn't look like it's going to work." Austin tried his best not to sound skeptical but I could hear it in his tone.

...

Chapter 115 - Less Than Honorable

~~AN~~

There will be two extra chapters this weekend so stay tuned for those!

~~

Jonathan's evolution carried with it a shocking revelation. Evolving both Class and Profession simultaneously did come with a bonus to the process.

If it hadn't been so cliche, I might've been surprised. This seemed on brand for what we had learned so far and wasn't beyond the realm of possibility.

After finding ...

Chapter 114 - Stone Turtle

Congratulations! You have leveled up.

Ah, another one.

Building, testing, tweaking, changing, and re-carving all worked to give experience and it wasn't small either.

The grade and cost of the materials I was working with accelerated the level gain significantly. It was one of the main reasons my profession was so high level to begin with.

I had no hope of catching up to Vinny or Brayden, or any other crafter-focused person, but I was g...

Chapter 113 - Formations

With my plan to finish the last task on my to-do list finalized, the only thing I had to do was make the apparatus.

And by make, I meant learn how to make.

"Uncle Topher, why are you getting mad at books?" Anna's high-pitched voice sounded out from behind me.

"I'm not getting mad at books, Anna," the grinding of teeth and my forced tone betrayed that sentiment.

"It looks like you are," she oh so helpfully corrected.

To make the room that would help Refine my Body...

Chapter 112 - Boreas

It was nice to spend some time with my family again. There wasn't anything I had to run around for and cram in training for anymore. There wasn't a looming threat that needed to be dealt with.

All that was left was the monsters in the waves and I was used to those by now.

It was also nice to give my hammer a rest. Well, give my Warhammer a rest, my blacksmithing hammer was just getting started. That hammer had been singing loud and clear for the past few hours for the first time i...

Chapter 111 - Thoughts

The destruction that surrounded me after the wave was over astounded me. Not in the amount of it, but the ease with which it was accomplished.

The imagery of bodies and blood strewn everywhere inside the walls was not new to me but this was the first time that it felt so effortless.

Usually at the end of battles, my body was tired from exertion and my breathing was hitched. My mana was empty and there was a certain toll on my body the wave extracted.

This didn't feel like t...

Chapter 110 - Full Aggression

Manipulating my Spirit was almost intuitive. It flowed where I willed it and responded similarly to [Ice Manipulation].

I could feel it strengthening my hammer to an unprecedented degree. It had a reliable feel to it that made me trust it with my full strength. Even with [Avalanche] at full blast, [Fury], [Glacial Presence], and my bloodline all boosting my stats, it felt like my hammer wouldn't break.

It was a much-needed addition. After my Law upgraded, I didn't have to be ginge...

Chapter 109 - Warrior

Day 82.

Before the wave started at noon, I needed to take a break.

I had been at this for more than a few days and my mind was tired. A migraine was on the verge of forming and my stomach was rumbling. Some rest and recuperation were in order as was a nice meal.

My cooking wasn't the best in the world but living on my own for the last half a dozen years forced me to get better at it. I was no Micheline star chef, but I could get by.

I had to buy more co...

Chapter 108 - I'm Still Here

With my newly upgraded Law, there wasn't a lot I had to do before the wave arrived. I could have scrambled around putting last-minute preparations up but I didn't feel the need.

I was stronger now than ever and the wave wouldn't be that hard compared to yesterday's fight. The only one I really had to be wary of was the last wave. This wave, the 27th, would have the first E-Ranked boss but even that wouldn't be a first for me.

It would be different in that it was an E-Ranked beast ...

Chapter 107 - Notifications

Life marched on, ever forward.

Spending most of the night in fitful bouts of sleep and grogginess was not how I wanted to spend the night, but it was another thing I had to deal with.

The next morning, I finally opened up my notifications to get a look at them.

There were the normal kill notifications for the countless thralls that I killed along with the three bosses. Those were somehow labeled differently and were considered generals of some kind.

I wasn't sure how t...

Chapter 106 - It Was Me

"Abigail, I'm gonna need you to heal me up," I said. Anger coursed through me like a hot knife through butter. I wanted to fight something, smash something to bits.

The only thing that stopped me was the various wounds I had. The knife still in my back mostly. Abigail, for her part, listlessly worked over my body with her healing before getting to the knife. She pulled it out and layered multiple of her more potent healing skills onto the area.

The whole time she said nothing. Tot...

Chapter 105 - Farewell

It wasn't the lifeless bodies that caught my attention. It wasn't the ones in the makeshift field hospital either.

There was one lying a few feet behind the front line that caught my eye for some reason. The axe and shield stood out. They were covered in blood but I would know those pieces anywhere.

I had made them.

I wanted to be wrong, to say that my eyes weren't seeing what they were currently seeing. I scrambled toward the body and couldn't stop my hammer from falling to...

Chapter 104 - Death

~~AN~~

There's going to be a double chapter today! This one till post at the usual time and the second will come 5 minutes after at 4:05, so stay tuned for that.

Enjoy!

~~

Chris

With all three bosses dead, all that was left standing was me and the man responsible for this whole thing. He had recovered from the shock of me defeating the bosses and was direct...

