Existence is an endless thing, a force of nature, which does nothing, but grow, and expand.
Leading to a sea of new worlds constantly being brought to life, which might give someone the impression that the countless tales, or rather history itself, would be just as expansive, yet much like the world’s themselves, it’s not.
Instead, the stories endlessly repeat themselves, and sure, different characters or cultures play different roles, but overall the themes remain the same.
With one of the biggest being, that those in power have control, and the people without it, either give in or run away, until they can’t anymore…
The day eventually comes, where there is no longer any free land, or a point that an empire becomes so oppressive the average person can no longer take it, and then things get violent.
Civilization breaks, and returns to one of the most basic building blocks of existence.
To the survival of the fittest, until something “new” crawls out of the ashes.
Sometimes something better, other times far worse, but this same story is endlessly playing across the cosmos.
Heroes, and villains fighting, while those lucky enough to find themselves in better circumstances do nothing, but live their lives, until they too inevitably fall to chaos.
After all, it’s only a matter of time until they face some crisis or an empire jealous of what they have.
An interesting thing though, is that with a finite amount of material combinations, infinite space, and time, everything will eventually repeat itself, perfectly.
Some things certainly take more time, but even someone who is exactly like me, writing these same words or someone like you reading them, will repeat.
It makes one wonder how real this reality really is, and what makes it different from those games people play with seeds, which generate content?
Well, other than the scope of the combinations, but even that gap is becoming smaller in time.
I wonder, is it comforting or tragic to know that one day someone who is not us, will live, and die the exact same life we once lived?
Well, a million variant lives are also significantly more likely to occur, before then, but still, our reality is a strange place, limited, yet at the same time, such a big place.
The words of someone with too much time on their hands
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Rain can be such a relaxing thing, little drops of water crashing down from the sky, and filling the world with the smell of rejuvenation, but what is rain to an ant?
Death, destruction, the end of the world falling from the sky, and capable of killing them in an instant, of drowning everything they love.
Aurisa looks at the fire falling from the sky, the craters, covering what remains of her home.
Today, everyone she loves is learning what it’s like to be an ant, and it’s nothing close to a good time.
Arms grab her, shaking her, screaming into her face, but it all seems so distant, so unreal.
Then boom, she is flung, her body crashing into a wall, ringing fills her ears, and when she stumbles to her feet… A hand is still gripping her shoulder, but there is nothing beyond charred bone attached to it.
Aurisa screams, an unearthly shriek, beyond thought, reason, just a pure expression of pain erupting from her mouth.
More arms, stronger arms find their way to her, this time she’s casually tossed over someone’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but she’s still screaming.
Explosions keep blasting out around her, until there is a flash of light, causing a coolness to wash over her body, and then a white light blinds her, before everything goes dark.
When Aurisa wakes, her tail is protectively wrapped around her body, and she finds herself in a comfortable bed, wearing the same golden dress.
The dress is surprisingly burn free, but the smell of smoke lingers, and sends her mind reeling straight back to it.
For a moment she blankly stares out of the little window in her room, a square little metal box, showing drifting sea weed, and massive dark shapes swimming by.
The memories racing through her body, the last moments of so many people, she cared about forever engraving themselves in her mind, and fire begins to run through her veins, as she makes her way to her feet.
“They will pay, they’re all going to pay!” Her words come out as little more than a growl, but each word carries the weight of a crushing golden glow, and she storms out of the room.
Driven to make a difference, to make someone, anyone pay, and… to find a way to make sense of this madness.
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Gunshots, a few arrows, fire balls, and various other waves of magic slam into the undead.
A dark web of mana rushes up to meet it, but only manages to hold for a few seconds under the onslaught, and allows countless projectiles to smash into the undead.
Most of the bullets, and arrows just bounce off of their armor, but some of them find gaps, where they sink into their bodies, or crack bones.
The spells on the other hand are all drawn to their shields, causing sigils to begin lighting up, and drawing the magic into them, before humming with light.
Hundreds of bullets, hundreds of spells, dozens of rocks, and arrows smash into them, but the undead are only pushed back a foot, before they return fire.
Their shields release a pulse of pure light, a flash bang, not only blinding the gathered humans, but sending the closest ones to their knees, and then the projectiles are released.
