dirk_grey

Guardian's Farm 10

“What do you think, Sage,” I asked, watching the young man leave the clearing. “Am I doing the right thing, offering to train the kid?”

Sage looked at my eyes, a question clear in his bright grey eyes.

“Why did I accept to train him?” I asked, and Sage nodded. “He’s ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 180

I kept my meditation skills active, closing my eyes. A part of it had been about supplying the dungeon with mana, as no matter what was going on, it was clear that the dungeon required such strength.

Also, it kept me focused on my ‘soul’ allowing me to see what was going on better than...

Blacksmith vs. the System 179

To my surprise, even as I started cutting large swathes through the lizard army with my ranged blade attacks, there were none of the light attacks to block my external skills. It seemed that my fake shield trick had worked even better than I had expected.

The first boss to catch up with me...

Blacksmith vs. the System 178

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test my newfound abilities as much as I wished. An hour after I started practicing with the new weapons, I was interrupted by an alert from the entrance, signaling movement. It was slightly annoying, as it meant I didn’t have time to test the changes I made in ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 177

I wore a big smile, ignoring the temptation to activate Reformation to reshape the hammer into something greater. There was no need. Not even when the metal started bubbling helplessly without my touch.

I had finally upgraded my Forge skill into a variant that worked with Wisdom, even thou...

Blacksmith vs. the System 176

Even as I appeared on the fourth floor, I didn’t feel any sense of stress. For the last several hours, Liam and the rest of the apprentices had proven that they were more than capable of handling the establishment of a proper factory. Once the main blast furnace was created to resemble somethin...

Blacksmith vs. the System 175

“I think it’s time to return,” I said fifteen minutes later, when the mana reserves of the dungeon had recovered significantly, breaking our conversation about the operational details of our strategy.

“Lead the way,” Rosie said. “So, we’ve agreed on the general plan.”

Blacksmith vs. the System 174

I spoke almost five minutes later. “Nothing out of the ordinary with the enemy?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“No, their soldiers have pulled back, and the beast army has settled almost twenty miles away. My guess: they’ll only move after the arrival of reinforcements.”

...

Blacksmith vs. the System 173

For a moment, silence ruled the cave. She was tense, but not surprised. No, she expected that question to arrive the moment I mentioned Wisdom.

“So, you want that discussion to happen now,” she asked.

“It makes sense, before we decide on exactly what you’ll be responsible fo...

Blacksmith vs. the System 172

“Harold, you have the command! I have to rest!” I said as I stumbled toward the dungeon gate. “Send the signal should the enemy move.”

“Yes, sir!” he shouted, while the rest of the army cheered, happy with their victory. I wish I had shared their happiness, but knowing the over...

Blacksmith vs. the System 171

Being locked in a metal dome with a dubious ally with nebulous objectives should have been a source of discomfort, but surprisingly, it was not. A part of it was familiarity. Suspicious it might be, but our connection went a long way back, which was a relief.

Then, there was the way she lo...

Blacksmith vs. the System 170

It was time to begin the offensive, which I decided to start by creating a large, pointlessly complicated glow of mana around me as I stood away from the main defenses. It alerted the enemy that there was something extraordinary going on, but it was an acceptable trade to hide the sudden burst of...

Guardian's Farm 9

Eli moved silently through the forest, his footsteps light and measured. He was familiar with the forest, but it didn’t make the place any less dangerous. This close to the mountain, there were many threats. Poisonous plants, bandits, beasts, and even other hunters.

Ideally, he would sta...

Guardian's Farm 8

I sat by the fire as I watched Sage finish his meal, showing his enjoyment of the cooked meat with the ferocious way he ate. “Careful, no one is taking it away. You’ll aggravate your wound.”

That earned a protesting whimper, but he slowed down his eating, which earned a chuckle from ...

Guardian's Farm 7

“And, that’s the last seed,” I said while I finished planting the last seed in my small vegetable garden, marking the end of my efforts. I stretched, feeling the warm exhaustion of my muscles.

It took three days for me to turn the half acre of wild land into a usable bit of plot, req...

