Valknar

NM - Chapter 56

He approached, and I could see the extreme nervousness in his body language. He looked like he was ready to bolt at a moment's notice. His father’s face was twisted in anger, and we both watched as he approached.

I think it was a fear of me and his father’s wrath.

I suspect it was mostly me.

When within range, he received a...

NM - Chapter 55

It was mid-June, and still no sign of the new Hunter.

The American army was moving forward in Cuba but was still facing stiff opposition and mounting casualties. This was reflected in a national recruitment drive to bolster army numbers, with some even hinting in the press that the National Guard might be deployed to the country.

The...

NM - Chapter 54

April continued, and two days later, someone approached my gates.

He was a short and stout fellow. He wore a suit that was old and battered in a top hat. Look at him, I got a strange impression that he was from the carnival that had recently departed from Crossway.

This could be a problem. I reached out and connected to my newest Hun...

Chapter 155

Rickle did not want to be here, but all had been summoned.

They had all gathered in an amphitheatre that existed on the divine plane. It was the site of many gatherings and discussions throughout the history of the Pantheon. Oda was the one who used it most in the past, but others had called meetings when they deemed it necessary.

It...

Chapter 154

The Dungeon had been attacked again.

I had won by slaying the intruder that had sought my destruction. Well, in truth, not me, but my minions.

And I felt like crap.

I had absorbed a great deal of void essence from the death of this particular void monster. He was a heavily mutated human that had continued to evolve or devolve d...

NM - Chapter 53

After the fall of Havana, the U.S. Army spread across the island, trying to take the last strongholds of those who opposed them. The island was now working against them. The land was mountainous with a coastline, and jungle dominated large tracks of open space.

The Cuban army, while disorganised after losing Havana, was still fighting.

Chapter 153

The sight of a battered and bloody platinum-tier team was all that the last few holdouts needed to convince themselves to avoid the lower floors of the Dungeon. There are always those few adventurers who are delusional enough to believe they could conquer the floors rated above them. Watching the batty team walk past the line of adventurers queu...

Chapter 152

Nibar and his team had secured a dawn entry slot to the dungeon.

They have been waiting for around half an hour. Nibar was a patient man, but also firmly believed in prompt timekeeping. In the last few days, his team has gathered intelligence on this dungeon and the floors they will visit. They have a good idea of what they will face and w...

NM - Chapter 52

For me, the year had little else to offer.

For the United States of America, things became interesting.

A new national group was established in October. I discovered this through the full-page advert in the Crossway Chronicle.

The National American Women's Temperance and Morality League.

Quite the mouthf...

Chapter 151

Change was always present.

The world was constantly changing. Be it by the actions of the strong or just the changing seasons.

These last few years have seen the rate of change increase like the previous great upheaval of Adrils Folly—the appearance of a strange Dungeon, the discovery of void corruption and the disappearances of tw...

Chapter 150

My perception of reality shifted as I returned to my standard view of the world from refining my Core.

Everything was wobbly for a few seconds as my perception would itself again.

I had run out of space in my Core when I gained Celestial Mana, but I could create a mana stone to hold it and did so. I spent the next 14 days creating ne...

NM - Chapter 51

He lay there for a good half an hour before he started to move again.

I watched him pull himself up to his horse. After several attempts, he managed to get up onto it and ride off. I watched him until he left my sight in the treeline.

I summoned my avatar and walked back to the church. As soon as the Challenger left the Dungeon, Rigg...

Chapter 149

The Pantheon gathered on the divine plane at the Circle of Equals, a place rarely used.

Like the other planes, they were still counting the cost. They had gathered to discuss what they knew and what had to be done. Rickle looked around, taking note of the state of many of the others. The circle was designed like an amphitheatre with the go...

NM - Chapter 50

Rodriguez was waiting for the Challenger and watched him from a vantage point on the roof of a mausoleum annexe.

This was becoming his favourite method of ambushing Challengers.

The Challenger was in sight of the church now, holding the lantern in one hand and the short sword in the other. He was moving faster, and he could now see t...

Chapter 148

Their return was met with great acclaim.

The adventurers cheered for the returnees but took note of their condition. The two fighters were battered and worn. They observed, factoring it into their calculations for those planning to go to the new floor. Doltum was a diamond-tier adventurer; whatever lay down there was dangerous enough to ba...

Chapter 147

Word of the new floor spread fast.

