Malkah's face was pale and delicate, expressionless, almost like a porcelain doll. His gray eyes were hard like stone, with no trace of youth naivety behind them. I wondered if elven blood must’ve run through the Stormvale family.
“Does your father physically punish you, Malkah?” I asked, looking for his reaction, but there was none.
“I must get used to pain, sir. I’m a Bloodreaver,” Malkah replied.
The a...
2025-04-16 21:50:33 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone!
Quick update: I won't be posting a new chapter today. I've been suffering from migraines for the past two days, and I don't have too much material ready. I will be taking the day off to visit the doctor.
Thanks for your patience, and see you on Tuesday.
Wren didn’t take my money, but he gladly accepted my recommendation. It took some convincing, but in the end, the Guildmaster agreed to take him. Being a thane came with many perks, one of them was that the people in the middle of the totem pole indulged my requests, no matter how outlandish they were.
The Guildmaster underestimated how important handymen were, and only when I started listing all the small imperfections of the guild building did he see my poin...
2025-04-10 02:47:44 +0000 UTC View PostLevel Up!
The notification rubbed into my nose, and I quickly batted it away.
Kili’s house was deep in the East Ward. Cadria’s walls leaned over the humble wooden houses, a hundred meters above our heads, and people had to wait until midday to see the sun for the first time. Firefight patrols quenched the flames with earth and water spells, but the embers of the Red Hawk Company still smoked in the distance.
[Mir...
2025-04-06 02:38:14 +0000 UTC View PostThe smell of ale and pipe smoke slapped my face as the door closed behind me. The dim lights from a lightstone candelabra barely pierced the smoke. The walls were covered with layers upon layers of smoke and grime. To my left was a counter and cabinets with unmarked bottles of mead and liquor. Rough men and women sat along the counter, drinking silently or talking business quietly, never above a hush. Others threw dice in the corner or played cards while thugs carried crates marked wi...
2025-04-03 19:19:41 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m sick of this place,” Elincia said. “Half of the city knows how to read thanks to Mister Lowell. He brought Blacksmiths, Craftsmen, Herbalists, Scholars, artists, and musicians from across the kingdom to teach workshops. You would expect some gratitude, but everyone turned their backs on the orphanage when we needed them the most.”
Elincia leaned on my shoulder.
“Are you sure? If you don’t want to do it, I don’t want to...
2025-04-01 16:55:53 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone, Elra here!
Thank you very, very much for all the subscriptions this month!
There have been record levels of Patrons this month, which was a surprise considering I'm doing little to no advertising of my story. All I can say is thank you for supporting my project and promising to do my best to keep it exciting and entertaining.
For the past few days, I've been thinking about ways of paying you back. As you might know, English isn't my first language, so my creati...
2025-03-31 23:30:04 +0000 UTC View PostFor a week after the repairs of the well and the arrival of the first orc colonists, I had nightmares involving the Sunken Wraith. Sure, the damned thing was only Lv.12 but having an undead monster suddenly grabbing your ankles in a confined space left more psychological scars than physical—at least to a high-level Sage.
Elincia found the whole situation hilarious until I used [Mirage] to jump-care her one night. I wasn’t sure she had learned anything ...
2025-03-31 18:57:20 +0000 UTC View PostI landed on the Academy’s rooftop, leaving the cadets stunned. White carved spires adorned the rooftop, although nobody seemed to frequent the site. The level of detail was outrageous for a rooftop decoration, but I didn’t stop to examine them. I ran over the marble pathway near the edge and let [Foresight] binge on my mana.
At the ground level, cadets slowly vacated the gardens and returned to the dormitories. Malkah had said he saw Kili near the entr...
2025-03-28 20:19:20 +0000 UTC View PostWolf and I were sitting on the stone edge of the fireplace, white napkins over our laps and steaming meat pies in our hands. The mana manipulation lesson had gone smoothly. The cadets didn’t yet take Talindra all that seriously, but I used The Glance to keep them in line. With the class under control, Talindra barely stuttered.
Wolf ate half his pie in a single bite.
The green wisps of [Sanctuary] still surrounded us.
After having breakfast at the dining hall, I ordered the cadets to bring their luggage into Cabbage House. The old house was spotless, but none of them seemed particularly happy with the change of accommodation. Cadet barracks weren’t luxurious, but at least they only had to share rooms with one other person, not a whole dozen.
