Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Overlord

2015-08-23T20:29:07Z

Thorlong: /* Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2 */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
*[[Overlord~Versión Epañol~|Español (Español)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==

* August 15, 2015 - Volume 6 2nd Drama CD Complete.
* August 23, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 8 Complete.
* August 23, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 7 Complete.
* August 15, 2015 - Volume 7 Chapter 2 Complete.
* August 15, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 6 Complete.
* August 8, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 5 Complete.
* August 1, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 4 Complete.
* July 25, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 3 Complete.
* July 24, 2015 - Volume 4 Drama CD Complete.
* July 18, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 2 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 1 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Prologue Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7 Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7 Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The End and the Beginning
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O52.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [[http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O52.html Link]]
::*Chapter 3. Those Who Pick Up, Those Who Are Picked Up [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O53.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O54.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, Soaring Sparks of Fire. [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O55.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King Capital Disturbance [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O66.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 7. Attack Preparations [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O67.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 8. Six Arms [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O68.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The Most Strongest Trump
::*Chapter 11. The Final Battle of the Disturbance
::*Epilogue
::*Bonus CD Drama CD 2 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/OCD2.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to Death]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 2|Chapter 2. Butterfly Entangled in a Spider Web]]
::*Chapter 3. The Large Tomb
::*Chapter 4. A Handful of Hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Story 1. Henri's Upheaval and Hectic Days
::*Story 2. A Day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue
::*Chapter 1. Verbal Warfare
::*Chapter 2. Preparations for the Battle
::*Chapter 3. Another Battle
::*Chapter 4. Massacre
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Overlord

2015-08-23T20:27:03Z

Thorlong: /* Updates */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
*[[Overlord~Versión Epañol~|Español (Español)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==

* August 15, 2015 - Volume 6 2nd Drama CD Complete.
* August 23, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 8 Complete.
* August 23, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 7 Complete.
* August 15, 2015 - Volume 7 Chapter 2 Complete.
* August 15, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 6 Complete.
* August 8, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 5 Complete.
* August 1, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 4 Complete.
* July 25, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 3 Complete.
* July 24, 2015 - Volume 4 Drama CD Complete.
* July 18, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 2 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 1 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Prologue Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7 Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7 Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The End and the Beginning
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O52.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [[http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O52.html Link]]
::*Chapter 3. Those Who Pick Up, Those Who Are Picked Up [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O53.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O54.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, Soaring Sparks of Fire. [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O55.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King Capital Disturbance [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O66.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 7. Attack Preparations [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O67.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 8. Six Arms [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O68.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The Most Strongest Trump
::*Chapter 11. The Final Battle of the Disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to Death]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 2|Chapter 2. Butterfly Entangled in a Spider Web]]
::*Chapter 3. The Large Tomb
::*Chapter 4. A Handful of Hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Story 1. Henri's Upheaval and Hectic Days
::*Story 2. A Day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue
::*Chapter 1. Verbal Warfare
::*Chapter 2. Preparations for the Battle
::*Chapter 3. Another Battle
::*Chapter 4. Massacre
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Overlord

2015-08-23T20:26:11Z

Thorlong: /* Updates */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
*[[Overlord~Versión Epañol~|Español (Español)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==

* August 15, 2015 - Volume 5 2nd Drama CD Complete.
* August 23, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 8 Complete.
* August 23, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 7 Complete.
* August 15, 2015 - Volume 7 Chapter 2 Complete.
* August 15, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 6 Complete.
* August 8, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 5 Complete.
* August 1, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 4 Complete.
* July 25, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 3 Complete.
* July 24, 2015 - Volume 4 Drama CD Complete.
* July 18, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 2 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 1 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Prologue Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7, Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The End and the Beginning
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O52.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [[http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O52.html Link]]
::*Chapter 3. Those Who Pick Up, Those Who Are Picked Up [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O53.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O54.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, Soaring Sparks of Fire. [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O55.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King Capital Disturbance [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O66.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 7. Attack Preparations [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O67.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 8. Six Arms [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O68.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The Most Strongest Trump
::*Chapter 11. The Final Battle of the Disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to Death]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 2|Chapter 2. Butterfly Entangled in a Spider Web]]
::*Chapter 3. The Large Tomb
::*Chapter 4. A Handful of Hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Story 1. Henri's Upheaval and Hectic Days
::*Story 2. A Day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue
::*Chapter 1. Verbal Warfare
::*Chapter 2. Preparations for the Battle
::*Chapter 3. Another Battle
::*Chapter 4. Massacre
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Mother of Learning

2015-08-18T21:07:31Z

Thorlong: /* Series Information */

{{Status|Active}}

Mother of Learning is a light novel written by [https://www.fictionpress.com/u/804592/nobody103 Nobody103], first published online in 2011 on Fictionpress.

==Story Synopsis==
Zorian is a teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, attending his third year of education at Cyoria's magical academy. He is a driven and irritable young man, consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, whom he resents for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, he has no time for pointless distractions or paying attention to other people's problems.

As it happens, time is something he is about to get plenty of. On the eve of the Cyoria's annual summer festival, he is killed and brought back to the beginning of the month, just before he was about to take a train to Cyoria. Suddenly trapped in a time loop with no clear end or exit, Zorian will have to look both within and without to unravel the mystery before him. And he does have to unravel it, for the time loop hadn't been made for his sake and dangers lurk everywhere...

Repetition is the mother of learning, but Zorian will have to first make sure he survives to try again - in a world of magic, even a time traveler isn't safe from those who wish him ill.

== Updates ==
*11 July 2014: Mother of Learning Project Page initiated.
*08 August 2015: Added Mother of Learning Chapters 34-40 to site.

== Series Information ==
*'''Genre:''' Action, Adventure, Fantasy,
*'''Author:''' Nobody103
*'''Illustrator:''' TBA
*'''Volumes:''' 1
*'''Series Status:''' Ongoing

===Format Standards===
'''Every chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

===[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10568 Feedback]===
'''If you enjoyed this OLN, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10568 Feedback Thread]'''

===[https://www.fictionpress.com/s/2961893/1/Mother-of-Learning Source]===

==Mother of Learning by [https://www.fictionpress.com/u/804592/nobody103 Nobody103]==

=== Arc 01 ([[Mother of Learning:Volume 01|Fulltext]]) ===

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 001|Chapter 001: Good Morning Brother]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 002|Chapter 002: Life's Little Problem]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 003|Chapter 003: The Bitter Truth]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 004|Chapter 004: Stars Fell]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 005|Chapter 005: Start Over]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 006|Chapter 006: Concentrate and Try Again]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 007|Chapter 007: Of Gaps and Pretending]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 008|Chapter 008: Perspective]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 009|Chapter 009: Cheaters]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 010|Chapter 010: Overlooked Details]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 011|Chapter 011: Limiters]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 012|Chapter 012: Soul Web]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 013|Chapter 013: Any Second Now]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 014|Chapter 014: The Sister Effect]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 015|Chapter 015: Busy Friday]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 016|Chapter 016: We Need to Talk]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 017|Chapter 017: Sympathy for the Spider]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 018|Chapter 018: The Pact is Sealed]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 019|Chapter 019: Tangled Web]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 020|Chapter 020: A Matter of Faith]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 021|Chapter 021: Wheel of Fortune]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 022|Chapter 022: Complications]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 023|Chapter 023: Lighting the Fuse]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 024|Chapter 024: Smoke and Mirrors]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 025|Chapter 025: The Unexpected]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_026|Chapter 026: Soulkill]]

=== Arc 02 ===

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_027|Chapter 027: Cast Adrift]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_028|Chapter 028: Cauldron]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_029|Chapter 029: The Hunter and the Hunted]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_030|Chapter 030: A Game of Shops]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_031|Chapter 031: Marked]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_032|Chapter 032: Alternatives]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_033|Chapter 033: Gateways]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_034|Chapter 034: Unreasonable Things]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_035|Chapter 035: Mistakes Have Been Made]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_036|Chapter 036: A Battle of Minds]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_037|Chapter 037: Slow Burn]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_038|Chapter 038: Return to Cyoria]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_039|Chapter 039: Suspicious Coincidences]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_040|Chapter 040: Shifting Tracks]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: [[User:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:

===Author===

*[[User:Nobody103|Nobody103]]

===Editors===
''To Wiki Formatting (To Author's Style) & Simple Spelling/Grammar Correction Only''
*[[User:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*[[User:Starwarscards|Starwarscards]]

==Project Status==

Project Status: '''Ongoing'''
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Original novel]]

Mother of Learning

2015-08-18T21:05:17Z

Thorlong: /* Updates */

{{Status|Active}}

Mother of Learning is a light novel written by [https://www.fictionpress.com/u/804592/nobody103 Nobody103], first published online in 2011 on Fictionpress.

==Story Synopsis==
Zorian is a teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, attending his third year of education at Cyoria's magical academy. He is a driven and irritable young man, consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, whom he resents for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, he has no time for pointless distractions or paying attention to other people's problems.

As it happens, time is something he is about to get plenty of. On the eve of the Cyoria's annual summer festival, he is killed and brought back to the beginning of the month, just before he was about to take a train to Cyoria. Suddenly trapped in a time loop with no clear end or exit, Zorian will have to look both within and without to unravel the mystery before him. And he does have to unravel it, for the time loop hadn't been made for his sake and dangers lurk everywhere...

Repetition is the mother of learning, but Zorian will have to first make sure he survives to try again - in a world of magic, even a time traveler isn't safe from those who wish him ill.

== Updates ==
*11 July 2014: Mother of Learning Project Page initiated.
*08 August 2015: Added Mother of Learning Chapters 34-40 to site.

== Series Information ==
*'''Genre:''' Action, Adventure, Fantasy,
*'''Author:''' Nobody103
*'''Illustrator:''' TBA
*'''Volumes:''' 1
*'''Series Status:''' Ongoing

===Format Standards===
'''Every chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

===[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10568 Feedback]===
'''If you enjoyed this OLN, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10568 Feedback Thread]'''

==Mother of Learning by [https://www.fictionpress.com/u/804592/nobody103 Nobody103]==

=== Arc 01 ([[Mother of Learning:Volume 01|Fulltext]]) ===

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 001|Chapter 001: Good Morning Brother]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 002|Chapter 002: Life's Little Problem]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 003|Chapter 003: The Bitter Truth]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 004|Chapter 004: Stars Fell]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 005|Chapter 005: Start Over]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 006|Chapter 006: Concentrate and Try Again]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 007|Chapter 007: Of Gaps and Pretending]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 008|Chapter 008: Perspective]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 009|Chapter 009: Cheaters]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 010|Chapter 010: Overlooked Details]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 011|Chapter 011: Limiters]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 012|Chapter 012: Soul Web]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 013|Chapter 013: Any Second Now]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 014|Chapter 014: The Sister Effect]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 015|Chapter 015: Busy Friday]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 016|Chapter 016: We Need to Talk]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 017|Chapter 017: Sympathy for the Spider]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 018|Chapter 018: The Pact is Sealed]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 019|Chapter 019: Tangled Web]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 020|Chapter 020: A Matter of Faith]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 021|Chapter 021: Wheel of Fortune]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 022|Chapter 022: Complications]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 023|Chapter 023: Lighting the Fuse]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 024|Chapter 024: Smoke and Mirrors]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 025|Chapter 025: The Unexpected]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_026|Chapter 026: Soulkill]]

=== Arc 02 ===

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_027|Chapter 027: Cast Adrift]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_028|Chapter 028: Cauldron]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_029|Chapter 029: The Hunter and the Hunted]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_030|Chapter 030: A Game of Shops]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_031|Chapter 031: Marked]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_032|Chapter 032: Alternatives]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_033|Chapter 033: Gateways]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_034|Chapter 034: Unreasonable Things]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_035|Chapter 035: Mistakes Have Been Made]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_036|Chapter 036: A Battle of Minds]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_037|Chapter 037: Slow Burn]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_038|Chapter 038: Return to Cyoria]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_039|Chapter 039: Suspicious Coincidences]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_040|Chapter 040: Shifting Tracks]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: [[User:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:

===Author===

*[[User:Nobody103|Nobody103]]

===Editors===
''To Wiki Formatting (To Author's Style) & Simple Spelling/Grammar Correction Only''
*[[User:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*[[User:Starwarscards|Starwarscards]]

==Project Status==

Project Status: '''Ongoing'''
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Original novel]]

Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 040

2015-08-18T21:01:28Z

Thorlong: Created page with "=Shifting Tracks= Zorian woke up very early in the morning, roused from his slumber by the faint, incoherent mumbling of Kirielle sleeping beside him. For a moment he wondere..."

=Shifting Tracks=

Zorian woke up very early in the morning, roused from his slumber by the faint, incoherent mumbling of Kirielle sleeping beside him. For a moment he wondered why Kirielle was sleeping in his bed instead of being in her own room, but then he snapped out of the confused half-dream state he was in and memories of the previous evening came rushing in to him.

Rea and her husband were dead, their daughter missing. An event that had completely blindsided Zorian, who had never heard of anything like that happening in the previous restarts. Was this something that usually happened and he just never heard of it, or did the many changes in the wake of aranean destruction somehow cause this? That fact that Rea and Sauh had been killed by a wandering monster seemed to suggest the latter, but Zorian had a hunch there was nothing random about that monster attack. The cranium rats had been monitoring the Sashal household for a reason, after all, and the invaders were ever so fond of slaving dungeon denizens to their will and using them as their attack dogs.

Kirielle, of course, neither knew nor cared about Zorian's musings on the matter. Unlike him, who was not terribly close to the Sashal family and for whom their deaths would in no way be permanent, Kirielle had gotten very close to Nochka and was devastated to hear about the attack. Not even pointing out that she may still be alive could get her to stop crying. After all, the police said her parents were killed by a dungeon denizen, and those weren't exactly known for kidnapping people and keeping them alive for ransom.

In the end, Kirielle only calmed down and went to sleep when Imaya gave her some 'homemade calming tea' that kicked in suspiciously quickly. Probably a mild opiate. He should have asked for a cup of that himself, in all likelihood – he had already been rather unnerved by his experience of reading the cultist's memories, and was thus ill-equipped to deal with this brand new crisis.

Moving slowly, Zorian carefully extricated himself out of his bed and vacated the room, trying not to wake up Kirielle. He was pretty sure he failed in that regard, as her mental signature abruptly got more active about halfway through his retreat from the room, but since she never said anything and kept her eyes closed, he figured she didn't want to talk to him yet. Or maybe she just wanted to go back to sleep. It was pretty early…

He found everyone else already awake and seated around the table when he entered the kitchen – Imaya, Kael and even Kana.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Kael asked rhetorically.

"Kirielle snuck into my bed in the middle of the night," said Zorian with a sigh. "She's hard to bunk with even in normal circumstances, and considering the recent events…"

"Poor thing," Imaya said. "She was hit the hardest by this, I think. It's a disgrace that something like that could happen in the middle of city, and after it was already known that monsters were getting unusually aggressive too!"

Imaya spent the next ten minutes or so blaming the city for poor handling of the monster crisis – a subject that she never showed all that much of an interest in before now. It didn't take an empath to figure out that Kirielle wasn't the only one greatly affected by the killings. She had probably formed a friendship with Rea during the many times she had brought Nochka to meet with Kirielle.

Kael and Kana, on the other hand, seemed far less affected. Kael had virtually no interaction with either Nochka or Rea, and had never even met Sauh, so that was understandable. Kana had sometimes joined Nochka and Kirielle in their games, but hadn't been nowhere near as close to Nochka as Kirielle had. She was also very young and probably didn't quite understand what was happening.

Eventually Imaya ran out of steam and fell silent, though Zorian could still feel a lot of frustration coming off her. An uneasy atmosphere descended on the table.

"Oh yes," Imaya said suddenly. "I forgot to tell you yesterday, but the police want to talk to you about… Rea and her family."

"Me?" asked Zorian in surprise. "What would I know about that?"

"You did speak to Rea and her husband relatively recently," pointed out Kael. "They probably want to see if they told you something of importance. Most likely they want to talk to everyone who knew the victim."

"I see," Zorian said, idly drumming his fingers on the table. "Are they going to drop by at some point or should I go visit the police station?"

"Detective Ikzeteri said he was going to be at the Sashal residence at noon today, and that you should meet him there if possible," Imaya said.

Zorian frowned. Ikzeteri? That sounded familiar, where did he… oh, his old divination teacher had that last name too, didn't he? And he was a detective, too…

"This detective Ikzeteri… he wouldn't be named Haslush, would he?" asked Zorian.

"I think that was his name, yes," Imaya said, frowning. "I have to say I don't really remember his introduction all that well. I was too shocked to really pay attention. Why, do you know him?"

"I've heard of him," said Zorian. "It's not really important, I was just curious. I'll go give him a visit later."

At that point Kirielle trudged into the kitchen, apparently having decided not to go back to sleep after all, and they all wordlessly decided to shelve the topic of the Sashal family for the moment.

- break -

The Sashal family home didn't look like a scene of death. That was the first thing Zorian noticed when he approached the house. He had expected to see some kind of damage on the building – broken windows, the door torn off its hinges, maybe a damaged wall section – but the house looked entirely intact. If it weren't for the trio of policemen hanging around the entrance and giving him severe looks as he approached, he would have never guessed the occupants had been killed.

Didn't look much like a monster attack to him. The chance of this being an actual random event kept getting lower and lower.

"I'm here to speak to detective Ikzeteri," he said to the tall, mustachioed, stern-looking policeman that looked like he was the leader of the group in front of him. "He told me I should look for him here. Is he present?"

"He's inside," the man nodded. "But I'm afraid I can't let you go look for him yourself. If you are willing to wait a little, I will notify him you're here."

"I'm fine with that," said Zorian, though internally he wasn't happy. He had wanted to take a look inside the place to see if he could spot any clues. He doubted the police would be willing to tell him any details about the killings, after all.

Inconvenient. He could just wait until they left the place alone and sneak in then, but that might take several days – most of the clues would have gone cold by then, assuming they hadn't been confiscated by the police as evidence. Besides, there wasn't all that much time left before the end of the restart, so his window of opportunity to conduct an investigation was very small.

Damn it, he so didn't need this right now…

"Wait here, then," the mustachioed policeman said. "What is your name, boy?"

Zorian gave him his name, and the man promptly disappeared through the door to fetch Haslush. After five minutes of waiting in uncomfortable silence while the other two policemen gave him suspicious looks, however, he could tell it would take a while for the man to return.

Zorian shuffled in place uncomfortably, probably looking mightily suspicious to the two policeman scrutinizing his every move. He knew it wasn't entirely rational, but he was profoundly unnerved about being so close to law enforcement. Logically speaking, they had no reason to suspect him of anything and this entire talk was likely just a formality. He'd had bad dealings with the police back in Cirin, though, and he was also dealing with Haslush – his old teacher could be scarily perceptive at times. Zorian wouldn't put it past the man to notice something strange about him and bring him in for more detailed questioning, which would be a gigantic waste of time at best, and at worst would necessitate an early end to the restart via suicide.

He'd prefer to avoid the latter possibility at all costs. Kirielle was already devastated about losing a friend, so having her brother suddenly blow himself up in the police station all out of a sudden would be terrible. True, Zorian wouldn't be there to see her anguish, and the restart would end a few days later, but just imagining the possibility made him ill.

Maybe he should read Haslush's mind? Haslush was probably trained in detecting and resisting mental intrusion, being a mage working for law enforcement and all, but Zorian's particular brand of mind magic was very non-standard. He didn't use any obvious chants and gestures, so maybe he could get away with it. It would probably answer a lot of questions and would allow him to avoid any obvious blunders while talking to him…

…but no, that was too much of a risk. Besides, he had a much better target for something like that standing just beside him – he doubted those mundane policemen were trained in dealing with mind magic, beyond maybe being given a few pointers. A secret is only as strong as its weakest links.

He proceeded to worm his way into the two policeman's thoughts. He found out that they were really not as interested in him as he had been imagining, but they also weren't thinking about the Sashal family either – one of them was hungry and thinking of the dinner his wife was making him back home, and the other was fantasizing about some female administrative employee back in the station. Well, that was okay – he would talk to them and lead their thoughts back to the situation at hand.

"So, I don't want to get you gentlemen in trouble or anything, but is there anything you can tell me about what happened here? Sauh and Rea had been friends of mine and I was shocked to hear what happened to them… is there anything you can tell me about all this?"

Zorian didn't really expect them to say much – he fully expected them to give him the silent treatment until Haslush got outside, but simply mentioning the topic was usually enough to get a person to start thinking about it. He didn't expect to be hit by a veritable wave of distrust and derisiveness coming from his link to one of the policemen, though.

[And he looked like such a normal-looking kid, too,] the man thought to himself. [I'd never have guessed he was hanging around a bunch of thieving cat shifters. Just shows you can never trust outward appearances when it comes to magic bullshit…]

Rea was a cat shifter? Huh. That made a lot of sense, actually – explained some things. What he didn't understand at all was that the policeman seemed to think this made Rea and her family bad people – so much so that Zorian was apparently bad just for associating with them.

Apparently he had physically reacted to this revelation, because the other policeman noticed it and spoke up to forestall any possible unpleasantness. He didn't seem to see Zorian's reaction as any evidence of mind reading, chalking up his reaction to him being able to sense the change in his partner's bearing and facial expression.

"We're just here to look tough and discourage curious neighbors from snooping around, kid," the other policeman said. "We don't know anything more about this than you do, in all likelihood – some sort of dungeon creature made its way into the house and killed the couple inside. For anything more you'll have to wait for officer Kalan to come back with the detective."

The first policeman lightly shook his head before catching himself and stopping. [The creature that killed them simply sauntered in through an unlocked door instead of breaking in and attacked absolutely no one else in this entire crowded neighborhood. If that was an actual monster incursion, I will eat my own shoes,] the man thought to himself. [The kitties probably stuck their noses in some shady business, like usual, and got offed for it when someone took offense. Gods know they got their paws on everything these days…]

Zorian frowned. "What about Nochka? Their daughter? I was told her body was never recovered and that she might still be alive?"

The two policemen suddenly became very uncomfortable. Even the first one, who clearly didn't like cat shifters as a whole, felt bad about the little girl who reminded him of his own daughter. Neither of them thought there was much chance of Nochka ever being found again, but they were unsurprisingly unwilling to tell this to Zorian and instead tried to think of a suitable non-answer they could give him.

They both breathed a sigh of relief when their exchange was interrupted by the arrival of their mustachioed friend who exited the house with Haslush in tow. Haslush, for his part, decided to lead Zorian on a walk away from the house, ruining his plan to keep mind reading the mundane policemen while they talked for additional clues.

It might be for the better, actually – paying attention to two different thought streams at the same time had already been rather hard. Trying to have a conversation with Haslush while doing the same would have probably been impossible.

"So, Zorian… I can call you Zorian, right?" Haslush asked. Zorian nodded, aware that the man had a massive dislike for formality. "Right. I'm guessing Miss Kuroshka has told you what happened back there, but just so we're clear: Rea and Sauh Sashal have been found dead in their home yesterday morning, along with the mangled corpses of two giant centipedes. Their daughter was nowhere to be found, and nobody has heard anything about her since. Any of that news to you?"

"Mister Tverinov and Miss Kuroshka already told me most of that, but not the part about the mangled centipedes," said Zorian.

"Yes, well, your younger sibling reacted so badly to the news that I censured myself a little. Called it a monster attack rather than dwelling on the details," Haslush shrugged. "I apologize for upsetting her so much. I'm told I can be a little tactless at times, but it's a hard trait to lose. This line of work tends to make you more than a little bit morbid, and I sometimes forget most people aren't exposed to death and crime every waking moment of their lives."

Zorian thought about assuaging the man's worry and assuring him he didn't hold a grudge about that, but then figured the man would be more willing to share information with him if he appeared guilty, so he remained silent. Instead, he shifted the topic back to the killings.

"So they were killed by giant centipedes?" asked Zorian. "I didn't see any damage outside the house. How did they get in?"

"Through the door. Apparently the occupants had left it unlocked."

Zorian gave Haslush an incredulous look.

"I'm just telling you what we found," Haslush said defensively. "I know this case is strange, it's why we haven't pronounced it closed and moved on. And on that note, is there anything you could tell me about the Sashal family that would explain what happened to them?"

Of course he did – but nothing he could tell the man without getting himself in trouble. He told Haslush everything he had figured out about the apparent cat shifters though his interactions with them, but this was very sketchy information, and based on Haslush's unhappy expression probably wasn't anything new to the detective. Not that surprising – Imaya alone had probably told him everything Zorian just did and then some.

"This wasn't really a monster attack, was it?" Zorian asked.

Haslush gave Zorian a piercing look, which Zorian met unflinchingly. After a few seconds, Haslush withdrew a hip flask from his jacket, took a long, deep sip from it and then put it back into his jacket pocket.

"No, probably not," he admitted.

"Why were they targeted and by whom, if you don't mind me asking?" Zorian said, trying his luck. Hey, who knows? Maybe the man would even answer.

"Well now. If I knew that, I wouldn't be speaking to you now, would I?" Haslush pointed out.

"So you have no leads," Zorian concluded.

"I have too many leads," Haslush corrected. "The Sashals… well, how much do you really know about them?"

"I presume you're talking about them being cat shifters?" Zorian guessed.

"Ah, so you do know about that. I've been wondering about that – the rest of your housemates didn't seem aware of that fact, but Imaya said you were 'unreasonably suspicious' of Rea right from the start. Well, if you know what they are, then you surely know why this could be any number of things…"

"I don't, actually," said Zorian shaking his head in denial. "I was suspicious about Rea because she looked suspicious and I am a paranoid person. Them being cat shifters never factored into it, and to be frank I know virtually nothing about them. What's the deal with cat shifters anyway?"

"Bluntly put, most cat shifters are heavily involved with crime," Haslush said. "Theft, smuggling and spying, usually, but occasionally even assassination. Their alternate forms are tailor-made for such shady activities, after all. Cats are small, stealthy animals whose presence is hardly ever notable in of itself. How many new, never-seen-them-before cats do you see in a week?"

"A lot."

"Right. In a big city like this, unfamiliar cats are ubiquitous. Few things threaten them aside from humans, and most humans don't hurt cats without reason. And on top of that, shifters get the ability to access traits of their animal form even while they're human, meaning cat shifters get things like night vision, a sense of smell powerful enough to put most dogs to shame, superior balance and agility, and a whole bunch of other benefits."

"I'm still a bit surprised this lets them be so active in crime," said Zorian. "You'd think the sheer flexibility of classical mages employed by the various police forces would allow them to shut down a shifter group operating like that, regardless of their special abilities."

"Ah, but you're assuming cat shifters work alone, which is not the case at all. They are hands down the most firmly assimilated shifter type of them all. They live in cities and towns among ordinary people, and are virtually indistinguishable from a normal human on casual inspection. Everything a regular citizen could do, cat shifters can as well – in particular, this means they have no problems in getting classical magic of their own. Hell, their links to crime mean they can get their hands on many things an average mage can't, like permanent enhancement rituals or illegal spells for evading notice and influencing people…."

"Do you have any evidence that Rea and her family were that type of cat shifter though?" Zorian frowned. "Maybe I'm naïve, but they didn't look like that to me. Surely there are non-criminal cat shifters?"

"There are," Haslush nodded. "And every single cat shifter would have you believe they're one of them. Considering what happened, I don't think I'm willing to put much stock in the Sashal family being such counter-examples."

Half an hour later, Haslush decided he'd gotten everything he needed out of Zorian and sent him on his way. Instead of going home, however, Zorian hung back. Once he had confirmed that Haslush was not going back to the scene of the crime, Zorian stealthily went back there in order to do some more fact-finding. There were guards posted in front of the house, but none were inside. Perfect. Zorian didn't dare enter the house himself, afraid that there was some kind of alarm on the house to notify the police of break-ins, but conjuring an ectoplasmic eyeball and sending it inside didn't seem to trip any wards so he closed his eyes and had his eyeball spy look around the house.

The bodies of Rea and Sauh were long gone by this time, but it was not hard to figure out where each had died due to all the blood stains. Tragically, Rea seemed to have been killed in front of her daughter's room, trying to keep the attackers away from Nochka. She didn't go down without a fight – the bodies of the two giant centipedes, which the police decided to leave in the house for some reason, littered the entire area. They had been quite literally torn to pieces, their bodies sliced into sections by some powerful severing attack. In the end, though, it hadn't been enough. The door to Nochka's room was smashed open – the only door in the house to have been dealt with so destructively – her bed flipped over, and Nochka herself nowhere to be found.

Zorian had been harboring a hope that maybe Nochka had turned into a cat when the attack had come and then escaped into the night, but that didn't seem likely anymore. It was beyond obvious now that Nochka had been taken by the attackers for some reason.

Half an hour later, not having found anything similarly notable, he was ready to call it a day and go home. That's when he searched the place where Rea had died again, and noticed something interesting on the severed head of one of the centipedes – faintly carved into the chitin of one of the forward sections of the centipede was a very familiar symbol – a circle with an archaic Ikosian pictogram for 'heart' inside of it. It wasn't the official symbol used by the Esoteric Order of the Celestial Dragon, but it was one of the several 'secret' signs that their lower order cultists used to signal other members of their membership.

After inspecting the rest of the centipede parts and failing to find anything else significant, Zorian let the eye dissolve and walked away. So his initial suspicion was right – this wasn't some shady deal coming back to haunt Rea and her family, it was connected to the invasion somehow. Admittedly, Zorian had no idea how, but he knew where he could find that out.

The Cult of the Dragon Below was going to get a lot more visits from Zorian in the coming days.

- break -

After that day, Zorian's daily schedule changed completely. Kirielle lost all interest in magic and no longer attended the lessons he had organized for her, and he decided to free some more time by dropping his membership in Taiven's group and skipping most of his classes. He spent most of this extra time planning and executing attacks on known members of the Cult of the Dragon Below, trying to find out what they did with Nochka. He attacked them incessantly, hitting two or more locations a day, and ruthlessly memory-probed every cultist he disabled in those excursions.

He learned some interesting things doing that. For instance, while Sudomir Kandrei, the mayor of Knyazov Dveri, was indeed a member of the cult, he was a very independent-minded one… to the point that the cult was very annoyed with him. They seemed to have no idea he was killing soul mages around his town, nor did he have any links to the Ibasans as far as they knew – the man promised to give his flocks of iron beaks and hordes of winter wolves to the Cult of the Dragon Below, not to the invaders as a whole. Zorian supposed he might be in contact with the Ibasans on his own initiative, but it was equally possible that his soul mage killing practices were his own thing. What he hoped to accomplish with that, Zorian could only guess.

He also found some emergency resource caches that the Cult scattered around the city, its underworld, and surrounding villages. They looked very… steal-able. He made himself a note – a real written note, seeing as how he could now effectively take a notebook with him to the next restart – to search through those in some future restart for anything interesting or easy to sell for some quick cash.

When it came to locating Nochka, however, his successes had been underwhelming. He managed to track down the group that kidnapped her, but they had simply been following orders and had long since handed her off to another group. He then tracked down that group too, but they no longer had her either and also didn't know who had her now. He had dived deeply and aggressively into their memories, shattering their minds beyond repair, but to no avail – the man they handed Nochka to was a total unknown to them, other than being a high ranking member of the cult, and they had absolutely no idea where she might have ended up in.

Truthfully, Zorian had already suspected that kidnapping Nochka had been the whole point of the attack on the Sashal family, so his findings weren't a huge surprise. The fact that the order had come from the very top of the cult indicated they considered it to be of critical importance. They also told both groups that Nochka had to be delivered alive and unharmed to the transfer point, forbidding abuse under the pain of death, which was also fairly strange. Why? Why did they want Nochka so badly, and why was her continued health so important?

He suspected the answer was something in line with 'she's their sacrifice to the primordial to wake him up'. Demon summoning often involved ritual killings, so it wouldn't surprise him much if unbinding a primordial required the same. Still, why Nochka in particular? Because she was a shifter? The cultists did refer to the primordial as – among other names – He of the Flowing Flesh, which could indicate an ability to change its physical form. There were other shifters in the city, though. Other cat shifters, even.

He didn't think he could get to the bottom of this by the end of the restart. If he had another week, maybe, but the restart was near its end and the Cult of the Dragon Below was getting more paranoid in face of his constant assaults on them – they'd already tried to set up an ambush for him the last time he tried to attack a location, and only his ability to read people's surface thoughts kept him from stumbling into it and getting himself killed. He wasn't going to get much from them in the two days he had left before the summer festival.

Although, as horrible as Nochka's kidnapping was, it could prove to actually be a huge opportunity for him, so long as it happened predictably in every restart. If he could place some kind of tracker on Nochka, she could lead him to the highest echelons of the Cult of Dragon, those who had stayed well hidden from him up until now. Also, if she really was intended as a sacrifice like he suspected, she could lead him to the place where the cult intended to perform their unbinding ritual, which could be a key to a lot of mysteries surrounding the Cult's actions - perhaps even the time loop itself.

He would have to wait and see how events would play out in the next restart.

- break -

"Can we talk?"

Zorian looked away from the novel he was reading and glanced towards Kirielle, who was currently standing on the doorway, nervously gripping one of the support beams. Strange. Kirielle had been very subdued and asocial ever since Nochka had disappeared, rarely ever bothering him anymore, so her approaching him like this was quite unexpected.

"Sure," he agreed easily. He wasn't doing anything important at the moment, anyway. He was supposed to be organizing his notebooks so he could store the latest blueprints in his mind, but he just didn't feel like doing that at the moment and was instead procrastinating with some light reading. He could spare some time for his little sister. "What is it?"

She ran up to him and, before he could tell her to stop, hurled herself on top of him. As he was currently lying on his bed, she ended up basically re-enacting what had long become a very familiar scene to Zorian.

'Damn it, Kiri, I get enough of that crap at the beginning of each loop!' thought Zorian, but refrained from actually saying it out loud. Kirielle was already shaken up, no need to snap at her when she finally decided to open up a little.

"Where are your shoes?" he asked instead. "Don't tell me you've been walking around the house bare-footed again?"

Kirielle glanced at her feet and gave him a guilty look. "Don't be like mom, Zorian. It was only one time."

"You're doing it right now, too," Zorian pointed out.

"Okay, two times," she said, pouting.

He put a bookmark into his novel, laid it aside, pushed her off of him and rose in a sitting position. She immediately mimicked him, sitting on the end of his bed beside him. They sat like that in silence for a while, Kirielle dangling her bare feet over the floor and staring at her toes like they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"I'm sorry," she finally said.

"What are you sorry for?" asked Zorian, surprised.

"For being difficult."

"Difficult?" asked Zorian incredulously. He peered into her mind for a moment and found her thinking about Mother. Ugh. Yeah, that did kind of sound like something their mother would say. She never did like crying much. One of the few things she praised him for was that he rarely cried, even as a young child. "Kiri, you lost your friend. It's okay to be sad about that. You weren't being difficult at all."

"But you've been avoiding me all week," she mumbled.

"I wasn't avoiding you," he protested, aghast that she would even think that. "I was just… giving you some space to grieve in peace. You know? And besides, I was…"

She gave him a curious look when he didn't continue. "You were what?"

Should he tell her?

"I was trying to find Nochka," he finally admitted.

Her eyes widened at this. "You were… Is that… you should have told me!"

"I didn't want to get your hopes up," Zorian said.

"I was hoping anyway," she said, gripping the sheets tightly in her little fists.

He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into an embrace. She was still tense, but gradually relaxed after a while and returned his hug.

"I didn't find her," he admitted after a while.

"Well, obviously," she said, as if it was the most self-evident thing ever. "But you tried. You knew you probably weren't going to find her, and you still went out and searched for her. You didn't cry and mope around the house all day like I did."

"Kiri, you're nine," Zorian sighed. "What else could you have done? You're being way too hard on yourself."

