Robert Vlaho
patreon
[1% LIFESTEAL] Chapter 160 - Hobo
🕑 Added 2025-02-16 00:03:06 +0000 UTCSanguine Beheader.
During the many matches Freddy had against the shadow thing in his dreams, he had come to realize that Sanguine Beheader was a very “sometimes” weapon.
Freddy had built an arsenal of flexible choices, so he was capable of adapting to a wide range of challenges. His mighty sword was only sometimes a good choice. But those fights where it was the best option to rely on… Well, those tended to be the fights he won with most ease.
Bulky, slow-moving targets were the perfect victim for his sword. Due to its sheer mass, it doubled as a bludgeon against tough opponents, allowing Freddy to crush through defense where he would otherwise be forced to resort to the expensive and self-destructive Tsunami Strike.
As he stood there facing the veritable army of spirits, he sighed, remembering one of the main problems with this ability.
There were simply too many good choices.
Choice 1: Toughness
Choice 2: Sharpness
Choice 3: Sword
Choice 4: Momentum
Choice 5: Blood
Choice 6: Parry
Choice 7: Shock Absorption
Choice 8: Crushing
Choice 9: Execution
Insanity’s offer: Retaliation
Most of the choices were pretty self-explanatory.
Among those that would have interesting effects, “parry” would allow him to parry an attack, getting multiple stacks of the function by double-starring; “crushing” would give him stacks of crushing blows, also multiplicative; and “execution” was a bit special. It was similar to crushing, in the sense that it empowered an attack of his choice, but it would always only give a single stack. Activating it with multiple stars would make that one attack hit that much harder.
It was a damn fitting concept for the theme of the weapon, and it would, as should be obvious, make for an incredible finishing attack.
The one thing Freddy regretted was the inability to slot in a concept that would allow him to swing the weapon faster. Unfortunately, the bulky ass sword had scant few concepts related to swiftness. Who could have possibly predicted that one?
This time, before he could even show curiosity, Insanity was already explaining its offer, “Retaliation would make it so that when you receive damage, your next attack with your Sanguine Beheader will be greater depending on the amount of damage you’ve received.”
Freddy froze. “Oh I’m so taking that.”
And for this one, he thought a name change was apt.
Sanguine Avenger: Stage 3—0% Progress
Knuckle Blade was next. With “piercing” and “impact,” it made for a great anti-armor choice. Both it and Sanguine Avenger were excellent anti-defense choices. So what was it that defined and separated Knuckle Blade?
Speed. It was faster. And also more precise.
Choice 1: Acceleration
Insanity’s offer: Hunger
Freddy raised an eyebrow.
“It would drink blood to recharge the impact function.”
“Huh. That actually seems pretty damn good.”
“Except if it doesn’t get enough blood, it will start drinking your blood.”
Freddy sighed. “How much.”
“Quite a bit, admittedly.”
“Not horrible, but I think I’m gonna stick to my choice on this one.”
“Bah. Loser.”
He picked “acceleration.”
This would drastically impact the speed of his jabs every time he activated the impact function. He didn’t dislike Insanity’s offer, but he really wanted a bigger advantage against fast opponents.
Knuckle Blade: Stage 3—0% Progress
His Crimson Wing Shield followed after.
He had “blocking” and “shielding.” There was no reason to get too experimentative with this one. It already did what it needed to do. It just had to get better at it.
He picked the concept of “defense.”
Crimson Wing Shield: Stage 3—0% Progress
Next was Dissipate Wave, another single-option upgrade granting him the rather precious “refund” concept. Now, he would not only cancel the Flowing Strike but also refund 50%. He was very happy with that one.
Dissipate Wave: Stage 3—0% Progress
He sighed as soon as he spotted the two choices for the next ability. On the left was a spirit that emanated visible shockwaves through the air. On the right was… a bomb.
The ability in question was Tsunami Strike.
Choice 1: Shockwave
Insanity’s offer: Explosion
“On brand for you, I guess. But wow. That is one crazy suggestion.”
Insanity shrugged. “Don’t act like some sort of saint of sanity now, you little prick. ‘Shockwave’ is the first even half reasonable step you’ve taken with this ability.”
“Okay. Fair enough. So you want me to go full-send then? To give up on even trying to keep my damn arm intact when I use this ability?”
Insanity grinned. “This might be my suggestion… but don’t act like you haven’t already considered it.”
It was right. He had considered this option. Many times even. He kept telling himself that he should be reasonable and pick something safer. It was Thor’s advice. It was the advice of anyone with common sense—don’t use abilities that will hurt you.
But the question was there: why should he use common sense?
