The meteor and slash met mid-air. The image was surreal. The audience held their breath. They could make out the purple outline of a tremendous fist, shimmering with stars and followed by a purple, gaseous tail. On the other side was a bright crescent moon three hundred feet wide and so sharp it was barely visible. Where the two attacks clashed, purple lightning spread out, and sparks filled the air. Space threatened to rupture under their sheer strength. They pushed against each other, each ...
2023-11-03 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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All across the galaxy, entire cities were erupting into uproar.
“Did you see that!?” a woman asked.
“Holy shit,” her husband exclaimed, placing his trembling hands over his mouth. “Holy shit.”
“That’s our Jack!” Edgar shouted back on Earth, pumping a fist. “Go get them, tiger!”
Vivi sported a restrained smile. Harambe looked up with pride, while the professor did not react, torn between horror and excitement. Her son was riling up the entire galax...
2023-11-02 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Can you believe it's been 300 chapters already?
Wow...
***
Jack’s fist was held high. The entire stadium shook from the voices of countless cultivators and immortals, rumbling from their combined shout.
So what if the presenter was against Jack? So what if he was in the opponent’s home field? He was the man attempting the impossible. The ultimate underdog.
Just who was the audience going to support?
Jack let the cheering go on for a few moments as his e...
2023-11-01 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Jack was taken aback. “Excuse me?” he asked.
“The question was clear,” the white-dressed woman replied. “Are you willing to join the Hand of God? We can make it worth your while.”
Jack opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. In his mind, the Hand of God had been the enemy for a long time now. He hadn’t expected them to just invite him in. “Worth my while?” he asked.
The man nodded. “This duel of yours… We can arrange it to not be to the death. Af...
2023-10-31 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Happy new week, everyone. It's going to be an absolute banger!
---
Jack awoke in a dark, cold prison cell. Black manacles clamped down on his wrists, limiting his ability to invoke the Dao, while a hard-faced deacon stared him down from behind steel bars.
“Sup,” Jack said.
The deacon snorted. He was a sizeable lycan who looked like he’d seen more than his fair share of combat
Jack closed his eyes and expanded his perception. It didn’t reach past the bars....
2023-10-30 17:32:46 +0000 UTC
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Etsin, the echidna devil that Jack had released from Trial Planet, appeared in the middle of a teleporter. “Move,” the guard growled at him.
“Yes, yes,” Etsin replied, quickly stepping away.
He was disguised, of course. Right now, he looked like an unaffiliated E-Grade human cultivator in his thirties—an appearance he’d found most people ignored. Of course, D-Grades could detect his disguise, but there was no way this tiny place would have guards of that caliber.
2023-10-28 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Jack faced down the Warden. He was slightly injured and tired—not in peak fighting condition, but even if he was, this was a completely unwinnable battle.
The moment the Warden arrived, everyone knew it was over. The Animal Kingdom inner disciples stopped running and respectfully returned. Maximus, Li Qian, and Sapasun all relaxed and bowed down to the Elder. The Sage, who had been escaping while carrying the unconscious bodies of Shol and Dordok, also came to a stop.
Silence be...
2023-10-27 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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At a lower elevation, Sapasun noticed the other battles heating up. “Whoops. Guess I delayed too much,” he said. Suddenly, he accelerated further. His movements became blurs. He teleported behind Dordok, then to his left, then to his right. He became a tornado that the cyclops was completely unable to keep up with.
The Sage pointed a finger in his general direction, but it did nothing. “What!?” he exclaimed.
Sapasun suddenly flashed above Dordok and smashed a palm onto his...
2023-10-26 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Dordok and the Sage flew in mid-air, covering each other’s backs. The greatclub fell heavily, distorting the air where it passed. Darkness clouded the enemy’s senses, making reality confusing.
Unfortunately, for the canine deacon who cultivated the Dao of Insanity, reality was already confusing.
“Careful, there’s a Five Star Grasp on your left,” he said, stepping through space to appear at Dordok’s right. His open hand shot out like a viper, all fingers outstretched, t...
2023-10-25 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone, there will be no chapter tomorrow as I need to carefully plan out all the things that happen next. On the bright side, I promise it's going to be a lot of fun. See you on Wednesday!
---
“RUN!”
Jack’s mind worked on overdrive. He scanned the people arriving from every direction, locating the one where the enemies were sparsest. “Follow me!” he shouted, zooming into the distance.
