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 o...
2025-10-06 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostNick’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 requ...
2025-10-06 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostEdge 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 ...
2025-10-03 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostIt 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.
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 asle...
2025-10-02 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostNow 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...
2025-10-01 17:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostAn 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). 2025-10-01 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post
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 mon...
2025-09-30 17:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostWhile 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 purcha...
2025-09-29 17:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostNick’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 satis...
2025-09-29 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostBefore 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 2025-09-26 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post
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, causin...
2025-09-26 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostWhile 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 sufficie...
2025-09-25 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostWith 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 ...
2025-09-24 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostThree 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 pow...
2025-09-24 17:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostYussuf’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 battlef...
2025-09-23 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostNick 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 midni...
2025-09-22 17:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostYussuf’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 ar...
2025-09-22 17:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostTiburón 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...
2025-09-19 17:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostEdge 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 ...
2025-09-18 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostBy 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 an...
2025-09-17 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor'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 integrate...
2025-09-17 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostWhen 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 ref...
2025-09-16 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostNow 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 ci...
2025-09-15 17:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostWhile 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...
2025-09-15 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostAs 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 Edg...
2025-09-12 17:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostNick 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 ...
2025-09-12 17:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostEdge 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 thre...
2025-09-11 17:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostEdge 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 ...
2025-09-10 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostNick’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 m...
2025-09-10 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post