Half of Simon's proposed terms made sense to Lucia. They were what she'd expected.
The other half had her re-reading the paper again and again, asking for repeated clarification, more disbelief creeping into her tone with every assurance he gave.
It took Katarina's intervention to smooth things over. "This is just how he is," she had remarked, with an exasperated sigh. "Accept...
It was as if Eric had never been there, and as if nothing had happened at all. The Second Painter had...consumed Eric's body in the most grotesque, disgusting way Adam's brain could comprehend – then acted like nothing was particularly out of the ordinary.
"Well?" The Second perked up its mist like an eyebrow. "Surely you have more questions, yes?"
For a single mom...
Simon was feeling rather pleased with himself – although he knew he probably shouldn't be.
In fairness, threatening Jonathan had worked like a charm. The physician took one look at Simon's demonic arm and capitulated on the spot. Based on his bulging eyes and how his expression morphed into a rictus of despair, he would've agreed to just about anything.
Which made the 'negotiati...
The wind howled, carrying with it the smell of burnt flesh and sundered dreams.
Adam felt nothing as he stared at the soulless body in front of him. It didn't seem real. At any moment, he half-expected Eric to pop up, taunting and sneering like before.
Yet no matter how long he watched, the Gryphon did not move.
Oh.
It's over.
The thought drained what...
Springwater Village was everything Simon had anticipated.
Unfortunately.
It reminded him of pictures he'd seen on Earth of distantly rural towns that were disconnected from society at large. Places so forgotten that they were an afterthought in the grand scheme of things, growing poorer and more isolated with each generation.
If you took one of those towns, tripled its pove...
Both painters set their fists onto each other in a vicious clash. The sound of Adam's fists against Eric's flesh echoed across the desolate field, every strike singing a song of desperation and defiance. Adam pressed forward, delivering blows that tore skin off his knuckles and sent Eric's head whirling backward – yet while his own blood was pouring down from his hands, the Hangman's face was...
2024-09-20 21:57:07 +0000 UTC View PostWhat's a Level, Simon thought, turning the phrase over in his mind. He felt like he'd learned more about Valtia with those three words than in the entire past week.
His rushed transmigration had left him with canyon-wide gaps in his understanding of this world. Voice-In-The-Sky hadn't been given sufficient time to explain things in detail. Aside from describing Valtia as a ...
It was with herculean effort that Simon barely managed to stop himself from bursting out laughing. "You want to try redoing that first impression?" he suggested.
His comment was meant to be lighthearted, something to help break the ice, but Katarina seemed to interpret it differently. The woman paled severely, as if she'd felt footsteps treading on her grave.
Her eyes immediately ...
What a beautiful waste, Adam thought of Eric's Canvas.
He was hiding in the ruined battlefield when Solara's Ghost of Flames caught up to him. The new information that the specter returned with was of vital importance, yet even it had to wait for now. There was a different fire that he needed to put out first.
The fire Eric had spawned when unleashing his Ha...
The Glove of Minor Power. A stolen longsword, produced from Inventory. The element of surprise.
That was all it took to kill a man six Levels higher.
Simon froze. Not out of shock or regret – but out of confusion. He had never killed anyone before. Never even hurt anyone outside of schoolyard fights, really. Taking a life should have been momentous, horrifying, world-shattering,...
The Lady of Ash didn't allow herself to feel the anger that echoed in her soul. Witnessing an elf call upon the power she so desperately craved stirred a powerful fury within her – but also an even stronger fear.
"When you're caught within a Genius Realm," Ciro had once told her, "you become subject to their rules." The Emperor kindly helped her to her feet, flashing her a...
The moment stretched out into infinity as Simon stared at the two bound captives. His mind was a kaleidoscope of thoughts and emotions, a tempest of roaring fervor. Breathing was a struggle. If someone had asked him a question right then, he wouldn't have been able to speak.
None of that rose to the surface. None of it showed on his expression. An outside observer may have praised his co...
The Emperor of the World shook his fist in anger as he stomped through the woods like a half-feral barbarian.
Victory had been so close as to be an absolute certainty, and yet it still eluded him. It hadn't even been an equal contest! Not only did his Empire possess superior forces to the Little Painter's ragtag group of upstarts, Ciro had needed to win just one of...
Lucette and Ebris flinched as if they'd been slapped. The pair exchanged glances, a whirlwind of emotions raging across their faces.
"Did you know of Ardyn's expedition to Caelryn Cave?" Simon continued. He infused vulnerability into his tone, making his lip quiver slightly. "Our carriage was attacked. There was...this rat, this Beast, and..."
He shuddered. "I was the onl...
Vasco had many names – depending on the tongue that called for him. They all painted a different picture of the man...albeit with two commonalities.
His absolute strength, and his aptitude for violence.
To his old rivals at the Academy, he was the Knightly Genius; a standoffish man who'd mastered the Talent of Lordship better than any aside from Aspreay. His peers thought of him...
