Lan had often wondered what exactly the monsters in the tutorial were. Did they respawn like humans did? Could they level up? Could they die?
He glanced up at the Vesper Inferno and wondered about these things.
So far, he had yet to me...
2023-01-21 22:04:34 +0000 UTC View PostTo say climbing back up to the throne room was difficult would be the understatement of the century.
Lan had wedged his knees against the freezing, icy rock and shimmied up the tight shaft for over half an hour before he finally made it out....
2023-01-19 17:02:04 +0000 UTC View Post"Student?" Lan spat out the word like it was revolting to the taste. "Who would be your student?"
The old man smirked, "You will." He said it with such absolute confidence Lan almost believed it to be true.
Lan glanced at the unconscio...
2023-01-14 15:53:00 +0000 UTC View PostSomething about the quiet city streets was almost scarier than the boneyard. Where there should have been people, there was nothing but desolate silence.
In the dead of night, as Lan strolled through the city, he was alone. It was almost apo...
2023-01-11 18:09:35 +0000 UTC View PostLan and Bo devoured the bread in seconds, too hungry to savour it. Even though the bread was stale, it tasted like ambrosia. Every mouthful was heaven, every bite a miracle.
It was around midday, so the bus wasn't as cold as the previous nig...
2023-01-10 05:26:19 +0000 UTC View PostThe District – 7 years before the tutorial began
Lan and Bo had a secret spot that only they knew. Past the edge of the District, in the boneyard, where the skeletons of vehicles are left to rot after being picked clean. 2023-01-08 03:33:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Before letting go of the wall and jumping into the icy water, Lan wanted to try something. So far, he had succeeded in containing fire and water within mana, so logically, the same should be possible with air.
Since, despite his affinity wit...
2023-01-06 02:25:24 +0000 UTC View PostThe train thundered on down the tracks, gradually drawing closer to the two massive stone doors at the end of the tunnel. The doors slowly opened wide as it neared, and the train passed through, barrelling on into oblivion.
When he passed th...
2023-01-04 01:44:10 +0000 UTC View PostSleeping was hard for Lan. He had never particularly enjoyed it, owing to the fact that most of his dreams were plagued by visions of things he couldn't have. Money, a family, a childhood. He had always kind of wanted a dog, but that wasn't possib...
2022-12-30 02:41:23 +0000 UTC View PostLan held his hand in the furnace and watched as his fuel ticked down. He had killed so many worms that it was an insignificant change, and he wasn't worried about running out of fuel anytime soon.
After the first 1000 units of fuel disappear...
2022-12-30 01:51:57 +0000 UTC View PostI have been late uploading chapters lately, so while I edit chapters 29 and 30, here's a concept I came up with on a whim:
The Dao of Bread
Even should the sky fall.
The Bread ...
2022-12-30 01:50:49 +0000 UTC View PostWelcome, Challenger. The Fifth Step is yours to overcome.
Lan was shocked awake by the booming voice, sitting up and slamming his head off a coal shovel hanging from a hook on the train's wall. It rang with a low thrum as he...
2022-12-26 14:40:19 +0000 UTC View PostAt the same time, Lan entered the fourth step.
Archie breathed heavily as he stared into the cave. He could smell the smoke that drifted from within, but the conversation he would expect to accompany it was absent. Of course...
2022-12-23 16:18:30 +0000 UTC View PostLan stared down at the icy tundra, his gaze drifting across an endless expanse of white. There were no features, no obstacles, and no creatures. Only snow, so thick and soft that merely stepping on it posed a challenge.
The wind blowing acro...
2022-12-22 00:06:13 +0000 UTC View PostLan groaned as he stretched out, his joints clicking audibly. He was on the home stretch now, eagerly waiting to move on to the next step as the sun sank below the horizon.
He double-checked with the system, and it said he had twelve hours l...
2022-12-19 14:28:46 +0000 UTC View PostLan didn't much like the desert. There was nothing to see, nothing to do except trudge through the shifting sands. He felt like the more effort he put in and the harder he tried to walk, the more difficult making progress became.
He set foot...
2022-12-15 00:23:16 +0000 UTC View PostNo rest for the wicked, or in Lan's case, no rest for someone with four monsters to kill in the next 20 hours. Although, that doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well.
Lan lay on the ground for a good 20 minutes before finally finding the n...
2022-12-12 00:04:18 +0000 UTC View Post
I am planning to release this on RR in the future, but for now, I want to build up some chapters and get advice from readers. This story is not taking the place of The Bridge to Forever, it's just a side project I am working on.
That being s...
2022-12-10 14:51:40 +0000 UTC View PostThe walk back to the steps wasn't long, if a little awkward. Nate and Reed were treating Lan like a terminally ill patient, walking on eggshells around him.
"I just wanted to say thank you. I know I've already said it, but seriously you are ...
2022-12-08 20:58:51 +0000 UTC View PostLan woke up shivering, which was nothing strange considering where he was. The ice he had slept on melted slightly while he slept, meaning he got to experience the joys of waking up inside a puddle.
"Is this really the grand life of a pathfi...
2022-12-07 01:57:08 +0000 UTC View Post