dirk_grey

Mage's Cultivation Journey 14

The sale of the herbs went without a hitch if one ignored the huge forced discount we had to take, netting us one tael rather than two and a half taels. But, it was worth everything I had observed on the line. 

Especially since, despite the huge line, no one had been selling truly valuable stuff. Even the tael we got was near the higher end. It might mean that there was a better chan...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 13

Evening wasn’t too far away when we arrived at the outskirts of Dongxi. The sun had long begun its lazy descent toward the horizon, coloring the tall stone walls of the town with a distinct amber color. 

The town was larger than I had expected. Even with the descriptions from the kid, I expected more of an outpost than a proper town, colored by the poor state of the village. It see...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 12

“… Alright, another punch,” I called, once again focusing on the transformation, trying to figure out what was missing.

It was already noon, the sun shining strong above us, and we had been working since dawn, trying to figure out the basis of the transformation of the internal energy. It was proving to be a frustrating process.

From everything I had observed, I had been con...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 11

I skipped a step when I noticed a nice spot ahead of us. A beautiful vista, with a stream that was passing through, large enough for fish to live in. And, after living off porridge for such a long time, the idea of a change was tempting. 

However, a culinary shakeup wasn’t the only reason the spot looked appealing. 

It had been a week since our trek began, and it was goi...

And, I'm back!!!

Mage's Cultivation Journey 10

I split my attention between Yu Xing and the cave entrance while I let my body recover from the exertion. There had been no progress when midnight had come and passed, so I decided to call it a night. “That’s enough for the night. Let’s stop here,” I said. 

“Shall I take the first shift, my —” he started, the last part I killed with another gesture. 

“No ne...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 9

“As you wish, my lord,” he replied when I asked him to flare his internal energy, though he was tenser than I expected. 

The reason, I understood only when he shifted to a punching stance. “No, you don’t have to release it. Just gather it inside you without moving it.” 

He looked confused. “But, how can you examine it if I don’t release it externally?” he a...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 8

“… So, two months,” I said once the kid gave me a detailed breakdown of everything that happened, including the light show and other commotion my arrival had brought. “Longer than I expected.” 

He nodded. “I’m sorry, my lord, but this lowly one lacks the ability to summon a doctor, and carrying you there —” 

I cut him off. “No, it wasn’t a criticism. ...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 7

Wang Bi’s knees ached from kneeling on the stone floor, the jagged cracks beneath him biting through cloth to dig into his flesh, making him bleed, but he didn’t dare to move. He was alone, but he didn’t dare to, not when waiting for the leader of the Black Wind Gang. 

He focused on the dim torchlight dancing on the rough walls, hoping to forget his pain. But, the battle of the...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 6

If it wasn’t for my ability to command my bodily functions to near perfection — another peripheral benefit of my mage training — my heartbeat would have been exploding further with each step, reducing the distance between me and the unwelcome intruders. 

It wasn’t just that, if my bluff had been caught, I would have ended up dead. It was the fact that, all he needed was to ma...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 5

As he looked at the three martial artists standing against him, Yu Xing knew that he was in mortal danger, but that wasn’t enough to make him lose his composure. He was familiar with mortal danger. He faced it whenever he climbed Kunze mountains, where he could meet his end under the claws of an errant savage beast. 

He just didn’t expect it to come from a disaster he had left be...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 4

Waking up was a disorienting experience, one that I couldn’t get used to, even though it had been a week since I had woken up in a broken old cottage, tended by a teenager. As for how long it had been since the chain of events that ended up in my disappearance from the flying military fortress, I didn’t have the slightest idea.

While a week had passed since my awakening, I had done n...

Blacksmith vs. the System 253

While the rest of the council spread to handle their missions, mine was clear. To hunt any monster that might represent a threat to the town, and and spend the rest of the time desperately forging high-grade weapons to enhance the might of our elites. 

Initially, we had more than enough weapons to arm them, but with most of them shipped to the other towns, our reserves once again dip...

Blacksmith vs. the System 252

For a moment, silence ruled, no one taking the opportunity to speak. The situation was too complicated, too risky. 

It looked like I had to take the lead. “Liam, what’s the situation with our metal reserves, and what’s our current production capabilities for melee weaponry?” 

Liam looked surprised. “Are we going to focus on the melee weapons?” 

“We...

Blacksmith vs. the System 251

Interlude: Leona Asterion

The scent of scorched mana hung thick in the air as Leona Asterion stood atop the highest spire of the little outpost that carried her family name, one that the locals referred to as a city. An overestimation that, at any other time, would have put a smile on her face, but right now, she only felt a helpless kind of fury. 

The source o...

Pausing Billing for a month

Hi everyone. I need to take a bit longer hiatus than I planned, so I'm pausing my billing for a month. I tried to juggle multiple things, but ultimately, it's not fair for you, my dear readers. So, I'll take a break and handle everything appropriately.

It means you won't be charged for a month, starting today.

