Chapter 100: The Undergrowth
[Flametouched cackles as you light its beacon.]
Oops.
The forest may, perhaps, be on fire.
This is not at all my fault. Jess looks at me, slowly extinguishing the fireball in her hand. Okay, maybe I’d been feeding them with extra mana, effectively supercharging them. Maybe I’d been weakening the environment’s resistance to fire.
Maybe. Probably. Allegedly.
The forest smells of smoke and charred leaves, and...
2026-01-27 04:12:45 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 285: Meeting of Peaks
Mercury looked at the young girl, still no older than eight, hanging from his arm by her teeth. He shook his arm, and watched the girl flail like a flag in the wind, but she didn’t let go. “What is up with you?”
“Peak eeader oo annialism,” she provided, her mouth stuffed.
Staring at her, Mercury gave a deadpan look. She looked right back at him. Mercury withdrew the <Veil> and his inverted <Truth> from the arm, revea...
2026-01-27 03:11:27 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 97: Lively town
The town was strange. Maneuvering it was a constant exercise in attention, with bridges made from rope and wood camouflaged with leaves cutting through the canopy, connecting different houses together. There were inns and guild halls, little connections between humans, and a much more diverse cast than on the third floor.
As seemed to be typical of cities, we also had someone’s Eye on us. This little place seemed under the purview of the Verdant Gro...
2026-01-26 03:28:49 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 94: Shadow Bracelet
A lot.
What I learn is a lot.
The first tidbit is that I don’t get hungry. Something about this space makes it so I don’t need too many calories, mostly supplemented by my [Restoration] spell. It’s weird in the way that it ticks - when fixing wounds it consumes calories, but when there are no wounds to be addressed, it seems to supplement them? What a flexible working. I should praise whoever designed it.
But that is n...
2026-01-23 23:44:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 91: Awakening
/Oh, Ion? Yeah, they were part of my caravan on the second floor. What, you want me to tell you what they’re like? Heh.
Feckin’ monster. When that party left, the others in the caravan started to call that monster Stormbreaker. First time on the second floor, starves for twenty days, then walks right into that icy hell and chases it away.
That’s not to mention the way Ion fought. It was a massacre. When the fae came at night, t...
2026-01-23 22:19:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 88: Revenge
Norman has been to the third floor.
There’s a specific reason why he went up and came back. I asked for countermeasures on the storm, spending a minor request, and the tower told him that there were ones to find up there.
He has sold his requests for a very specific kind of artefact. Not heating ones, but something else entirely. He hands it to me. Something he traded a lesser request for. Three minor ones. And I hold that tiny thing in my ha...
2026-01-21 23:13:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 284: Becoming a Cultivator
Sitting in a lotus position, Mercury breathed in, then out.
“Alright,” he said. “What now?”
It had been a handful of days since he started living with the Cult of Infernal Flames. There was a lot that needed to be done in the Valley of Balance, and Mercury took care of much of it.
A well had dried up? He fixed it. Broken buildings? He fixed them. Wounds, aching backs, sick children? Fixed.
Fixed, fixed...
2026-01-21 03:48:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 85: Ice
The storm doesn’t leave us alone.
Every day, the camp tries to move, but it gets colder. The beasts pulling the carts slow down, needing more healing. Jean and I try to work together to help them, even as his grandma stares daggers into my back. I pointedly ignore her, trying to make sure the animal can walk again, that the skin below its fur is warm enough to stay healthy.
I can see its breath misting in the air, and the way it looks into my eyes. ...
2026-01-21 00:51:49 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 82: Time
The next day, Norman hands me a little ring he found. It has a few runes inscribed on it, probably made by the tower as a reward - it has that quality to it that makes it look like no one with actual hands made it.
But the runes are perfectly functional, warming enchantments. So, until captain Malcolm shows up, I inspect them. Eventually, when the grumpy old man appears, Norman extends [Unassuming] to the item, and I [Suppress] it’s presence, cloaking any mana...
2026-01-18 23:11:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 79: Silliness and Skills
Turns out, fae doesn’t taste very good. Everyone eats, though. Even as it feels weird and disgusting and more than a little like cannibalism. The white-blue flesh turns translucent under heat, and it feels chewy, almost like gum. I hate it. It’s horrible.
For a moment, I consider starving instead, but decide against it. We need food, simple as that. So, we eat. To distract myself from the awful sensation, I [Suppress] everything coming from m...
2026-01-18 07:00:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 76: Lay of the Land
Zeph heads out after rambling at us for a few minutes. Like a storm, she simply sweeps over us, then disappears off into the distance, vanishing into a stealth skill I can’t see through without causing more trouble than she deserves.
