Considering the curated nature of the rift, I doubted I’d get another opportunity to easily kill one of the bosses. Killing the avemon boss had been a fluke, or maybe just a really lucky matchup. Encountering the susorc boss while it was unconscious was definitely a lucky break.
But I somehow doubted my future boss fights would be as easy. The rift was some kind of Assassin’s challeng...
2025-01-03 22:05:18 +0000 UTC View Post“Fu—”
My curse of surprise and pain caught in my throat as my body was swiftly restored, and I was teleported back to the safe room.
I’d linked my implanted E3 talisman to a newly crafted beacon shortly after my arrival, giving myself a safe place to escape in the event of a serious injury. However, I’d never been pushed to use it.
This was actually the first time th...
2024-12-31 02:24:48 +0000 UTC View PostKai, the former Patriarch of the Epikairos Sect, exchanged a glance with Lian’Aenigma, his Mind Mage companion, before focusing on the trio of elves sitting at the table next to them.
His search had brought the two of them to one of the newer cities on Agirock, the same frontier world he’d visited decades earlier with his former disciple.
None who knew the Pinnacle Time Mage wou...
2024-12-27 02:58:13 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: It's a bit of a long chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
I looked down at the gobole’s underground village from my perch halfway up the cavern wall. I’d marked the spot a few months earlier in preparation for just such an assault, but this was my first time using it for more than surveillance.
At a glance, the village looked like a functioning settlement, albeit ...
2024-12-24 04:20:47 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m not seeing anything different from before,” I informed Lisa. Speaking aloud wasn’t strictly necessary, but I’d found it helped keep me sane after spending so long alone.
Lisa’s avatar nodded. “That makes sense. It is exceedingly difficult to alter a rift with an active instance.”
“You think that’s what’s happening?” I asked as I removed my hand from the ...
2024-12-20 03:50:43 +0000 UTC View PostAfter crafting a few items and enhancing what I could from my inventory, I spent the next couple of months carefully scouting the rift. I occasionally got lucky enough to scavenge from the fights between factions, but it wasn’t nearly as often as I would have liked.
Of the five groups, four seemed to fight against each other regularly enough. However, the fifth seemed more interested in...
2024-12-17 00:22:18 +0000 UTC View PostI didn’t rush the grieving process. Instead, I leaned into it, taking advantage of the first real sense of privacy I’d felt in decades to work through all of my feelings.
Eventually, I fell into an exhausted sleep.
I didn’t fully trust in the safety of the entry room, but between it and my hidden emergency talismans, it was enough to allow me to rest.
Sleep, I’d found,...
2024-12-13 01:05:58 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: I almost added another Interlude from Master Kairos's perspective, but I wanted to get on with the story. Expect to see his reaction in the future.
Lunch with Zavira released a tension that I hadn’t realized I was holding. Out of everyone, she was the one who really knew me the best. Even the last few years on different floors of the dungeon hadn’t change...
2024-12-10 19:25:58 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Back-to-back interludes. I hope you like the change in perspective. Updated 19 Dec 24.
Anya Oracle’s body shivered as hints of a dark premonition teased her senses. One of the [Obscuring] rings she’d given out had been removed.
Most Fate Mages would never dream of hampering their own abilities by sharing such items, but Anya was not a normal Fate Mage. Unli...
2024-12-05 21:03:05 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: I hope the shift isn't too abrupt. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, and I look forward to sharing Emie's newest challenge with you all...
Cin’Specter was technically a Lord, just like every other Tier Ten in the Alliance, but he’d never claimed the title. Doing so was likely to draw attention, and that was anathema for an Assassin.
Regardless,...
2024-12-03 04:22:52 +0000 UTC View PostMars.
I’m not sure what I expected to see upon our arrival since I knew that efforts to terraform the red planet were well underway, but a thick carpet of vibrant teal certainly wasn’t it.
“Is it some kind of moss?” I asked as I stared at the landscape from within the protective dome surrounding the small but well-constructed settlement about half a mile from the edge of a l...
2024-11-29 05:01:34 +0000 UTC View Post“How is your vacation going so far?” Master Kairos asked with a knowing smile.
Now that the culling was over, we had standing plans to meet nightly while my family was sleeping. Neither of us required much sleep to function, so it made sense to spend that time together instead of cutting into the time I had with my family.
I’d been tempted to leave early to get away from Aunt ...
2024-11-26 04:19:15 +0000 UTC View Post“What was that?” Mom exclaimed from the shore.
I quickly stored the bulk of the carcass before answering, not bothering with the small pieces nearby.
“Some kind of shark or something,” I answered before cringing as I considered the now-bloody water I was treading. Realizing the effects of my spell might not have been fully contained, I groaned. “Ugh, I should probably dive...
2024-11-21 23:30:40 +0000 UTC View Post“Well, that’s good news!” Mom exclaimed when I told everyone the news about the inquiry at the end of the evening.
As the one in charge of keeping hunters safe, I’d called a halt to the official ‘culling’ when the sun set. I could have easily continued since I didn’t need light to perform my role, but very few hunters were interested in going for three days straight.
...
2024-11-19 17:38:10 +0000 UTC View PostFrom atop the modified pod I’d set to float above the forest, I observed the various parties as they engaged their respective targets.
Far more residents had heeded the call to arms than I expected. The sight of my fellow Earthborn actively working to protect their homes warmed my heart and made me glad to have contributed, if only in a supporting role.
While maintaining general v...
