A week after the incident
Alaric couldn’t fathom how a week had passed already since he and Rennard had been ambushed by the werewolves. The city had attributed the monster attack to the shapeshifters and launched a thorough investigation but couldn’t uncover any more details.
That was expected — the shapeshifters were no amateurs and had been planning this for a while. What was unexpected, though, was the subsequent attack on The Sanctum of Radiance.
...
2025-02-26 17:10:40 +0000 UTC
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“Now, it’s my turn.”
Lucan lashed out at Alaric, moving much faster than before. Alaric barely managed to block the strike with a layered mana shield. Lucan pressed the assault, slashing relentlessly, forcing Alaric to deflect each blow. But he couldn’t sustain this for long.
At this rate, he would exhaust his mana long before Lucan did.
Making a split-second decision, Alaric weakened his layered mana shield just enough to allow Lucan’s claws to graze his skin rath...
2025-02-25 16:46:23 +0000 UTC
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Alaric and Rennard rode back to the mansion in a horse-drawn coach after their visit to The Sanctum of Radiance. The steady rattling of the vehicle gently swayed his body, lulling him into a state of ease.
He idly observed the bustling crowds —each person engrossed in their own tasks— emerging from and entering residential buildings, commercial shops, and marketplaces. He enjoyed watching people go about their daily lives, but today, his thoughts fixated on something else.
He ...
2025-02-24 20:06:05 +0000 UTC
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“Administer a healing potion and call for a healer,” Alaric commanded. Although he was pretty pissed at Jack, he hadn’t expected Rennard to escalate things this far.
Now he understood why his father had chosen Rennard as his escort—he appeared sluggish and harmless. But in reality, he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The sergeant didn’t possess a shred of mercy.
With Alaric’s approval, Kellan sprang into action, instructing other employees to retrieve first aid ...
2025-02-21 19:25:02 +0000 UTC
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Alaric didn’t really regret experimenting with the muscle reforging process and The Molten Blood Elixir. There were merits to following a tried-and-tested method since it minimized the chances of making an error.
However, it was equally important to harness one’s curiosity and insight to maximize benefits rather than settle for average gains. The best approach when encountering an unexpected outcome during cultivation was to remain composed.
Gritting his teeth through the sear...
2025-02-20 19:35:42 +0000 UTC
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Alaric was a little surprised by the final offer. He had no idea how long it would take him to track down all the segments of the key. And, during his temporary alliance with the king, he couldn’t exactly battle him or his minions.
However, the king had anticipated that and granted him the permission to spar with his soldiers for as long as their truce remained intact. This would allow him to level up his skills and sharpen his combat experience.
“Thank you for the generous of...
2025-02-19 17:07:16 +0000 UTC
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Dear Readers,
I hope you are doing well :)
I wanted to inform you that Patreon will begin renewing memberships starting February 21st, based on your joining date. I feel really bad because I haven’t been able to fulfill my promise of offering 25 advanced chapters yet.
During my Rising Stars run, I somehow managed to write two chapters a day. It was as if I’d become a productivity machine. But now, I cannot replicate the same feat no matter how much I wish to.
If an...
2025-02-19 07:53:36 +0000 UTC
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“You have my full attention, your highness,” said Alaric as he leaned in, signaling his interest. The king took his sweet time revealing more information. He knew he had Alaric hooked and felt no urgency to reveal his bargaining chip.
“Two millennia ago, I was known as the Wise King. The search for power and knowledge led me to the distant corners of the world, and I accumulated everything in due time—knowledge, wealth, power, fame, women, you name it.” He drained his drink.
2025-02-18 16:30:52 +0000 UTC
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Alaric lay sprawled on the scorching desert sand within The Howling Expanse. A ring of dead desert chameleons encircled him, their guts and entrails on full display. Alaric had been navigating zone 4 of the Tutorial Rift for the past two weeks and had become remarkably efficient at slaying these creatures.
Unfortunately, dealing with the giant sandworms was another matter entirely. As if sensing his thoughts, one of them announced its presence. The ground trembled as it burst from the s...
2025-02-17 17:05:30 +0000 UTC
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Alaric was nearly impaled by the massive fangs — each as long as his body — of the giant sandworm as it swallowed him whole. The only reason he survived was that he wedged himself between the bodies of the large desert chameleons that were devoured alongside him.
The massive lizards shrieked in agony as the fangs pierced their bodies. In turn, they crushed against Alaric from all sides. He was out of mana, but the power of the root chakra energy still surged through his body.
...
2025-02-16 18:39:46 +0000 UTC
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Dear Readers,
I hope you're all doing well.
