Three years earlier.
The crack appeared on a Tuesday.
Max had been kneading dough when he heard it. A sound like knuckles popping, but deeper. He looked up from the worktable, flour on his hands, and saw the line running down the side of his oven. Thin at first. Then wider.
He stopped kneading.
The crack spread as he watched, branching like a river delta across the clay facing. Something inside the oven shifted and then settled. A piece of the interior wall fell inward...
2025-12-07 17:51:28 +0000 UTC
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Three days after the troll, the egg vendor was back.
Different spot this time. He'd moved his cart closer to the fountain, away from where the fish stall used to be. The fish merchant hadn't returned. Max had heard he'd packed up and moved to his brother's farm outside the city. Couldn't blame him. Watching a troll eat your entire inventory would shake anyone.
The egg vendor saw Max coming and went pale.
"I'm not here to cause trouble," Max said. "I just need eggs."
Th...
2025-12-07 17:51:18 +0000 UTC
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The tomatoes were overpriced.
Max turned one in his hand. Firm enough, good color, but two copper bits? For one tomato? He'd been coming to Mirella's stall for three years. The price had never been higher than one and a half. One and three-quarters that one time after the flood, but that was the flood.
"Supply problems," Mirella said. She wasn't meeting his eyes, which meant she knew it was robbery and was charging him anyway. "The roads east have been bad."
"The roads east ...
2025-12-07 17:50:12 +0000 UTC
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Jason stared at the pulsing text on the Developer Console for what felt like an eternity.
*****
[Developer Points: 0]
[Unlock Progress: 0/2,000]
[New Objective: ???]
*****
He hadn't designed this. He was absolutely certain of that. The Developer Console was supposed to be a testing tool, a debug menu for checking values and spawning items during QA. It wasn't supposed to have a progression system. It wasn't...
2025-12-07 17:48:21 +0000 UTC
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Jason didn't return to the Throne Room.
Instead, he found himself walking back toward the Black Gate, drawn by questions he couldn't shake. The entity in the Sealed Wing was a problem for later, when he had more information and, apparently, more power. But Korveth's words kept circling through his mind.
That remains to be seen, my Sovereign. I will be watching.
The knight had served Jaxarion for over six centuries. He'd held the Black Gate against seventeen attempte...
2025-12-07 17:47:11 +0000 UTC
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The corridor stretched before Jason like the throat of some massive beast, all black stone and purple flame.
He'd designed this hallway to feel oppressive. The ceiling was too high, the walls too close, the lighting positioned to cast shadows that seemed to move when you weren't looking directly at them. Players had complained about it during beta testing, saying it made them uncomfortable.
That had been the point.
Now, walking through it himself, Jason had to admit h...
2025-12-07 17:45:12 +0000 UTC
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Jason opened his eyes to the Sanctum of Eternal Night.
Having designed every inch of this arena over three years of crunch cycles and energy drinks, he recognized it instantly. The obsidian pillars stretching toward a starless void. The floating platforms of crystallized darkness. The massive throne of warped space that served as the backdrop for the final confrontation of Void Throne Online.
He was sitting on that throne.
"What the hell?" he mumbled, pushing himsel...
2025-12-07 17:41:45 +0000 UTC
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So my brain... its on OP MC mode after reading some stories.
As you know - I write what my brain leads and it can be nudged... sometimes.
I've got 4 chapters of 2 stories. Each slightly different. Both 'op mc'
I'm going to post 4 chapters of both stories.
You all tell me which one you like the most after Reading.
2025-12-07 17:38:17 +0000 UTC
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The guild hall was less crowded than usual when Arin arrived the next morning, with many adventurers either out on contracts or still recovering from the goblin operation. His party had claimed their usual table in the back corner, and Arin could see maps and contract postings spread across its surface.
"There you are," Kelsa said as he approached. "We were just discussing options. We've got several interesting possibilities."
Arin flowed up onto a chair, positioning himself so he...
2025-12-07 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Fowl sat in the center of a ring of fire, his eyes closed and his teeth clenched so hard he thought they might crack.
The flames licking at his skin weren't ordinary fire. Rakonath had been kind enough to provide dragon fire for today's session—the silver dragon just a few dozen yards away inside the stone chamber.
"How much longer?" Rakonath asked, his voice rumbling through the room.
"Another hour," Fowl managed to say through his clenched teeth.
"You said that an ...