His three companions followed immediately.
“What’s the pla...
2023-10-23 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Today marks two things. One is my birthday! I'm having a party and stuff, very fun.
The second thing, however, is the one-year anniversary of moving into my present home. And that is an important occassion not only because it coincides with my birthday, but also because renting this apartment was the very first thing I did with my writing income. It marked my passage from hobbyist into a professional, and it cemented my confidence and resolve in becoming a successful author.
On da...
2023-10-21 17:27:56 +0000 UTC
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Over the following weeks, every eye in the galaxy was turned at Hell. The guerilla warfare was becoming increasingly intense. As Jack leveled up, the Animal Kingdom tried not to underestimate him.
“I finally found a target!” the Sage said a week after they attacked the nine-person party and nearly escaped the Warden’s wrath.
Everyone else jumped up at once. “Let’s go!”
Twelve late D-Grades and six deacons were flying over the sea, chatting idly as the ones with t...
2023-10-20 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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“I want to join the Black Hole Church,” Jack said.
The Sage’s grin reached from ear to ear. “Excellent! May I ask what made you decide?”
“Your vision and story were convincing.” Jack shrugged. “Plus, you’ve already helped me a lot of times. I owe you some trust. Of course, if I ever find out you lied to me, I’m out.”
“No need to worry about that. I never did,” the Sage replied, stretching out his hand. Jack shook it. “Welcome to the good side.”<...
2023-10-19 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Back in the underwater cave, Jack and the others popped out of space and onto the bare rock.
“That was something,” Jack said, laughing. “I think we made him angry.”
“You didn’t need to use that second projection stone,” Shol said.
“Why not? We’re already enemies. The more we can hurt them, the better.”
“The point is to survive.”
“The point is to cultivate the fist, and I can’t do that by being a coward.”
Shol laughed. “Fair e...
2023-10-18 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Some of these chapters are a bit shorter due to their cutscene-y nature, but I promise to make up for it when the epic battles start.
Enjoy!
---
Gorath Tremblin flew proudly over a marsh, flanked by two sharken deacons of lower status. They made him feel accomplished. Despite their noble standing, they answered to him, a feshkur.
I hope Jack Rust shows up, he thought broodily. I would beat him up.
Suddenly, space split open ahead of them. The tw...
2023-10-17 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Happy new week, everyone!
---
Right after Jack finished the battle and crushed the projection stone, the Sage, Shol, and Dordok appeared by his side. “Let’s go!” he said. The Sage fished out his dark sphere, and they teleported right back to the underwater cave, not needing to swim down this time as he was more familiar with the place.
“Amazing!” Dordok exclaimed. “That deacon stood no chance!”
“Of course he didn’t,” Shol replied, filled with pride....
2023-10-16 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Three months after Jack and his companions went into hiding,
Artus Emberheart stepped through space. When he appeared in the Hand of God starship, he was already bowing.
“You failed,” Eva Solvig told him. She was not emitting her aura, but an air of purity still suffused the starship, suffocating him. Artus didn’t need to look up to know that three C-Grade captains were watching him from different points of the room.
“We tried our best,” was all he could r...
2023-10-14 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Eva Solvig waited on her starship’s prow, gazing over the planet of Hell in its entirety. Her mood was sour. Shortly afterward, a leonine with hints of gray on his fur stepped through space to appear beside her.
“Commander,” he began, “this is—”
“Silence!” she interrupted him. “What went through your head, Artus? You knew we were looking for Jack Rust, but you didn’t think to inform us when he appeared on your planet?”
“It was my mistake, commander,...
2023-10-13 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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“Enas descended to meet his creations in person…and that’s when everything went wrong.”
Jack’s ears perked up. He had been paying attention and waiting for this exact sentence. “What happened?” he asked.
“Enas met with the leaders of the Ancients and talked to them. He explained everything like a father to his long-forgotten children. But the most important thing he talked about was the Dao—a magical force that even the Ancients, who’d conquered everything the ...
2023-10-12 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Before Jack’s eyes stood the most imposing force he’d ever witnessed. Two A-Grades—at least, that’s what he assumed they were—led over a hundred B-Grades into battle, and they seemed certain they would lose.
Facing them were just seven figures. They were humanoid in shape but made of shiny gray metal. They had longer limbs than humans, smooth torsos, and faceless heads with only a single orb—an eye—dominating their center. They wore no clothes, and given their uniform buil...
