《The world's strongest level one》Chapter 2: Backdoor Dealings
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Me: I'm cutting the honourifics. Its an english story. This chapter is basically a bundle of foreshadowing. I will not give away the speakers this chapter, try to guess who they are.
"Any hopefuls amongst the B- and C- rankers that came for the rank up?"
"There was one B-rank that ranked up... What was his name... ... ... Clark Williamson."
"Ah, other than him? I already know him."
"Nobody."
"People are too reliant on level these days. Nobody that has the slightest semblance of resourcefulness..."
"How about the toolbox? He's A-rank, and level one."
"Yeah... He won't cut it. He's staying level one for some undisclosed reasons. It seems to me as if he's taking this world lightly..."
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"If we do this job correctly, we're set for life."
"Are you sure? He's an A-ranker..."
"Man up! He's only level one!"
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"Coming into our base alone... You must be either really brave or really stupid..."
"Stop with the cliche lines. The author will get flamed."
"You stop breaking the fourth wall... The author will get flamed even more..."
"Getting back to business... Disband your group. You are a hinderance to my master's plans."
"Who do you think you are?"
"My name is Alfred Jones, but you can call me the toolbox."
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"I. Made. Ssssome. Ssstringsss. For. You."
"Stop talking like that... You are a spider, not a snake."
"I felt like it okay!"
"I need you to do something for me..."
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Me: All dialogues are alternating between two people. There are 8 total. For the third dialogue, before you guess, the next chapter's name is "Fake Toolbox". Best of luck...
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ICOMO ODYSSEY
Jonathan Vélo never expected to be famous. Not for riding his bike all the way around the continent of Icomo. Every adult knows his story, and children learn about him at school. This, however, is the first and only biography written about that great man with foreigners in mind. We, his biographers, imagine they will be immensely grateful. Of course, readers will find the people of Icomo an unusual sort for glorifying a young man who did nothing more than quit his job and ride his bike from town to town, city to city… But in an age of robots and computers, when little escapes the notice of the historian, there is a quiet epic to be told. It is the epic of cozy nights in a tent below the stars, of warm wind and ocean waves. It is also the epic of missing old friends in faraway places, and that feeling of needing to make life mean something. *** ‘ICOMO ODYSSEY’ is a nostalgic slice-of-life adventure about a utopian sci-fi land. No clever villains or epic fights here. Just cozy pleasures, charming towns and villages, interesting cultures, and the people who live in them… This story will update bi-weekly on Friday and Saturday. https://www.scribblehub.com/series/467210/icomo-odyssey/
8 134Alive?
In the ruins of a once glorious city, a mage awakens. As the sole survivor(?) of the cataclysm that destroyed his entire species, he’s forced to adapt. While learning the intricacies of his new body, he must first carve out a place for himself in a familiar yet foreign world before he can set out to reclaim his heritage. I cannot stress this enough: the character is not human, do not expect him to react like one. I know the hand on the cover only has five finger, but I doubt I am going to find a royalty free radiography with two perfectly functional thumbs placed in a sensible way anytime soon. The rewrite is finished. Beta readers are welcomed and I am still wondering whether I should put the sci-fi tag or not.
8 281Traveleyan
Traveleya (more often referred to by her accomplice as "Miss Cleyne"), is an otherwise plain and ordinary twenty-seven year old woman in every aspect save one: she can see things that others can't, a skill that makes her an invaluable asset to one Millenia Eizenstrauss, a young necromancer with whom she works alongside unofficially. After taking on a particularly lucrative side-job as a courier for Lady Eizenstrauss, she is unwittingly (and often unwillingly) dragged into the strange noble-woman's odd occupation and becomes as essential to her work as Lady Eizenstrauss herself. Together the two make a potent team in solving supernatural cases that plague the haunted countrysides and decadent cityscapes of Svietsylvania, all with the help of Einen, the ghostly spirit of Millenia's departed brother who is bound to his sister's service.
8 100Through All Our Faults
One denies the pain that lurks in their mind. Another has let themselves be molded into someone unrecognizable. The third seeks a life that lies beyond their reach, forever an unattainable dream. The fourth has given up, drowning within their thoughts. Four individuals, each so unlike the other, brought together against a force greater than themselves. Each carries weight on their backs, unable to find relief from their burdens. As threats and dangers continue to gather, the outcome will fall to them, whether that leads to tragedy or success. As they face beasts and foes, they'll have to confront their inner demons and survive. If they can't rely on each other, the end will come.
8 147After the End: Serenity
We all want to believe we are heroes of our own story - unless we want to be the villain, of course. At the end of everything, the Final Reaper decided he hadn’t been a hero. Driven by a desire to right the wrongs he was subjected to, he killed everyone who wronged him or his people - which turned out to be everyone that wasn’t killed by someone else first. He'd won - but it was a hollow victory. Eventually, Order’s Voice found a way out. If the only existing being would agree to give up most of his power, the Voice could reset the multiverse to an earlier time with a few minor changes. Of course, the Voice couldn't ask it that way. It could only ask if the Final Reaper was willing to start over from when Earth was first brought into Order. It was an easy decision, and yet it wasn’t. Was he willing to go through eons of pain again to not be alone? Yes. In a heartbeat. Not that his heart beat anymore. Now it would. Perhaps he could even be a hero, this time. When he landed in his old body - more or less - on Earth, the Final Reaper once again became Thomas. He was both and neither. He needed a new name for a new life. Serenity. ------------------------------------------ While this is technically a System Apocalypse story, it's a System Apocalypse that is designed to have a large percentage of the population survive and prosper. There are a lot of problems that come with the appearance of the Voice, and it's entirely possible to lose. Earth has some special opportunities, but also special challenges. The first time around, Earth won the first round and lost the second. Serenity has ten years from when the Voice arrives to prevent that from happening. It will be a group effort; Serenity can't win alone - which is difficult for someone who's been alone for as long as he has. Of course, that's only his second priority. ------------------------------------------- Updates Daily A note on the nonhuman lead tag: He isn't human, and hasn't been human for a very, very long time (or maybe not long at all, depending on how you count it). He still thinks of himself as human, either way. The content warnings are mostly to give me room to write; this fiction is not intended to be edgy, but once in a while a character will swear or someone will get seriously injured. The cover image is a Chandra/Hubble composite image of VV 340 / Arp 302 / UGC 9618. While we're not going to space itself any time soon in the story, people from elsewhere are coming to Earth and Serenity will visit other planets. Plus, I like space imagery. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 505Sacrificed in Thirty Seconds
A somewhat unusual reincarnation story, where the main character is thrown into a new world and tries to survive. It is a combination of survival/adventure. I wrote it as a fast-paced, action driven story. If you like slice of life, or extensive descriptions, it is probably not for you. This is my first book here, I will not remove it, but do not expect anything special.
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