He already had a number of reasonable forms of attack. Tsunami Strike was not one of them. It would always be a little insane. But was that necessarily a bad thing? His health was pretty much just another resource to him. What was wrong with treating it like a resource?
Was it wrong because it was ugly to see?
Was it wrong because it would hurt?
No.
It wasn’t wrong at all. It was all “common sense.” And while he could be said to be many things, he was anything but common. He needed rare sense. A unique perspective.
He looked over at the lumberjack.
Freddy was under no illusion here—Insanity wasn’t giving him crazy, wacky choices. It was giving him insane choices, sure, but they weren’t bad. None of them had been bad.
And this one wasn’t bad, either.
“That decides it, then,” he said with a snort. “Tsunami Strike will be my finishing move.”
His finger reached over and touched the bomb.
Tsunami Strike: Stage 3—0% Progress
Hydraulic Flex followed. It was another single-choice upgrade.
The concept of “redirection.”
Freddy wasn’t slow. He was clunky, and that was because he couldn’t slow down. He could accelerate to insane speeds if given the opportunity to run straight, but if forced to turn at a sharp, ninety-degree angle, he wouldn’t be able to do it while maintaining his speed.
That was the thing that needed to change. That was the thing he needed to target if he wanted to become fast.
Hydraulic Flex: Stage 3—0% Progress
Create Water was another boring upgrade. He got “water,” he got “volume,” so next was “discount.”
Create Water: Stage 3—0% Progress
And the final ability he had to upgrade—Hydraulic Throw. He had “speed” he had “tension.” There was only one thing he needed to do, now. The concept of “power.” Simple and effective.
Hydraulic Throw: Stage 3—0% Progress
Freddy took a deep, shivering breath as he finally absorbed the last spirit. “Wow. I feel invincible.” He turned to face Insanity. “Uh… Thank you, I guess?”
“Thank me?” It grinned, but the grin died a moment later. “What for? My existence is a tool. Just like all else in this world. Do you thank your fucking sword every time you cut someone’s head off? Please. Besides, your thanks is premature.”
That made Freddy’s stomach sink.
In the next moment, Insanity waved its hand, and three objects appeared in the air.
Freddy gasped. “What is that?”
“This is your third and final reward. You can only choose one.” It pointed at the object at the far left. It was a small, glimmering ball, with what appeared to be stars in a beige void. “This is a superior gem of binding. You can use it to combine any four cursed items into a set.”
Freddy’s eyes shot wide open.
Insanity ignored him, pointing at the second item. It was a small crystal, like a broken shard of glass. It shimmered with myriad colors. “This is a unique affinity shard. Use it, and you can choose any affinity you desire. Even a second unique affinity, although you won’t know what it will do ahead of time.”
Sweat started dripping down Freddy’s back.
It pointed at the third object, a misshapen, irregular ball, one that looked almost like a lumpy prime vestige. It was bone-white, and it had a dull, expressionless face. It was a prime spirit. He could use it to get another spirit ability. But something was strange. This one was huge, bigger than his head. He swallowed as he realized what it was.
Insanity flicked it with a finger, making it spin in the air. “This is a unique prime spirit. The spirit ability contained within is quite simple. For ten seconds from an outside perspective, five seconds will pass from your perspective. Everything will appear to move at twice the speed, while you will appear to move in slow motion. Then, for ten seconds, those perspectives will reverse. For five seconds from an outside perspective, ten seconds will pass for you. You will move twice as quickly, as if the world had slowed to a crawl around you.”
What the hell is going on?
Freddy was convinced that that would be it for the rewards. But this? Any of these three choices were something that would break the whole empire if it were put up for an auction.
He had done it himself, so he knew damn well just how much work it was to get through this dungeon. But even he thought this was too much.
Almost as if reading his mind, Insanity shrugged. “If you don’t want one, I guess I’ll—”
“No!” he shouted lunging forward with an extended arm. “I’ll pick.”
It smiled. “Take your time.”
He sat down, pulling his knees forward and crossing his fingers over them. He buried his nose in his intertwined digits, slightly rocking back and forth as he ran his mind through the options.
There were some tough choices among his offered upgrades. But this was on a whole new level.
He eyed the spirit ability. That one was good. Really good. Amazing, even. Just off the top of his head, he could think of five different tricks he could pull off with the time-bending. And if he was facing a quick opponent? Sure, he would get slowed down first, but if he just waited it out, he could turn the fight around in an instant.
The main problem was… well… it would be his third spirit ability. But it was unique.
What the hell did that mean?
“That’s a unique spirit ability,” he said, gritting his teeth. “What kind of advantage does it being unique provide?”
Insanity grinned at him. “You should know that much already. After all, you already have two unique spirit abilities.”