2023-10-12 17:34:01 +0000 UTC
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What the title says. The reason is that today's chapter includes some important information reveals, and I want to edit it a bit more tomorrow to make sure I get everything just right. Thank you for your patience, and see you tomorrow!
P.S. I know yesterday's chapter was kind of a cliff-hanger, but uh... Happens.
2023-10-11 17:01:13 +0000 UTC
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An underwater cave was not the best place to house four grown men for extended periods of time. Nevertheless, Jack and his companions were determined to make do.
To Shol and Dordok, both multiple centuries old, a few months were nothing.
Jack and the Sage, on the other hand, had only been Integrated for five months. For them, this was a long stretch of their System lives, so they approached it with seriousness. Jack trained diligently, both in body and spirit—as for the Sage, he...
2023-10-10 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Happy new week, everyone!
I've discovered that the new update of Patreon refuses to display italics. I'll try to find a workaround for that. In the meantime, please identify thoughts and inner dialogues by context. Sorry, and thanks!
Enjoy the chapter!
---
Jack shook his head as he looked around. Shol, Dordok, Sage. These were people he’d shared life and death with…but could he reveal them his deepest secret?
Do I even have a choice? he asked h...
2023-10-09 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Twenty minutes late, agh. My perfect streak. Sorry for the delay, I'd forgotten to schedule the chapter.
Enjoy!
---
Jack couldn’t believe his eyes. Before him stood a man as eccentric as he was eye-catching—a worn-out jacket, crooked yellow teeth, wild hair, a mad glint in his gaze. He didn’t smell, at least, but he seemed completely out of place surrounded by flying, robed cultivators.
Human (Earth-387), Level 170
Faction: -
2023-10-07 17:57:19 +0000 UTC
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A lone leonine stood in the sky over a shattered land and a ruined jungle. The breeze was cool and dry, and his mane fluttered in it, each hair a proud piece of art. His face was carved of majesty, while his body, its top half bare, seemed sculpted in marble. There was not one muscle on this leonine’s body that wasn’t well-formed.
The moment he appeared, an air of supremacy covered the land. Every surviving animal within a dozen miles bowed their heads low, disregarding their injuri...
2023-10-06 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Jack and Shol prowled through a dense jungle.
Well, prowled was an understatement. They shuttled through at hundreds of miles per hour, dodging trees and animals as if everything else was moving in slow motion. A lion tried to jump out of the way, only for Jack to circle around it regardless.
“I wonder how it feels to live on the same planet as your ancestors,” Shol said. “I see lions here. The leonines originate from them.”
“It’s not that weird,” Jack replied....
2023-10-05 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Check out my newest DnD one-shot, Kobold, Son of Zeus!
It's a dungeon filled with inventive traps, random stone golems, and divinely favored kobolds. Give it a shot!
Link
---
What was the Dao?
Jack reiterated his understanding of the world, getting himself in the mood with the already cemented knowledg...
2023-10-04 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Jack awoke to the low crackling of fire. He tried to jump up straight, only for blazing pain to assault every corner of his body. His limbs refused to obey his commands. His brain spun into battle-mode.
“Easy, Jack,” a voice came from the side, deep yet soothing. “It’s all good. You’re safe.”
“Shol?” Jack spoke through gritted teeth. “What’s happening?”
“You’re injured.” The monk came into Jack’s field of vision, leaning over him and hiding the ...
2023-10-03 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Some of you have read the Brock scene in the last chapter, but I moved it here for various reasons. Mostly to keep the tone consistent. If you've read it already, feel free to skip to the first *** mark. Caution, there are two of them.
Enjoy the chapter!
---
Brock stood with his arms crossed atop a small hill. Below him, a hundred people were arrayed in lines, split into two groups of fifty. Dog Bro and Girl Bro each stood at the forefront of their armies, both shaking with ...
2023-10-02 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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I'll make up for the shortness of this chapter next week -- though hopefully its content makes up just as well.
Enjoy!
---
Jack stood in the sky, bloody and very heavily injured, but his eyes spat fire. The two enemy cultivators approached, with the third following far behind. He needed to hold on until they were all together, then use the storage bead to—hopefully—destroy them.
“Oh? The cub is looking for a fight?” the canine asked, his lips curving to rev...
2023-09-30 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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