(Cognosticon here. This is a bonus chapter thanking Royal Road readers for supporting the story. Patrons will always get every bonus that other readers do, but if the Patreon hits future thresholds, you will also get bonus patron-only chapters.)
The first step in Razz's plan turned out to be a...
2023-10-08 22:02:47 +0000 UTC View Post"Looks like some illegal hunting." Barroguk hefted his greatsword up to his shoulder and sneered. "That's bad enough on its own, and worse when it's by someone who's been permanently banished from the Hunters Guild."
"I took this assignment of my own volition." Zae Zin Nim spoke politely, but Kai could see that she assumed the conversation would end in a fight. She gathered what strength ...
2023-10-08 17:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostEven though Kai slammed his shoulder into the Gomodo's head as hard as he could, he barely sent the beast rocking back. Now that it was moving, it seemed like nothing could stop it. Zae Zin Nim had collapsed and he couldn't tell how much of the blood covering her was the monster's, but there was no time for that.
He'd already seen that even her full power hadn't been enough to stop it, so...
2023-10-07 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostGetting away from the politics of Rayakan to hunt again should have made Kai happy, but even as they ventured deeper into Goralia, he found himself thinking about everything. There were so many variables, he was ultimately hoping that people deserved his trust. Razz most of all, given how he had put himself front and center.
Running into Dommag Corinin without any accusations of theft sho...
2023-10-06 17:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostKai hadn't known that Irunians could hug, but the evidence was squeezing his ribs. He squeezed back and eventually Tusquo released him. As soon as he did, Tusquo stepped back to a more ordinary distance, which made it easier for Kai to admit the truth.
"It's Kai Clanless now, actually."
"That is no doubt a story for another time." Tusquo turned from him to Zae Zin Nim. "I do not kno...
2023-10-05 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAs they raced over the farmland in the wagon, Kai leaned closer to Razz. He generally trusted the young merchant, but in this case he was definitely hiding something. After he'd stammered out some information about troop positions and deals gone wrong, Kai was even more certain. Now he applied a little pressure.
"Okay, this may be a little bit my fault." Razz laughed nervously, though nei...
2023-10-04 17:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMana wasn't so difficult, in the end.
Zae Zin Nim had been told she was a genius so many times that she worried her teachers were trying to butter her up for some sacrifice. Finding her cultivation thoroughly blocked had shaken her confidence, then going to Deadwaste and struggling had been depressing. As she watched the blue fire dance over her fingers in accordance with her will, she fe...
2023-10-03 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAs per usual, Kai met Razz at a new point outside of Rayakan. The secrecy of their meetings meant that he needed to spend more time waiting, which would have been annoying if he didn't have the option of cultivating. Even though Zae Zin Nim said that it required concentration, at his earliest stage he had no trouble cultivating along a major road.
So far, he'd been able to draw off a litt...
2023-10-02 17:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostAt first he had no idea where he was. It was worse than waking up from sleep, rougher than being hungover, far more disorientingthan dizziness. His life had been continuous memories up until that point and then were was a visceral gulf he couldn't ignore in the middle of it.
Coming out the other side, Kai had no idea where he was or what he was doing. There was blood all over his hands. H...
2023-10-01 22:27:21 +0000 UTC View PostIn the morning, Kai didn't feel like discussing anything that had happened the night before. He saw Zae Zin Nim wrapped up in all her blankets, so she must have returned at some point during the night. Since she seemed to be sleeping soundly, he crept out of the room for his usual morning training, breakfast, then second training.
When he returned, it seemed Zae Zin Nim had been cultivati...
2023-10-01 22:27:13 +0000 UTC View PostAs the mana attempted to drown her, Zae Zin Nim desperately choked down panic and focused on facts. She had only seconds to avoid a permanent deviation. Escape was impossible. The only path was through the mana flooding her.
Instead of trying to manage it like qi, she screamed directly into the mana. The roots that had been invading her dantian evaporated into raw power. It threatened to ...
2023-10-01 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAs soon as Kai and Zae Zin Nim set foot in the Corinin clan estate, they were the center of attention. Kai knew everyone was looking at him as the brutish thug playing at being a clan member, so he was glad that she drew some attention away. In addition to all her makeup, she wore the cloud-covered silk from her homeland.
It revealed how unhealthily thin she was, but that only made it loo...
2023-09-30 17:15:00 +0000 UTC View PostUpdate: Because the story hit Rising Stars, I am giving everyone bonus chapters. $10 backers, you should just have received two more chapters. $3 backers have received their usual weekly update, plus an additional chapter so they're permanently further ahead. Meanwhile, if anyone wants to comment here and influence the story, this is your time.
Original Post:
Cognosticon ...
2023-09-30 17:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post"When I offered to help you find a mana pool," Razz said, "I had absolutely no intention of engaging in criminal conspiracy. But here we are."
They sat in a private room of a different inn where they had all met. Zae Zin Nim still looked a bit weak, but she had appeared like a ghost. By contrast, Razz seemed barely able to contain himself, constantly toying with items in the pouch he'd br...
2023-09-29 17:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostRayakan was flatter than Monskon City, so Kai wasn't able to instinctually navigate his way to the upper class section. Instead of large defensive walls, the city seemed to be divided into neighborhoods differentiated by nothing but architecture. As he got out of the rough wooden housing around the docks he began to see more stone buildings. Not rough stone like he knew, but every house fancily...