Freddy froze. “I do!?” It made sense. Bloodshed was a unique ether construct. And they had both given him a new affinity. He had thought that might have been due to the strange method he received them—after all, regular prime spirits didn’t give affinities. “So… Wait, what!?” He scratched his forehead nervously. “They’re both good spirit abilities, but nothing about them is different.”
“Heh. Talk about throwing pearls before swine. But I guess it makes sense you wouldn’t know what they did. After all, you gotta reach the sixth star to find out.”
Freddy perked up. “The sixth star!? What!?” He took a deep breath to calm himself down. “That’s possible?”
“Of course it is.” It slapped the floating unique prime spirit. “And this thing will help you get there.”
Freddy hesitated. “It will slow my growth by 99%. How then?”
“Simple. Because it doesn’t ‘slow your growth’ as many of your kind appear to believe.” It suddenly turned deathly serious. “Spirit abilities compress your latent aura.”
For a long moment, Freddy just sat there, letting those words sink in. His eyes slowly widened as he processed the implications.
“Yup,” it said, cackling. “Of course it will slow you down. But your rewards go up accordingly. Remember what I said. Everything is a trade.”
Freddy sat there, contemplating it for a long moment. “You said it would help me get to the sixth star?”
Insanity nodded. “It takes a lot of latent aura to reach the sixth star. The sooner you get the full compression, the better it will be for your growth. Though, to be frank with you, getting all three before the third star is… well… I’m making the pitch. It should be obvious.”
“Insane? Why?”
“It will make things easier for you later by making them difficult now. But for you, I’d highly recommend you take this.”
“Any particular reason I shouldn’t get to the third star first?”
“Because your talent evolution will be underwhelming.”
Freddy laughed reflexively at that. “No it won’t.” Then clear anger seeped into his voice. “It won’t. Why would it be underwhelming? That makes no sense.”
“Kid. You had some pretty insane achievements at the first star. So why did your talent change so little? Any guesses?”
“It… It became a lot more useful.”
“That’s just a mutation to fit your needs. But its power is nearly identical.” It left the three floating objects and walked over to him. “Same quality. Same percentage. Did you never wonder why?”
He did. Of course he did. He had killed both the giant leviathan and slain a damn Lord. His expectation was that he’d get 10% Lifesteal as his next upgrade. But he didn’t. And it had bothered him. Even though it was more useful, he still never understood why.
Why had it changed so little?
Insanity reached him and squatted to look him in the eye. “It’s because your talent is already ridiculously powerful.”
For a long moment, he was going to retort. But what was the point? It was right. And he knew it.
The sheer number of things his talent could do for him was way above any ordinary talent. It was a cheat, through and through. An unfair advantage.
Toughness well above what he should be capable of. Strength. Endurance. Powerful abilities. And healing. Infinite healing. From nearly everything.
Taking a deep breath, his eyes drifted towards the unique prime spirit. And then to the other two offers.
The unique affinity shard was amazing. If he could get a unique affinity for his blood, god knew just how powerful he could become. Unique affinities could be hard to utilize, but they were always a huge advantage.
And the binding gem? Four cursed items? If he collected two more unique cursed items, it could genuinely change his life. His power would always be well above his level.
But his eyes moved right back to that prime spirit. He bit his lip. “How far along am I?” he asked. “What would my talent evolve into if I ascended now?”
“You’d get maybe 1.5% Lifesteal. Or alternatively, some other minor boost, like slight lingering regeneration if you overheal yourself.”
He laughed. “That’s it? That’s all? All this work, and that’s all I would get?”
“Do not take it lightly when I say that it is a damn miracle you’ve earned even this much at just the second star. You have the potential to bathe everything in insanity, Freddy Stern. So what will it be? The binding gem? The affinity shard? Or the prime spirit?”
Freddy took a deep breath. “I choose—”
***
Travis found himself standing outside. The rain poured from above. Wind howled.
A terrible storm had descended upon Valhalla.
Behind Travis stood his people. Most of them were hiding from the rain, but all the fighters were out there getting drenched by his side.
Before them stood an unassuming man. The man’s face was clear and unblemished, his posture firm, but his countenance was ordinary. He was dressed like any other office worker.
“Adjudicator,” Travis greeted him, gulping. “What brings you here today?”
“You should already be well aware,” the man said. “They’re coming. News spread fast, I suppose. All the other major faction leaders should be here any minute now.”
Travis gritted his teeth. “Are you gonna—”
“I’m not going to side with anyone here. That isn’t my job. When it comes to conflicts like these, my role is to minimize unnecessary loss of human life and to uphold any deals made between the parties in question.” The man patted Travis on the back. “Do not worry. If you surrender, I will personally ensure that your people are safe. For you, I have no guarantees.”