Hundreds of razor sharp arrows made of bone, capable of piercing through steel as if it’s made of aluminum, and no one here is wearing anything, which could even remotely be called armor.
Three seconds, that’s how long it takes for the flash bang to clear, and when it does, hundreds of people are dead or bleeding out, leaving both sides shocked.
The undead having expected a bit more of a fight, and the humans, well, how many of them had ever been a part of a war, how many of them had started to think of this as nothing more than a game?
They break, panic sinking into their bodies, as they make a run for it.
At least those lucky enough to not take an arrow to the knee or so injured that moving isn’t really something they can do.
Those people remain surrounded by a sea of bodies, abandoned, left to die while being bathed in the blood of their fellow man.
All without even being glanced at, by the runners, and who can really blame them?
Kacious voice can then be heard echoing out of the column of undead.
“Mages harvest the dead, and then we will move onto our target!” The onlookers watch in horror, as the bodies of the dead, and the arrows begin to break apart.
They watch as their friends, and family or what’s left of them break into tiny little pieces, before gathering into four massive balls that sink into the column of undead.
All that’s left is weapons, some synthetic materials, random bits of metal, and maybe a couple of hundred injured to dying people.
The undead stare at the injured for a moment, before marching into the graveyard, and the humans just watch them go.
For a few moments the survivors just stand on the outskirts of it all, just looking at all of the dying, and then some brave soul rushes.
“We need to help these people now! If you have a healing spell or know any first aid, get your ass over here!” Help is slow to come, but some people find their nerve when the healer isn’t instantly killed.
A question that will forever haunt the healer though… Is exactly how many more would have lived if the undead had left their arrows behind or if people were just a bit faster to help?
One that’s impossible to truly know, but one thing is rather certain, increased attributes or not, people sure do bleed out fast, without anything closing their wounds…
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Thousands of bodies, or at least looking at the endless pile of human bodies pierced by arrows, and covering the grass.
It feels like it’s thousands of bodies, like an unimaginable field of death, and destruction, even if by presystem standards it really isn’t even that many people dead.
“I believed it was important for you to see this, before we began any clean up.” Veronica says while standing beside me staring at the massacre.
“Around a hundred people came here to kill us, but instead the only thing they found is death.” My eyes are still locked onto the endless piles of bodies, before being drawn towards one of the bodies.
Arrows pierced his legs, and his gut, but more importantly, there is a blood trail behind his body.
Claw marks in the dirt from him trying to drag himself to safety, before an arrow found its way to the back of his head, and that’s when I throw up.
My knees crash into the blood soaked soil, as everything comes up, before forcing myself to open my eyes.
To really look at all of the dead, to look at the weapons they’re all holding in their hands, before looking up Veronica who is standing over me.
Should I be angry?
Demand that you try to capture people who clearly came to kill you?
Kill us… should I accuse you of being a monster of forcing them to attack, after all it’s entirely possible you have been sending out undead to murder people.” Silence stretches between us, until I mutter “Why did this even happen?” Veronica meanwhile just keeps staring at me, waiting, and watching how I react, until it becomes clear that nothing more is going to come tumbling out of my mouth.
“They attacked, and we defended ourselves. Who can truly know the minds of those who needlessly try to kill, but maybe the scouts or the undead we sent to clear the other graveyard alarmed them.” Veronica looks off into the distance, before continuing.
“And no undead, have been leaving the graveyard, and attacking humans at least from this graveyard, but around the city? There are countless bodies that have given rise to undead, and the other graveyards are mostly entirely wild.” She then turns towards me with the fire in her eyes, somehow seeming to get more intense, as if some great weight is on her mind.
“So, they could have been doing what they believed was right?
Trying to eliminate a threat, which could have boiled over at any moment?” Veronica nods “It’s possible, although we did place signs warning them away.” I take another look at the bodies, people, who possibly at least, died trying to protect others.
A noble choice, even if in this case was an absolutely terrible one that they never should have made, and will never have the chance to regret.
