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Chapter 84: Rebuilding Estates and Souls

(Cognosticon here. This is a bonus chapter thanking Royal Road readers for supporting the story. Patrons will always get every bonus that other reader...

Chapter 83: A Peasant's Reward

"Looks like some illegal hunting." Barroguk hefted his greatsword up to his shoulder and sneered. "That's bad enough on its own, and worse when it's by someone who's been permanently banished from the Hunters Guild."

"I took this assignment ...

Chapter 82: The Agony of Excess

Even though Kai slammed his shoulder into the Gomodo's head as hard as he could, he barely sent the beast rocking back. Now that it was moving, it seemed like nothing could stop it. Zae Zin Nim had collapsed and he couldn't tell how much of the bl...

Chapter 81: Tracking a Gomodo

Getting away from the politics of Rayakan to hunt again should have made Kai happy, but even as they ventured deeper into Goralia, he found himself thinking about everything. There were so many variables, he was ultimately hoping that people deser...

Chapter 80: Claws Against Steel

Kai hadn't known that Irunians could hug, but the evidence was squeezing his ribs. He squeezed back and eventually Tusquo released him. As soon as he did, Tusquo stepped back to a more ordinary distance, which made it easier for Kai to admit the t...

Chapter 79: The Irunian Menace

As they raced over the farmland in the wagon, Kai leaned closer to Razz. He generally trusted the young merchant, but in this case he was definitely hiding something. After he'd stammered out some information about troop positions and deals gone w...

Chapter 78: Different Breakthroughs

Mana wasn't so difficult, in the end.

Zae Zin Nim had been told she was a genius so many times that she worried her teachers were trying to butter her up for some sacrifice. Finding her cultivation thoroughly blocked had shaken her confidenc...

Chapter 77: Trade and Monstrous Training

As per usual, Kai met Razz at a new point outside of Rayakan. The secrecy of their meetings meant that he needed to spend more time waiting, which would have been annoying if he didn't have the option of cultivating. Even though Zae Zin Nim said t...

Chapter 76: Long Term Cultivation Plans

At first he had no idea where he was. It was worse than waking up from sleep, rougher than being hungover, far more disorientingthan dizziness. His life had been continuous memories up until that point and then were was a visceral gulf he couldn't...

Chapter 75: Hangover of Loot

In the morning, Kai didn't feel like discussing anything that had happened the night before. He saw Zae Zin Nim wrapped up in all her blankets, so she must have returned at some point during the night. Since she seemed to be sleeping soundly, he c...

Chapter 74: Turning a New Page

As the mana attempted to drown her, Zae Zin Nim desperately choked down panic and focused on facts. She had only seconds to avoid a permanent deviation. Escape was impossible. The only path was through the mana flooding her.

Instead of tryin...

Chapter 73: A High Clan Party

As soon as Kai and Zae Zin Nim set foot in the Corinin clan estate, they were the center of attention. Kai knew everyone was looking at him as the brutish thug playing at being a clan member, so he was glad that she drew some attention away. In ad...

Feedback Request + Bonus Chapters

Update: Because the story hit Rising Stars, I am giving everyone bonus chapters. $10 backers, you should just have received two more chapters. $3 backers have received their usual weekly update, plus an additional chapter so they're permanently fu...

Chapter 72: The Great Corinin Vault Heist

"When I offered to help you find a mana pool," Razz said, "I had absolutely no intention of engaging in criminal conspiracy. But here we are."

They sat in a private room of a different inn where they had all met. Zae Zin Nim still looked a b...

Chapter 71: A High Society Hunters Guild

Rayakan was flatter than Monskon City, so Kai wasn't able to instinctually navigate his way to the upper class section. Instead of large defensive walls, the city seemed to be divided into neighborhoods differentiated by nothing but architecture. ...

Chapter 70: Accusations and Deception

Since he'd fallen asleep in his pants, Kai simply pulled on his tunic and grabbed his shoes on the way down. It looked like Zae Zin Nim would sleep straight through the shouting, despite its growing volume. As he leapt down the stairs, he could he...

Chapter 69: The Truth about the Blackblood Physique

The next morning, they were both still alive. Kai was shocked at how refreshed he felt and decided he had the Aquagorgon to thank. No one had attacked, Zae Zin Nim was breathing peacefully, they had been successful... and he really needed to piss....

Chapter 68: Arrival at Rayakan

As the water gates into Rayakan opened, Kai barely saw them. He caught brief glimpses of majestic architecture, a bustling port, and grand statues of hunters past, but they didn't matter. His attention was entirely focused on the woman lying lifel...

Chapter 67: The Corinin Mercenaries

Kai nearly spoke too late: the crystal spear was already plummeting and he was too far away to intercept it. But Zae Zin Nim heard him and instantly snapped into action, leaping and meeting it with a palm strike. The crystal spun into the distance...

Chapter 66: The River's Strangest Bandits

If they'd had time, Kai would have looked toward Zae Zin Nim, or asked Razzagah questions to figure out if he was even fighting on the right side. But there were a lot of armed men and women staring at him, and when they attacked, he had no choice...

Chapter 65: Surprises Down the River

Kai made sure to keep his expression neutral and show no weaknesses, but his entire view of Razzagah shifted after the revelation of his clan. Not every Lantrian was corrupt. He knew that. That didn't mean he was going to accept the word of Razzag...

Chapter 64: The Mercantile Life

Kai's body felt shockingly light as he ran, so he didn't have as long to examine the battle as he expected. He made out three heavy wagons, overloaded with goods. They had minimal fortifications, and the guards around them were shockingly weak, ju...

Chapter 63: Three Different Tiers

Instead of following the river, Kai determined that the quickest way south was to cut through one of the last true wastelands before southern Goralia became lush. Even the wastes weren't that forbidding, with a marked lack of monsters and much hea...

Chapter 62: Qi to Mana

Zae Zin Nim did not like mana cultivation. She did not like it at all. She especially disliked the fact that she kept thinking about it as "mana cultivation" even though she should have known better.

In fact, mana was proving to be far from ...

Chapter 61: Mana to Qi

How many hours had he been sitting and gathering qi? Opening his eyes to peer at the sun again would only make things worse, and he was safe since he would smell any monster approaching. So Kai remained seated and focused on qi condensation.

Chapter 60: The Silver Demon Feeds

Even though there was no one to watch her, Anaelina stretched her arms over her head luxuriously. Finally, exerting her body no longer hurt. Some of her internal organs had yet to fully recover, but her outward appearance was restored and her chak...

Chapter 59: Impossible Souls

Before Kai could think of an explanation, Zae Zin Nim had already swallowed one of her pills. Her qi began flowing within her, just like when she'd fought the monsters, and she unleashed a burst of it toward him. When they had first met, such an a...

Chapter 58: Starting from the Bottom of the World

After several days traveling together, Kai was still unclear on exactly how powerful Zae Zin Nim was. Attempts to examine her soul only showed a mix of strange symbols, damage, and what he thought was some kind of shroud. In practical terms, he ha...

Chapter 57: An Unexpected Reunion

In the morning Kai was hungry again, but not so overwhelmingly. Since he woke up too early, still ready for pre-dawn training, he cooked some more of the rock spiders. As he ate, he sat down to think about how he was going to approach the strange ...

Chapter 56: Fragments Coming Home to Roost

More out of a desire to go out fighting than any strategy, Kai met one of the monstrous rock spider's pincers with a punch. To his surprise, the carapace broke and the monster staggered back. He had no time to celebrate, because the other one was ...