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2024-10-29 19:42:56It took over a day of crisscrossing the muddy terrain to locate our first dungeon. I don't know what was worse, the swamp creatures that we had to fight off or the damn bugs. Nothing we came across was over level ten, making them easy to dispatch.
The worst was the swamp creeper. Not because it was hard to fight but because it took over an hour to fight to its actual body, the mass of vine-like appendages keeping it safe. Fire would have been my preferred method to dispatch the plant-based creature but the area was so wet it wouldn't burn. That left hacking it to pieces.At one point Fiona tried to just go in and stab it but she learned her skill had limitations. She couldn't turn physical while anything bisected her form. Since the creature was a mass of writhing plant matter, it made it impossible for her to get anywhere near the body.My staff also wasn't ideal in this situation. Sure I had the sharp spikes on each end but they could only tear into the
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Mana System In The Apocalypse Real fighter
I nodded to Fiona and started spinning my staff, imbued with fire. Eye of the Storm filled the large room, turning it into an inferno. This turned out to be a mistake as black smoke started to fill the air. I started coughing and had to end my spell and rush back outside.I had to cleanse the poison produced from the burning plant matter as well as heal the damage the smoke had done. Fiona came out a few minutes later."You stirred up a hornet's nest in there, everything is going crazy."I could hear shrieking coming from the dungeon, black smoke still poured out from the entrance. I watched kill notifications pour in as the smoke and fire killed off the monsters inside. It took twenty minutes for the smoke to clear before I could reenter. The first room was just filled with glowing black coals.If the monsters had dropped any loot it was destroyed by the fire. The next two rooms were much of the same, it wasn't until I entered the fourth room tha
Mana System In The Apocalypse Beaten like a pulp
It misjudged the weight of my weapon and it cut a gash along its shoulder. It shook off the electrical damage and hissed, a red glow suffusing its body. The speed of its strikes increased, surprising me a little. Enough so that I took two strikes to my shield before I retaliated with Flurry.I pulled my bloody staff from the corpse as a dozen more projectiles came flying in. Spears were mixed with rocks from slings. Three more impacts jarred my shield taking it down another hundred points. It only had a few points left so I decided to cast Area of Denial and Blink step, running at the group of kobolds.I wasn't expecting to run into a green barrier. The magical shield rippled violently at my impact, shattering. It was enough to stop me dead in my tracks though. I looked for the caster that conjured the barrier, finding him in the back."Fiona, deal with the mage, I'll deal with the rest."I didn't wait for a response as I started to cut my way thr
Mana System In The Apocalypse More Credit
He slammed into the building, cracking the rock-like facade. I didn't waste the opportunity, slamming my staff down on the back of one of his legs while activating Calcifying Strike.I was forced to scramble away as a clawed hand ripped through the air I was occupying. I heard the shriek of metal as his claws brushed my armor. That meant my shield was now down.I took a step back and suddenly felt a tiny bit weaker. 'Shit, that meant one of the females was dead leaving me at a disadvantage.'Kragor turned toward me, I could see my spell was affecting him as he limped noticeably on his damaged limb.He smiled at me, then disappeared. I turned in time to see him pulling his sword from the ground and whipping it at my head. I ducked the thrown mass of steel and when I looked up he was gone again.Acting on instinct, I threw myself flat. I felt the air whoosh by overhead. Kragor had turned into a spinning top of death. I was forced to roll aw
Mana System In The Apocalypse Turning Head
I rode into Biloxi on Bella, we were greeted on the main road like we were before, this time it was a different group that greeted me. None of the men hassled me like the previous time.The city was quite busy, considering its location and the Bazaar I wasn't surprised.I kept an eye out for trouble as Bella made her way down the streets and towards the Bazaar. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary but the crowds still made me nervous. Before my imprisonment, I wouldn't have thought twice about being around this many people. Now, I measured everyone as a possible threat to me. Humans more so than the other races. It wasn't a healthy way to live, I knew that, but it would take time for me to change.I let out a sigh of relief as I entered the Bazaar. I couldn't wait to get back to Arman or hunting dungeons. Anything to be away from the mass of humanity. My last time in Biloxi was less stressful because I had people I at least worked with, along with me. Fion
Mana System In The Apocalypse Falcon Wing
Reginald cursed, that damn half-elf had managed to give them the slip. They knew where he was going but if he got too far ahead the tracker wouldn't be able to locate him.His boss had sent the four of them to this new world to scout resources and possible locations to plunder or control. Rumors of the new world spread quickly through the System. Stories of meteoric rises in levels as well as beasts and dungeons everywhere. His boss wanted a stake in that new world and had invested 40000 credits to send three of his strongest people over to establish a base.While a researcher wasn't the best asset to use for something like this it was what they had to work with. They had captured the man a few years ago and kept him around to identify rare objects that they came across. If his boss found out the man escaped they wouldn't find any sympathy."Do you have his trail?" Reginald demanded.Oslo rolled his eyes, "Of course, he is only an hour or so ahead
Mana System In The Apocalypse Hunter And Prey
