hearthshope

(N) Chapter 25: A Late Night Talk

Despite my attempts otherwise, it appeared that I was stuck with Andre Leone for the time being. After my companions and I agreed to work a job with him and Richard, the five of us searched the notice board for a suitable commission. This proved more difficult than expected.

There were five of us, so we decided to go after something more challenging than a single Tier Two monster. Like me, Andre didn’t want anything too easy. However, we needed to find the right balance. We had three ...

(N) TRT Chapter 24: The Next Day

The next day, I found myself staring at Anna’s grinning face. We were in the rented house, along with Leroy and Cally, sitting at the dining table. Anna sat across from me, while Cally sat off to the side. We didn’t have enough chairs for four people, so Leroy stood behind me. Since we were in private, Cally and Leroy didn’t hide their faces.

It was early morning, the day after my encounter with Anna. Earlier, after Leroy and I just finished eating breakfast, we heard a knock at o...

(N) TRT Chapter 23: Confrontations

My companions and I returned to Icefall City a few days after our encounter with the imps. It was mid afternoon when we arrived. The three of us headed to the Icefall Adventurers Guild right away and asked to meet with Guildmaster Charity. After waiting for a few minutes, we ended up in her office.

It was as I remembered it. Small and cramped, with a monstrous wooden desk occupying a good third of the room. Windows overlooked the central area of Icefall City. Mementos from the guildmast...

(N) TRT Chapter 22: Imp Ambush

The day started off as normal. After Leroy and I ate breakfast, we met up with Cally and the three of us headed down to the Icefall Adventurers Guild to look for a new job commission. The lobby was noisy as usual, with the smell of cheap beer lingering in the air. The weather had warmed a little, but not enough to forgo our warm clothing.

As my companions and I searched the notice board for a suitable job commission, I heard a commotion at the front entrance. At first I ignored it, sinc...

(N) TRT Chapter 21: A Potential Lead

“This is a waste of time.” Cally said in a surly voice.

I glanced back and gave her an annoyed look. Cally gave me a withering glare in return. She didn’t wear her veil, since we weren’t in Icefall City anymore, but she kept her hood up. Meanwhile, Leroy kept quiet and focused on the road ahead.

It was early morning, a little after sunrise. My companions and I were traveling to a settlement a couple hours away from Icefall City. There was a road, so at least we weren’t r...

(N) TRT Chapter 20: Making Plans

A few days after my meal with Anna, Leroy and I were just finishing up breakfast at our rented house, when we heard a knock at our door. We glanced at one another, before Leroy stood up to answer it. He wasn’t wearing his wooden mask, but that was fine. I doubted either Andre Leone or Richard, Leroy’s brother, would make their way to this humble abode.

While Leroy answered the door, I cleared the table and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes. From behind me, I heard Leroy let o...

(N) Chapter 19: Dinner with Anna

I stared at Anna as I considered my options. In a fight to the death, she would kill me. The two of us were at the same level of mastery. However, she was at Second Star, which gave her a significant advantage over me. I’d make her pay for it, but she would win in the end.

That said, I doubted she would resort to violence right away. The two of us were in a public space. While we were at an out of the way location, we were still out in the open. This part of Icefall Undercity was live...

(N) TRT Chapter 18: R********

I stared at Cally, trying to come to grips with what she told me. Was I dreaming? Perhaps. However, this all felt too real to be a dream. Cally and I sat in the drawing room of Icefall Manor, surrounded by tasteful art pieces. The air still felt a little cold from Cally’s argument with Lord Icefall earlier. My tongue tasted sweet and felt a little sticky from the sweet tea I drank earlier. A heavy silence hung over us as Cally watched me with a patient expression on her face.

No. This...

(N) Chapter 17: House Icefall

Anna stared at me for several seconds, before she turned on her heel and walked away without saying a word. The adventurer in charge of the barrier around the sparring arena deactivated it, letting her through. Anna’s two companions followed after her. Before they left, Corrie, the red-headed archer, threw a glare in my direction. Meanwhile, the short and cute one, Lorrie, waved at me.

Anna’s sudden departure left me more than a little disappointed. Sparring with her had just deepen...

(N) Chapter 16: The Bout

As I expected, things took an interesting turn when Leroy and I went to hand in the document that we received from Guildmaster Charity. It appeared that word of our exploits had spread, because the two of us drew a lot of attention the moment we entered the lobby of the Icefall Adventurers Guild. The other adventurers in the room eyed us with varying expressions on their faces. Some looked at us with interest, others with disbelief, while a few scoffed in our direction.