I turn towards Veronica “Then, besides maybe saying that we should do more to ensure that people know that we’re not trying to kill them all… I don’t really have anything to say. These people came here to kill us, for the right or the wrong reason, in the end it doesn’t really matter. They’re not the first, and certainly won’t be the last group trying to kill us.” I sigh, before the taste of vomit still swimming inside of my mouth causes me to spit on the ground.
“Which, just leaves all of this, would you like some help cleaning them up?”A weight seems to lift from Veronica “Yes, that would be quite helpful actually.” She then hesitates a moment, an uncertain undertone entering her voice.
“Do you think it will always be like this, humans trying to kill us?” And a grimace covers my face.
“Well, humans never really stopped trying to kill each other, so I imagine with enough time, the undead won’t be treated much differently, but who really knows what the future holds.”
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“You fool! Clearly the mana needs to be more tightly bound at this central core, if you just opened your? Eyes? Wait, Are those rotten things in your head even truly even considered eyes, when you’re so clearly bli-” Arms dive for Vie, as a group of necromancers grab ahold of Tides who begins screaming into the air.
“I have had about enough out this insufferable little parasite!” Vie yawns “Parasite, leech, get some new material, it’s almost like your brain is rotting or something.”
Intelligible noise is his response while a couple of necromancers drag him away to cool off.
“Now that the blind fool has been taken care of, maybe now we will actually be able to get some work done.” Vie cracks her knuckles, before materializing a little blue hammer, and smiling… “Now, this may hurt.”
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The peace of the graveyard is broken, by the stomping of feet, and the clanging of metal.
Like a dinner bell being rung, the undead are drawn to it, slowly shuffling towards it, but instead of finding food, they find something odd.
More undead, but different, strange alien, and… An icy black mist begins to engulf them.
The little bits of their minds becoming lost in darkness, and swept into the endless bliss of utter peace.
The rescue corps then pick up the sleeping undead, before placing them on a platform made of bone, and in the end a couple of hundred of them are stacked on top of each other.
“That’s the last of them, now we just need to wait for the grave diggers to finish digging up anyone who hasn’t managed to claw their way out, yet, and then we will finally be able to leave this place.” One of the undead kicks a stone that bounces down the sidewalk.
“You could always help dig, if you’re in such a rush to get back out there.” The undead just sighs, and grumbles, under their breath.
“Oh come on, before you were looking forward to combat so much.
Was the little draugr’s first time not everything they expected it to be?” “God, do you ever stop talking!” The draugr turns towards the skeleton who has been talking to him, and anger is clearly radiating from his eyes.
“And no, a slaughter where all we basically did was stand there, and get shot, isn’t exactly what I signed up for.” The skeleton Issec plops to the ground, the metal of his armor grinding on the stone, before he gives a helpless shrug.
“What did you expect, honor, and glory? Mortal combat, your blade vs there’s, a test of skill, and may the best blade take it all?”
The draugr just grunts, and the skeletons’ eyes sparkle, the fire in their eyes dancing in amusement.
“Don’t worry young one, you’ll get your wish soon enough, and if you’re lucky, maybe it will just be a couple of your friends who get smashed to bits.
Your friends fading away to oblivion, without you being able to do a single thing to save them.” “Tha-” Issec shakes his head, before standing up, and starting to walk away.
“One day, these will be the fights you wish for, well assuming that you’re lucky enough to live that long.”
Meanwhile, across the graveyard mages are going grave from grave harvesting the rest of the dead, and Kacious along with a number of other undead are packing up the already loaded wagons, before sealing them shut.
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In a tent city, just outside of said graveyard, a whole lot of people are arguing, thousands have even gathered around a building filled with their ‘leaders’ who are trying to reach some kind of agreement.
“I’m telling you I ordered an information packet on the undead, and it makes one thing absolutely clear! They have to be destroyed!” The crowded room quickly fills with jeers, and shouts of we tried that, but one phrase spreading around the room catches Carter’s attention.
“They let all of those people live.” Words that feel like someone is snacking him across the face, and fills him with rage.
In fact, Carter’s face even turns a bit red, before he shouts “They let all of those people live, after desecrating the dead, and what do you think they’re going to use all of those body parts for? What do you think they’re doing in that graveyard right now?!”
The crowd grows quiet, unease spreading through them like a fire burns through crisp brush.