She didn't say anything to that. Eventually he decided to just spend some time playing cards with her and praising her drawings. Which did cheer her up in the end, so he chalked that up as one of his better ideas. One of these days, once he mastered the alteration spell he was using to transfer notes into subsequent restarts sufficiently, he should gather some of her artwork into an art book of some sort and copy it into the next restart. Showing her the drawings she herself had made in previous restarts was bound to produce some amusing reactions.

- break -

Later that evening, Zorian decided he had given Kael enough time to wrap up his last minute experiments and went down into the basement to retrieve the last of the morlock's promised notebooks. The door was unlocked, so Zorian simply walked in and closed them behind him.

As the door clicked shut, Zorian felt the sounds of the house above them disappear, the privacy portion of the wards placed on the basement engaging and sound-proofing the room. Among many other things. The privacy measures were apparently a standard part of the warding package the academy used to secure their workshops, and thus got added automatically to Imaya's basement when Kael had requested they turn it into a proper alchemical workshop… something that was very convenient in moments like these, since it meant that Zorian didn't have to spent hours securing the room every time he wanted to talk to Kael about some sensitive subject.

"You done yet?" Zorian asked the other boy. Kael ignored him for a moment, staring at some passage in the book in front of him, but then shook his head and pushed it away from him, massaging his eyes.

"Yes, I'm done," he said. He pointed at the notebook placed on top of a large stack of books. "The notebook is there. Everything is ready on your end?"

"Mostly," Zorian said. "I still have to write down some stuff I found out today."

Kael raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you said you were taking a break from the cult today?"

"I did," Zorian said. "Doesn't mean I did absolutely nothing, though."

"Oh?"

"Basically, I was thinking about warding, and how the upper level cultists all lived in warded houses that were a pain to break into and was thinking of how to speed the process up. And then I remembered that there is not only already a type of tool to do that present on the black market, I actually know where to find one for free. The aranea had stolen a ward scanner from one of the invaders a while before the start of the time loop, and the device was surely still in the destroyed colony."

"You said you don't like going there," Kael noted.

"I don't," Zorian sighed. "The place is… it has too many bad memories. And the corpses of the aranea are literally scattered all over the place, so it's hard to go there and not be reminded of that whole fiasco that saw them destroyed."

"I still think they somehow ejected from the time loop rather than soul-killed," Kael said. "I agree with what other people told you – souls are indestructible. There has got to be a trick there."

"Yes, well, time travel is supposed to be impossible too," Zorian pointed out. "Though I'll admit that I'm hoping you're right. Never mind that for the moment, the point is that I went there to find the ward scanner… and I couldn't find it."

"So?" Kael asked.

"So, that means that either somebody already took it or that there is some secret part of the aranean complex that I'm unaware of. And frankly, I think it's the latter. I mean, once I thought about it a little, the sheer emptiness of the aranean settlement was very suspicious… The Cyorian web was very wealthy and surely had a sizeable treasury. The matriarch often implied they have some kind of storage full of trade items and such. But I never saw anything like that when I checked the settlement out earlier, probably because I was very uncomfortable there and in a hurry to leave."

"You think there is something important there?"

"Time loop related? No, probably not," Zorian admitted. "But I need every advantage over Red Robe I can get, and there could be a lot of useful stuff there. Who knows what the aranea have squirrelled away over the years?"

"True," Kael agreed, rising from his seat and popping his spine. "Well, I'm tired. I think I'll go to sleep now. Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"There's nothing pressing I can think of," Zorian said, shaking his head.

"I see. Just so you know, I'll be taking Kana with me on a trip to a nearby village on the day of the summer festival. I don't really want to be in Cyoria when the invasion comes, and I'm even less enthused about Kana being caught up in the invasion."

"I understand."

"I'm glad. If you want, I can take Kirielle with me," said Kael. "I know you've been agonizing about what to do with her for a while now."

"Yeah," agreed Zorian. "I don't want to leave her alone for the invasion, but at the same time I need to be able to move freely if I am to investigate what's happening with the invasion after all these changes. You think she'll agree to go with you?"

"I don't know, that's up to you," Kael shrugged. "All I can do is make an offer."

"Fine, fine, I'll talk to her," Zorian sighed. "That'll be a lovely talk, I can already tell."

"Notify me what you decided by tomorrow evening," said Kael.

And just like that, the restart was already almost done. Tomorrow he would see how the invasion of the city proceeded this time around.

- break -

Zorian looked over his things, trying to remember if he had forgotten something crucial in his rush to finish the preparations in time. He couldn't think of anything, but it would be just like him to forget something blindingly obvious while worrying about the irrelevant minutiae.

He still had several hours to burn until the start of the invasion, however, so he left the preparations alone for a now and left his room to find some quick diversion. Remembering that Imaya kept a whole miniature library of exotic works in her house, he set off to browse its shelves in search of a good time waster. He found Imaya already there, though, staring at her collection with a faraway look.

"Miss Kuroshka?" he asked worriedly. He was getting some worrying feelings from her with his empathy. "Are you alright?"

"Hm?" she mumbled, before her brain rebooted again and she truly focused on his presence. "Oh, Zorian. How long have you been standing there?"

"I only just came here. Been looking for a book to pass the time with, but you looked…"

"Don't worry," she sighed. "I'm just disturbed by the sudden quiet in the house. It looks so… lonely."

"Huh. I thought you'd be glad to have some peace and quiet for a change," Zorian said.

She snorted. "I think you're projecting your own attitude here a little," she said.

"Probably," admitted Zorian. He always did like to have some space from everybody else, and would have probably welcomed a situation like this in her place. "But Kael and the girls are only gone for one day, so it's hardly a big deal. You could have gone with them, you know?"

"I know. But if there really is rioting during the festival, like you said there might be, I don't want to leave my house to the looters. It's… it's the only thing I have left."

"Oh…"

"Sorry, getting a little personal there," she smiled. "Is there any particular book you were looking f-"

There was a loud knock on the front door. Imaya and Zorian both raised their eyebrows at each other – apparently neither of the two knew who might be coming for a visit in this time of day. Most people were getting ready to attend the summer festival somewhere, either at some friend's house or some other venue. Imaya hurried towards the door to see who it was.

There was a brief pause where Imaya had a brief exchange with whoever was at the door, after which Imaya called out at Zorian to join them.

"Zorian, your date is here!" she yelled.

"My date?" he asked incredulously, more to himself than to anyone else. How could he have a date when he didn't-

She didn't.

But she totally did. As he came to the front door to see what Imaya was talking about, the frowning face of Akoja greeted him from the doorframe.

"Hello, Ako," Zorian said blandly. "What a surprise to see you here. I suppose Ilsa had something to do with this?"

"I, yes," she fumbled, her composure breaking for a bit. "Miss Zileti told me to accompany you to the dance, since we are both without a partner."

Now wasn't that interesting. How the hell had Ilsa known that? True, Zorian had no date for the dance, and in fact had no intention of attending the academy dance at all, but she shouldn't have been aware of that! Zorian had never told her anything to that effect, nor did he hint at that to anyone except… Imaya. Damn.

He gave his landlord a dirty look before refocusing back on Akoja. This was not part of the plan. He was supposed to roam around the city, observing the invaders in action and noting the changes to their tactics as a result of the various changes arising from the destruction of the aranea and that unfortunate mercenary band he'd hired to participate in the ambush.

Sometimes he hated his empathy. Without it, he would never have known just how much this meant for Akoja and how hard blowing her off to do his own thing would hit her.

"We still have several hours before we have to be at the dance hall. Come inside and wait with Imaya for a bit while I run some urgent errands in the city," he said.

"What?" she stammered, confused, as Zorian squeezed past her through the door and began walking into the city. "Wait, you can't just-"

Zorian quickly cast the teleport spell and let the city's teleport beacon draw him into Cyoria's teleport access point. He had lots of work to do and only so much time to execute it.

- break -

"What were you in such a hurry for, earlier?" Akoja asked as they slowly made their way towards the academy. She was surprisingly calm and polite, all things considered. Zorian had thought she'd be more annoyed at him because of his 'emergency exit' earlier.

"I had something already arranged before you arrived. I had to take care of some things when you came knocking at Imaya's door," Zorian said. "Cancel some things and adjust others."

Specifically, he was placing marker stones in various parts of the city to make scrying easier. Watching the invasion forces move through the city was not quite the same as ambushing isolated battlegroups and rooting through their minds, but at least it was something.

Maybe it was better this way. His original plan was kind of ambitious. Possibly too ambitious…

As they talked, Akoja told him a little about how the rest of his classmates handled the changes to the restart. It was mostly just idle chat, though it did remind him that he hadn't paid much attention to his class in this restart. There was just so much to do in this particular restart that interaction with his classmates sort of fell by the wayside. Considering that one of his motivation for coming back to Cyoria had been to see and talk to them again, that was something that should probably be remedied in the near future.

The night proceeded far more smoothly than the last one where he'd had Akoja as his date – she seemed to have far more respect and concern for his wishes this time around, though Zorian couldn't for the life of him figure out why. In some ways he had actually been a bigger jerk now than he had back then. Regardless, once the flares started hitting the city, he snuck away from her and started scrying the city for information.

The initial barrage of artillery spells was different this time around. While the old artillery barrage used by the invaders specifically targeted critical buildings whose destruction was calculated to send the city into chaos and cripple its ability to organize a defense, the new barrage was… uninspired. Oh, they still targeted the central police station, the city hall, and other obvious targets, but things like backup government buildings and armories were left intact. In fact, a lot of the flares seem to have been aimed completely at random, demolishing unremarkable clusters of houses and civilian apartments – something that would admittedly greatly increase the number of deaths in the invasion, but was of questionable strategic benefit. Bizarrely, every single temple in the city was the target of at least one flare – Zorian had no idea what the invaders were trying to accomplish there, and it definitely wasn't something they did in their previous invasion plan.

The fights around the city were far fiercer than they had been in Zorian's previous restarts. Partly it was due to the defenders being in a lot better shape this time around, courtesy of the invasion's poor choice of targets for their initial strike, but there was more to it than that. The invasion forces seemed a lot less coordinated than he remembered them being. They moved a lot less purposely through the city and often blew off their apparent goals to rampage through the undefended civilian neighborhoods. That happened sometimes in the past as well, but never in such high numbers.

As far as the initial attack on the academy went, the invaders chose their actions there just as poorly as they did elsewhere. The new barrage targeted the academy building directly instead of aiming for the less well defended dormitories and support buildings like the old barrage did. Consequently, the flares simply splashed harmlessly off the heavy wards protecting the main complex, doing minimal damage. With no need to render aid and run damage control in the peripheral part of the academy, the teachers were free to keep their forces concentrated and organize the evacuation of the student body and other non-combatant employees much more competently than they had before.

Funny, he originally thought the academy was massively incompetent for leading the students into massive underground death traps, especially since that involved going over vast swathes of open ground where they would be completely exposed. They didn't look so dumb right now. The evacuation went off without a single problem, and no one attacked them when they were shoved inside the shelters.

Zorian was pretty sure at this point that he was looking at what the invasion was really like – what it would look like had Red Robe never given them any help. When he really thought about it, most of their 'mistakes' can be chalked up to being far less well informed and lacking the ability to bypass every ward and defense they encounter because they've been either keyed into them or knew how to counter it quickly.

It would appear that Red Robe really did abandon the invaders in this restart, right down to the very end. Was this a one-time thing or did Red Robe suddenly decide not to meddle in the invasion anymore?

His musings were interrupted by Ilsa coming to the shelter and demanding that every combat-capable student come with her to defend the academy. Thanks to him participating in monster hunts with Taiven's group, that included him as well, so he got up from his spot on the floor and joined the group of students following her outside. There, he saw what had gotten Ilsa so concerned that she was recruiting students as defenders – the invaders were massing just outside the academy wards, preparing for an all-out assault. Entire regiments of war trolls, winter wolves and skeletons and were present there, supported by their mage handlers and thick flocks of razor beaks. More unusually, there were a couple of flying drakes mixed in among the deadly corvids, and two bulky, elephant-sized lizards stalked in front of the miniature army.

"Thunder lizards," Ilsa said distastefully from beside him. "Immensely tough and very destructive. They can breathe arcs of electricity in a straight line in front of them, so try not to fight them from the front if you are forced to engage them at all."

Lovely. He never saw those in any previous restarts. Maybe this was something they never felt like committing to the battlefield because they never felt they needed them?

But the time for considering such things was over. Although clearly not fully assembled for attack, the commander of the monstrous horde urged his forced to charge ahead. Maybe he felt that waiting for the rest of the forces would be a bad move since the academy defenders were busily fortifying their positions, or maybe he was just impatient. Either way, they surged ahead, thunder lizards leading the charge.

Zorian knew he could offer very little by simply pouring some more offensive spells into the attacking horde along with the rest of the defenders, but he had a better idea anyway. Focusing on the two thunder lizards, he felt their simplistic minds and was overjoyed to find out that they were far less magic resistance than he had feared. He suspected that might be the case – the invaders were probably controlling those things with mind magic to begin with, so it would only make sense that they were not all that resistant to it. Regardless, this meant he could manipulate them. Not to thr extent of directing them like puppets, but enough to negate their attacks.

Sure enough, when the lizards started approaching the makeshift barricades that the teachers had made out of the ground via alteration spells, the two lizards opened their toothy mouths and tried to blow up the barricades with their thunder attack. Zorian quickly seized control of their movements and made them angle their heads towards one another, their thunder attacks colliding with each other's bodies. A surge or anger flooded the minds of two thunder lizards, and they halted their charge in favor of roaring on each other, too dumb to realize their actions were caused by outside influence. Zorian seized on this opportunity, amplifying their wrath and urging them to fight each other, and the two of them promptly collided with each other and began fighting to the death.

To their credit, the rest of the invading forces simply flowed around the two battling behemoths, unconcerned with their failure. The battle was joined.

- break -

Zorian stared at the battle site full of corpses, more than a little bit dazed. He had been in a fair amount of battles ever since he'd gotten pulled into the time loop, but nothing quite like this. The fight had quickly turned chaotic once the two forces seriously started engaging one another, and even now that it was over Zorian still wasn't sure what exactly happened there.

They won in the end, repulsing the attackers – the mages decided to flee when enough of their monster minions got killed – but they lost far more people in the attack than Zorian had thought they would. Zorian himself was surrounded by a pack of winter wolves at one point and only survived thanks to no less than five blasting rods he had smuggled into the dance hall with him. Well, that and Kyron's timely arrival with reinforcements to drive the attackers back.

He jumped in fright when someone's heavy hand clasped his shoulder suddenly, almost blowing their head off with a reflexive piercer before he realized it was just Kyron.

"You're the one that was messing with the heavy-hitter monsters during the whole fight, aren't you?" his combat teacher asked.

"Yeah," Zorian shrugged. No need to keep it a secret this close to the end. "I felt that was the most effective way of contributing to the battle that I was capable of."

"Well, that flying drake would have roasted poor Nora alive if you hadn't made it plow into the ground suddenly, so thanks for that. Though we're really going to have to talk about how you learned how to do that and what exactly your limits are…"

"Ha," Zorian snorted. "It's far too late for that, I'm afraid."

"Oh?" Kyron asked, a mixture of warning and curiosity in his voice.

"Yes," Zorian confirmed. He consulted his watch to see what time it was. It was 2 hours and 39 minutes after midnight. "I'm afraid this loop is just about to end."

Kyron stared at him blankly for a few seconds before opening his mouth to say something. Before he could utter a single word, though, everything went black and Zorian woke up back in Cirin, ready to start this month anew.

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Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 039

2015-08-18T21:01:11Z

Thorlong: Created page with "=Suspicious Coincidences= Zorian stared at his tormentor in silence, as relaxed and impassive as one could be when faced with such a pitiless, unreasonable man. Xvim stared b..."

=Suspicious Coincidences=

Zorian stared at his tormentor in silence, as relaxed and impassive as one could be when faced with such a pitiless, unreasonable man. Xvim stared back at him, his face a picture of unshakable, effortless composure that made Zorian's best efforts at stoicism appear laughable in comparison. Still, he wouldn't break. He didn't break. He had (eventually) met every ridiculous demand Xvim had given him and had never blown up at the man even once. Of course, that hadn't impressed the man any, even when he'd demonstrated insanely good shaping skills for a third year student, but he'd expected as much.

They continued staring at each other in silence for several seconds.

"That," Xvim finally decided, "was terrible. You are inflexible, slow, yet paradoxically impatient. I see in you a tendency to overreach, mister Kazinski, moving on to advanced fields of study without a healthy foundation to back it up. A common problem with many of your fellow mages, true, but 'everyone else is doing it' was never a valid excuse for anything. We will have to work on that before we tackle anything more substantial."

"Of course, sir," Zorian said calmly. "I'll be sure to practice everything you've shown me back at home."

"Good. I expect a better performance on our second session," said Xvim, leaning back in his chair before making a shooing motion with his hand. "You are dismissed."

Zorian made a solemn nod, slowly rose from his chair and then fled the office as fast as he could without making it obvious he was in a hurry to leave. Only when he shut the door and put some distance from the room did he let himself relax.

That could have ended up badly. Very, very badly. He knew he'd be taking a risk when he tried to read Xvim's mind, but the man had aggravated him so much that he couldn't help himself. Besides, what were the chances of Xvim deciding to shield his mind for a meeting with one of his students? Pretty good, apparently, because Zorian encountered a powerful mental shield when he tried to read his thoughts. He withdrew immediately, terrified that his telepathic probe had been noticed by the man, but whatever defenses Xvim had apparently gave the man too little feedback to notice Zorian's relatively delicate attack. Well, that or he did notice but decided not to say anything, but that seemed very unlikely – if that were the case, he would have at least made a snide comment or two about how sloppy Zorian's attempt was, even if he wasn't at all bothered by the attempt itself.

It was very interesting that Xvim had bothered shielding his mind for their meeting, though. Was Xvim one of those mages who kept their mind shielded at all times, or did he somehow know about Zorian's talents? There were a lot of possibilities. Zorian made a mental note to barge into the man's office unannounced at some point in the next week, just to see if Xvim had his mind shielded even when not expecting Zorian to arrive…

His thoughts were still preoccupied with Xvim when he arrived back home, at which point the realization that he could sense the minds of Nochka and her mother in the house pushed the topic of his so-called mentor out of his mind. That was unexpected – there had been no plans for them to visit, as far as he knew. He entered the house and made a beeline towards the kitchen, where he could sense Imaya and Rea were currently situated, and found them seated around the kitchen table, gossiping over some cookies and… plum brandy?

Well, whatever. After exchanging greetings, he tried to ask Rea about her reasons for coming unannounced without sounding rude and accusing. He didn't quite succeed if the dirty look Imaya shot him was any indication, but Rea herself didn't seem to mind.

"Nochka was being impatient about your next visit so I decided to take her to Kirielle instead," she explained. "Besides, it is not fair to make you spend your time on bringing your sister over to my home. You are a student of magic, with many additional obligations aside, I'm told, and I am but a simple housewife with plenty of free time."

'Simple housewife', right. If she really was what she claimed to be, he would… well, he wouldn't do anything crazy, but he'd be shocked. It was possible, but she was too confident and emotionally composed to be some ordinary housewife.

"For myself, I have no complaint about Nochka coming here from time to time," Imaya piped in. "So you need not worry about any complaint from me."

"I see," Zorian said slowly. He looked at Rea, and found her unflinchingly meeting his gaze. Though his empathy detected no hostile intent and she didn't do anything overtly threatening, he found her vaguely unsettling. It was her body language, he realized – though her posture was relaxed, she did not fidget or move at all.

Making a snap decision, Zorian decided to take a risk for the second time in a day and dived into her surface thoughts. He didn't want to get too comfortable with violating the mental sanctity of people around him, but if a person looked like a threat, he felt it was justified. And Rea definitely looked suspicious to him right now.

Rea's mind was not shielded, and she gave no indication that she detected his intrusion. That said, he didn't get anything worthwhile out of it. She was not feeling very introspective at the moment, nor thinking any incriminating thoughts. Mostly, she seemed to be studying him, even as he was doing the same to her. Much like Zorian could tell she was not a normal housewife, she too seemed aware that he was anything but a normal student.

He decided to get her talking about her background and current situation, hopefully guiding her thoughts down the path that would reveal what her deal was. Besides, Imaya seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable with their silent stare-down so if nothing else he should break the silence to calm her down a little.

"You know, I just realized I never did ask you why you and your family moved into Cyoria," said Zorian. "I bet it's a fascinating story…"

Over the next half an hour, Zorian spoke with Rea about her life and recent history, with Imaya occasionally jumping in with her opinion. Despite his efforts, Zorian failed to uncover any deep secret from Rea's thoughts. Her mind was too focused on what she was saying, with little in the way of internal musings or stray thoughts. The only thing Zorian could tell with certainty was that she hadn't lied even once while talking to him. Her story about her family moving from a small rural town to Cyoria out of simple desire for a better life in the big city was something she honestly believed in, rather than some cliché cover story. Her husband wanted a better paying job he could not get in their old home, Rea wanted to get away from their rather unpleasant neighbors who were spreading nasty rumors about her whenever they could get away with it, and they were both unhappy with the poor state of the local school and wanted better for Nochka. So they moved. Simple as that. Currently they were still in the process of setting up in Cyoria, and were thus having some money problems, but Rea seemed unconcerned about that, claiming it to be a temporary issue.

His mind reading did pick up on two interesting things. First, Rea had ridiculously good hearing. Throughout the entire conversation, she was somehow picking up on the conversation Kirielle and Nochka were having in another part of the house, separated from the kitchen by a corridor and two closed doors. Zorian himself could not hear a thing from the two girls, no matter how hard he strained his ears. Secondly, while Rea did not know he was reading her mind, she was pretty good at figuring out people's moods and motives the old fashioned way – she realized pretty quickly he was suspicious of her and trying to interrogate her.

And she found it amusing. Very, very amusing.

Eventually, Zorian was forced to admit defeat, withdrawing from Rea's mind and excusing himself so he could leave. At the very least he was mollified that Rea did not seem to have any sinister plan for him and Kirielle, which was really all he cared about in regards to her. She could keep her secrets, so long as they didn't come back to haunt him later.

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot," Imaya said as he turned to leave. "Kael said he wanted to talk to you when you get back. He's in the basement right now, tinkering with his alchemical equipment again."

Thanking her for the information, Zorian descended into the basement to see what Kael wanted from him. It could be any number of things, really – he had dropped a multitude of bizarre problems on the morlock boy since they'd met in this restart, and he counted himself lucky that Kael was so reasonable and level-headed about what he had learned. He had to admit, with no small amount of embarrassment, that he himself probably wouldn't have taken it half as well in his place.

Then again, he had the feeling that Kael's willingness to accept his explanation about the time loop came from greed. He was sure that Kael saw the time loop less as a terrifying anomaly and more as a fantastic opportunity that could catapult his skills and knowledge immensely if he played his cards right, and that doubtlessly influenced how inclined he was to accept Zorian's story as truthful. Case in point…

"Ah, you're here," Kael greeted him. "Did you get the ingredients I asked of you?"

"Yup," said Zorian, reaching into his bag and withdrawing a wooden box full of alchemical ingredients.

"There were no problems?" Kael asked, accepting the box and promptly opening it to examine the contents. He pulled out one of the bottles from the box, the one full of inky black liquid, and brought it towards the light to check something.

"No. The shopkeeper looked at me strangely for buying so many expensive ingredients, but said nothing in the end. It would still probably be smart to buy the next batch from some other shop, though."

"Probably," agreed Kael, putting the bottle back and snapping the box shut.

There was no offer of reimbursing Zorian for his expenses. One of the first demands Kael had of Zorian once he decided the time loop thing had something to it was for Zorian to finance his experiments to the best of his ability. He understood Kael's demand for what it was – not just a way for the boy to secure more funding, but also a challenge for Zorian to prove he believed what he was saying. After all, if he really believed in his own time loop story, he wouldn't care at all about spending his money like that, would he?

Kael placed the box on the work table next to him, depositing it among the many other boxes, ceramic bowls, glass bottles and other alchemical instruments that cluttered Kael's workspace. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, his bright blue eyes rapidly scanning the rest of the basement, before he focused back to his conversation with Zorian.

"How often do you think you'll be able to buy more?" he asked.

"Well… I hesitate to say 'as often as you need me to', since I'm sure you can burn through any amount of money I have if you go wild, but I'm pretty loaded right now. Thanks to the time loop I found a very time-efficient way to extract a great deal of crystalized mana from Knyazov Dveri's underworld, and selling that has given me a huge amount of money to spend," Zorian explained. "So… two or three boxes like that a day if I had to? Maybe more, but I really think that would be a bad idea, since I don't think I'd be able to avoid unwelcome attention if I started buying so much expensive stuff."

"I… see…" Kael said slowly, clearly more than a little surprised at the information. "That's a lot of money. Out of curiosity, why did you go to the trouble to get so much? Funds for your own experiments?"

"Partially," said Zorian. "It certainly makes things a lot easier when you can throw around money like it's nothing. Saves time. And yes, I know it's strange for that to be a concern when you're stuck in an ever-repeating time loop."

"And the other part?"

"Greed, I guess," Zorian admitted. "When I finally break out of the time loop I kind of want to have all my monetary concerns taken care of. Probably not the best use of my time but-"

"Don't worry, I understand you completely," said Kael, smiling slightly. "I probably wouldn't have been able to resist doing so myself. In fact, I probably would have done it much sooner, even with the threat of other time travelers and the presence of more pressing problems you're dealing with. So many problems in my life would have disappeared if I had a million pieces or so…"

"Well, you are an alchemist," Zorian said. "Your profession had always been very expensive to practice, unless you were one of those alchemists who were willing to limit themselves to components they could grow and personally harvest in the wilderness. It makes perfect sense that you'd want to get rich if given a chance."

"Perhaps. I don't think I'd be anywhere near as efficient about it as you are, though. Well, not without resorting to theft. The thought of looking for crystalized mana would have never occurred to me. What's so valuable about it that people are willing to pay so much?"

Zorian gave Kael a curious look. "It's a bit strange to hear an alchemist ask that. I'm pretty sure that powdered crystalized mana is an important potion ingredient."

"Not in the kind of potions I'm making," Kael said, shaking his head.

"Ah. Well, crystalized mana is basically ambient mana in solid form. Harder to make use of than ambient mana, since it first has to be broken down into the more familiar, ethereal form before you can use it to power anything, but it is very convenient as a mana battery. Most mana batteries, such as the ones made with spell formulas, lose all stored mana in a couple of days to a week. Crystalized mana, on the other hand, is completely stable in normal circumstances. That's very useful if you want to, say, support a powerful magical item or warding scheme independently of ambient mana levels," explained Zorian.

"Ah, so these are the crystals the new trains use for fuel," said Kael.

"Yes," Zorian confirmed. "I heard that use of crystalized mana as train fuel is really driving the prices of it upwards lately, got a bunch of people worried. Very convenient for me, though."

"Shame it's only useful for powering items," Kael said. "Having some kind of personal mana battery would have been a nice way of side stepping your limited mana reserves. Have you looked into making such a thing? Even if it only lasted a few weeks, that should be enough to be useful in your circumstances."

"Of course I've looked into it," Zorian scoffed. "It's impossible. Personal mana loses its affinity with its maker rapidly once expended, becoming indistinguishable from ambient mana in a matter of minutes."

"Ah."

"Indeed. What about alchemical solutions? Is there a potion that increases your mana regeneration, gives you a momentary mana boost or something like that?"

"I doubt it. I think we would have all heard about such a potion if it was at all available. But it's possible, I suppose, especially if it has some serious drawbacks that curtails its use. You should probably ask Lukav about that – if anyone knows how to answer that question definitively, it's him," Kael said. He squirmed uncomfortably. "And since we're on the topic of Lukav, I have a bit of a… personal request."

"I'm listening," Zorian said curiously.

"Okay…" Kael began. "When I gave you that list of people to consult with in regards to soul magic, I did not exactly give you a list of strangers. We weren't best friends, but I knew these people. We had history between us, we met sometimes to exchange news and the like… to find out that someone had been going around, kidnapping and killing them, was very upsetting to me."

Zorian winced. Now that it was pointed out to him, he had been really rather callous when he told Kael of the disappearances in Knyazov Dveri, hadn't he? This wasn't just another disquieting mystery to Kael, but an outright attack on him and his acquaintances.

"I'm not angry at you," Kael hurriedly added. "I realize you already have a lot on your plate, and that staying alive and figuring out what is behind the time loop takes precedence over everything else. However, I would really appreciate it if you looked into these killers and figured out a way to stop them for good."

"Of course," Zorian immediately agreed. "I had fully intended to do so anyway. I simply delayed that investigation until I had taken care of more pressing problems and gotten somewhat better at magical combat."

Besides, he had figured that investigating the invasion forces here in Cyoria would automatically bring him closer to solving that particular mystery. The two were clearly connected somehow, perhaps even two different fronts of the exact same operation.

"I see. That takes a load off my chest," Kael said, exhaling heavily. "If there is anything I can do to help you with this, just let me know. I'm still in the process of asking around, but I think I can get my hands on a couple of truth potion recipes."

"I already have my own interrogation magic, but I suppose having more options to choose from never hurts," Zorian said. Truthfully, truth potions might actually be more effective than what he had in mind, at least at the current stage of the investigation, but he really needed to develop his ability to sift through people's memories so he was reluctant to use them. "Keep in mind that Lukav already knows how to make a truth potion, so if your talks fall through I can just teleport you to his village so you can have a friendly chat with him. Perhaps he is willing to share."

"He knows how to do that? Sneaky bastard was holding out on me," Kael grumbled. "Still, that does remind me that Lukav is far from being a helpless victim and neither is his priest friend. It might be a good idea to involve them in the investigation – they might be perfectly capable of taking the killers down on their own if you provide him with sufficient information."

Now there was an idea. It would be hard to secure Alanic's cooperation without coming clean about absolutely everything, but the benefits could be immense. He would have to seriously consider it when he started to seriously tackle the problem of Iasku Manor and disappearances around Knyazov Dveri.

"Well," said Kael after a few seconds of silence, unlocking one of the drawers attached to his work desk and withdrawing a cheap, featureless notebook out of it. "With that out of the way, I'd like to discuss another unpleasant topic with you: your soul marker."

Zorian straightened his back a little, suddenly alert. Truthfully, when he had told Kael about the soul marker and allowed the morlock boy to perform a scan of his soul, he had not expected much. Kael may have been a necromancer, but he was very much an amateur one. Still, he figured it wouldn't hurt to put some trust in the other boy – both Lukav and Alanic were rather narrowly specialized when it came to their soul magic expertise, and it was entirely possible that they had missed something that a full-blown necromancer, even a novice one, would find obvious. It seemed that was indeed the case.

"What is it?" he asked with barely hidden excitement.

Kael sighed and pressed the notebook into Zorian's hand. Leafing through it, however, Zorian realized he didn't understand anything in it. It was full of unfamiliar diagrams and alien jargon, interspersed with brief paragraphs that meant nothing to one who lacked sufficient context to understand them. He shot Kael an annoyed look.

"I'll be blunt," said Kael, ignoring his glare. "Your marker shouldn't work." Seeing Zorian's confused expression, he moved to explain. "I was immediately suspicious when you described how tightly the marker's entwined with your soul – why would someone make such a deeply embedded marker and then make it a simple unchanging identification stamp like you assumed it was? The desire to make the marker resilient to damage and harder to remove could explain some of it, but it was still excessive – there are less invasive means that would have only failed if the soul was so mangled that the person was effectively dead. Those methods do have a noticeable flaw, though – they are a lot easier to copy than what you have rooted in your soul. That, I felt, was key. The marker was designed to foil attempts at copying it to other people. And in order to do that-"

"It needed to check up on the host's soul to see whether it has been transplanted to another person," Zorian interrupted.

"Yes," Kael said. He took the notebook out of Zorian's hands flipped it to one of the later pages and handed it back to him.

Looking at it again, Zorian could tell that the diagram was supposed to be a crude outline of a human's body, several circles, tringles and straight lines drawn over it. Below it was a short paragraph talking about 'essence channels', 'feedback nodes' and 'transition barriers'. It still didn't mean much to Zorian, but he could tell this time that it was supposed to represent Zorian's soul, the marker attached to it and their interaction to one another.

"I do not claim to completely understand the marker," Kael said. "Or even most of it – it's an awe-inspiring thing, clearly made by a master soul mage. I especially like how it makes itself inconspicuous to casual soul scans – I'm not surprised I never detected it before being informed it was there. Still, there are some things about its functions that are obvious to me, and one of them is that the marker is designed to consult the soul of its host – the core, unchanging part of it, anyway – and alter its identification tag according to what it detects. Transplanting the marker to another person should result in a totally different identification value."

"But that's clearly not how it works," Zorian protested. "Zach and I have the same damn marker! The tracking spell wouldn't have worked otherwise!"

"It's broken," Kael said calmly. "Your marker, that is. There are parts of it that are totally inert, either because they do not acknowledge you as its rightful host or because they are missing some critical piece that got lost in the transfer. I'm guessing that at least one of those is supposed to send a signal to the looping mechanism when you die, terminating the loop prematurely – that would neatly explain why you get sent back when Zach dies but he doesn't experience the same when you end up dead. He has the intact version of the marker, whereas you don't."

"But the main part of the thing works?"

"In a sense. It does everything it is supposed to, consulting the core of your soul, but for some reason it is still stuck on the same value it had while it was still inside Zach. It's broken, but it's broken in your favor."

"Huh," said Zorian lamely. What was he supposed to say to that? "Honestly? This isn't such a huge surprise. I always suspected that the marker was in some way defective. After all, I highly doubt that its makers intended for someone like me to enter the time loop the way I did. Does this really change anything?"

"Depends how you look at it," Kael said. "You are in no danger of being suddenly dropped out of the loop, so I suppose from a personal perspective this doesn't change much. But look at it from a wider perspective. If I'm right, then whatever convergence of circumstances aligned to pull you into the time loop along with Zach was a fluke. A fortunate fluke, but a fluke all the same. It is not consistently reproducible."

Zorian frowned. What was he…

Then it hit him.

"Wait. How did Red Robe end up time looping, then?"

"Yes, that is the question, isn't it?" Kael said, his fingers drumming on his work table impatiently. "I'm afraid I don't know how to answer that question. But he clearly didn't use the same method you did."

"Yeah," Zorian agreed. "I had strongly suspected that, but I couldn't be sure. Him having some other method of joining the time loop would explain why he never used his own marker to track me down the way I did Zach. He doesn't have the same marker as me and Zach, if he indeed has one at all, so he would have to capture Zach and use him as a key to locate me that way."

"And if he's indeed a master soul mage like you seem to think, he probably 'knows' you could not possibly have an identical marker as Zach, so there is no reason for him to try that in the first place," Kael said.

They bounced theories and ideas off one another for the next half an hour, but it was all just hollow speculation at the moment. They had no way to confirm or discard any of the possibilities. Kael thought that Red Robe was in some way piggy backing on Zach, either by leaving portions of his mind in Zach the way the Cyorian matriarch did with Zorian, or by having some kind of soul link with Zach. Zorian discarded the possibility of a mind package immediately. The logistics of that kind of setup didn't add up – Red Robe was active within hours of the start of the loop, if his quick arrival to the ruins of the aranea colony in that one restart were of any indication, and processing a large amount of memories took more than a day. Not to mention that Zach didn't start every restart by going to the same location, so it was questionable how Red Robe would have even gotten a memory package in every restart. No, Red Robe definitely wasn't using memory packages. And really, Zorian didn't think he was linked to Zach's soul either – if he was, he would have checked Zach's soul for additional connections when he'd read his mind and found out there were additional time travelers running around. Instead, he immediately ran off to confront the aranea. The thought of someone being connected to Zach's soul didn't seem to occur to him.

