Vivi soared through the sky. Her flame wings beat back the clouds as she rushed forward at top speed.
Usually, this kind of energy expenditure would be considered reckless and putting her at risk. Now, she had no time to care. Smoke rose in the horizon. The smoke of Ouagadougou—the capita...
2023-04-07 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostJack emerged from the tunnel with a full breath of fresh air.
“Ahh,” he said in mock relief. “Nothing beats a good old desert.”
The Village Ring, unlike what its name indicated, was not a village. It was a scorching desert striped with red and brown sand, complete with a large...
2023-04-06 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostJack appeared in the middle of the shrine with a stumble. The moment reality finished playing around, he scanned his surroundings.
Destruction. The skeleton by the corner was the only thing left untouched. The rest of the shrine was carnage, like someone took a sledgehammer and went to town...
2023-04-05 17:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostI've been looking forward to this chapter for a while now. Enjoy!
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A huge circle of darkness was superimposed on Jack’s vision. It was close and far away at the same time. He could sense it just before his eyes, a threat of cosmic scale, but he could also see stars orbiting it in...
2023-04-04 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostAs the last of Jack’s flame whisked away with a final spark of infinite sadness, gentle warmth filled his entire being, suffocating him, completing him, burying him under power the likes of which he couldn’t even begin to imagine.
His world turned green, a plain of infinite vitality, a ...
2023-04-03 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostHis arms was leaden, his body coal. Weakness suffused him, but his Indomitable Body pressed on, guided forward like a precise blade. He was only fighting two robots now—one attacking, one buried under his onslaught of strikes.
He feinted an attack to the right. The defending robot didn’...
2023-04-02 16:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostHappy new month, everyone! As always, thank you for your support, and enjoy the chapter!
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He burst with power. His frustration became a deep roar, echoing through the stone walls of the cavern. Suddenly, the previously spacious battlefield seemed cramped, not leaving him much room ...
2023-04-01 16:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThere will be 2 weekend chapters again, both on Saturday and Sunday. I'm pushing to stay high on RR's PtW -- and also, come on, I wouldn't leave you on these cliffhangers.
We'll resume normal posting starting next week. Enjoy!
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As the voice finished ringing, the mists receded...
2023-03-31 16:37:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe moment the voice boomed out, ancient and resounding, Jack’s world changed. He felt the familiar lurch of teleportation for an instant before everything stabilized again.
He wasn’t in a shrine anymore. He stood alone in the middle of a large, dome-shaped room, like an upturned bowl. ...
2023-03-30 16:35:06 +0000 UTC View PostA goblin stood in the middle of the high-tech room. The contrast was almost jarring.
Its bare green feet were planted on the immaculate marble floor. It was green, child-sized, and covered in brown rags. Its teeth were sharp, like a dog’s, its eyes were dark beads of hatred, while it rubb...
2023-03-29 16:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe space behind the door was a deep, thick darkness. At first, Jack’s enhanced senses didn’t pick up the slightest hint of light coming from beyond.
Thankfully, they had a torch. Jack waved it before the door, revealing a new corridor, but it was nothing like the tunnels they’d been ...
2023-03-28 16:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe ancient door remained stubbornly shut, its exposed metal glittering in the dwindling torchlight. Jack tried pushing, pulling, even sliding the door. Nothing worked.
“Guess I have to break it,” he concluded after a five-second analysis.
“Oh, give me a rest,” Nauja intervene...
2023-03-27 16:40:01 +0000 UTC View PostJack remembered falling. He tumbled through the air, struggling to control his descent through waves of crippling exhaustion, but it was difficult. His body was malfunctioning. His Dao, in disarray.
He accelerated for several seconds. By the end, he thought he was a goner.
Then, he cr...
2023-03-27 16:39:01 +0000 UTC View PostJack’s feet thundered on solid rock. The light had disappeared by now, letting only his weak darkvision steer him away from walls and outcroppings. Nauja was a step in front, running with large strides as she led him deeper in. Jack really hoped she knew the way—and that she could see.
...
2023-03-27 16:38:00 +0000 UTC View PostFour people emerged from the trees; four cultivators led by the Animal Kingdom minotaur. The jungle went quiet as if the animals understood what was about to go down. A breeze came from behind the cultivators, making their long robes flutter, and pulling Jack and Nauja’s hair back.
“Can...