Travis sagged in relief. “Thank you. That is enough for me.”
The time seemed to drag on forever.
Travis stood right outside the headquarters, drenched in the rain.
The storm echoed its sorrow, the lightning tears mourining the loss of their father. He laughed. “I remember how you said you wanted a funeral on the rainiest, most depressing day ever.” He looked up, his lips curling down unwittingly. “Why did it have to rain today?”
The gate was wide open. In the distance, Travis noticed the movement of vans.
They were almost here.
He turned around, facing the men and women of Valhalla. “Don’t fight. The adjudicator will keep you all safe if we can make a deal. Don’t make this any harder on me than it needs to be. Please.”
Everyone reluctantly nodded.
And with that, they stepped outside the gates.
There were only eight vans coming, but when they parked, dozens of people came out of each one. Not too far behind them were five fancy vehicles.
The one in the front was a sleek, pitch-black vehicle. It parked on the clearing, and the doors opened. Out came a few men dressed in practical black suits. Among them stood a figure clad in what looked like very high-end tactical gear.
The man’s hair was long and as dark as the night. His eyes were as deep as the night sky. He wasn’t too large, but his muscles were extremely well-developed. He had forearms nearly as big as his biceps, while his chest and shoulders were more moderately sized. It was a lethal package packed into a compact size.
This was the leader of the Umbra Clan. And their most powerful assassin.
Behind them was a white limousine. Out it came a man in a dazzling white suit, covered in more gold than the tomb of an ancient king. It was the CEO of Grand West Enterprises. His hair was a lightly curly, bright blond. His eyes were hidden behind gaudy sunglasses.
The third vehicle was an old-fashioned floating wooden carriage. Out of it came several figures wearing blue robes. At the forefront was a woman with dazzling cyan hair. While she had no signs of aging, it was clear that she was no young woman. Her bearing was regal, and everyone around her showed great respect and deference. Her pale eyes were colder than the deepest reaches of the Far North. This was the leader of the Lapis Clan.
The fourth vehicle was a red sports car. Out of it came a sleazy-looking man clad in a mostly unbuttoned dress shirt. He flipped a grey tilby and plopped it on his thick, frizzy, black hair. Out of the back of the car came his son. This was the CEO of Strata.
And last, but definitely not least, a blue SUV pulled up.
Out of the driver’s seat came Keagan Gem, the stocky, rugged man with short-cut hair and an apparently no-bullshit attitude. Out the other seat left an effeminate man with long white hair. His physique was thin and soft. This was clearly no warrior.
This was Johnathan Faller—the head of the Faller family. While the Gem part of Gem & Faller handled most of the administrative work, the Fallers were the workhorses of their union. They comprised primarily non-combat archhumans and did most of the high-level ethertech work in the city. Their expertise gave them a lot of soft power, and many years ago, they merged with the Gems to create Gem & Faller, a union that benefitted both families.
Impressively enough, Johnathan was a three-star as a non-combat archhuman, a rare sight, especially in these parts.
But it was apparent to everyone who the real boss in their little union was.
Out the back of the SUV came Tanner and Tina Gem.
While most of their people stayed back, the six three-stars made their way forward.
Travis took a hesitant breath and stepped before them, ready to bring it all to an end.
“Hello there,” greeted the CEO of Strata. “You’re lookin’ quite calm for a mad dog, Travis. Hehehe.”
“Hello to you as well.”
The clan leader of Lapis stepped forward. “I am sure this rain isn’t pleasant for any of you, either. We all know what we’re here for. Let us skip the pleasantries and get to the point. Travis. Thor is dead. You have no standing or leverage in this negotiation. Your non-combatants will be put to work. Your fighters will surrender themselves for execution. Hurry it up. We don’t have all day to stand around.”
Travis clamped down on his urge to shout. He took a deep breath, calming himself. Then, he said pleasantly. “Ma’am, our warriors are not pushovers. If you wish to force unfavorable terms, we will be forced to fight back. I’m sure it’s in your best interest for all your people to walk away alive. If you don’t want blood to be spilled, give us a better offer.”
The leader of the Umbra Clan stepped forward. “I fear we do not have any intention of doing so. Travis, your people have spent years bringing instability into our city. If you so insist, we can compromise with imprisonment and forced labour instead of execution. But freedom of any kind is not something we will accept.” The man’s gaze hardened. “And even if it must come to bloodshed, I swear to you I won’t back down.”
Travis’s heartbeat sped up, and he found himself biting the back of his lower lip. “Please. Have some mercy.”
He noticed Keagan Gem, the CEO of Strata, and the CEO of Grand West Enterprises smirk at his words. He slowly blinked, keenly aware of how little power he had in that moment.