Personally, Zorian thought Red Robe did have a marker of some sort. It was entirely possible, he felt, that there was a way for people who knew what they were doing to enter the time loop 'properly' – to get their own marker and all. Though that did raise a question about why he didn't just off Zach and went on with his life free of interference.

What was so special about Zach?

"Right. I don't think we're getting anywhere with this," Zorian said. "Anything else I should keep in mind?"

"Nothing that Lukav and his priest friend didn't already warn you about – avoid any magic that could alter your soul substantially. We don't know what caused the marker to get stuck on its current identification value, and there is no telling what will push it off the edge so take care," Said Kael.

"I was afraid to do that even before now, and for that exact reason too," Zorian said, leaning back on making a deliberately dramatic sigh. "Pity, though. I guess my dream of turning that stupid grey hunter Silverlake sent me to deal with into my very own familiar or becoming a grey hunter shifter is doomed to remain just a dream…"

"Didn't you know? There is a reason why most shifters are made from normal animals," Kael warned him. "Being a shifter means you get instincts from the other part of the soul, and magical creatures always have very strong souls… the more magical the creature, the stronger. And they tend to be extremely violent and territorial. With regards to grey hunters, I'm fairly certain they don't tolerate even their own kind, much less anything else. Such an attitude would bleed over to you if you became a grey hunter shifter. And there is also the matter of inheritance to consider - even if you are able to master a grey hunter's soul and not let its urges rule you, there is no guarantee that your children will be similarly strong-willed, especially since they'll have those urges from the day they are born. I'd strongly recommend against that course of action. As for making it your familiar, keep in mind that it takes a long time for the soul link to mature and that you need to be close to it the whole time. There is no guarantee that the creature won't kill you during the process. And if you do manage to slave it to your will, it could still be dangerous to everyone around you who is not protected by the soul bond."

"There was no need for a lecture. I was just joking," said Zorian flatly.

"Good."

"Even if its abilities would have been so very useful…" Zorian said wistfully. "Extreme toughness, speed and magical resistance? Yes, please!"

"Just kill it, chop it up for parts and make an enhancement potion out of them," suggested Kael. "You can ask Lukav to help you do it, I'm sure he'd jump at the chance. Not many people are crazy enough to go after one of those monsters, after all, so I'm pretty sure he never had a chance to work with grey hunter parts."

"You know, that actually sounds like an interesting idea…"

"Glad I could help," Kael said, peering into a slowly bubbling metal pot on the table in front of him and scowling. "Well, my current experiment is not going too well. And I thought I had it this time, too. Time to try batch number four." He gave Zorian a speculative look. "Say, do you think you can help me out here? Some of the steps are pretty simple, and observing my work will ensure you don't forget what I talked about as easily as you did last time."

"Yeah, I'll help, and holy gods will you stop reminding me of that!?" Zorian whined. "It was more than a year, and I had a lot on my mind, it was natural I would forget a lot of things. Besides, I'm already working on side-stepping my faulty memory somehow."

"Hmm, I wish you luck about that," Kael said. "Nonetheless, we both know you'll remember my work a lot better if you understand what I'm doing instead of just blindly memorizing recipes and dry instructions. Think of this as free alchemical lessons."

Well. He did use a fair amount of alchemy in solving the problems he encountered, so getting some advice in the field might actually be useful.

"Alright. Where do you want me to start?"

- break -

The next day, Zorian decided to make good on his own internal promise to find some solution to the 'forgetting things' problem. Well, he had to organize another one of Kirielle's magic lessons first, but there were no issues with that. Her progress was much faster than it had been in the previous restarts he had tried teaching her, since he had already been through this several times and was therefore getting better at motivating her and explaining the subject matter in a way she intuitively understood. His obligations done for the day, he quickly excused himself and went out for a walk, lest Kael or Imaya find some other job to dump in his lap.

In the long run, Zorian knew he already had a perfectly good solution for remembering things with perfect clarity – he could just make memory packets like those of the Cyorian matriarch, storing them in his mind for future recall. The map of Cyoria's underworld that the matriarch had left him was still as crystal clear in his mind as it had been the day he had assembled it from the scattered remnants left in the minds of the male survivors of the colony. It served as a shining example of what was possible for one who could master the procedure of creating such things. And it wasn't like learning how to do that would be an additional time sink, either – learning how to handle memory packets was something he was already working on. It was his current priority, in fact.

The problem was, it would be a while before his effort there bore any fruit. Could be a couple of months, could be a couple of years… well, hopefully not years, since the matriarch's memory package could decay into uselessness by then, but the point remained: it was not a quick solution to his immediate problem. Fortunately, human mages were quite good at making quick solutions to immediate problems, and surely some of them had at one point needed to memorize a map down to the very last detail, or recite a book word for word? Zorian would be shocked if the spell to do such a thing didn't already exist somewhere out there, it was just a question of whether he could find it.

He decided to try at the academy library first. A bit unimaginative, but it was the best place to start his research and it had been a while since he'd spent some time browsing its shelves. He kind of missed that during his long absence from Cyoria.

Three hours later, he was torn between smiling in satisfaction and the urge to find something flammable to take his frustration out on. The bright side was: he found what he was looking for. There were no less than five different spells that could do what he wanted, mostly by allowing the caster to record what they see and hear for a brief period of time and storing that record in their minds. They differed in details, such as whether it was possible to pause the recording or not, but the core was the same. One even claimed it could form a clear memory retroactively, allowing the caster to remember what they had forgotten.

The bad news was that these spells were only available in the restricted section of the library.

Specifically the mind magic section of it.

Zorian leaned back in his chair, precariously balancing it on its back two legs and taking his glasses off to massage his eyes. To say that the academy was reluctant to give permission to random students with regards to doing mind magic would be a severe understatement. He needed a better library pass if he wanted to get what he wanted, and there was no way he was going to get it through legal means.

He narrowed his eyes while staring at the library ceiling. There was no helping it. He would just have to steal one.

"What has gotten my best student so gloomy on this fine day?"

Zorian jumped in his seat, startled, the poorly balanced chair almost giving up on him and pulling him to the floor. After finally stabilizing himself enough, he turned around to give Ilsa an unamused look.

"Sorry," she said, but her smile and the emotions he felt off of her told Zorian she was not sorry at all. "I didn't think you would react so… explosively."

"You just surprised me a bit," Zorian said. He had detected a person passing by him with his mind sense, but that wasn't exactly something unusual in this place. It wasn't like the library was empty, after all. "What can I help you with, Miss Zileti?"

"Nothing, really – I am already done with what I came here for. You didn't notice it because you were so absorbed into your reading, but I had passed through this section twice before now. I just didn't want to interrupt you then, since you looked quite busy. I was just leaving now when I noticed you trying to burn a hole in the ceiling with your eyes, so I wondered if I can help you with whatever is troubling you."

"I appreciate the offer, Miss Zileti," Zorian said. "I really do. But I don't think you can help me with this."

Helpful though she may be, Zorian was pretty sure that asking her to help him with committing a crime was a terrible idea. Amusing, but terrible.

"What are you working on, anyway?" she asked, peering at the open book in front of him. "Memory preservation spells? Why would you need that?"

"I need a way to quickly and flawlessly memorize a notebook or two," Zorian said truthfully.

Ilsa gave him a searching look.

"If this is about class work…"

"No, I think I'm doing quite well in my classes," Zorian said, shaking his head. If anything, he thought he was doing too well – he was at the top of his class in terms of grades, despite his efforts to avoid standing out. "It's personal. All I can say is that I'll be going on a trip soon, and I won't be able to bring anything with me. Anything but my memories, that is. And while my memory is quite good, it is not good enough to memorize, say, a word-for-word transcription of a book of potion recipes."

"Sounds ominous and suspicious," Ilsa noted.

"I'm not planning anything illegal," Zorian assured.

"I'm sure," Ilsa deadpanned. "That's why you're looking up spells that I know you're not authorized to learn."

"Hence me being gloomy when you approached me," Zorian countered. "I'd thought I had found a solution to my problem, but it turns out it's beyond my reach at the moment."

"I see," she said. "Out of curiosity, how important is it that you be able to access the information in the book while it is stored inside your mind?"

"I'm not sure I understand," Zorian frowned. "What would be the point of holding a book in your head if you couldn't read it?"

"To create a copy of it, of course," Ilsa smiled. "It's a trick that some alteration experts use if they want to be able to create complex objects without carrying the originals with them. They use a spell to record the blueprint of an object, storing it inside their heads, then simply use that blueprint to create copies of the object whenever it strikes their fancy. Well, provided they have the correct raw materials. In your case, that would be a blank book of similar dimensions to what you're trying to copy and a bottle of ink."

"And… you know how to do this?" asked Zorian hopefully.

Ilsa hummed. "Well, I am an alteration expert… but even if I was willing to teach you, this is not exactly an easy spell combination. It requires a great deal of alteration expertise and great shaping control. It would take-"

Zorian concentrated for a second and pulled at the heavy, metal lined book on the shelf next to him with his magic, not bothering to make a single gesture or hand motion. The book smoothly slid out of its shelf and floated in front of Ilsa, startling her. Before she could say anything, the book opened itself and started turning its pages, slowly at first but then speeding up until the last half of it passed in a blur and the book slammed itself shut. His point made, Zorian smoothly slotted the book back to its previous place on the shelf.

"I can't think of a proper way to prove my alteration expertise right now," said Zorian in the resulting silence, "but I'm perfectly capable of restructuring a metal pan into a fully functional metal watch. How much harder would this be compared to that?"

"Not exactly harder," Ilsa admitted, still staring at book on the shelf with a frown. "But certainly different. You'd have to practice for a few days before you can get it right." She shook her head and tore her eyes away from the book to stare Zorian in the eyes. "We're going to have a talk about this on Monday, mister Kazinski."

"Does that mean you agree to teach it to me?" he asked.

"Not yet. I'll need to run some tests on you to see whether you can handle the spells safely."

Ilsa soon left, leaving Zorian alone to his own thoughts. He closed the book in front of him, setting it aside. Ilsa's spell combination wasn't exactly what he had been looking for when he searched for a quick and dirty solution, but it could work. In fact, it was even better than his original idea in some regards. Much less annoying to use, for instance. Plus, he wouldn't need to painstakingly transcribe the information from his head every time he wanted to add or change something. He would give Ilsa's method a chance.

But he was going to steal a better library pass anyway.

- break -

Two weeks passed in a blur of activity. Most of it was routine, like him accompanying Taiven and her team to the Dungeon, teaching Kirielle or helping Kael with his alchemy (and having his soul occasionally scanned by the other boy, with little results thus far). It helped that Kirielle actually had a friend her age this time so she monopolized his time a lot less. Whatever dark secret her mother harbored, Zorian had to admit Nochka's presence made Kirielle a lot more manageable than she usually was, so he was definitely going to visit that bridge in future restarts as well.

Two main things stood out from the rest. The first one was that he had managed to learn the spells Ilsa had talked about, and they worked just as she said they would. He was happy that he could finally keep written notes on what happened in the time loop, since he now had a method of effectively transferring his notebooks into the next restart. Kael was happy too, since he could now be much more liberal about the amount of information he was sending over to his future self – he promptly gave Zorian four fully filled-out notebooks to store the blueprints of, with a promise of one more by the end of the restart. Zorian really hoped Kael wouldn't accumulate notebooks so rapidly in future restarts, because Zorian could only hold about 15 blueprints in his mind. The matriarch's memory packet didn't leave much room for anything else, really.

The second interesting thing was that he had all but confirmed that Xvim had his mind shielded at all times. He had barged into the man's office three different times, and the shield had always been active. Sadly, his unannounced visits seemed to have finally provoked the unflappable man somewhat, so now Zorian had 5 different shaping books on his reading list for their next session. Depending on which book Xvim decided to focus on, their next lesson would consist of Zorian making detailed shapes out of sand, telekinetically dismantling a watch without breaking any of its parts, playing around with candles and matches, trying to apply paint on canvas without using any brushes or carving glyphs into stones with his fingers. Or maybe all five if Xvim was feeling particularly vindictive.

But that was all background activity – the real focus of his efforts was tracking the Ibasans and the Cult of the Dragon Below, mapping the structure of their organization. Originally he wanted to be cautious, spending most of the restart just observing everything, identifying their members and locations they met and did business in, but… well, he saw his chance and he took it. While the Ibasans were mostly full blown mages and lived deep underground in heavily warded bases crawling with guards, only periodically visiting the surface, most of their allies in the city were far more modestly protected. Zorian followed around cultists and simple mercenaries that worked with the Ibasans, tracking them down to their homes and reading their thoughts as they skulked around. The wards on their houses, if they even had them, were hilariously easy to avoid or break, allowing Zorian to root through their stuff for additional clues and connections with other members of their conspiracy.

He had found out some interesting things. For instance, not all of the Ibasan agents in the city were aware of what they were getting themselves into. The various merchants that smuggled food and other supplies to the invaders seemed entirely ignorant of whom they were really supporting. It was just business to them. Apparently there were numerous secret bases and operations happening in deep reaches of Cyoria's Dungeon, and most of them were fairly inoffensive – illegal harvesting operations for dangerous substances, secret research facilities by various trading groups, even a government black site of some sort. The merchants thought they were simply supplying one of these many shadowy factions and never pried much into the identity of their customers. A couple of mercenaries knew that the invaders planned to do some kind of terrorist strike during the summer festival, but didn't care about the details so long as they got paid – they didn't seem to be aware of the true scale of the invasion.

Then there was the Cult of the Dragon Below, who honestly baffled him. The cult had a very complex, confusing structure, with lots of different ranks and categories of membership, and every rank seemed to have been fed a different story. On top of that, some members seemed to be in it purely for the benefits and had never bought into the Cult's belief system in the first place. They were in it for the money – apparently, being a member of the Cult of Dragon could be pretty profitable if you played your cards right. They knew that the cult planned to release a primordial at the summer festival to ravage the city and everything around it, of course, but didn't believe the primordial in question even existed, so no harm in going along with it, right?

Right.

There was still no evidence that Red Robe was in any way operating among the invasion forces, nor that he had shared even a speck of knowledge with them before running off to do something else, so Zorian decided to be a little more aggressive and start actually practicing his memory reading on acceptable targets. To that end, he identified a small cultist gathering – organized by a trio of magic-wielding members who appeared to be of a slightly higher rank than the usual dregs Zorian encountered thus far – and prepared to subdue them for questioning.

Eight armed cultists, three of whom were magic wielders. His old self would have called him crazy for trying to tackle them all on his lonesome, even from ambush, but they never really stood a chance – he trapped the house they were to meet in before they even got there, having found out about their chosen meeting place several days in advance, and took them down one by one as they came. Mostly by telepathically compelling them into falling asleep, much like the aranea had tried to do to him such a long time ago when he'd first encountered them. The last arrival was a mage who had a mind shield spell formula on a ring and fought his attempt off. Zorian was forced to deal with him via slamming him into a wall a couple of times with some judicious application of the 'force blast' spell.

Once they were all down and tied up, Zorian took a deep breath and concentrated on diving into the memories of his first victim.

Before he got instruction from the Yellow Cavern Guardians, Zorian sort of expected that probing someone's memories would be like one sometimes sees in adventure novels and the like – a walk through some psychedelic mindscape, where the intruder has to navigate deeply symbolical mazes and fight mental representations of the victim's psyche and what not. The reality was nothing like that. Or at least the way aranea did it was nothing like that, and the Yellow Cavern Guardians had seemed more than a little amused when Zorian had described the idea to them. Instead, memory probes simply consisted of a powerful telepathic probe that punched through the surface layers of the victim's mind and then started branching throughout their inner self in search of whatever the psychic was after.

It was by its very nature a dangerous procedure – unlike lighter, surface manipulations, deep scans like the one he was about to do could permanently ruin a mind. An amateur like Zorian was all but guaranteed to cause irreparable damage on his first try, unless they had spent years doing careful exercises which Zorian had no time for. Thus, he was not terribly surprised when that first man ended up as a mindless husk five minute later. The convulsions and foaming at the mouth that preceded it were very disturbing, however, and almost made him give up on the whole thing right then and there. He didn't even manage to read anything out of his memories, so his death had been for nothing.

A few minutes later, after he'd had some time to calm down and drown out the little voice in his head telling him he was a monster for killing a defenseless man like that, he continued with victim number two. He decided not to stay so long inside the minds of the rest of them.

Number two, three, four, five and six survived his probes. They could even wake up some day. Well, they could have, if the time loop wasn't so close to its end. The sixth attempt actually yielded some results, too – he didn't find much in the man's memories before he had to withdraw, but he did add a few more names to his list to investigate, so at least some good came out of it. The last two suffered only light damage due to his probe. They knew nothing useful that could help him.

Zorian left the house feeling hollow, wondering whether he was really justified in doing this.

He came home to find Kirielle in tears and the entire household in an uproar. Rea and Sauh Sashal had been found dead in their home, brutally murdered by what appeared to be a monster missed by the many extermination squads operating in the city by now.

Of their daughter, there was no trace.

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Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 038

2015-08-18T21:00:46Z

Thorlong: Created page with "=Return to Cyoria= Zorian's previous experiences with riding the train to Cyoria alongside Kirielle hadn't been very encouraging. She always started excited and curious, star..."

=Return to Cyoria=

Zorian's previous experiences with riding the train to Cyoria alongside Kirielle hadn't been very encouraging. She always started excited and curious, staring intently at the passing landscape and commenting on anything that caught her interest, but that didn't last very long. There just wasn't all that much to see on the route to Cyoria, so she quickly got bored of looking through the compartment window and turned to the only other source of entertainment left to her – him. And he was hard-pressed to entertain her throughout the entire ride.

That was back when he had been unwilling to use his rising shaping skills to do magic on the train, though. This time he decided he simply didn't care about the risk of discovery. He could find no detection ward on the compartment they were in, and even if they did catch him in the act somehow, they would probably just slap him with a small fine and a lecture. It would be annoying, but better than listening to Kirielle whine about being bored for several hours. Plus, this way he got to practice his spellcasting while inhibited by a shaping disruption ward – something he had already been planning to try.

That was how Zorian found himself levitating a sphere of water in front of him, a ring of pens and erasers orbiting around it in a diffuse, slowly revolving ring. It was hard, despite the seeming triviality of it all. This wasn't just him stacking a bunch of easy beginner spells to get a neat effect – he was performing an act of unstructured magic, treating the whole thing like a very complicated shaping exercise. Between the complexity of the floating construct and the disruption ward throwing off his shaping skills, he was really struggling to maintain control over the sphere and its satellites. He was pretty sure this was his absolute limit in terms of mana shaping skills so he should probably-

"Make a frog!" Kirielle challenged.

Zorian gave Kirielle an annoyed look. She grinned at him, confident that she had won their little game. That she had finally found his limit. He did not deliberately set out to make the complex thing floating in front of him, after all – it had started out as a much smaller sphere with mere two pens circling around it, and Zorian had fully intended for it to stay that way until Kirielle started challenging him to make it more difficult. After he emptied the entire contents of his water bottle and used up all of the pens and erasers they both had in their possessions, he was certain she would have had to concede his victory…

He broke eye contact with her and focused on the floating construct in front of him. Trying to shape the floating water into anything other than a sphere it was now would be insanely hard. Telekinetically controlling water was far, far harder than doing the same with solid objects, and he would be hard pressed to sculpt it into complex shapes even if he was outside of a disruption ward and had no ring of small objects to serve as an additional distraction.

But he'd be damned if he was just going to roll over and admit defeat to his little sister just because of that. Over the next fifteen minutes, he slowly shaped the blob of water into a sculpture of a frog, as detailed and convincing as he could manage it… in other words, not very. He did have a burst of inspiration half-way through, though, and decided to depict the frog monster he saved the Yellow Cavern Guardians from in the previous restart instead of a normal one. Unfortunately, Kirielle didn't think much of his efforts.

"That's a pretty weird frog," she declared.

"It's a yellow cavern devil frog," said Zorian, shamelessly making things up. He had no idea how that monster was called, or if it even had an official name to begin with. "Huge, vicious things with a penchant for eating little girls."

"That's stupid. You're just making thing up," she accused. "Just admit you lost."

"Bah, you asked for a frog and I made one. It's not my fault you are not knowledgeable enough in the diverse and fascinating world of magical amphibians. Let me put this away and then I'll tell you about Sumrak the mage and the story of how he saved a secret society of mages from one of the aforementioned devil frogs…"

Before Kirielle could complain too much, Zorian hurriedly set about dismantling the construct in front of him before his rapidly degrading control unraveled completely, letting the pens and erasers float down on the empty seat beside him and pouring the water back into its bottle. That done, he launched into a somewhat modified account of his battle against the frog monster.

Well okay, heavily modified. In Zorian's story, the Yellow Cavern Guardians were a group of reclusive human mages that lived in the far north, practicing 'spider magic', and the adventurer Sumrak confronted the frog monster head on with his awesome magical might instead of resorting to traps and subterfuge. It made for a more impressive story that way. Kirielle seemed skeptical of the story at first, but when Zorian started using detailed illusions to demonstrate the events he was talking about, her suspiciousness melted away and she paid rapt attention to the story.

Zorian didn't know whether to be amused or outraged that she was so entranced by the illusions. They were… well, not quite easy, but nothing special either. The floating ball of water and school supplies he had made earlier on her prompting had taken much more skill and effort to create. He was tempted to chalk it up to her ignorance of what a true display of magical expertise looked like, but he suspected that even if she knew how to judge the difficulty properly, she still likely wouldn't have cared. He had noticed during previous restarts that she loved illusionism the most out of the magical disciplines he had shown her. Maybe it appealed to her inner artist?

The train announcer declared that they were arriving to Korsa, forcing Zorian to cut the story short just before Sumrak succeeded in fighting his way through the devil frog's innumerable spawn and confronted the monster in the cavernous home to which it had cravenly fled when it lost its last bout with the adventuring mage…

…and of course Kirielle was having none of that. She was fine with waiting while people were streaming into the train and looking into compartments to find a seat, but with everyone now settled down and the train moving again, she demanded he continue with the story. The problem was that Ibery had decided to join them in the compartment in the meantime, and Zorian felt just a tiny bit apprehensive about showcasing his abilities in front of her. An apprehension that Kirielle didn't empathize with in the slightest.

"You can't stop now, not when the story is so near the ending," she complained.

"Well, so long as I refrain from using my, err, visual aids…" tried Zorian.

"Nooo!" Kirielle pleaded. "That was the best part of the story!"

Zorian's threw a significant glance towards Ibery, hoping that Kirielle would take the message. She did, sort of, though she didn't react to the information the way he hoped she would.

"Oh come on, the nice lady won't snitch on you for doing magic in the train," Kirielle declared out loud. She then turned towards the startled Ibery and gave her the most soulful puppy-eyes look she could muster. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"

"Umm…" Ibery mumbled, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. "What? I though the train had countermeasures to stop spellcasting?"

"It does?" asked Kirielle, surprised.

"It does," Zorian confirmed. No point in playing dumb now. "They just disrupt spellcasting though, not make it impossible. You can work around it if you're good enough."

"And… you're that good?" Ibery asked uncertainly.

Zorian shrugged, offering no other response. To Kirielle's delight, he then proceeded to finish the story he had been telling, pretty illusions included. He noticed that Ibery had set aside her book to listen as well.

She also tried to discreetly cast a few simple spells when she thought he wasn't looking, and then frowned when she failed to overcome the disruption ward. She was probably just curious about the level of skill needed to overcome the ward. He thought about scanning her surface thoughts to find out what she was thinking, but decided not to after giving it some thought. The risk of getting caught in the act was minimal, since Mind Like Fire had taught him how to stealthily test for presence of mental defenses, but getting into the habit of casually invading the minds of everyone around him struck him as a bad idea. He left Ibery to her experiment and focused back to Kirielle and the story he was telling.

Once he was done with the story, Ibery promptly struck up a conversation with the two of them. She admitted that she didn't care much about the story itself, especially since she only caught the tail end of it, but she was very impressed by his ability to overcome the train's wards. Especially once she learned he was only starting his third year at the academy.

Eventually they arrived to Cyoria, however, and went their separate ways. Before they said their goodbyes, however, Ibery nervously told him to drop by the library sometime in the next week in order to discuss… something. Well, whatever – he had intended to raid the library for more spells in this restart anyway, he might as well see what she wanted from him while he was at it.

"I think she likes you," Kirielle said when they were alone.

"Nah, she's head over heels for Fortov," said Zorian.

"What?" Kirielle asked, baffled. "Her and Fortov? No way!"

"Well I didn't say they're together," Zorian clarified. "Just that she has a crush on him."

"How do you know that?" Kirielle asked suspiciously.

"Ancient magical secrets?" tried Zorian. Kirielle gave him a deadpan look. "Fine, fine… I'll tell you later, when we arrive at our new lodgings. It's not something we should discuss out in the open."

Even as he conversed with his little sister, Zorian paid attention to what his mind sense was telling him while they moved through the crowds. Even if he was being targeted by someone shielded from mental detection, the absence of a mind in someone would be a huge red flag on its own. He detected no hostile intentions directed at either of them, though, and none of the suspicious people he encountered were invisible to his mind sense. After ten minutes, he breathed a sigh of relief – his fears of walking into a trap with his little sister in tow appeared to have been unfounded.

Hmm, he knew it would rain later on, but he knew exactly where Imaya's place was and he could teleport… perhaps a little sightseeing around the city to quench Kirielle's curiosity a little?

"Hey," Zorian said, attracting Kirielle's attention. "Do you want to visit the main plaza of the city? They have a pretty nice fountain there that I like to watch sometimes…"

She said yes, of course. He needn't have even asked.

- break -

It had been more than four years since Zorian had started looping, and a lot of things had happened in that period. Keeping track of it all was a major challenge, despite his mage training and his own excellent memory. Being absent from Cyoria for nearly a year and a half in order to escape Red Robe's scrutiny certainly didn't help in this regard, and many of the minor details and specifics of how a 'normal' restart was supposed to go had faded from his mind during his long absence.

It should not be very surprising, then, that he'd totally forgotten what happened the last time he tried to reach the fountain at the beginning of a restart – after all, he hadn't tried it since that very first, fateful restart that got him included into the time loop.

Thus, when the two of them finally stumbled upon the swarm of cranium rats blocking their path, Zorian was caught just as off-guard by it as he was the previous time. He wasn't as defenseless as he was back then, though, and he nearly burned them all to a crisp before he stopped himself. He was pretty sure that him killing the swarm would put him on the invader's radar, and therefore on Red Robe's radar as well, so the smartest move would be to simply retreat like he did back in his first restart.

He felt the swarm testing his mental defenses and responded by strengthening his defenses and striking back. The attacks stopped, but his counterattack did very little to the collective mind of the swarm – the group mind was thoroughly unshielded, probably because any mental shell would interfere with its internal telepathic network, but his counterattack merely knocked out a couple of individual rats instead of doing any significant damage. He wondered-

He felt a spike of terror from Kirielle as she finally realized what she was looking at, and realized he really shouldn't be playing around with these things – he was probably immune to anything they may dish out but she wasn't. He fired off a weak flamethrower at the closest part of the swarm to make them back off a little and then immediately turned around, grabbed Kirielle and fled. The rats didn't follow, much like how they didn't follow him the first time he encountered them. They probably didn't want to attract attention any more than he did, though that did raise the question of what the hell they were doing blocking off one of Cyoria's major roads in broad daylight. Something to look into eventually…

While they ran, he idly marveled about how fortunate it was that he'd never replicated that first meeting with the cranium rats before he had met the aranea – they would have undoubtedly read his mind, and there was a good chance they would have found out about the time loop from his thoughts. Even if they dismissed the time travel stuff as delusion, they would have definitely been interested in him knowing about the invasion…

"Um, can we still go see the fountain?" Kirielle asked once they had retreated sufficiently and she'd had a chance to catch her breath and calm down.

"Yeah, I know an alternative route," said Zorian, pointing towards a nearby park.

Wait, hadn't he tried that in the first restart and encountered some kind of problem? He was pretty sure he had. What kind of- oh! The bicycle girl. He had totally forgotten about her. Oh well, that wasn't really a problem – he would just get her bicycle out of the water really quickly and they would be on their way.

Kirielle got unusually quiet when they encountered the little crying girl and hung back while he talked to her. He got the girl's bike out of the creek with trivial ease, simply placing his hand over the bridge and wiling the bike to rise into his grasp – it took more time to calm the girl down a little and get her to tell him what she was upset about than it did to actually retrieve it. He used a couple of spells to dry the bike off and clean all the grime that had accumulated on it, simply because he could and saw no reason not to. He suspected the bike was cleaner now than it was before it had fallen into the creek.

"There," said Zorian proudly. "Your bike is clean, intact and out of the creek. You can stop crying now, okay?"

"Okay," she sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "Um. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Zorian said. "Well, we should get going now, so take care. I think it's going to rain soon, so you should probably head home as well."

"Come on brother, don't be mean. We can't just leave her here," protested Kirielle suddenly. "We should get her home ourselves, just to be sure."

"He's not mean," the other little girl protested, suddenly snapping out of her daze. "And I can find my way home just fine. I'm not stupid."

Oh, he liked this kid. It wasn't often that someone defended him in preference of Kirielle.

"Well. I'm glad that someone is not automatically assuming the worst of me," said Zorian, giving a sideways glance towards Kirielle. She rolled her eyes at him. "I am sure that Kirielle didn't mean anything like that, though – she was just worried for you, since you still looked pretty upset."

"I was just… I only got the bike yesterday and mother told me to be careful with it because they couldn't afford a new one and I…"

"Hey, hey, it's alright," said Zorian quickly, interrupting her story. She looked like she was going to cry again. "You got it back. All's well that ends well. But maybe we really should accompany you home, at least until you calm down a little."

"Yeah!" Kirielle piped in. "We can talk on the way and get to know each other. I just moved in here and it would be nice to have a friend my age. What's your name anyway? I'm Kirielle and this guy here that got your bike out of the river is my brother Zorian."

"Nochka," she said. "But, um, I don't want to make you late."

"We were just going to see the fountain, nothing really important," Kirielle waved her off. "We can do that any time. Come on, show us where you live."

The walk to Nochka's house was a short one – she lived pretty close to the park, which was the reason her parents had let her go there all alone. Still pretty strange for parents to be so hands off about their child's whereabouts, but Zorian's parents were the same with him so he didn't pry. He didn't say much of anything really, but that was okay because Kirielle talked plenty enough for both of them. Nochka herself was shy and nervous, constantly watching her surroundings and jumping at every unusual sound, but she did warm up to Kirielle by the time they had reached her house. She was eight, a year younger than Kirielle, and was also fairly new to Cyoria. Her family had arrived into the city a couple of months ago, and she didn't have any friends her age either. Great. He was pretty sure he knew where this was going…

Zorian once again tried to disengage from the whole situation once they got Nochka to her destination, but failed – Nochka's mother saw them arriving and insisted they come inside, and he didn't want to be impolite. He figured the woman had every right to be curious about a couple of strangers walking around with her daughter in tow, so they should at least allay her fears a little before leaving. Nochka hurriedly gave her an account of the situation the moment they were inside; though in her story the bike didn't end up in the creek, but was instead stuck in a rope trap that happened to be in the park for… some reason. Nochka kind of glossed over that part and moved onto Zorian helping her get it down from the tree.

Yeah, Nochka was a terrible liar. Based on the way her mother was looking at her when she finished her story, Zorian was betting that she would be getting the real story out of Nochka the moment Zorian and Kirielle left the house.

Nochka's mother, who Zorian learned was named Rea, was honestly a little scary to Zorian. She didn't look frightening – she had the same jet black hair and dark brown eyes that Nochka did, and the stature and dress of an average housewife – but it took only five minutes for Zorian to decide there was more to her. Her movements were all fluid and precise, she never stuttered or wavered when she spoke, her gaze was frighteningly intense, and she gave off an air of absolute confidence and composure. Frankly, if he had been alone he would have left the place in a hurry, but Kirielle didn't seem nearly as intimidated by the woman and insisted on telling her new friend stories. Such as the one of how they stumbled upon her in the first place.

"Ah yes, the strange brain rats," Rea said when Kirielle told them about their encounter with the cranium rats. "I've seen a few hanging around the house, but never in such numbers. Disgusting things."

Zorian frowned. Why were the cranium rats hanging around their house?

"You should be careful," he told her. "They're called cranium rats and they can read your mind, possibly even memories if left unmolested long enough."

"Hmm… good thing I kill them when I find them, then," Rea said.

"Yes, but don't think that makes you totally safe," Zorian said. "They're a telepathic hive mind, so killing one rat will not erase the information it has gathered on you. What one cranium rat knows, they all know. I really think you should report this to the city authorities and have them hunt the swarm down, but it's your choice in the end."

"I see," Rea said after staring at him for a few seconds. "I'll talk to my husband about your advice and we'll see what we can do. I must say, you are surprisingly well informed for a fifteen year old, mister Kazinski."

"Brother is really smart," said Kirielle.

Oh hush, you flatterer.

"Right - thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Sashal, but our landlord is expecting us and we really should get going," Zorian said, rising from his seat and motioning for Kirielle to do the same. From what Rea had said earlier, her husband was going to come home from work soon, and he'd rather not get stuck in another round of explanations.

"The rain is rather heavy, though," Rea said, glancing through the window next to her. "You should at least wait for the weather to get better before you go."

"Unfortunately, that doesn't seem like it'll happen for quite some time," said Zorian. "But that's okay, because I can just teleport myself and Kirielle close to our destination and shield us from the rain for the short while we'll be caught in it."

"Can Kirielle come over to play with me some time?" asked Nochka.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," said Zorian. Yes, he was pretty sure Kirielle would be angry if he said no. Though he really didn't want Kirielle in an area infested with cranium rats…

Zorian and Kirielle said their goodbyes, after which he teleported them both right in front of Imaya's house.

- break -

The next day, Zorian woke up early and told Imaya he was going to the library, though in truth he did no such thing. Instead, he teleported himself to Knyazov Dveri, where he proceeded to gather crystalized mana. By now he had mapped large portions of the local underworld, and as such couldn't actually pick up every piece of crystalized mana within a single day. He would need another two or three days to clean the place up properly. Oh, and he was also hitting the limits of his memory, it seemed – he had outright forgotten about some of the minor resource locations, and it took him a while to track down others. Annoying.

He wondered what his previous self would say if he knew that in the future he would have so much wealth within reach that he would literally forget about some of it. Probably something rude.

He had only been back at Imaya's place for half an hour or so before Taiven came to speak with him.

"Let me guess, you want me to go into the sewers with you to recover a watch from a bunch of giant spiders," Zorian 'guessed'.

"What? No, I decided not to bother with that job since more lucrative ones have popped up lately," said Taiven. She gave him a strange look. "How the hell do you know about that, anyway? I told maybe two people I was even interested in that job."

Uh, right. The circumstances in Cyoria had changed greatly since the last time he'd been in the city – the mercenaries he hired to confront Red Robe had been soul-killed along with the aranea, and monsters were starting to well up from the Dungeon with no aranea to keep them in check. Nothing could nor should be taken for granted – he had to keep that in mind.

Rather than try to trick her with some poor excuse, he decided to simply ignore her question and ask his own.

"If you're not here for that, why are you here, Taiven? You don't exactly have a habit of visiting me for the hell of it…"

Taiven protested that she totally did visit him for the hell of it, and vehemently denied that she had come to ask him for a favor. It was an opportunity, she insisted – an opportunity to earn big money and fame, if only he would cooperate with her.

Well. If nothing else, her new scheme was a lot more tempting than her old one.