“They’re going to keep making more undead, every person they kill, every monster, and every grave they dig up, they’re going to turn into even more undead.” “That’s” the voice hesitates, before saying in a much softer tone “How many graves are there in the world? How greatly do the bodies of the dead out number those of the living, and that’s just counting the human bodies?…”
One could hear a pin drop in the room, as what they’re facing really began to sink in.
“But, what can we even do?
Even when we outnumber them, they tear us apart.” “We bomb them” “Yeah right, let me just pull a missile out of my ass, oh right, mana fucked most of those up, any more bright ideas?” “The ones on the system store should work” Screens are quickly pulled up
Tier Five Mana Bomb – Sometimes, the strength of one’s arms just isn’t enough to solve a problem or maybe a foe is so entrenched in their little hidey hole that they deserve a little gift, and this one will level a solid five miles transforming anything giving you issues into dust.
Price – 10,000 credits
“That’s a lot of credits, but imagine we get the necromancers in the blast, and really if we spread the cost out.” “It would only cost a couple of credits per person.” Excitement fills the room, but one healer frowns before saying “If they’re such a threat why didn’t they kill everyone who attacked them?” But in the face of potentially making so many credits her voice is quickly drowned out.
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Mike finds Charles standing by a bench outside of the building he was brutalized in.
He has short black hair, is covered in camo, leather boots, and has a quiver strapped to his side, with a bow in his hand.
He looks tense, on edge, and like at any moment he’s ready to bolt.
Mike spits “I’m guessing things didn’t go too well?
Charles eyes snap to him, before he rolls his shoulders, his bones creaking as he does.
“You could say that, in fact, if Tommy didn’t give me your little warning, I would have found myself right in the middle of it with the rest of them…” Mike sits down on the bench “So what happened?” Charles gives a mad little chuckle, before starting to pace “What happened?! What happened he asks?!? We got fucked, that’s what happened!” He stops moving, and shakes his head as if that will somehow make the memories go away.
“The undead were ready for us, they blinded us, before slaughtering everyone they could in seconds. Most didn’t even have a chance to react, before they were filled with arrows, and their equipment is so much better than ours… I shot one, and my arrow, the metal literally shattered against their armour, without doing a damn thing!” Mike frowns, as it begins to sink in that Charles might literally be the only one who made it out.
“Did anyone else make it?” Charles collapses onto the bench “A couple, a few other scouts who were near the edge, but Tommy, Erick, those kids, everyone we know… they all died in that graveyard.” Mike takes a deep breath “That is worse than I expected, far worse… So what are you going to do next?”
The wild look comes back to Charle’s eyes “I’m getting the hell out of here, like the others, I just wanted to say thanks.
You saved my life, I just wish you were able to convince the others, but it looks like Eric wasn’t exactly in a listening mood.” Mike chuckles, before wincing “You could say that” Mike then looks around the camp, it’s so empty, with maybe six other people, along with the dozen or so kids still being here.
“I think I’m going to stay, but the kids at least could really use your help in finding a safer place.”
Charles grabs his shoulder “Mike man, listen, we have to get out of here, those undead are insane!” Mike nods along “Yeah, and someone needs to be here to warn people, oh, and don’t head north. Me, and Tommy saw a couple of hundred of them head that way all covered in metal armor.”
Charles closes his eyes “Insane, but then again, that’s all these past couple of weeks have been. I’ll find a place for the kids, but you really should come with us when I do.” In response Mike just stares at someone in the camp Miranda, who’s staring off towards the graveyard.
“Mike she wo- in time she’ll see that-” “She wouldn’t be wrong to blame me, after all I’m still here, and how hard did I really try to stop them?”
Charles scoffs, before literally pointing at his eye, and in response Mike just stands up.
“A black eye, and a couple of bruises, I doubt she’ll see them as anything noteworthy. Look, you get going on finding a place, and I’ll go break the news.” Charles hesitates a moment, but he really doesn’t want to face Mira. This chapter is updated first at novelping(.)com.
“Just try, and stay safe man, I’ll be back soon.” “You too, and don’t forget that the undead are hardly the only threat out there.” Charles then disappears off into the city while Mike walks over to Miranda, who quickly fills the camp with the sound of her tears, screams of pain, loss, and so much anger.
