LaughYeAmer

Chapter 62: A Bad Day To Be Bad

“Hey, Davy.”

“Yeah, Paul?”

“You ever wonder why we are doing this?”

The pirate named Davy hummed as he loaded another artillery shell into the naval cannon.

“Well, that’s a really deep question, Paul,” Davy said. “Is it because of the circumstances of our surroundings that led us to become murderous pirates who kill and enslave innocent people, or is it our inherent evil nature that brought us to this path? If we weren’t born within the corrupted ...

Chapter 61: Go West, Young Heroes!

“I still must protest against the notion. This is a poor idea, my Lady.”

Within the main hall of Castle Elathion, several figures were assembled around a massive map.

The map was detailed with the most up-to-date news on the Western oceanic warfront. It was clear from a single glance alone that what was once a bitter stalemate for both factions had developed into a one-sided battle with the Kaldreach Coalition on the losing side.

Outnumbered, outmanoeuvred, and outmatche...

Post Act 1 Author Notes; Changes to Upload Schedule

(Very Long) Author’s Note:

(Chapter 60 has just been posted, so if you’re looking for today’s chapter update, it’s on the other post)

Book 1 is finished on RR! And Book 2 is always now moving on to the main action.

The following is a very long author’s note that I usually do at the end of an Act. You can skip to the end if you wish; there are some important details about changes in the upload schedule. Look for the line break.

~~~

I initially didn’t b...

Chapter 60: Exploiting the Power of Friendship

Joarris leaned forward a little, his attention piqued. Eri considered his words carefully.

“You are correct that my power operates in an abstract sense — for this part of my power, at least,” Eri began. “This is going to sound dumb, but it… It literally runs on the power of friendship.”

Silence. Eri’s face turned slightly red, embarrassed at his own words. He braced himself for laughter, or even insults from Joarris.

The man, however, simply remained contemplat...

Chapter 59: Companion Problems

“Hey. Is it just me… Or have the lot of us been slacking off a lot lately?”

Upon hearing Julie’s musing, Bori stared at the archer incredulously.

“Is that a serious question?” He said in indignation. “We just got done clearing out the demon-infested mines. Our group has been going on hunting expeditions nonstop for the better half of the year. We have killed so many demons, we have basically cleared our annual Goddess Tithe thrice over already!”

“Well, yeah...

Chapter 58: Weapon Testing

“Incoming!”

The gout of freezing brine blasted down the tunnel, flooding the narrow corridor in a killing chill. The group of Chosens scattered, tossing fire bombs as they retreated to counteract the frost.

“We need to push into the chamber! Julie, Alvine, force it back!” Joarris commanded.

The two Chosens yelled their affirmatives before firing a barrage of killing projectiles down the frozen corridor. The air rippled with supersonic arrows and javelins, shattering ...

Chapter 57: Old Magic

The training courtyard of Castle Elathion cracked with harsh noises and the breaking of stone. The unnatural growls of howling winds and the slight tremor of the castle walls should have sent anyone into a panic, or at least into a state of caution. 

The servants and knights of Castle Elathion carried on their duties unperturbed, however. They were used to the noise by now.

The Young Master of the House was simply performing casual acts of miracles once more.

Mana shimm...

Chapter 56: Making Ready

Time passed once more.

Days turned to weeks, then months, and then an entire year.

News from the frontlines trickled in slowly, often censored or so riddled with rumours that they were practically useless.

House Elathion naturally received more accurate information on the conflict than the public — Kaldreach’s administration at least had the sense to keep the nobility updated on the war they were personally funding — but even then, details were sparse, and more often t...

Chapter 55: Pursue Strength

The group was once more gathered at Castle Elathion. Joarris’s party sat alongside Dulcina and Eri while Captain Lauren gave the news.

“It’s not as bad as everyone’s making it out to be,” Lauren assured them. “You know how it is. It had been months without news, so once the first real piece of genuine information trickles in, everyone starts making exaggerated rumours.”

“But it’s undeniable the Kaldreach Coalition lost their first battle,” Alvine muttered. “N...

