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[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 34: Town Meeting

Edge stepped onto the public green two minutes before Dialla was scheduled to make her address.

In what was becoming a regular occurrence, the entire population of Puppet Town was spread out across the grass, ringing the platform that had been erected in the middle of the open area. He scanned the crowd to find his crew and squeezed in between Trapper and Violet, just as Dialla took the stage.

Not long after, the mayor walked up to the microphone and waved to the crowd. “Hello, ...

[LotMG3] Chapter 108: Powering Up

When he emerged from the portal, Nick found himself standing in a small stone room with Devin at his side. There were a couple of beds in one corner, along with a table, two chairs, and a watercooler.

“Thank god, it’s a safe room.” Devin sighed, pulled up a chair, and began wiping the muck off his boots.

Nick sat down beside him, then opened his menu to see how long they had until the next ordeal began. After learning that this was just a one-hour rest stop, he moved on to r...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 33: Sakura Unmasked II

Ah, hell. She really does know everything.

Having someone voice his deepest secret sent a cascade of adrenaline coursing through his veins. If Edge didn’t like the next words that passed Sakura’s lips, he was going to have to kill her after all. He tried to keep his intentions off his face and out of his tone as he got ready to ignite his core and hit her as hard as he could.

Before he embarked on a course from which there would be no turning back, he decided to answe...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 32: Sakura Unmasked I

Edge’s curiosity grew with every step he took as he passed through the hunters’ district, crossed a few side streets, and entered the residential quarter.

It was the side of town where he had spent the least amount of time, since he had slept at the Pioneer before joining Trapper’s crew and at the lodge after. While many of the crafters, merchants, and hunting crews lived where they worked, the residential quarter was home to the lion’s share of the town’s population. The dist...

[LotMG 3] Chapter 107: A Familiar Voice

Left with no other option, the men discussed tactics while inspecting their gear.

They needed to be ready to go when the other parties made their move, which would happen sometime within the next fifteen minutes by the look of things. Nick was planning to blow through his mana to create an opening, then use Force Acceleration to reach the stairs while Devin unleashed his flames to drive the wraiths back.

They began to advance, getting as close as they could to the swamp surroundin...

[LotMG3] Chapter 106: The Third Floor

When Nick opened his eyes, he was floating. Not drifting across the vastness of space but bobbing in the air.

He knew that he was back in his body because his body hurt—his limbs so stiff and sore that he could barely move them. All of which left him wondering how he was resisting gravity’s embrace. While his head and shoulders were supported by something bulky and firm, his arms and legs were dangling down toward the ground.

He groaned, thoughts slowly sharpening as ...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 31: Big News

Edge sat down, limbs shaking with exhaustion now that the adrenaline from the fight was fading away. Before Trapper’s crew started slicing the scorpions into manageable pieces, they took a break to recover while checking out their post-battle updates.

You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle up your core. Your new cycle is: 17.

You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle up your core. Your new cycle is: 18.

...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 30: Powder Keg

Dialla blew an errant strand of hair out of her face while staring at the papers scattered across her desk. Coordinating with the various organizations that kept Puppet Town running had always been a full-time job. Now that they were restructuring the settlement’s industries and economy, not to mention training a militia and teaching everyone how to defend themselves, she was busier than ever.

Although she was slammed, she had energy to spare, thanks to the core Trapper had talked her...

[LotMG3] Chapter 105: Visions from the Void II

Nick’s vision of Earth faded away, and he himself floating in the void once more. This time, he wore a smile on his face. He was glad to know that the lemurs were safe. That his planet was adapting to life in the multiverse, although it had changed greatly during his absence.

And that wasn’t the only good news. His connection to his body was stronger than before, and the haze enshrouding his mind was gradually lifting. He had no idea how much time had passed since he’d awoken in t...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 29: Elemental Blade

Edge snapped back into his own skin, gathered his will, and used his ultimate ability a second time.

When he found himself standing inside the beast’s core, the jungle had wilted considerably during his absence. Extraction had done some serious damage, but since he was planning on killing the creature anyway, that wasn’t a problem. The defoliation had the side effect of increasing his visibility, which helped him pick out the next power he wanted to steal.

After making sure th...

