In the few seconds it took Evelyn to glance at the message and read what it said, Marvin had vanished from the street. She just about caught a glimpse of his figure disappearing into a nearby alleyway.
“Marvin! It’s Evelyn, what the hell man? After all this time you’re just going to vanish on me?” she shouted, but his footsteps didn’t falter and by the time she had run to the a...
More and more messages had appeared following the founding of the guild. Various new systems had been made available to them. Of those, there was one which made Evelyn ecstatic to see.
Having lost her attributes and skills, she had planned to head to the bazaar that afternoon to replenish them, but it looked like she would no longer need to deal with the stress of haggling with other cha...
Evelyn was giddy with excitement. While the original street that Kayla had suggested turned out to be a failure, with not a single building they could use as the guild’s headquarters or the location of the bank’s first branch, she had discovered a hidden gem just around the corner.
A staircase of smooth white grey stone, not quite what you would consider grand or imposing, but impres...
~ Evelyn POV ~
Property hunting had taken a back foot, again. They planned to get to it that day still, but catching up with her mother was far more important. Kayla agreed.
The woman had wanted to go off and start a preliminary search on her own, saying that leaving the family alone to reunite was the done thing. However, Evelyn refused to let her run off. She...
Evelyn had always had her life planned out for her. Sports chosen by her parents, extra-curricular activities curated to make her application to any colleges more attractive. Even her major was ‘suggested’ to her by her father.
Given that he wouldn’t pay for her tuition if she didn’t take his suggestion, she didn’t have much of a choice. Even her minor had been picked by her mo...
It had taken almost two hours to deal with the crowd. If Evelyn had tried to get through the day on her own, she would have crumbled way before then. Kayla had predicted that and had been waiting right by the portal when she stepped through, taking charge of the situation.
She redirected questions that didn’t need to be answered, used just enough aggression to ward off overzealous peop...
Wooo! In the first week of the page being up, 16 of you fabulous folk have joined as paid members. I'm super grateful for your support, I hope I only improve as a writer and continue to make you happy from here on out. This post is just to outline some next steps.
Since we reached 15 members, I will be uploading 2 bonus chapters for Incremental Torture. That means this week you will be ge...
2024-06-24 08:19:25 +0000 UTC View PostAt her approach, the hyper boss had little in the way of weapons to respond with. Two arms that ended in stumps, useless for a punch. The speed of her charge had taken it by surprise and a kick was out of the question given the close quarters they were now in.
So, it chose to deploy a weapon that it had not yet used. When Evelyn drew near to its head, the Worldshaker opened its mouth wide...
2024-06-21 09:07:09 +0000 UTC View PostSo, the results of wednesday's poll were overwhelmingly in favour of changing the format to 1 chapter per post, rather than the bulk format I had been doing previously. All the old chapters have been edited to reflect this now, and new chapters will be posted in the same manner. I am aware of a problem with the collections which means the chapters are out of order there, but they should all be ...
2024-06-21 09:04:47 +0000 UTC View PostI have updated the pricings for the tiers. When I first released the patreon I did a little research and priced them at what I thought was fair, with the idea being to expand into more as my backlog increased. Looking back however, this might not have been the best idea! After some feedback from readers, discussion with other authors and even deeper research into similar patreons, I have update...
2024-06-18 16:46:56 +0000 UTC View PostI want to offer you guys something meaningful to repay your support. My aim is to improve the number of advance chapters offered over time, which will happen regardless of the number of patrons.
Current Incentive:
Reach 15 Patrons - 2 Bonus Chapters
Evelyn was drenched in sweat, more of her own blood than should be outside of her body given that she had remained standing, and a grimy mix of dust and stone.
Her chest rose and fell, each breath a gasping clutch at recovery. Spinebreaker hung to her side, held in one hand and still as resplendent as the moment she had obtained it from the Ascension Shop.
She tried to shift i...
2024-06-17 12:19:00 +0000 UTC View PostEven as she stumbled backwards, the bones in her arms shaking from the heavy impact of the hyper boss’ blow, Evelyn cackled in glee.
She had not emerged victorious from the second clash, but hadn’t lost either.
Furthermore, her little experiment with her mana manipulation had borne fruit. Even without access to the skill itself, she could still use her mana to battle, relying on...
2024-06-17 12:18:44 +0000 UTC View PostLava was dripping onto the arena floor and the first parts of the hyper boss’ body were forming from its core. Evelyn had limited time, and so she started to speed read.
Her priorities were anything that was obviously overpowered, and a trump card to use against Dazurmagon in place of the lost Celestial Resonance. Losing that particular skill so soon after acquiring it was disastrous, g...
2024-06-14 12:22:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe tower, or its embodiment, had a dull and lifeless way of explaining things. Evelyn found herself dozing off at times, despite being disembodied.
“Ascension is at its heart, a process of shedding unnecessary facets of your being in order to refine what is left. By trimming what holds you back, you can achieve a far greater level of strength in the concepts that truly resonate ...
2024-06-14 12:21:00 +0000 UTC View PostDespite being far stronger than the previous time she encountered Dazurmagon, Evelyn opted to start with the same strategy she had employed during their last clash.
Crippling the hyper boss’ movement by taking out its legs was her priority. And this time around she would be able to do it far quicker, or so she hoped.
