RhaegarRRL
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Chapter 290 Routine
🕑 Added 2019-08-31 14:10:56 +0000 UTCAuthor's note August 31st: Hey all, new chapters up :). Let me know what you think.
I wanted to ask what you think about the current pacing. There's a lot going on with different people and I want to take the time to do some worldbuilding as well as give the characters more depth for once. There are fights and a lot of leveling as well so to me it feels good. What do you think?
More hopefully on Tuesday, have a good weekend :)!
Chapter 290 Routine
Found it just yesterday. The Saurians avoid the place. Terok explained, the two of them standing in front of a massive bridge leading to a gate at least as big as one of Virilyas. Below was an abyss the dwarves apparently liked to dig for some reason. It did give an imposing vibe but Ilea doubted the work was worth it. Especially because nobody would exactly come down here to see it.
Maybe they did back then , It was possible the cities had been open to other races. Then it made more sense to have something like this. The bridge itself was made of white stone, compared to the gray one used in the parts of the city she had seen otherwise. Probably the great hall. Id assume there are more dangerous machines in there. Is it open?
Terok shook his steel head, No. The enchantments still hold as well. I miss the days when every door I found was just rotten away.
Like the whole literal city behind us? She said dryly.
Exactly. He replied, pointing at her, Ill try to crack it but its a complex one Ilea. Might be better if we get Maro out first, he can probably help.
Ill visit them soon. Im not sure Elana can do much herself and Im not ready for the Kingsguard.
Let me get to two hundred and then well see. Ill start working on it when I find time in between fighting and mapping everything out.
Ilea nodded, Well see how much of a change level three hundred brings for me. Just keep on it. What are the dark ones doing in the city by the way? Could they be of any help?
I doubt it. They dont even have maps. Few of them can even talk and they are more interested in the ivy as well as more space to nest than anything else. Dont have anything worth trading either. Unlike their more aggressive brethren in the Penumra dungeon, these lack the level and numbers to be of much help. The dwarf explained, Ilea nodding.
Well then keep at it. I usually come and go a couple times every day. If you find anything worthwhile or if you crack the great hall door, let me know. She cracked her neck and prepared to leave.
Terok gave her a thumbs up, Will do Ilea. No more evaluations?
I think Elfie has it under control. When he tells me youre ready for the Centurion part of the dungeon, hell let me know.
The dwarf sighed and shook his head, Probably easier to convince you. He murmured which made her chuckle.
Terok if theres treasure anywhere in this place then its in there. She said, pointing at the massive gate. I doubt you see the act of fighting machines as treasure.
If the parts are worth selling. He grumbled, Not like the taleen built their bloody machines with gold.
Im pretty sure theres some gold in there. Ilea mused, her wings spreading, Youre ok here alone? She asked and he waved her off.
Things here are weaker than most dungeons in the area. He said, Good luck Ilea.
I wonder why. Same to you Terok.
Ilea didnt meet the elves on her way back to the manufacturing part of the dungeon. She made sure to use Hunters Sight and Embered Body Heat with the goal to get them to the maximum second tier level. Neither skill was far off and she assumed both would reach it by the end of the month. Back to work. A smile spread as she let the power of her auras rush through her, blinking past the elevator and down into the vast layers of protected heavy machinery.
Two weeks later Ilea had finally cleared out the top floor. No more Centurions appeared. At this point she could start to safely farm single ones she could pull from the lower floor. Many stairwells led down and though they must have heard her fighting or at the very least the explosions from the destroyed ones, none of them ever came up without actually seeing her. She was glad for the fact, allowing her more breathing room down in the facility and some new possibilities.
In the coming week Ilea formed more of a routine. Previously her training hours had been somewhat dictated by how many Centurions would engage her and if another hunting group came upon their fight, sometimes forcing her out or simply having her fight for hours at a time. The first thing every morning was a relaxing bath in some molten steel. While her perception of pain wasnt present, she certainly had to get used to the feeling of being engulfed in the heat. Contrary to simple fire, the heat produced by the forges was much higher, the liquid metal allowing her to target a bigger area of her body.
