With these additions, all chapters now have excerpts.
Chapter 21
Is there any mana orb more varied than the elemental orb? Perhaps possibly the matter orb, but the rarity of those makes focusing writing on them considerably difficult. The mana orb, from nearly the start, has six different possible focu...
2024-12-22 22:36:53 +0000 UTC View PostStarting the first simulation run again was an interesting experience. For some reason I could now just tell that there were lower-graded cores around me. Was this something the brothers had been detecting about me the whole time? I’d have to ask them once I was finished. True to Mel’s word, my attributes seemed to have not taken any hit yet...
2024-12-22 00:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostFreezing cold water splashed across my face as the room around me swam back into view. Mel was floating in front of me, holding a bucket. I coughed and spluttered, having accidentally inhaled some of it before getting out some words. “What the fuck?” I asked, the profanity slipping out where it normally wouldn’t. Apparently unexpected ice ...
2024-12-21 00:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post“So how come I didn’t read any of this in the archives?” I asked. Despite the multitude of books I’d managed to read, it seemed like there were always missing portions of information.
“Because one of the ways the archives skirted around any big faction coming down hard on it was to mostly focus on theories and opinions when it ca...
2024-12-20 00:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostI looked at the list and decided the only things I wouldn’t enable were cutting my level beyond one-half or removing my armor. Further deleveling still seemed too risky to win the fight. If I screwed up and didn’t have any of my added resistance and shielding, I risked burning my brain out for nothing. In a last-second change, I also realize...
2024-12-19 00:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostTrue to Mel’s claim, the night before, the common area was full of food in the morning. Mel, Cecile, Elicec, and Timon were all sitting at the table when I walked in. I was glad to see the twinog was already okay enough to be eating on their own. The benefits of magical healing were something else.
“How are you feeling, Dave?” Cecile...
2024-12-18 00:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“Come on, none of ya are allowed to die in here, ya hear me!” I did, in fact, still hear Mel. The pain had made things a bit hazy, and I had killed all of my own healing just to keep Elicec functioning, but Mel’s voice somehow cut through it all. I heard the man loud and clear.
“Mel, I really hope you’ve got something for Elicec,...
2024-12-17 03:08:32 +0000 UTC View Post“Sorry, Traveler, uh, I don’t remember the numbers, but looks like I gotta go. You want me to put you in my System storage or leave you with the guards?” I asked, worried about Cecile and Elicec.
“Storage, please, until I’m sure who is entirely still real,” the core requested. I dropped it off on a shelf next to the other cores...
2024-12-17 03:07:34 +0000 UTC View Post“Alright, alright, there’s some potential good news here. We might just have the right people to handle this problem. Seedlings ain’t generally able to grow husks that work correctly for anyone with more than one soul, so Cecile and Elicec are gonna be able to put a damper on that mother root’s plans. Next piece of good news: they grabbe...
2024-12-17 03:05:33 +0000 UTC View Post“Thanks, Timon,” Mel said.
“No problem at all, man, just remember the deal. No one mentions where I am to my ex-wife, bitch is crazy,” the giant mantis said. I blinked several times, trying to shake the odd sensation in my brain. Had she tried to eat his head? Did mantises really do that, or was it a thing we just heard they did? I...
2024-12-17 03:04:05 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone, creating a new tier at $5, for 7 advanced chapters, everyone currently subscribed will get to move up a tier for free for the first month, as I will be dropping Royal Road down to 5 days a week likely next week, and it feels fair to keep everyone ahead still. The old tiers will still exist, so if you wish to drop back down after mo...
2024-12-17 02:54:13 +0000 UTC View Post“Before we get to Smithtown, I need to hit you with a ton of questions, Mel, especially if time is running short,” I said. The mountain of questions I had was calling too loudly to ignore any further.
“I’ll answer what I can, but remember the core oath,” Mel said.
“Speaking of the core oath, that can’t be everyone who d...
2024-12-17 00:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThere was only a single librarian behind the desk, which seemed unusual. It wasn’t that late yet. The stacks seemed oddly empty as well. On my previous visits, there had been hundreds of people milling about, but the number of visitors had dwindled down to a handful sitting alone at tables with stacks of books. Had something changed while we w...
2024-12-15 22:13:08 +0000 UTC View PostLevel one thirty-seven, not bad, but still only another fifteen levels. If I wanted to get to where Mel wanted me, I had to hit two-fifty, and while there was still another dungeon to do before then, I just couldn’t count on those to do much. My head didn’t hurt all that much, and in theory, I should have a better soul-core reaction going, w...
2024-12-15 00:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone, I deeply appreciate the reading and enjoyment you are all getting. We are in the top 20 on Royal Road Rising Stars, if if possible I'd love if you could leave a full review on there. No pressure at all, just want to see how far the book can climb.