2023-03-27 16:37:01 +0000 UTC View PostFive-chapter batch release! Woohoo!
Every once in a while, I enjoy treating you guys. Have fun!
P.S.: The chapters will come at 10-minute intervals, so give it some time if you're fast.
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“Done!” Jack shouted, pulling open the curtain. The same little cabin waited fo...
2023-03-27 16:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe two fists clashed in a terrifying explosion. Both bore the Dao of the Fist. They were strong, unrelenting, indomitable. None backed down. Jack’s knuckles ground against the copy’s, and all the amassed power erupted in a ring-shaped shockwave that blasted into the ground.
The grass d...
2023-03-26 16:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe next few minutes passed quietly. Jack and Nauja were resting on the ground next to the dead t-rex, chests rising and falling with laborious breaths, while Brock kept watch from a high branch.
Nothing disturbed their rest until Nauja stood up. “Let’s go,” she said. “Can you walk?...
2023-03-25 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostWith a few hand signals from Nauja, Jack crept towards a fern. Brock hid in the faraway canopy, ready to assist when and if he could. The barbarian herself climbed on a tree branch. She would start shooting the t-rex from afar to weaken it, and then Jack would ambush it as it approached. That was...
2023-03-24 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostQuick good news: This weekend, there will be a chapter both on Saturday and Sunday. Hurray!
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Jack and Nauja paced through the jungle. The vegetation was dense enough to limit their sight but sparse enough to allow easy passage, while the cave ceiling a hundred miles in the air rema...
2023-03-23 17:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostJack awoke to a pair of strong hands shaking him.
“Orgh,” he said groggily, rolling over.
“Bro.” A commanding voice reached his ears.
“Ugh… Five more minutes?”
“No.”
“Damn, man.” A yawn. “Is it really time to go?”
“Yes.”
Jack...
2023-03-22 17:36:59 +0000 UTC View PostThe story got its first advanced review in a while on Royal Road! It feels nice to be compared to such big stories.
If you have a spare few seconds, consider taking a read and upvoting, please -- provided you agree with it. It helps a lot.
Nauja led Jack and Brock through the jungle, ducking under long leaves and parting bushes. The path was easy to follow. After some point, Brock abandoned the ground and began swinging across branches, making excited monkey cries all the while.
“He’s cute,” Nauja said, a smile playing ...
2023-03-20 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe ants are dead. Victory is ours. Long live science. Now, I shall celebrate by eating and leaving crumbs on the table.
However, there will be no chapter tomorrow. Things have been a bit hectic these days with personal stuff so I fell slightly behind schedule. Sorry!
On the bright si...
2023-03-17 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostSmall change in previous chapters: The cave ceiling in the previous ring wasn't actually a couple miles high, as I wrote before, but a hundred miles. It is taller than the actual sky of Earth. There were even clouds and stuff. I think that's better imagery.
Plus, I would reaaaally struggle ...
2023-03-16 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostJack yanked at the staff. Hard.
The chamber erupted into chaos instantly. The queen screeched—a harsh, grating sound, the likes of which he’d never heard before. Chittering came from all around, feet stomping on dirt as the ants frantically darted for the entrance of the chamber, assumi...
2023-03-15 17:36:59 +0000 UTC View PostJack and Brock peeked from behind a boulder. The anthill lay right before their eyes, a hundred-foot-tall mound of dirt smelling vaguely of metal. There were black ants running on the sides of the anthill, but far fewer than before. Jack’s hunting had seriously lowered their numbers.
Besi...
2023-03-14 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostI thought I had won the First Ant War. I hadn't seen one of them in three days.
However, it turns out they were just biding their time. Hiding, repopulating, and training. I hadn't exterminated them, only taught them to hide better. When I left the remains of a profiterole in the trash, the...
2023-03-13 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View Post“You have got to be kidding me,” Jack said in disbelief.
A hundred feet below him, the giant grinned, revealing a set of sharp, yellow teeth. Its eyes stared into Jack’s, and there was no emotion there, only malice.
Forest Giant, Level 122
“Great. And...
“Holy shit!” Jack whispered. “Brock!”
A second face emerged from the leaves, right next to his. Nobody would notice them in such a heated battle, anyway.
The giant roared again, shaking the entire forest. It raised its club high, then brought it down on the minotaur, who raise...
2023-03-10 17:36:00 +0000 UTC View Post