TLDR: Act 4 of Synergy begins tomorrow, new chapters are published every Wednesday and Sunday, and my Patreon is 5 chapters ahead.

So, I finally finished Act 4. I wouldn't really say that I'm done editing it, since there's always a paragraph or a turn of phrase that could be improved on, but I think I've reached the quality that I'm comfortable sharing. Took me longer than I expected, though it was definitely worth it for the end result. That said, I understand that it's been a loooong while for most of you so a recap might come in handy.

...but before I get to that, I'd like to ask something: Please read Interlude 3 if you haven't read it yet!

I don't know how reliable the chapter views on this site are, but they always gave me the impression that some of my readers are skipping the interludes. (Also dropping the story before the interlude, but that's a different matter.) Skipping Interlude 1 and 2 is fine, I guess, but Interlude 3 features the protagonist too and the events in there are important story-wise. Just because I named a chapter "Interlude", it doesn't mean that it has no relevance to the plot; it's called Interlude because it's a chapter presented from an outside perspective that isn't part of the Game of Ascension.

So if you haven't read Interlude 3, I suggest you read it. If you have read Interlude 3 but it's been a long ago, I think re-reading might be a good idea—it isn't half bad as a refresher either. That said, I'll now try to write a proper recap too:

Act 3 recap

The last time I wrote a recap, I just listed a bunch of technical details about the world, the magic system, and the characters. This time I'll try something different, focusing mostly on the plot. I think the rest of the details should come back to you just fine as you continue reading the novel, so only the key moments are important here. The tricky part is to avoid any subjective takes on what happened, since I don't want to actually tell you how to interpret my story.

Act 3 begins by showcasing how Randel used the Dungeon Core he had previously acquired: he opened a Dungeon right within Fortram, the industrial city he lives in. With the help of Devi (his blue-skinned Sylven companion), he created new homes for the people of the slums, many of whom lost their homes in the very same battle that allowed Randel to get a Dungeon Core. Handling and leveling up the new Dungeon is a geeky job though, so Randel is lucky to have Imaya assisting in the management of the Dungeon—while at the same time Erika, his former boss in the bountyhouse, manages his fortune and handles his investments in real estate. In other words, he has lots of advantages—and with the help of others, he is turning those into even bigger advantages. He himself wonders why he is doing it, as he doesn't consider himself a particularly enthusiastic philanthropist, but it's hinted that the shades within Soul Eater are influencing him. They don't let him skimp on improving his personal power either, and so Randel visits the Player Shop to finally buy himself some proper equipment.

Aside from showing how much Randel has stepped up his game, there's an important revelation at the start of Act 3: the Inspectors have arranged a deathmatch between all of the shadebound Player experiments on Nerilia. Randel and six other Players like him receive a Quest to fight to the death until only one remain.

In the meantime, Devi is trying to help Randel deal with his shades. She regularly uses the Dreamcatcher, this time with Randel's consent, to join him in his subconscious and face the shades in an attempt to learn more about them. She doesn't actually learn much and she is unable to do anything, but Randel names the shades to better distinguish them: Lee and Tamie.

Friends come and go and Randel's Dungeon spreads more and more, inevitably attracting the attention of both the authorities and shadier people. Fortram's Governor doesn't take to Randel's growing influence kindly, while at the same time the Dungeon Core draws people in who would take it for themselves. Fortram's underworld unites against Randel's organization and raids his Dungeon, which almost results in him losing the Core. The raid and the following bloodbath were actually what Randel's shades wanted, however: with so many people dying in the Dungeon, it now has enough resources to connect with the city's World Seed and turn the entire city into a Dungeon—sinking it below ground as Randel does so. Added bonus is the growing notoriety of the Mad Painter's name. Simply turning the city into a Dungeon wouldn't have sufficed; the shades wanted to make it known that the Mad Painter was not to be messed with.

Although Randel has no intention of participating in the deathmatch between the shadebound Players, Ryder arrives at Fortram and challenges him for a duel. Randel doesn't bother to give Ryder a fair fight, but even so he finds himself outclassed and cornered in the ensuing battle. Out of any other options, Randel's shades put Devi in harm's way to save themselves. Ryder is then killed by Devi, after which Ryder's Inspector arrives and tells the survivors that Ryder's shade needs another host. He makes a show of considering Devi as a candidate, but in the end he binds the shade to Randel's body.

By the way, I also changed the synopsis ... again. It's not an entire rewrite, more like an editing pass now that I have even more experience with writing. The synopsis now flows and sounds much better, I think. In case you're curious and want to compare them too, here are the old and the new versions.

Old synopsis:

Dear Inspector,

Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from being the Chosen One.

Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want but I had to try it. I figured it might be within my rights to resign, though of course you still haven't shown me the job description. Anyway, my reasons for resigning are simple: I'm neither a gamer nor a hero. I think you got the wrong person for the job.

Sure, the pay is decent. I could pretty much live like a king if I had the time for it. But my main concerns are about the constant health hazards and the demonic dagger bound to my soul. I didn't ask to be transported to this fantasy land either, so I'd like you to return me home, thank you very much. I don't want supernatural powers, I don't want any of these quests, and I don't want to be a test subject for you to puppet around. A hefty paycheck doesn't really compensate for going insane and dying a violent death, you know?

Thank you for your understanding, and I hope that you will find a better replacement.

Sincerely,

Randel, the Mad Painter

New synopsis:

Dear Inspector,

Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from being a Player.

Hey! Laugh all you want, but I had to try. With no rules down here, who's to say that I can't resign?

Anyway, my reasons are simple: I'm neither a gamer nor a hero. You got the wrong person for the job. Sure, the pay is decent and I could pretty much live like a king if, you know, I wasn't so busy trying to survive. I have major concerns about the demonic dagger bound to my soul too. Come to think of it, I've never asked to be transported to this fantasy land either and would like you to return me home, thank you very much. I don't want supernatural powers, I don't want to complete quests after quests, and I don't want to be your test subject anymore. What? I'm not whining, you're whining. Stop making excuses and let me leave already.

Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you'll find a better replacement after I'm gone for good.

Sincerely,

Randel, the Mad Painter

As usual, writing a synopsis that doesn't spoil the story but gives a good expectation about what to expect is tough. This new synopsis has more attitude, I guess, which isn't something that everyone might like but it certainly stands out better than a generic intro would. The contents of this synopsis could fit a large amount of gamelit / portal fantasy stories, so without Randel's personality in there, it wouldn't really have much going for it. For the time being, I'm satisfied with this new intro—but who knows? Maybe in the next story arc I'm going to figure out a better blurb and rewrite this one.