Chapter 54: The Foreshadowing Before The Storm

The Kaldreach Coalition was not expected to be back for years. The Slaver Isles were vast; Purging the Duskcrowns from their long-hidden and long-entrenched positions would not be fast or easy, even with a massive force. 

Lord Draevan would not be back for some time. It was therefore up to the two noble scions to ensure House Elathion continued its path to recovery, with the first step being to secure a steady income — starting with reclaiming the rich ores located between the po...

Chapter 53: The Kaldreach Coalition

The week that came next was one of hectic activity — not just for House Elathion, but for all of Kaldreach.

The Expeditionary Force of the North — the culmination of six months of planning and collaboration between the Noble Houses, the Church, the Imperial Military, and the various independent mercenary groups — was finally about to launch.

To Eri, it was of some small comfort that his personal momentous occasion of ascending to nobility would soon be a relatively forgettab...

Chapter 52: Saying Goodbye

The continent of Thalmyra had been at war with Hell for a total of five thousand years.

In those five thousand years, a total of four Demon Kings were slain.

Each time a Demon King was defeated, around five hundred years of peace would follow before a new one inevitably rose again. And each time a new King rose, a new major Hellgate was formed.

At the time of the Fourth Demon King’s death, there were four major Hellgates, one in each cardinal direction of the continent. 2025-10-07 08:00:23 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 51: Mistake

Matron Elen Ravelyn did not like the nobility, as a rule.

Arrogant, conceited, and prone to catastrophic tantrums that dragged all parties involved to a bitter end. 

Lord Draevan didn’t really fit any of those three qualities, but Elen knew the man was trouble, nonetheless.

Too bad the brat saw fit to throw his lot in with him.

“Tea?” Lord Draevan offered as he pulled a seat for Elen. The matron snorted at his gentlemanly display.

“Sure. Though if yo...

Chapter 50: Step Up, Hero!

Fire. Heat. Smoke. A heavy weight upon his body.

Cedric painfully cracked his eyes open.

The cave was lit in flames. The body of the acolyte lay over him.

The man had unintentionally sheltered Cedric from the blast; his durable, Gold-forged body turned into a living shield that absorbed a large portion of the explosion.

The acolyte was also very clearly dead, on account of his entire back turned to a blasted slag of fused eldritch flesh and blackish spine.

Though...

Chapter 49: Failures Everywhere

“Eri!” Dulcina cried, grabbing him urgently. “No!”

Even Dulcina could tell it was a fatal shot. The arrow had slammed straight into the left side of his chest. It was too deep not to have struck his heart.

The boy coughed wetly, blood spilling from his lips. Elen was holding him in place, her expression blank. 

The red-headed witch — Peythra — immediately knelt over the boy the moment he fell, but one glance at the wound already told the healer it was too la...

Chapter 48: One Last Matter

Seneschal Armael wondered when everything went wrong.

The course of the last few decades had hardly gone swimmingly, of course, but his work at sabotaging House Elathion had at least made steady progress. 

The House lost its primary Heiress, its First Lady, and much of its assets in the span of a decade. A tenth of their retinue were converted to turncoats, and the quality of their household knights had diminished as Armael ensured their most promising candidates met fatal �...

Chapter 47: Red Obsession

When Dulcina returned to the ruined east wing with her men in tow, she mentally prepared herself for the worst.

Most of House Elathion’s best knights were out scouting the port at the moment, leaving the castle undefended with but Bronze Core squires to guard it. The miasmic mist of the corrupted lake, combined with the hellish smog from the still-burning ruins, would obscure any visibility between those patrols and Castle Elathion. It was unlikely any of them would return to her aid ...

Chapter 46: Oh Look, Consequences

[Game Over!]

[Player Character has died.]

[Player Character can no longer continue.]

[Tallying final score: Cumulative Heroism Points and Villainy Points on the leaderboard stands at—]

“No. Cancel that. It would be a shame if the game ended here, won’t it?”

[Player Character has suffered a fatal wound.]