Ileas healing was struggling against the damage done to her, the third tier allowing the hunter to stay a couple seconds in longer before her mana inevitably ran out and she had to blink away. Teleportation wasnt restricted because the molten steel didnt count as an enemy touching her, which too solved the issue of getting the liquid off her. It was an effective training for her healing, her Heat Resistance as well as some of her defensive skills. Ileas Veil multiplied the time she could stay in the liquid, allowing her to work on that skill as well.
With her incredibly quick mana recovery, she was pretty sure to be pushing the limits of Resistance and recovery training. She didnt fail to keep up her Embered Body Heat and Hunters Sight either. Of course while doing all this, she wasnt engaging an enemy, likely reducing the skill leveling speed by quite a bit but the consistency and constant availability wasnt even matched by the miststalkers and her training with them.
The bath was usually followed by a big chunk of the day fighting against Centurions. Each and every one of them destroyed gave her a little bit of experience. While they were still a higher level, she noticed the closer she got to them that her leveling speed decreased. It was then that she tried something new. Terok had spotted them before and now she used her Hunters Sight to find and engage one of the special variants the dwarf had pointed out to her.
The one she found had four arms compared to the normal two and wasnt carrying a spear. The only other difference she could spot was the color. It was black. Sending an ashen projectile its way, the thing whirled around and caught it, looking at her with green shining eyes.
[Centurion Juggernaut lvl ??]
Not over five hundred then. She thought, the machine advancing on her quickly as she navigated through the forest of forges, supplies and machinery. One Centurion she rushed by nearly dropped the green steel ingots it was carrying. She noted the speed and awareness of the black centurion to be at a higher level already, losing the normal one that had noticed her pretty quickly but not able to shake the new one.
She found a spot on the second layer to test herself against it, not willing to bring it up to the cleaned out floor yet just in case it was too much for her. If it would stay up there, her whole new routine would be fucked.
Even when it finally engaged her, the thing didnt use any weapons. Instead its form arms formed fists and punched her way. Testing the strength, Ilea held up her hands and took the attack straight on, a sudden explosion sending her back a couple meters as her Veil reformed, some smoke rising from the heat that had washed over her armor and body. The armor on her wrists was a tiny bit dented but nothing to be concerned about yet. With four arms the machine had more going for it than the normal variants.
Ilea learned quickly that what it lacked in range, it more than made up with speed and simple aggression. Using similar tactics as she did against her early Centurions, Ilea kept defensive, using her ashen limbs to get in damage as the two danced around the second layer. Feeling confident enough, she soon led the machine to the first layer to avoid a group of other machines interfering in their fight.
The constant aggression made her glad Form of Ash and Ember didnt use any resources anymore, otherwise the fight wouldve taken much much longer. Most of her mana usage she concentrated on Wave of Ember, delivered through her ashen limbs. Dodging and avoiding the machine was somewhat simple with her Sphere, matching speed and blink ability. It couldnt just get through all the forges and tools, not for a lack of trying.
Finally, its core got exposed. Surprisingly the thing continued to attack and didnt just run off towards the central opening that would allow it to blow. Smiling at the fact, Ilea continued her defensive dance, the machine already having reached its maximum aggression. She noted that its whole body started to show veins of light, the fists landing on the steel machinery around her creating bigger explosions and getting damaged more heavily. Using the energy for offense. Still, the fact that it was too slow and lacked mobility in the steel jungle would ultimately lead to its demise. More powerful punches didnt help there.
She was glad it hadnt suddenly learned about teleportation of some other kind of magic that would make it more of a challenge again. Ten minutes later, the machine collapsed. Unceremoniously. The lack of explosion made Ilea wary to get too close but using her ashen limbs, she moved around the corpse and lifted it up. The light in the veins had died out and she could tell its interior was burnt out entirely.
ding You have defeated [Centurion Juggernaut lvl 350] For defeating an enemy seventy levels or more above your own, bonus experience is awarded
Ilea started laughing, Really? Three fifty? The fight had been simple. Even a knight at level three hundred had put up a better fight than this one. The punch she had initially taken had dented her armor a little and burnt her skin but compared to the level she was definitely disappointed in its performance. Speaks for the undead knights I guess. She noted, recovering her mana and continuing with her day.