Blacksmith vs. the System 169

Rosie wanted to talk.

Saying that the prospect of talking with her made me feel some complicated feelings would have been a gross understatement even without counting the complications of the siege.

The first part of that relationship was easy to discount. Our relationship through B...

Blacksmith vs. the System 168

For the next half an hour, the siege continued without a break, the beasts attacking us regularly, one that gave me some highly coveted rewards.

[Level 59 -> 60]

[+5 Vitality, +4 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +5 Essence, +3 Wisdom]

The sensation of tightness whenever I leveled up ...

Another delay

Hi everyone,

I have unfortunate news. I won't be able to update this week again, as I'm still lost in the details of moving, which had been worse than I had expected. It's tough to move in the middle of December, right before the holiday season.

Luckily, I have already completed the ...

Guardian's Farm 6

When the morning arrived, I had a quick breakfast before I grabbed my plow, ready to start taming the land. “It’s not going to be easy,” I said while I brought the plow to the smoothest section of the ten acres I owned, which barely counted as half an acre.

It wasn’t that the rest ...

Guardian's Farm 5

When the first light of dawn filtered through the canopy of trees, casting dappled patterns on my face, I was already awake. 

“Pain,” I grumbled as I stood up, every muscle in my body stiff, shouting in agony. It seemed that two years of luxury had been enough to overshadow two dec...

Guardian's Farm 4

It took me half a day of power walking to realize just how much I had annoyed the scribe, and how successful I had been in my little plot. I had already realized that my little plot of land was away from the town, but I didn’t expect it to be that much. 

Even with my aggressive pace ...

Blacksmith 169 - Unedited, will be replaced tomorrow

Rosie wanted to talk. 

Saying that the prospect of talking with her made me feel some complicated feelings would have been a gross understatement even without counting on the complications of the siege. 

The first part of that relationship was easy to discount. Our relations...

Blacksmith 168 - Warning, Unedited, will be replaced tomorrow

For the next half an hour, the siege continued without a break, the beasts attacking us regularly, one that gave me some highly coveted rewards. 

[Level 59 -> 60]

[+5 Vitality, +4 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +5 Essence, +3 Wisdom]

Though, the sensation of tightening whenever...

Blacksmith vs. the System 167

Behind me, I could see the defenders panicking, but I didn’t care about it as I used my favored tactic of dealing with a boss monster. 

I climbed on the back of this maddened, rocking beast, which counted as the craziest rodeo of my life … yet. 

Even without the assistan...

Blacksmith vs. the System 166

When I reached the frontline, the lizards were merely three hundred yards away, and rapidly closing in. “Be ready for the attack,” Harold shouted as I approached him, then looked back at me. “Is everything in order, sir?” he asked. 

“Yes,” I responded. “Keep a lookout for...

Blacksmith vs. the System 165

I took my first step before he could even realize what was going on. I focused on my Mana, doing my best to replicate the effect of the Fleeting Step. With the skill completely blocked, it was nowhere near as smooth as I had hoped, but I still managed to move with a big burst of speed that carrie...

Blacksmith vs. the System 164

I put some distance between me and the fortified walls, but I wasn’t feeling as confident as my rapid footsteps implied, not that it was a hard feeling to understand. I was moving forward alone with no support, my view was filled with the great horde of lizards. There must have been millions of...

No update this week

Hi everyone,

Sorry about the last-minute update, but I'm dealing with a sudden change in my living situation, and last few days (and next few) has been consumed with it. Regrettably, it means no update next week.

As usual, I'll do my best to compensate for it, but likely it won't be ...

Guardian's Farm 3

“I think I’ll drop you here,” he said once we arrived at the town, and the cart joined a line, waiting for the guards to check the contents and let him inside. “I would have offered you to come in with me, but…”

“Not a problem,” I said as I jumped down. “You already helpe...

Guardian's Farm 2

I took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air of the wilderness. Even with all the enchantments keeping its air clean and fragrant, I had never enjoyed the smell of the capital. It was always too fake.

Just like its people.

The wooden cart creaked beneath me as it rolled along the du...