Long story short, the monster incursions he read about in the newspapers had started way earlier than Zorian had expected they would. There were a couple of bad ones on the very first day of the restart – a young couple had been heavily injured when a huge abyssal centipede crawled out of the sewers in the middle of a crowded street and a restaurant had to be evacuated when a huge yellow ooze broke into the wine cellar and started consuming everything in sight. Things got worse overnight, and there were a number of fatalities while Zorian had been busy picking up crystalized mana in Knyazov Dveri, causing the city to enact some emergency measures. One of these was issuing large bounties on confirmed monster kills and encouraging various dungeon delvers and mercenary groups to go as deep into Cyoria's dungeon as they dared, and cull the monster population before they can reach the surface.

As far as Taiven was concerned, this was exactly what she had been waiting for. Already frustrated with the lack of chances to prove her worth, she was eager to take advantage of this new development to make a name for herself by aggressively pursuing bounties and putting down as many dungeon denizens as she could find.

The problem was that her group was too small for her ambitions. Three people do not make a proper hunting party.

"I'm surprised you came to me with this," said Zorian. "This sounds like it requires decent combat skills, and I am only a third year. Surely some of your peers would have been better for this?"

"Well, the thing is, I'm not the only one recruiting… and many of the other recruiters are a lot more prestigious and well-known than little old me. It should get easier once I start getting results, but that could be too late and I can't afford to be too picky right now."

"Can't afford to be picky, huh?" said Zorian flatly. Before the time loop, that phrase right there would have caused him to refuse her offer out of spite. He hated being thought of as second best, nevermind a last resort. But years in the time loop had tempered his ego, and he could admit to himself that Taiven's judgement was spot on – considering the information she had on him.

"Okay, bad choice of words," admitted Taiven. "But as you said yourself, you're only a third year. How good are you at combat magic? Do you think you could pull your own weight in a team as you are now?"

Hmm, how much should he reveal here? Taiven could be shockingly oblivious about some things, but she would definitely not ignore him being way stronger than he had any right being. And she was one of the few people who knew his pre-time loop self well enough to make such a judgement call with a fair amount of certainty.

And for that matter, did he even want to join Taiven's group? It sounded like a huge time sink, and he had so many other things vying for his attention… maybe it would be better if he were to pretend he was too weak and inexperienced to help her?

Oh to hell with it – he'd give it a chance this time. If nothing else, it would give him a ready-made excuse for a lot of things he intended to do in this restart.

"Absolutely. I have been in the Dungeon before," he admitted. "I have a decent repertoire of combat spells and I'm confident that I won't freeze on the first sign of danger. The biggest problem is my mana reserves – at maximum, I can only cast about 20 magic missiles in a row. And that's after I increased my reserves through constant use – I'm pretty average in terms of mana reserves magnitude."

Taiven stared at him for a few seconds, incredulous. "You've been in the Dungeon before?" she finally asked. "I'm surprised you got permission for that. The Academy sure didn't want to give me one before I was well into my fourth year."

"I didn't say anything about asking permission," said Zorian.

"Zorian…"

"What, like you've never done anything like that?" challenged Zorian.

"Well, maybe once or twice," Taiven admitted. "But it doesn't sound like this was an occasional occurrence for you. Getting your mana reserves that high must have involved some pretty intense practice, considering where you started from. That sounds pretty dangerous."

"Sometimes a man has to take chances," Zorian quoted in Taiven's voice. "I do believe you're the one who told me that, Taiven."

"I was talking about romance and you know it," she protested. "Why couldn't you take my advice about that instead?"

'I did take your advice,' thought Zorian sourly to himself. 'I got laughed in my face for my trouble.'

"Why are you lecturing me about this? You should be overjoyed your desperate play had worked," he said instead. "Do you want me in your damn team or not?"

"I do, I do!" Taiven quickly assured him. She pulled out a sheet of paper from her bag and set it down on the table in front of him. "I guess you're right, this isn't really important right now. Why don't you just fill out this membership form and I'll give you a rundown of what I had planned for tomorrow…"

- break -

Over the next couple of days Zorian went on regular forays into Cyoria's underworld with Taiven, Urik and Oran. He quickly realized that his combat skills weren't really the most valuable thing he brought to the whole operation – the combined might of Taiven and her two old teammates was usually enough to destroy any threat they encountered, with Zorian only called to fight when one of those three ended up low on mana and needed to rest for a while. No, the biggest benefits he brought to the table was a detailed map of a huge chunk of Cyoria's underworld (courtesy of the matriarch's last message) and a decent proficiency in divination that allowed him to scout the areas in front of them and track down any specific target they were pursuing. Without him there to direct the rest of the group, they would have probably spent most of their time wandering aimlessly in search of something to fight. Those three were dangerously overspecialized for direct combat in Zorian's opinion.

While down in the Dungeon, he took the opportunity to scout the invader's underground bases that he was aware of, trying to see how they were dealing with this kind of increased activity and scrutiny of Cyoria's underworld. Taiven's group was far from only one that had tried to cash in on the bounties the city was offering, and more groups were expected to get involved soon. What he found was that the invaders had retreated somewhat, abandoning several of their more exposed bases completely and leaving only token forces in many others. That was bound to have a very negative impact on the execution of the invasion…

When he wasn't hunting down dungeon denizens with Taiven, he was tending to the multitude of his other plans and obligations. He finished harvesting crystalized mana under Knyazov Dveri and had started to slowly sell his huge stockpile off to various stores, both in Cyoria and outside. He took Kirielle to see Nochka and stayed around to watch out for any cranium rats in the area (but thankfully didn't detect any). He ended up meeting Nochka's father this time – a tall, jovial, bearded, muscular fellow named Sauh who loved to laugh and talk and was completely unlike his wife, yet still terrifying in his own way. Zorian was half-convinced that the workshop Sauh insisted on showing him, the one full of hammers and other heavy, dangerous-looking tools, was the man's way of threatening him bodily harm should he hurt his daughter in any way. He also visited the library to see what Ibery wanted from him. To his surprise, he found out that Ibery was interested in getting magical instruction from him. She had been looking to hire someone for additional tutoring outside of the academy, but found most tutors out of her price range, and was hoping a third year like him might be amenable to a spell exchange or something else of that nature. Though the offer was kind of interesting, he had too many things on his plate as it was – so he told her he'd get back to her after the summer festival, if she was still interested. Perhaps in some future restart where he refused Taiven's recruitment pitch.

And, of course, he still had to attend classes. That was a chore, though not quite as big of one as he had been expecting. His long absence from Cyoria had made him forget many of the details of how classes were supposed to go, and caused him to view others in a completely new perspective. The constant monster incursions into the city had also had an effect on the academy. Jade was gone from the class, pulled out of the academy by her family for safety concerns. Zach was gone too, of course, and since nobody (except Zorian) knew the real reason for his absence, most people assumed he had been similarly pulled out for safety reasons and sent out of Cyoria. Kyron announced during their first lessons that he was running additional combat practice lessons during evenings and Ilsa openly encouraged anyone with significant combat ability to join one of the groups culling the monsters, offering special benefits and exceptions to anyone who did so and achieved results. She pointed out Zorian, Briam, Tinami, Naim and Estin as examples of people in the class who had already done that, thoroughly surprising Zorian – he never would have guessed so many people in his class had decided they're good enough to get themselves involved in that. Two days later, Kopriva would join that list, while Maya and Iroro were ordered home by their parents until the situation calmed down.

With such large changes in class composition and teacher behavior, Zorian's school experience was relatively novel compared to what he remembered of his pre-exile Cyoria days. He was sure it would all get boring and repetitive again after another restart or two, but for now it was bearable.

- break -

A few more days passed. The number and severity of monster excursions gradually dropped off, and the city stopped behaving like a kicked over anthill and settled into some semblance of normality. There was still a lot of tension in the air, forays into the Dungeon went on still, but things were finally calming down. As such, Zorian started investigating various invaders, cultists and other people related to the invasion that he still remembered from his time with the Cyorian aranea, tracking their movements and activities but launching no attacks for the moment. The furor over the dead mercenaries and monster incursions caused so many changes to the preparations of the invasion that his memories were of limited use, and he didn't want to move until he was reasonably sure he knew when and where to strike.

It was peculiar, though… even accounting for massive divergences due to Red Robe's removal of aranea, the invaders were still strangely ineffective. Less informed. Before, they seemed to know how to bypass certain wards or evade notice of Cyoria's law enforcement – knowledge that they largely lacked in the current restart. He was starting to suspect that Red Robe had a habit of handing over a lot of crucial information to the invaders in previous restarts, even ones where he didn't appear to pay much attention to them afterwards… but that in this one restart he'd chosen not to bother with that at all.

Strange.

The arrival of Kael at Imaya's place reminded Zorian of their deal to help Kael develop his alchemy in exchange for help with soul magic and other stuff. Unfortunately, there was a problem: Zorian had largely forgotten what the contents of Kael's notebook were over the many, many restarts he had been absent from Cyoria. Somehow Kael managed to figure out a few things from the disjointed parts of his notes that Zorian still remembered, which helped convince him that Zorian was telling the truth, but he was essentially starting from scratch.

Zorian knew he had to find a solution to the forgetting problem if that deal was ever going to work. Without constant reinforcement in every restart, he would forget again, and the amount of information he had to memorize was only going to increase with each restart, making the task harder. And that wasn't just the issue with Kael's potion recipes, either – he had been having trouble remembering the layout of Knyazov Dveri resource deposits, some of the minor details of previous restarts (such as his meeting with Nochka) had completely slipped from his memory, and he had a feeling that remembering the vast amount of information about invaders in Cyoria he was currently gathering was going to be a major issue in the future.

He needed a better way to remember things, and he needed it soon. He would have to set aside the upcoming weekend to see if he could figure something out.

He knocked on Xvim's door and dutifully waited for the man to invite him in.

"Come in," Xvim called out from inside, and Zorian quickly entered the man's office and sat down when instructed to do so.

"Show me your basic three," Xvim ordered.

Zorian did so – silently, efficiently and without complaint. He had decided before coming here that he would try and see how long it would take for Xvim to get unnerved by him meeting all of his demands without any issue or complaint. It was a long term project, of course – he didn't really think he could baffle the infuriating man in this particular restart – but he was determined to see it through. He would practice whatever stupid exercise Xvim threw at him every single day, restart after restart, until he got them right. Until he got them all right, if he was forced to. The man had to run out of shaping exercises at some point, right?

Xvim threw a marble at him. Zorian moved his head lightly to the left, moving out of the marble's flight path without ever meeting the man's eyes. Another two marbles flew at him, but the result was exactly the same.

"Close your eyes," Xvim ordered.

Zorian did. He still dodged every marble Xvim threw at him, a cloud of diffuse mana scattered around him as a detection field. Xvim did not react, unfazed by his improbable skill, but neither did Zorian.

"You can open your eyes again. Here's a box of marbles," said Xvim, reaching beneath his desk to pick up a large bowl full of hated spheres of glass. They came in a wide variety of sizes, and Zorian was silently thankful that Xvim only ever threw the small ones at him – some of the big ones looked like they could knock a man unconscious if they connected. "Levitate as many as you can. Hurry up, we haven't got all day!"

Zorian levitated every single marble in the bowl, but alas – he was too slow. Or at least Xvim thought so, anyway. He made Zorian lift and lower the entire mass of marbles over and over again, wasting an entire hour. Zorian said nothing though, doing his best to meet Xvim's unreasonable demands.

"Levitating them like that in a giant disorganized lump is unsightly. Make it a proper sphere. A ring now. A pyramid. That doesn't look like a pyramid to me – do you need to have your glasses checked, mister Kazinski? Yes, better. But slow – you must be faster. Much faster. Start over from the sphere again. Again. Again."

Zorian made the mass of marbles flow from one shape to another as fast as he could, but eventually a disaster struck – he lost control of the exercise and the entire mass went crashing down onto the table. Zorian winced as the marbles bounced off the table, making a huge racket and scattering all over Xvim's office, his mask of cool detachment breaking for a moment.

Damn it.

Several seconds passed in the aftermath as Zorian and Xvim stared at each other impassively.

"Well?" asked Xvim curiously. "What are you waiting for, mister Kazinski? Hurry up and gather the marbles into the bowl so we can continue where we left off."

"Yes, sir," said Zorian, unable to keep a note of sourness out of his voice. "I'll be right on it."

It was official: he really hated marbles.

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Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 037

2015-08-18T21:00:07Z

Thorlong: Created page with "=Slow Burn= As the weeks went by, Zorian became increasingly bored with Mind Like Fire's lessons. While they continued to pay results in terms of his increasing mental combat..."

=Slow Burn=

As the weeks went by, Zorian became increasingly bored with Mind Like Fire's lessons. While they continued to pay results in terms of his increasing mental combat proficiency, they were also very repetitive and had increasingly marginal results. It didn't help that his mental defenses were by now too good to be casually collapsed by his teacher, which meant that he no longer ended the lessons with a raging headache and an urge to lay down for a few hours. The lessons mostly just taxed his patience now, leaving him a bit tired and frustrated but otherwise ready to do something else.

He decided to do just that. He had never really finished sounding out the rest of the aranea, wanting to get some basics of mental combat from the River Navigators first, but he was becoming increasingly certain that Mind Like Fire was stalling him with her demands at mastery in order to avoid teaching him anything more advanced. His mental defenses were already good enough, in his opinion, so there was no harm in giving the other webs a visit to see what their offer was.

The Luminous Advocates were his first destination. They were, after all, supposed to be very interested in teaching someone like him, as well as hungry for resources he could provide. Unfortunately, that didn't quite work out. Their initial offer was utterly ridiculous, calling for Zorian to pay a simply staggering amount of money and magical artifacts. He didn't agree to that, of course – couldn't, actually, even if he wanted to, since the whole thing would cost twice as much as he had on his person. Even if he gathered all of his savings and sold every single mana crystal he'd found under Knyazov Dveri, it still wouldn't be enough. It took more than 3 weeks to talk them into a more reasonable price, since they seemed to finally realize he was in a hurry. By that time, the restart was already near its end. Undeterred, he tried to approach them again over the next four restarts, varying his approach, but in the end only managed to reduce the negotiation period by a couple of days.

Admittedly, the few lessons he actually managed to finagle out of them really were top-notch. Not only did they give him some crucial advice in regards to strengthening his mental shell that really sped up his progress in Mind Like Fire's lessons, they also helped him hone other aspects of his psychic abilities. For instance, he was now capable of forming two-way telepathic links that allowed non-psychics to talk back to him mentally, as well as form links with multiple people at once. They even taught him how to better handle the information from divination spells which dumped their results directly into the mind of the caster. Some useful information, that. Nonetheless, Zorian decided to give up on seeking their help after the fourth restart. While their help was useful, the sheer amount of time and nerves he lost arranging for said help to actually materialize made the whole thing a poor deal in his mind. It didn't help that they categorically refused to teach him memory manipulation unless he subjected himself to a total memory probe, courtesy of their elders, which made their web a bit of a dead end as far as he was concerned. Because that was basically never going to happen.

Since negotiation with the Luminous Advocates involved a whole lot of waiting for the web to respond to his offers, Zorian had time to approach the Filigree Sages at the same time. They too took a lot of time to convince, although in their case it was because they were a suspicious bunch and also more than a little bit unhappy about him selling telepathic relays to the River Navigators. Thankfully, the first time he managed to convince them to teach him, he immediately found a shortcut that allowed him to drastically cut down on the negotiation time necessary to convince them. All he had to do was demonstrate his proficiency with spell formulas and promise to help them adapt human techniques to their own 'webcraft'. They cared about that a lot more than about any material trade goods, and so long as he did so it only took a week of negotiation before they agreed to teach him.

Zorian was more than a little shocked when he was first shown an example of the Filigree Sage's webcraft. He had expected something relatively simple and crude, like a piece of spider silk cloth with familiar Ikosian symbology embedded into it, or perhaps even individual threads woven into the glyphs. Instead, the Filigree Sage crafter he was to work with led him to a rectangular formation of stone pillars, in the middle of which was suspended a complex, multi-layered sphere made out of spider silk. The sphere glowed with pale white light in the darkness of the room, points of brighter lights constantly racing along this or that thread in a complicated dance that Zorian couldn't decipher. Every inch of its surface (as well as every inch of the inner layers too, he would later find out) was covered in glyphs. Unfamiliar, non-Ikosian glyphs. And his guide claimed this was just one of the lesser practice spheres, since they weren't going to bring a potentially-untrustworthy outsider anywhere near the real thing.

He had realized at that point that he had bitten far more than he could chew. Helping the Filigree Sages refine their webcraft basically required becoming adept in a whole different tradition of making spell formulas. A tradition that descended from the Ikosian one, thus making the job much easier, but still. This was a task that could take years. Not something that you could do on the side while focusing on something else.

He still gave it an honest try (mostly by completely giving up on rest and free time for several restarts) and the Filigree Sages seemed pleased by his work, but in the end he decided that he simply couldn't justify the spent effort to himself. While the topic itself was extremely interesting – indeed, many researchers would have quite literally killed to be in his place, studying an otherwise unknown magical tradition – it was ultimately a distraction he, at the moment, didn't need. And really, the actual mind magic instruction he was getting in exchange for his work was little different from what the River Navigators were offering. He did admittedly get to experience a slightly different style of mental combat from the one practiced by River Navigators and most other aranean webs, since the Filigree Sages used methods that revolved around group combat. Not very useful to him, since he didn't have a fellow telepath to use it with, but he did learn some tricks to deal with multiple attackers.

Originally, the Filigree Sages were completely unwilling to teach Zorian any form of memory manipulation. However, after two restarts of studying their webcraft, it became impossible to pretend he was starting from scratch. The next time around, he used an excuse that he'd learned the bare basics from the Cyorian web. He was promptly taken to their matriarch (who had mostly ignored him up until then, preferring to have her underlings interact with him), who seemed very keen on sending an expedition to Cyoria with Zorian's help in order to establish some kind of contact with the Cyorian web. Not even finding out they had all been killed dampened her enthusiasm for the idea of an expedition to Cyoria – it just meant the focus of the expedition shifted from establishing contact to looting the place down to bedrock. Lovely. Regardless, in exchange for transporting the expedition to Cyoria, protecting them from any threats and transporting them back, Zorian was promised… just about anything, really. Even memory manipulation was on the table.

Aside from the fact that agreeing to such a thing would require Zorian to go back to Cyoria, and the fact that he would be helping a group of aranea loot the remains of his friends, there was the little matter of him not being actually sure that the Cyorian web actually used any webcraft. He suspected they did, and many of the things the matriarch had mentioned in her stories and off-hand comments seemed to indicate so in retrospect, but he wasn't actually certain. It was just an excuse he made up to explain his otherwise inexplicable knowledge.

He should definitely go down into the ruins of Cyoria's web and check to see what's in there before agreeing to any such expeditions.

With the Luminous Advocates and the Filigree Sages essentially eliminated from the list of options, at least for the time being, Zorian was left with only three options to serve as an alternative to the River Navigators. The three 'shady' webs that the Illustrious Gem Collectors had warned him about. Zorian was about to start approaching them when Mind Like Fire finally decided to move on from basic telepathic combat drills.

- break -

When Mind Like Fire declared that Zorian's mental defenses were 'passable' and that they would be switching over to honing his offensive arsenal, he was cautiously optimistic but didn't expect much. Practice would probably become less painful, since Mind Like Fire would be on the receiving end of attacks this time, but he didn't really think his attacks would be very effective. Her mental defenses were bound to be excellent.

But then Mind Like Fire told him to hit her with his best shot and simply stood there, content to passively weather the attack and Zorian decided to oblige her. He dumped a positively huge amount of mana into his next attack, the most he could manage without the entire thing losing cohesion, and slammed it straight into her mental shell.

The results were beyond all of his expectations. Rather than simply bouncing off her mental shell like he had expected, the attack effortlessly blew her defenses away and slammed into her unprotected mind like a battering ram. She screeched in pain, spasming and flailing with her whole body, and, for a brief while, there was pandemonium as other nearby aranea burst into the room to see what the fuss was about. Zorian tried to explain what had happened without the whole thing devolving into a fight. For a moment he was sure he would have to flee and was already clutching the recall rod in his hand to teleport away, but Mind Like Fire recovered in time to defuse the situation.

She also insisted on continuing the lessons as if nothing notable had happened, and proceeded to shoo away all the other aranea that had come to her defense.

[Damnation,] Mind Like Fire grumbled once they were alone again. [Not only did I get taken down by a human rookie, but everyone saw it too. I won't live this one down for a long while.]

[Uh, sorry?] tried Zorian. He wasn't sure what to even tell her, in all honesty.

[Don't be,] she said. [It's my fault, really – your inexperience has automatically put me in the mind of one of our young and I foolishly assumed your attack would be like one of theirs. But while your skills at mental combat leave much to be desired, you are still a qualified mage with plenty of mana to burn and considerable experience in managing it. I should have let you face my best defenses and then lowered the strength afterwards. I should have waited to see what your strongest attack was like instead of making assumptions about how strong my shield needed to be. Let that be a lesson to you as well, should you ever teach someone – it is always unwise to be arrogant and carelessly presumptuous, lest you get taken down by some precocious hatchling.]

He was not a freaking hatchling! He was only a year away from being legally recognized as an adult, and was already one if the time spent in the time loop was factored in!

[I didn't do anything permanent, did I?] Zorian asked instead.

[No, of course not. Why do you think- Ah. I see that in my haste to bring your practical skills to a workable level, I have neglected some crucial bits of theory. Like what happens when an attacker manages to break through the defender's defenses.]

[Bad things?] tried Zorian.

[Yes, but perhaps not quite as bad as you'd think,] she countered. [To grossly simplify things, there are four main things one can do to an unshielded target. The first is to simply assault their mind telepathically, seeking to damage it. This is, in almost every case, simply a way to incapacitate the target for a while. It is very difficult to actually kill people through purely mental attacks – usually such attacks simply cause a lot of pain and make the target lose consciousness for a while. Maybe quite a while, and they may suffer from headaches, confusion and amnesia for a time, but even then they are almost guaranteed to eventually recover.]

[Oh. I didn't know that,] Zorian admitted. He honestly thought that getting hit by a sufficiently powerful telepathic barrage could cripple you permanently. Then again, 'for a while' could perhaps mean months or years, so still not something to take lightly. And he was pretty sure a pain-inducing attack could be easily adapted to an instrument of torture. [So you were never in any permanent danger, then, but you'll probably be hurting for a while.]

[Yes, that is the short of it.]

[And the other three things the attacker could do to the target?] Zorian asked.

[Well, the second possibility is that the attacker extracts information out of the target, either by reading their thoughts or probing their memories. Reading thoughts is the easiest option, of course, but often ineffective. Aranea, mages, and quite a few human civilians as well, have been learned to maintain certain discipline over their surface thoughts, making it hard to pluck information out of their minds that way. That leaves deep memory reading, and this is not nearly as easy as it sounds, as most people have quite a lot of memories to sift through and can sense when someone is rooting through their heads and resist. Even non-psychics can resist deep memory scans, if they're strong-willed and the psychic isn't very practiced in the skill…]

Zorian remained silent. He had raised the possibility of being taught memory manipulation plenty of times in the past, and she had always told him he wasn't ready yet. He couldn't imagine her answer would be any different now. At least it wasn't a flat out no, he supposed.

[The third and fourth options are what we aranea call deep and surface manipulations. Surface manipulations consist of temporary manipulations, such as fooling the senses or amplifying a particular emotion in the victim to produce a desired reaction. Deep manipulations, on the other hand, are more… permanent. They consist of things such as modifying someone's memories, blanking out entire sections of their life, instilling lasting compulsions or turning them into unaware sleeper agents. Deep techniques are what a lot of humans associate mind magic with, but they are actually rarely used. Such lasting mental alterations require the attacker to dive deep into the victim's mind and spend a lot of time tweaking things, making them hard and time-consuming to use. This is not something you use in a fight – this is something you do to a foe that has been decisively defeated and cannot strike back at you at all. Even among us aranea it is considered something of a dark art. Few of us are proficient in its use.]

Zorian sighed. "This is all leading up to an explanation about why you don't want to teach me any memory manipulation, isn't it?" he said out loud.

[Yes and no,] Mind Like Fire said carefully.

"So a no couched in flowery language," said Zorian derisively. "Man, that's the third refusal in a row. I'm going to have to find more webs to investigate…"

[Oh, have you went to other webs with this?] she asked, not in the least bothered by his little outburst. [Sounds like quite a story, you'll have to tell me about it later. But don't write us off yet. While it's true that we are not ready to let you root through our minds, even as practice, that doesn't mean we can't help prepare you for when you do eventually find an aranea brave enough to let you read her memories.]

"And you're going to do that by…?"

[The main problem you are facing when trying to read aranean minds is that our ways of perceiving the world are very different from yours. Our many eyes allow us to see the world in three different ways, only one of which – the one provided by our pair of big, forward-facing eyes – is in any way analogous to human vision. We can also sense vibrations through our legs, and our sense of touch is much more sophisticated than yours. It's how we can navigate through the tunnels so easily with no light to see by.]

"You can't see in the dark?" asked Zorian. Most Dungeon-dwellers could.

[No, we need at least a little light to see,] she said. [We do have excellent low-light vision though. But we're getting off track. What I'm trying to say is that even if you received access to an aranean memory, you probably would not be able to parse them. If you want to be able to read aranean memories, you first need to learn how to process the way we perceive the world. And that is where I can help you. I can let you tap into my senses and let you adjust to them. I can even package some of my more inconsequential memories into little packets and send them to you over the telepathic link to help you understand how to deal with memory packages.]

"Oh," Zorian said lamely. Yeah, that did sound useful. Somewhat mollified by her response, he switched back to telepathic communication. [So can we perhaps switch to that right now? I must admit I am getting thoroughly sick of combat drills. I know it's important to practice my mental shields, believe me, but I'm going to go crazy if this continues for much longer.]

[As a matter of fact, yes. I had wanted to wait with such instruction until you could actually break through my mental shields before starting you on that path, but you did succeed with that. Not in a way I had expected or planned for, but fair is fair. We shall start with surface manipulations, since you will need some proficiency with them before you can tap into someone's senses. How much did your other aranean teachers tell you about them?]

[Very little, other than the fact that they exist,] Zorian said. [But surface manipulations are basically mind control, yes? We covered those back in my mage academy. Only theoretically, with an emphasis on identifying the type of mind control and how to fight it, but still.]

[Summarize those lessons for me, please,] Mind Like Fire ordered. [I'd like to see what I'm working with.]

With a wave of his hands, Zorian created a glowing geometric diagram that was informally known as the 'mind control rectangle' among the students and whose official name escaped Zorian at the moment. It was something far too loquacious and complicated for what were basically four words arranged into a simple two-by-two grid – a rectangle divided into four smaller ones, each of the four major methods of manipulating people through mind magic assigned its own corner.

Domination, Suggestion

Puppeteering, Illusion

[Pretty,] Mind Like Fire deadpanned. [But I must confess I have never learned how to read human script, so you'll have to explain to me what that means.]

Ah. Right. He sometimes forgot that for all that aranea interacted with humans, they were still alien beings with a completely different culture. Ikosians had possessed an almost religious reverence for the written word, and had spread literacy to every place that had fallen under their domination, so literacy was near universal in places they'd once ruled over. Universal literacy most likely made it much easier to train as many people as possible into mages as well, thus providing tangible benefits for the policy. The aranea, on the other hand, had no such tradition, and probably couldn't use human-style writing effectively anyway. He knew that the Cyorian web had a number of aranea that could read and write, but most aranea probably had no need to master such skills.

[Domination and suggestion represent spells that enforce the caster's will upon the target,] said Zorian, pointing at the upper row of the rectangle. [Domination spells involve the caster outright ordering the target to do something and compelling them to do so against their will. Suggestion attempts to present the order as something the target wants on their own. They are will and situation based; depending on the sort of person you cast such spells at and the circumstances they are in, it might be completely impossible to affect them with this sort of mind magic. Most people will resist orders to kill themselves or their loved ones, for instance, and it is next to impossible to convince a patrolling soldier that you are not the person they are looking for if they had been given your picture or someone singled you out to them.] He pointed at the lower row of the rectangle. [Puppeteering and illusions, on the other hand, are not directly affected by the target's personality and circumstances. Puppeteering flat out usurps the target's control over their body and pilots it like a… well, puppet. Illusions manipulate the target's senses in some fashion. Neither can be resisted as such, although puppeteering has to overcome the target's magic resistance first and illusions can be detected and dispelled.]

Zorian waved his hands again and the illusion split in half, separating the rectangle into left and right halves – domination and puppeteering on the left side, suggestion and illusion on the right side.

[Domination and puppeteering are forceful methods,] he said. [The target knows they are being targeted by a spell, and will usually be furious at the caster when it ends. As such, they are usually used in combat situations, against people who are clear enemies to you. Suggestion and illusion are subtle methods. The target doesn't automatically become aware they have been affected, and in fact the goal is for them to remain unaware as long as possible. They are generally used for criminal and espionage purposes.]

Compulsion spells on the top, hijacking spells on the bottom, forceful spells on the left and subtle spells on the right. Yup, he'd covered everything. He let the illusion evaporate into smoke and settled down to wait for Mind Like Fire's response.

[An interesting breakdown,] she said. [It has a sort of simplistic beauty to it. I'll have to remember that one. The reality is far more complex and less sharply defined… but we'll get to that later, when it's actually relevant. I was never very big on spending time on theory, truth be told. We've wasted enough time on it today and I'd like to get started on something productive.]

The resulting lesson was exceptionally painful, reminding Zorian of his initial lessons with her, several restarts in the past ago… and despite her insistence she was being no harder on him than she was on any of her other students, Zorian knew the sudden ferocity of her lessons was her revenge for catching her off guard.

On the bright side, she calmed down after a week of that. On the less bright side, he would have to piss her off like that on every subsequent restart as well, so he was looking at a week of painful headaches at the start of every restart.

Sometimes you just couldn't win.

- break -

As it turned out, Mind Like Fire's statement about him being unable to understand aranean senses turned out to be not just correct, but a vast understatement. Even after a full month of practice, he couldn't make heads or tails of aranean senses. Even trying to limit his sensory tap into their vision alone left him dizzy and confused, and the less said of their sense of touch, the better. They had a rudimentary sense of taste on their leg hairs! They tasted the ground they walked on! Why for the love of all that was holy would a species need to have an ability like that!?

It also put Novelty's habit of touching everything, him included, in an entirely new and unsettling light…

Not that he'd learned nothing during the entire month. Mind Like Fire did manage to teach him how to affect the minds of others in minor ways. Some of these, like the ability to induce spasms and limb failure, he already knew how to produce - but not very consistently before he'd been lectured on the proper way of hijacking other people's nervous systems. Others, like inducing full body paralysis, lightly dampening or amplifying their emotions, subtly redirecting their attention away from things or inducing failure of one or more of their senses were wholly new to him. But while these things were all unquestionably useful, the total lack of progress on the one thing that he really had to master hit him hard.

In the end, he reluctantly decided to consult the Luminous Advocates for help. As much as they annoyed him, they probably had an answer to his problem. He managed to short-circuit the negotiations with them only two weeks into the restart by simply paying their ridiculous price. It required spending day after day on exploration of the lower levels of Knyazov Dveri's dungeon and selling everything of worth he had found there, but he did manage to talk them down to something halfway reasonable and then just pay them off.

According to the Luminous Advocates, his main problem was that he was basically trying to take on too big of a challenge at once. For one thing, he was trying to tap into the senses of another while still retaining his own, forcing his mind to process different perspectives at once. And no, sitting still with his eyes closed was not nearly enough to get around that. In order to deal with that issue, the Luminous Advocates taught him how to turn his mental abilities inwards and shut off one or more of his senses, leaving only the foreign sensory stream for his mind to process.

Their second suggestion was that he had to practice sensory tap on something easier first. Preferably his fellow humans, as their senses were closest to his own, but some of the more similar animals might also suffice. Only once he'd mastered the art of tapping into the senses of his fellow humans should he bother trying to tap into something as alien as an aranea.

When Zorian tried to do just that by tapping into the senses of a random passerby in a nearby town, he realized they were completely correct. He nearly collapsed from disorientation, even though he was only tapping into familiar human senses this time. It would be a long time before he could move on to something more exotic than a human, it seemed.

Which presented him with something of a problem. While Zorian's mental abilities were currently good enough that he didn't fear discovery every time he used them on some random civilian, he could hardly guarantee that he would never mess up and reveal to his target that he was messing with their heads. And frankly, you could never really be sure that your target really was 'a random civilian' – it was all too possible to step into the mind of some high-ranking mage good at blending in with the crowd, or to encounter a civilian trained to detect such intrusions. And the response of the mage guild to rogue mind mages was harsh. He didn't want a guild hunter team after him, even if the time loop would probably shield him from the worst of the consequences.

And that was without even considering the moral dimension of the whole thing. Picking on innocent people for the sake of personal training was not the road he wanted to go on, and dismissing their plight as irrelevant due to the time loop striked him as an unhealthy attitude to have. He might have justified the whole thing to himself if it was just a matter of tapping into their senses, since that was mostly harmless, but the Luminous Advocates made it clear this wasn't the only skill he would have to practice on his fellow humans to get right. He would encounter the exact same issues when he tried to master memory manipulation – even after accounting for their different senses, aranean minds were sufficiently different that he would need to practice on something more similar to himself before he tried to interpret their memories. And practicing memory probes was neither safe, harmless nor inconspicuous.

He needed an acceptable target.

- break -

Zorian walked carefully through the streets of Cyoria, scanning the crowds for any signs of hostility with every sense he had available. He had a feeling his tension and nervousness was very obvious to people around him, but then again he was hardly the only person who was nervous. The random monsters welling up from the dungeon had spooked many a native, and there was a sense of tension in the city that hadn't been there the last time he'd been in the city.

This was his second recent visit to Cyoria, and it was just as uneventful as his first. He had even deliberately walked into some back alleys and more isolated parts of the city to see if Red Robe or one of his agents would confront him once he was out of the public eye, but no such things happened. He wasn't even confronted by a band of rough-looking men trying to steal his belongings, like it usually happened in the trashy adventure novels he read from time to time. Sighing, he twisted the top of the recall rod hanging off his belt and was promptly teleported to the outskirts of the city. The location was totally unremarkable – it wasn't lived in, and had been trapped to hell and back over the course of several weeks – Zorian could come and go as he pleased, but if the ward surrounding the area detected anyone other than him appearing inside, it would unleash a plethora of traps on the interloper – the nastiest and most lethal of traps that he had the capacity to make and install.

He repeated the action three times in quick succession, recalling himself to three additional, similar spots, walked off in a random direction for an hour or so and then finally teleported himself to his real destination.

Two days later, when no one tried to track him down to a small, remote village he'd chosen for his current base (mostly because it was in the middle of nowhere with nothing but fields of wheat for miles in any direction), he finally breathed a sigh of relief… and promptly started planning his next foray into the city. Next time he was checking out the aranea ruins to see if Red Robe had put any tripwires there to alert him of intruders coming there.

When Zorian first got the idea of going back to Cyoria, he had immediately dismissed it as madness. He wasn't ready, and acting prematurely could potentially ruin everything. However, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Red Robe clearly wasn't trying to locate him anymore – if he had been doing so, Zorian wouldn't have lasted nearly as long as he had, he was quite sure of that. Why Red Robe felt no need to locate him, when he clearly wanted to get rid of any rival time travelers, Zorian did not know. He'd feared that the other time traveler had maybe placed tripwires in Cyoria to alert him when he came back, but even that seemed increasingly unlikely at this point – Zorian had been all over Cyoria during his two brief forays into the city, even in parts of the Academy, and nothing of note happened.

That was important, partly because Zorian felt like he was going a little crazy and desperately wanted to see some familiar faces, at least for a short while, but also because Cyoria held some perfect targets for him to practice his growing mind magic skills on. The matriarch solved at least a part of the time loop's mystery by ferreting out information out of the heads of Ibasan invaders and their supporters. Why couldn't Zorian do the same? He would not only he be advancing his abilities in preparations of opening the matriarch's memory package, he would also be tackling the mystery of the time loop from another direction. Two birds with one stone.