2024-11-15 14:18:01 +0000 UTC View PostMy body slowly relaxed as the milky, mana-infused water seeped into my skin. The addition of mana had turned the international attraction into one of the newest world wonders, and the obvious benefits of even a short soak made it a lucrative resource to control.
I could have easily chosen to relax somewhere closer, but after reading about the magical healing effects of the Blue Lagoon on ...
2024-11-12 01:02:36 +0000 UTC View Post‘You are not allowed to arm locals with weapons and gear above the planet’s threshold,’ Lisa informed me as I sketched out a few simple enchantment designs after breakfast.
I sat up straight and focused on my Interface Assistant. ‘Why not?’
‘It’s in the rules you received upon leaving the dungeon,’ she replied. ‘There was an...
2024-11-07 23:20:31 +0000 UTC View Post“You should be able to drop the disguise now, right?” Dad asked me as we stepped away from the small teleportation room attached to the Knoxville portal hub.
A glance at Master Kairos revealed he’d already returned to his normal appearance, so I quickly followed suit.
Neither of us wore our sect robes, though our civilian attire was enchanted with many of the same protections....
2024-11-05 06:05:56 +0000 UTC View PostThe waiting room outside the Council chambers was nicer than what I expected. It almost looked like the sitting area of a fancy hotel lobby instead of a quasi-governmental space.
A few minutes after we settled in, the door leading from the Council chambers opened and an attractive woman with noticeable physical similarities to Master Kairos entered the waiting room.
She was pale, li...
2024-11-01 01:31:12 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Updated 5 Dec 24.
The gathered Councilors showed a mix of expressions as they settled in place. The meeting was not a scheduled one, and several of the Pinnacles and near-Pinnacles were annoyed at having their plans disrupted over something many considered trivial.
“We only have a short time before they arrive,” Arbiter Eskin announced. As the nominal leade...
2024-10-29 01:58:05 +0000 UTC View PostI’d forgotten how much I enjoyed reading in the years since Atlas Online was first introduced. Before then, I’d spent a lot of my free time reading stories – mostly fantasy, though other genres could also be found in my virtual library.
Since I was on vacation and there were several worlds’ worth of new stories to discover, I’d decided to return to my old love. Sure, I had to ma...
2024-10-24 21:32:31 +0000 UTC View Post“Ah, that reminds me,” Master Kairos said as he shifted in the pool. A vial appeared in his hand. “Here, I finished this earlier. It took longer than I would have liked, but that’s how Alchemy works sometimes. It should mitigate at least one of the approaches the assassins might use.”
“What is it?” I asked as I examined the small vial.
It was filled with ...
2024-10-22 19:46:08 +0000 UTC View PostWhile the experience was neat enough, exploring a real underwater city wasn’t all that different from my memories of doing the same thing in the game.
Sure, this time, I was wearing a rebreather and a scaled bodysuit instead of transforming into a mermaid, but that wasn’t enough to make it feel like a new experience.
Granted, my previous experiences were from decades earlier and...
2024-10-18 03:03:31 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: It's a little short. I'll probably add another section at the end. I'm not sure when that will happen, though.
On that note, please keep in mind that chapters on Patreon are basically 'Draft Zero.' They may be edited further or slightly modified before being released on Royal Road.
Thanks for your continued support! 2024-10-15 04:55:57 +0000 UTC View Post
I released the Arcane mana I’d been controlling as I Meditated with a sigh. I had no idea if my efforts were actually improving the strength of my affinity, but it seemed like my connection to the mana type had grown a little stronger.
However, whether it was due to familiarity or an actual improvement in my affinity was still yet to be determined.
I’d che...
2024-10-11 02:34:50 +0000 UTC View Post“So, all of the safe zone cities got regularly attacked by beast waves until the seventh floor?” Justin asked after reviewing the floor summary I’d sent to him.
“Basically,” I agreed. “I didn’t personally witness anything on the first two floors, but from what I heard, it was the same.”
My brother grunted lightly as he made an annotation on his tablet. He’d asked f...
2024-10-08 05:40:47 +0000 UTC View Post“I expected to see the Oracle during my visit after you told me she basically sent you to find me,” I said to Master Kairos as we waited for our portal to the capital. He’d decided to accompany us to Aspirant City, the home of the Epikairos Sect on Hadier.
“She felt it would be better to delay your introduction for a while, though she did want to express her sincere congratulation...
2024-10-04 03:37:41 +0000 UTC View Post“They will have observed you and Zavira while you fought in the dungeon,” Master Kairos said from the other side of the manatech vehicle as we rode together to the reception.
“How much of a threat do you think they pose?” I asked.
I’d given some thought to the matter as I robotically greeted the members of my sect who’d taken the time to congratulate me. Most belonged to...
2024-10-01 19:48:32 +0000 UTC View Post“Are you still going with ‘Momentia’ as your chosen name?” Zavira asked through the interface later that night.
After dinner, Mom, Dad, and Justin had set up a joint video call with Bell and the kids, and we’d chatted for a couple of hours before my parents decided to call it a night.
While the cost was more than it would have been if we were all on the same planet, the vi...
2024-09-27 02:03:47 +0000 UTC View Post“It truly was merely an oversight,” Master Kairos assured me as we entered the floating vehicle waiting outside.
I nodded, though I wasn’t fully sold on his innocence. While he’d seemed genuinely contrite at first, the Time Mage had grown increasingly amused as Lady Rhania reacted to the shock of learning about my new status as a Tri-Affinity Mage.
The elf’s breach of deco...
2024-09-24 01:00:53 +0000 UTC View Post