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2023-06-09 17:28:12The rest of the day was uneventful and I managed to find an abandoned hunting shack to spend the night. It wasn't very warm but it was off the ground and had walls on four sides. There was no door but an old blanket was slung over the opening, keeping most of the weather out. I thought it a bit weird that I hadn't encountered any monsters this way. It's almost like the land had been cleared of anything hostile.
I decided to string up some of my improvised chitin plate alarm systems to warn me in case I had a visitor in the night. I wasn't tired yet and there was a bit of light left so I decided to study my rune books some more. I felt that runic magic could be a force multiplier that few would suspect if I could master it. It also synergized well with my Mantra based magic. After a while of reading, I got a notification.Congratulations you have studied runes to the extent that the accumulated knowledge has unlocked a specific tab in your character sheetI
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Mana System In The Apocalypse Another Creatures
I wasn't quick enough to avoid the blow entirely and the Orc's nasty curved sword sliced a long furrow in my bicep. I winced at the pain, instead of crying out. Which says a lot about the amount of pain I have received lately. Grabbing my staff I whirled around having to recast Flurry as it cannot remain active on an unequipped weapon and I struck out with my now nine punishing blows.The monster even managed to block one of the blows but his animal-hide armor-covered torso did little to blunt the force of my impacts as he staggered back spitting up blood. I followed that attack up with a quick Stunning Gust causing the creature to topple over. Checking my notices I saw it was still alive. I changed my focus to the second Orc, he had rearmed himself. I took this time while we sized each other up to get his stats.Charlok | Orc Hunter | Level 6This was surprising in and of itself, the only names I had come across had been on Intelligent creatures, not that
Mana System In The Apocalypse The Enemy you know
I spent a good part of the morning cursing up a storm.Hours wasted going to the western bridge only to find someone had blown it up or destroyed it with magic, didn't really matter. There were no more options west as I was starting to close in on those new mountains and I decided not to chance it.I ended up having to bunker down for the night under some fallen logs while it rained. I was wet and grumpy, and now I had to backtrack to the bridge that I had wanted to avoid. If these Black Dragons were even semi-organized and it sure seemed like they were, they would have the only bridge within miles under guard."I hate when I'm right," I muttered under my breath as I sat in some bushes a good hundred yards from the bridge.The hill I sat on was a good vantage point, allowing an unobstructed view to see across the bridge and the hive of activity beyond. It was easy to discern what was happening as groups of people lead by a few others were herded l
Mana System In The Apocalypse Unconsciousness
I dragged the bodies off the road and into a ditch with tall grass and reeds. It would do for now to keep their bodies from being discovered. I grabbed one of the black armbands. From what I could tell they all appeared to be the same and I hadn't seen anyone saluting or being deferential to anyone but that mage woman.If it got me across the bridge that would be best but if it even got me to within striking distance of the guards on the bridge I could take it from there. I decided to loot the corpses as well. I found a few credits, a knife that I strapped on, and a silver ring.At first glance, I thought it was just a simple ring but when I touched it, it felt odd."No, it can't be," I whispered and opened my inventory tab. There in my inventory was my backpack and the ring as storage items. I did a little shimmy of joy at this, finally, I had a dimensional storage item and decided to check the rings storage space. The ring could store up to three cubic f
Mana System In The Apocalypse High Level Mage
I made my way east, along the small town's buildings before heading south again. It wasn't long before I was stopped by two men wearing black armbands."Whoa there fella, would you look at this Bob," the man said tapping his friend on the chest with the back of his hand, "looks like our new friend here found us a nice night-time plaything, so how about it friend care to share?" The man asked, both him and his buddy smiling in glee.They must have thought this was their lucky night. I decided to check their stats.Footman | Level 5Guard | Level 4These two were likely nobodies in the Dragons' hierarchy which seemed to have the stronger or higher leveled people rule over the weaker lower-leveled, and considering their levels versus some of the other members I came across, these were not high-level members. They must have thought I was one of the weaker members as I had equipped the rifle again and I was also still sporting the armband.
Mana System In The Apocalypse Time For Discussion
I managed to slip us out of town and off towards the east without being spotted, after a few hours I was able to locate a collapsed barn that had just enough room for the two of us to spend the night.It was unlikely anyone would find us here even if they knew to start looking. I set the still sleeping woman down on the dirty hay and slumped over myself, exhausted. Before I nodded off I decided to tie up Fiona's hands and feet holding the end of the rope tight just in case. Then I fell asleep.I was awoken sometime in the night as I felt a tug on the rope.I heard a weak voice call out, "Paul?""Yeah," I replied simply.I heard her start crying, "T-Thank you for rescuing me. I'm so sorry for what I did. I thought you were working with the people following us.""I bet you are sorry, that doesn't change the fact that you tried to kill me does it," I hissed angrily, trying to keep my voice down, "If it wasn't for your damn Commander
Mana System In The Apocalypse Modifiers
I didn't really want some strange woman bonded to me for life, it felt way too much like a marriage, and I already went down that road once before. The problem was I didn't see any other option in the time we had. We couldn't afford to sit here all day with the Black Dragon encampment soo close. So I chose yes.[Fiona Clark has been Life Bonded to you.]"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, you won't regret this," she said sounding a bit manic. I was kind of already regretting it."We need to leave before that Mage catches up with us.""She is leaving for a place called Chic-a-go," Fiona said fumbling over the unknown word, "Apparently her faction? I guess I could call it that is at war with three other groups for that area and they recalled anyone over level ten to assist. I overheard this when they thought I had passed out from the beatings. I guess that's why they are rounding up fodder to feed to others in their group to power level them."
Mana System In The Apocalypse Home sweet home
We arrived north of the metro area I called home, after another three days. Fiona had been the model of good behavior the entire way. She could have left at any time and I wouldn't have stopped her. While I still didn't trust her fully I had to admit she was trying to make up for her mistake. While she didn't have a weapon she did have a few useful skills that came in handy in the few encounters with monsters we ran across. Mostly just local mutated wildlife.I had decided to stop using the old city names for most places as it didn't quite seem to fit the new reality that was our world. Despite that, this entire sprawling urban area had been known as the Fox Valley. It stretched from Lake Michigan down to the southern part of Lake Winnebago. Of course, it wasn't all the same town.There were three or four major towns connected by a slew of smaller communities and somewhere in all that mess was the Bazaar. It wasn't on the scale of Chicago big but there had still be
Mana System In The Apocalypse Hearty Message
I cleared my throat, "For the pain, put it between your teeth when I finish the runes. I don't know how long they will hold stable."She gave me a look of shock and tried to stand, but I pushed her back down in the seat, "Do you want the collar off or not?"She didn't say anything or nod she just sat there and I took that as confirmation to begin.There is something to be said about carving on a surface that you can manipulate in any direction you need versus trying to do the same on an object you can only rotate in one direction. After less than a minute I had her lay down on the couch and I kneeled to the side to get a better angle for carving. I needed to pick up a jewelers loupe or magnifying glasses for more detailed work like this.It may not have been the most dignified position for her but it made my work so much easier. She was only wearing her loose blouse and pants so as not to ruin her armor when the spell went off. I noticed she was w
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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