2024-12-14 23:16:51 +0000 UTC View Post2 new unique Excerpts and the existing ones added to previous chapters
New Excerpts
How does the system align the universes when it begins to grow into a new one? What happens to the space the universe used to occupy? Are we just creating a breeding ground in chaotic space for the horrors that t...
2024-12-14 00:45:12 +0000 UTC View PostI reached into my storage space and grabbed the bag containing the dungeon core from my first-ever dungeon experience. I closed the bag, setting the core on the table in front of me.
“So I assume you can talk since you did in there?” I asked, not actually sure if it could or if the System storage just connected it to my mind in a way t...
2024-12-14 00:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe construction of the librarians is a closely guarded secret within the Under Library, and whoever managed to entirely co-opt the process is a mystery. Libby, though, has managed to patch out any such issues within their firmware and has been slowly working on upgrading their systems since truly gaining freedom.
One of these improvements...
2024-12-13 16:08:32 +0000 UTC View Post“Dave, come on, wake up man.” My eyes shot open to see the brothers standing over me, Cecile having been shaking me.
“Wha,” I mumbled, barely awake. The dream was fading from my brain. Had that really been my Dad?
“You were talking and shaking a lot, got worried, sorry,” Cecile said.
“No, it’s okay, weird dreams...
2024-12-13 00:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“What exactly makes the tent any safer?” I asked. As far as I knew, they generally only helped with the elements.
“Mel gave us a good deal on a D-grade tent yesterday. He figured we might need it at some point. It won’t defend us from a herd of those diredeer, but it should keep out any magic that’s blanketing the area,” Elicec...
2024-12-12 00:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“Sorry, we didn’t realize anyone was living here. We can just head out, no harm, no foul,” I said, doubting that it was that simple, especially as the accusers had yet to show their faces. I heard the brothers drop to the ground behind me.
“Even now, you threaten us! There shall be no escape for you; a sacrifice is demanded!” The...
2024-12-11 00:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostI was woken up the next morning by my new roommate, who was purring loudly on my chest. The fact that I had even managed to sleep through him climbing up there was a good sign for my body. I wasn’t completely healed yet, but most of my back was holding in its proper place. There was no more horrible feeling of bones shifting as I moved. I gent...
2024-12-10 00:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe brothers helped me into the transport once they returned from their exploration. They’d found several gems they thought might be useful but not a single other monster. Elicec believed the big thing had been consuming everything else that came near, which explained why it immediately attacked us. They had jumped up to the mid-seventies in l...
2024-12-09 00:00:11 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m going to miss these weird plane things once we’re back on Earth,” I said as I stepped out of it, my boots splashing as they made contact with the puddle we'd managed to park next to.
“Yeah, there’s nothing like ‘em back in Erkinmushave either. Mostly on our big trips, we take the shroomdog sleds,” Cecile said, the brot...
2024-12-08 00:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe dungeon core had broken free of the trunk in the same explosion. I crashed into the ground, badly bruised but mostly unbroken. Pain flared, and I was forced to toggle back to my life orb to blunt it. I looked up at the floating core, which seemed to be glowing. I had no idea what it was doing, but I couldn’t afford to waste time fin...
2024-12-07 00:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostI caught most of the branches across my chest, purposely trying to keep them off of the brothers. I figured I had a better defense at this point than either of them, and while it was painful, it wasn’t anywhere near debilitating. As the branches retracted, I felt an odd pulse through my body, and a message popped into my view for a split secon...
2024-12-06 00:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post“Alright, boys, there are currently eight dungeons on this world, that don’t have active claims. Seven of which I think are doable in the time left to you. The eighth is the persistent desert that y’all already know about, and we can discuss the possibility of that if and when you clear the first seven,” Mel said. We were in a small priv...
2024-12-05 00:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post“Glurm, we need to talk to you,” Stan said as he knocked on the frog’s door. He wasn’t thrilled to be doing this, but he needed better training on using Excalibur, and there weren’t exactly a lot of options. Twonger was there for a different reason. The giant mana spirit who had joined him was now the size of a penny and still shrinkin...
2024-12-04 20:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostIt hurt like hell, but not as bad as the last time. I forced myself to start eating more of the food in the room, giving myself a break to try and reduce the pain. I was sure this level would be manageable, even if I didn’t like it. Slowly, the pain receded as I forced the food down. My brain finally cleared enough for me to ...
2024-12-04 00:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“Do you feel anything inside you at all Rusty?” Cal asked. Rusty shook his head no.
“Think about a time a time ya might have accidentally done something a bit unexpected, weird fire, water strangely hot or cold, heard an animal talk before you were, weird shit like that,” Twonger said. Cal almost regretted letting the alien help wi...
2024-12-03 20:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post