He wasn't going to move in back into the city yet. He would continue testing the place for a while still. Try to spend a whole week in there, show up for a class or two. But if Red Robe's response turned out to be as non-existent as this?

His long exile from the city was about to end.

- break -

Zorian spent the next three restarts alternating between Mind Like Fire's lessons and making forays into Cyoria. He was never attacked while in Cyoria, not even when he combed through the aranean corpse-filled settlement in one of the restarts. A part of him felt that was highly suspicious, but ultimately it didn't keep him away from the place.

Especially since he was starting to reach the limits of what Mind Like Fire was willing to teach him. His mental defenses were top-notch, and his ability to strike back at hostile minds was nothing to scoff at either – even Mind Like Fire admitted she actually had to take him seriously these days. She had taught him all of the simple tricks and basic techniques she dared give him access to, and he was even getting the hang of tapping into aranean senses – the Luminous Advocates were right, it went a whole lot easier after he had mastered the art of tapping into purely human senses first. If he wanted to get any benefit from her teachings, he would have to spend a few restarts practicing deep memory scans on humans first.

Of course, that would require finding an aranea that was willing to teach him even the basics of such memory scans. Mind Like Fire's reaction to that was a firm refusal, since that would involve lowering all of her defenses and letting Zorian dive deep into her private memories. Even among themselves, the aranea considered such an act to be one of great trust and significance. It didn't help that when Mind Like Fire challenged Zorian to provide similar access to his own memories to her, he had little choice but to say no.

He did know that the Filigree Sages were willing to play along if he let them loot the Cyoria settlement, but Zorian had been unable to find much in the way of webcraft when he searched the settlement in one of his brief forays, so he wasn't sure whether that would actually work out at all.

Then, near the end of the last restart, something interesting happened. Zorian had gotten permission from Bridge of Moonlight to stay in the River Navigator's main settlement for a while after he helped them dig up a brand new cavern with alteration spells, and was present in the matriarch's chamber when a messenger from the Yellow Cavern Guardians arrived to plead with the River Navigators' matriarch for help.

The Yellow Cavern Guardians, he had found, were on the verge of extinction. A few days before the start of the time loop, the caverns from which they got their name – and on which their survival and prosperity depended on – had been taken over by some huge monster from the deeper levels of the dungeon. The creature was too magic-resistant to be affected with mind magic, extremely tough, and also regenerated. Roughly a week and a half into the restart, the Yellow Cavern Guardians were starting to get desperate. In an attempt to retake their cavern, they had decided to launch an all-out attack, seeking to drive the monster off. It was an utter disaster, and the Yellow Cavern Guardians lost both their matriarch and her two successors/assistants/somethings. Now leaderless as well as desperate, the Yellow Cavern Guardians went into a panic (well, they claimed they 'deliberated things', but Zorian knew how to read between the lines) before begging for help from anyone they thought would listen.

Sadly for them, the River Navigators had no intention of messing around with a creature capable of taking on an entire aranean web and winning. Fortunately for them, Zorian was not nearly so intimidated.

The last time he'd offered aid, he'd been rudely refused. But last time, he'd asked at the start of the restart, when their leadership had still been alive and believed they could handle things. They had probably been more worried about him taking advantage of their momentary weakness and had not felt they needed all the help they could get. Now that their leadership was dead, however, they were not in a position to be nearly as picky.

He didn't even have to ask – the messenger approached him with a plea for help on her own, after Bridge of Moonlight blew the messenger off and she'd realized that Zorian was there.

After hammering out some basic agreement (which could be summarized as 'we'll agree to anything, just give us back our cavern!') Zorian recalled himself and the messenger to the recall stone he had left on the surface and then immediately teleported them to where he knew the Yellow Cavern Guardians were. The messenger seemed shocked he knew where to find them without her guidance, and a bit disoriented from the rapid succession of teleporting, but she recovered quickly and led him to what passed as leadership of their web for the moment.

Several hours later, he found himself at the entrance to a vast cave overgrown with a fungal forest, a pair of Yellow Cavern Guardians 'guards' watching him from deeper into the access tunnel. Supposedly they were ready to intervene if he ran into trouble at any point, but he was pretty sure they were just going to stay on their asses if he got attacked and then, if he lost, mournfully report he had tragically ended up as monster chow before they could do anything. They seemed terrified even to be there.

Zorian created a floating eye out of ectoplasm and sent it deeper into the cave to get some basic sense of its contents and layout. His recent practice with tapping into other people's senses made processing what the eye was sending him child's play, and he no longer had to close his eyes to use it.

He had to admit one thing - the cavern was simply breathtaking. It was huge, and almost entirely covered with a dizzying variety of giant mushrooms. The more familiar umbrella-mushrooms existed between ones that resembled leafless trees and long, fleshy spikes and berries. Looking over them, Zorian even spotted several that appeared to be whitish plants rather than mushrooms, complete with small flowers and atrophied leaves. The largest of them glowed with a faint blue light that suffused the entire cavern with weak, shadowy light.

Underground forests like this one were treasure troves of information and interesting alchemical ingredients, and were highly sought after by both humans and dungeon denizens. And this one was both huge and largely unspoiled. No wonder the Yellow Cavern Guardians were so protective of it.

His appreciation of the view was quickly interrupted, however – the monster wasn't hard to find.

It was right in the center of the cave, sitting like a king in a small, shallow lake situated there. Well, shallow in a relative sense. Zorian could have submerged himself easily in its center, but it was barely a puddle for the monster who towered over the waters. It looked like a giant frog, albeit one whose mother had mated with a troll and which was then raised solely on muscle-growth potions from the day it was born. Knobby, dark green skin covered a creature that was at least five meters tall, even while crouching, and its limbs were thick and practically bursting at the seams from the sheer muscles it was sporting. Oh, and they ended in huge, sharp claws rather than suction cups.

One of the frog-thing's eyes swiveled in its socket to focus on Zorian's ectoplasmic eye, noticing the intruder, but the creature remained motionless and eventually returned to its silent vigil, ignoring the sensor. The monster had knocked down all the fungus surrounding the lake, probably to give itself a better view of its new domain, and was now just standing in the lake in the center, periodically shifting in place so it could stare at the different part of the cavern.

Zorian dismissed the sensor and turned to the two guards behind him.

"I'm going to need a few days to prepare," he said.

- break -

Three days before the end of the restart, Zorian was ready to try and kill the giant frog monster that had driven the Yellow Cavern Guardians out of their home. His plan was simple: fire.

Lots and lots of fire.

When he finally arrived at the cavern entrance, he first made sure the frog-thing was still where he had last left it (it was) and then carefully lowered an ignition stone into the crate full of highly flammable alchemical bricks he had been levitating behind him. Once that was done, he created an illusion around the crate to make it look like an aranea and send it floating along the ground towards the monster. He trailed after the crate under the guise of invisibility, a huge, solid steel golem trailing beside him. The golem was fully visible, and mostly served as a big, visible target for the creature's ire if this whole thing went south.

Zorian had considered a number of methods to trick the monster into eating the decoy, but none of them turned out to be necessary. It seemed that the claims of the Yellow Cavern Guardians about how the creature loved eating aranea were spot on, because the creature barely even looked at the disguised crate before attacking. A long, ropy, blood red tongue lashed out at the crate with dizzying speed, reeling it into its wide open maw in the blink of an eye.

The moment the frog thing's mouth snapped shut, Zorian sent a mana burst at the ignition stone in the crate, causing the whole thing to blow up in its mouth.

The resulting scream was quite possibly the most disturbing sound he'd ever heard in his entire life. It wasn't a croak or anything even remotely froglike. It sounded like a whole herd of pigs being slaughtered messily, over and over and over again. The frog thing vomited a stream of fire, blood and bile, trying to expel the offending substance to no avail – Zorian had specifically chosen an alchemical product whose fire clung to the surface like glue, and no matter how hard it tried, it could not remove the burning gunk that covered its insides. Truthfully, its attempt to vomit out the compound was only making things worse. It would have had more luck by keeping its mouth shut and trying to starve the fire of oxygen.

Sadly, after a few more futile attempts, the monster suddenly stopped struggling, noticed Zorian and his golem, and immediately charged towards them.

Zorian silently motioned for his golem to meet the creature's charge with one of its own, not even questioning how the creature knew he was there. Dungeon denizens had all kinds of ridiculous abilities and senses, especially powerful ones like these. He sent a wave of force at the creature's feet, managing to trip it up a bit and allowing his golem to slam its metal fist straight into its face. Though much bigger than his creation, the creature seemed momentarily stunned at the hit and didn't have enough time to dodge when Zorian hit it with a massive fireball.

Annoyingly, it still wasn't dead. It screamed again, scorched from both inside and outside, its eyes reduced to ruined husks by the fireball. But it still found enough strength to tear apart his golem (which he had spent ages crafting and reinforcing) in a flurry of violence. It ripped both of its arms out of their sockets, snapped the main body in half, and flung the pieces into the distance. The armless remains of the upper torso impacted the ground not far from Zorian, but he remained silent and still, hoping to avoid notice.

It would have been nice to say that what followed next was some epic battle where he bravely strode forth to finish the monster once and for all, but in truth, he simply evaded the creature's notice and waited as it rampaged throughout the forest for a while, looking for more targets. The loss of its vision seemed to really hurt it, and it never even came close to detecting his location. At some point it simply stopped and keeled over, finally dead after having succumbed to its many wounds.

Still - a victory was a victory, wasn't it?

His "guards" had fled from their posts at some point of the battle, so Zorian slowly made his way towards the Yellow Cavern Guardians' temporary camp to give them the good news.

- break -

The two Yellow Cavern Guardians that came to check up if he was telling the truth stared silently at the charred corpse of the frog-thing that had nearly ruined them. Zorian tried to be respectful and wait for them come to terms with the fact that he had actually succeeded in killing it, but after five minutes he was really starting to get impatient. And annoyed – it wasn't that unbelievable that he'd succeeded at this, surely?

He cleared his throat, finally getting their attention.

"About my payment…" he began.

- break -

Zorian's eyes abruptly shot open as a sharp pain erupted from his stomach. His whole body convulsed, buckling against the object that fell on him, and suddenly he was wide awake, not a trace of drowsiness in his mind.

"Good morning, brother!" an annoyingly cheerful voice sounded right on top of him. "Morning, morning, MORNING!"

Zorian sighed. He really wished that not all of his restarts began this way.

"Good morning to you too, Kiri," he said politely. "Mind getting off me?"

"Hmm…" she pretended to think about it. "Nope! I think I'll stay like this for a while."

"That's unfortunate," he said blandly.

"You know you're going back to academy today, right?" she asked him.

"How could I forget?" he responded. "The real question is, do you want to come with me?"

Kirielle's eyes expanded comically, like those of a particularly startled cat. "Really!?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't certain," Zorian said.

Five minutes later, Zorian managed to distract an ecstatic Kirielle with an illusionary bird and get her to stop babbling and start packing her luggage.

He, on the other hand, was ready. He had learned the basics of deep mental scanning from the Yellow Cavern Guardians last restart, he was certain that simply being in Cyoria wasn't dangerous in itself, and he had a rough plan of where to go from now on.

It was time to visit his old Academy again.

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Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 036

2015-08-18T20:59:08Z

Thorlong: Created page with "=A Battle of Minds= Eventually, the month-long recuperation period came to an end. Zorian spent the last few hours of that restart with Kirielle, attending Cirin's own celebr..."

=A Battle of Minds=

Eventually, the month-long recuperation period came to an end. Zorian spent the last few hours of that restart with Kirielle, attending Cirin's own celebration of the summer festival. Kirielle was very happy with him, because apparently she was never allowed to wander around or stay up so late during the previous festivals. He didn't really reciprocate her excitement, to he honest – Cirin's summer festival was the same as it was every year: incredibly dull. He found himself almost wishing for Ibasan invaders to make an appearance, just to liven the place up a bit.

Okay, no. No, he didn't. The whole thing was still very boring - that's what he meant.

Regardless, with the beginning of the new restart (initiated by the familiar feeling of Kirielle jumping on top of him to wake him up), he was ready to once again tackle the problem of contacting the aranea and getting them to teach him mind magic. It didn't work all too well last time, but he had a whole month to consider what had went wrong and how to fix it and he was willing to give it another go. Though not immediately, of course – teleporting to the nearest aranean web right from the start would be stupid. He had no intention of getting anywhere near one until he had already tested some tactics and equipped himself accordingly. Consequently, he started the restart in the same way he had started most of the previous ones: by going to Knyazov Dveri.

He did two things before anything else after entering the town. First, he descended into the local dungeon to pick up all the mana crystals he knew the location of… though he didn't sell a single one in the Delver Village, or even the town above, so hopefully there would be no uproar and spying attempts on him this time around. Secondly, he saved both Alanic and Lukav from the assassins - even though he had no intention of pursuing lessons from Alanic in this restart. One of his reasons was purely emotional – both men had helped him a lot, and it felt wrong to let them die when he was already there, capable of preventing their deaths, even if it was meaningless in the long term – but the other reason was that saving them gave him some relatively non-threatening combat practice. He knew he could defeat the undead boars trying to ambush Lukav and the attack party assaulting Alanic's temple without dying, but they were still life-and-death battles that he had to take seriously.

One of these days, when he finally got some mind magic expertise from the aranea, he was going to capture the two mages involved in the assault on Alanic's temple and trawl through their memories to see if they knew anything important. Maybe some of the gunmen too…

But he was getting ahead of himself. No counting his chickens before they hatch – better worry about actually learning said mind magic before thinking about what he would do once he had it.

The first and most obvious problem he had to tackle was what to do if things went wrong again. No matter what precautions he decided to take, there was always a possibility he would bite off more than he could chew or end up caught off-guard. Technically, he had his suicide rings for that, but there was one thing that struck him about his altercation with the Sword Divers – how slow he had been about activating them. He should have blown himself up the moment it became obvious that the situation had become hopeless, instead of waiting for the last possible moment like he had. He could think up a lot of excuses for himself, but at the end it all came down to one simple fact: he didn't want to die. He had a powerful survival instinct, and it was not easy for him to consciously kill himself… even if he knew, on an intellectual level, that it wouldn't be permanent. Thus, he had waited until he was absolutely sure he wasn't getting out of that situation alive and intact, and it had almost cost him everything.

All things considered, Zorian didn't want to become jaded, accustomed to dying and suicide – that seemed a bad attitude to have, especially once he left the time loop. That left two main ways he could see to deal with the problem. One was to set up a bunch of contingencies into his suicide rings, allowing them to activate automatically in certain cases. Another was to have more options to choose from when faced with disaster – something other than 'fight to the death or kill yourself'. A retreat option.

Contingencies sounded like a good idea, and Zorian even had some experience making them thanks to his studying of warding – a discipline that made heavy use of contingencies to determine when it should activate particular defenses. Unfortunately, most warding schemes used relatively easy-to-define triggers such as 'a human touches the object' or 'a living being not keyed into the wards enters the area'… defining a trigger for a contingency that would kill him should his mind be tampered with but wouldn't activate the moment he engaged in telepathic communication of any sort or hit his head or became dizzy or a million other things which were beyond him at the moment. Even if he could make such a thing, he would still have to exhaustively test it to make sure it was reliable… by working with a friendly aranea. Which, uh, kind of made it useless for his current needs.

So he cheated. Instead of creating a nuanced, sophisticated contingency, he made the metaphorical equivalent of a sledgehammer. Specifically, he made a contingency that would kill him the moment he lost consciousness or suffered a sufficiently strong headache… but only if he turned it on. It would normally stay dormant, to cut down on unwanted activations, but he could activate it on a moment's notice if he found himself in a dangerous situation. He wasn't terribly happy with that solution, but it would do for now. He just had to remember to turn it off once the danger has passed, lest he explode the next time he went to sleep. That would be so very embarrassing…

That being done, he turned his attention to the retreat option. He had considered everything from talking to Lukav about transforming into a rock worm or some other tunneling creature, alteration spells that would allow him to create his own paths and sanctuaries underground, phasing magic, haste spells, and more. But ultimately, his mind kept going back to teleportation. It was the ultimate form of mobility magic, and everything else was just a poor substitute. If he could somehow bypass Dungeon interference to teleport away, he could simply avoid ambushes like the ones the Sword Divers had used against him instead of resorting to suicide in order to evade capture.

Fortunately, during the month-long recuperation, Zorian had come up with an idea of how he could side-step his current limitation as far as teleportation was concerned. Which was why, before descending into the dungeon, he turned one of the large stones he found on the outskirts of Knyazov Dveri into a recall anchor.

The recall spell was outright made specifically for quick retreats, and the link forged between the caster and the anchor ensured they could teleport out even from areas warded against teleportation. Well, so long as the wards were basic ones, since those protections simply disrupted the targeting part of the teleport rather than inhibiting dimensional warping as such. Consequently, Zorian had a feeling the spell would work to yank him back to the anchor, even though the Dungeon interference.

He was right… sort of. He had found that past a certain depth, the strain on the link became too much and it snapped. Before that happened, however, the spell worked flawlessly, allowing Zorian to quickly teleport away to the surface. The depth past which it ceased to work was too shallow for his liking, but he was confident he could strengthen the link. Over the next couple of days, he worked to combine several marking spells and his knowledge of spell formula in order to create a stronger anchor for the recall spell – one that would allow it to power through any amount of rock and Dungeon interference. He was largely successful in this, though the anchor object had to be pretty large to contain the final spell formula he designed. No matter, there was no need to make the anchor particularly portable for what he had in mind.

Satisfied that both of his projects bore fruit, Zorian spent the rest of the week creating various portable traps and magic items… including a more combat-worthy version of his wooden golem. Golems, having no minds, were almost entirely immune to aranean mind magic, and Zorian intended to bring one with him under the explanation that it was his helper and luggage carrier. Partially true, since the golem he'd made wasn't exactly the mobile wardstone and murder statue that professional war golems were… but in the end it was still a painfully obvious bodyguard construct and Zorian fully expected the aranea to recognize it as such. Having such a guardian trailing behind him was bound to make even the most opportunistic aranea think twice about going after him.

Or at least he hoped so. He also hoped they wouldn't feel too threatened by the construct, since they might simply refuse to talk to him at all if it made them too nervous around him...

Well, no matter. He would risk it. Gathering all of his equipment he teleported himself and his golem to the one aranean colony that had been friendly to him the last time around. It was time to pay the Illustrious Gem Collectors a visit.

- break -

The last time Zorian had visited the aranean web that called itself Illustrious Gem Collectors, he found a colony that specialized in harvesting various precious stones that were abundant in their local underworld and traded them to the nearby human village in exchange for various human-produced goods. They were miners, essentially. They informed him straight away that they had agreed not to trade with any humans except the ones at the village, but gave him the locations of five other webs that might be more willing to help him. Since his main goal had been to locate as many aranean webs as possible and sound them out, Zorian had accepted this explanation at face value and moved on. However, after thinking about it for a while, he realized he had been kind of stupid. Just because they couldn't trade with him didn't mean they couldn't receive gifts. He should have given them one – aside from the fact they may have been even more helpful if he had done so, there was also a chance they immediately alerted the webs they sent him to about his coming. In which case he definitely wanted them to put in a good word for him, which would be far more likely if he were handing out gifts to every group he visited.

Hell, he even had a perfect gift for them. Although he cashed in on a lot of the crystallized mana he found in Knyazov Dveri's local underworld, he left a fair amount for his own tinkering and for situations like this. He was pretty sure the Illustrious Gem Collectors would have no problems accepting a gift of crystallized mana, since they traded similar items to the village all the time and it would not be in the least bit suspicious of them to have a couple of mana crystals in their possession.

Zorian entered the tunnels that held the Gem Collectors' colony and contacted the nearest sentry in the manner shown to him by the web's matriarch during his last visit. If the web found it in any way unusual that a human knew how to properly greet them and ask for audience, they never mentioned it. Instead he was soon presented with the web's matriarch, She Who Eats Fire and Sees Gold, and her escort of 10 other aranea. Huh, two more guards than the last time… apparently having his golem trail after him did have an effect. Still, while the matriarch was noticeably more nervous around him this time, she did not act outraged at his addition and she gave him essentially the same speech she had the last time around. They were honored by the visit, but they had prior commitments and agreements and couldn't deal with him so here's a bunch of other webs he could pester for help instead. Only this time they gave him eight names instead of five. Aside from the Rose Labyrinth Dwellers, Yellow Cavern Guardians, Filigree Sages, River Navigators and Luminous Advocates that he'd already known about, she also gave him the location of the Talisman Bearers, Ghost Serpent Acolytes and Silent Doorway Adepts. Strange. Why the extra information this time around?

[Is there something special about those last three webs?] he asked.

[Ah, so you have heard of them then?] the matriarch said, making her own conclusions about his question. [Yes, they are a bit… shady in their dealings with others, human and aranea alike. I wouldn't normally send a young mage like you to webs like theirs, but you seem like someone who can take care of himself.]

She gave his golem a significant look.

[He's just my luggage carrier,] Zorian said.

[Of course he is,] the matriarch said, a touch of amusement embedded in her telepathic message. [I'm sure those glyphs on its surface are purely aesthetic too. Leaving that aside, is there anything else we could do for you?]

[You have done more than I could have possibly hoped for, honored matriarch,] Zorian answered honestly.

He beckoned the golem to come closer and pulled out a box from the backpack it was carrying, pointedly ignoring the wave of tension that rippled throughout the assembled aranea at the action. He then opened the box, revealing several pieces of crystalized mana and placed it in front of the matriarch.

[Please,] he said. [Take this as a small token of my appreciation for your help.]

The matriarch stared at the box without a word for several seconds before becoming agitated. No, wait, she was just trying to mimic shaking her head with her entire body.

[I cannot accept this,] she protested.

Zorian frowned. [Surely the village leadership isn't so insistent about your trade agreement so as to keep you from accepting gifts?]

[It is not that! Your gift – it is simply too generous,] the matriarch said. [It's too much.]

[I respectfully disagree,] said Zorian firmly. [You were amicable and honest with me, and you told me where to go even if you could not help me yourself. You've most likely saved me months of searching by telling me where I can find more webs. I feel this is the least I can do for wasting your time with this meeting.]

The matriarch remained silent after that. After a while, Zorian figured she was not going to say anything and that this was effectively the end of their meeting.

[In any case, I suppose it's time for me to leave,] Zorian said. [Until we meet a-]

[Wait,] the matriarch said, interrupting his farewell. [One of the webs I told you about. The Luminous Advocates.]

[Yes?] asked Zorian curiously.

[They are a web dedicated to honing our psychic abilities as much as possible, even by aranean standards. Among other things, that means they are intensely interested in studying rare cases, such as aranea with unique talents… or human psychics. They will want to work with you every bit as much as you want to work with them. Always keep that in mind, because they're liable to pretend otherwise when you deal with them.]

[I… see,] Zorian responded. [That is a very useful thing to know about. I thank you for your advice, wise matriarch.]

[Oh, there is no need to flatter me,] She said. [I'm just helping a good, generous soul get forward in life. Besides, the Luminous Advocates are snotty and arrogant, always looking down on us as 'mere miners' and thinking their mastery of the mind arts makes them so much better than everyone else… in my opinion, they deserve to be taken down a bit. But never mind that, I've just realized I've been a terrible host. If you would be willing to follow me deeper into the tunnels, I would love to give you a brief tour of our humble home. We can talk some more while we walk.]

Zorian agreed, but quietly turned on the suicide contingencies before following after her.

Just in case.

- break -

Despite Zorian's concerns, the brief tour of the place offered by the matriarch turned out to be just that. There was no sudden ambush or sinister reveals, just a stroll through the tunnels with some running commentary. Zorian could tell he was only being shown the less interesting, outer parts of the settlement… but the tour was really more of an excuse to have a conversation and exchange some information, so he didn't mention it.

The matriarch gave him a little more information about the other webs. The Rose Labyrinth Dwellers were somewhat unique in the sense that they never visited the surface. Most aranea webs lived underground but were heavily dependent on the surface for their survival. Not so for the Rose Labyrinth Dwellers – they were only active underground, and were rather mysterious even to other aranea. The matriarch didn't know how they would feel about teaching him, but she seemed sure they wouldn't attack. The Yellow Cavern Guardians had apparently found one of the rare underground fungal forests and made it their home – they were fiercely protective of their home, knowing just how tempting of a target it was for just about anyone, but the matriarch felt they were worth the visit. The Filigree Sages specialized in 'webcraft', which was basically the aranea equivalent of spell formulas – instead of carving glyphs onto items, they anchored their spells into web constructs for some reason. Zorian didn't understand why they would do that, since web constructs were bound to be far more fragile than glyphs carved into stone and metals, but it seemed to be a thing among the aranea. It was probably a convenience thing – aranean limbs weren't exactly made for carving and chiseling things, so they probably had to use alteration magic any time they wanted to do such things. Easier to just spin some webs. The River Navigators made their homes on the banks of an underground river, and had mastered the skill of making boats and using them to travel down its length and back. This allowed them to range a lot further than most aranea could manage, and thus gather more resources. They were very active in trading with humans, but mostly for material possessions rather than psychic instruction. Finally, there were the Luminous Advocates. Their territory had little in the way of natural resources, so they mostly traded their mind magic expertise to other aranean webs instead of dealing with humans much, but that was due to lack of means rather than wants. The matriarch insisted that the Luminous Advocates were clearly jealous of the Illustrious Gem Collectors' wealth, and otherwise made some snide comments about their character and even sexual potency. She did admit, albeit grudgingly, that they were his best bet if approached correctly.

Zorian was somewhat surprised how relatively advanced the aranea in the local region were with regards to their crafting abilities. The Cyorian web mostly traded with the surface for all their crafting needs and didn't produce anything except silk and processed monster parts. It reminded him of Novelty and her desire to learn 'human construction magic'… and thinking of Novelty promptly made him feel guilty and angry, so he dropped that trail of thought soon enough.

Of the last three webs, the matriarch knew little beyond generalities. The Talisman Bearers were apparently heavily magic-focused, most of them carrying large metal discs full of spell formulas strapped to their bodies. The Ghost Serpent Acolytes had abandoned the aranean Great Web belief in order to worship some kind of native spirit they found. The Silent Doorway Adepts had either some kind of stealth magic or great teleportation skills, or maybe both, because they had a reputation for getting into inaccessible places and disappearing from them just as easily. All three had a bit of a shady reputation. The Talisman Bearers were known to be very greedy for magic they could use, especially magic items, which could be either very good or very bad for Zorian. The Ghost Serpent Acolytes slavishly followed the guidance of their guardian spirit, and the Ghost Serpent was known to be a little… erratic at times. The Silent Doorway Adepts were thieves, or at least had a reputation for such.

Zorian decided to put all three of them firmly at the bottom of his list of aranean webs to visit.

For his part, Zorian told a little bit about himself to the matriarch - how he was studying magic in Cyoria, and how he had met the aranea there. How they had helped him make sense of his abilities and learn how to control them. How they are all dead now, wiped out in totality.

[So Cyoria changes hands once again, does it?] the matriarch asked rhetorically. [I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Do you happen to know which web took over?]

[None at the moment,] Zorian said. [It wasn't a rival web that destroyed them. It was… something else. Most likely some monster rising from the deeper section of the dungeon. Cyoria has had a bit of a problem with that recently.]

[I have heard something about that from the night runners,] the matriarch said. [But I didn't know it was that bad. Still, expect a new web to move in soon enough. Cyoria is a tempting prize. Not for us, mind you, the Illustrious Gem Collectors are happy enough with their lot, but plenty of ambitious webs would jump at the chance to claim the place for themselves.]

[Night runners?] asked Zorian.

[A name for aranea that go between different webs to bring news and conduct trade. Don't go looking for them. Night runners generally don't like humans. Their whole existence revolves around crossing over vast stretches of human-controlled land. Many die to mages and guns in the process. They wouldn't appreciate some random human tracking them down, regardless of the reason. The whole point of being a night runner is evading humans, after all, and especially mages.]

[Got it. Don't bother the night runners unless I want a fight,] said Zorian.

[Have you ever gotten in an actual fight with an aranea?] the matriarch asked curiously.

[Um. Sort of,] said Zorian. [It didn't end all that well for me. While we are on that topic, have you ever heard of the Sword Divers web?]

[Can't say that I have. Where are they from?]

[They live under Korsa,] Zorian answered.

[Oh, no wonder, then! Korsa is really far from us. I'm afraid that aranean webs have very little contact with webs outside of our immediate vicinity. Other than the news we get from the night runners and the occasional aranean explorer, we know little of what happens in distant webs. It may be strange to hear this, but we actually have a better picture of what humans are doing at any given point than our own kind. What did you want to know about the Sword Divers anyway?]

[They arranged for a meeting with me and then tried to ambush me when I got there,] Zorian said.

[Ah,] the matriarch said quietly. [I am sorry to hear that. Treacherous webs like that bring a bad name to our kind.]

[So you can't tell me why they did that?] Zorian asked.

[It could be any number of things,] the matriarch said, adding a mental equivalent of a shrug. [Aranea are not nearly as homogenous as humans in term of culture-] Zorian silently boggled at the notion of humans being culturally homogenous. [-since the relative isolation of each web quickly causes webs to develop their own… peculiarities. Perhaps you insulted them somehow. Perhaps it was how they test anyone wanting to meet with their leaders. Perhaps they were simply greedy and decided you would be an easy target. I'd personally assume the latter, but who could possibly tell?]

Soon after that, the conversation died down and he parted ways with the Illustrious Gem Collectors. The matriarch told him to drop by for another chat when he was done scouting out the other webs to tell her how it went, which Zorian interpreted as 'come back again soon with some more expensive gifts', but agreed to anyway. He meant it too – this visit had turned out to be far more productive than he had been hoping, and who knew what else he might learn from the matriarch if he could get her talking again. Stopping by before the restart ended shouldn't be too much of a hassle.

The next day he set off towards the Rose Labyrinth Dwellers to begin his task in earnest.

- break -

Despite having detailed instructions about where they live, it took Zorian an entire day of searching before he encountered any of their sentries. And an entire day of wandering the lightless tunnels, constantly doubling back after taking wrong turns and fighting the denizens of the Dungeon. That black, fire-breathing beetle whose carapace shrugged off both kinetic force and fire really gave him a scare, but thankfully it was rather slow and freezing it solid finally allowed him to kill it.

The Rose Labyrinth Dwellers really lived up to the 'Labyrinth' part of their name.

[Zorian Kazinski of Cyoria,] the aranean spokesperson began. The local matriarch declined going out to meet him, sending a small greeting party of four aranea instead. They had taken their sweet time considering his offer, silently communicating between themselves for nearly two hours, but it seems they have finally reached their decision. [We have discussed your request and reached a decision. We agree to teach you in the ways of our Gift, but only if you accept our terms.]

[Those being?] asked Zorian.

[You will live with us for the duration of your lessons. You will eat and sleep in our settlement, hunt with our hunters, patrol our territory with our scouts and otherwise act as a member of our web.]

Zorian balked at the terms. How the hell did they expect him to agree to that!? He knew for a fact that the aranean idea of food was vastly different from human one, for one thing. But frankly, even ignoring the sheer logistical problems of that idea, it required him to trust them far more than he did. He'd be at their complete mercy all day, every day…

…which, now that he thought about it, was probably what they were going for. That, or they were trying to get rid of him via unreasonable terms.

[There is no negotiating these terms?] asked Zorian.

[No,] the spokesperson responded. [If you are not willing to commit yourself, how can you expect the same of us?]

[…I will have to think about it,] Zorian said. It was a dirty lie, of course, since he had already thought about it and rejected the idea with extreme prejudice. But there was no sense in being impolite. For all he knew, they thought they were being extremely reasonable.

[Take your time,] the spokesperson said. [It is not something to decide on quickly. You know where to find us if you're interested.]

- break -

[I am sorry, but we are going to have to refuse your request,] the aranea said. [Perhaps if you are still interested in a couple of months from now we might be able to help you, but we are currently busy with… the renovation of our settlement and cannot help you. I hope you understand.]

Zorian stared the two aranea in front of him. That the matriarch of the Yellow Cavern Guardians came to greet him with only one guard was already pretty strange, but her nervous, twitchy behaviors did nothing to still his paranoia. Thankfully, it didn't seem she was planning on doing anything to him, she just seemed generally stressed and frightened. In fact, her guard was just as nervous, and so was the sentry he initially contacted. The entire web seemed to be on edge for some reason.

The matriarch returned his stare with one of her own, her body shifting from time to time to switch focus between him and his golem, trying to divine something about them through intense scrutiny.

[I am sorry if I am making you nervous,] Zorian said. [I assure you that the golem is-]

[We are not threatened by your stupid toy!] She snapped. [We have far more pressing-]

She suddenly cut herself off and remained silent for a second before reestablishing telepathic communication.

[I am sorry. I let my temper get the better of me. Please, just leave. It is dangerous for you to remain here.]

[You are being threatened by someone,] Zorian guessed. A spike of emotion and images came from the link, hard to interpret but not totally incomprehensible. [Correction, something. A monster. A thing from the depths?]

[This talk is over,] the matriarch said icily. [If you don't go away, I will attack you.]

[Perhaps I could help?] Zorian tried.

[No, you cannot,] she said. [You are unwanted here. Leave. Now.]

What else could he do? He left.

- break -

[Yes.]

[Yes?] Zorian repeated in surprise. [Just like that?]

Bridge of Moonlight Connecting Ten Thousand Shores, the matriarch of the River Navigators, gave him a searching look. [Was I not supposed to agree? You gave a convincing offer. I could really use those telepathic relays to connect all our outposts together. I've been trying to buy some of those from the Filigree Sages for ages now, but the greedy bastards keep increasing the price.]

Honestly, considering how his previous visits had gone, he'd half-expected the River Navigators consult the river currents about whether or not they should teach him and then inform him that the river said no. That was just about how his luck worked, apparently. But no, they just patiently listened to his offer and promptly agreed. It was almost anticlimactic, but Zorian wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

[The Filigree Sages have telepathic relays? And here I thought I was being original when I made them…] he complained. Though it kind of did make sense that some of the aranea would try to make something like that. It was probably more unusual that no one else had them…

[If it makes you feel any better, they are the only web I know of that have them, and they refuse to share them with the rest of us,] Bridge of Moonlight said. [They won't even sell the finished product to us, lest we figure out how to make them from live examples.]

Ah, of course - the tendency of spellcasters everywhere to jealously hoard their knowledge and share bare scraps with others. A major part of why Ikosian magical tradition was so successful was that it had mechanisms for overcoming that – widely-accessible schools to teach everyone proper basics, state-sponsored libraries to preserve spellbooks and make them available to aspiring mages, legal frameworks for apprenticeships and magical monopolies, and so on. Even with that, there were a lot of cases of mages taking priceless magical knowledge with them to their graves because they had never entrusted anyone with their secrets.

Zorian decided that if he ever managed to escape from the time loop alive, he was going to write a book about psychic powers to make sure people like him don't have to jump through the same hoops he had to in order to master their abilities. He wasn't sure how much of his knowledge would be transmissible through a simple written medium, but he would try.

Three days later, when Zorian provided the first shipment of telepathic relays and proved they worked as advertised (plus warded one of their storage caves against various vermin), they introduced him to Mind Like Fire, his new mind magic teacher.

[Your name is surprisingly short by aranean standards,] he told her.

[The names you hear are simply approximations of their original meaning in aranean mind-speak,] she said. [Our names are all of similar length, but since our languages are so different, it is often hard to translate certain concepts without ending up rather verbose. Though in my opinion, many aranea also enjoy making the translation as grandiose-sounding as possible. Are you ready for your lesson?]

[Yes.]