The sight of Guild Leader Woodland joining Doltum and Seela to enter the Dungeon would only increase speculation. Elian managed to stop herself from grunting at that.

“Ya know they are gossiping up there.” Seela gave voice to her thoughts.

“Speculation will be rife, I am sure.” Doltum ...

NM - Chapter 49

June arrived, and the economic impact of the crash continued.

Crossway felt it with several businesses and farms going under and declaring bankruptcy. That was just here. Nationally, it was worse. The northeast was the hardest hit by the economic crash.

I watched it all. This was the second crash I had been present for, but it was th...

Chapter 146

The assessor ran up the stairs as fast as anyone I had seen. I was surprised he could keep up the pace. I suspected that fear was a great motivator in this regard.

The adventurers who came down with him were a new group I had not seen before. They were well equipped and moved professionally. They went on to the floor, ready for trouble. Fr...

Chapter 145

Thirty days ago, the Dungeon reopened after being closed to create a new floor.

The dungeon had yet to reveal the secrets of its new floor, leaving many to wonder what was occurring. The betting pool continued to grow, with no clear favourite emerging. Elian monitored the situation closely in case someone attempted to manipulate it.

...

NM - Chapter 48

1892/93 was a hard winter.

I spent much of January cleaning the church. Snow and ice covered various sections of the building, leading me to work most days and nights. I was eager to find out what was happening between the United States and Cuba.

Late February brought Herbert to the dungeon with the backlog of papers.

The weath...

Chapter 144

Success.

That was hoped.

The mana stone attuned to void corruption was created and given to High Healer Selmum. She was guarding it in a hidden location until she needed it. The stone could safely hold an amount of corruption. Once filled, it would be returned to the dungeon to be disposed of.

Selmum was preparing to witness th...

Chapter 143

“Can you recreate what you have learned?” Ranus asked. He and many others were sitting in his office around the big table, discussing what they could do to limit the corruption of the city’s population. Selmum had been quiet throughout the entire discussion.

Selmum had not spoken much to anyone since returning from the Dungeon. She h...

NM - Chapter 47

The next day, I observed my two Hunters tidying up the mess from the previous day. I was using my abilities to aid in this by the end of the day.

Hunter Name Charles McGregor

Level 4

Kills 0/18

Loyalty Neutral

Skills

Acting. IIV

Blades. VI

Handguns. II

Rifles. II

Stealth. VI

Chapter 142

Ranus opened the doors from the Dungeon's surface building. The sunlight blinded him for a few seconds; he blinked to clear his vision.

He stopped, surprised at the number of people waiting to hear what he had been doing in the building. Hundreds possibly stood there waiting for him. Over the last few months, rumours had grown about the re...

NM - Chapter 46 (surprise!)

1892 came with snow and a few sunny days.

Most were overcast and grey.

It was late January by the time contact was re-established with the world. I received nearly two months' worth of papers all at once and spent almost a whole week reviewing them.

Internationally, nationally, and locally, things were quiet.

Reading the ...

Chapter 141

Aftermaths.

They come after every event, whether tremendous or small.

They are always heralding a change and always come with a cost.

Ranus walks through the devastated temple district of the city, thinking about something one of his family members once said to him.

When I was a young boy, he asked one of his great-uncles...

NM- Chapter 45

I watched the thunderstorm approaching.

“It's going to pass over New Midian.”

It was the start of July, and it had rolled in from the north. I watched the lightning flashing as it approached. The Hunters had been warned, and all retreated into their lairs.

“Great, the chance of more lightning strikes.”

I was watch...

Chapter 140

Battle, fire, and chaos that was all he saw.

Rickle was exhausted by the fighting and had been forced to step away. He watched as the battle unfolded around the plane. He was a lower-tier god and could not last long in the fight that was taking place.

Oda’s corruption had been a shock, but the turning of those who served him only a...

Chapter 139

The divine plane was burning.

It had never burned before.

Not during the Wars between the Courts.

Not during Adrill’s Folly.

Today, it burned.

Those who served Oda were turned. The corruption was sleeping and hidden. With the reveal of the corruption in Oda, it erupted through his servants. Its awakening was anoth...

NM - Chapter 44

The young man stood with his hands on the doors, breathing hard. He was slightly bent over, recovering from the run. Sweat covered his face and was dripping down to the floor. His deep, gulping breaths were all that could be heard.

After a few minutes, he stood and looked around the church's interior.

He looked across the room's inte...