I had some family obligations today and couldn’t find the time to write a new chapter. I got back home a few hours ago and wanted to continue the story, but my mind just isn't cooperating right now. So, I’ve decided to take a break for the day. I’ll post the next chapter tomorrow.
We’re getting close to the end of this arc! That being said, I’d love to hear from you:
What aspects of the sto...
2025-02-15 16:48:51 +0000 UTC
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Alaric froze in his tracks, imprinting every detail of the robed figure into his mind. The person had also spotted him and straightened slightly. Somebody tapped him on the back.
“What happened?” asked Rowan.
Alaric glanced at him for a moment and then snapped his gaze back to the alleyway. The stranger had vanished. In fact, Alaric couldn’t even sense his presence in the surroundings.
“Hmm, what? Nothing,” he muttered absentmindedly. He scoured his surroundings to...
2025-02-14 19:13:25 +0000 UTC
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Alaric felt as if he had swallowed a ball of chalk. The bone reforging pill had a rough texture that didn’t didn’t glide easily down his throat. He drew a bit of mana from his core and directed it to his stomach to aid in the digestion of the pill.
After a while, a burning sensation erupted inside his belly as if he had swallowed hot coal. He gritted his teeth and channeled more mana into his stomach. The sensation of pain peaked and then gradually abated as a warmth radiated ...
2025-02-13 15:53:17 +0000 UTC
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After demonstrating how to weave killing intent into mana strikes, Edgar and Alaric paused for a brief snack break. He reassured Alaric not to be too anxious about learning how to infuse killing intent into his attacks for now.
It wasn’t a priority at the moment. Edgar simply wanted Alaric to learn about and recognize aura and killing intent so that he wouldn’t be caught off guard in the future. They focused on something more relevant for Alaric’s growth.
“Alaric, to...
2025-02-12 11:59:09 +0000 UTC
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Alaric and Edgar clashed inside the Whispering Woods training ground. Like always, the head butler was giving him a chance to showcase his skills. Usually, Alaric didn’t enjoy such a sparring session, if it could even be called that.
It was no fun hitting a brick wall when one didn’t notice even a single crack appear on it. However, now that Edgar had limited his powers to peak Tier 1, Alaric managed to inflict some damage on the head butler.
Throwing mana javelins at Ed...
2025-02-11 15:02:08 +0000 UTC
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Alaric grinned as he witnessed the mana blast payload breach through Therin’s defense, ending the fight. He wasn’t sure the unstable payload would last that long before doing its job since he hadn’t perfected it yet.
Watching Therin’s poor state, he winced a little. Alaric wanted to punish Therin a little to strip the arrogance away from him. However, he hadn’t meant to literally gouge a hole through his body.
That must’ve hurt like hell. Alaric shook his head...
2025-02-08 19:55:52 +0000 UTC
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Dear Readers,
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to upload a chapter today. I’ve been dealing with a migraine since last night, and while I somehow managed to finish yesterday’s chapter, I just couldn’t do the same today.
I took some medicine about an hour ago, and the headache has eased, but I’m still feeling drained and uninspired. I need to rest for the night, and I sincerely apologize for the delay.
This is one of the downsides of not having a bac...
2025-02-07 17:54:55 +0000 UTC
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Alaric barely managed to dodge Therin’s strike. The sword slammed into the ground and shattered it into a deep crater. He is much faster than before. Alaric prepared his layered mana shield. That power-boosting skill is no joke.
He kept evading the sword strikes by the barest of margins, even channeling as much mana he could into his [Zen Flow] and [Mana Strengthening] skills. Once again, Alaric was tempted to cycle his root chakra to match Therin’s power-boosting ...
2025-02-06 20:23:47 +0000 UTC
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Alaric had been experimenting with his new skill - mana shaping - for the whole day. The skill was very fun to use since it enabled him to craft a variety of mana constructs that were not possible with the mana solidification skill.
For instance, he could now mold mana into a form that had the consistency of a thick fluid instead of simply solidifying it. Crafting fluid-like structures was much faster since they didn’t have the mana density of solid structures.
Of co...
2025-02-05 20:33:32 +0000 UTC
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As the dust settled, Alaric witnessed Rowan sprawled on the ground unconscious. His body was bloodied and wounded. For a moment, he was worried after seeing his condition.
Did I unleash too much power in the mana blast? He shook his head. No, it’s better that he suffered a major defeat here and learned from this experience than be unprepared when he joined a guild.
Alaric had simply intended for his friend to experience how it felt to be caught in an unex...