Interest in us f...

(N) TRT Chapter 15: The Guildmaster

When I came to, I found myself staring at an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. Where was I? The last thing I remembered was passing out after killing the last hellhound. After that? Nothing. Leroy and Cally must have brought me here, wherever this was.

I took stock of my current condition. Other than a mild ache all over my body, I felt fine. Even my burnt skin no longer hurt, though it felt a little tender. Either I had been unconscious for a while, or a healer had tended to me. Perhaps both....

(N) TRT Chapter 14: Inferno Beasts

It took us three hours to reach the hamlet where the inferno beasts were sighted. We traveled over rough terrain; rocky hills and plains covered in thick, stubby grass. The weather was clear, so at least we didn’t have to trudge through rain or snow. The sunlight seemed weak and washed out. It was freezing cold, but we wore warm clothing, so that wasn’t a problem.

As martial artists, Leroy and I had no trouble making the hike. For us, it counted as a decent warm up. To my surprise, ...

(N) TRT Chapter 13: A Little Family History

Rather than ask Leroy about Clan Leone right away, I decided to hold off for later. After all, we had an entire undercity to explore, and I wanted to take a look around before diving into my family history.

At first, Leroy was upset with me, since I charged ahead while leaving him behind. However, I made up for it by giving him two of the meat skewers that I received from the stall owner. Leroy took the beef and goat skewers, while I ended up with the lamb skewer. This was fine with me....

(N) TRT Chapter 12: Undercity

As Leroy and I descended into the depths of the stone staircase, the walls and ceiling seemed to press in on me. The air felt cool and lifeless, and smelled of stone. It was quiet here. The only sounds I heard were our own footsteps, as well as fabric scraping against stone whenever Leroy or I brushed against the sides of the staircase.

I never liked narrow, confined spaces like this. They always made me feel stifled and suffocated. I believed this was because of my heritage. As the des...

(N) TRT Chapter 11: Icefall City

It took Leroy and I about a week to reach our destination. First, we took an airship to reach the border of the Icefall region. Airships, as their name implied, were ships that flew through the air. However, unlike blimps and zeppelins on Earth, they relied on magic to remain afloat. They were also much faster, more akin to jets. However, Lumina was larger than Earth by a significant margin, which was why it took so long to travel anywhere. I hadn’t realized this until I left Sturm Manor. 2025-05-13 04:35:07 +0000 UTC View Post

(N) TRT Chapter 10: A Spar

I stared at my mother, wondering if I misheard her. My throat still burned from the wine I almost choked on. Prospective bride? What was she talking about? I thought that whole marriage business was over and done with. It wasn’t necessary anymore. My mother hadn’t mentioned it at all over the past month. Why was she bringing it up now?

I glanced at everyone else in the drawing room. No one else seemed surprised by my mother’s words, meaning they already knew about it. A bitter tas...

(N) TRT Chapter 9: Mana Core

I studied the wooden door in front of me. It had all sorts of magical symbols and arcane runes carved into it. Each one glowed with a faint blue light. This door led to a meditation chamber, a special room enchanted to gather and collect mana. Both martial artists and wizards used them for cultivation. It was also the ideal place for me to form my mana core. While I could form it anywhere, it was safer to do so in a place with abundant mana.

This particular meditation chamber was locate...

(N) TRT Chapter 8: Training Elixir

I hunched over with my hands on my knees, panting. Despite the light training uniform I wore, I felt hot. Light from the noon sun bore down upon me, harsh and merciless, which didn’t help. Sweat dripped down my face and coated my back. A cool breeze blew through, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees and bringing with it sweet relief. My heart beat against my chest like a drum. A bitter, metallic taste coated my tongue. My body ached all over in protest. I felt a little light-headed.

(N) TRT Chapter 7: Truths Revealed

My father’s office looked much the same as before. Not that surprising, since it hadn’t been long since I was last here. The scent of sandalwood still lingered in the air. I made a mental note to find the source. Otherwise, my curiosity would drive me up the wall. Curtains covered the windows behind my father’s desk. The now-lit glowstone lamps filled the office with warm yellow light.

When Caitlyn and I arrived, we found three people waiting for us. They occupied the small sittin...

(N) TRT Chapter 6: The Seeds Sprout

Silence filled the office as my father and I studied one another. The office’s somber atmosphere seemed to press down on me. Light from the afternoon sun streamed in from the windows behind him. The scent of sandalwood teased my nose. I maintained a nonchalant expression on my face, but this was a facade. On the inside, I felt jittery.

