Edge walked back to the lodge with Trapper, since she had attended the meeting on behalf of Puppet Town’s beast-hunting association.
“What’s your take on the undead stampede?” He asked as they crossed the town square. “I ran into a monster that could reanimate corpses in the Savage Garden, and the Gardener had a skill that drove monsters mad, but I’ve never heard of anything on this scale before.”
“It sounds dangerous but should be manageable,” Trapper replied af...
2025-10-06 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Nick’s party exchanged a round of high-fives, savoring their accomplishment while checking out the shrine.
They were getting ready to leave when he realized something wasn’t sitting right with him. “This is a great resource, but it feels like we’re missing something. The System always places some opportunities out in the open, but the best rewards I’ve found were hidden and required considerable effort to obtain. Do any of you have a way to inspect the stones below our feet?...
2025-10-06 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Edge woke up in a fantastic mood.
The Claws were gone, the settlement was safe, and his friends were alive and well. It was a shame about what had happened to Earl and everyone who had died during the war, but Puppet Town had prevailed in the end and the future looked bright. While life on Ord would never be easy, they had weathered the storm and carved out a chance to grow strong enough to survive their new lives as settlers on the planet’s frontier.
After eating breakfast and ...
2025-10-03 17:00:08 +0000 UTC
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It was raining when Nick woke up—a hearty downpour that died down a few hours after dawn.
The badland’s heat returned in full force once the clouds blew past, leaving pools of steam scattered across the muddy soil. The ground would dry out before long, but the muck made him glad they had placed so many roads, which made it easy to get around town without tracking mud everywhere.
He ate a late breakfast in the mess hall and then chatted with his people while working out, which ...
2025-10-03 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Sakura opened her eyes with a groan, surrounded by impenetrable darkness.
She reached out and flipped a switch on the wall beside her bed, activating the series of magelights embedded into the ceiling of her underground lair. She was hungry, thirsty, and desperately needed to use the restroom, but her reservoir was full, and her injuries were far less painful than when she had fallen asleep.
It all became clear when she checked the clock on her way to the toilet, because Sakura ha...
2025-10-02 17:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Now that their business was complete, the senior alchemist was heading upstairs to drink with his apprentices, and he invited Edge to join them.
Edge was done shopping for the day and had never tasted alchemical liquor before, so he gratefully accepted the offer. He’d heard that in addition to boasting wondrous and unusual flavors, such concoctions could provide long-lasting benefits if you drank enough of them. Nothing comparable to the potency of a potion, but even a small boost cou...
2025-10-01 17:00:13 +0000 UTC
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An hour later, Nick had finished processing the rest of the committee’s requests, expanding Aurora’s industrial, military, and educational infrastructure.
The leader of Aurora has purchased:
5 General-Purpose Classrooms (Common).
1 Tailor’s Station (Common).
1 Weaver’s Station (Common).
1 Woodworking Station (Common).
1 Archery Range (Uncommon).
2025-10-01 17:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Edge needed to talk to Ander about the mountain of materials he’d picked up over the last few weeks, but the crafter was taking a few days off to recover from the war with the Claws. I’ll let him enjoy his rest and drop by the Forge a little later.
That left him with two stores on today’s shopping list, although he planned to visit the Night Sky Market the next time the monthly event rolled around.
After deciding on a destination, Edge strolled down the streets of P...
2025-09-30 17:00:11 +0000 UTC
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While Lilly went into the back to get everything ready, Ann kept Edge company as he browsed the magitech equipment filling the Mortium exchange.
It was a bit surreal that this arsenal of high-end gear had been sitting here gathering dust during the war with the Claws. However, every item in the exchange was regulated by the System. The skill gems wouldn’t work until they had been purchased, and the weapons and armor couldn’t be carried past the threshold.
Trying to steal them ...
2025-09-29 17:00:11 +0000 UTC
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Nick’s trip back to town was relatively uneventful.
He was approached by a pack of alien beasts that could swim in the soil, but Predatory Domain took care of the problem. Unleashing his killing intent sent the creatures fleeing in the other direction and that was the last he saw of them. This technique is handy as a deterrent as well as an attack. He nodded to himself in satisfaction.
When he entered the city limits and passed by the supply depots, he noticed the one b...