A big part of the nights were spent with the Miststalkers. Contrary to the molten steel baths, this activity trained her mana, health drain as well as mist magic resistances. Healing too of course. The constant relocation because of too many of them showing up as well as often quick drains made it a little less effective were it not for the fact that she was actually fighting enemies. Ilea didnt know how much of a difference it made exactly but the levels after three weeks certainly spoke for the method.
Feeling bad for the king and queen of Rhyvor, Ilea decided to visit them a week later. It wasnt just the fact that she was now on her last armor and needed to restock in Tremor. Terok hadnt shown up to tell her about a new discovery or anything else in that month, meaning he was still busy trying to crack the gate and train with the elves. Elfie wasnt around either most of the time, off on his own adventures, whatever they consisted of. Ilea assumed plenty of hunting.
At this point she was already at level 279, closing in on the next third tier point for her Azarinth class. She would think about the choice as soon as the actual options were visible to her. Flying back to Tremor was uneventful, the dangers of the northern night getting more and more mundane to her. Ilea would still avoid the arcane storms during the day and still hid as soon as famine crows showed up but they werent stealthy or fast enough to pose much trouble. Of course the whole picture would be different if they actually pursued into the cracks and crevices of the land.
The dark wolf she had seen showed her how to get rid of the crows in case she needed it. At this point her resistances and recovery were high enough to at least traverse the lakes of mist safely for a couple minutes. Until too many of the miststalkers had gathered.
Bypassing the cathedral entirely, Ilea made her way to the house she had chosen as her residence in the forgotten city. She dumped the damaged and broken armor and put the remaining sets into her necklace, probably enough for the time being.
Oh look! We thought you guys were dead. Maro exclaimed, Ilea smiling at the ridiculous suggestion. Do we have to whisper?
She shook her head, Terok left the enchantments, I just activated them again.
Are you kidding me? He asked and looked towards the room in which Elana was writing something, She told me I had to be quiet because he didnt ,
Yikes.
Well let us talk about something else than the state of my marriage. Im bored Ilea. So bored. I have no idea what Elana is doing but knowing her, shes probably planning to rebuild our kingdom somehow. He shook his head, She can find a new king for that. Im done with that.
Ilea laughed at that and sat down on the chair, Ive been fighting Taleen machines for the past month. What are your plans for when you get out?
He looked at her, green eyes sparkling, Didnt I tell you? Undead necromancer king Maro the one to destroy the world.
I doubt you have that power.
Well with you at my side my dear. Youve grown again. I like your reckless approach. Then again if you had similar abilities to that assassin, I can see the possibilities. Especially coupled with your personality. He surmised. I have no idea what Id do when I get out. Remember its only been a couple months for me. Find out what happened to my old friends. I survived maybe some of the mad fuckers did too.
Ilea smiled, wondering if it was true. Maro and Elana had basically been in a protected time capsule. Their entourage might not have had that luxury. Well see. Otherwise Im sure youll do fine. Not many level three hundred people around as far as I can tell. You could join the Shadows Hand, become a mercenary and explore the world. They dont have many rules as far as I can tell.
He chuckled, Yes after two hundred its hard to enforce anything anyway. Caused my dearest wife plenty of headaches. Ill think about it. First Id like to know how the world has changed, especially this area. If it really is as dangerous as you say then perhaps exploring the dungeons again might be fun. And to explore my newfound power. He looked at her confused expression and continued, I hadnt been at three hundred for long before entering this machine. Maro gestured widely around himself. Didnt have much time to see the evolutions effects.
Big changes? Ilea asked.
Definitely. Main reason I cooked up this whole thing. How it was even a possibility. Well hey, while youre here. I was wondering if you had some more books, maybe a map from the area. Things like that. Id appreciate as much. Not that I could offer anything in return.
Lonely and desperate. Came the comment from Elana, the woman joining them with a stack of papers in her hands. Ilea dear, how have you been?
Do you really care? Or do you want to add something for me to bring?
Elana smirked at her, The dwarf would be nice. To continue his work. I tried to make the list as comprehensive as possible. She said and handed Ilea some documents.
Looking through them, she raised her eyebrows, These are names and places.
As well as some descriptions, classes and magic they use. The teams Maro and I have been a part of, government officials, powerful adventurers. Friends and well family, as close as it gets at least. She paused and added, I agree with him. We need maps and we need to learn about the world in its current stage. Getting out is a priority but we can work from here as well.