[LotMG3] Chapter 104: Visions from the Void I

When he regained consciousness, Nick found himself floating in the space between worlds.

An infinite starscape stretched out before his gaze, engulfing him in the celestial splendor that he had experienced several times before. He tried to remember how he had gotten here, but his memory was muddled. He knew that he had suffered a traumatic injury to his brain, but the details were fuzzy. He felt a strange sense of detachment when he focused on his body—like he was only halfway connect...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 28: Quagmire

Trapper reached down and touched the soil with both hands. She ignited her core, and a raging torrent of mana surged out of her reactor, through her fingertips, and into the ground. It was an incredible release of magic—the most Edge had ever seen from a skill that wasn’t part of a combo.

For the next tension-saturated second, nothing happened. Then the soil began to change. The beast started sinking as the dirt took on a liquid sheen—folds of earth running like wax as the ground ...

[LotMG3] Chapter 103: A Little Fun

“Before we start, why don’t I sweeten the pot? If you can last three minutes, I won’t torture your friends before I finish them off.”

Nick and Devin had been circling around to launch another attack. They came to a skidding stop when Alma reached out with both hands, accompanied by a surge of bloodlust that made him break out in a cold sweat.

As the other pirates scrambled back to open more space, mana came streaming out of her core. Flows of incandescent red wound their w...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 27: Frenetic Melee

This marked the beginning of a frenetic melee.

The crew blocked and struck and dodged like mad, forcing the scorpion to repeatedly use Harden to prevent it from taking damage. The hunters were draining the beast’s mana faster than they were spending their own, but a single mistake would result in a critical injury. For now, the scales were balanced, and the stalemate continued for another breathless minute.

The creature had no problem evading Edge’s attacks or parrying them wi...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 26: Brutal Brawl

The furious beasts charged straight for the hunters, seeking revenge for the fallen member of their family. In a fleeting handful of heartbeats, they would arrive, and a life-and-death struggle would ensue. The crew had no choice other than to engage the scorpions in a head-to-head brawl, instead preparing the field and ambushing them from a position of strength.

This was a bad situation by any reckoning, but there was one entity present who was thrilled by this turn of events. Skill-Ea...

[LotMG3] Chapter 102: Killing Time

The pirate’s demeanor was chillingly casual. Although she radiated a palpable air of menace, she showed no sign that she was preparing to attack as she pointed over her shoulder.

“There’s no point trying to get past me. This stairwell doesn’t lead to the brig—it leads to the treasury. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, little mice, but you’re not going to rescue your friends. You’re going to join them in the great beyond.

“Don’t worry, they’re still alive… ...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 25: Hunter Hunted

The crew parked the wagon, then circled the grove from a distance while deciding where to launch their attack.

Now that they knew where the scorpion was hiding, Riller used his drone to observe it from the air and make sure that they hadn’t been spotted. Once they had picked their point of ambush—a place where they could peer through a patch of tall grass but were hard to see from the grove—the crew settled down to wait. All they needed was another animal to use as bait and their ...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 24: Ambush Predator

Finding the lair of their quarry was a promising development, but the hunters weren’t ready to make their move.

They needed to make sure the beast was home, then learn everything they could about its capabilities—both the natural properties of its body and the skills at its disposal. The most reliable method was to wait for prey to pass through the grove and then watch what happened.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any sizable critters heading toward the spring, although there ...

[LotMG3] Chapter 101: Bloody Surprise

At the top of the stairs was an expansive middle deck.

Judging by the voices in the distance, one corridor led to the barracks and galley. The other featured rows of individual chambers. Since they didn’t know which way to go and this part of the ship was filled with enemies, the duo ducked into an empty room and closed the door behind them, listening for clues while determining their next move.

Although it was hard to stay still under the circumstances, eventually, their patien...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 23: Buzzing Blanket

Now that they were in the area, the crew’s next objective was to investigate the site where the beast had ambushed the resource-gathering team. Trapper was hoping to uncover some clues regarding its powers and proclivities while looking for signs that would point them in the direction of its den.

The spot in question was a sparse grove of trees. It was a place where the local beasts came to treat their wounds. Their droppings provided nutrients for a variety of medicinal herbs, which ...