2025-09-29 17:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Before he decided on his first stop, Edge pulled up his profile one more time.
He already knew how much currency he had to work with, but ogling those mind-blowing numbers made his body tingle with the anticipatory rush of acquiring some serious hardware and major upgrades.
System Currency
Credits: 554,150
Mortium: 119
He stared at the screen for a good five minutes, rubbing his chin while figuring ...
2025-09-26 17:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Just when Nick thought his attack would land on target, the gems in the mage’s staff lit up and a magic barrier sprang to life—so fast that it must have been an innate property of the staff instead of another spell. Unlike Arcane Shield, this magic formed a hemisphere around the construct’s position, offering total coverage. Even still, the speedy spell caught the mage by surprise, causing it to look away at a critical moment.
While the construct was distracted, he fired two more,...
2025-09-26 17:00:08 +0000 UTC
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While he crossed through the hunters’ district, Edge pulled up his updates to peruse his gains from the decisive battle.
You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle up your core. Your new cycle is: 29.
You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle up your core. Your new cycle is: 30.
You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle up your core. Your new cycle is: 31.
You have accumula...
2025-09-25 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
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With his friends at his side, Edge stepped through the gate leading to Trapper’s lodge.
After spending so much time stuck in the Savage Garden, delving the Deep Gill-Grottos, and combating the Crimson Claws, part of him had been convinced he would never see this place again.
But at long last, they were back, and it felt so fucking good to be home.
The crew was wounded and weary, but they were alive and stronger than ever. The future was certain to be fill...
2025-09-24 17:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Three and a half stars, eh? Nick rubbed his chin while pondering the dynamics of this challenge.
In addition to facing off against a caster instead of a warrior, there were several key differences between this duel and his battle with the demon. It was rated a full star higher, which he hoped was due to the restrictions and rules and not just a raw measure of his opponent’s power. Most notably, the falling unconscious loss condition had been removed. If he was knocked out whi...
2025-09-24 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Yussuf’s body went still half a heartbeat before Tiburón breathed his last.
When he was sure both men were dead, Edge turned his gaze to the top of the wall. Earl had refused to leave before the fight was over despite his grievous wounds. While he was pale as morning mist and each breath came in ragged gasps, the sheriff was still conscious.
Their eyes met from across the battlefield. They nodded, then Earl let himself be carried to Doc’s clinic for surgery. When they realize...
2025-09-23 17:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Nick chatted with Cathy’s people for a while longer, finishing several bottles of whiskey along the way.
After a parting round of handshakes, he promised to visit again in a few weeks and invited them to stop by Aurora anytime. They gave him several bags of seeds to commemorate their alliance, and he began his trip home with a smile on his face.
He could have made it back by midnight if he sprinted while using Force Acceleration, but he decided to take his time and learn more ab...
2025-09-22 17:00:12 +0000 UTC
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Yussuf’s central chamber wasn’t anything like what Edge was expecting.
Unlike Ella and Roth, his core wasn’t centered around domination, sadism, or vile experimentation.
His inner world was an opulent chamber featuring a massive iron throne perched atop a polished marble dais. Other than the elegant stonework, the only furniture was a luxurious red rug that led from an open archway to the base of the throne. The perimeter of the room was ringed by ornate pillars instead of s...
2025-09-22 17:00:11 +0000 UTC
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Tiburón and Yussuf were dying, and Edge had a decision to make.
He only had time to steal skills from one man, and both elites had some incredible powers at their command. He needed to act fast, but he couldn’t afford to squander such a valuable opportunity by making a poor choice.
He stepped into his inner world to take advantage of the time dilation while he pondered one of the important decisions of his life. He had to hurry, but he could spend two minutes thinking it throug...
2025-09-19 17:00:11 +0000 UTC
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Edge Vasher, scion of Skill-Eater, and Yussuf the Red, leader of the Crimson Claws, faced each other on the field of battle.
Both warriors were radiating magical might like a pair of nuclear reactors. Edge had more mana at his disposal, but Yussuf’s skills had reached higher ranks, leaving the men evenly matched in that moment.
However, the warlord’s evolution had granted him a permanent infusion of power, while Edge’s ultimate only had 45 seconds left on the clock.
Hi...
2025-09-18 17:00:08 +0000 UTC
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By this point, Edge was running low on magicytes again.