Reginald stopped as Oslo held up a hand. He watched as the man dismounted and inspected the ground around the road. He heard the man curse."What is it," he demanded."We got a problem, seems our little friend isn't alone. I wasn't sure until I saw their tracks both head off the road here," he said, gesturing to a barely visible trail."That's not all, looks like whoever picked him up has a war mount."Reginald stiffened at that. While not rare, nobody bought a war mount unless they expected to be in almost constant fighting. There were many other options that people could buy that were both faster and cheaper."Any idea what type?" he asked, not that any of them would be good to fight."Ravor beast," he replied, spitting to the side.Shit, he had fought a few of the creatures in the past. Usually when attacking a well-armed caravan. The creatures were semi-intelligent and brutal."Anyone else?""No, tr
Mana System In The Apocalypse Imps
I sat on a log about a mile from the city. While there were multiple ways to get to Arman from Biloxi, I expected this group to come the same way from before. I was proven right when I spotted a group of horses coming down the dirt road."Well, you ready?" I asked Fiona and Martin.His sister had adamantly denied any assistance. Martin and she had gotten into a heated argument over it but she didn't budge. I was starting to think Martin was getting fed up with her recalcitrant attitude.I think stubbornness ran in their family as I was unable to convince Martin to remain in the city."Yeah, don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," Martin replied."Trust in your friends," Fiona whispered into my ear.I cast my buffs on us as the riders got closer. They came to a stop about a hundred feet away and got off their horses.I watched as three of the men approached, I kept my eyes on all of them though. I looked at Mart
Mana System In The Apocalypse The Sweep
I heard the man hiss to his cohorts. "He has a strong will, get in there and deal with him before he overwhelms my ability."I watched the three pull out weapons and they dismounted and ran into the fog towards me. I struggled against the man's ability as the three continued to close. They came unerringly toward me. That would only be possible if they had items that let them see through the mists. Fiona waited until the men were within ten feet of me before she struck.She stabbed the Psion through the back and he let out a scream of pain. Immediately I felt the power dissipate around my mind as I blurred into motion.My first target was the fool that turned his head at the scream. I fed mana into my staff and activated Flurry, driving through his guard. He was quick but I only needed to brush against his skin one time for my blinding pain enchantment to activate.He dropped his swords and screamed as the ability took hold. It was only amplified b
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- Mana System In The Apocalypse
Fight For Affection
Was the person in the mirror really Henry and not an international supermodel?Henry could not help but wonder.However, Mia's reaction told Henry that it was not an illusion.Mia's mouth was wide open as she walked to Henry's side in shock. She looked at him in the mirror and was amazed."Oh my God, Henry, I never realized that you're so handsome! Gosh, you look so good."As Mia spoke, she couldn't help but touch Henry's firm chest."Oh my God, these firm pecs are worth dying for…"Henry looked at Mia, who was acting like a pervert. He shook his head helplessly and slapped her hand away."Alright, now that I've changed my clothes, let's hurry to the banquet before we go late. I'm not known for attending any events late." Hearing this, Mia finally came back to her senses. "Ah, yes. We have to hurry over. With such a handsome companion by my side, I'd like to see if those little b*tches will still show off in front of me," Mia proudly said as she pulled Henry's arm.After that, they q
- Mana System In The Apocalypse
Epilogue
Martin strode down the hall of the capitol building with a worried smile on his face. He was a bit greyer now but he still oozed charm and confidence. Time had been kind to him.The city had become a booming metropolis in the ten years since Paul returned, after his year and a half of being missing. Martin knew something had happened because one day a bunch of massive flying ships had come from nowhere and obliterated the ships that had been harassing the city non-stop for over six months. They had quickly taken care of Lord Vik’t and his remaining forces, the man managing to flee back to his homeworld before the Guild caught him.When Paul had returned, he had returned a quiet man. You could see the loss in his eyes. But the man pushed on and his businesses flourished, producing the Earth’s mightiest warships and most advanced runic items. Then five years after Paul returned, he took a fleet of ten of his capital ships and vanished for another year.When he returned again, the ships
- Mana System In The Apocalypse
The devil you know
As soon as the pirates realized the Guild ships were approaching the island, they broke off the fighting and retreated toward the edge of town to dig in. They weren’t stupid enough to attack the Guild but it seemed they wanted to ensure there wasn’t an accidental incident.One of the Guild ships docked and the Captain stepped off to greet the three of us. I had been carried over by Barcos and Em’ah on the same chair she plopped me in the night before. My legs were looking less like mashed potatoes now and instead looked like mushed putty. It was hard to ignore the sensation of the bones moving around within my shattered legs but I was managing.“Captain Paul, I hope this wasn’t a last-ditch attempt to hold off your enemy. I can assure you, we will leave for safer shores immediately if it was.”I ignored the man’s condescending snark before replying. “You have the agreement from the Director?”“I do,” he smiled. “Do you wish to review it?”I nodded and he produced a stack of documents
- Mana System In The Apocalypse
A Valuable Lesson
