PenguinKills

Chapter 264 - People of Importance

Displaying a portion of your status screen was easily done after knowing it was possible. During the tutorial, my family would show the whole thing but it didn't take long to figure out that omitting sections or only showing a partial version was possible.

It took longer to realize showing other people was possible than it was to find out that you could show portions.

To display your status, all you had to do was think about doing it. Most things revolving around the System were l...

Chapter 263 - Deserves to be Here

Chris

Normally, when discussing or deciding on a course of action back home, I involved the Council. They held different viewpoints and had insights I wouldn't come up with on my own.

I couldn't do that now.

Being the only Noble of our group, I had to walk in alone into... whatever this turned out to be. Marcus would be there, as he was also a Noble, but that was different.

Being alone at the meeting wasn't what scared me. I'd fa...

Chapter 262 - Line for Nobles

Chris

"Well, that was close." Austin whistled as our boats ran ashore. The last three days had people plugging holes, shoveling water, or otherwise spreading themselves thin trying to keep the things afloat.

The ease of the first day of travel lulled us into a false sense of security.

What followed was the harrowing task of trying to defend the boats from sinking and we were not without failure.

We lost three along the journey.

The suppl...

Chapter 261 - Limping to the Finish Line

Hendricks (cont.)

It wasn't long before people flocked in. His team set up camp a distance away from everyone else and mostly kept to themselves, but as more and more people came pouring in, it began to become untenable.

Word had spread and it had spread fast.

Which wasn't something Hendricks thought he'd say after telephone lines and satellites were destroyed.

Oh, to have a phone again.

Most scientists, engineers, rese...

Chapter 260 - Everyone is Coming

~~AN~~

I apologize for the now chapter yesterday. My weekend did not go to plan and left me scrambling Monday. That being said, I'll make it up with an extra chapter sometime this week but I'm not sure when. I'm still a bit behind the ball as it is.

Going forward, I'll try to put out an announcement if this ever happens again but I can't make any promises.

Sorry, and Enjoy!

~~

<...

Chapter 259 - Sharing is Caring

"You don't have to manhandle it, it's a part of you, not some tool you have to wield, treat it like it is."

"You're being too forceful again."

"Gentler! Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?"

Frustration was building up inside me but I pushed it down and focused once more on the task at hand. The first day had gone remarkably easy. The River denizens were mainly avoiding us but there were a few that tried their luck.

I had to jump in the river a ...

Chapter 258 - Crude Applications

Even though we boarded early and most things were already strapped down, it still took us a good chunk of time to finally shove off and begin moving.

It wasn't long, barely an hour or so, but it gave everyone time to grow accustomed to the boat and walking around. Looking at Abigail and her ability to instantly be fine, those who needed it.

Jonathan was still visibly uncomfortable, but there was nothing I could do about that. I was getting there but it was still odd to ha...

Chapter 257 - Great Start

Chris

The waves of pressure felt suffocating. The thickness of the air and pressure boring down made it hard to breathe, like sucking syrup through a straw. The sheer density of the mana was like nothing I'd ever seen before except for once. My trip up North. The purity was another that stood out, but not nearly as much as how much there was.

Standing near the stony orb, I felt like I was drowning even though my head wasn't underwater.

Mana affiniti...

Chapter 256 - If You Call, I'll Come

Marcus Shieldwell

The meeting he'd been nervously preparing for was going surprisingly easily. When the annoying light-thrower was here, he told enough stories to get a picture, but that wasn't enough to base anything on.

Being around family and a stranger were completely different.

Going into it, Marcus wanted to make sure this partnership did well. They had already helped more than any other Faction had, and they didn't ask for much.

Letting...

Chapter 255 - Marcus

The City passed us by quickly, but there was still enough time for me to pick up a few more things. My Perception stat wasn't that great for my level, but it was enough.

It was funny how much this place reminded me of home. It was lively, worry-free, and jovial. Taverns held laughter and smiles could be seen on the people we passed.

From the way Austin described the world, it made it sound like all happiness had been sucked out of it. It was nice to see other places had made it ba...

Chapter 254 - Leaving Home

"This wagon's done! Get ready for the next!"

"I'm missing a strap over here."

"Go! Go! Move it! These supplies won't load themselves."

The staging grounds that we had set up were working people into a flurry. Anyone with a Profession even tangentially related to logistics was recruited to ensure everything flowed efficiently and effectively.

We weren't going to force them to come along for the journey, only so that we had all the supplies we needed packed and readied i...

Chapter 253 - Stingy System

"Whooo," breath escaped me in a giant plum that frosted up the air and for once, it wasn't because of the outside temperature.

That came strictly from me.

My Bloodline drove my body temperature down and while it wasn't enough for ice crystals to form on my body anymore, it was enough to fog up my breath.

My hammer swam through the air in vicious arcs as I trained getting used to my new strength. The upgrade to my Body was much more pronounced this time than the firs...

Chapter 252 - Gift?

Chris

10 days.

10 days of utter agony.

10 days filled with nothing but pain and suffering.

10 days-

"Alright, I get it. You got a boo boo." Austin remarked annoyed.

Austin was right to be annoyed. I had complained about it since I woke up, which probably didn't sound the best. Even though it was-

No, don't dwell on the past.

The past was behind me and I could focus on the future. A future that had me one step c...