Keagan stepped up. “Well… If you want us to have some mercy, then we will need you to do something else for us.”
“What do you want?”
“Hand your little friends over.”
Travis scowled. “What? Who?”
“Come on, Travis. There is no use in pretending to be oblivious. Slave, Skull, and their little assassin buddy.” Keagan leaned in. “Where the hell are they?”
“Sorry, you mean Freddy Cliff? I’m really sorry, but I genuinely don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Heh. Okay, then. Bring us Slave. He’ll tell us where his friends are.”
Travis struggled to keep it in. He wanted to scream. He wanted to curse. Freddy… Did he actually run away? That was stupid. He’d be caught, anyway. And they wouldn’t get anything out of this deal.
The words were on the tip of his tongue. I don’t know where he is. He wanted to say it, but he didn’t dare. He kept his mouth shut, stalling for just another moment, even a second longer, and he might—
“Well, what’s this, then?” a voice came from their left.
They all whirled, turning to spot some decrepit but impressively jacked hobo with his hair reaching the back of his knees and his beard reaching all the way to his junk.
Comments
MillionLittleE
We talk about how it is crazy he got 3 spirit abilities before his 3rd star, but let’s talk about how he had 2 spirit abilities before his 2nd star and his life steal didn’t grow that much
Test Test
Its just freddy's guesstimates
ThoMiCroN
One thing I find strange with this book is that there is no system to speak of but it’s written as if there was. How can they know down to the specific % how they perfect their abilities? There is no standard to measure anything.
Gunmetalrhino
So, when you coming back?
Dembed
Go ahead with that. Here and kindle you can let your creativity flow. For RR you can butcher it for the algorithm.
Robert Blaise
Oh shit, I have to fix that
Moe
My webpage is bugged I guess cause 160 is still most recent post. Oh I found it I’ve been using the collections tab and it just wasn’t included in the 1% collection
Robert Blaise
It's out.
Moe
Did I miss the new chapter? I thought it was coming out yesterday…
James Faulkner
Les gooooo
Bradley
LOL! I for once approve the delay. I want to see the story kick ass. Take your 100 years.
CrimZ0N
I’m fiending
Stygon
Despair 😔
Robert Blaise
That was for the RR release. Don't worry though, final chappy coming in a few hours ;)
Stygon
Absolutely
andro
Addiction setting in
Stygon
I saw u tell someone it would he 8pm CET 👀👀👀👀👀
Robert Blaise
It should be done tomorrow.
Vithusan Algumalai
How long ? 😭
Stygon
My boy PLLLLEEEEAAASEEEE 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
CrimZ0N
how lond approx until chp drop?
Ethin Butler
Hey id been thinking about the other prime spirt abilities since insanity said that he had 2 what rank was the levaithan when he killed it?
Brandon
Keep doing your thang and creating quality work . Imo creating a strict schedule for releases is what causes burnout and quality to drop. I’m just as impatient as anyone else and can’t wait for the next releases but I also know rushing something out to appease people will backfire.
Robert Blaise
Hmm, I will definitely have to secure a more consistent schedule. Although, to be fair, the only reason this chapter is so late is because it's the finale so it's taking extra work to ensure its good as can be
Random Guy
I think that would be fine for many people as long as you give some indication to how long people will have to wait to the next chapter (doesnt have to be some regular schedule just some updates or predictions for days) otherwise its going to be frustrating and you might lose people back to Royalroad only for the clear schedule that you abhor for good reasons.
HUAAAANG
And yet here I am refreshing. You trained me wrong on purpose.
Robert Blaise
I'm seriously contemplating writing mostly chapters like that and then splitting them for royal road. Because guess what, I ALSO LOVE WRITING LONGER CHAPTERS. It allows me to create much more fulfilling writing, and it feels like these suffocating borders of regular chapters are holding me back. Both in writing speed and otherwise.
BeanConsumer
I honestly like and, to an extent, prefer the super dense and massive chapters he spends a week on over the short little ones. That’s just me though, and I am happy to read the novel regardless of the form it comes in.
CrimZ0N
same its scaring me how invested i am
Brandon
I feel like a druggy checking this app every 2 hours lol
Sejoran
You know its gonna be worth the wait though, id rather it be good.
Alec Ruth
Same
Moe
Man the wait is killing me!
Marquess
I think I remember him mentioning it being related to speed?
Random Guy
Not that that has ever truly worked
Robert Blaise
These would feel very shitty because at no point is this going to cool down enough for a wait to be tolerable :D And people come to Patreon to escape cliffs anyway lmao!