2025-12-06 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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CHAPTER 12: PROBLEM SOLVING
Wei Chen unrolled the second formation diagram on Elder Shen's desk. Zhao Feng leaned in from his position near the door, trying to see without getting too close.
The formation was more complex than the first one. A defensive barrier array designed to deflect physical attacks. The kind of formation outer sect disciples built for practical combat training. The diagram showed proper node placement, correct channeling paths, and balanced power distribution...
2025-12-05 14:00:10 +0000 UTC
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The guild hall was packed with adventurers, guards, and townspeople when Arin's party arrived the morning after the goblin operation. News of the battle had spread quickly through Greengate, and those who'd lost family or friends in the fighting mixed with those celebrating the victory. The atmosphere was complicated, grief and relief existing side by side in a way that made the air feel heavy.
Master Torven stood at the center of the hall, speaking with Captain Thorne and several party...
2025-12-05 14:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Batrire stood in the stone chamber, rolling her shoulders as she waited for Sog to arrive. The training arena beneath Max and Tanila's tower had become her second home over the past few months—or was it years now? Time moved differently when you were immortal, when a decade could pass while perfecting a single technique.
The door opened, and the eight-foot demon stepped through, his red eyes glowing with what she'd learned to recognize as barely contained enthusiasm.
"You're lat...
2025-12-05 14:00:09 +0000 UTC
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The sound of the morning bell rang, and Francis opened his eyes, smiling.
"It's earlier than usual," Michael grunted as he sat up. "What gives?"
"Just another day in our lives," Francis said, anxious to read all the notifications that were waiting for him. Death had come quickly to those four, and at no point did he seem to mind, more interested in focusing on what he couldn't before he died.
[ Master Rank Swordsmanship Achieved - Bonuses Acquired ]
2025-12-05 14:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Hey all! it's december and I'm going full speed ahead before a small break at the end of the month for the holiday.
Quick Update
Book 2 loopbreaker done (editing)
Book 1 Arin - ('doneish - editing)
Book 3 Viking (Done - sent to editor)
Ul1 - working on finishing book 11 - probably 20-40k more words
Cultivation - Got more chapters written - i just need to edit.... (Blast you editing!)
Current Plotting
<...
2025-12-04 20:08:22 +0000 UTC
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“There is an error present in the System and yet I cannot locate it,” the archon on the left stated. “Only three beings could have done this and I suspect we know which of the three did.”
Four other beings of light all sat there, eyes closed, sensing the same thing the fifth had.
“You are responsible for that area of the System,” the middle archon said, his eyes still closed. “Tell us, are you unable to handle the responsibilities that were given to you?”
...
2025-12-04 15:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Miranna sighed as the last of the petitions moved across the panel. She flicked her finger to read what felt like the tenth one. The request wasn’t that big and yet it needed her attention.
*****
[ Move the spring festival one week earlier for better moonlight? ]
[ Petition: Starhaven Festival Adjustment — Approved ]
*****
She approved it like the rest, content that today was as boring as the rest.
Another day where no one tri...
2025-12-04 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
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The sound of the morning bell rang, and Francis opened his eyes.
"It's earlier than usual," Michael grunted as he sat up. "What gives?"
"It is," Francis replied, sitting up and stretching. "But it's also time to get to work."
***
The first three Ursaloths lay dead behind Francis, their corpses cooling on the frozen ground. He'd defeated them with only minor wounds, a testament to the one hundred and sixty-four deaths he'd spent learning their patterns. His breathing wa...
2025-12-04 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“It only took three years,” Sog said as he slid of gold cup toward Sharazael on the obsidian table. “Tell me, how goes the unrest?”
“It is almost stamped out,” the queen of the demons replied, moving the cup closer toward her. “It would appear that each of the races, minus the dwarves, has been suffering from a bit of… racism. Though ours was much easier to deal with.”
“Deal with or exterminate?” Sog asked, leaning back in his chair as he studied the demon he...
2025-12-03 14:00:12 +0000 UTC
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CHAPTER 11: FOUNDATIONS
Dawn came way too early.
Wei Chen woke to darkness and the familiar ache of a body that still hadn't fully recovered. It had been two days since the finals. His meridians felt less raw, but the exhaustion lingered like a low-grade fever.
He dressed in his new Formation Hall servant robes. The gray fabric was coarser than outer disciple robes, marked with the Formation Hall seal on the left shoulder. The stitching was functional rather than decorative....