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The last of the human bodies is harvested, broken apart while only leaving bits of metal, glass, and plastic behind.
The final remains of more than a hundred people reduced to little more than bits of trash.
It feels like something is stabbing me in my stomach, but what is there to do?
They came here to kill us, and were killed instead, what is there to feel bad, feel guilty about?
With a shake of my head I start heading back to the necromancers with the four massive orbs of materials trailing behind me.
Each orb minus the arcane orb is about the size of a van, floating in the air, with the arcane one instead being the size of a small car, and when I return.
All eyes are on me, well minus Vie’s, who is slowly tapping the skeletons bones, and comparing them to another skeletons.
If skeletons could look unhappy these two certainly would, their eyes are reduced to faint embers, and they seem to have given up on everything.
“That’s quite the haul you got there, did the retrieval team already get back?” I shake my head at Tides “No, apparently someone got the bright idea to attack the graveyard.” This draws Vie out of her research, her eyes locking onto the orbs.
“It occurs to me that we never actually discussed payment for my services.” Tides glares at her “We did actually, you paid us remember?” Vie buzzes in front of his face “Paid to be allowed to conduct research on this undead.” She smiles as an evil grin covers her face “But, I made no promises of sharing the findings of my research.”
The undead look at each other, before one of them finds their voice “Do you think we’re idiots or something?” “Well I nev-” “We have been here the entire time studying the same thing as you, and this seems pretty simple at least on the surface.
The quality of the materials is slightly better in the common quality undead, along with how mana is bound within their bodies… refining the materials seems like an easy first step, while the binding is something we can really only get better with practice or observing the spells being cast.” Tides tilts his head at Vie “The question is really what are you willing to pay to be allowed to observe, while we process all of this material?” Vie, lets out a growl, and starts waving her finger around, when I cut in “Let’s just let her help, we are after all on the same side here, and these are the remains of people who came here to murder us all.”
Tides stares at me, before being bumped by some of his fellow undead “Fine, I expect the both of you to contribute! And” He stares at Vie a moment before continuing.
“Freely share anything that you figure out.” I nod, while Vie mutters about uppity, unloyal minions, before giving Tides the fakest smile in the world.
“Of course, I have always been something of a team player myself.” Tides rolls his eyes “Tom, you will be on raising, the rest of you know your specializations, Vie” He says her name with very obvious distaste.
“I have heard that you want to raise a tower of bone, do you want to work with the bone shapers or the arcane ones?”
Vie hesitates, the undead, behaving more like people than she expected, unsettling some small part of herself.
“Umm, I will start off with the bone shapers.” “Great, let’s get to work everyone. Our enemies certainly aren’t resting so why are we?”
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‘Knock’
‘Knock’
Heads turn towards the deck of the ship… the ship currently sitting on the bottom of the ocean, and supposed to be completely invisible.
The Salazar, the lizards momentarily freeze as they stare at the glowing elf floating, outside of the ship, the elf who can very clearly see them.
Aurisa stares into the eyes of the elf, a shiver slowly rolling through her body, before the fire rushing in her veins crushes it.
She then storms in front of the glass, as mana wraps around her body, and she too appears outside of the ship.
The darkness of the deep is broken by the two beings glowing in the dark, one a green light, and the other covered in golden flames.
“What do you want, elf?” Sarah tilts her head, before taking a step forward, a solid sphere of air being formed under thousands of pounds of pressure.
“Oh, just a few things that I’m sure you’ll be only too happy to provide.” Aurisa is unmoved, her eyes blankly staring at Sarah “That will depend on entirely what you want, and” The ocean begins to burn, the golden flames consuming the water as if it’s made of oil.
“Will depend entirely on who you’re working for.”
Sarah smiles “Look at you, so cute.
All you need to know is that I represent the Falmos faction, and require a few things from you.” Aurisa’s eyes narrow “That’s a tall claim, what could the Falmos faction possibly want on a baby world?” And Sarah just sighs as a dejected expression grows across her face.”Oh what does anyone typically want on a newly infused world?