2023-09-28 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostSince he'd fallen asleep in his pants, Kai simply pulled on his tunic and grabbed his shoes on the way down. It looked like Zae Zin Nim would sleep straight through the shouting, despite its growing volume. As he leapt down the stairs, he could hear it getting even worse.
Half-way to the crowd, he barely remembered to drink one of his new Class potions.
Not a moment too late, becaus...
2023-09-27 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, they were both still alive. Kai was shocked at how refreshed he felt and decided he had the Aquagorgon to thank. No one had attacked, Zae Zin Nim was breathing peacefully, they had been successful... and he really needed to piss.
Once nature's interruptions had been taken care of, Kai considered his next steps. Taking care of Zae Zin Nim had been his highest priority bef...
2023-09-26 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAs the water gates into Rayakan opened, Kai barely saw them. He caught brief glimpses of majestic architecture, a bustling port, and grand statues of hunters past, but they didn't matter. His attention was entirely focused on the woman lying lifelessly in his arms.
Ever since her final exertion, Zae Zin Nim had shown no signs of consciousness. If he hadn't caught her, she would have falle...
2023-09-25 17:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostKai nearly spoke too late: the crystal spear was already plummeting and he was too far away to intercept it. But Zae Zin Nim heard him and instantly snapped into action, leaping and meeting it with a palm strike. The crystal spun into the distance, shedding a rainbow of shards as it broke apart.
And, on that beautiful note, everything went to hell.
The Krysali mercenary drew back in...
2023-09-24 17:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostIf they'd had time, Kai would have looked toward Zae Zin Nim, or asked Razzagah questions to figure out if he was even fighting on the right side. But there were a lot of armed men and women staring at him, and when they attacked, he had no choice but to fight for his life.
A man with a Spellslinger Class tried to attack first. He drew on his mana much too slowly: Kai leapt forward and ki...
2023-09-23 17:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostKai made sure to keep his expression neutral and show no weaknesses, but his entire view of Razzagah shifted after the revelation of his clan. Not every Lantrian was corrupt. He knew that. That didn't mean he was going to accept the word of Razzagah Lantrian when he had absolutely no proof of what he said about the clan politics in the city.
As they continued along their way, Kai made sur...
2023-09-22 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostKai's body felt shockingly light as he ran, so he didn't have as long to examine the battle as he expected. He made out three heavy wagons, overloaded with goods. They had minimal fortifications, and the guards around them were shockingly weak, just rated 20 on average. There were several lizard monsters menacing the legs of the horses, but the majority of the threats seemed to be bat-like mons...
2023-09-21 17:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostInstead of following the river, Kai determined that the quickest way south was to cut through one of the last true wastelands before southern Goralia became lush. Even the wastes weren't that forbidding, with a marked lack of monsters and much healthier trees than he was used to. But after several days, he realized just how weak the ambient mana was.
He hadn't thought about it that way, b...
2023-09-20 17:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostZae Zin Nim did not like mana cultivation. She did not like it at all. She especially disliked the fact that she kept thinking about it as "mana cultivation" even though she should have known better.
In fact, mana was proving to be far from the inferior version of qi that she had always been taught. Approaching it calmly accomplished little and all her mental discipline needed to shift ge...
2023-09-19 17:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostHow many hours had he been sitting and gathering qi? Opening his eyes to peer at the sun again would only make things worse, and he was safe since he would smell any monster approaching. So Kai remained seated and focused on qi condensation.
He had expected it to be like gathering dew off of grass in the morning, but it was so much worse. Like sucking clouds from the sky by huffing and pu...
2023-09-18 17:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostEven though there was no one to watch her, Anaelina stretched her arms over her head luxuriously. Finally, exerting her body no longer hurt. Some of her internal organs had yet to fully recover, but her outward appearance was restored and her chakra was strong.
Around her, the gang of barbarians lay dying as the last of their strength drained into her. She couldn't yet steal their health ...
2023-09-17 17:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostBefore Kai could think of an explanation, Zae Zin Nim had already swallowed one of her pills. Her qi began flowing within her, just like when she'd fought the monsters, and she unleashed a burst of it toward him. When they had first met, such an attack might have torn through his chest.
Kai instinctively struck at the energy, knocking it into the sky. His hand burned slightly, but he knew...
2023-09-16 17:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostAfter several days traveling together, Kai was still unclear on exactly how powerful Zae Zin Nim was. Attempts to examine her soul only showed a mix of strange symbols, damage, and what he thought was some kind of shroud. In practical terms, he had seen her strike blows that he didn't think he could equal, but her physical condition could cripple her at any moment. Though it hadn't been tested,...
2023-09-15 17:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostIn the morning Kai was hungry again, but not so overwhelmingly. Since he woke up too early, still ready for pre-dawn training, he cooked some more of the rock spiders. As he ate, he sat down to think about how he was going to approach the strange scent.
Fresh despite little sleep, he spent a while focusing on his new sense of smell. He still wasn't sure if he was really picking up new sce...
2023-09-14 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMore out of a desire to go out fighting than any strategy, Kai met one of the monstrous rock spider's pincers with a punch. To his surprise, the carapace broke and the monster staggered back. He had no time to celebrate, because the other one was almost on top of him, all its front limbs stabbing down.
He managed to dodge one pincer, then one of the stabbing claws caught him in the side. ...
2023-09-13 17:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post