Matizu Writes

Chapter 77: Information

Vivi woke up with a groggy head on a soft bed.

The stone ceiling was low and triangular. The walls were closed in, as if Vivi slept in a closet. The room was filled up by a small nightstand and a potion rack with wheels. Two yellow potions w...

Chapter 76: Infiltration

The black-masked figure hesitated at the doorway.

Vivi hit her hammer one last time, then picked up her sword. The blade was still red-hot. She walked calmly to the tub of water and quenched the blade. The veins of her right hand were glowin...

Chapter 75: Abyss Destroyer

Vivi bathed in the feeling of relief for a few minutes longer, lying on the ground. The job was done. She’d completed the most complicated set of veins of her career yet. Looking at her project, Vivi couldn’t believe she’d come up with such ...

Chapter 74: Concentration

Lucius initiated the root. This time, he approached with a lot more caution. Vivi felt his concentration. He had never paid so much attention to runesmithing.

The locium root still grew fast, but its growth wasn’t erratic. Lucius controlle...

Chapter 73: Gift

Eem flailed her legs like a total idiot. The armored man held Eem from her collar. His visor was down, hiding his face, but he held Eem the same way Grandpa once held their neighbor’s cat that he’d found in the trash: with an awkward smile, af...

Chapter 72: Second Elevation Hunter

Andre’s spirit blade swung down at Vivi like an avalanche of pure power, its oppressive aura inducing utter panic. Vivi hadn’t intended to fight full-out, but Andre’s initial attacks forced her to defend with everything she had. Lucius pushe...

Chapter 71: Stupid Arguments

Vivi paused. Someone wanted to talk to her in Paradise? An ether hunter, of course. Nobody else could enter. “Is it Andre or Serena?”

“I’m not certain,” Lucius said. “I just know that someone sent us a request to talk. They’re ...

Chapter 70: Nerves

The final loop.

Vivi’s hands were starting to get irritated. She’d been runesmithing for over fifteen hours straight now. She was further now than her previous attempt. The progress now was promising.

The stalks of the second ether...

Chapter 69: Attempts

Vivi quenched the blade in water and wiped her forehead with a towel. She placed the sword down and examined her work.

The veins shone inside the red katana, lighting the smithy in a subtle scarlet glow. Vivi had used red hardsteel, an alloy...

Chapter 68: Rune Combinations

Vivi was rusty. She immediately noticed sluggishness in her movements. Her hands didn’t flow with the root’s stalk like they used to. Holding a crochet hook felt awkward. The last time she’d worked with one was on the surface back in Grandpa...

Chapter 67: Selection

Half an hour of absolute silence later, Ven and the dwarf came back. Ven had a large bowl of some sort of soup in one hand, and a black tree branch on the other. The dwarf carried a small brown sack. He placed it down in front of Vivi. Behind them...

Interlude 2: Impossible Task

“What do you mean it shattered to pieces?” Andre asked with a frown on his face.

“I don’t fucking know,” Einord said. “Look.”

Einord’s little smithy was a total mess, even more so than usual. A broken crucible ...

Chapter 66: Secret Smithy

“Bringing her to the smithy will be a problem,” Ven said. “She’s not a member.”

“Blindfold her so she doesn’t know the location,” the dwarf said. “Lock her in the smithy. We’ll bring food and provide her with everything s...

Chapter 65: Doubt

Ven looked at Vivi as if she’d claimed herself to be some sort of god. He didn’t seem to believe her claim, but the offer was insane enough that he appeared surprised regardless.

“You’re selling the best sword in Zand for ten thousan...

Chapter 64: The Better Hub

A silver fountain sprinkled clear water in the middle of the open town-like area. The cavern was the largest one Vivi had seen in the dungeon—around a fourth of the size of the hub. The Union’s grounds were far more colorful. Brick paths had b...

Chapter 63: A Customer

“What a weirdo,” Lucius said. “Is there nobody sane in this facility?”

Vivi watched Ven’s figure disappear into the public dungeon. He held himself like some prince, walking slowly and with confidence. None of the...

Chapter 62: Advice

Eem snarled. Vivi kept her claws active. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“There’s no time to explain,” Ven said. “They’re planning an ambush for you. You know who I’m talking about. They’re not thrilled to see you alive. We ...

Chapter 61: Breaker

To hide her skill from etherprint scanners without skipping collection day, Vivi could only think of one risky solution. She took Eem behind the shadowed storehouse and said, “Wait here, okay?”

Eem tilted her head.

“I’m going t...

Chapter 60: Slaughter Circus

“A surge?” Vivi asked. “Inside the facility?”

“It’s forecasted to hit the fountain directly,” Aruid said. “The Stewards are crafting a boss monster. That’s all I know.”

Construction workers began stacking skulls ato...

Chapter 59: Maxed Out

Vivi stood by the stairway with her claws ready. If the skeletons still chased, a narrow stairway was her best bet at cutting them down. Eem was focused, staying in stance, as if intending to fight as well.

They held the position for a minut...

Chapter 58: The Ascent

Vivi woke up six hours later with her body somewhat healed.

Lucius’s dimmed out wisps hadn’t recovered. He was forced to keep healing her while she slept. Ether was a great tool to speed up healing processes. A single night of sleep was ...

Chapter 57: Struggle

“Digging holes?” Lucius asked. “What, do you think I’m some animal?”

You would think a spirit of the demigods would know how to dig. If you turn into a shield, I can use it to scoop dirt.

Lucius loo...

Chapter 56: The Main Dungeon

The skeleton collapsed into a small mound of bones. Most of its weight disintegrated to ether. The rib cage broke apart into little bits. As always, the host bones were rather insignificant in comparison to the reanimated monster. Blue wisps of et...

Chapter 55: Javelin

“Lucius?” Vivi asked, shocked by what she was witnessing. “I can see it.”

“Huh?” Lucius asked, lifting his head. “See what?”

“The skill!” Vivi said. “It’s… Beautiful.”

“Vivi, what are you ta...

Chapter 54: Skills

Vivi took off her boots and stepped into the water. She got ten feet from shore before her raincoat started to submerge. Vivi stopped there and held her javelin.

“Do I really have to do this?” Lucius asked. He floated above the water lev...

Chapter 53: Basic Monster

The skeleton patrolled to the end of the brick path, turned around and disappeared into the arched doorway.

Then it arrived back precisely a minute and twenty-six seconds later.

Vivi studied its patrol path. She’d watched for five cy...

Chapter 52: Scrap Crafting

Vivi sat with her legs crossed, holding the ether root in her left hand. She felt like a total goblin. She didn’t have any safety equipment, no smithing apron, not even gloves to protect her hands.

Eem sat by the side, occasionally glancin...

Chapter 51: Survival

The giant swordfish jumped out of the water, diving spear-first at Eem. Its mouth was massive with an underbite of serrated teeth. Its upper jaw was a spear-like sword, over three feet long and shining with ether.

Vivi summoned her runesword...

Chapter 50: Waterfall

The cramped undecorated hallway resembled a catacomb. Vivi’s hair scraped against the ceiling if she stood straight. The ground was cold and undecorated, and the space was narrow enough that a larger man would have had to squeeze their shoulders...

Chapter 49: Reality

“What did you do to Eem?” Vivi blurted out, heart racing. “The fiend. She’s harmless. You don’t need to hurt her!”

“I tossed her into a river,” the old man said with a distorted laugh. “Some lucky nimrod can pick up her bou...