Simon greeted another skeleton as he made his way back up through Caelryn Cave. The long trek was far more enjoyable in reverse. No worry of traps, no mounting pressure, and he got to pass the time by experimenting with his ill-gotten gains.
Character Sheet.
Simon
Class: Fledgling
Attributes: Transmigrator, Fell-Touched
Nayt stood back, intending to continue his plan of slowing down the pace of their duel and forcing Ferrero into a more difficult guessing game. 'Sword fighting is a matter of statistics – not legendary techniques,' he confidently thought. 'If I can force the Puppet into repeated exchanges where his odds are poor, then in the end, I'll win. I still know not what his sorcery is tha...
2024-08-08 19:25:13 +0000 UTC View PostIt took around ten seconds for Simon to approach. In that time, he covertly examined the cavern with Identify, searching for anything that could give him an edge.
All he found of note were hundreds of Warding Orbs surrounding the Sealed Demon's cage of light. Each was placed on the cage's border, and each had merely one year remaining before its energy was depleted – same as the Orbs g...
Simon let himself soak in the moment for a full, glorious minute.
It was surprisingly difficult to switch gears and get down to business afterwards. A part of him wanted nothing more than to sit there and remember the Strength coursing through his arms. To savor the thrill of felling a Beast and increasing his Level. To indulge in that liberating feeling of progress after y...
"Don't even think about interfering," Valeria said through her raven. "Let the gentlemen have a fair duel."
Ciro's response came with a curt nod and a bitter smirk. "I would not dream of it." He gestured at Penumbria's brick walls, where Tenver fiercely battled the climbing monstrosities. "Were I to attempt to intrude..."
Further words were unneeded, and 'twas best not to speak mo...
What shocked Ciro most of all wasn't merely their grasp of his Talent. Others had also learned of it at various points in time – only for them to be disposed of shortly thereafter. While he'd put effort into keeping his Talent a secret, its usage always came with a risk of discovery. It wasn't unreasonable that the knowledge had slipped under the gaze of his ever-watchful eye.
To get straight to the point: a Visual Novel adaptation of Outcast Book 1 is currently in development.
The kickstarter for it can be found here. I'll let the kickstarter page speak for itself on what to expect and what it will...
"I'd like to use a coupon."
Simon's patented cashier smile froze on his face. Even without reading the coupon, he knew in his bones how the rest of this conversation was going to play out. Nodding silently, he took the thin slip of paper from the dear customer's waiting hand.
His heart fell as he read the date stamped on its side. "Sir, I believe this coupon expired a week ago."
Before his Lord Realm shattered, Adam used its last remnants to accelerate his thinking, considering all the possible ways he might be able to defeat the Hangman.
He could...
1. Capture Eric's soul and end the fight immediately. Their difference in Rank meant nothing to the Talent of Painting.
2. Awaken to some mysterious power, like the Genius Realm, thereby shifting th...
It would have been easy for the Gryphon to defeat the Painter in a Clash of Realms.
Adam had relentlessly refined his Realm from the size of a city down to a small, compact area barely large enough to cover the two of them. Despite that, Eric's Talent was still of a much higher rank.
It should have been easy for the Gryphon to defeat the Painter in a Clash of Realms....
Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you know that planning for the next series is going well. However, since I'm not exactly sure when its Chapter 1 will go up (depends on a lot of different factors), I'll be pausing Patreon billing for the next 30 days. Didn't feel comfortable taking payment when there's not gonna be much new content for a while.
Thanks for your patience. I'll keep you guys...
2024-06-25 01:53:40 +0000 UTC View PostMaking this post available to all tiers so people can decide what to do with their Patreon subscriptions. If you're Tier 1 or Tier 2, I recommend not reading below the 'Schedule Moving Forward' point section just yet, as there will be some spoilers in this post & potentially the comments section.
Schedule Moving Forward
The general plan is this: I'll take...
2024-06-16 18:11:10 +0000 UTC View PostEmperor Ciro wore a smile. A genuine smile – not the sharpened upturn of lips meant to rattle simpering nobles. It was an unfamiliar sensation, although hardly an unwelcome one.
Little painter. Usurper of Penumbria. His smile deepened. Our duel is the most enjoyment I've had in ages. Oh, how I hope you're having as much fun as I am! On this auspicious day, Ciro w...
Author's Note:
I'll be making a post within the next few days regarding the future of of this Patreon and my writing (tl;dr version is that I'll be taking a break and then coming back with a new solo story in addition to continuing Skill Thief.)
But for now: the final update. Hope you enjoy.
--
Keira was surrounded on all sides.
Heav...
Author's Note:
Early update because I'll be busy later during the normal update time.
--
Rob arrived ten minutes early to his appointment. He knew he would need that long to gather enough courage to knock on the front door and enter.
Twenty minutes later, his sense of guilt at procrastinating finally won out. Before he could stop himself, ...