Chapter 251 - Chamber of Pain

It was hard not to feel good looking at the change to my status sheet. It was small, but powerful.

Law Upgraded:

Least Law of Wind -> Lesser Law of Wind

Having both of my Laws at Tier 2 was just another thing to check off the list. All that was left before I evolved was Upgrading my Body, which I was about to do, and cap off my Bloodline, which was already close to being maxed.

It was nice to have most of the things I wante...

Chapter 250 - Dominance

Chris

I wasn't sure whether to call it progress or not that my Mother didn't ask any questions about my request.

I'd spent a month training, sparring, and fighting with the Guard Orders while also doing my daily trips into the Dungeons and now that the time was coming to depart, there were a few last things to do.

One was to upgrade my Body, as the chamber was ready and waiting, and the other was to increase my Wind Law to Tier 2 finally.

My W...

Chapter 249 - Yellowstone

Hendricks

The trip to St. Louis was entirely too long and arduous, but he and his team were finally here. Not that the endpoint had anything flashy enough to be excited about. Most of the Pylon Cities they passed through on the way here were... sparse with their accommodations.

Not that he would complain, as most had much bigger problems than an appropriately furnished inn.

Gonzalez joked that they were the modern pioneers, traveling for months on e...

Chapter 248 - Trust Your Armor

Chris

"You need to trust your armor!" I shouted as I watched the two fighters go at it. "I put a Rune of Protection on that chest piece myself, I know it can take that hit!"

The man's great sword came around for another blow and instead of jumping away, the woman allowed it to land on her plate armor which deflected it easily.

The two weren't going all out as this was a spar, but it was still enough for the blow to hurt.

"Good!"

Teaching...

Chapter 247 - Teaching

"Is there one that you like?" Abigail asked after all the interviews were over.

There was one, but I felt like ignoring it strictly on principle. Based strictly on performance and how well they would be at the job right off the bat, the best candidate was Sophia.

Although both could do the job, Assistant was a better fit for what I was looking for than Secretary.

With that in mind, she had the highest level than all the others.

The only problem was I knew ...

Chapter 246 - Interviews

Chris

Letters and information continued to roll in from various outlets and all of them told of the same picture. Marcus and Ashton both sent messages that I had to respond to.

Ashton and his faction were doing their best to mend our relationship and I couldn't fault them for trying. Their letters were welcome and it was nice to have Marcus to cross-check them against, but there was one bit that Ashton had that Marcus didn't.

When the Demon threat a...

Chapter 245 - Faction Colors

"Was this all you were worried about or was there something else?" I asked.

"No, that was it. It's nothing against you, but I needed to make sure we were on the same page. I saw enough infighting during my trip and I'm worried that... whatever this turns into won't go over well." he said.

"How do you think it will go? I didn't think it would be a problem," I asked curiously. We had discussed the possibility of things going south during our meeting, but we were...

Chapter 244 - Intolerance

Tiredness, fatigue, and exhaustion were feelings that rarely showed themselves nowadays. Endurance was a wonderful thing, pushing the waking hours further with every point, but there were still times it felt like my mind had been wrung dry of all its energy.

Our Council Meetings had a way of doing that.

Tedium, the very definition of the word, was the only way to describe it. I wished they were easier, and I wasn't responsible for so many people and so many different projects, but...

Chapter 243 - Frozen Leach

Name: Christopher Zalenski

Race: (E) Human*

Class: (E) Hammer of the Jotnar(Legendary) – Level 91

Profession: (E) Runesmith(Rare) – Level 84

Affinity: Arctic

Faction: Frostheim (Leader)

Title: Baron

Strength - 1615

Agility - 793

Perception - 478

Fortitude - 1180

Endurance - 959 2025-02-13 21:42:35 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 242- Unbowed

Chris

A sharp groan escaped my lips as the Boss hammered down on me for what felt like the millionth time. With me playing the tank, all of its attacks were generally aimed toward me.

Austin got to flit around stabbing out when the opportunity arose with nothing to hinder him.

The Boss would occasionally turn to face him instead of me, but a well-placed [Shattering Hammer] or [Frozen Rift] made it focus back on me.

[Shattering Hammer] was doin...

Chapter 241 - Insanity

Austin

Austin stood and eyed the hunk of Ice next to him. The nip in the air forced him to circulate more mana through his body to ward it away but it wasn't anything he hadn't done before.

After so long, the frigid air and chilly, tingling sensation were normal conditions rather than hazardous.

There was a change, however, in something else and it wasn't readily apparent someone looking in from the outside.

It took Austin a while to notice it...

Chapter 240 - Up for a Challenge

Chris

Oops, a bit too much.

Sending the same amount of mana into [Permafrost] and [Desolate Blizzard] as before caused the two skills to blossom out much further than anticipated. While it encompassed more enemies inside its radius, it also neared too closely to the wall.

My new Heart made funneling mana into the skills much easier. Before, it felt like I was forcing mana into the skills, while now it was like it wanted to be used.

I'...

Chapter 239 - Force of Nature

Chris

"Are you sure about this, Christopher?" Abigail asked.

"It's perfectly safe, Abigail, everything will be fine," I answered.

She had been antsy about the fact I was allowing so many people to participate in what could potentially be a bloodbath. There was a discussion about not letting extras fight, but I shot that down quickly.

We knew this Wave would hold D-ranks, that much was assured. We also knew that these D-ranks would be much stro...