Elana left again to continue her work, leaving Ilea confused with the list in her hand, And what am I supposed to do with this?
Can you show it to me? Maro asked.
Sure. She replied, holding out the paper, Why doesnt she talk to you more often anyway? I didnt get the impression that you hate each other.
Brilliant she added places and classes as well. He said and smiled, Dont interpret too much into it. Weve never spent too much of our time together. In the last years especially she was engrossed in her work.
Ilea was sure there was more but she just shot him a glance. If you get me the map of this area I might be able to add in the places from that list. If youre interested in finding more ruins you may explore them. Or I will as soon as youre done with the Kingsguard. Its possible some of these people could and would help with that but I doubt you would agree to that.
Id like to fight them myself if possible. Ilea said, the king nodding in understanding. Ill go to Hallowfort and see what I can get for the two of you.
When she left again, Ilea saw a bunch of crumpled up papers littering the floor in what had become essentially Elanas study. She wondered what the queen was mulling over. How to use the necromancer king to take over an empire.
Comments
Inslayer
Instead its form - > four arms formed fists and punched her way.
Kachlicka
Pacing of the story is fine. But you should understand that it also depends on update frequency. If you, for example, updated once a week and some of those updates would be kinda boring or not continuing the story, it would get quite annoying. With your current update frequency however, there is no such problem.
Torbjørn Nilsen
Ok, so how do you insert a paragraph here. :/ Feeling old right now.
Torbjørn Nilsen
Just.. Please don't do anything extreme with her values... These things take time. One thing though, she has gotten kinda too flippant with her risks lately. Like when Terok followed her, she went into a rage and pummeled a knight, in a high level dungeon, in the north. This seems to me to be incredibly stupid. Gah this got convoluted, she just seems to feel invincible, and even though she feels like she takes damage, I don't know last time she nearly died, and by that i mean SHE tought she would die.
ArturScott
absolutely
j0ntsa
Is F5 club open yet?
Rip Woodham
I just want her to get stronger, but I also want the story to never end.... ;-) I think the way you're telling the story currently is good. At least, some of your arcs before have really dragged. And this one does not feel like that. More natural. I guess.... I just want to see more Illea. More pushing her limits, more depth into where she's coming from and where she's going mentally (sometimes felt shallow), more amazing experiences, more tales to tell!
G. Harthane
Thanks for the detailed breakdown. I'll think about it all. I think in regards to the narrative I tried to make it feel a little like a game in the north, with a bunch of quests readily available. I'll focus more on a bunch of them to show the importance. Definitely agree on her character development. I'll think about what to cook up :).
Jack Stiles
I would love to see her and the elves get closer rather than just another passing. I know that not how it works in reality, but for story it's great. Or her and the king would be cool. I actually really like the pace, the story is a bit slower, while skipping weeks and months for training and leveling. While I feel the bonus experience was great for growth early on, having to continue fighting alone just to grow seems like it would just hurt the story in the long run. I still enjoy it quite a bit, just hope it doesn't get so convoluted like Randidly.