Chapter 103 - Frozen to the Core

It wasn't just anger that was running through me, it was my frustrations about everything that had happened so far. We were torn from our home, put into this death trap, and had to fight for our lives against monsters, yet we had to deal with a homicidal maniac like him.

And he had the gall to smile at me.

I wouldn't have been so mad if it was only monsters we were up against, but no, it was some asshole acting like a spurned lover because no one helped him. Throwing a tantrum lik...

Chapter 102 - Wrong Words

Chris

Fuck, this hurts.

I felt the knife in my back every time I moved to swing my hammer or dodge a blow. Every twist of my torso aggravated it further.

Assassins weren't something I had anticipated and that failure was biting me in the ass. Rogue was one of the 5 main classes and dismissing the possibility of assassins was a rookie mistake.

It went to show how inexperienced we were at planning for war. We were lucky none of u...

Chapter 101 - Well Made Plans

~~AN~~
Thank you guys for the well wishes hitting 100 chapters and thank you for the support. I know the story is very suspenseful right now (at least I hope it is) and waiting a day for the next chapter sucks, but I need to take the time to make sure this all goes well. Writing and editing these chapters takes some extra time to make sure I get all of it right.

~~

Chris

Jonathan, Austin, and I sto...

Chapter 100 - Siege

"Ready! Heave!"

Scott and Brayden worked in tandem to reset the trebuchets after firing off yet another set of boulders. Our attacks had started not long ago and we had a mesmerizing opening volley.

Rachel opened with a truly massive fireball that lit up the sky as it flew through the air. Her skill [Ritual Casting] worked to ease the burden on her mana pool and spread out the cost.

Other mages added to the sight with their own skills along with the few Rangers with us. Hal ...

Chapter 99 - Plan

Our trek there took most of the afternoon and we arrived just before sundown. We stayed a distance away from the camp and made sure Kathy scouted the area so we remained unseen.

I didn't think we would remain hidden the entire time leading up to the attack but it didn't hurt to try. The longer we remained unseen the less time the Mindbreaker got to plan his response.

If he didn't know we were there, he wouldn't have as much time to prepare when we started attacking.

We were ...

Chapter 98 - Frostborn

I wasted no time and gulped the purple liquid down. Holding it for too long made me nervous for some reason like it would disappear if I stared at it for too long.

Austin had said he felt like a warm glove and like staying in the sun for too long.

Mine felt nothing like that.

It felt like super chilled liquid going down my throat that sapped all the body heat out of me. It almost felt like my throat was frozen as the liquid passed through it like I was drinking liquid nitrog...

Chapter 97 - Make Me

~~AN~~
This will be the first chapter of two today. The second will come out 5 minutes after this one so stay tuned for that. We finally get the reveal of his bloodline! Hopefully, you guys are excited about that.

~~

I stood in the wreckage of the wave's aftermath and couldn't help but grimace.

Seated on the fallen boss's corpse, my body worked to seal up the parts of it that were missing and leaking blood onto the floor.

My ...

Chapter 96 - Austin's Bloodline

The Mindbreaker

Shit. All of it had gone to shit.

Everything was fine until that one piece of shit chased him halfway across the tutorial.

His plan was working and he was mowing through everything in his way until that one camp. He had thought it was going to be easy. They didn't even have a lot of people either!

He had conquered camps with double their number.

But they were different. Their skills decimated his army and ...

Chapter 95 - Skills

~~AN~~
I accidentally posted a chapter to RR so I have to post one here to keep ahead. Plus I don't want you guys to feel left out of a two chapter day.

~~

Austin and Abigail stayed for the cleanup which made it significantly faster than if I were alone. The Rune ran out of mana not long after I woke up which made the ice start to melt and create a muddy mess.

I had to throw all of it out of the camp before it created too much of a...

Chapter 94 - Hang Nine

Abigail

Abigail shivered from the piercing cold as they walked through the wreckage of their old camp. She and Austin had run up here as soon as the fight down south was over. The sturdy walls and superior numbers made this wave the easiest they had faced in a while. They could safely stand on the walls and decimate the wave from afar. It was the least stressful wave they had faced.

She still remembered the indignation she felt when her Dad l...

Chapter 93 - Shatter

My hands gripped the frosty wood as I brought the hammer down on yet another bear.

The fight had been going on for almost an hour and wounds found their way through my armor. Two or three bears clawing and pounding on my armor simultaneously caused injuries to get through.

The blood seeping out of me didn't diminish the feeling of euphoria though.

This was some of the most fun I had in a while. A paw swipe clattered off my armor and my hammer came screaming around in retalia...

Chapter 92 - Freedom

~~AN~~

Extra chapter for all the new subs joining us! Thank you all for the support!

~~

Name: Christopher Zalenski

Race: (F) Human

Class: (F) Champion of Niflheim(Rare) – Level 43

Profession: (F) Runic Blacksmith(Uncommon) – Level 35

Affinity: Ice

Faction: Zalenski Family...

Chapter 91 - Frost Rune

Deep Inhale.

Hold

Long Exhale.

The air up here just smelled better. It didn't carry the stickiness of humidity or earthy smells of the jungle. It was a hint of pine and a slight undertone of forest.

Well, it would be until I finished my preparation. Then it would be something else. Hopefully.

Getting away from the camp was surprisingly easy. As soon as I went to Abigail and my Dad, who were together for some reason, they di...