Well, present company excluded.” “To train some new low levels?” Aurisa mutters as a thoughtful expression begins to grow on her face.
“And what exactly are you willing to offer us?” Sarah rolls her eyes “And why exactly would I be offering you anything?”
A chuckle escapes Aurisa “Because you want something, and a single message can at the very least result in an untold number of spies crawling around to see what the all mighty Falmos faction is up to.
Something I imagine you want to avoid.” Sarah’s eyes harden, before she stretches, her body cracking “Maybe, we can work something out, assuming you’re willing to be reasonable.
All I want is for you to leave North America, close every open portal, give me access to the global market, oh, and for you to remove all of the weapons from your market place.” “Hmm, closing the portals runs directly counter to our purpose here, and cutting off the weapons could cost us millions of mana, and credits.”
Sarah shifts her head back, and fourth in thought “The credits, and really even the mana could pretty easily be addressed by me grabbing the core of a primordial I know of, and as for the rest? Which I’m guessing, boiled down at least, is basically a desire to use the humans to strike against your enemies. Is one inherently shaky at best, and two even in the best of circumstances will result in a distraction at best.” Aurisa’s eyes narrow at Sarah, before a bit of shame manages to find its way into her eyes.
“Who knows just how destructive humans could end up being, but If you have something better in mind?” Sarah shrugs, before running her hand through the golden flames “Well, given I have been rather bored lately, if you give me what I asked for, I’ll personally assist your forces in one battle.” Aurisa scoffs “One battle seems a bi-” Waves of mana begin to pulse off of Sarah’s body, each pulse causing the water surrounding them to not only grow darker in color, but literally tier up.
Aurisa is pushed onto the ocean floor, and even the ship begins to creek, until Aurisa manages to croak out “You have a deal!”
Then the waves disappear as if nothing had happened at all, and Sarah smiles down at her “Good, let’s start with my access to the market.”
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Laughter, smiles, undead talking, and going about their day it’s peaceful.
People just living their lives, without looking over their shoulders in fear or avoiding the gaze of some poor soul suffering.
It’s something one doesn’t notice, until they do, it’s like the pure wonder of children.
A world that’s safe, and filled with endless possibilities, a definite sign that the undead are taking the most recent attack in stride.
Something Veronica is taking, trying to appreciate what they’ve already built, while watching all of the undead who will hopefully never have to experience anything close to what she did.
She stops, looking at all the curious draugr, who are just living their lives, trying food for the first time, hearing music, and just watching as craftsmen create things with wonder in their eyes.
It’s a warm feeling, and she can feel the happiness of the undead within her domain as she walks around, until she feels an itch.
A spike of raging irritation, with a sigh, she begins making her way to the necromancers.
Where of course she can also feel a certain dungeon fairy buzzing around.
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The undead leave the graveyard, with the legions leading in front, but from the middle comes massive constructs the size of semi trucks, slowly rolling forward as they march.
Hundreds if not thousands of humans, not only watch them go, but begin to follow them… Unease begins to sink into Kacious bones, but what can they really do, attack the humans for following them?
No matter what, some would escape, and some would manage to track them back.
Besides, there’s far more undead back at home then out here, and if it’s a fight the humans want they’ll definitely find definitely more than they bargained for… it’s just, he can’t shake the feeling that something’s about to go terribly wrong.
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“See, I told you, look at those carts undoubtedly filled bodies, and if we had left them alone it would have only been a matter of time, until they would destroy us all.” Carter says while shock covers most of the gathered group’s eyes, before it hardens into focus.
Various leaders then begin calling to the crowd, and it quickly results in a pool that’s a bit more than thirty thousand credits from those loyal to them… enough credits for three bombs, a force capable of leveling fifteen miles or far more destructive than a nuclear bomb.
Due to formating issues this story doesn’t quite look the way it’s supposed to 0_o and you can read an updated version on Kobo, or other platforms. https://litrpgandpolitics.wordpress.com The story is also at around chapter 60 with around 400,000 words, and will posted once per day, until it’s caught up.
Then it will either be weekly, or twice a week, with that being said, I still welcome any feedback, after all I’m still editing everything 0_0 and different perspectives can so often help one see the things we take for granted.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that you have a great day!