Until now, Edge had used only Overdrive as a finishing move.
It was generally the wisest course of action, given the ability’s considerable downside. But this was a fight that he couldn’t win using conventional tactics. Not with fifty monsters howling for his blood, along with a stage-t...
2025-04-04 17:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a disorienting, intensely weird moment of viewing his body from the inside, then Nick snapped back into his own skin.
While he still had some measure of control, he reached into his pack and withdrew Blightbane, holding the hilt in a white-knuckled death grip. The instant that his...
2025-04-04 17:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostEdge centered himself within the pocket of open air, then activated Conceal.
He doubted that his skill would stop the elite monster from finding him, given the disparity between their stages, but hopefully it would be good enough to lure it in. He couldn’t see it coming thanks to the mist...
2025-04-03 17:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe good news was that while it would be risky as hell, Edge had come up with a plan to kill the gorilla general.
The reason why he thought he had a chance was due to the monster’s intensive specialization. Based on what he had seen so far, its entire skillset revolved around its army of ...
2025-04-02 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostFor the first time since the Crimson Blight had taken control of the shark, Nick remembered what it was to be afraid.
This was a worthy adversary. He would still fight to remake this world in his image, but he would have to proceed with caution. He possessed the element of surprise and had ...
2025-04-02 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostEdge awoke an hour before dawn.
It didn’t require any special effort on his part, since that was when he usually got out of bed these days—if he wasn’t exhausted or hungover at any rate. There was a terrifying moment of disorientation where he couldn’t figure out where he was or why...
2025-04-01 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostIn that instant, the Crimson Blight’s senses expanded, overwhelming Nick with sheer sensory overload until he began to adjust to the realities of an alien nervous system—the perspective of a creature who viewed the world so differently from his natural state.
At last, he had eyes to see...
2025-03-31 17:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostWith that, Edge’s consciousness slid back into his body.
After conferring with his skills, he felt calmer, and his mind was clear. Putting the dynamics of his situation into words had helped him face his long list of problems head-on. He was still afraid, but he no longer felt overwhelmed...
2025-03-31 17:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostNow that Edge had met Intimidating Roar, who would henceforth be known as Chibime, the next item on his list was to conduct a strategic review—a practice that Lilly had taught him while they were clearing the maze.
The goal of the review was to internalize each power and piece of gear at ...
2025-03-30 17:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostSix nerve-wracking hours later, Edge spotted the canopy of the jungle looming in the distance.
He let out a sigh as his knees went weak with relief. After several close calls, he had arrived at the boundary of the swamp without attracting the attention of another nightmare made flesh. Despi...
2025-03-29 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostAfter studying the map provided by his wayfinder, Edge knew that he had washed up on the tip of a thin strip of land, which ran alongside the river like a miniature peninsula. His first goal was to follow it back to a larger landmass that he hoped would lead him out of the swamp.
Beyond the...
2025-03-28 17:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostTwo days later, when there were only a few hours left on the safe room’s clock, it finally happened.
As Nick was stepping out of the shower while toweling himself dry, the last sliver of the Species-Experience Pill absorbed into his core. Shivers ran down his spine as his body began tingl...
2025-03-28 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Edge regained consciousness, he was lying along the muddy shore of a fast-flowing river.
He was dazed and confused—thoughts muddled as his mind struggled to adjust to this stark change in circumstance. He watched a line of ants crawling across his hand, wincing at the pinch as they t...
2025-03-27 17:00:27 +0000 UTC View PostSasha crept across the forest floor, sticking to the shadows as she followed the beasts’ trail away from base camp.
For this assignment, she was working alone, although there were several crews within earshot if she ran into trouble. Not that she expected any. Sasha was hunting inside the...
2025-03-26 17:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostTwo hours later, Nick was ready to exchange his hard-won pile of resources for some awesome new gear and a few choice upgrades to his favorite items.
First and foremost was repairing Blightbane’s pommel. As it happened, the lump of luminescent metal he’d found in the mine below Blackmis...
2025-03-26 17:00:12 +0000 UTC View Post“We need to get out of here,” Mel cried. “We can’t fight that thing and a swarm of minions.”