I'll continue updating my stories once again on June 14.

Mage's Cultivation Journey 3

Yu Xing was a poor village boy, barely sixteen, living alone in a nameless little village near Kunze Mountains, making a living by gathering medicinal plants that the doctors and apothecaries in the city turned into medicine. 

He hadn’t always lived that way. Two years ago, he had managed to gather enough silver by selling his six acres of farming land to join a martial arts class...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 2

I paused for a moment, waiting for his verdict. 

“There’s no need to fear, little rat,” he spoke, his accent weird enough to suggest he learned the language not too long ago … or simply didn’t bother correcting it. His insult, I took as good news. “You just need to show me the way, and I swear on my … path that I won’t kill you.” 

“Thank you, master,”...

Mage's Cultivation Journey 1

They say the best hiding places are the ones nobody in their right mind would enter willingly.

But, I wondered whether it was worth it as I stared out the viewport of the floating military magical fortress: an eight-mile-long slab of rock, every inch of it enchanted enough to purchase a small town, studded with mana cannons, defensive towers that hosted shield wards, and giant arcane core...

Blacksmith vs. the System 250

When I arrived at the meeting room that we always used for larger meetings, I met with a cacophony of voices. Most of the people I requested were there. Harold, Liam, Rosie, Maria, Eleanor, five of my students; with Soren and his brother Ryan being the only exceptions — which suggested that my realization about the mystic nature of the distraction and all that implied had arrived too late.&nb...

Blacksmith vs. the System 249

Despite my expectations, there had been no attack even after three days, which slowly turned the infusion of energy from a curse to an advantage. We rotated the divisions of our growing army, with elites targeting lower floors while the new recruits targeted higher floors. 

While it meant we were dedicating almost five thousand people to two dungeons at a time to keep the corruption ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 248

It took a minute to gather the war council, consisting of me, Eleanor, Maria, Harold, Terry, and Rosie. 

I started speaking. “We have an emergency,” I said. 

“What’s that spell?” Terry asked, pointing at the sky. “It feels … ominous.” 

“Because it is,” I responded. “Whatever that spell is, the mysterious energy density in the environment ha...

Blacksmith vs. the System 247

Once I had learned the key features of Spencer’s new skill, I immediately canceled all my meetings for the day unless it was an actual emergency, ignoring Harold’s annoyed grumbling in the process. 

But what was the point of being the King if I couldn’t even skip a meeting in the process? I was filled with excitement once I arrived at my Forge, ready to create a similar setup, ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 246

For a moment, I paused, considering all the implications of the latest discovery, my mind filled with the various implications. 

Eleanor spoke first. “Why don’t you show me what’s so special about this new skill?”

Spencer raised his hand. I counted twenty runes appearing in the air. Most of them were familiar, the only exception being the three central runes. But, the f...

Blacksmith vs. the System 245

Flames raged around me as I watched without blinking. A part of me wondered what it told me about my life when an inferno that could consume a decent part of a town if left unattended didn’t even earn a blink.  

Did I qualify as one of those crazy scientists that movies loved to stereotype? 

“You seem lost,” Maria asked. “What are you thinking?” 

...

Blacksmith vs. the System 244

It was well past midnight when the dinner meeting came to an end, leaving me finally alone with Rosie and my students. “Finally, “ Logan growled, collapsing on a couch the moment the last guest departed. “Is it wrong that I want to fight in the dungeon rather than deal with such a mess?” 

“It’s perfectly normal,” I responded. “At least you didn’t get blindsided by a...

Blacksmith vs. the System 243

“Y-you’re Lady Maria,” Jessica gasped, surprised by the declaration. “The elemental mage?” 

“Yes, and you just insulted me to my face,” Maria responded, a subtle pressure radiating off her. It was not Charisma, but the sheer natural presence of an Ascended. 

Interestingly, the pressure, rather than scaring Jessica, made her expression shift to a steely gaze, ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 242

It took a while for Maria to recover. “You can’t be serious!” she exploded. 

“Why not?” I said.

“T-trying to model the spells using math, it’s impossible!” she declared. “Spells are not just structures. They are more art than science. Then, there’s the unpredictability of mana.” 

I smirked. “Hey, it worked for Meditation.” 

“Tha...

Blacksmith vs. the System 241

“How do you want to start?” I asked. While I could be rather controlling when it came to experimenting, that didn’t mean I would just ignore an expert. And, when it came to magic, especially fire magic, there was not even a question about who was the expert. 

She smiled. “Let’s start with how you taught me. Cast ten fire bolts, unmodified.” 

“Establishing a r...

Blacksmith vs. the System 240

After assigning the most urgent tasks at hand, I decided to take a trip over the expanding territory. Since it was barely dark, the buildup of mysterious energy was limited, giving me a chance to take a look at the other projects. Two in particular, the steam mana-condensers, and the protective shields. 

I decided to examine the new mana shields, two of them already looming over the ...