“Has he? From my perspective, he has simply fallen unconscious. It’s a little early to call his death, isn’t it?”

[Earlier ‘Lockpick...

Chapter 45: Defy, Always

Lord Draevan was having a relatively good time, considering the circumstances.

Sure, he was still on the brink of defeat, but at least he was able to fight his foe on equal standing, now that the infuriating Disruptor was gone.

Moreover, it gave him enough breath to needle his opponent.

“Getting tired, Maelric?” the lord called out, hovering in the air as his [Gale Flight] spell kept him at the same altitude as his flame-soaring opponent.

“Pitiful wretch. Is this...

Chapter 44: Minor Wounds

“Is she going to be alright?”

Upon hearing Dulcina’s urgent question, the Foxkin chirurgeon shrugged.

“Well, she’s going to lose her left arm,” Kalisa sucked a sharp breath through her fangs. “But she’ll live. Probably.”

The pair were in Kalisa’s lab. Elen was resting on a surgical table in front of them, completely unconscious. Though covered in blood and badly wounded, she was still alive. Captain Lauren rested on another bed —  similarly unconsc...

Chapter 43: Last-Minute Power-up

Eri was usually not one to curse, even in the privacy of his own mind.

But what he was dealing with was utter bullcrap.

His scattering of smoke grenades barely slowed the literal dozens of homing magic missiles chasing after him. Those smoke grenades weren’t releasing mere dense clouds either. Eri had added an arcane property to their mix — courtesy of his new ‘Alchemy’ Skill — that confused magical energies and led them astray.

Some missiles veered off course, ...

Chapter 42: Property Damage

“Oh, this isn’t good,” Eri muttered.

The boy was currently crouched over the rafters of Castle Elathion's eastern halls. Beside him, Dulcina studied the scene with focused eyes, while Cedric nervously twitched, his skin clammy and sick.

Below them, chaos reigned.

Bursts of blue lightning, fire, and magic missiles were flying all over the floor as Lord Draevan duelled against the Sapphire-Core Chosen known as Maelric Halsworn. The power of their Artes triumphed over any...

Chapter 41: Buffer and Debuffer

Matron Elen ran into Captain Lauren during her mad dash towards the eastern training yard.

“Thank the goddess you’re here!” he said in relief. “Come quickly! The Lord is fighting in the east tower! We have to help him!”

“I’m not really—” She barely got a word out before the Captain was already dashing off. The woman hesitated, then sighed and reluctantly followed.

She hadn’t been rushing to aid Lord Draevan. She had been looking for Eri. To Elen, everyone...

Chapter 40: Emergency Alliance

Shadowalker Cedric, also non-affectionately referred to as Assassin Number 38 by his peers, swore loudly as he saw his last partner get her back blown open by a boy half his age.

“What the fuck!” he yelled in disbelief, parrying the Elathion Heiress’s sabre with his bow. “What pit of Hell did you people dig this monster out from?! The bloody Eye of the North?!”

Dulcina said nothing, her eyes eerily glowing with silver. Every attack that Cedric launched thus far proved in...

Chapter 39: Enemies Without

It finally happened a few days after.

“Did you… feel that?” Eri asked.

Dulcina paused in her attack, lowering her training sword as her opponent seemed distracted by something. “What do you mean?”

The two were in the sparring ground — they duelled nearly daily now, at Dulcina’s insistence to improve her fencing. No one else was around.

Yet, Eri’s Observation Skill was pricking at him.

A shift in the air… and was that another tremor in the sands?...

Chapter 38: Enemies Within

“I don’t see the point in entertaining this, my Lord.”

“It’s fine, Armael. What’s the harm? The boy already worked miracles before; maybe he can give us another.”

Eri was in Lord Draevan's study room. Accompanying the nobleman was Seneschal Armael, while Elen was sitting beside the boy with a document in hand.

The table between them was filled with papers — the apparent haul from the traitor’s lair, recovered after the kidnapping attempt on Dulcina.

U...

Chapter 37: System Revelations

Eri looked at his stats, allocating the Attribute Points he had earned accordingly.

Eventually, he settled for a more diverse arrangement.

/-/

Eri White

Lvl 60/60 Pyrefang Saboteur

Str: 132

Dex: 229

End: 116

Wis: 181

Cha: 27

/-/

Level 60. I’m a max-levelled Bronze already, Eri thought with some unease. Can’t upgrade my Core yet; it’s way too soon. It was Copper a mere month ago. If my Core up...