“Dormitories on the second floor. Girls to the left, boys to the right,” I said as the cadets filled the central hall. 2025-03-23 02:07:15 +0000 UTC View Post
“How long were you four planning to keep this up?” I said, my voice leaving no room for doubt about my thoughts on the matter. I was disappointed. Discipline wasn’t my strong suit as a teacher, but I could put up a convincing act when needed.
Firana, Zaon, Ilya, and Wolf exchanged nervous glances as the gnome’s music masked my words. Despite giving us space to catch up, Wolfpack members and gnomes couldn’t help but cast glances in our direction. Nobody...
2025-03-20 04:15:52 +0000 UTC View PostThe cadets left the room with more questions than answers. Although the concept of a training camp piqued their curiosity, it was too soon to tell them the details. I needed more information about the Imperial Academy's evaluation practices to design an effective curriculum. My mentor at university used to say that evaluation was easy: just test what you taught and how you taught it. The problem was that I wasn’t in charge of evaluation, and the syllabus was as obscure as Shu’s most strai...
2025-03-15 21:55:10 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m a Cat Spirit Beastfolk, Puppeteer Lv.5,” the girl said, pulling her hood back and revealing two cat ears: white and orange. “My name is Rup. Rup the Second, from Neskarath. My grandmother was a Puppeteer before me.”
Although physical span wasn’t a telltale of a person’s strength, I couldn’t imagine how Rup had entered the Imperial Academy. The girl was small. Slightly taller than Ilya but much more thin. The fencing uniform was too big for her, and she had to wear h...
2025-03-12 02:50:46 +0000 UTC View Post“You might not realize it yet, but you are fortunate to have Mister Clarke as your teacher,” Zaon’s voice filled the room. “You’d be a fool if you walk out of this class.”
The cadets joined heads and whispered. There were plenty of ways to motivate people, but I didn’t expect Zaon to use the fear of missing out as a drive to keep the group together. It was clever. New cadets would take any shortcut to survive the dreaded first year.
Nobody walked out. Not even Leonie...
2025-03-08 02:45:58 +0000 UTC View PostAll thoughts disappeared from my mind, but a face I saw briefly years ago in the law firm where I used to work.
“Byrne is here?” I asked, grabbing Wolf’s shoulders. “When did you meet him?”
The orc boy gave me an apologetic look.
“He enrolled us the day we arrived at the academy.”
My mind raced. When I met the System Avatar for the first time, he told me Byrne wasn’t in this world anymore. Either the Avatar was lying, or Byrne found a way to make ...
2025-03-06 04:17:16 +0000 UTC View PostIlya jumped into my arms.
It has been two years since I sent four orphans in a cart bound for Cadria. Part of me wanted to say Ilya hadn’t changed a bit, but I would be lying. I barely recognized her. When I last saw her, she was fifteen—a short gnome girl with boyish features that could easily pass by as one of the younger orphans. Now, standing before me was someone entirely different. Her soft, gnomish features had taken sharp edges, and her wavy hair, now long, fell past her bro...
2025-02-28 20:05:18 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone!
I apologize for the delay. Yesterday, there was a huge blackout in my area, and even the cellphone network was down, so I couldn't post the chapters. Everything seems to be back to normal now. Chapters are online. I hope you enjoy them.
Thanks for your support.
Elra out!
2025-02-26 16:36:34 +0000 UTC View PostThe cadets left the classroom in a slow procession, almost as if speeding up even a bit further was too childish for them.
“See you in an hour!” I said. “Remember the assignment, and don’t eat too much!”
I took a deep breath and let the adrenaline fade away. No matter how many classes I had taught over the years, the first day always gave me that adrenaline rush. The sensation lingered for a moment before disappearing. The lesson might have finished, but a teacher’s wo...
2025-02-26 16:32:53 +0000 UTC View PostYvain slammed against the wooden floor before the incredulous gaze of the cadets.
“First lesson of the Rosebud Fencing Academy: you don’t need the System to be a good sword fighter,” I said, offering Yvain my hand.
Superhuman strength, speed, and endurance started to show around Lv.20, but a Lv.10 could endure a simple throw without much problem. Yvain was a bit disoriented, and his uniform was mangled. He grabbed my hand, and I pulled him back to his feet.