Despite her cold attitude, after all, she helped us, for no reason other than us being climbers, too. Even if the rant was only a few minutes long.
The first two lessons were the most important, and wide-rea...
2026-01-17 23:38:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 73: Ascension Well
PoV: Snow Okiyama – Ion
I exit one of the tunnels, coming across a clearing, full of people. There are zoof, scithians, sumeen, hiy’ht, wulven, and humans. Tents made of cloth, dried hides, sheets of mushroom, and even small stone huts are set up, powered by all kinds of abilities.
The hum of magic is dense in the air, and I have to hold back on breaking a few of them, just to see what they’re about. Instead, I pick at scraps...
2026-01-15 01:14:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 70: Eyes and Epitaphs
/”Philia is dead.”
“What?!”
“Killed by a rookie, Ion. Tried to abduct the newbie for a healing skill. The little monster hid in the tunnels for half a month, then came back and just killed her.”
“Holy fuck.”
“Monsters. Absolute monsters.”/
-A conversation overheard in the city of Espiree, first floor of the tower.
- - -
I look at the still-warm corpse and sigh. “What a waste,” I ...
2026-01-14 07:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 283: Valley of Balance
The peak of Broken Balance was, in fact, two peaks. With a big, jagged cliff between them. The mountains were not nearly as jagged or spiky as the peak of Slaughter, but they were still pretty rough.
“On that note,” Mercury hummed. “Why are you here?” he asked.
Gun-Byeong the Beast, master of the peak of Slaughter, scratched at his beard. “Well,” he said. “You seemed interesting. And you are a disciple of my peak.”
...
2026-01-14 04:03:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 67: Performing Plotted Plans Splendiferously
Somehow, Thatch charms our way through the gates. He really is unfairly handsome. So much so, apparently, that it even works on other species.
Having Norman with us helps.
It’s really funny how his skill works. [Unassuming] is largely passive, but he can absolutely feed it with mana, though there are diminishing returns. The skill cloaks its own usage, spreads out over the whole party, and makes us seem… ordina...
2026-01-13 21:59:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 64: Ichor
Yellow pustules burst and spill more ichor on the stone. Meg watches, wincing. Elis suffers. I watch, curiously. “These are super infected,” I note. The flesh all around the wound is infected, really, the bacteria boring into it. The ants are incredibly clean, really, but they do not have ways to fully sterilize things.
My work is cut out for me, but it’s a little fun. Could I use my healing spell offensively if I used it on the bacteria? I don’t try.
2026-01-10 23:35:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 61: Auction
PoV: Opal Kingston - Gem
We make our way inside, picking an open row of seating next to an older looking, floofy gentleperson. I can’t exactly tell what they are, nor does it matter much. The alien eyes me suspiciously for a bit, big eyes widening even further as it recognizes that we’re humans.
“Yepyep,” I say. “Just made it to this floor a few days ago. Got lucky, so we’re on the up ‘n up. Name’s Lapis. Pleasure to meet ya,”...
2026-01-10 18:45:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 58: Hive Champions
Meg tilts her head, moving from Inu to me. I feel mana brush against me, and it feels a little like someone waving their hand in my face, as if asking for attention. In return, I hesitate little, doing the same to her.
[Hive Queen, lv. 38]
Strong. Not unbeatable - well, definitely unbeatable where we are right now. But in a one on one? I bet I could kill her.
She gives me another tilt of her head, looking confused. She chitte...
2026-01-09 21:11:36 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 55: Tunnel Rats
/Multiple hunter teams vanished at disparate points in the tunnels. Tracking devices broken, final spots recorded. What the hells is happening out there? Are we really having whole teams hunted down by people barely past the integration?! Get your act together, I wanna see a report of their team comp, stat!/
-Envida Irest, branch head of the Hunter’s Guild in Espiree
- - -
Living in the caverns is a little dreary. They’re da...
2026-01-08 02:46:21 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 282: Fire and Thalassophobia
The master of the peak of Slaughter was a strong man. He was a wild man, built for brutality. With every swing of his fists, the air shattered, and he had broken armies before. For that was the essence of his art - brutality.
Zyl stood across from him with a calm, self-assured grace. He hadn’t been broken before, and he wouldn’t be broken now. Or so he thought.
When the first blow rattled onto his stomach, Zyl gasped. It knocke...
2026-01-08 02:44:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 52: Surviving
/I was there. I saw Ion get burnt alive by Respitia’s Paladin. Fuck, what a sight it was. The rookie wasn’t even past level 20 yet, y’know? And got roasted by someone over the third threshold. Brutal.