Using Warlord’s Mantle to boost the sheriff’s attributes and blunt Yussuf’s blows had let Earl close the distance and engage his rival in hand-to-hand combat, but the Claw’s attacks were draining Edge’s reserves every time one slipped past Earl’s guard.
He went ahead and ate his last mana seed, saving his potions and Overdrive to set up a killing blow. He was planning to rush in and join the melee the moment Wind ...
2025-09-17 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Author's Note: I thought it would be fun to read these chapters together, so I'm posting Friday's chapter now too. The next scheduled release is Monday the 22nd.
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Nick’s battle with Ella had left him with a great deal to contemplate.
He had integrated a side of himself he’d never realized was there, discovered a way to condition his Psi and use i...
2025-09-17 17:00:08 +0000 UTC
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When Blaze realized the supportive magic bolstering his body had cut off and his crew wasn’t returning to assist him anytime soon, he redoubled his assault—desperate to finish off Puppet Town’s champions before the situation devolved any further.
Unfortunately, the man had some mana seeds in his belt pouch, and he ate one now to top off his reserves. As the firebug’s reservoir refilled, he issued a maniac grin while getting ready to let loose with the full power of his lethal sk...
2025-09-16 17:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Now that reinforcements had arrived and Jumo’ team had the backup they needed, Edge could focus on finishing off the strike leaders without having to worry about his friends.
His body was still sore from the scalding steam bath, but his mobility had been restored, and the pain was gradually fading away as Regeneration worked its magic. He set his sights on Blaze, using Shadow Play to circle around to the firebug’s blind side while scanning for the landshark out of the corner of his ...
2025-09-15 17:00:12 +0000 UTC
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While Nick struggled with everything he had to withstand the crushing assault of Ella’s killing intent, a stray corner of his awareness was analyzing the experience with a clinical detachment.
As mind-bogglingly intense as this moment was, he realized that he had felt this pressure before—experienced it to a lesser extent during some of the toughest battles of his life. While that was an interesting revelation, it wasn’t important right now.
What mattered was the speck of hi...
2025-09-15 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
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As the landshark’s grotesque profile passed overhead, Edge ignited his core and hit the strike leader with a fully flared Repel.
The skill shoved Tiburón’s flying form a few feet to one side… directly into the path of Blaze’s Flamethrower. The transformed warrior screamed as his skin sizzled, but the damage didn’t even slow him down. He dipped into the dirt while glaring at Edge with the promise of murder shining in his eyes, then vanished without a trace.
Tiburón surp...
2025-09-12 17:00:17 +0000 UTC
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Nick walked toward the bathhouse with a smile on his face, eager to experience the long-awaited bliss of soaking his muscles in hot water.
The structure was located at the intersection of the inner and residential districts—a convenient spot for people to take a dip at the end of a long day as they made their way home. Once Aurora has more than a single barracks to its name, at any rate.
The bathhouse consisted of a large changing area with lockers along one wall, a row...
2025-09-12 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Edge scanned the battlefield as he made his final approach—heart pounding like a taiko drum.
The ramparts were packed with warriors battling for everything they were worth. More jailbirds were concentrated along the base of the wall, waiting for space to join the melee. He could hear the clamor of conflict raging inside the settlement, but out here, the fighting was taking place in three key areas.
Jumo’s group had launched their assault, hitting the army from behind. Earl was...
2025-09-11 17:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Edge sprinted across the final stretch of grass between his position and the army attacking Puppet Town.
The sun had set a short while ago, but by this point, his eyes could pierce the twilight of dusk without the use of his skills. Even if they couldn’t, the battlefield was illuminated by a series of magelights running along the settlement’s northern wall, which meant his team could fight at full strength even if their Perception was lower than his own.
Flashes in every color...
2025-09-10 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Nick’s dreams were accompanied by the rhythm of rain tapping against the canopy of his tent. Sophia and Liz had both been in them, but by the time he rubbed the sleep from the corners of his eyes, the details had faded away.
He opened the flap and stepped outside, enjoying the refreshing sensation of cold water dripping down his skin. The drizzle cut off when he walked into the hollow mesa, thanks to a barrier one of the water mages had raised to keep everything inside from getting so...
2025-09-10 17:00:09 +0000 UTC
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