Amari Charles
Really looking forward to the next one! Also really appreciate you duping them all at once instead of leaving us on cliffs to enhance the experience
Moe
I think it had a lot to do with lightning. I can’t remember exactly but his I think he changed his name to Thor or everybody started calling him Thor because of what he could do with his talent
Vithusan Algumalai
What was Thor’s talent?
Vithusan Algumalai
I need more ! I love this novel !
Redc05
What is the element of the spirit?
CrimZ0N
Good good, thats what i like to hear.
Robert Blaise
This will be a HUGE ONE so it will take a bit to cook. It's more of a chapter dump than a single chapter, but I don't want to split it for Patreon since I think it would be most enjoyable in one straight read :)
Redc05
Hey, how long till next chapter?
Shane Fletcher
Will it come out today? Iv been refreshing about every half an hour.
DuskDeadman
He has had perished water since the leviathan, but took an ungodly long time to start figuring it out.
Marquess
It could be similar to other conceptual affinities, like dream, with available buffs and debuffs too.
Corey Paulson
I was going back through the previous chapters. I can't remember when Freddy acquired perished water and what it does.
Random Guy
Those poor fucks will have to read that over 5 Chapters?
Codered999
You have three main states for ether constructs right now. Wild, Bound, Prime. Wild vestiges, remnants, spirits, and so on, these are used for upgrading the stages of your affinity abilities with the concept they're formed from and for killing to convert them into wisps to gather for various purposes. A unique wild vestige, remnant, so on can be used to gain a unique related affinity if fused with an affinity ability, like gaining the bloodshed affinity from absorbing Bloodshed into a blood affinity ability you have. Bound constructs are like puppets you control but can't think for themselves so they're high maintenance in a sense, a unique bound construct could probably think for itself, but beyond that we don't know the use of these. Prime vestiges are absorbed into the soul to obtain a talent and whatever affinities it grants, if unique then you can gain multiple talents and a unique affinity, we don't know if prime remnants are a thing. Prime spirits are formed when wild spirits are outside the netherecho for too long and are able to be absorbed into the ethercosm in your soul to form spirit abilities which have a guaranteed sacrifice cost to use their power. Unique Prime spirits grant you a base affinity if you lack the related base affinity for their unique affinity as seen with Bloodshed giving Freddy the blood affinity not the bloodshed affinity. Or Bloodshed's whole thing is way more outside the norm than we know. TLDR: Prime Vestiges give talents and affinities, Prime Spirits give spirit abilities.
Robert Blaise
Yeah, exactly. It doesn't feel like it's that far ahead, but it will be once I have to split that chapter for RR. Also the next chapter will be massive
Codered999
Chibrahim, Insanity was basically a higher form of ether construct, but he's like Bloodshed, so Freddy is way more accepting of his nature and all cause that's just an unchanging aspect of him. The guy is ultimately very straightforward and not hiding anything about himself, Insanity is reasonable from most perspectives provided you got to actually have a moment to understand him.
Codered999
Unlikely, Basalisk told him to leave and Mark can't use any abilities for a few days.
Codered999
Tryptic, not every dungeon changes when full cleared, the oily mummy dungeon has a boss monster at the end of it and it just resets normally regardless if anyone kills the boss, it just doesn't reset if anyone is still inside when the timer is up. The Fortress Dungeon rather than being a standard reset dungeon ended up being a wave raid dungeon, they only learn what rules the dungeon has through experiencing them. We don't know if the century of solitude dungeon is changed because of the first true clear or not.
Codered999
Technically Robert this is 9 chapters, not 14, but I do agree that the insanity dungeon is worth five chapters. It just ends up not feeling like it because of the chapter title numbers.
Gio
pretty sure its not a problem when he conjures his armor
Yevhenii
During shadow matches, Freddy never realized that long hair was a problem?
ManguKing
You are using earth logic rather than 1% lifesteel logic
@Alphamoonman
Friggin' cliffhangers. I feel like I'm hung on a plot-noose!
@Alphamoonman
Honestly I think if he told anyone he went into a Class A dungeon where you're trapped there for 100 years "and all I got is this long ass beard" I don't think anyone would believe him.
@Alphamoonman
Exploding shrapnel sword, anybody?
Vithusan Algumalai
But Even if it’s two handed sword can he uses it with just one hand ? Or Even throw it ? And also can he choose to trigger the explosion when he uses tsunami strike ?
Robert Blaise
No. Tsunami strike transfers force through his hand, and now with explosion, it would just make his hand and the sword handle blow up
Tryptic
The dungeon should be gone now. It's been established that dungeons can be cleared, and they stop working after that. The fortress defense dungeon only kept going because nobody fully cleared it. With that said, now that it's been cleared it might have transformed into a peaceful version, like the fortress dungeon did. Perhaps a hyperbolic time chamber where 2x time passes inside it, or a quaint catgirl maid cafe.