FusedBump96
I don't mind the current pacing or some more world/character building. However I will say that this slow arc is starting to reach the rambling/meandering point. This story has had the issue a couple of times and I think it comes from arcs dragging on too long/a lack of a clear end goal. But this arc doesn't really seem to be building to a plot conclusion. I mean the Tremor section is at least building towards finding out what happened x thousand years ago to so radically change the North (discovering a secret of the world if you will). But that part of this arc hit a wall with her power level. So now I'm invested in discovering what that is but we've stalled until Ilea's level 300 evolutions. So now you have to build a mini-arc to get me invested/engaged with her mini-grinding arc. To do this, you've introduced these three new characters and almost made a mentor arc (even though Ilea has literally no investment of time or emotional labour in them) and started expanding the another world secret (what's really driving the elves). So now I'm not really sure what the point of this whole arc North arc is. Is it to find out what happened there (tremor/dungeons)? Is it to continue upon the Taleen plot (as has been hinted at a number of times throughout the story) through their machines mindless war on the elves? Or is it really just to get Ilea to level 300 and all the rest is to fill that up and making the grinding interesting? I think that this lack of focus has the potential to bloat out this section with filler style content. I don't really know how you'd go about fixing this, as making the narrative tighter and more focused by cutting fluff is normally something that would get done in the editing phase (of an entire book not just a chapter), but maybe keeping an arc goal in mind might help? But my gut feeling is that this is an adventure/exploration story that is starting to fall prey to scope creep. If that's the case I think that this problem will probably keep cropping up, as there really is no defined 'end' to the story. On the character development front, I feel that Ilea needs more variety. It's something I've noticed for a while, but anytime Ilea gets some downtime and she has an introspective chapter/scene it's pretty much always "I was raised with western morals but I don't really care about anyone. I'm just here to eat and fight." And I think you've explored that as much as you can. Saying she 'has no link to anyone and doesn't subscribe to species loyalty' again just isn't significant character development. I'm not sure what other aspects of her character you can explore (now that you've done the 'no responsibility to anything but myself and those I deem important') but I feel you need to find something else to continue developing her character. Edit #54: I think that part of the problem with Ilea's character development is that I haven't noticed many other characters having an impact on her or her behaviour. Like none of Eve's hate for corrupt nobility, or Sulivaans hate of Elves or everyone's ruthless self interest rubbed off onto Ilea but some of Ilea's attitude rubbed off on Eve and Trian. Not that just being around those opinions should change her character but I do feel that Ilea has been a fairly static character (her driving motivation since she got her class has really been to explore and fight tough enemies) only now a lot of that viscerality of 'is she going to get herself in over her head and die' has worn off. Furthermore, at least in the case of Eve's death, I don't feel that she earned her 180 from 'I want revenge on her killer' to 'I want to know why they did it before I make my judgement'. Like right there is the potential to go through part of a revenge arc where angry and out of sorts she tries to get revenge but by pursuing 'justice', but through that she kills an innocent/gets a friend injured/loses something precious to her and after that she then comes to a more balanced, healthy approach of understanding. You even had the perfect opportunity through the Alymie revenge arc for her to explore her 'dark side' and I don't feel she went through that transformation, even if that's something you tried to do. Anyway I really enjoy the story (else I wouldn't be a patreon) and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes. But you did ask for feedback and as I just happen to be better at constructive criticism than compliments, here's my 2 cents.
levon
Here you go. Someone shared to me. Now it is your responsibility to share it next time someone asks for it. https://pastebin.com/raw/EautU1Cw
Chymor
I like a lot of what’s going on, but I think Ilea seems to be stagnant in personal development... she has met a lot of interesting new characters but none of them really has had any impact on her personally. She seems to be a shock to everyone around her, but they don’t affect her so she feels like she’s above everything... and this feels a bit boring now that it has been so for a while.
Jonathan
Several chapters back, someone linked to an updating page with levels and descriptions of Ilea's stats and skills. I was a dummy and forgot to bookmark it. I don't really want to search through all the comments since I also can't remember which chapter it came after. Please post it agian.
Seb
Okay, so my favourite part of this story is always when Ilea is exploring different areas and concurrently getting stronger. By slowing down the pacing, if you mean her just exploring the world and cultures and avoiding human civilization for a while, then I am all for it. I love everything that you write, but I certainly have enjoyed this arc in the north more than any other arc (except maybe the first taleen dungeon arc and before that), so I am all for her exploring more of the world. If you want to flesh out some history of the world or such, maybe do a dungeon delve arc with Ilea, Maro and wife and maybe some of Maro's friends? (that could also be one of the missing hand elders?) As everyone is saying, I think that you should probably get Ilea to 300 before you make any major plot changes (maybe just a quick training arc fighting something more dangerous (like praetorians if possible) to get her azarinth class to 300 and then fight the kingsguard to get her ash to 300. Then either quickly visit ravenhall to see how her investments are coming along (or just skip this, that is also fine), and then explore a new place to test out her new skills, with or without maro and friends. If she doesn't immediately get the option for the 3rd class, she could also start striving for that, maybe go hunt a basilisk or something
Seb
plot twist: Ilea gets transported back to earth at level 299 and loses all of her levels. Story over
levon
Ever seen martial arts? They constantly run around. In my training I learned it is more important not to get hit than hitting your opponent. Running in circles is the way to do that, since sooner or later it will create an opening. She does exactly that but also has blinks and wings
Blaublue
I like the pacing and that there's not too many chapters in between her getting another 3rd tier skill, an event I always look forward to. On another note, just how does Dexterity and perhaps even Strength affect her speed? Her two Forms increases her Speed as well as Dexterity, so how connected are the two? If another 50 Strength from now doesn't really add more damage (which is fair, since now she has actually tested it, instead of just assuming it to be so for hundreds of chapters), then she may start to invest in Dexterity for more speed. I do find her current fighting style slightly awkward though; she loves melee combat, but the most effective way to fight currently since her enemies are higher-lvled than her, is to run around in circles, use blink often, all the while slowly whittling them down with Ember and Heal Reversal from her tentacles: It doesn't really fit well with the image Ilea had before getting tentacles. She may have kited a lot back then too, but it just feels different now that she doesn't actually have to get in close to deliver damage (even though she still does it, but she doesn't really have to, except for those she really needs to use Destruction on). I'm not sure how to go about changing it though, since her tentacles are also quite cool
fuble878
Yea I want Ilea to get to 300 and after leaving the north go on another expedition to even farther places. Or to places that might not be as dangerous, I just love the exploration of the unknown and the world building that provides.