Her speed attribute had been pushed into double digits, which ma...
2024-06-14 12:20:00 +0000 UTC View PostEvelyn had made quick work of the first few enemies. Compared with the last time she had encountered the magma elementals, they posed little challenge.
It took her just ten minutes to reach the lake of lava and as she walked down the winding path that led to the base of the cliff, she considered her strategy against Anathalan.
Just because she had defeated the mini boss ...
2024-06-14 12:19:00 +0000 UTC View PostSteam curled up to the tiled ceiling, drifting from the just too hot water in winding wisps that let her distract herself from making the easy decision.
Since being shown that slice of history and the origins of the tower, Evelyn knew what her ultimate goal was, besides finding her friends and family. She would clear the tower, and challenge the horrors that threatened existence its...
2024-06-14 12:18:28 +0000 UTC View PostIt was beautiful, and haunting. Memories of her past, and of lives she hadn’t led filled her mind and then vanished. Slipping through her grasp like the finest grains of sand.
The experience was terrifying, and marvellous. When she finally returned to a state of awareness, she found herself in front of a glass box tucked near the back of the spacious room. A thick layer of dust covered ...
2024-06-14 12:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe system seemed to be a bit more relaxed when it came to the order of the steps, however. Evelyn was presented with a kind of quest detailing what she had left to finish before the guild was established.
*Guilds*
Guild Establishment Process
Founding Members Confirmed: 0/4
Essence Required: 2,500...
2024-06-14 12:11:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Well, even if I agree I’m not sure I want to do it today,” replied Evelyn.
“Why wait? Anthea challenged the 15th Floor yesterday so that makes three. I don’t know much about your father but I’m sure he would join you. Finding one more person won’t be difficult. Being a founding member of a guild comes with fantastic perks, or so I’m told,” Kayla said.
“I guess y...
2024-06-14 12:10:00 +0000 UTC View Post~ Evelyn POV ~
Seeing her father again had been wonderful. They had spent more time together in the past week than perhaps the three years before that. It was partially on her for not reaching out, but he didn’t make it easy to talk with him.
At least, that used to be the case. The tower had changed everyone and for her father that meant the emotional...
2024-06-14 12:09:10 +0000 UTC View PostThere was an uncharacteristic spring in her step as she wound her way through the cobbled alleys of Haven. Evelyn had gotten lost twice this morning, as she was still a little unfamiliar with the city’s layout. Though that was far from enough to dampen her spirit.
Unlike the near depressive episode that she had fallen into after her failure, her mood today was a mirror of the clear blue...
2024-06-14 12:04:00 +0000 UTC View PostIt was too late for the boss however, and her blow hammered home with an explosion of flames and a glittering shower of frost. Ice exploded outwards along with chunks of stony flesh and a spray of magmatic blood.
Her surprise blow had obliterated over half of the hyper boss’ head. It now resembled one of those egg shaped art deco chairs that had been rather fashionable in the seve...
2024-06-14 12:03:00 +0000 UTC View PostSomehow, Dazurmagon had managed to retain its balance while falling. Instead of collapsing to the ground with only one leg to stand on, the giant was now teetering on its remaining foot.
Which made the next step of Evelyn’s plan rather difficult to pull off.
Impossible, in fact.
That didn’t deter her from pushing onwards, though. Adapting on the fly was a necessary skill i...
2024-06-14 12:02:00 +0000 UTC View PostRather than let Dazurmagon claim the initiative, Evelyn charged straight at the colossal monster with the intent to strike the opening blow.
She knew that nothing but her best would be enough to damage the beast. Before her foot could touch the ground after her first step, she was pulling on her mana. In order to strike at the boss’ vital points she would first need to reach them....
2024-06-14 12:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostBlood curdling and shrill. Those were the first things that came to mind when the screaming began. Like someone was in extreme pain but found it thrilling rather than agonising.
Evelyn had no time to think before something flung itself at her from her right. All she saw was a red blur and then sharp claws tore a chunk of flesh from her arm. She stumbled backwards and grit her teeth ...
2024-06-14 12:00:00 +0000 UTC View PostSix hours had passed since the fourth gem had lit up, and Evelyn hadn’t managed to make any further progress.
Her essence had increased again, which was satisfying. However, it was frustrating to find one of the tower’s challenges so difficult. Her talents were just so mismatched for it.
It wasn’t all hopeless, though.
She had noticed some patterns emer...
2024-06-14 11:59:16 +0000 UTC View PostEvelyn panted like a dog. Heavy, laboured breaths made her chest rise and fall as sweat dripped from her forehead.
As she wiped it from her brow - a useless action considering her arms were sticky and wet, too - she winced in pain as her cracked and bent spine slowly rearranged itself.
As it turned out, she had severely underestimated the difficulty of the crossing. After the ...
2024-06-14 11:53:00 +0000 UTC View PostRare Skill Crystal has been consumed! You have received the following skill:
Mana Wielder (Rare) - Your comprehension of mana is greater than the average person. You can bend it into shapes of your making and it will respond a little quicker to your touch.
Her new skill was perfect. And it also meant Evelyn was now close to one hundred percent...
2024-06-14 11:52:00 +0000 UTC View Post