“Ar...
2025-02-22 02:55:54 +0000 UTC View Post“This scroll will turn you into a great Imperial Knight,” Talindra happily said, holding the scroll above her head.
The parchment radiated a faint trail of mana, but hexes were deceitful. Regardless of the mana, the effects could be really powerful. Without going any further, the Silence Hex could restrain even a high-level warrior’s body.
The cadets exchanged excited glances, and for the first time that day, a glimmer of hope appeared on their faces.
“This scr...
2025-02-19 05:46:28 +0000 UTC View Post“This is the man that killed the Weasel,” Holst said.
The chatter had quietened with Holst’s first chimed in, but now it completely died. The woman in the flashy tabard, who was a few centimeters away from my face, jumped back like I had the plague.
“Everyone knows the Weasel was a fraud,” the woman stuttered. “He was just Ragna’s pet, you know, to show people he treated nobles and commoners alike. Right? That’s why the Weasel left Cadria after Ragna kicked the buc...
2025-02-15 08:56:42 +0000 UTC View PostLord Astur’s fingers tightened around the armrest of his chair. The wood creaked under the strain, but just before it could splinter, his grip eased and a slow breath escaped his lips. Astur poured himself another glass of whiskey and leaned back. He remained silent, measuring me. However, I understood him better than he understood me.
Joan had warned me that nobody in their right mind would refuse Lord Astur, but I now understood why. Astur couldn’t see beyond the System. He saw hi...
2025-02-12 01:41:04 +0000 UTC View PostI followed the aide into the main building of the Imperial Academy.
My eyes wandered through the place. The corridors were crowded with students dressed in black robes and martial clothing. Novices and Cadets. Behind each door was a classroom in the form of an amphitheater with a capacity of a hundred students. Some teachers wore the Library’s robes, others elegant suits and dresses or simple military attire.
The Academy’s curriculum was a mystery to the outside world, b...
2025-02-08 01:09:19 +0000 UTC View PostAN: big number, yay!
____
“Bucko! Those aren’t mountains!”
The white walls of the Royal City of Cadria appeared behind the hill, elegant and smooth as if carved in a single white block of stone. From afar, the walls looked just like the northern mountains in the background, but as we approached, I noticed a silvery mana barrier covering the wall from top to bottom and into the earth. I couldn’t imagine how much mana would’ve taken to enchant the whole thing. Farcre...
2025-02-04 23:10:25 +0000 UTC View PostAN: I will write a few chapters about the development of Whiteleaf Manor as bonus content. I felt it would mess with the narrative flow of the main story, but I still found it interesting enough to want to write it. I hope you enjoy it!
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The Marquis’ revenge was complete.
There were a few inevitable things in the universe: gravity, the passage of time, and taxes. When I first crossed the portal, I thought I would be free from the latter, but destiny proved me wrong.&nbs...
2025-01-31 22:51:49 +0000 UTC View PostBy the fifth day, I left behind the green pastures of the Vedras dukedom and entered the hilly passage that connected the northeast region to the royal territories. As we climbed the hills, the scenery changed from lush farmland to dry tundra grass and short, stumpy shrubs with thick leaves. Herds of hundreds of sheep grazed on the slopes like white and black patches against the yellow grass.
Vedras Dukedom and Farcrest Marquisate were located in the northeast region of the kingdom, a r...
2025-01-31 20:23:53 +0000 UTC View PostElincia was still sleeping while I prepared my backpack. [Invigoration] halved the amount of sleeping time I needed, so I was well-rested even after our nightly escapade. Dawn had already broken, and Elincia softly snored with the blankets up to her chin. She looked comfy, and for a moment, the desire to go back to bed almost got me.
I grabbed another change of clothes and put it in the backpack. There wasn’t much I needed—or wanted—to take with me.
Much like any...
2025-01-28 21:24:51 +0000 UTC View PostAfter sending the orphans to bed, we gathered in Elincia’s bedroom and rummaged through the stacks of letters the kids had sent over the past two years. The kids sent letters every month or every other month, depending on how busy they were. Sometimes, we got a group letter, but more often than not, each wrote a personal one. In two years, we collected more than fifty letters.
We read the letters from newest to oldest, expecting to find a clue to why Lord Astur summoned me. There were...
2025-01-24 23:18:21 +0000 UTC View Post