Zachary Scott

Chapter 86 - Knee-Deep In Corpses

I walked ahead of the group with Lyria at my side. Neither of us spoke much, which was hardly a surprise.

We hadn’t had much time to think with all the chaos, and even now, we were wading through knee-high piles of twisted, vaguely humanoi...

Chapter 85 - A Name to Remember

Vitus

I touched the grommet’s aura, confirming he was either as powerful as a small twig or exceptionally gifted at hiding his strength.

“Caution,” I said slowly. “Something is wrong here.”

The seven of...

Chapter 84 - Sweat, Desperation, and Musky Grommets

I woke with something hard and earthy in my mouth. I sat up, tried to bite down, and found my teeth sinking into something with the texture of a potato.

Several pairs of hands urged me back down. I noticed black veins bulging across my body ...

Chapter 83 - Out of the Frying Pan

I strained my eyes against the darkness, breath coming in quick gasps as I searched for whatever had triggered my Mana Sense a moment ago. I had my back to the grommets, a Viperlilly-infused Elemental Spike already summoned and clutched in my hand...

Legend of Items, Abilities, and Characters for Reference

ShawnForReal from Discord mentioned how it would be helpful if we had a running list of characters so far in the story. I thought it was a great idea and decided to put it all together today. While I was at it, I also compiled all the items and ab...

Chapter 82 - The Long Watch

Oriander

Behind me, the work continued. The sound was a constant clink and clatter as the men and women worked on the containment room being built behind my throne.

The work had already taken longer than inten...

Chapter 81 - Digging

Ever since discovering the hidden grommet tunnels, I had wondered where the hell the dirt went. As a kid who dug himself many pointless holes at the beach back on Earth, I knew every hole or tunnel created piles of material. It had to go somewhere...

Chapter 80 - This One is Called... Timbo

“Hey ho,” the white-robed cleric said. He was still squinting up at me. As a kid, my grandma had a pet chihuahua, and I was never sure if it was thinking about biting me or about to fall asleep. The grommet hero gave me the exact same impressi...

Chapter 79 - The Hero

The sound of creaking and groaning wood filled the chamber. After granting my fusion class, the massive bone tree rumbled and began to vibrate. To my disbelief, the tree seemed to be growing in reverse. The thick, dark-mana-studded branches wither...

Chapter 78 - Fusion

Chapter 78 - Fusion

The list of potential class options floated in my view. To my surprise, Voidgaze displayed a separate message for me, as if I was inspecting the readout itself. A separate window of information popped up ...

Chapter 77 - Advancement

The cave chamber smelled horrible. The stench of the flaming pieces of Eclipsed, the somewhat burned and poison-beamed baby head with spider legs boss, and my own unbathed scent had all begun to marinate. It wasn’t the best environment for total...

Chapter 76 - The Return of Pebble

I stood alone in the chamber with the dead dungeon guardian’s corpse, the still-steaming remains of the Eclipsed, and the massive bone tree. My eyes were still on the cavity in the center of the tree, but I knew I had a little more to do before ...

Chapter 75 - The Hole In the Tree

I blinked and saw Lyria leaning over me, her red hair dangling in front of my face. “Brynn?” she asked.

I was surprised to find I was completely refreshed. Every shred of the dark mana lingering in my body was gone. The only thing convin...

Chapter 74 - The Burned Man

I was in a featureless, white room.

A blurry figure walked toward me. His form came into focus with each step as if his body was pulling itself together from nothing, taking shape before my eyes.

In moments, he appeared very much real....

Chapter 73 - The Passenger

I walked toward the Eclipsed with the strangest sensation of… fullness. With each step, the creature’s eyes followed me, body still drifting above the tangle of roots where its legs should be, but otherwise motionless.

The desire to use ...

Chapter 72 - Dangerous Power

Lyria

One Minute Earlier

My sword barely penetrated the thick, wood-like skin of the Eclipsed. I wished any of us had larger weapons, like axes or greatswords. Instead, it felt as though we were trying to cut ...

Chapter 71 - Eclipsed

Nobody spoke as we neared the dungeon’s heart chamber. Ramzi’s soft humming provided a magical light around our bodies, helping us avoid bumping into supports and collapsing the tunnel.

Where the hell were the grommets, anyway? ...

Chapter 70 - Before the Heart

Vitus

The boon I earned when I reached Iron had hardened my body until it could withstand intense punishment. But this was pushing even my limits. How much longer could we keep this up?

Sweat poured from me as I took a...

Chapter 69 - Clash

About thirty seconds ago, I had been feeling pretty good about the plan. All we needed to do was buy a little time. I had a laundry list of ideas for how I could do that. I could use my new Cloudfall skill with a Potion of Life to cause a distract...

Chapter 68 - The First Confrontation

Vitus

I heard the sound of something running toward us with speed.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

I stood, readied my sword, and silently gestured for the others to prepare. Magic flared and gathered on weapons...

Chapter 67 - No More Time

I could see the paths available for the evolution of Elemental Projection in my mind.

Like before, my Soul corestone presented me with two options. The first showed me firing out three dart-like projectiles of elemental magic. They ...

Chapter 66 - Something in the Mist

I checked my newly gained skill with a sense of anticipation. I saw two things before I read the details. One, it was a skill for my Heart corestone. Two, it was an active skill.

[Common] Active Skill: Mana Surge. [Tier 1] Temporaril...