[Excellent. First, let me tell you what I mean to teach you. Feel free to stop me if you already know something I included in my lesson plan or have any objections.]

Zorian nodded, settling down on the small chair provided for him and glancing at his surroundings. The room they were in was pretty well done for something built and furnished deep in the dungeon by a bunch of giant telepathic spiders – it had a proper table and some chairs, a pair of decorative cabinets (they were completely empty; Zorian got curious and checked when he was left alone at one point), and even a couple of landscape paintings hanging of the walls. Only the lack of any windows and an expensive, clearly magical lamp perched on the table indicated that he was not in some medium-grade hotel on the surface.

He found it interesting that the River Navigators had a room in their settlements that was clearly intended for humans – it meant they received human visitors often enough they felt the need to make a guest room for them. He should probably ask them about that later.

[The first thing I intend to teach you is how to encase your mind in a defensive mental shell. It is one of the simplest and most expensive means of mental defense, but also one of the most effective ones. The name is indicative; much like your exoskeleton protects your soft, squishy insides-] Lady, I don't think you understand how human anatomy works… [-so too does this technique create a form of mental exoskeleton to protect your vulnerable thoughts.]

[So, basically, it is the psychic equivalent of a 'mind shield' spell?] asked Zorian.

[Show me,] she demanded.

Zorian complied. He channeled mana through the amulet hanging around his neck and his mind was instantly encased in a protective magical shell that repelled all mental intrusion.

For a full minute, his teacher remained silent and still, unable to establish telepathic communication with him but also not giving any indication that he should drop the spell. He decided to keep it up until she signaled him somehow, but that moment never arrived. Instead, after about two minutes of nothing happening, her telepathic voice rang in his head again.

Despite the fact the mind shield was still on.

[As I thought,] she said smugly. [The spell is neat in its simplicity, but it ultimately suffers from the same drawbacks common to nearly all human mind magic. Namely, it gives you no feedback whatsoever when attacks start interacting with your defenses. You didn't even feel it when I slipped past it, did you?]

[I do feel it when sufficiently powerful attacks interact with it,] Zorian protested.

[That's not feedback, that's damage leaking through without totally collapsing the whole thing,] she scoffed. [No, while this thing may have served you in the past, it is thoroughly inadequate for my purposes. A real mind shell, the sort I will teach you to produce, will be far better than this. It will be many times stronger than what your spell can manage, and infinitely more adaptive and responsive. You will be able to sense probing attacks, too subtle to actually damage your defenses but indicative of what your opponent is planning. You will be able to repair and reinforce your defenses without tearing the whole thing down and starting from scratch. You will be able to strike back without dropping your whole mental shield to do so…]

[Sounds wonderful,] Zorian said. He collapsed the spell, since it clearly wasn't doing anything at the moment. [Though if I may be so rude, I do think there is one thing where human magics generally beat your psychic powers.]

[Oh?]

[They generally require no attention from the caster to keep affecting the target, and they expose the caster to far less risk of mental retaliation by their victims. From what I can tell, that is not true for psychic powers.]

[True,] she acknowledged. [But I think the inflexible nature of those spells is too much of a weakness to make up for those advantages. But we've digressed enough – after you learn how to defend your mind a bit we will move onto attack and retaliation…]

It did not take long for Zorian to realize that Mind Like Fire was very serious about her job. Far from teaching him only the bare minimum and meeting him once a week or so like he had assumed she would, she scheduled lessons with him every single day and demanded every shred of effort and patience he could spare. The lessons basically consisted of him lovingly constructing a mental shell around his mind before Mind Like Fire mercilessly took it apart, only backing off when his defenses collapsed from the strain. It was a good thing he had decided not to turn on his suicide contingencies before going into her lessons, because they would have gone off at the end of the very first day due to all the headaches he had suffered in the process.

Still, Zorian couldn't complain. This was basically what he was searching for all this time, wasn't it? True, it was a lot more painful than he had imagined, leaving him bedridden for hours after the lessons ended, but it was also a lot more effective than he had thought it would be. His ability to shield his mind was improving fast, and after the first week Mind Like Fire started bringing 'guest teachers' to give him experience with attackers different from her own.

Not that everything was perfect. For one thing, Mind Like Fire had a Xvim-like obsession with getting the basics right and refused to teach him anything else until he mastered the 'mind shell' technique to her liking, and she had some pretty high standards. For another, the River Navigators spontaneously raised the price of their cooperation twice, first demanding of him another ten relays if he wanted to continue the lessons, and then urging him to help them kill some kind of giant mole monster that was threatening one of their outposts. The mole-thing didn't look particularly dangerous to Zorian, but apparently it was resistant to mind magic and too tough to bring down with their meager magical skills. Though annoyed at the sudden and completely unwarranted demands, Zorian decided to play things their way, easily producing another ten relays and luring the giant mole into a minefield he had set up for it. As tempted as he was to break the whole arrangement on principle, the fact was that Mind Like Fire was simply too good of a teacher to lose.

Before the restart ended, Zorian had once again visited the Illustrious Gem Collectors, gifted them some more crystalized mana (to the matriarch's continued protests that he was being too generous) and told them a little about his experiences. They had nothing new to tell him, however, so his visit was largely pointless in the end.

Upon the start of the next restart he once again teleported to Knyazov Dveri to perform his preparations and then promptly contacted the River Navigators with the offer, deciding not to contact the Illustrious Gem Collectors this time. The River Navigators were just as quick to accept his offer as they had been in the previous restart, and they once again assigned Mind Like Fire as his teacher.

Not particularly surprising, as he soon found out. Now that he showed some pre-existing skill, she actually allowed him to have some breaks during the lessons where she would tell him a little about herself and her web. She was literally their mind magic teacher, and was thus the most logical person for the job. Although she usually taught aranean children, rather than adults…

Maybe Zorian was a little too prideful, but the fact that they had sent their elementary school teacher to conduct his lessons kind of burned.

[Prepare yourself,] Mind Like Fire suddenly stated, and Zorian knew the break was over.

He quickly erected the shell around his mind, a simple blast of telepathic noise washing over it harmlessly. Mind blasts like that one were the simplest form of telepathic attack, one that even Zorian could produce, and they had no chance in hell of punching through a solid defense like he was currently sporting. It was the fastest attack most telepaths could manage, though, and Mind Like Fire always started a battle with one of those to see if she could catch him unprepared with it. That used to actually happen, back when he was still starting and was struggling to call up the mental shell on a moment's notice, but even after it stopped working on him she persisted doing that at the start of every battle.

Immediately after the blast subsided, he felt pinpricks skittering across his shell, looking for flaws and weaknesses. He had tried to be clever in the past by deliberately creating weak spots and then quickly shoring them up when she committed to an attack, but he quickly learned that was a risky tactic to employ at his level of skill so these days he was more passive and reactive.

Soon enough, once she was convinced there were no obvious flaws in his defense, she tried to create some. Sudden, concentrated mental bursts slammed into his mental shell, seeking to crack it by concentrating all their energy against a specific portion of the shell. He recognized that attack as the one that the Sword Divers had used to smash his 'mind shield' spell and ravage his mind. Not surprising they had used that, he was informed, since that type of attack was specifically designed to punch through mental barriers. 'Mind spike', the aranea called it. Unlike the last time he was faced with this attack mode, however, he had a shiny new mental defense and was facing only one attacker. He felt the spikes hit his shield but it held, and he quickly repaired all the damage and reinforced that part of the shell to withstand future attacks.

Mind Like Fire promptly switched targets, bombarding another, different portion of his mental shell. And when that didn't work, she moved on to the next, and the next, steadily speeding up her attacks until Zorian was straining to hold his mental shell intact. She began mixing in low-powered probing attacks in between mind spikes, masking the tiny pinpricks among the sheer intensity of her barrage and looking for any cracks created by her assault. Zorian frantically worked to patch up damage and reinforce the shell in places where he detected her probes, and somehow held on until her attack attenuated.

Success. His shell usually cracked during that last phase. Maybe now she would-

A massive vise of telepathic pressure closed around his mind from all sides, crushing and grinding without mercy or end. The attack, the unimaginatively but appropriately named 'mind crush', closed around his mental shell like an armored fist around a soap bubble. And, weakened as it was from the previous barrage, the shell promptly broke like one too. Zorian experienced a brief flash of blinding pain in his head before Mind Like Fire realized she'd won and let the attack dissipate.

"Motherfucker," Zorian swore loudly, massaging his temples and not even bothering with telepathy to express his displeasure. "Did you really have to finish things off with that attack?"

[Yes,] Mind Like Fire said simply.

"Ugh," Zorian groaned.

[I'll give you five minutes before we go for round two,] she said.

"I take back everything nice I've ever thought about you," Zorian told her. "You're pure evil."

[My other students agree with you. There is a reason why I was named Mind Like Fire, you see,] she said. [Four more minutes left.]

Damn it.

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Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 035

2015-08-18T20:58:25Z

Thorlong: Created page with "=Mistakes Have Been Made= 'The beginning of the restart is always the most annoying part of the time loop,' Zorian mused quietly, standing on one of the arrival platforms in..."

=Mistakes Have Been Made=

'The beginning of the restart is always the most annoying part of the time loop,' Zorian mused quietly, standing on one of the arrival platforms in Cirin's train station. He pulled a watch out of his pocket and inspected it for a minute before putting it back with a sigh. The train was late. The train was always late, because this was less than a day into the restart and there hadn't really been time for anything important to diverge yet.

It was in times like these that he wondered why he even bothered going through this charade in every restart when he could just teleport out of his room at the start of every new loop and be done with it. It would save him hours of frustration and he knew from a couple of previous restarts that nobody threw a manhunt after him if he did that. He'd basically get an extra half a day each restart – that would add up to something significant pretty quickly, wouldn't it?

But, just as they always did when he considered that option, his thoughts turned to what the reaction of his mother and Kirielle would be at such a move. He never eavesdropped on them during those restarts where he hightailed out of the house at the earliest opportunity, but he couldn't imagine either of them taking it well. He didn't get along with mother all that well, but he knew she cared for him in her own infuriating way and Kirielle…

He looked at Kirielle, standing sullenly some distance from him. The downside of his increasing empathy skills was that he knew just how devastated Kirielle was at not getting to come with him to Cyoria. If that was so upsetting, he couldn't even imagine how she would react if he did his disappearing trick immediately after he chased her out of his room. There was no way he could do that to her, no matter how much sense it made. He was feeling guilty enough about her as it was.

He walked up to her and ruffled her hair, which caused her to snap out of her funk temporarily in order to slap his hand away and give him a fierce glare. Or at least what she thought was a fierce glare, anyway.

"Don't be so gloomy, Kiri," he said. She said nothing, but the spike of anger and resentment he detected in his empathy was answer enough.

Damn it…

"Look," he told her. "I'll bring you with me the next time I go to Cyoria, okay?"

She gave him a startled look as her mind processed what he just said and then looked away with a pout. For a moment he thought she wouldn't say anything, but then her mind stopped cycling between different emotions and settled on faint, suppressed hope.

"You promise?" she finally mumbled after a few seconds.

"Yes," he said seriously. "I promise."

In the back of his mind, Zorian realized he really meant it, too. When he finally decided to go back to Cyoria, he was bringing Kirielle with him. It wasn't sensible in the least – it would cost him considerable time and attention to keep an eye on her and she would be in far greater danger than if he left her behind – but he was going to do it anyway. Not just for Kirielle's sake, either. He kind of missed living at Imaya's place with Kirielle, Kael and Kana…

He had to take a step back to regain his balance when Kirielle rammed into him, wrapping him in a hug and burying her face in his stomach.

"You better not lie," she said, looking up at him with suspicious, narrowed eyes. "I'll never forgive you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Zorian scoffed, pulling at her nose until she let go of him. A loud whistle pierced the air, signifying that the train had finally arrived at the station. "I have to go now. We'll talk about this when I come back."

Fifteen minutes later Zorian watched a much happier Kirielle waving enthusiastically at him as the train departed from the station. Zorian responded with a much more restrained wave of his own and smiled. Maybe it hadn't been the smartest decision to make, but it was the right one nonetheless.

- break -

Zorian spent the entirety of the short train ride to Teshingrad trying to perform a headcount of his fellow passengers using his mind sense – a surprisingly difficult endeavor due to the anti-shaping ward placed on the train. While not remotely able to actually stop him from sensing minds, the minor magical static produced by the ward compounded quickly with distance, effectively cutting his range in half. It was uncannily reminiscent of the similar magical static that suffused the dungeon, which had much the same effect.

Hmm… now that he thought about it, that was probably what had inspired the ward in the first place. Did that mean that practicing magic inside a ward like this one would help him learn how to filter out the Dungeon static? Something to think about, in any case. Making a series of progressively stronger disruption wards to practice on sounded like a lot better idea than his original plan (which mostly consisted of trying to brute force things by practicing teleportation in the Dungeon until he got it right).

Once he disembarked from the train, Zorian teleported to Knyazov Dveri and immediately descended into the local Dungeon, where he proceeded to pick up every single piece of crystallized mana he had discovered in the previous restart before his unfortunate encounter with the eyebeast. When he tried to cash them in at the Delver Village shop he used for the purpose, however, he ran into… problems.

Apparently, there was a huge difference between going into the dungeon a couple of times and returning with a handful of crystals each time (what he did in the previous restart) and going in there once and returning with an entire bag of crystalized mana after a few hours. Not only did the shop not have enough money on hand to buy the whole batch off of him, the fact he had brought back such wealth after a single foray into the Dungeon caused far more of a stir than Zorian would have ever guessed. After all, you just don't do that kind of stuff unless you have some kind of secret method that is better than everyone else's or you were lucky enough to hit some kind of motherlode. Either possibility automatically made him a person of interest to every dungeon delver in Knyazov Dveri, as well as quite a few other people as well.

Any sort of plan he had for the restart immediately crashed and burned. There was just too much attention focused on him, which made it impossible to pursue tasks discreetly or talk to people as a relative unknown. His divination wards got an extensive field test due to the incessant magical spying he had been subjected to ever since, and while Zorian thought they held up admirably in face of foreign assault, he couldn't actually be sure they were never bypassed. One enterprising spy actually painted spell formula onto living moths and turned them into semi-autonomous voice recorders – if Zorian hadn't tried to chase them off with telepathy and found it curious they kept getting back towards him regardless he probably would have never noticed. How many others had done similar things without him figuring out what they'd done?

Of course, not everyone went with the cloak and dagger stuff. A lot of people simply wanted to talk to him about their amazing offer and what not, and few of them took his 'no thanks' quietly. At least one group outright attacked him when he told them to get lost, though thankfully they weren't all that good at actual fighting and were sent running easily enough. There was also at least one attempt to break into his room, which ended with a would-be thief electrocuted for his trouble and earned Zorian a stern talking-to by the law enforcement regarding excessively lethal security measures.

Finally, after a week of dodging aggressive recruitment efforts and repelling the myriad magical probes directed at him, Zorian decided to admit defeat and leave Knyazov Dveri. He failed to save Lukav and Alanic anyway, due to all the scrutiny he was under, so there was little reason to stay in the town and every reason to leave. He simply picked up all of his belongings, including a handful of bigger mana crystals he'd never managed to sell, and teleported as far south as he could manage.

Live and learn, he supposed. The next time he tried to pull off that trick, he should sell it outside of Knyazov Dveri and probably not all at once in the same shop. It was probably smartest to go to Korsa and Eldemar, since they were big cities that probably saw far more traffic in mana crystals and had plenty of shops to sell to. Though Cyoria would probably be even better in that regard, once he was ready to go back there – it was not only big, but also the magical center of the whole continent.

But no matter, the restart was still salvageable – there were plenty of things to do outside of Knyazov Dveri. For instance, finding the aranean webs to trade with. He knew they existed all over the continent, but other than the destroyed one under Cyoria, he didn't really know the exact location of any of them. Even if he wasn't ready to actually deal with them properly yet, it wouldn't hurt to spend a restart or two just locating every single web he could find and see just how friendly and receptive to trade each of them was. If Spear of Resolve was to be believed, they were unlikely to attack him outright just for contacting them. Modern aranea were descendants of aranea who grew in power after trading with humans, after all, so most of them should be at least mildly receptive to the idea of doing it again.

New goal set, Zorian teleported to Eldemar, the kingdom's capital, to visit the Cartographer's Society library. As far as map collections went, theirs was without equal, and it was largely free for perusal as well – so long as you never destroyed anything, you only had to pay for maps you wanted the library to copy for you. Zorian had spent a few days there the last time he had visited the capital, just browsing the shelves for any map that caught his fancy, and swore he would visit again when he had the time. This seemed as good an excuse as any.

"I dearly hope that's not one of our maps you are writing on, young sir," the voice behind Zorian's shoulder said. "As far as the library is concerned, that would undisputedly be destruction of our property."

Zorian jumped in surprise at the voice, too absorbed in his research to notice the librarian sneaking up at him. He looked at the map in front of him, heavily annotated and fighting for desk space with several stacks of map cases, travel journals and atlases and then shifted his attention to the old, bearded librarian behind him.

"It's not," he told the man. "It's the cheapest map of Eldemar I could find in a store I found on the way."

"Hmm. Would you object if I ask you what you are working on? It is rare to see such a young man here, especially one who is so absorbed in his research."

"I'm trying to find an aranean colony," said Zorian, not seeing the need to lie.

"And those are?"

"Magical talking spiders."

"Ah. Sounds like an intriguing project," said the old librarian. "I'll leave you to it. As friendly advice, I will note that it would have probably been cheaper to just have the library make a few copies of the maps you were interested in. The Cartographer's Society is not a profit-seeking organization and we try to keep the prices down as much as possible."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Zorian. "Say, since we're on the subject of copies… do you think I could learn how to copy documents like that from someone? Or is it some big secret of yours?"

"It is no secret," the librarian said. "The official policy of the Society is that maps should be as widely disseminated as possible, and we do not have a monopoly on that type of magic."

"Oh good," said Zorian. He knew a few ways to magically copy documents, but they relied on animating writing instruments to transcribe the contents. That didn't work all that well on non-textual content, and was slow even for written works. The spell used by the Cartographer's Society made perfect duplicates of any given map, down to every detail and shade, with only a single spell. "So does that mean you're open to teaching me how to cast the spell?"

"I'm afraid that isn't one of the services offered by this library. However, if you visit the main offices of the Cartographer's Society, you can sign up for some basic classes in map-related magic, map making, map handling, and map-related research like you're doing right now," the librarian said. "The prices are very affordable and it would probably help you in your quest to find these 'aranea' as well."

Zorian hummed speculatively.

"I guess I'll check it out," he said. He certainly had no shortage of money, thanks to his ill-considered stunt at the start of the restart, and he was going to have to spend a few days in Eldemar one way or the other.

The librarian soon left Zorian to his own devices again, and he considered the map in front of him. He didn't have anything concrete yet, but he had several likely places to look for an aranean web. Korsa, Jatnik, Gozd and Padina were all large cities that had dungeon access and would be easy to reach from Cyoria, the source of the aranean expansion wave. One of them was bound to have the aranea living close by, and they might be willing to give him the location of nearby webs if he asked nicely (or bribed them sufficiently). Korsa was especially suspicious, since the city had an extensive textile industry, including one dealing in special clothes made out of spider silk. They got most of their raw material from Cyoria – unsurprising, as it produced the lion's share of the stuff – but at least some of it was gathered locally… 'from a mostly harmless breed of giant spiders native to the region'.

Yeah. Totally not an aranean colony.

Zorian made a small note in his notebook to track down every settlement that produced spider silk in any significant amount and decided to end the search for the day.

- break -

Zorian spent five days in Eldemar, though in all honesty he got everything he could about possible aranean sites on day three. The other two days were mostly so he could relax a bit and mentally prepare himself for what was to come. The idea of an impending meeting with another group of aranea left him in a depressed mood, since it reminded him of what happened to the previous group of aranea that had gotten involved with him, and that wasn't exactly the best mindset with which to go and meet a bunch of telepaths. He did his best to distract himself by sight-seeing around the capital and browsing various magical stores he encountered.

He only browsed, though, never actually bought anything - Eldemar was a terribly expensive place to live in, he'd found. Everything, from room and board to already expensive magical reagents had higher prices in the capital than anywhere else Zorian had stayed at. 'Higher quality demands higher payments,' the merchants assured him. What a load of crap. He suspected the average citizen in Eldemar was simply richer than those in the rest of the country and could thus pay more. The large number of theaters, art houses and music halls present in the city certainly indicated that the inhabitants had plenty of money to burn.

That aside, the city was nice. Orderly. The royal quarter was walled in and off-limits to uninvited commoners like him, but that didn't mean that the government left the rest of the city outside their little bubble rot. There were no obvious slums that Zorian could find – All of the buildings were well cared for and the streets free of trash and decay. Police patrolled everywhere, and were even joined by a group of well-armed soldiers at one point.

Asking around, he found that security was always tight. Eldemar had been a favorite target for saboteurs during the Splinter Wars, at least one of which managed to set the entire city ablaze. The fire consumed many important buildings, including both of Eldemar's magical academies and its central library. By the time the city had recovered and rebuilt, most of the mages and their attendant facilities had already moved to Cyoria, cementing its rise as a magical nexus of the continent. Eldemar's citizens still seemed bitter about that, harboring a fair amount of resentment over the fact. In any case, security was upgraded immensely in the aftermath of the fire, and never really went away. Even their underworld was thoroughly purged and resculpted into something more manageable. Dungeon delving was forbidden within city limits – instead, the royal family sent in the army into the depths several times a year to get rid of anything remotely dangerous they could find.

Basically, he could cross Eldemar from the list of possible candidates to have an aranean colony. If it ever existed, it was almost certainly wiped out or chased away at this point. It also helped explain why the invaders targeted Cyoria instead of Eldemar, even though Eldemar contained the royal palace, treasury and most of the government buildings - much juicier targets if one intended to collapse a country and destabilize the continent. The city was too well guarded for such a large-scale attack to take them by surprise.

He ended up taking the classes offered by the Cartographer's Society. More accurately, he paid extra to have an instructor assigned to him for individual lessons, so he could save some time. Zorian was pleasantly surprised by the mage they sent him in response – the young man assigned to him was polite and straightforward in his teaching methods. A welcome reprieve from Zorian's usual luck with teachers. He only attended three sessions with the man, but that was enough to give him a plethora of mapping spells, not all of which dealt with classical paper maps. Zorian's personal favorite in that bunch was a spell that created a miniature illusionary replica of the caster's surroundings above their palm – that had been fun to play with.

It was tempting to just spend the rest of the restart goofing around with maps and visiting various curiosities in the capital, but he didn't. He had a task to do, and an invisible time limit counting in the background. At the end of the fifth day, he gathered up his things and set off for Korsa to find the aranea.

- break -

Korsa was a big city – the third biggest city in the kingdom, to be precise, right after Cyoria and Eldemar. Even though Zorian was certain the aranea were in there somewhere, he knew it would take him ages to find them if he searched for them by exploring the local Dungeon. So he didn't even try. Instead he approached the textile manufacturer that produced spider silk products and flat out asked him to introduce him to the aranea.

The man refused, claiming he had no idea what Zorian was talking about before throwing him out of his store with a warning to never come back again. Harsh. Still, Zorian never actually expected his request to be granted. He just wanted the man to inform his aranea trading partners that there was this strange kid going around town asking people about them. If the local aranea were anything like those in Cyoria, that would get their attention in a flash. He wouldn't have to look for them because they would be looking for him.

It took less than two days for the aranea to track him down.

It was late in the evening of his second day in Korsa when Zorian felt an aranean signature enter his radius. Considering he was currently sitting on a small hill on the outskirts of Korsa, surrounded with a lot of grass and fields and nothing of any importance whatsoever, he felt confident that it was here for him.

[Greetings,] Zorian sent telepathically. [I am Zorian Kazinski. I have come to trade.]

Aranean minds were still too strange for him to recognize their emotions easily, but he felt sure the aranea was thoroughly shocked when he spoke to her.

[You are Open?] the aranea asked after a few seconds.

[Yes,] Zorian confirmed. He decided not to mention the Cyorian aranea and his connection to them for now – for all he knew they might have been mortal enemies or something. [May I know who I am talking to?]

[I am Seeker of the Eight Universal Paths, of the Sword Divers Web,] the aranea sent. [You can simply call me Seeker.]

[Seeker then. I would like to start by apologizing for the way I attracted your attention, but I didn't know how else to contact you. I hope I haven't caused too much of a stir,] Zorian said. [I hope we can work with each other despite this somewhat rough start.]

[I'm afraid I am not qualified to negotiate on behalf of my web, so I cannot make any firm promises. My task was only to find you and report my findings to the web,] Seeker responded. Translation: she was supposed to trawl through Zorian's memories to see what his deal was, but him being psychic kind of made that impractical. [That said, I'm sure a small incident like this one can be easily smoothed over if you refrain from scaring us like this in the future. Just so I know what to report to the matriarch, what kind of trade are you proposing?]

[I want to trade for knowledge and training,] said Zorian. [Specifically, I want your help in learning how to wield my psychic abilities.]

[You already seem fairly proficient in them, though,] Seeker pointed out. She sent a weak psychic probe to worm its way through Zorian's defenses but promptly retracted it when Zorian harshly slapped it down. [Not many humans can use telepathy so smoothly, and even fewer would have noticed that probe.]

[You flatter me, but we both know I am but a rank beginner when it comes to mind arts,] Zorian said. [I wish to move beyond bare basics in the field. At the very least I want to get a better grasp on telepathic combat and develop memory manipulation abilities.]

Seeker produced a burst of uncertainty and surprise over the link that Zorian didn't quite know how to interpret. Some kind of aranean curse, maybe?

[You are certainly ambitious, young human,] Seeker said. [I hope you realize that this is not really a small thing you are asking for. I don't believe the leadership will be happy with that idea. What exactly do you offer in return?]

[I have a number of magical items that I believe would be very useful to aranea, including one that allows telepathic communication over vast distances. Since I am the inventor and maker of such devices, I am open to requests in regard to their modification to suit your needs better. Since I am also a capable mage in general, I can help you out in any task that would benefit from human-style magic. And finally, I have access to important news that I would rather not discuss at this time, and which I suspect would greatly interest you.]

There was a short pause as the aranea absorbed this, after which is responded with a note of tentative acceptance.

[I see,] Said Seeker. [As I said, I am not in the position to agree to any deals, but I shall present your case to the matriarch and we'll see the result. Is there anything else you wish for me to note?]

[Not really, no. I would like to know how I can contact you properly in the future, if you don't mind.]

Seeker was silent for a few moments before sending him a mental map of Korsa's lower sewers with three distinct locations marked with a tiny blue sun.

[You can contact us by going to any one of these three places, but please don't be impatient. It will probably take a couple of days before we're prepared to talk to you again and impatience isn't going to endear you to us.]

[Fair enough,] Zorian said. He had no intention of staying inside Korsa for days while they deliberated on whether to give him his time of the day or not, but fortunately he didn't have to. He could kill two birds with one stone by giving them means of contacting him wherever he may be, while also providing a tangible example of what he was offering to them.

He removed a large wooden disc out of his jacket and placed it on the ground before him.

[This is a telepathic relay,] Zorian told Seeker. [Anyone touching it will be able to get ahold of the person holding the matching pair, regardless of distance. In this particular case, that someone is me. I'm not going to be in Korsa for long so use this to contact me when you've reached your decision.]

[I'm not bringing a possible bomb into the settlement,] Seeker said. [But I guess there is no harm in dragging it off to some forgotten corner where no one will stumble upon it until we come back for it again. Farewell, Zorian Kazinski. Events permitting, we shall meet again in a few days.]

- break -

Zorian wasn't idle while the Sword Divers deliberated whether to accept his offer or not – he left Korsa to continue searching for more aranean colonies. Sadly, none of the other colonies were as easy to find as theirs, despite living beneath much smaller settlements. By the time the Sword Divers contacted him again eight days later, he only found one more colony. Illustrious Gem Collectors lived under a small village near Ticlin and, although perfectly friendly and polite, immediately informed him that they had an exclusive contract with the leaders of the village to only engage in trade with them and none else. Unfortunate. That said, they were perfectly willing to tell Zorian the locations of five other webs in their vicinity that might be more open to the idea, so that was still a win in his book.

Before Zorian had the chance to check out any of them, however, he finally received a call from the Sword Divers that they were ready to make a deal. At this point the restart only had a week and a half left in it, so Zorian doubted he would get much out of the agreement, but he went to meet with them regardless.

When he reached the designated meeting place, however, he found only two aranea waiting for him, which was very suspicious. His experience with the aranea, limited as it may be, told him there should have been a minimum of three – one negotiator and two guards. More realistically, it should have been even more of them. The Cyorian matriarch had been fond of carting at least four honor guards along with her, and that was when meeting with little old him that she knew for a fact was no threat to her. Illustrious Gem Collectors sent a total of eight aranea in their greeting party.

His suspicions were confirmed when the two aranea revealed they were just guides, meant to take him where the real meeting place was to take place. Zorian was instantly alarmed, and his paranoia was no assuaged in the least when the two aranea proceeded to lead him deep, deep into the Dungeon beneath Korsa. Too deep for his liking.

"Okay, we're stopping here. This is as far as I'm willing to go," said Zorian out loud, purposely not bothering to communicate with his guides telepathically. His voice resonated unnervingly in the large cavern they were in, and the two aranea flinched at the harsh sound of his voice.

[Please, be patient,] one of them said nervously. [We're not far from the meeting place. It will only take a little to reach it.]

"Well, then it shouldn't be too big of a problem for you to go fetch them and tell them to come here," Zorian said. "The exact place shouldn't matter much unless you are trying to lead me into an ambush."

The sudden stiffening of their bodies told Zorian everything he needed to know. He had just enough time to channel mana into the 'mind shield' spell inscribed on the medallion he wore under his shirt for the occasion before two mental attacks slammed into his newly-erected barrier like a pair of sledgehammers. He immediately fired an overpowered magic missile at one of the aranea in front of them, crushing her like a grape. Her mind instantly winked out and disappeared from his mind sense.

The other aranea, realizing it would never batter down his mental shield fast enough, jumped straight at him, fangs bared. It bounced back harmlessly off the shield he erected in front of himself. Zorian drew his spell rod out of his belt and pointed it at her.

"Why do this?" Zorian asked her. "Tell me and maybe I won't just incinerate you on the spot?" Zorian asked her.

She didn't answer. After a second, Zorian realized with some embarrassment she couldn't, seeing how his mind was totally shielded from her at the moment. He dismissed the shield for the moment, but kept the spell rod trained at her.

[Please, I don't know anything!] she mentally whined. Zorian kept alert for any surprises she might send at him over the telepathic link, but she didn't even try. She seemed completely overcome with terror. [I was just supposed to lead you there, nobody told me the reasons! Please don't kill me, I don't want to die!]

Zorian growled before shoving the suddenly glowing spell rod at her. Her fear spiked for a moment and she let a terrified screech, curling upon itself in preparation for her demise… and then suddenly stopped when all that happened was a bubble of force springing into existence around her.

Just then Zorian felt two additional aranean signatures speeding towards him from the direction his two 'guides' had been leading him to. Then another, and another…

Shit. The two must have sent a warning to the main ambush force. He gave the surviving 'guide' a brief glare, causing her to curl up inside her force cage, and then started running towards the surface. He knew for a fact that humans were way faster than aranea so it should be possible to simply outrun the pursuers and-

There were eight more aranean minds in front of him, blocking off his path of retreat.

Zorian cursed his rotten luck and he skidded to a halt, trying to think of a way out of this. His mind shield wasn't going to last long against… 16 araneas!? No, 18, two were just slow runners apparently.

Six telepathic attacks slammed into his mind shield, failing to break it but causing him to stagger drunkenly as his vision swam and his balance went haywire. He wondered for a moment why only six of them had attacked his mind when so many more of them were in range before he remembered his talks with Novelty about telepathic combat. Battering down mental shields like this one too vigorously could easily destroy the mind underneath.

Seven attacks this time. His mind shield still held, but only just barely, and he collapsed on his knees in response regardless.

They weren't trying to kill him. Of course not – what would have been the point of that? No, they were aiming to capture…

Zorian almost lost consciousness as nine attacks slammed into his mental shield, crushed it like an egg and then ripped straight into his unprotected mind. The pain was excruciating, blanking out all thought and making it impossible to concentrate on anything. There was something he needed to do, he was sure, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what exactly it was…

He felt his muscles lock up as an alien mind seized his motor control away from him and started rooting in his head for facts and memories. He had to do… something… had to…

Suddenly an image flashed before him, of two necklaces hanging from his neck, one of them inscribed with the defensive spell that ultimately failed him and the other that contained…

His mind suddenly snapped back into place, his course of action clear. Activate the suicide rings, that's what he had to do. He felt the alien mind panic as it realized what he was going to do, and felt three more attacks rip through his thoughts. They were far weaker than the ones that broke through his shield, but his mind was unprotected now and they felt like hot knives driven into brain. He held onto the thought, though, the idea that he had to activate those rings no matter what. He forgot what the rings really did when the mental knives hit, forgot why they matter or where he was and what he was doing, but he still knew what he had to do. Had to… had to…

A weak, gentle pulse of mana poured into the rings around his neck and the world suddenly became awash in light and heat.

Then there was only darkness.

- break -

Like many times before, Zorian woke up in his room back in Cyoria. However, there was no Kirielle jumping on him to wake him up this time, and it was late in the evening instead of early in the morning.

Also, he had a blinding headache. Can't forget about that part.

Suddenly the door cracked open and a familiar head peaked inside tentatively, as if afraid what it would find inside. Zorian squinted, his vision blurry without his glasses, and gave Kirielle a searching look.

Her eyes immediately widened in surprise for some reason. He reached out to her mind in order to understand what was going on and-

"Ow," he croaked painfully. Okay, apparently he wasn't supposed to do that.

"Mother! He's awake! He woke up! He woke up!" Kirielle shouted, thundering down the stairs. Zorian winced at the sound and tried to remember what happened. How the hell did he mess himself up this badly so early in the restart? The last things he remembered was…

Suddenly his memories came back rushing in, along with a fresh wave of pain, and he remembered everything. Well, not literally everything – his memories of everything after he confronted the 'guides' were fuzzy and jumbled out of order – but enough of it to understand what happened to him.

Those treacherous, motherfucking slimes!

"Zorian?"

Zorian jerked in surprise at his mother's voice, broken out of his recollection.

"Uh… I'm… sort of fine?" Zorian mumbled. "My head is killing me, but I don't think it's anything serious. Can you hand me my glasses?"

His vision cleared immensely with his glasses on, allowing him to see just how worried mother looked as she stared at him. He winced internally. He was pretty sure he knew what the problem was, but better feign ignorance…

"What happened to me?" he asked.

"You wouldn't wake up," Mother said. "You scared Kirielle like you wouldn't believe – she came running down this morning, bawling her eyes out, saying she killed you. Well, you obviously weren't dead but nothing we did could shock you awake either. We summoned a doctor, but he couldn't find anything wrong with you. As far as he could tell, you just suddenly fell into a coma for no reason."

He nodded slowly. That sounded about right. The Sword Divers really did a number on h- wait, what was that first part?

"Killed me?" he asked incredulously.

"I didn't say that!" Kirielle protested, suddenly entering the room and carrying a bowl of soup in her hands. "Mother is just making things up! It's just that I… um…"

"Relax, Kiri," Zorian sighed. "There is no way you jumping on top of me could have caused this."

The silence that followed clued him in that he'd made some sort of mistake. What did he…?

Oh. Oh damn.

"How'd you know I did that?" asked Kirielle.

"Because… that's what you always do?" Zorian tried, his mind still a little fuzzy and unresponsive. Probably why he made that kind of stupid mistake in the first place. "Hey, how about that soup, huh? Is that for me?"