Vithusan Algumalai
Does Sanguine avenger work with Tsunami Strike?
Uroš
He also changed his appearance with a life spirit when he got over the mountains
kiwi
I'm guessing he's still on second star tho. He sounded mighty disappointed with the 1.5% talent evolution. More is needed.
Robert Blaise
It doesn't seem like that, and that's because the Century of Solitude chapter is 5 chapters long
Robert Blaise
There is *14. I am currently one behind. ,
ManguKing
Am I tripping or it just doesn't feel like there's 15 chapters ahead of public releases? 0.o dang freddy learn to cut your own hair. You are now letting the whole world know that you went into a time chamber
Corey Paulson
So that was intentional...
Chibrahim
Yeah, they killed one of the few people that were ok with him, they represent what he hates the most about society and he just had a conversation with the concept of insanity and found it quite reasonable. Dude will slaughter them
Chibrahim
It would be a mistake for the author to keep that dungeon around. Shit should be seales now that Freddy has completed it
Caliban42
I don’t think it will be enough. I think Freddy is going to have to somehow top the 100 year dungeon for his next star. Remember he simultaneously has slowed progression due to multiple spirit affinities and stll progressed faster than anyone in history. Which is insane (sorry couldn’t resist it)
Justin Garrett
Need next chapter !
Ihsan Gunay
I think the prime spirit is the insanity. It would be on brand with the theme of the dungeon. I hope it still gives a unique insanity affinity that allows him to use abilities of other affinities at some cost like having iron bones but at a higher essence cost or something like that.
Petersaurus reximus reader
Any bets on whether Freddy does the crazy thing and goes back in for another 100 years to polish his newly upgraded skills? Probs not, given the showdown happening and how brutal writing that would be. But we’ve basically established Freddy is nuts
Robert Blaise
I'm a do like Freddy and Cliff
kiwi
Bobert, I take back what I said yesterday. I hate you. STOP CLIFFHANGING US YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!
jordicl
ty 4 the answer!!
Caliban42
Agreed, the Gem of Binding is a bit of a poison chalice, Freddy can’t use it straight away and he could spend forever agonising over what four to use. The unique affinity would be fantastic but again it’s more abilities to think of and to have essence to power.
Compendium
Physical changes when staring up is apparently common. If he didn't wait to hit 3 star then he could look different even disregarding the fact that he is probably covered in blood and shit from not cleaning himself properly
Marquess
Wait, can they even recognize him anymore? … depending on how much of their conversation he heard, he has the opportunity to prank them colossally.
Marquess
…so having 3 spirit abilities makes latent aura collection roughly 100x more efficient.
Robert Blaise
For every bit gathered, every new bit is more difficult to squeeze in
Robert Blaise
... No 💜
Robert Blaise
Prolly something like that, yeah
Robert Blaise
Don't worry, I'm nowhere near burnout. I am just very locked in right now. :)
Harami666
Man :D
Harami666
lol :)
Harami666
Thanks for the chapter
Luis
Prime spirit is the best choice.
Amari Charles
Id honestly be surprised if he just scared them off. He is supposed to be (or become) the embodiment of insanity and bloodshed. It’d be strange for it to end that peacefully.
Sejoran
its a good thing Freddy isnt wearing clothes, theyd be ruined in the next chapter
Compendium
Option 4 is surely choose Insanity as his prime spirit
BJ
It's not even a choice. He took the prime spirit. Thats just how Freddy roles.
Sejoran
Pretty sure most of his clothes degraded to scraps or he kept a set and forgot
Beeees!
No doubt Freddy is about to scare thise 3 stars enough to retreat, they didn't make it to 3 star by taking unnecessary risk, he just needs to show enough power to make em second guess what they knoe
Beeees!
Dudes been waiting 100 years for some real bloodshed, admittedly not a big deal for him, but this'll really scratch his itch
atgongumerki
seeing how our dear Robert approaches the extend and content of chapters recently, I would predict 1 or 2 chapters. Massive beasts of chapters. Each taking at least a week to put together.
atgongumerki
mourining --> mourning hot damn, what a chapter. I am giddy, at the edge of my seat. Why did I check patreon befor going to bed? Why, just why am I like this? if this situation wasn't my own fault I would demand compensation in the form of more chapters. I am surprised at how much content we got recently as it stands. So much so that I am fearing for our dear author burning out. But I trust this author here to have learned from last time ... and the time before that. <3 <3 See you all next Sunday! I don't expect another chapter before then. <3 <3
Chris Fox
Chapter 77 talks about prime spirits a bit, and how Bloodshed and the leviathan are unique prime spirits.
atgongumerki
there is always the option of going into coma for a month or so
Guy
You're probably right. But in my mind the hierarchy went vestige->remnant->spirit. This terminology isn't really what gave me a hang-up. The differentiating factor between a conceptual construct (e.g. unique spirit a la Bloodshed) and a talent construct (e.g. 1% Lifesteal) was whether or not it was Prime. At least that was what I thought. A Prime Spirit hasn't been mentioned until now afaik.