Groaning, I opened my eyes. All I saw was darkness. I tried turning my head or moving but it seemed like I was pinned in place.I fought down the urge to panic as I evaluated my condition. My arms were still broken, the sharp stabbing pain when I tried to move them told me as much. I could breathe though so my organs had healed after the beating I had taken. That was something at least.Seeing as I was in no immediate danger of dying, I checked my skills. My blood ran cold as I saw what remained of my abilities.[Rejuvenate][Multicast][Eye of the Storm][Aura of Rage][Calcifying Strike]Frostwave][Orb of Darkness][Energy Lance][Overcharge][Tempest Ball]That was the sum total of all the skills I now had. They had stripped me of every ability I had stolen from them along with every ability my second class gave me by default, making it impossible to recover skills by stealing them from others.I let out a morbid little chuckle as I lay there. Tears of frustration leaked from the
- Mana System In The Apocalypse
Unexpected arrival
Those two words seemed to freeze everyone in place, but it wasn’t magic that caused it, it was fear. My body was frozen along with everyone else but my eyes rose into the air, tracking two creatures as they forced the magical fog away from the entire area with some ability.It was hard to tell by their alien physiology but I got the distinct impression they were looking directly at me. The initial fear was subsiding and people were starting to move again until the larger of the two squid-like creatures cast a spell. I managed to get off an Identify before the spell hit.[Ulq | Void Hunter/Maw of the Void | 47/41][Xiph | Psy Commando/Maw of the Void | 45/42]My body shook as I realized they were here for me but not a single person or even the entire pirate armada currently assembled here would be able to kill these two creatures.I felt the spell wash over the area and everyone was frozen again but a halo of golden light burst into existence above my head, washing away the spell’s eff
- Mana System In The Apocalypse
Beachhead
The meager fleet of ships I was now in charge of, rose from the dock and slowly spiraled into the air to get above the mist. The chaotic coloration of the mana storm was visible in the distance even through the mist. That meant the enemy was almost upon the island.The Retribution was the first ship to breach the thick covering and it was no surprise to see the enemy ships had spread out in a crescent shape to surround the island. Enemy fast attack craft zipped toward our location and I double-checked that everything was working as it should. I had also turned the mana accumulator back on.I sometimes wished I had been able to fit multiple layers of shielding on the ship. But my experiments in that regard had not gotten anywhere. Shields that close together acted like soap bubbles. Either they popped completely or merged together, but it didn’t increase the strength of the shield when they did. The only way to prevent this was to have separate bubble shields that only covered a certai
- Mana System In The Apocalypse
The Storm
After weeks of sitting around, the Retribution finally got to fly again.Knowing we were leaving, the harbor was a beehive of activity. Cobbled together crews were drilling aboard the other captured pirate ships. The people knew it wasn’t a matter of if, but a matter of when another enemy would appear.As soon as Khikall got us away from the docks and any possible collision, I engaged the cloak. It was far more effective now that I could enable and disable the automatic recharging system. The massive disruption of mana we used to leave in our wake was now a tiny trail.I hadn’t had time to figure out a way to smooth our passing completely but this would have to do. I also had Em’ah watching for trails from a crudely assembled periscope. Now she didn’t need to be on the deck to use her Mana Sense skill.Speaking of skills… I had picked up a few from the last fight. I also managed to finally hit level twenty in my Maw of the Void class. I stuck two of my stats in Strength, one in Endura
- Mana System In The Apocalypse
Troubled water
I watched as the workers placed the last armor panel in position and began to weld it into place. It had taken a few weeks to repair the damages from our fight but the Retribution was looking almost new.The replaced sections were clearly visible by the heat transfer in the titanium. I could easily fix that when I turned the thermal defenses on. It should make everything a uniform color. Paint would work too, I suppose, but why cover up the beauty of the metal.It was a good thing the ship was complete, over the last few days, we had been getting reports from the Guild merchant ships that were stopping to trade, and they weren’t good.Large fleets of pirate ships spotted raiding islands. The Capital of the Avulian Protectorate was sacked and all of the leadership missing. The remaining fleets of the Protectorate were attacking any ship that wasn’t theirs or the Guild's. Cities burning due to the slaves I helped free, it was madness and it was spreading.Already I could hear concerned
- Mana System In The Apocalypse
Turncoat
Captain Grulaine hissed in annoyance as his second in command handed him his “orders”. His second flinched back and hurried out of the room. If he hadn’t, Grulaine may have cut him down in a fit of pique. It galled Grulaine to be under the thumb of another. He had gotten rid of his father for that very same reason. And now thanks to a series of unfortunate events, he found himself beholden to the damn pirate king Black Gar’s lap dog.How was he to know the repair yard where he went was controlled by that snake. If he had he certainly wouldn’t have agreed to the loan to effect repairs to his cannons and ship. Repairs that had taken far longer than necessary, and left Grulaine on the sidelines as the entire protectorate seemed to be crumbling around him. An opportunity-rich environment he wasn’t able to take advantage of.But that wasn’t the most galling part. He found that his repairs were delayed on purpose so Gar could tighten his stranglehold on the local pirates. By the time Grulai