The smite was so strong that the ground cracked. It would’ve killed me. But Ion? Nah. That monster’s a different breed. You shoulda been there. Seen those eyes.
No, I know Ion will be back. And I think it’s a real good idea to ...
2026-01-06 23:27:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 49: Alive
PoV: Snow Okiyama - Ion
I wake up.
My good eye opens, and yet I can’t see. Is it dark? Am I blind from the radiance? Still, I remember the message seared into my eyes.
[Darkbreaker, lv. 52]
A sharp breath enters my lungs, and then, finally, the pain sets in.
My skin, all of it, hurts and aches. Every movement pulls at it, sending itchy spirals of hurt through me. It’s a horrible feeling, but I don’t [Suppress] ...
2026-01-05 17:48:35 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 46: Out of the Bag
/Oh, Ion? Yeah, I know Ion alright. Fucking monster. Came to the first floor on the same day as I did. One night. That’s how long the peace lasted. Then what? Things blow up. Church of Respitia puts bounties out to bring them that monster’s head.
Me? Oh, no, I didn’t touch one. Fahahahaha. No, no. I don’t got no death wish. No. Tell the church that if they want me on the case, they oughta offer me a dozen free resurrections, up front. Yeah, tha...
2026-01-05 17:46:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 43: Tunnel Guides
[Level up! 18 > 19]
More mana, fuelling my [Suppression] of the tide. We walk, and walk, and walk on. Behind us, the sound of fighting echoes through the caves, but I hardly care about it. We carve our way through the critters, and eventually, we come out the other side.
There are only so many in each horde, and they’re all rather low level it seems. None of the insects were above level 10. It was, nonetheless, exhausting. My...
2026-01-05 17:45:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 40: Help Us.
Slowly, bit by bit, the world comes back into focus. I breathe, stand up, and frown. “My pants are ruined,” I say.
Thatch pulls me into a hug. “You did good,” he says. “You did amazing. Thank you, Snow.”
I blink. Slowly, just once, I pat his back. “Sure,” I say. “Yeah.”
[Level up! 15 > 17]
[Job up! Enchanter 4 > 5]
[Class up! Deconstructor 6 > 8]
...
2026-01-05 17:44:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 37: Ascension
“I want to climb,” Opal says.
It took a little while for everyone to wake up. Bay was tired after yesterday’s wall-disassembly escapades, but as we all eat a little bit of crappy dried food for breakfast, Opal speaks.
Sylves readily agrees. “Me too,” she says.
“Yeah,” Thatch says. “I don’t wanna be powerless again.” He gives me a glance.
I nod. “We’re climbing,” I say. It’s not a question, even as I see Norman f...
2026-01-05 17:43:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 34: Enchanting
I want it. Instantly, without a moment of hesitation, I know I want it. It has to be a job, right? Enchanting. It has to be.
What else is enchanted? The lines are so tiny, I can barely see them with my eyes. I only noticed cuz the crystal was covered with mana.
“Opal, give me your sword,” I demand.
“Huh!” they yelp, clutching the blade. “What are you planning to do with it?!”
I blink. “Stop being silly,” I say. ...
2026-01-05 17:42:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 31: Stage Four
CW: Gore
The night grows deeper and I work on my spells. I cut my hand again, healing it. I take apart the bits of shadow I took from my once-parasite. Step by slow step, I build a knowledge base.
It’s a lot. The patterns are intricate, granted by the system. My spells and understandings are crude imitations, like a caveman comparing an especially comfortable to hold rock to an industrial steam hammer.
They’re not the same, but they s...
2026-01-05 17:41:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 281: Peak of Slaughter
“This is the peak of Slaughter,” Chung Nam-Cheong said.
Mercury looked at the mountain - and it was a mountain. A tall, thin spire of jagged, dark rocks, with houses built into it, and sharp spikes of stone poking from it. Some of the spikes were adorned with bodies, arranged to look almost beautiful, like leaves on stony trees.
“That’s a lot of bodies,” Mira noted with disgust.
“It’s the peak of Slaughter,” Chung r...
2025-12-29 02:43:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 28: Proof of Strength
Instantly, all hell breaks loose. Norman sprints at Thatch to pull him back, as the young man slams his fist into the mayor one more time.
The guard is less merciful. He leverages the gun at my friend, and pulls the trigger. It clicks. Nothing happens. It doesn’t fire, can’t fire.
I draw my goblin axe and stab it through the policeman’s hand. He screams. The mayor yells at Thatch to step back, but I [Suppress] him, too. Inu uses...
2025-12-26 17:55:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