Chris Fox
Freddy thinks it looks like a vestige, but Insanity calls it a spirit so that might have been the mixup.
Chris Fox
I think it would need to be a unique prime vestige instead of a unique prime spirit to get another talent.
Evaldo
We are all in the same boat
Chris Fox
What a cliff! We don't even know what affinity the prime gave him yet.
Guy
Right, but second talent vs third spirit ability is the main point of my confusion
Chris Fox
I think the main benefit of the shard is that you can pick ANY affinity or ANY base for a unique affinity. I'm assuming the prime also gave him a new affinity, but the flexibility from the shard would have been what makes it great.
Guy
I'm slightly confused. I thought Unique Primes gave second talents, not just spirit abilities? Also presumably an affinity to go along with the ability. I thought Unique spirits/vestiges/etc gave the spirit abilities. That said, this cliff had a lot more punch than the last few. Oof.
jordicl
Hey man, i'm gonna shamelessly backlog this fight so i can read it in its entirety, can you tell me how many chapters it lasts so i know when to stop?
Guy
probably wearing the rankest dry-rotten clothes you can imagine
Marquess
It's 2 AM where I live. I'm at fault for checking patreon in the first place, but how the heck am I supposed to fall asleep now!?
Khent Mercer
Did you pick the name Freddy Cliff because of your cruel games regarding cliffhangers? I've always assumed it was a deliberate tease but.
Khent Mercer
I feel that in my soul.
Immutably Empty
Does anyone know if there is a limit/cap to the latent aura a person can hold at each star? I assume so, which is why compression is needed, but don't recall if it's ever been discussed.
Gio
I'm guessing he picked the unique prime spirit. The ability is quite situational. It's a great opener for when Freddy gets to decide when the attack happens, as in an ambush or a surprise, since he has to pay for the speedup upfront. It also works well with retaliation if he uses it during combat, But this is very dangerous. But overall, it's pretty situational. But he should still pick it for the latent aura compression alone, and hope the upgrade to level 3 would make it less situational. The other rewards, he could potentially find in another dungeon, but a unique prime spirit is something that would be better if he picked it now, rather than when he was a level three. The unique prime spirit is the ultimate long term play. --- Also, HYPE! I wonder what the adjudicator will do once Freddy starts his slaughter. I'm guessing that when the adjudicator intervenes, there will be enough corpses on the ground for Freddy to use Blood Sacrifice to summon Bloodshed with sufficient strength to kick the adjudicators ass. Also, Freddy is naked? lol.
Loipers
What a pleasant surprise, I wasn't expecting another chapter this week. “And even if it must come to bloodshed, I swear to you I won’t back down.” - And in comes Bloodshed with a steel (tungsten) chair!
Redc05
The cliff is so big, that it was divided in two
thaughton2
The next chapter will make Bloodshed very happy...
Amari Charles
Oof this cliff hurts. Hopefully the fight starts next chapter
Nyroe
RENAME THE SERIES TO 1% PROGRESS BECAUSE WE ARE SLOWING WAY DOWN!! Really hoping for the 3rd unique skill, who needs benefits now when we can snowball?!
Gam
A double cliff… I love this story
Immutably Empty
To be fair, he doesn't have to pick a unique affinity. He could pick something like metal or earth for the additional tempering techniques. That said, unique spirit ability is definitely best since it should give him an additional affinity anyway, he just can't control what affinity it will be.
Person8
This is when I would give in to my impatience and go to patreon to pay for chapters ahead of time... except I already did that.
Bk
Also, I think Mark is going to come back and see the massacre Freddy is about to unleash and see bloodshed and realize he fucked up.
Jade Felicity Bilkey
Things are about to get hype tyftc
Bk
I swear if he doesn't pick the spirit ability I'm going to be pissed, it's the best option for him right now and for later. He barely knows how to use his current unique affinity so it would be useless in the upcoming battle, and he doesn't have enough items for the binding gem making it a dumb choice for now, the spirit ability would give him the ability to dog walk every one in this fight.
Watson Craft
W chap
Logan
Tftc, can’t wait for the next
Kai
What a description decrepit but impressively jacked hobo
Lyncher98
Tftc
Ray
Tftc