evilperson41
Would enjoy world building, we have only seen a small part of the world. Like what’s across the ocean or even farther in the north. Are there other human settlements or is that pocket of area the only place where humans are. And is there anyone above level 300 in the empire? But please do world building after lvl 300 for both classes been looking forward to that a lot.
Atlas Dwarf
Thanks for the chapter. Pacing is good along with the world building. Hoping we get another overview/recap of Skills when she hits lvl 300 like when she hit lvl 200 in ch 67.
VerethragnaD
The pacing is good. Taking it slow for a while is absolutely something that should happen in any good novel and this is a good spot to do it. Just keep in mind to not take it too far. 10-20 chapters of slowing down are fine but at some point you'll need to pick it up again. Also thanks for the chaps and keep up the amazing work.
Svensonsen
Thx for the chapter! The pacing is very good. I like how you are flashing out the world with well placed characters that don't seem out of place. I really would love to combine the worldbuilding with the powerspike at lv 300. Something that combines her new evolution with the setting in a meaningfull way that isn't just her gaining power. There could be a new important place like the temple of the azarinth healers at the beginning that enables her to get a better class or information or just plain but really good worldbuilding. I however would prefer to know more about the elves and I'm always for a little romance or perhaps an elven companion.
Severin Hans
I enjoy the current pacing, we are getting some good lore from some very well placed characters (to me they don't feel like their only purpose is world building which is very important) and Ilea has now found the juggernaut! Which seems like it will be the enemy to get her to 300. I think that as long as she keeps growing every couple of chapters you won't have too much of a riot on your hands. I also think that the king and queen would be perfect partner's for taking on the golden Lily, especially since the queen wants an empire again. The only thing I will say is to be careful of opening up too many more plot paths before you close 1 or 2, all the options are becoming a bit hard to remember
Han Pol
I would guess Meditation Heat, Mana drain, Life drain, Mist and maybe poison resistance would make up some of the 5 skills to get a second tier 2 skill to tier generel skills. And if that is possible. Maybe having a lucky encounter to get another reistance to second level 20 to maybe reach a second generell tier 3 skill or just to have better options before she evolves her classes evolution, maybe even trying to get a 3 third class by killing a basilisk or the like before the ash class can reach level 300. It should be possible if the first hunter class is powerful enough ones it get's evolved. Then maybe a rushed somewhat reckless leveling season to get the last levels done before her evolution while having killed a few high level enemies in the weeks before her evolution. If she get's a powerful class for the First Hunter one, she might gain an even more powerful one for the eternal ash class, if she can kill a truly high level enemy before the eternal ash class advances. Poison resistance seems also fairly easy to advance.
Jonathan Walker
Eh I don't miss him much I'm sure he is alive but just don't really care otherwise
This! It's been good so far, but it's been nice if you could skip up here.
Jonathan Walker
I won't lie the way you made these last few chapters was brilliant and I love how they switch between her gaining levels and making the world bigger, I can't wait till Tuesday again
Tetsuki
I do have to plead guilty of skipping the arc before the north. Wasn't really interested in that one. But I really like the current arc till now. Pace is really good for my taste.