2025-12-03 14:00:09 +0000 UTC
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The Alpha team leader, a fighter named Bardok, raised his hand to halt the combined teams. They'd positioned themselves at the edge of the forest, just visible enough that the goblins would spot them but not so close that they'd be immediately overrun.
"Remember," Bardok said quietly, "we're bait. Make them commit, then fall back slowly. Don't let them separate us from each other, and watch for that warlord. Anyone below Level 10 stays clear of it."
Arin's core pulsed with apprehe...
2025-12-03 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
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The road to town felt different this time. Francis walked beside Michael, listening to his brother chatter about nothing in particular, and found himself actually enjoying the moment instead of treating it as another step in an endless cycle. The sun was warm on his face, the breeze carried the scent of grass and wildflowers, and for once, Francis wasn't thinking about death or strategy or the weight of saving everyone.
Phillip had pulled Francis aside before they left, his usual frown ...
2025-12-03 14:00:04 +0000 UTC
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“It has been two weeks since they have entered,” Vaelion informed Rakonath. “Neither of them should need that kind of time to clear a level at their power. Especially as a duo.”
Rakonath frowned, his scaled lip curling up and showing some of his teeth as he stood outside the tower with Vaelion, the alpha for his people and Arvir, the green elder dragon tasked with mentoring Chemmis and Bremeon.
“Bremeon should be able to withstand most attacks that come, even from a rare...
2025-12-02 14:00:07 +0000 UTC
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When Glitvall and Francis were finally alone, Francis told him everything. The month in Tules that had been ripped away without warning. The discussions with Stenson, Baxter, and Auri about the possibility of an enemy looper. The implications of fighting a war where both sides could reset, learn, and adapt indefinitely.
Glitvall listened without interruption, his massive arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable. When Francis finished, the warchief was quiet for a long time...
2025-12-02 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
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CHAPTER 10: NEW GAME PLUS
Wei Chen woke to sunlight streaming through a window he didn't recognize and a body that felt like it had been disassembled and poorly reassembled.
Every muscle ached. His meridians felt raw, like he'd forced too much qi through damaged channels. Even worse Wei’s head was full of cotton, and his mouth tasted like he'd been chewing on formation flags.
He tried to sit up. His body vetoed that decision.
Wei Chen lay on his back and stared at th...
2025-12-01 14:00:20 +0000 UTC
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“We’re halfway there,” Max stated, pointing at the display their helper had before them. “Only one hundred and fifty years remain before we’re faced with the reality of our protection being gone.”
“Still we’re in a better spot than I thought we might be,” Rakonath said. “Even with the Divine Points that we have spent on acquiring a few new skills and upgrading others, we have a much better chance of survival than before.”
“Survival?” Cordellia scoffed. ...
2025-12-01 14:00:16 +0000 UTC
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Arin woke to find his essence had recovered somewhat during the night, though not nearly as much as he'd hoped. Sleep helped, but true recovery required either time or the absorption of creatures. He checked his Status with growing concern.
[Name: Arin]
[Species: Adaptive Slime]
[Level: 9]
[Mass: 195% of base]
[Essence: 62/180]
It was better than the critically low 34 he'd ...
2025-12-01 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Francis couldn't believe he had been in the north for almost a month now. It was the longest he'd ever been alive since his first one, and he was beginning to remember what it was like to truly live. He found himself smiling as he worked the metal in Tormund's forge, the rhythmic strike of his hammer against heated steel creating a melody that felt almost meditative. The blade he was shaping wasn't perfect, far from it, but it was his work, and there was satisfaction in that.
His eyes w...
2025-12-01 14:00:07 +0000 UTC
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The healing tent smelled of herbs and smoke, a combination that Francis was growing used to sooner than he expected. Hilda, the healer who had been assigned to him, worked with practiced efficiency as she cleaned another wound along his ribs. One of the shamans had come through earlier, her hands glowing with power as she reset the rib that had punctured his lung. That sensation had been unlike anything Francis had experienced from the healers back home.
Different, but not bad. Just...
2025-11-30 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Max stared at all the games they were playing. He had grown the stone that hovered in the air to over thirty square yards and had over fifty different ones laid out.
“You’re losing,” Gykewotik said, seemingly enjoying himself as he watched Max try to make his next move.
The concept is easy. You're thinking too hard about it.
Says the one who doesn’t have to consider which game he is about to lose. If I choose the three games ove...
2025-11-30 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
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