2025-02-04 17:05:23 +0000 UTC
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Alaric had been regularly training with Edgar in the whispering woods for a few days now. He hadn’t revealed all of his skills when fighting with Edgar yet because he wanted to surprise him when it mattered the most.
That’s why he refrained from using his chakra-based powers and his two evolved skills - mana blast and mana scrambling.
However, the man was perceptive. Edgar could discern that Alaric was restraining his strength during their training sessions for som...
2025-02-03 20:26:30 +0000 UTC
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Congratulations! You have learned the skill [Mana Scrambling] (rare).
Alaric ignored the notification. Instead, he focused on taking his revenge on the wraith.
The discharged mass of purified orange energy surged through the wraith’s face and cascaded down its body, ravaging it. The wraith shrieked in pain. Its face burned, and smoke billowed out of its eye sockets. It convulsed in Alaric’s grip as he clamped onto the monster’s face, refusing to go.
2025-02-02 18:22:36 +0000 UTC
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Dear Readers,
I hope you're all doing well!
Starting in February, I’ll be transitioning to a regular posting schedule—five times a week (Monday to Friday) on both Royal Road and Patreon.
My Initial Plan
Originally, my goal was to release two chapters a day on Patreon until I reached:
Goal 1: 10 advanced chapters (Completed!)
Goal 2: 25 advanced chapters (In progress!)<...
2025-02-01 17:17:22 +0000 UTC
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Alaric released a sigh, relishing the brief break in the fight. The previous attack depleted a huge chunk of his mana. But he was happy.
I finally have a powerful long-range attack skill. He marched ahead on the path carved by his mana blast attack. But it consumes too much mana. I’ll have to adjust its output.
He surveyed the setting, preparing for battle once again. As the smoke from the explosion settled, he spotted the lava fiend champion hunched over, one ...
2025-01-31 21:15:19 +0000 UTC
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Eustace’s POV
Eustace was feeling a little better after venting his frustration. Edgar had managed to turn his mind. He had to think rationally to resolve this problem instead of succumbing to the guilt he harbored deep inside.
If an encounter with the witches was unavoidable at some point, they would prepare accordingly. I will not give up so easily.
“We have to prepare Alaric to be as strong as possible,” said Eustace. “Before ...
2025-01-31 16:20:06 +0000 UTC
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Hello everybody,
I hope you are all doing well 😊
I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for providing your feedback on Chapter 48. I've listened to your suggestions and made some minor edits. I’ve also added some additional details to make the scene flow a little better.
At this stage, a full rewrite isn't possible with my current schedule. But Chapter 49 aims to explain the Count’s behavior and motivations in more detail. Hopefully, it will provide more clarity...
2025-01-31 07:05:52 +0000 UTC
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“Alaric, wear this at all times,” said the count, presenting him with a bracelet etched with intricate runes.
When Alaric regarded him with a questioning look, he elaborated on the function of the bracelet. It was a mana scrambler — something that would obstruct cultivators from tracking him once activated.
No witch would dare to approach Alaric while he remained in the count’s estate. However, someday he would have to depart to explore the world beyond. It was inevitable ...
2025-01-30 20:56:34 +0000 UTC
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“Alaric, what I’m about to reveal cannot be shared with anybody,” uttered the count. “That’s why you must swear an oath.” He produced an intricate-looking paper slip with something inscribed on it and a place for affixing a thumbprint.
Alaric’s mood soured. They expect me to accept an oath enforced by the system? He eyed both of them, who were watching him expectantly. So, they don’t trust me to keep a secret.
“Sure, I’ll keep my mouth shut,...
2025-01-30 15:46:39 +0000 UTC
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“What other bit of news? asked Alaric.
“I’ve received an invite from the system,” Rowan grinned. “For the Tower of Trials.”
Alaric wasn’t really surprised. He had always expected Rowan to get the invite sooner or later. However, hearing the news from him filled him with joy.
“That’s marvelous,” He clapped Rowan’s back. “Congratulations and good luck on ascending the tower when you do.”
The ambiance inside the room visibly brightened as a...
2025-01-29 19:00:33 +0000 UTC
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It had been a few hours since the whole incident, and Alaric had recovered his mana completely.
He was gathered with his friends on the rooftop of a building to keep out of the way of the guards who were surveying the damage in the slum alley, now littered with unconscious and restrained criminals.
Smoke from Fernandes' reckless fire attack still lingered in the air, mingling with the scent of burnt stone and singed fur. It was due to him that the enemy leader had managed to...
2025-01-29 14:48:42 +0000 UTC
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