"Not always," Kirielle huffed sullenly, thrusting the bowl at him. Whew, one bullet dodged. Mother was still giving him suspicious looks, though…

Zorian considered things as he practically inhaled the bowl of soup in front of him (the aranea may have scoured his mind, but there was nothing wrong with his stomach and he had not eaten for an entire day). This whole restart was probably a bust. The headache was bound to stay with him for weeks, only gradually going away, and he would be pretty useless while it lasted. On top of that, he wasn't sure if mother would even let him go to the Academy after an episode like that, so it might be impossible to leave the house without flat out running away. It might be better to best to just spend the entire month recovering and making sure his attackers didn't saddle him with any nasty surprises or permanent consequences.

He glanced at mother and Kirielle, who were both still giving him concerned looks, as if expecting him to fall apart at any particular moment, and then the empty soup bowl in his hand.

"So," he said. "You wouldn't happen to have more of this stuff, would you?"

- break -

Like he expected, mother didn't want to even hear about him going back to the academy so soon after his inexplicable coma and insisted he remain at home to recover. However, she and father had arranged for their trip to Koth in three days' time, and she was clearly loath to delay it. Since the last thing Zorian wanted was to spend any more time around his parents than necessary (even though mother had been surprisingly nice to him at the moment, he knew the effect would wear off after a few days), he was fully on board with her going through with their original plans and leaving him alone at home to recover.

In the end, mother and father did not need too much convincing to leave for their extended visit to Daimen. Zorian just had to promise to stay home for at least a month before heading back to the academy, with neighbors occasionally checking up on him to make sure he was keeping to his end of the bargain. Oh, and take Kirielle off their hands, but he no longer considered that such a chore as he once did.

Interestingly, this was the first time since he got stuck in the time loop that he had spoken to his father again. It only took a single snide comment about his 'weak, fainting son' for him to remember why. If he was lucky, this would be the last restart he had to interact with the man.

The month passed in quiet recovery. Kirielle was initially enthusiastic about 'nursing him back to health', but it took her all of two days before she got bored of playing nurse and dumped all of the cooking and household chores in his lap. He was fine with it, really – she meant well, but he wasn't a big fan of burned steak and half-cooked eggs, which was just about the only thing she knew how to make. That seemed to signify to her that he was okay, though, because she began pestering him for magic lessons soon after. Not having anything better to do with him time, he agreed. She showed much more patience for that than she did for cooking, at least.

As the restart gradually dragged to its close, Zorian breathed a sigh of relief. The attack had no lasting consequences he could detect. The headaches were annoying, but thankfully subsided quickly. By the end of the third week, they were completely gone. He had no problems using his powers after the second week or so, and he noticed no holes in his memory – even the memories of the final attack had gradually un-jumbled themselves into a proper timeline by the end of the first week, although the very end was hard to interpret due to his less than coherent state at the time. The matriarch's memory package was thankfully still whole and intact, waiting for the day he was good enough to open it properly.

He had been lucky. That could have gone far worse for him than it had in the end. Far, far worse. If he hadn't managed to activate his suicide rings in time…

But no matter – live and learn. He would just have to make sure he came better prepared when he visited the other aranea communities in the next restart. He had five other candidates from the Illustrious Gem Collectors, and they can't be all be treacherous jackasses like the Sword Divers, right? Still, he had every intention of taking better precautions in the future to make sure something like the previous restart could never happen again.

If another group of aranea tried to betray him in the future, he would be ready to show them just how big of a mistake they made in attacking him.

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Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 034

2015-08-18T20:56:48Z

Thorlong: Created page with "=Unreasonable Things= He didn't bring the papers to his room, of course. He was confident that there was no tracking spell on anything in the stack, but he was also confident..."

=Unreasonable Things=

He didn't bring the papers to his room, of course. He was confident that there was no tracking spell on anything in the stack, but he was also confident that Vazen would try to divine the location of the papers the hard way once he noticed the theft. He might even succeed, in which case Zorian didn't want them to be near anything that would automatically implicate him in the theft. No sense in taking that risk when he could simply store the papers elsewhere.

Elsewhere, in this case, meant outside Knyazov Dveri – that way the papers would be out of range of virtually every divination spell cast from inside the city. Thus, after teleporting around randomly a couple of times to confuse any theoretical trackers, Zorian's last jump took him deep into the forested wilderness to the north of the city, to a location that had a small, convenient cave nearby. He had found the place in an earlier restart, while he had been tracking down ingredients for Silverlake, and he had felt even then that it would be a nice place to set up camp at. It just needed some touch-ups here and there to make it suitable for his purposes.

He conjured a glowing lantern to light his way in the gloom of the cave and got to work. After a quick casting of an area-wide 'spook animals' spell to drive away all the bats and vermin that had taken residence in the cave, he set about using alteration magic to clean the place up and make some shelves and reading surfaces out of the rock. A while later, after he tested things for comfort and stability, he decided that stone chairs perhaps weren't the best idea and instead constructed some basic furniture out of the fallen branches he found in the surrounding forest. There – good enough for his purposes.

"Now comes the hard part," he spoke to himself.

It was time to start constructing the warding scheme for the place.

Three hours later, Zorian had layered every single divination ward that he felt could be useful and a few that he didn't, and had rechecked the whole thing twice to make sure everything was stable and worked correctly. Truthfully… he wasn't satisfied. He had an insufficient collection of different anti-divination spells to set up a proper, iron-tight warding scheme, and too little experience to properly judge what was crucial and what was not. In addition, if it took him this long to set up even this mediocre thing, how long would something more complex take? He really needed to get better at warding…

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to get better at a lot of things, but he had to prioritize. Defense against soul magic, then combat skills, then aranean mind arts. Those three things were urgent and couldn't be put off. Everything else was secondary for now, even the mystery surrounding Vazen and the documents. If stealing the documents resulted in his early death, despite the many precautions he took… well, he would just have to set the whole thing aside until he was done with his current main goal, wouldn't he?

No, his current defenses would have to be enough for now. He placed the papers he stole from Vazen on the nearby stone table he'd made from the cavern floor, sat down on a chair he'd fabricated from wooden detritus he'd dragged into the cave and began to read…

Hours later, when he was finally done reading and organizing the whole thing, he seriously contemplated burning the whole stack down and scattering the ashes in the wind. Safer that way, and probably more than a little cathartic. He had expected to find something heavily incriminating, but this was something else entirely. Why did the man keep all of his incriminating correspondence in one convenient place, anyway? If it had been Zorian in his shoes, he would have destroyed all the letters once he read them so they couldn't be used against him. Was Vazen keeping them as possible blackmail material or something? If so, that was kind of ballsy of him, considering what kind of person the man was dealing with.

Said person being Sudomir Kandrei, the mayor of Knyazov Dveri. Because of course it was the goddamn mayor that was behind everything. No wonder that telling the police about the disappearances never went anywhere – even if somebody had seriously looked into it, they would have been told pretty quickly to drop the case by their superiors. Local governors in peripheral areas such as these were basically tiny tyrants that could do as they pleased, so long as they made sure not to piss of the wrong person or stir up trouble.

Not that knowing who was responsible for the disappearances shed any light on the man's motives. When all was said and done, Vazen was merely the guy supplying Sudomir with various illegal materials and occasionally hiring shady people in Sudomir's place so the mayor couldn't be implicated in the deal. The merchant didn't even know about most of the disappearances as far as Zorian could see. In fact, Vazen's shady dealings with the mayor seemed to have been much more benign until about three months ago, when the man suddenly upped the game and started demanding much more risky merchandise, in far greater quantities, as well as started arranging full-blown assassinations like the one directed against him and Alanic. One could tell from the letters that Vazen was getting progressively more disturbed and annoyed at his 'customer' for escalating things like that, especially since Sudomir refused to elaborate on what had caused this sudden change. The 'deal' that Vazen made with a company in Cyoria, the one that Gurey was so interested in, was basically a bribe that Sudomir had arranged for Vazen to calm him down and keep him cooperative.

The blueprints and recipes contained in the documents looked kind of interesting, but there was nothing there that Zorian found really notable or sinister. The names of the three businesses that provided the documentation were something he recognized, however – they were run by people that the aranea had identified as members of the Cult of Dragon.

So. The mayor of Knyazov Dveri had some kind of connection to the Cult of the Dragon Below. Significant enough that he could arrange for them to hand over extremely valuable documentation to one of his agents for a mere pittance.

Well, the idea that this whole thing was connected to Ibasan invaders just got a lot more credible with this, though it was not Vazen that had links to them like he originally suspected. Still, the question of why he was after the soul mages around Knyazov Dveri remained. Why bother? What did the Ibasans get by doing that? Some of these people could only loosely be described as soul mages to begin with, and most of them weren't a serious threat to the Ibasan force… or anyone really.

He sighed. Like always, every answer he found seemed to bring up two more questions in its wake. He placed the papers on a nearby shelf carved into the walls of the cave, opting not to destroy them just yet, and then went back to his room to get some sleep.

- break -

After he had gotten some sleep and had a chance to think about things, he decided to put off the investigation of Sudomir's activities for some other time. No sense in stirring up the hornet's nest further when he could just wait for some future restart in which he never stole Vazen's documents and nobody knew they were even being threatened by someone.

However, as days passed without incident and nobody ever tracked down the documents to his little forest hideout, he began to relax. He didn't restart the investigation or change any of his plans, but he figured this would be a nice, relaxing restart where nothing of real note happened. He slowly absorbed Alanic's lessons in personal soul sight, fiddled with his wood golem (version three) in his free time, and made sure to cast the marker detection spell at least once per day (no change; the spell never showed anything except two markers).

And then, two weeks into the restart, he woke up in the middle of the night to see a black-clad figure with an obscured face and a knife in their hand standing over his bed.

Later on, he would wonder what had tipped him off that he was in danger, but in that moment he simply reacted. Without bothering to structure the magic into any real spell, he reached out to the blanket covering him and flung it at the assassin in a crude burst of telekinetic force. The man (probably; the build suggested a man) stumbled back as the blanket collided with him, not really hurt but surprised at the maneuver and disoriented by the sudden blindness.

Zorian scrambled to his feet, barely managing to get upright before the assassin succeeded in throwing the flimsy fabric off of him and lunged towards him. Three knife swipes later and Zorian was sporting a deep gash on his arm and a bleeding scratch on his cheek and knew for a fact that he had no chance against the man in a physical confrontation. He frantically searched the room with his eyes, trying to spot something to help himself with, and admitted to himself that sound-proofing the room may have been a slight mistake. Only slight, though, because even if he could scream for help he doubted anyone would be able to reach him before the assassin was done with him. No, the bigger mistake was that he opted to sleep with his rod of magic missiles and shielding bracelets in his desk drawer instead of taking them with him to sleep.

It was official: after this battle, regardless of outcome, he was going to cast magic missile non-stop whenever he had free time and mana to make it fully reflexive. He couldn't afford to be this defenseless when deprived of his tools.

"If I die I will blow us both up!" Zorian yelled, and meant it. The suicide necklace, at least, was always with him. Maybe he should put something other than explosives there for situations like this.

The man hesitated for a second at the proclamation, but then moved to attack again. That second was enough, though – suddenly given a moment to concentrate, Zorian blasted the man's mind with telepathic noise. The assassin flinched, aborting his attack, but he didn't go down.

Not yet, anyway. When Zorian took advantage of his momentary dizziness to smash a nearby paperweight into his face, though, he went down in a spray of blood and didn't get up again.

A minute later, after he had calmed down a little (and confirmed that the assassin, while still alive, wasn't going to get up any time soon) he decided he couldn't go to the police with this. They were effectively the mayor's underlings, and Sudomir was likely the one who ordered the man bleeding on the floor of his room to kill him. Or had someone else arrange it for him, more likely, considering his behavior from Vazen's letters. The fact that the assassin apparently had a key to his room, which was how he had bypassed Zorian's intruder alarm, didn't help his paranoia any. Regardless, he only really knew one person he could go to with this.

Already wincing at the lecture he was going to get, Zorian picked up the assassin's unconscious body and teleported to Alanic's temple.

- break -

Like Zorian hoped, Alanic readily accepted his explanation that the bleeding man he was carrying was an assassin sent to kill him and agreed to take him off his hands. He even gave Zorian a fast-acting healing potion to deal with the cuts and gashes the man inflicted upon him in their brief life-and-death struggle, and those weren't exactly cheap.

Unfortunately, he also decided that Zorian was now going to move permanently into the temple with him. According to Alanic, he had been expecting something like this to happen ever since Zorian stopped his and Lukav's killings earlier in the month and this was all the proof he needed that Zorian wasn't safe out there. Who's to say the attackers won't try again and succeed? No, as far as the warrior priest was concerned, Zorian had to be under constant guard until the situation was resolved.

Zorian really hated that idea, as it meant being effectively under house arrest for the remainder of the restart, but Alanic made it clear there was no way to blow him off without also losing his help in mastering personal soul perception. So that was that.

Despite his misgivings, however, it turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise. Since there was not much to do in a small, boring temple, Zorian found himself spending most of his time endlessly casting magic missile in an effort to make it faster and more reflexive. He did make a promise to himself, after all. In any case, those efforts attracted Alanic's attention, and he agreed to give Zorian advice on how to improve his combat magic. Admittedly, Alanic couldn't help him much in his self-imposed goal of making magic missile reflexive – that was just a matter of sufficient repetition. Instead, most of his help centered around squeezing the most out of fire spells, which appeared to be his specialty.

Thus, whenever Zorian got sick of repeatedly casting magic missile, he worked on mastering the plethora of minor fire spells whose mastery Alanic claimed would increase his ability to wield fire in combat. One made a thin ring of fire around the caster, making the prospect of melee difficult for enemies unless they were willing to get burned; Alanic claimed a skilled caster could increase and decrease the radius of the ring from moment to moment, cause it to split into several weaker rings for better coverage, as well as move the center of the ring's alignment up and down along the caster's body. The second conjured a small flock of fully autonomous, sparrow-sized birds made out of fire to harass the enemy; that one was supposed to be practice for weaving animation magic into fire spells, as the usefulness of the spell depended entirely on how well animated the birds were. And so on, and on, and on. Alanic knew a lot of minor fire spells.

"Only twenty?" Alanic asked. "Come on kid, I know you can do better…"

Zorian ignored him, patiently herding the twenty marble-sized fire orbs into gentle orbits around himself. Casting the spell itself was super-easy. Controlling the 20 conjured fire orbs simultaneously was not.

"I don't want to tire myself out too quickly," Zorian said, testing his control over the orbs by having a couple of them fly out of formation. He had already given himself a nasty burn the last time he used the spell by accidentally slamming one of the fire orbs into the back of his hand and was not looking forward to a repeat performance. The ability to direct the orbs as you wish was an interesting advantage, but that also meant there was little in the way of safety features inherent in the spell. "I'll run out of mana too quickly if I start summoning 50 fire orbs all at once."

"You shouldn't be casting the spell a lot anyway," Alanic said. "Sustaining the orbs is by far cheaper than constantly recreating them. The point is to take control of them, and recasting the spell doesn't help you with that. You're just letting your fear of getting burnt control you."

"Well yeah, I don't want to accidentally burn my eyes off or something," protested Zorian.

Alanic sighed and shook his head. "You're too tense for this. Take a break and we'll continue this tomorrow."

Zorian immediately dropped the spell in relief. No matter what Alanic said, he did not like that spell. Still, Alanic was the fire magic expert here.

"Can I ask you something?" asked Zorian. Alanic casually waved his hand, telling him to get on with it. "Is it true you can selectively burn targets with your spells? That is, flat out exclude people from being damaged by your fireballs and the like?"

"Ah. I suppose Lukav told you about that," Alanic mused. Yeah, sure, let's go with that. "Yes, that is something I can do. More than that, actually. It is nothing you would care to learn, however – it is a difficult skill that requires a lot of specialized training. Years of it. Unless you intend to specialize in fire magic – and you strike me as a generalist mage, to be frank – I would not recommend worrying about it." He smiled. "Besides, by the time you mastered something like that, the 'pocket meteors' spell you are currently struggling with would be a joke to you, so it's hardly a shortcut to not getting hurt with that."

"Figures," Zorian said. "But you know, a simple fire ward would make that spell a lot safer to practice. Why can't I use it on myself before casting the spell again?"

"Danger sharpens the spirit," Alanic said airily. "You'll learn faster and take things more seriously with the threat of horrific burns hanging over your head. But mostly I just wanted to see how long it would take you to remember you can do that."

"Ugh," Zorian grunted. "You're evil."

There were no further attacks for the rest of the restart, and this particular one ended right on schedule instead of being cut short like the previous one was.

The marker detection spell never displayed a third marker in its detection radius, despite Zorian casting it several times a day towards the end.

- break -

For the next three restarts, Zorian deliberately avoided making any ripples and focused on growing his skills. Not a very exciting time, but by the end of it he was finally able to cast magic missile quickly and easily without any external aid. He had also mastered personal soul sensing well enough that Alanic started teaching him his arsenal of protective soul magic. In addition to that, he learned a plethora of new fire spells, made some improvements to the wooden golem design he was exploring, and practiced the rest of his combat arsenal on the monstrous wildlife living in the wilderness.

Unfortunately, Alanic had been becoming ever more suspicious of Zorian as his skills rose with each restart – no doubt the fact that he recognized quite a few of those skills as his own had a big hand in it – and had almost refused to teach Zorian at all in the latest restart. Zorian had eventually managed to talk the man into helping him by promising to tell him everything after the summer festival, but he suspected that pretty soon even that was not going to fly. By his estimation, he had at most two more restarts before Alanic refused to teach him anything without a damn good explanation, which he would be unable to provide.

But that was fine – by the time that happened, Zorian would no longer be defenseless in the face of hostile soul magic so the first of his goals would be achieved. He never really expected Alanic to teach him everything, anyway.

In the next restart, Zorian decided to lift his self-imposed ban of snooping around Sudomir and his activities. As cautiously as possible, he tried to find out more about the man. Sudomir being a well-known and public person, it wasn't hard to get people to talk about him… but most of the information he got was either useless or highly suspect. The most interesting piece of information he found was that the man was often absent from Knyazov Dveri on various 'official errands', and that those errands have become especially frequent in the last few months. This was in line with Vazen's letters, which also claimed the man had changed his patterns radically in the last few months.

When simple questioning failed to produce any new results, Zorian decided to be a little more bolder and investigate the link between Vazen and the mayor. He didn't want to deal with Vazen himself, but fortunately there was no need to. Vazen wasn't a one-man operation like Gurey – he had other employees, and those other employees didn't have the same paranoia and level of security that Vazen did. They brought stuff home from work to look over later, left their keys cunningly hidden behind nearby flowerpots, and rarely had any sort of magical defenses. One of them even kept a detailed daily journal with all sort of interesting tidbits and remarks. Probably the most interesting thing he found out from Vazen's employees was that he regularly sent mysterious packages to a place called 'Iasku Mansion' – a place that his employees were pretty sure didn't actually exist. The place the packages were delivered to didn't exist on the maps, save as a random section of the uninhabited forest far to the north of the city. Further into the wilderness than Zorian ever got, in any case.

After consulting some maps, Zorian realized that he had no idea how long it would take him to reach the spot in question. Weeks? Months? Damn, those two really picked an out of the way spot for their exchanges, didn't they? This was going to be such a chore…

He went to Lukav for help. The transformation specialist was noted to be an outdoorsman type, so he should have some advice on reaching out-of-the-way placed like that one. Maybe there was some kind of enhancement potion that could help?

"No, I don't think enhancement potions would be of much help in this," Lukav told him while staring at the map Zorian provided. "They don't last long enough, and it would take you at least two weeks to reach the place on foot. Tricky. Maybe it's just my bias showing, but have you considered simply shapeshifting into a bird and flying there?"

"I haven't," said Zorian, surprised. "The idea never occurred to me. How complicated would that be?"

"Not complicated at all, but perhaps a bit pricy," Lukav admitted. "You would probably need to waste a potion or two to grow accustomed to flying and moving in your new form. Maybe more, depending on how fast of a learner you are. Birds are very different from humans."

He handed Zorian his price chart, and quickly pointed out the bird section.

"I recommend the eagle, personally," Lukav said. "Good flier, excellent eyesight, and big enough that few things will dare attack you. Plus it's an eagle, what's not to like? Not like you need to be inconspicuous where you're going."

Zorian looked at the price tag attached to the 'eagle transformation' potion. It was… doable. He could buy a three of those if he had to, though he hated using up most of his savings like that. Even though he knew they would be back at the beginning of his next restart, it just felt wrong to fritter them away. He spent years saving that money, dammit! Besides, what if he needed those saving later in the restart for some reason?

"I guess I could try that," Zorian said. "Incidentally, do you pay money for some rare animal that can be found deep in the forest?"

"Ha, no. If it can be found in forests around here, I'm more than capable of getting it myself," Lukav said. "Sorry. Though if you are willing to risk your life in the local dungeon, there are a few things I would be interested in paying good money for…"

- break -

Gliding upward on an updraft of warm air, Zorian surveyed the landscape around him with impossibly sharp eyes. The experience was impossible to describe – everything was full of color and detail, like a veil he didn't know he labored under had been lifted off his eyes. It reminded him of the time his parents had brought him to the doctor for an eyes checkup and he was told he had to wear glasses. His father had been so disappointed about that, but the moment Zorian had donned the little pieces of glass on his face he knew he never wanted to take them off. This was just like that time, only even more extreme. If he tried, he could discern individual leaves on a tree from a mile away. The houses in the distance that would have been nothing but blurry blocks to his human self were instead rendered with perfect clarity, right down to that old tomcat hiding in the shadow of a chimney on that one house.

Being an eagle, Zorian decided, was awesome. Weird, but awesome.

He flapped his wings a couple of times to change directions, wobbling dangerously for a moment. He still wasn't much of a flier, truth be told, and the less told about his landings the better. Thankfully, big birds like eagles spent most of their time in the air gliding and catching air currents, so he could get by. He fixed his eyes forward, in the direction of where 'Iasku Mansion' was supposed to be and set off into the wilderness.

Flying over trees got boring pretty fast, though, even with ridiculously enhanced eyesight – the leafy canopy of the forest obscured the surface from scrutiny pretty effectively, so there was nothing to see for the most part. He could see snow-capped mountains in the distance – the infamous Winter Mountains that dominated the landscape of central Altazia, which were said to be the source of all ice and snow by some – an icy, merciless heart of winter that woke up once a year to cover the land in frost until it is inevitably beaten back by the forces of summer, winter giving way to spring.

Zorian would like to call that superstition, but for all he knew there could actually be a kernel of truth in that, like an insanely-powerful ice elemental living there or something. There was very little known about the mountains, largely because of how dangerous they were – exploring them was about as safe as trying to map lower reaches of the Dungeon, and not nearly as rewarding.

Finally, Zorian approached his destination. He had been worried he would miss the spot, since he didn't have a map and everything sort of looked the same to him from his vantage point, but he needn't have worried. Iasku Mansion was very obvious and easy to spot. It wasn't, like he suspected, some inconspicuous clearing or standing stone that Vazen and Sudomir used as a drop-off point. It was, in fact, an actual mansion.

Zorian circled around the building a few times, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. The mansion gleamed white in a sea of green, somewhat worn down by the ravages of age and nature but clearly livable and cared for. Aside from the mansion, there was also a small warehouse attached. The warehouse appeared to be of much more recent construction, however – it had no moss on the roof, there were no cracks on the walls that his enhanced eyes could see, and it was far more blocky and utilitarian in construction.

Zorian had no idea why somebody would build this thing here. If it was a fort, or an observation tower he could understand… but who would want to build a luxury dwelling this isolated and exposed to the dangers of the north? Sadly, his contemplation was interrupted when the crows that dotted the trees around the mansion took exception to his presence and a hundred angry caws filled the air.

Zorian focused on them momentarily. Though the birds were small and distant, the eyes he currently possessed had no problem in discerning their features. They weren't crows. They were larger, and their pitch black feathers had small red decorations and an almost metallic sheen to them.

Iron beaks. The hell-birds of the north. Zorian didn't fancy his chances against one of those in this form, much less against the huge flock stationed around the mansion. Though now that he thought about it, he could probably cast magic missile in this form now, couldn't he? He might be able to bring down a couple of them before the rest tore him apart, then. That wouldn't get him anything, though, so he stopped circling around the mansion and put some distance between himself and the iron beaks until they finally stopped making noise and making threatening gestures.

He wondered what he had done to upset them so much. He supposed they just didn't like a large predator circling menacingly around them.

Well no matter. Landing right next to the mansion would have been a poor idea anyway. Very exposed, and probably warded too.

He searched the surrounding area for an open space he could land at without breaking his neck (transfer of injuries between real and shapeshifted forms was weird and inconsistent, but Lukav assured him that being killed in one form means you're definitely dead in the other as well) and finally found a clearing some distance to the west of the mansion. A little bit farther than he had hoped for, but beggars can't be choosers.

After a frankly embarrassing landing that saw him face-plant into the grass, Zorian transformed back into human form and spent several minutes memorizing the place so he could use it as an arrival point for future teleports.

That done, he set off towards the mansion, hoping to get a closer look. He already missed the eagle's awesome eyesight, but some things were better done from the ground and this way he would actually be able to teleport away from danger and make himself invisible. As far as he knew, iron beaks had no magical senses, so an optical cloak should be enough to evade their attention.

He was right – the iron beaks took no notice of him while he inched closer to the mansion, cloaked in an optical cloak and an aura of silence. Before actually scouting the place, however, a pack of winter wolves burst into the scene, led by a particularly huge specimen. Unlike the rest of the pack, the alpha didn't have a white pelt. His was silver and shiny, and his mind felt different from the rest. Stronger, deeper, more complex. Sapient.

Zorian stood frozen, watching the group with dread. Twenty-two winter wolves led by an unknown super-special sapient variant. Fuck, he just had to push his luck, didn't he? No way would they be fooled by his spells, considering how sensitive canine noses were…

Except… they kind of were fooled. At one point the Silver One suddenly stopped and started scanning the tree line, and Zorian's heart skipped when its eyes briefly passed over Zorian's location, but then the moment was gone and the pack moved on and disappeared somewhere on the other side of the mansion.

A minute later, when he was sure they were gone, Zorian slowly retreated into the surrounding forest and teleported away.

- break -

Zorian decided to leave the Iasku Mansion alone for the moment. He was virtually certain they were connected to the Ibasan invaders now, and definitely intended to get to the bottom of that place at some point. However, he had a feeling that investigating the mansion as he was now would probably involve a lot of dying. Plus, he had a hunch that the mayor was a necromancer, and definitely had one under employ even if he wasn't, so losing a battle there might have more serious consequences than a premature restart. No, if he wanted to go there he had to finish Alanic's lessons first and greatly increase his combat skills, at minimum.

Instead, now that his time with Alanic was coming to an end, he had to step up his effort to improve his combat magic so he could go talk to the other aranea tribes and learn the secrets of their mind arts. There were a lot of reasons why that was important, but the one that drove him the most was the possibility of unlocking the matriarch's memory packet that still remained in his mind.

The memory packet wouldn't last forever, Zorian knew. It was stable for now, the matriarch having pulled all the stops to make it as resilient and durable as possible, but it would unravel and fail in time, and all the memories locked within would be gone. If Zorian wanted to fill in the blanks left in the matriarch's last message and understand what made her reach the decisions she did, he had to gain access to that knowledge.

He had no delusions it was going to be easy. For one thing the other aranean tribes were in no way guaranteed to be friendly, and even if they were, there was no reason for them to actually teach a random human their secrets. And even if he could secure their cooperation, the memories of something as alien as the aranea were bound to be a chore to interpret. And even if he could master that, he still only had one shot at unravelling the memory packet without ruining the content or triggering whatever defenses the matriarch installed to prevent him from doing just that.

But that was a matter for the future – right now he didn't feel very confident walking into a possibly unfriendly aranean hive. Since he didn't feel like testing his mind magic against the masters of the craft, his current plan of dealing with hostile or treacherous aranea basically boiled down to quick-casting 'mind shield' and burning everything in sight via more conventional magic. Better combat skills were a must for that plan to work, though.

As it happened, he had something that should advance his combat skills, as well as make up for the money he lost to Lukav when he bought those two 'eagle transformation' potions – dungeon delving! He had basically ignored the dungeon entrance at Knyazov Dveri due to being sidetracked by the disappearance of local soul mages and Alanic's lessons, but there was no reason to continue to do so anymore. Most of the wildlife around Knyazov Dveri had ceased to be a challenge at this point, anyway.

Thus, two days after his hasty retreat from the Iasku Mansion, Zorian walked over to the official entrance to the dungeons beneath Knyazov Dveri and requested a permit to descend into its depths. It didn't cost any money, thankfully, and it was really nothing more than a formality to make sure you understood what you were getting into.

"Just remember, this part of the dungeon has never been pacified properly," the man behind the counter told him, handing him a permit card that he had to show to the guards to be let through. "It means there are greater riches to be found down there, but also that things are much more dangerous. People disappear down there all time. Nobody is going to look for you unless you join one of the local delver guild. Which I personally recommend to young mages such as you."

Zorian gave the man a non-committal hum and left, descending below on a long spiral staircase until he reached a small natural cavern that housed a small town. The inhabitants of the city above called it Delver Village, though officially it was just an extension of Knyazov Dveri. Not many people actually lived here – the buildings consisted mostly of guildhouses and businesses catering to dungeon delvers.

He had no intention of joining any of the guilds. Last time he checked they didn't let new members like him out in the field for at least several months after they joined, which made them pretty much useless to someone in his situation. He did understand the logic of it – you didn't want your new, inexperienced new members to get horribly murdered out in the tunnels, and very few mages were particularly capable at his age – but that didn't make them any less useless to him. He also didn't have any money to buy anything from the shops, so he didn't remain in the settlement for long. The people there were jerks anyway, asking for money just to answer basic questions or demanding that he joins their guild before they would divulge any 'secrets'. Thank the gods he could just read the answers out of their mind anyway.

- break -

Zorian stared at the patch of glowing mushrooms at the corner of a largish cave he encountered in his wanderings through the cave system under Knyazov Dveri. It appeared to be a normal patch of giant glowing mushrooms, little different from the ones he encountered elsewhere around here, but he knew better. He wasn't fooled. His mind sense clearly told him there was an animal mind behind that mushroom… no wait, the mushroom itself had a mind? An illusion? Or some weird intelligent mushroom?

Deciding that it didn't matter, Zorian leveled the combat staff he'd made for himself and fired an incineration ray at the 'mushroom'. If he had learned anything in the two weeks he had spent down here, it was that absolutely everything wanted to kill and eat him – and not necessarily in that order. The rock mites, for instance, wanted to paralyze you and lay their eggs into your still living body so their larvae could eat you alive from the inside out. Anyway, the point was that striking first was common sense with these things, and he had no intention of getting closer to the mushroom impersonator.

Sure enough, the moment it was hit by the ray of fire, the 'mushroom' immediately unraveled into a large tentacled form of the tunnel octopus. Figures. The ability of those things to mimic both the color and texture of their surroundings was as impressive as it was annoying to deal with. This one was out of luck, though. Caught off guard by the devastating fire attack, it flailed its tentacles about briefly in panic before collapsing dead on the floor of the cave.

Zorian threw a rock at it to make sure it was not faking it, and then relaxed. He would have probably died to one of those by now if he didn't have his mind sense – it was, without a doubt, his main advantage compared to the other dungeon delvers. Thanks to it, he was able to evade the javelin worm ambush sites, tunnel octopuses and other hidden dangers to reach the richer, less exploited lower areas like this one. No wonder Taiven had been so excited about having someone with that ability in her team, back when she had first found out about it.

He instructed the floating spheres of light around him to scatter around the cavern and slowly inspected the walls for any sign of crystal and strange minerals. In general, crystalized mana seemed to be a much better moneymaker than hunting creatures for parts, at least if you could access virgin areas like this one. Crystallized mana also had the benefit of being, well, static. If he found some in a particular place on this restart, it stood to reason that it should also be there for every subsequent one as well. That meant that, if he could map out where they were over several restarts, he should be able to blitz through a bunch of known sites in just a few hours and get an enormous cash infusion at the beginning of every new restart. Especially if he learned how to filter through Dungeon interference and became able to teleport while inside it.

Sadly, his inspection found nothing in this cavern. Looking at the charred tunnel octopus corpse, Zorian considered the possibility of just harvesting its brain and beak (the most valuable parts of it by far) and returning to the surface. He had already found two large lumps of crystalized mana and several small ones, so this trip was already a smashing success, and continuing further would mean going deeper into dungeon, with all the danger that implied.

He continued on – not like he was ever really in danger thus far so even if the danger jumped up a notch he should… be…

Zorian rounded a corner and came face-to-face, so to speak, with some kind of floating pink ooze covered with eyes. It glowed, threads of light dancing throughout its smoky, translucent bulk, and its form writhed and shifted chaotically, ripples and pseudopods growing and retracting from moment to moment. For a moment it appeared to have not noticed him, its countless eyes – each its own color and shade – blinking and swiveling in their sockets with no rhyme or reason. But that moment passed quickly and its many eyes turned towards him, some of them extending on pseudopods so the creature could focus them on Zorian properly…

Zorian's eyes abruptly shot open as a sharp pain erupted from his stomach. His whole body convulsed, buckling against the object that fell on him, and suddenly he was wide awake, not a trace of drowsiness in his mind.

"Good morning, brother!" an annoyingly cheerful voice sounded right on top of him. "Morning, morning, MORNING!"

Zorian looked at his grinning little sister incredulously. What? But he was just-

"Oh come on!" Zorian groaned, burying his face in his hands. "That's it!? It just looked at me and I died? What kind of absurd ability is that!?"

"Umm…" Kirielle said.

"Forget I said anything," Zorian said, giving Kirielle a brief hug before rising to his feet. Kirielle refused to let go, clinging to him like a barnacle, so he just carried her around as he walked to his bookshelf and retrieved his Compendium of Dungeon Denizens, volume four, and began leafing through it. "I was just having a dream, that's all."

"What kind of dream?" Kirielle asked curiously.

"I was going to be rich, and then I got killed by an… eyebeast?" Zorian said, as he looked at the description in the book. Even the name was stupid. Ugh.

"Oh," Kirielle said. "A nice dream that ends in a nightmare. I hate those."

"Me too, Kirielle. Me too," Zorian said, snapping the book shut and placing it back on the shelf. The description in the book told him nothing useful about the damn thing. 'Beware its deadly eyes' indeed.

He thought about casting the marker detection spell again, but what would be the point? It never detected more than two markers in existence. Or less for that matter. At this point it was obvious that this was all it was ever going to show. Whatever way Red Robe used to get into the time loop obviously wasn't identical to the one used by Zach and Zorian.

As for Zach, his movements indicated that he always opened the time loop by hightailing out of Cyoria. The direction was not consistent, though, and he seemed to wander around randomly around Eldemar during each time loop. He wondered what that was about. Clearly the boy was avoiding Cyoria, just like Zorian was, but beyond that he could not figure out what Zach's goal was – Zorian had tried placing the locations Zach visited on a map and found no pattern he could see in it.

Whatever. Zach will be Zach. He had his own, more pressing problems to worry about at the moment.

"Right. Kiri, could you perhaps let go of me now?"

<noinclude>
{{SimpleNav}}
</noinclude>

Mother of Learning

2015-08-18T20:51:24Z

Thorlong: /* Arc 02 */

{{Status|Active}}

Mother of Learning is a light novel written by [https://www.fictionpress.com/u/804592/nobody103 Nobody103], first published online in 2011 on Fictionpress.

==Story Synopsis==
Zorian is a teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, attending his third year of education at Cyoria's magical academy. He is a driven and irritable young man, consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, whom he resents for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, he has no time for pointless distractions or paying attention to other people's problems.

