Chapter 84 - Three Runes
A thousand and five hundred ether.
That was how much the materials of Vivi’s current project would have cost on the surface. The price was enough to single-handedly bankrupt their whole bu...
Matizu Writes posts
Chapter 83 - Last Chance
Vivi had no time for warm-ups. She stretched her fingers and closed her eyes to clear her thoughts. Too many worries and doubts lingered like a plague in her head. Concentrating would be impossible...
2025-03-18 09:14:52 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 82 - Panic Plan (Part Two)
“We tested Vivi's adamantite katana on a thick slab of black hardstone,” Ven said. “Solace slashed it cleanly in half. We can create a hole in the wall in less than ten seconds....
2025-03-17 09:09:58 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 81 - Panic Plan (Part One)
“The guards found the hole in the wall,” Ven said.
The room went silent but for the sizzling of Gaven’s cookpot. The Hollows stopped eating. Eem sat on top of a chair’s backrest with ...
2025-03-16 09:40:41 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 80 - Suspicion
After eventually convincing Eem to clear her ether reserves and after hiding Vivi’s skill in spatial storage, the group joined Aang’s Union in line for collection day.
The daylight gems w...
2025-03-15 10:35:56 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 79 - Offense
Vivi faced Andre with her dark mithril greatsword, thorn sword active. Her runesword was strengthened from the inside as well as from the outside. An aura of red ether coated the sword, ma...
2025-03-14 07:11:24 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 78 - Stupid Arguments
Vivi paused. Someone wanted to talk to her in Paradise? An ether hunter, of course. Nobody else could enter. “Is it Andre or Serena?”
“I’m not certain,” Lucius said. “I j...
2025-03-13 07:21:13 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 77 - Nerves
The final loop.
Vivi’s hands were starting to get irritated. She’d been shaping veins for hours now. She'd lost track of how many. This was her third attempt after the second attempt fail...
2025-03-12 07:30:51 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 76 - Attempts
The next day, the Hollows cleared two more bosses. The Ember Golem, and the Fang Tanker.
Both bosses survived being fed potions. The Ember Golem’s skulls grew rampant, gaining an ability to...
2025-03-11 08:29:54 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 75 - The Guard
Grenall stirred a spoon in his drink, then took a sip. “I tried to figure out how to access the negotiation chambers. It’s nearly impossible. You’ll need one hell of a plan if you want to sne...
2025-03-10 07:14:06 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 74 - Troubles of Knighthood
The Hollows climbed to home base and immediately got to work. Lydi placed Feni into bed and gave her a few potions. She said Feni should be waking up by the end of the day. Aang postponed any discu...
2025-03-09 09:03:58 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 73 - Greatswords
The gnoll faced Vivi.
The others were too far to help. Aang grimaced as he reached for his sword, pushing himself up. Ven was only now opening his eyes, recovering from the first interaction....
2025-03-08 10:16:44 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 72 - Overbuffed
Feni was blown backward with force. The crystal mithril sword fell from her hands, clanking against the ground. She flew straight into Aang’s arms. He had to brace his feet to catch her without f...
2025-03-07 07:21:25 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 71 - The Gnoll Mineshaft
The charging gnoll exploded to bits. Wisps of ether sprayed to the wall, as if caught by a powerful gust of wind. The crush rune ripped through the gnoll with force, utterly destroying the...
2025-03-06 07:45:51 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 70 - Work
Rohan’s lectures moved from practice swings to real time combat against respawning monsters. Vivi was instructed to fight only with the techniques and methods taught. Her footwork had to be perfe...
2025-03-05 07:27:27 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 69 - Framework
“Finally,” Lucius said. He appeared from Vivi’s core with a grin on his face. “Let’s launch the hunt right now! The boss is ours!”
The Hollows looked like they wanted to roll thei...
2025-03-04 07:46:15 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 68 - Friends
Vivi woke up with her forehead resting on her anvil.
She’d never been as groggy as she was now. Lifting her head, a wave of nausea nearly made her puke. She didn’t see straight. Her mind ...
2025-03-03 07:04:17 +0000 UTC View PostInterlude 2 - Impossible Task
Intended to be read after chapter 67
“What do you mean it shattered to pieces?” Andre asked with a frown on his face.
“I don’t fucking know,” Einord said. “L...
2025-03-02 10:17:56 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 67 - The Nothingness Rune
“Vivi, you’re scary when you get mad like that…” Lucius said.
Vivi frowned. She stepped into her smithy, which was still hot from the work earlier. Tools were left in place, ...
2025-03-02 10:15:46 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 66 - Showcase Of Power
Surges were as deafening as Vivi remembered. The geyser-like surge coated almost the entirety of the fenced-off area with ether. A few contestants were caught inside. Small cuts appeared on their s...
2025-03-01 10:55:09 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 65 - Gamble Of No Bad Outcomes
The group sneaked into Aang’s hub through the “Union exit.” The one that connected the gnoll mineshaft to Aang’s private hunting grounds. Eem moved on Vivi’s shoulders, having joined back...
2025-02-28 09:22:07 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 64 - Dreams and Reality
Why do they look so shocked? Vivi thought. Are the swords not good enough, after all?
“Vivi, you idiot,” Lucius said with a laugh. “Do you really think th...
2025-02-27 08:53:20 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 63 - Rune Combinations
An hour later, the main set of veins for the two-runed katana was completed. So far, the process was the same as when crafting a single-runed sword. With a two-runed sword, the first set of veins w...
2025-02-26 09:11:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 62 - Warm-up
Vivi was rusty. She immediately noticed sluggishness in her movements. Her hands didn’t flow with the root’s stalk like they used to. Holding a crochet hook felt awkward. The last time she’d ...
2025-02-25 11:53:33 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 61 - Runeswords in Demand
The smithy was far smaller than Grandpa’s cramped old shack. Aang had filled the whole room with tools and equipment, making clever use of the lacking space. Hammers and tools were hanging from t...
2025-02-25 11:51:00 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 60 - Outside News
Vivi returned to the hidden dungeon with her two teachers, Eem sitting on her shoulders.
The Stewards had cleared the dungeon thoroughly, leaving not a single wisp of ether uncollected. Host ...
2025-02-24 11:40:28 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 59 - End Cycle
For the next two weeks, the Hollow Phantoms locked the hidden dungeon. Members were forbidden from entering. Everyone had their own duties in Aang’s union. Ostensibly, everyone lived their lives ...
2025-02-23 17:57:07 +0000 UTC View PostInterlude 1 - Storm Forecast
Intended to be read after chapter 58
The surge was supposed to hit on the sixteenth hour. Three minutes ago. As usual, the forecast was slightly off.
Scanners had sensed...
2025-02-22 18:42:51 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 58 - The Better Hub
Aang’s private hunting grounds were connected to the Union’s dungeon with black curtains. There were no walls, no fences or gates or locks, just a pair of ordinary curtains. Ven pushed through....
2025-02-22 18:17:38 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 57 - Fundamentals
“We will start by learning how to unsheath a weapon correctly,” Rohan had said.
Vivi assumed that sentence had been a joke. Or at least, she didn’t think Rohan was serious. Wha...
2025-02-22 17:56:18 +0000 UTC View Post