[LotMG3] Chapter 100: Stowaways

While Nick was eavesdropping on the crew, he learned that this voyage would take a little over a day. With any luck, their trip would prove to be just as uneventful as it was uncomfortable, since the pirates had no reason to disturb the crates while the warship was in the air.

Although the party was divided and surrounded by enemies, he felt relatively safe. At least compared to the danger they would face while trying to escape the ship without being noticed.

However, in this inst...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 22: Scorpion Hunt

After stopping to say hello to Mel and the young deputy she was training, the crew passed through the gate and stepped out onto the Ivory Plains.

The white and yellow grass that gave the biome its name was rippling in the late summer breeze, rolling and heaving like waves on the ocean. The magicytes shimmering in the air were thicker than before, adding dazzling patterns of living magic to the mix.

The endless prairie was more magnificent than ever, growing more deadly and beautif...

[LotMG3] Chapter 99: Breaking and Entry

After Veronica signaled that the coast was clear, everyone scrambled up to join her on top of the wall.

They only had five minutes until the next guard passed through, so they had to move fast. Even with the spotlight-style magelights positioned along the interior, it was hard to see inside the base with all the fog and rain. Nick hoped that there weren’t any pirates in the open area below, since they probably wouldn’t be carrying torches and would be hard to spot in these condition...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 21: Strategy Session

When the crew noticed that Edge had picked up their orders from the Forge, they rushed outside to help him unload the rest. They were excited to check out their custom weapons and thrilled that everything was ready in time for today’s hunt.

The hunters spent a few minutes admiring their gear, then went inside to change into their new armor. When they got back, they started loading the wagon and finalizing their preparations to head into the field. They were only planning to be out on ...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 20: New Armor

After they took a seat, Ander opened a tall box that was sitting on the table and pulled out a leather hat.

It was a classic, western-style affair—like the cowboys of old Earth wore while riding across the prairie. It featured a wide brim and a rounded crown. It was stitched together from padamas leather, but something had been applied to lighten the color, leaving it a creamy yellow that Edge found quite striking. He ran his eyes across the decorative band ringing the base of the cro...

[LotMG3] Chapter 98: Good News and Bad News

Regardless of the details, this island was big. By the time that midday rolled around, the oasis was nothing but a distant memory. They wouldn’t have made it without the water in Nick’s bag and Sophia’s venom to freeze it, and even then, they had to stop every few hours to recover from the grueling ordeal. Fortunately, some of the cacti were huge—large enough to let the entire party rest within their shadows.

Team Earth crossed the dunes in line formation. Whoever was l...

[LotMG3] Chapter 97: Hidden Upgrade Unlocked

For the next five seconds, Nick continued to sink.

At that point, someone must have cut through the ropes, because he began rocketing back up toward the surface. He realized that he had been so focused on surviving the crash that he hadn’t considered the full implications of making his pack lighter than air. If he didn’t do something fast, he was about to go flying into the sky.

He could pull the quick-release straps and slide his arms free from his pack. But if he did, he wou...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 19: Ranged Attack

Edge crossed the street leading to the crafters’ quarter with a smile on his face. He was eager to acquire his first ranged weapon and some armor that was a considerable upgrade from his original set. Hopefully, I won’t get blown up or swallowed by a giant predator again anytime soon. Or ever, for that matter.

When he made it to the Forge, there was another long line heading out the front door before wrapping around the block. This time, he just walked up to the counter and...

[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 18: Senior Alchemist

Ten minutes later, Edge was standing outside the gate leading to the alchemists’ ward. Since he was a cored member of the town in good standing, the guards waved him in after confirming his identity and warning him not to go anywhere other than the main storefront located a few blocks ahead.

He walked past a group of people wearing lab coats who were sitting at a bench, eating lunch while debating various theories. There were laborers pulling handcarts, making deliveries to the dozens...

[LotMG3] Chapter 96: Crash Course

Nick called upon his Arctic Clarity, burying the urge to panic beneath a wave of frozen focus. He shut out his awareness that the ship was going to crash. That it was going to be completely ablaze well before that happened. That if he didn’t come up with a solution to this desperate dilemma sometime within the next thirty seconds, they were all going to die.

Instead, he reviewed the situation at maximum speed, drawing on every point of Mind and Creativity to formulate a plan. He consi...