Ha! If I added together all the years I lived as Gabriel Sturm and Brandon Norwood, I was the same age as my father. Despite that, I still felt like a ...

(N) TRT Chapter 5: Bashing Faces

Silence fell over the area after Joker One outright threatened me. He just crossed the line. Everything he and his companions had said before this could be excused one way or another. Threatening a member of House Sturm’s main family? There was no coming back from that. From the worried expressions on their faces, Joker One’s companions knew this.

I, on the other hand, felt ecstatic. Joker One just gave me the justification I needed to beat the ever loving shit out of him. It truly ...

(N) TRT Chapter 4: The Northern Annex

I intended to start training as soon as I left my bedroom. However, after giving it some thought, I decided to explore Sturm Manor first. It had been a while since I saw the place, and I figured it was a good idea to refamiliarize myself with it. Besides, at my current level of physical fitness, even walking around counted as a decent work out for me.

First I walked around the main building, before I headed outside and wandered through the grounds. As I took everything in, I understood ...

(N) TRT Chapter 3: Seeds of Suspicion

A few days after my rebirth as Gabriel Sturm, I remained seated as a middle-aged woman stood next to me and examined me with her magic. She had a slender build with fair skin, long brown hair, and blue eyes. She wore blue and white robes, the uniform worn by healers here in Lumina. Meanwhile, I wore a set of pajamas made from blue silk.

The two of us, along with my mother, were in my bedroom. I spent the past few days refamiliarizing myself with the place. It was a large and spacious ro...

(N) TRT Chapter 2: Family Reunion

As I tried to come to terms with the fact that I spent twenty five years on Earth, yet only two weeks had passed here on Lumina, a part of me wondered if any of this was real. My mother, Lumina, all of it. Perhaps it was all a fantasy conjured up by my mind. What if I was still on Earth and the Demon Lord’s blow merely put me into a coma? What if this was all a dream?

However, this all felt too real to be a dream. The yawning emptiness at the center of my being where my mana core-… ...

Quick Announcement

I just wanted to let my readers know that I've written all the chapters I need to begin publishing Twice Reborn Transmigrator. For Royal Road and Tapas, I'll start posting them tomorrow. My readers on Patreon will get the chapters later today, a day early. I'll also resume billing, since this took me less time than expected.

Thank you for your time. Have a wonderful day!

(N) TRT Chapter 1: Reborn

AN: With DDD on hiatus, I figured I'd give my readers a taste of what's to come. Here is the first chapter for the new TRT. Let me know what you think in the comments.

The first thing I noticed when I came to was the emptiness. No. That was a lie. The first thing I noticed was the pain. It started from the center of my being and spread out from there to the rest of my body. It was as if something deep inside me, something important, had been ripped out. No. That wasn’t the righ...

DDD Chapter 141: Departure from North King City

AN: As a reminder, I will take a short break to write some chapters for Twice Reborn Transmigrator. Since I don't know how long this will take, I will pause pilling as of this post.

I made my way through the North King’s palace, heading back towards the feasting hall. On the way, I passed by a few servants of Clan Black Iron, who gave me respectful nods but continued about their business. As I drew closer to my destination, I heard the sounds of feasting and revelry, which brou...

DDD Chapter 140: Zayne's Fate

Several minutes later, I found myself in a pavilion located in the center of an outdoor courtyard paved with stone. After Lucius made his request, the North King gestured for Mom, Lucius’ parents, and myself to follow him. He led us outside of the feasting hall and through his palace, until we arrived at this place. The moment I saw it, I stopped and stared.

An unusual garden surrounded the pavilion. At least, I think it was a garden. I didn’t know what else to call it. Instead of p...

DDD Chapter 139: Feast at North King Palace

Several hours later, after the sunset and evening arrived, I stood on the deck of a beautiful flying boat as it flew towards Black Iron Mountain. Several other members of the Dawn and Dusk Sect were there as well. There was Sect Leader Twinheart, all the elders who had come to North King City, and all of the disciples who had ranked within the top one hundred of the Rising Heroes Tournament.

Excited chatter filled the air, since the disciples looked forward to the feast. The elders, on ...

Release Schedule for TRT

So, as I mentioned in my last announcement, I will put DDD on hiatus when the current arc finishes at the end of this week. After that, I will take a brief break to write up some chapters for TRT. This won't take long, a week or two at most, since I've already written a few chapters.

To maintain consistency, TRT will release on the same days as DDD. Patrons will also be ahead by the same amount of chapters, depending on their membership tier: six for Scholar, twelve for Sage, and eight...