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The punch fell the way night fell. An endless darkness settling over his world, settling over his soul. And he sank straight into it. Deeper and deeper…
He thought it would be a violent thing. Not at all. It was gentle, almost a tender good night; so tender he couldn't even rage against it. There was somet...
2024-02-19 22:40:16 +0000 UTC View Post(1/2)
Zane could tell when they both hit a wall six moves deep.
Every new level just ballooned. For Zane, it felt like his soul was stretching, tearing at the seams.
Eze, meanwhile, was doing stuff Zane couldn't even start to understand. While Zane felt everything out—like putting white noise on full blast...
2024-02-19 14:56:07 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
Eze's eyes began to glow. Shit.
Zane rushed to match him.
Something was coming—Zane could feel it. The two of them started circling each other like prowling lions. All around them, the crowd stood in hushed, breathless silence.
Zane tapped into Eze's mind and felt another world. A...
2024-02-18 05:16:34 +0000 UTC View PostThe punch landed, and they all felt it. You didn't even need Sage Mind—the aftershock swept the far and wide, passing through every soul there. A soft echo of what Cain had felt—a futility, an utter hopelessness, on and on.
Silence reigned. They were all frozen. Shaken. The treasure had spared Cain's life—but if i...
2024-02-17 05:42:09 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
There was a deathly silence. Then— “Emeka Eze!” said Cain. His voice came out shaky and about an octave higher than before. He cleared his throat, tried getting his voice under control. "What…What a lovely surprise!"
He was smiling, but he was actually quite spooked. You could even see it on his face...
2024-02-16 01:29:54 +0000 UTC View PostA/N:
(2/2)
I have edited 116 to
1—play down Zane's 'feel-bad-about-beating-up-Mike
2—include a brief lil monologue by Mike in the astral realm before shit goes down
3—show Zane's full beatdown of mike, including a different end
//
Zane checked out the treasures ...
2024-02-15 05:58:41 +0000 UTC View PostThen it felt like he'd been shoved. Shoved so hard his whole world spun. He was violently flung away; he started falling, hurtling out of control. Nausea washed over him; not in his gut or in his head—not anywhere he was used to feeling it. Not anywhere physical. It went deeper than that, wrenching at his mind, at his s...
2024-02-14 16:29:46 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
Mike came at him like a rabid animal. "DIE!" he shrieked.
Zane, meanwhile, was still feeling bad about the whole thing. In Zane's head Mike was still just a poor sad guy.
In that moment it was easy to forget Mike Masters was ranked top ten in the world—and he'd already slain another top ten World Ran...
2024-02-13 23:29:41 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
A/N:
Retconned so Mike Masters broke through 2 weeks before present time, and is Level 106!
//
1 month ago...
A full moon shone over a desolate mountain peak. A peak so high it loomed far above the restless churning clouds.
A ma...
2024-02-12 23:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostA/N:
CAVEAT:
I was originally going to trash this chapter and rewrite it from scratch.
But I didn't want to leave y'all with nothing for today--and I figure even something that isn't canon story content could be interesting--so here's a chapter 114 that can...
2024-02-11 04:12:28 +0000 UTC View PostA/N:
Changed it so you can now gain essence within the Asura Hell Array--wanted to make the runs more consequential; due to this, have had to do some other minor retcons:
—changed payment mechanics a bit. You pay an initial cost of 5 high-grade essence stones, plus 3 high-grade essence stones pe...
2024-02-10 04:54:02 +0000 UTC View PostHe wasn't sure how much faster his Skill Leveling had gotten in here. When was the last time he Leveled two Skills in a row? He couldn’t even remember.
He wondered if they were based on kills. That'd be nice. The splash damage was very convenient.
He figured he was pretty well suited to do well in this kind of t...
2024-02-09 03:57:53 +0000 UTC View PostZane touched down and wiped a line of soot off his face.
He looked at the mess he'd made. All the half-melted boulders strewn about, gaping open, showing their swirling lava cores. He smiled.
Yes. He liked this.
Still though...he scratched his head. It wouldn't do to go flying every time he threw a shot.
... 2024-02-08 05:03:00 +0000 UTC View Post"I want three A-ranked Law treasures," said Zane.
Elias gagged. "You want what."
"One Electricity, one Fire, One Wood."
"Wood?!"
"It's for Reina."
Elias goggled at him. Then he took a deep breath, in and out, and plastered on a wobbly little smile. "Let's take a step back here. That...
2024-02-07 00:24:58 +0000 UTC View PostZane liked the Chain Warlord a lot. The idea of using a harpoon and dragging them in… You couldn't grapple much with axes, so he'd let that part of his style rust a little. But he had a soft spot for it.
The main problem with Axes was also why he liked grappling. Lots of his enemies nowadays were birds. Or almost-bird...