Bunny Waffles
Really? I enjoy the interactions with the elves. One of the most interesting parts of any story is when the MC chats with others and gets some of their perspective on their attitude and actions. Also learning about how the elves and their society tick is nice since they've been set up in a certain position since near the very beginning of the story.
levon
I would like it if the pacing increased rapidly from 280-300. Like a training arc for multiple months instead of weeks. But for now the pacing is good
Lomie0
Plot twist, every mention of hoping to hit 300 soon causes the author to add another chapter before it'll happen :p
Hasenpelz
To be honest I have been skimming through the chapters recently. The interactions with the Elves arent too interesting but I guess Ileas moral code is at work so I can continue to bear it. Just continue as you always have and it will be good. We need some story or upgrades soon though.
As was mentioned by plenty of others I would also like it if she could hit level 300. It's been coming for such a long time and starts stretching by now. The arc itself is nice.
fuble878
In terms of pacing I think it is mostly fine the way it is. I just don't like needless fights that take a whole chapter where we already know the enemies powers and Ilea has no new powers so we learn nothing. Also meditation has been so close to being lv 20 tier 2 for so long but the damn thing doesn't level.
Arkeus
Molten Baths are the best. Also, mmh. Pain Tolerance Meditation Heat resistance Mana Drain Resistance Health Drain Resistance That's 5 skills she can get to 2nd20 fairly easily in her general skills. If the 5 skills enable her to get a 3rd tier general skill points... Well, Heat Resistance is the best for Ash class evolution, but meditation is best for actually combat (and might enable to get mind magic resistance cap with the reapers).
Dembed
I would also agree on the pacing to be improved until she hits 300, with quite a bit of time skips. After that, I am open if you want to show us other chars or worldbuilding. Lately, I have been thinking that the description of so much what she does is interesting, yes, but with the pace, you write it will take lots of chapters to go forward. I believe with how little we have seen, there still could be enough content to write about 1000 chapters without making this boring and only writing about fights.
Harb
I like the way it’s been building to the evolution at 300 and now she’s planning due to increased power and knowledge. Not sure if she has the patience to wait and train resistance skills or practice to get new skills before hitting 300. I hope she gets at least one evolution named after her due to her achievements.
Maybe narrate less, or even mention fewer, of the combat scenes and make up the difference in dialogue between characters, history elf monologuing things he knows or just the environment around Ilea if you want to expand the world and such.
Thaabit Rivertree
I think another perspective would be fine, Albert gets my vote. I'm fine with world building as long as Ilea progresses towards 300/or in skills a bit at least every 3-4 chapters. Three chapters in a row without any progress in anything would be a bit annoying, considering how close she is... But all in all it's not a big deal to me. Of course I don't think you'll space out her progress that much lol
Baba Vader
Thanks for the chapters! I like how the story slowed down a bit to expand the world. You can pick up the pace again rather soon, either with the treasure chamber in the Taleen dungeon (Praetorians?) or with Ilea's soon to be level 300 power spike and a return to the Golden Lily plot soonish after (or something completely different). You have been taking these breaks in pace about every 50 to 70 chapters if I am right and they really help the story feel like it's taking place in a real world. After every break there was some kind of plot change. First joining the Shadow's Hand then the demon invasion then travel to the north, it should be time to take a bigger jump forward in about 5 to 10 chapters seeing the north started about chapter 230.
Baka
Bring back Kyrian! :)
Gardor
I'm a fan of world building but I'd prefer to see it from Ileas perspective, rather than someone else's POV. Same with character building I guess. The only thing is timing, if you do it before or immediately after her class evolution there might be a riot, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we are verrry excited.
Corwin Amber
thanks for the chapters
Joppest
The chapter name is a good choice. Think the pace for maybe 1-3 more chapters and then put in a big reveal or a twist or something!
Tsaimath
Bathing in lava is for wimps... real badasses bath in molten steel. Lol
Tommy Littlefield
The pacing is good for the most part I would make the Mc hit 300 on both her classes and evolve them and fight a couple times (to demonstrate the most likely vast upgrade in power) before you slow it down and do a bunch of world building though. At this point the class evolutions are so close most of us readers can’t wait anymore haha