“We’re dead if we do.” Tessa shook her head. “I’ve been analyzing its mana signature, and I’m certain that monster can see in the fog after all.”
“Fuck me....
2025-03-25 17:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostEdge didn’t get a chance to see what happened next.
He was rolling along the grass—earth and sky changing positions at an alarming rate. He bounced across the clearing like a rock skipping across a pond until his back slammed into a boulder, sending a fresh jolt of pain rippling through...
2025-03-24 17:17:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe impact knocked Edge to his knees and set swirls of fog skittering across the barrier.
He rose to his feet and tightened his grip on his naginata, bracing himself for an attack that didn’t come. He looked up, casting his gaze across the second elite monster residing within the Savage G...
2025-03-24 17:00:18 +0000 UTC View Post“Come in. Thanks for the warning.” Nick sat up and tried to look alert, intensely curious as to what was about to happen.
Without further preamble, the door cracked open, and a bipedal bird walked into the room. The creature was seven feet tall and covered in brilliant blue plumage. She...
2025-03-24 17:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostHis prediction proved itself to be a genuine premonition only five minutes later. Because that was when Edge spotted a monster clinging to the branches of a sprawling tree, just beyond the bubble of open air.
Its appearance reminded him of a great ape, although its features were twisted int...
2025-03-23 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostAn hour after they finished harvesting the valuable parts from their kill, the hunters discovered an elevated bluff that offered a prime view of the wetlands below. Since it was a defensible location where nothing could ambush the crew, they stopped to each lunch while surveying the surrounding t...
2025-03-22 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostEdge awoke with the rising sun, filled with a heady surge of anticipation. He spent a few minutes listening to the vibrant melody of the jungle before slipping out of his bedroll. He took a sip from his canteen, ducked out of his tent, and walked over to the communal showers the crafters had fini...
2025-03-21 17:02:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe insects launched another assault shortly after the crew left the glade, but this time, Edge was ready.
He had kept Penetrate Foliage running and saw them perched within the branches ahead, waiting until the hunters drew near before activating Conceal. The mosquitoes vanished when they t...
2025-03-21 17:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Nick’s senses unscrambled, he found himself standing in a large, well-furnished room.
This time around, he had been granted a brief vision of the grand tapestry of cosmic forces that connected every world within integrated space. The System must have generated that portal, since ...
2025-03-21 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostFifteen minutes after the crew stepped back into the maze, it finally happened. So far, the hunters hadn’t been attacked while crossing the warren of trails connecting the clearings, but Edge had known that it was only a matter of time.
When the ambush occurred, the monsters were on top o...
2025-03-20 20:33:34 +0000 UTC View PostShit. This is bad. Edge wracked his brain in the fleeting handful of heartbeats he had left, trying to come up with anything he could do that would help his crew escape from a powerful monster.
He could Conceal himself, but there was no guarantee that it would work against an enemy...
2025-03-20 20:32:08 +0000 UTC View PostOnce the demon was lying dead in the dirt, the crew harvested its teeth, claws, tail-barb, and horns, then used Tessa’s powder to get rid of the remains. Edge put the horns into his pack, and after making sure that nothing else was lurking nearby, the hunters sat down to recover from the grueli...
2025-03-19 17:02:00 +0000 UTC View PostEdge darted in and engaged the demon, meeting its attacks head-on for the first time in the fight. With the potion enhancing his attributes, he could block its blows without breaking his bones, and was strong enough to knock it off balance.
He stabbed and thrust and swung like mad, occasion...
2025-03-19 17:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostIt felt like Nick had swallowed a sliver of the sun.
Molten power slid down his throat and into his stomach, then dissolved and began to spread. His awareness was drawn inward, following the resplendent energy flowing through his veins.
By this point, he had experienced a wide variety...
2025-03-19 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostThis marked the beginning of a brutal melee.
The demon let loose with a furious barrage of blows, attacking with all four limbs along with its tail, horns, and teeth in a seamless combination. Every strike was powerful enough to dish out some serious damage. If someone took more than a glan...
2025-03-18 17:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post