2024-02-06 01:54:38 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: housekeeping: changed end of Yuki’s section so he notes Zane’s breakthrough, but doesn't come see
//
A single note rang out. A silvery note, a note of the soul. It was the same note Zane felt in that Steelheart Conclave Law recording. Now it spread from him, washing outward, touching the ...
2024-02-05 00:53:11 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Yui Urabe -> Yuki Urabe
(1/1)
//
Steel essence poured out of the Worldseed like water escaping a dam. Into him.
Zane closed his eyes. He reached out with his soul.
Usually, he had to make an effort. It took some searching. Not so right now. It was impossible not to feel E...
2024-02-04 03:24:13 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
Zane was to meet Evan and Avery in the 'Golden Garden.' It was named for the little gold-petaled flowers peppering its grounds, swaying gently in the breeze. It stood on top of a hill. From here you could see most of the Silicon Coven headquarters sprawled out below, a dotting of steel silvers and bright-blues. 2024-02-03 05:14:10 +0000 UTC View Post
(1/1)
Zane was a little concerned as he watched them go, but... eh. Evan would be fine. Avery was a little... much... but she meant well.
***
The mid-afternoon sun told him he still had a few hours before dinner. So he went to get settled. He walked down a main avenue lined with runed stone pil...
2024-02-02 04:53:04 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
"So? Want to give it a try?"
Zane just frowned at him. Elias rolled his eyes. "It's not a trick question. Yeesh." Zane could feel he was telling the truth.
"Here." Elias held out the crystal. "Let me show you."
Once he grasped it firmly, a little scale flickered up in front of it—a wispy illusi...
2024-02-01 00:22:17 +0000 UTC View PostNOTE: Retconning Evan's age to be ~14-15 to better match his personality! Also, removed the part where they can just teleport back from any A-rank Beacon for logistical reasons.
(1/1)
//
First Zane and Evan teleported to Titansteel. From there they went on foot.
Before ...
2024-01-31 00:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
They found Evan in one of the sick rooms—a cozy little thing on the fourth floor with a grand window overlooking the Faction's north side. You could see the fountains spurting up in the town square from here.
Evan lay in a little bed. He wasn't alone—there were three nurses there, all giggling. A b...
2024-01-29 23:36:26 +0000 UTC View PostHere’s your chance to ask any burning questions you have, or just to tell me how you think the story’s going!
Ex—if you want to know what inspired this story, I’d say:
Solo Leveling, the 2005 video game Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, and a gazillion different cultivation stories
Wri...
2024-01-29 01:37:50 +0000 UTC View PostThey lay there for who knew how long. Zane was happy just being Reina's pillow, listening as best he could, and being curious. He could tell she was a little pent-up. He wanted to help her vent a little.
She started telling him about it. Things were going better actually. The Harbormasters were her main headache—that ...
2024-01-29 01:13:22 +0000 UTC View Post(1/2)
Woo chapter 100!
//
A bunch of treasures lay inside atop a red plush bed. The first was a piece of paper,
smooth and yellow. He'd seen this kind of paper before.
Merchants Guild Promissory Note (B)
This promissory note can be redeemed for 10 Credits at a...
2024-01-28 14:37:52 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
Zane had a cheat code for close combat. It was called Sage Mind.
He was just an okay boxer. But with Sage Mind he felt everything coming. It was like having lightning-quick reactions, but better—he could react before reacting was possible. It made fist-fighting so much fun. He felt like that guy from the M...
2024-01-27 23:03:47 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
Zane floated in darkness. A sightless, soundless void. He couldn't feel his body—he couldn't feel much of anything.
He could guess what'd happened.
Well. He supposed that was it.
He wished he had a chance to let Reina know he was sorry.
Not for helping Evan. He had no regrets there—he w...
2024-01-27 01:52:05 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
Zane just had to survive. Survive and do what damage he could. He had to keep its attention on him so Evan could chip away in the background.
It turned out much harder than it sounded.
The bough erupted around him. He felt like a small boat caught in a vicious storm. Titansteel roots towered like tsuna...
2024-01-25 23:32:04 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1) * sorry guys couldn’t get 2nd chap out today — tried
//
It was an eldritch horror. A skyscraper of Titansteel towering on four looming gray pillars. Two gnarled trees climbed out of its back. Their silver trunks sizzled with essence and power and Law—Law like Zane had never seen. He felt that Law in h...
2024-01-24 18:24:21 +0000 UTC View Post(1/1)
The chamber was made of pure Titansteel. Gray-brown streaks arched wall-to-ceiling. The floor was a cross-section of the Tree itself—you could see dozens of huge rings spread across it, silver lines circling one after another. Deep finger-width fissures spanned its length.
The air was musty. It smelled of ...
2024-01-23 23:43:16 +0000 UTC View Post