As it happens, time is something he is about to get plenty of. On the eve of the Cyoria's annual summer festival, he is killed and brought back to the beginning of the month, just before he was about to take a train to Cyoria. Suddenly trapped in a time loop with no clear end or exit, Zorian will have to look both within and without to unravel the mystery before him. And he does have to unravel it, for the time loop hadn't been made for his sake and dangers lurk everywhere...

Repetition is the mother of learning, but Zorian will have to first make sure he survives to try again - in a world of magic, even a time traveler isn't safe from those who wish him ill.

== Updates ==
*11 July 2014: Mother of Learning Project Page initiated.

== Series Information ==
*'''Genre:''' Action, Adventure, Fantasy,
*'''Author:''' Nobody103
*'''Illustrator:''' TBA
*'''Volumes:''' 1
*'''Series Status:''' Ongoing

===Format Standards===
'''Every chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

===[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10568 Feedback]===
'''If you enjoyed this OLN, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10568 Feedback Thread]'''

==Mother of Learning by [https://www.fictionpress.com/u/804592/nobody103 Nobody103]==

=== Arc 01 ([[Mother of Learning:Volume 01|Fulltext]]) ===

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 001|Chapter 001: Good Morning Brother]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 002|Chapter 002: Life's Little Problem]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 003|Chapter 003: The Bitter Truth]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 004|Chapter 004: Stars Fell]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 005|Chapter 005: Start Over]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 006|Chapter 006: Concentrate and Try Again]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 007|Chapter 007: Of Gaps and Pretending]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 008|Chapter 008: Perspective]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 009|Chapter 009: Cheaters]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 010|Chapter 010: Overlooked Details]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 011|Chapter 011: Limiters]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 012|Chapter 012: Soul Web]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 013|Chapter 013: Any Second Now]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 014|Chapter 014: The Sister Effect]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 015|Chapter 015: Busy Friday]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 016|Chapter 016: We Need to Talk]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 017|Chapter 017: Sympathy for the Spider]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 018|Chapter 018: The Pact is Sealed]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 019|Chapter 019: Tangled Web]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 020|Chapter 020: A Matter of Faith]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 021|Chapter 021: Wheel of Fortune]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 022|Chapter 022: Complications]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 023|Chapter 023: Lighting the Fuse]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 024|Chapter 024: Smoke and Mirrors]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume 01 Chapter 025|Chapter 025: The Unexpected]]
::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_026|Chapter 026: Soulkill]]

=== Arc 02 ===

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_027|Chapter 027: Cast Adrift]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_028|Chapter 028: Cauldron]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_029|Chapter 029: The Hunter and the Hunted]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_030|Chapter 030: A Game of Shops]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_031|Chapter 031: Marked]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_032|Chapter 032: Alternatives]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_033|Chapter 033: Gateways]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_034|Chapter 034: Unreasonable Things]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_035|Chapter 035: Mistakes Have Been Made]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_036|Chapter 036: A Battle of Minds]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_037|Chapter 037: Slow Burn]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_038|Chapter 038: Return to Cyoria]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_039|Chapter 039: Suspicious Coincidences]]

::*[[Mother of Learning:Volume_01_Chapter_040|Chapter 040: Shifting Tracks]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: [[User:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:

===Author===

*[[User:Nobody103|Nobody103]]

===Editors===
''To Wiki Formatting (To Author's Style) & Simple Spelling/Grammar Correction Only''
*[[User:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*[[User:Starwarscards|Starwarscards]]

==Project Status==

Project Status: '''Ongoing'''
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Original novel]]

Overlord

2015-08-15T23:49:27Z

Thorlong: /* Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2 */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
*[[Overlord~Versión Epañol~|Español (Español)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==

* August 15, 2015 - Volume 7 Chapter 2 Complete.
* August 15, 2015 - Volume 6 Chapter 1 Complete.
* August 8, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 5 Complete.
* August 1, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 4 Complete.
* July 25, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 3 Complete.
* July 24, 2015 - Volume 4 Drama CD Complete.
* July 18, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 2 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 1 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Prologue Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7, Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The End and the Beginning
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O52.html Link] ]
::*Intermission
::*Chapter 3. Those Who Pick Up, Those Who Are Picked Up [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O53.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O54.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, Soaring Sparks of Fire. [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O55.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King Capital Disturbance [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/08/O66.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 7. Attack Preparations
::*Chapter 8. Six Arms
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The Most Strongest Trump
::*Chapter 11. The Final Battle of the Disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to Death]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 2|Chapter 2. Butterfly Entangled in a Spider Web]] '''(10/10) Completed'''
::*Chapter 3. The large Tomb
::*Chapter 4. A Handful of Hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Story 1. Henri's Upheaval and Hectic Days
::*Story 2. A Day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue
::*Chapter 1. Verbal Warfare
::*Chapter 2. Preparations for the Battle
::*Chapter 3. Another Battle
::*Chapter 4. Massacre
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Mushoku Tensei

2015-08-13T04:21:10Z

Thorlong: /* Mushoku Tensei - Redundancy Chapter */

{{Status|Active}}
{{Web_novel|English}}

[[File: Mushoku Tensei .jpg|300px|thumb]]

"Mushoku Tensei -Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu-" (無職転生～異世界行ったら本気だす～) is a Light novel written by Rifujin na Magonote and illustrated by Shirotaka. Currently ongoing, there are 24.5 volumes written by the author on his website and 6 volumes (published) printed out by KADOKAWA / Media Factory. A manga based from the novel is serialized in Monthly Comic Flapper. The Web Novel has been completed.

The Main Story of Mushoku Tensei has now been concluded.

==Alternative Languages==
The ''Mushoku Tensei'' is also available in the following languages:
*[[Mushoku Tensei ~ Russian|Mushoku Tensei ~ Русский (Russian)]]
*[[Mushoku Tensei Spanish|Mushoku Tensei ~ Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Mushoku Tensei ~ Brazilian Portuguese|Mushoku Tensei ~ Português do Brasil (Brazilian Portuguese)]]

== Story Synopsis ==
A 34-year-old NEET otaku was chased out from his house by his family. This virgin, plump, unattractive, and penniless nice guy found that his life was heading towards a dead end. He recalled that his life could actually become much better if he can get over the dark history of his life.

Just when he was at the point of regret, he saw a truck moving at a high speed with 3 high school students in its path. Mustering all his strength, he saves them but ended up getting run over by the truck, which kills him.

The next time he opens his eyes, he had reincarnated to a world of swords and magic, as Rudeus Greyrat. Born to a new world and a new life, Rudeus declared, "This time, I'll really live my life to the fullest with no regrets!" Thus begins the journey of a newly made man. (Original from animesuki.com)

==Character Introductions==
{| class="collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:left; margin:5px 20px clear:both; font-size:100%; background:transparent; width:100%;"
! style="background:#66CCFF;" align="center"| '''Warning: May contain spoilers!!!'''
|-
|

''I'll keep the spoilers to a minimum as I can:''

<small>''NOTE: Due to katakana translation with unconfirmed English equivalent, the list here may differ from [[Mushoku Tensei Names and Terminology]] and from chapter-to-chapter as for a number of names the translators and editors have not come to a conclusion on which English name to use''</small>

<div style="float: left; width: 200px; margin: 5px 20px;">
'''Rudeus Greyrat'''
[[Image:Rudeus_001_icon.jpg‎|200px|center|link=]]
or Rudy, as his given nickname, is the main character, who is the reincarnated NEET loser who died, the twist is that his memories of his past life remained. His current body possesses high affinity for magic, even as a child (baby).
</div>

<div style="float: left; width: 200px; margin: 5px 20px;">
'''Paul Greyrat'''
[[Image:Paul_001_icon.jpg‎|200px|center|link=]]
Rudy's father, an accomplished swordsman. Currently works as swordsman who protects their village. He teaches Rudy swordsmanship.
</div>

<div style="float: left; width: 200px; margin: 5px 20px;">
'''Zenith Greyrat'''
[[Image:Zenith.jpg|200px|center|link=]]
Rudy's mother, she's a mage who seems to know healing magic.
</div>

<div style="float: left; width: 200px; margin: 5px 20px;">
'''Lilia'''
[[Image:Lilia_001_icon.jpg|200px|center|link=]]
Greyrat's family maid. she's a former palace maid bodyguard. Her family's sword school was where Rudy's father studied at.
</div>

<br style="clear: both;" />

<div style="float: left; width: 200px; margin: 5px 20px;">
'''Roxy Migurudia'''
[[Image:Roxy_001_icon.jpg|200px|center|link=]]
She is Rudy's magic tutor (during his 3-5 years of age), a talented mage from a demon race.
</div>

<div style="float: left; width: 200px; margin: 5px 20px;">
'''Sylphiette'''
[[Image:Sylphy_001_icon.jpg|200px|center|link=]]
Rudy's first friend of the same age (5 years old), whom Rudy saved from bullies. The reason was Sylphy's a mix of elf, human and beast.
</div>

<div style="float: left; width: 200px; margin: 5px 20px;">
'''Eris Boreas Greyrat'''
[[Image:Eris_001_icon.jpg|200px|center|link=]]
She is Rudy's older cousin, she's also his student, (at this time, when he's around age 7) he's supposed to teach her magic among other things such as math, reading, etc.
</div>

|}

== Translation ==

=== [[Mushoku Tensei:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.

'''Translators are asked to [[Mushoku Tensei:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on.'''

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline | General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Mushoku Tensei Names and Terminology| Mushoku Tensei Names and Terminology]]

=== Feedback / Discussions ===
'''If you enjoyed the read, why don't you tell us in the forum [http://www.baka-tsuki.org:8080/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=10574 Feedback thread]'''<br/>
'''You can find the EPUB version of the Volumes in the forums [http://ln.m-chan.org/v3/series.php?SID=126 here]'''

== Updates ==
{{:Mushoku_Tensei:Updates}}

Older updates can be found [[Mushoku_Tensei:Updates|here]].

== "Mushoku Tensei" by Rifujin na Magonote ==

<div class="mw-customtoggle-Arc1 mw-customtoggle-Arc1Close mw-customtoggle-Arc1Open mw-customtoggle-Arc2 mw-customtoggle-Arc2Close mw-customtoggle-Arc2Open mw-customtoggle-Arc3 mw-customtoggle-Arc3Close mw-customtoggle-Arc3Open mw-customtoggle-Arc4 mw-customtoggle-Arc4Close mw-customtoggle-Arc4Open mw-customtoggle-Arc5 mw-customtoggle-Arc5Close mw-customtoggle-Arc5Open mw-customtoggle-Arc6 mw-customtoggle-Arc6Close " style="background:#B9F8FA;cursor:pointer" align="center"><br/><big><big>''Mushoku Tensei''</big></big><hr/></div>
<div style="text-align:left;margin:5px5pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%;">


<div class="mw-customtoggle-Arc1 mw-customtoggle-Arc1Close mw-customtoggle-Arc1Open" style="background:#F5090D;cursor:pointer;height:20px;padding-top:3px" align="center">'''<big>Infancy Period</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible" style="text-align:left;margin:5px5pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%;" id="mw-customcollapsible-Arc1">
===Volume 1 - Infancy Period ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01|Full Text]])===
[[File:Mushoku1_01.jpg|frameless|right|x250px]]

::*[[Mushoku Tensei:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_01|Chapter 1: Could This Be Another World?]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_02|Chapter 2: Expressionless Maid]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_03|Chapter 3: Magic Textbook]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_04|Chapter 4: Teacher]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_05|Chapter 5: Magic and Swordsmanship]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_06|Chapter 6: Reason for Respect]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_07|Chapter 7: Friends]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_08|Chapter 8: Insensitive]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_09|Chapter 9: Emergency Family Meeting]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: Bottleneck]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: Separation]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_01_Special_Chapter|Special Chapter]]
<br style="clear:both"/>
</div>


<div class="mw-customtoggle-Arc2 mw-customtoggle-Arc2Close mw-customtoggle-Arc2Open" style="background:#FF9E00;cursor:pointer;height:20px;padding-top:3px" align="center">'''<big>Juvenile Period</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible " style="text-align:left;margin:5px5pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%;" id="mw-customcollapsible-Arc2">

===Volume 2 - Juvenile Period - Home Teacher Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_02|Full Text]])===
[[File:Mushoku2_01.jpg|frameless|right|x250px]]

::*[[Mushoku Tensei:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_02_Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 12|[Web Novel 12] Chapter 1: Young Lady's Violence]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 13|[Web Novel 13] Chapter 2: Self Directed Role]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 13.5|Side Story: Aftermath of the Event & Boreas Style Greeting]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 14|[Web Novel 14] Chapter 3: Brutality Has Yet to End]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 15|[Web Novel 15] Chapter 4: Staff Meeting & Sunday]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 16|[Web Novel 16] Chapter 5: Young Lady Is 10 Years Old]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 17|[Web Novel 17] Chapter 6: Studying Languages]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 18|[Web Novel 18] Chapter 7: Definite Promise]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 19|[Web Novel 19] Chapter 8: Turning Point]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 19.5|Side Story: Half a Year After Fedoa Region Vanishes]]

===Volume 3 - Juvenile Period - Adventurer Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_03|Full Text]])===
[[File:mushoku3_01.jpg|frameless|right|x250px]]
::*[[Mushoku Tensei:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 20|[Web Novel 20] Chapter 1: Swindler Calling Himself God]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 21|[Web Novel 21] Chapter 2: Superd Race]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 22|[Web Novel 22] Chapter 3: Teacher's Secret]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 23|[Web Novel 23] Chapter 4: Reason for Trust]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 24|[Web Novel 24] Chapter 5: Three Days to the Nearest Town]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 25|[Web Novel 25] Chapter 6: Disguise & Infiltration]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 26|[Web Novel 26] Chapter 7: Adventurer's Guild]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 27|[Web Novel 27] Chapter 8: Adventurer's Inn]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 28|[Web Novel 28] Chapter 9: First Job & Sanctity of Life]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 29|[Web Novel 29] Chapter 10: First Job Completed]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 30|[Web Novel 30] Chapter 11: Good Start]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 31|[Web Novel 31] Chapter 12: Warrior & Children]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 32|[Web Novel 32] Chapter 13: Mistake, Disorder & Determination]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 33|[Web Novel 33] Chapter 14: Start of the Journey]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter World Map|Special Chapter: World Map]]

===Volume 4 - Juvenile Period - Voyage Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_04|Full Text]])===
[[File:mushoku4_01.jpg|frameless|right|x250px]]
::*[[Mushoku Tensei:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 34|[Web Novel 34] Chapter 1: Wind Port]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 35|[Web Novel 35] Chapter 2: Crossing Paths - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 36|[Web Novel 36] Chapter 3: Crossing Paths - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 36.5|Side Story - Crossing Paths - Extra Chapter]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 37|[Web Novel 37] Chapter 4: Sage within the Ship]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 38|[Web Novel 38] Chapter 5: Demon in the Storehouse]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 39|[Web Novel 39] Chapter 6: Children of the Beast Race]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 40|[Web Novel 40] Chapter 7: No Cost Apartment]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 41|[Web Novel 41] Chapter 8: Slow Life of Dorudia Village - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 42|[Web Novel 42] Chapter 9: Slow Life of Dorudia Village - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 43|[Web Novel 43] Chapter 10: Holy Sword Highway]]

===Volume 5 - Juvenile Period - Reunion Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_05|Full Text]])===
[[File:mushoku5_01.jpg|frameless|right|x250px]]
::*[[Mushoku Tensei:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 44|[Web Novel 44] Chapter 1: Holy Milis Kingdom]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 45|[Web Novel 45] Chapter 2: Paul 1.5 Years Later]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 46|[Web Novel 46] Chapter 3: Parent & Child Fight ]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 47|[Web Novel 47] Chapter 4: Reunion with Paul]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 48|[Web Novel 48] Chapter 5: Reconfirmation of Objectives]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 49|[Web Novel 49] Chapter 6: One Week in Milishion]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 49.5|Side Story - Eris' Goblin Subjugation]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 50|[Web Novel 50] Chapter 7: To the Central Continent]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 50.5|Side Story - Return of Roxy]]

===Volume 6 - Juvenile Period - Homecoming Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_06|Full Text]])===
[[File:Mushoku6_01.jpg|frameless|right|x250px]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume 6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 51|[Web Novel 51] Chapter 1: Route Options]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 52|[Web Novel 52] Chapter 2: Rice]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 53|[Web Novel 53] Chapter 3: Shirone Kingdom]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 54|[Web Novel 54] Chapter 4: Absence of God]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 55|[Web Novel 55] Chapter 5: Third Prince]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 56|[Web Novel 56] Chapter 6: Speed Resolution]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 57|[Web Novel 57] Chapter 7: The Day the Little Sister Maid Was Born]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 58|[Web Novel 58] Chapter 8: Becoming an Adult]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 59|[Web Novel 59] Chapter 9: Turning Point 2]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 60|[Web Novel 60] Chapter 10: Gaping Hole Opened in the Chest]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 61|[Web Novel 61] Chapter 11: End of the Journey]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 62|[Web Novel 62] Chapter 12: Reality of the Disaster]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 63|[Web Novel 63] Chapter 13: Young Lady's Decision]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 63.5|Side Story - The Two Who Met]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_06_LN_Extra_Chapter|LN Extra Chapter]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter World Map 2|Special Chapter: World Map 2]]
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<div class="mw-customtoggle-Arc3 mw-customtoggle-Arc3Close mw-customtoggle-Arc3Open" style="background:#FFFF00;cursor:pointer;height:20px;padding-top:3px" align="center">'''<big>Youth Period</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible " style="text-align:left;margin:5px5pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%" id="mw-customcollapsible-Arc3">

===Volume 7 - Youth Period - School Entry Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_07|Full Text]])===
[[File:Mushoku7_01.jpg|frameless|right|x250px]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 64|[Web Novel 64] Chapter 1: Quagmire The Adventurer]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 65|[Web Novel 65] Chapter 2: Recommendation Letter]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 66|[Web Novel 66] Chapter 3: Entrance Examination]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 67|[Web Novel 67] Chapter 4: First Day of School - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 68|[Web Novel 68] Chapter 5: First Day of School - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 69|[Web Novel 69] Chapter 6: Fitts Senpai]]

===Volume 8 - Youth Period - Special Student Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_08|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 70|[Web Novel 70] Chapter 1: An Unreachable Power - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 71|[Web Novel 71] Chapter 2: An Unreachable Power - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 72|[Web Novel 72] Chapter 3: Daughters of the Beast Race Kidnapping and Confinement Incident - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 73|[Web Novel 73] Chapter 4: Daughters of the Beast Race Kidnapping and Confinement Incident - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 74|[Web Novel 74] Chapter 5: The Genius Youth's Secret - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 75|[Web Novel 75] Chapter 6: The Genius Youth's Secret - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 76|[Web Novel 76] Chapter 7: Precipice of Engagement - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 77|[Web Novel 77] Chapter 8: Precipice of Engagement - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 78|[Web Novel 78] Chapter 9: White Mask - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 79|[Web Novel 79] Chapter 10: White Mask - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 80|[Web Novel 80] Chapter 11: Daily Life at the Magic University]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 80.5|Side Story - Enter the Mad Dog]]

===Volume 9 - Youth Period - Sylphiette Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_09|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 81|[Web Novel 81] Chapter 1: Sylphy's Past]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 82|[Web Novel 82] Chapter 2: Guardian Magician Introduction - Fitts]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 83|[Web Novel 83] Chapter 3: Princess, Knight, & Magician]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 84|[Web Novel 84] Chapter 4: First Day of School - Extra Chapter]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 85|[Web Novel 85] Chapter 5: Sharp and Dull]]
::*[Web Novel 86] Chapter 6: Over Thinking - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 86 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 87] Chapter 7: The Protected Secret - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 87 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 88|[Web Novel 88] Chapter 8: Rain of the Forest - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 89|[Web Novel 89] Chapter 9: Rain of the Forest - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 90|[Web Novel 90] Chapter 10: The Final Push]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 91|[Web Novel 91] Chapter 11: Backing]]

===Volume 10 - Youth Period - Newlyweds Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_10|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 92|[Web Novel 92] Chapter 1: Things to Prepare Before Marriage - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 93|[Web Novel 93] Chapter 2: Things to Prepare Before Marriage - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 94|[Web Novel 94] Chapter 3: Dramatic]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 95|[Web Novel 95] Chapter 4: Wedding Reception - Preparation]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 96|[Web Novel 96] Chapter 5: Wedding Reception - Holding]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 97|[Web Novel 97] Chapter 6: Wedding Reception - Finished]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 98|[Web Novel 98] Chapter 7: Lifestyle in the House]]

===Volume 11 - Youth Period - Younger Sisters Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_11|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 99|[Web Novel 99] Chapter 1: Letter]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 100|[Web Novel 100] Chapter 2: Breakdown]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 101|[Web Novel 101] Chapter 3: Transcendental Wisdom]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 102|[Web Novel 102] Chapter 4: Nostalgia and Impatience]]
::*[Web Novel 103] Chapter 5: Treatment of the Sisters - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 103 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 104|[Web Novel 104] Chapter 6: Maid and Boarding Student]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 104.5|Side Story - Doll Research & Master-Servant Relationship]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 105|[Web Novel 105] Chapter 7: Delinquent Leader & His Allies]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 106|[Web Novel 106] Chapter 8: Elder Brother's Feelings]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 107|[Web Novel 107] Chapter 9: Norn Greyrat]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 108|[Web Novel 108] Chapter 10: Lifestyle with the Younger Sisters]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 109|[Web Novel 109] Chapter 11: Turning Point 3 ]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 109.5|Side Story - Sharpening Fangs]]

===Volume 12 - Youth Period - Begaritto Continent Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_12|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 110|[Web Novel 110] Chapter 1: Saying Farewell]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 111|[Web Novel 111] Chapter 2: Towards Begaritto Continent]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 112|[Web Novel 112] Chapter 3: Natural Enemy Encounter ]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 113|[Web Novel 113] Chapter 4: Desert Ecology]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 114|[Web Novel 114] Chapter 5: Desert Journey]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 115|[Web Novel 115] Chapter 6: Bazaar]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 116|[Web Novel 116] Chapter 7: The Desert Warriors]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 117|[Web Novel 117] Chapter 8: Arrival]]

===Volume 13 - Youth Period - Labyrinth Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_13|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 118|[Web Novel 118] Chapter 1: Confirmation of the Situation]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 119|[Web Novel 119] Chapter 2: Enter the Labyrinth]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 120|[Web Novel 120] Chapter 3: Her Feelings at that Time]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 121|[Web Novel 121] Chapter 4: Magician of Persistence]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 122|[Web Novel 122] Chapter 5: Without a Hitch]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 123|[Web Novel 123] Chapter 6: Magic Circle on the Sixth Level]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 124|[Web Novel 124] Chapter 7: Teleport Labyrinth's Guardian ]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 125|[Web Novel 125] Chapter 8: Mortal Combat]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 126|[Web Novel 126] Chapter 9: Parent]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 127|[Web Novel 127] Chapter 10: Face Forward]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 128|[Web Novel 128] Chapter 11: Return Home ]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 129|[Web Novel 129] Chapter 12: Return]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 130|[Web Novel 130] Chapter 13: Report]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 131|[Web Novel 131] Chapter 14: Hell]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 132|[Web Novel 132] Chapter 15: In Front of the Gravestone]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 132.5|Side Story - Is the Mad Dog's Sword Heavy, or Sharp?]]
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<div class="mw-customtoggle-Arc4 mw-customtoggle-Arc4Close mw-customtoggle-Arc4Open" style="background:#80FF00;cursor:pointer;height:20px;padding-top:3px" align="center">'''<big>Young Man Period</big>'''</div>
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===Volume 14 - Young Man Period - Everyday Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_14|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 133|[Web Novel 133] Chapter 1: Roxy Becomes a Teacher]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 134|[Web Novel 134] Chapter 2: Third Year Student]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 135|[Web Novel 135] Chapter 3: Training with Norn]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 136|[Web Novel 136] Chapter 4: I'll Raise It]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 137|[Web Novel 137] Chapter 5: A Father of Dignity]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 138|[Web Novel 138] Chapter 6: Water King Class]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 139|[Web Novel 139] Chapter 7: Marriage Ceremony]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 140|[Web Novel 140] Chapter 8: Flowers in Both Hands]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 141|[Web Novel 141] Chapter 9: Birthday Party]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 142|[Web Novel 142] Chapter 10: Graduation Ceremony]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 143|[Web Novel 143] Chapter 11: Fourth Phase]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 143.5|Side Story - Birth of a New Sword King]]

===Volume 15 - Young Man Period - Summoning Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_15|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 144|[Web Novel 144] Chapter 1: Floating Citadel]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 145|[Web Novel 145] Chapter 2: Audience with Perugius]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 146|[Web Novel 146] Chapter 3: Past, Curse, Summons, and Jealousy]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 147|[Web Novel 147] Chapter 4: Lamentation]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 148|[Web Novel 148] Chapter 5: Towards Demon Continent Once Again]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 149|[Web Novel 149] Chapter 6: Search for Kishirika]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 150|[Web Novel 150] Chapter 7: Audience with the Immortal Demon Lord]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 151|[Web Novel 151] Chapter 8: Duel with the Immortal Demon Lord]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 152|[Web Novel 152] Chapter 9: Everyday Life in the Floating Citadel]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 153|[Web Novel 153] Chapter 10: Turning Point 4]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 154|[Web Novel 154] Chapter 11: End and Beginning]]

===Volume 16 - Young Man Period - Human God Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_16|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 155|[Web Novel 155] Chapter 1: Diary - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 156|[Web Novel 156] Chapter 2: Diary - Second Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 157|[Web Novel 157] Chapter 3: Resolve]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 158|[Web Novel 158] Chapter 4: Nanahoshi's Hypothesis]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 159|[Web Novel 159] Chapter 5: Letter Arrives]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 160|[Web Novel 160] Chapter 6: Preparation]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 161|[Web Novel 161] Chapter 7: Preparation Complete]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 162|[Web Novel 162] Chapter 8: Quagmire vs Dragon God]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 163|[Web Novel 163] Chapter 9: Mad Dog King vs Dragon God]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 164|[Web Novel 164] Chapter 10: Eris Greyrat - First Part]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 165|[Web Novel 165] Chapter 11: Eris Greyrat - Second Part]]

===Volume 17 - Young Man Period - Kingdom Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_17|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 166|[Web Novel 166] Chapter 1: Summon]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 167|[Web Novel 167] Chapter 2: Explanation]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 168|[Web Novel 168] Chapter 3: Towards the First Mission]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 169|[Web Novel 169] Chapter 4: Magical Beast Guardian ]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 170|[Web Novel 170] Chapter 5: Men's Meeting]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 170.5|Side Story - Women's Meeting]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 171|[Web Novel 171] Chapter 6: Luke]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 172|[Web Novel 172] Chapter 7: Make Your Decision]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 173|[Web Novel 173] Chapter 8: Organization of Cooperation]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 174|[Web Novel 174] Chapter 9: Armored Dragon King and Second Princess]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 175|[Web Novel 175] Chapter 10: Before Leaving for Asura Kingdom]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 175.5|Side Story - Black Wolf Sword King]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter World Map 3|Special Chapter: World Map 3]]

===Volume 18 - Young Man Period - Asura Kingdom Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_18|Full Text]])===
::*[Web Novel 176] Chapter 1: Departure Towards Asura Kingdom - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 176 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 177] Chapter 2: Red Dragon's Upper Jaw - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 177 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 178] Chapter 3: Conjecture - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 178 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 179] Chapter 4: Ariel's Choice - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 179 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 180] Chapter 5: Tristina - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 180 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 181] Chapter 6: Along the Way - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 181 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 182] Chapter 7: Imperial City Ars - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 182 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 183] Chapter 8: Mortal Combat at Dusk - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 183 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 184] Chapter 9: Ariel's Battleground - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 184 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 185] Chapter 10: Rudeus's Battleground - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 185 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 186] Chapter 11: Luke's Recklessness - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 186 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 187] Chapter 12: Truth of Orsted and Ten Days in the Capital - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 187 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 188] Chapter 13: Farewells and Sylphy's Change - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 188 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 189] Chapter 14: Return and Determination - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 189 - MTL|MTL]]

===Volume 19 - Young Man Period - Subordinates Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_19|Full Text]])===
::*[Web Novel 190] Chapter 1: Present Situation - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 190 - MTL|MTL]]
::*Side Story - One Example of Work - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 190.5 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 191] Chapter 2: The Borrowed Cat - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 191 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 192] Chapter 3: Entrance Ceremony & Student Council President - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 192 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 193] Chapter 4: Research Progress - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 193 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 194] Chapter 5: Signs of Household Collapse - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 194 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 195] Chapter 6: Business Start-Up - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 195 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 196] Chapter 7: Company Venture - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 196 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 197] Chapter 8: Dorudia Village Once More - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 197 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 198] Chapter 9: Dried Meat Murder Incident - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 198 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 199] Chapter 10: Next Battle - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 199 - MTL|MTL]]

===Volume 20 - Young Man Period - Zanoba Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_20|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 200|[Web Novel 200] Chapter 1: Zanoba's Resolve]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 201|[Web Novel 201] Chapter 2: Foreboding]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 202|[Web Novel 202] Chapter 3: To Shirone Again]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 203|[Web Novel 203] Chapter 4: King Pax]]
::*[Web Novel 204] Chapter 5: Karon Fort - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 204 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 205] Chapter 6: Preparing for War - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 205 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 206] Chapter 7: War - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 206 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 207] Chapter 8: Emergency Situation, Zanoba True Motive - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 207 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 208] Chapter 9: To Pax's side - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 208 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 209] Chapter 10: Everything Was For Naught - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 209 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 210] Chapter 11: Post War - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 210 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 211] Chapter 12: Zanoba's Chosen Path - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 211 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 212] Chapter 13: It`s Okay To Rejoice - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 212 - MTL|MTL]]
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<div class="mw-customtoggle-Arc5 mw-customtoggle-Arc5Close mw-customtoggle-Arc5Open" style="background:#00FFD5; cursor:pointer;height:20px;padding-top:3px" align="center">'''<big>Young Man Period: From Intermission to the Finale</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible " style="text-align:left; margin:5px 5px clear:both; font-size:100%; background:transparent; width:100%;" id="mw-customcollapsible-Arc5">
===Volume 20.5 - Intermission Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_20.5|Full Text]])===
::*[Web Novel 213] Chapter 1: Future Plans and Cliff's Troubles - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 213 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 214] Chapter 2: Cliff and Zanoba's Graduation - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 214 - MTL|MTL]]
::*Side Story: A Country Hick Goes to the City - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 214.1 - MTL|MTL]]
::*Side Story: Coming-of-Age Ceremony - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 214.2 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 215] Chapter 3: And What Results From This - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 215 - MTL|MTL]]
::*[Web Novel 216] Chapter 4: And To Milishion... - [[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 216 - MTL|MTL]]

===Volume 21 - Young Man Period - Cliff Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_21|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 217 - MTL|[Web Novel 217] Chapter 1: Cliff's Return Home - MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 218|[Web Novel 218] Chapter 2: Latreia Residence]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 219|[Web Novel 219] Chapter 3: Milis Religious Organization Headquarters]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 220 - MTL|[Web Novel 220] Chapter 4: Meeting with the Pope, and... - MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 221 - MTL|[Web Novel 221] Chapter 5: Playing Dumb - MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 222|[Web Novel 222] Chapter 6: Chess Problem]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 223 - MTL|[Web Novel 223] Chapter 7: Checkmate - MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 224 - MTL|[Web Novel 224] Chapter 8: Bullish Negotiations - MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 225|[Web Novel 225] Chapter 9: What am I Wavering Over?]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 226|[Web Novel 226] Chapter 10: For My House, For My Daughter]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 227 - MTL|[Web Novel 227] Chapter 11: Result of Obligation - MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 228|[Web Novel 228] Chapter 12: The Traitor Escaped]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 228.5|Side Story: Mad Dog And Child Of God]]

===Volume 22 - Young Man Period - Organization Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_22|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 229|[Web Novel 229] Chapter 1: Return, Report and to the Next Stage]] - [http://pastebin.com/BW8cuuWu Preview]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 230 - MTL|[Web Novel 230] Chapter 2: Death God's Worries - MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 231|[Web Novel 231] Chapter 3: King of Dragon King's Kingdom]] - [http://pastebin.com/bkjd9TqZ Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 232|[Web Novel 232] Chapter 4: Infiltrating Fort Necross]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 233|[Web Novel 233] Chapter 5: Fierce Battle, Demon Lord Atofe]] - [http://pastebin.com/zXfgRJL6 Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 233.5|Side Story - We got Married]] - [http://pastebin.com/Kq4VAX0Z Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 234 - MTL|[Web Novel 234] Chapter 6: The Fourth One - MTL]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 235|[Web Novel 235] Chapter 7: Naming]] - [http://pastebin.com/7aVceNdf Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 236|[Web Novel 236] Chapter 8: Parallel World Teleportation Magic Device]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 237 - MTL|[Web Novel 237] Chapter 9: Nanahoshi's Fate - MTL]] - [http://versetranslations.wordpress.com/mt-current Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 238|[Web Novel 238] Chapter 10: A Second]] - [http://pastebin.com/BiQwYCa2 Link]

===Volume 23 - Young Man Period - Decisive Battle Chapter ([[Mushoku_Tensei:Volume_23|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 239|[Web Novel 239] Chapter 1: Strategy Meeting]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 240|[Web Novel 240] Chapter 2: What They Were Searching for]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 241|[Web Novel 241] Chapter 3: Who They Were Searching for]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/03/ch-241.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 242|[Web Novel 242] Chapter 4: The Supard Race's Village]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/03/ch-242.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 243|[Web Novel 243] Chapter 5: Dark King Vita]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/03/ch-243.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 244|[Web Novel 244] Chapter 6: Plague]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-244.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 245|[Web Novel 245] Chapter 7: Genius]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/04/ch-245.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 246|[Web Novel 246] Chapter 8: The Capital]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/04/ch-246.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 247|[Web Novel 247] Chapter 9: 4 Days & 3 Nights; Inspection Tour of the Supard Race]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-247.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 248|[Web Novel 248] Chapter 10: Disappearance]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-248.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 249|[Web Novel 249] Chapter 11: Bottom of the Earth Dragon Valley]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-249.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 250|[Web Novel 250] Chapter 12: Looking for a Chance to Win]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-250.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 251|[Web Novel 251] Chapter 13: Mad Sword King VS Former Sword God]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-251.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 252|[Web Novel 252] Chapter 14: Third Generation VS Second Generation + α]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.nl/2015/04/ch-252.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 253|[Web Novel 253] Chapter 15: North God the Third VS Dead End + α]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-253.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 254|[Web Novel 254] Chapter 16: Aleksander vs Rudeus]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-254.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 255|[Web Novel 255] Chapter 17: Ogre God's Bargain]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-255.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 256|[Web Novel 256] Chapter 18: Fighting God's Menace]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/04/ch-256.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 257|[Web Novel 257] Chapter 19: Trump Card]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/05/ch-257.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 258|[Web Novel 258] Chapter 20: Turning Point 5]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/05/ch-258.html Link]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter 259|[Web Novel 259] Chapter 21: End of Battle]] - [http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/05/ch-259.html Link]

===Final Volume - Conclusion Chapter===
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/05/ch-260.html Chapter 1: The Last Dream]
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/05/ch-261.html Chapter 2: 34 Years Old]
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/05/ss.html Side Story: Asura Kingdom's 『Biography of Rudeus Greyrat』]
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/05/fc.html Final Chapter: After Life]
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.in/2015/05/ep.html Epilogueː Prologue Zero]
<br style="clear:both"/>
</div>


<div class="mw-customtoggle-Arc6 mw-customtoggle-Arc6Close mw-customtoggle-Arc6Open" style="background:#6B00FF; cursor:pointer;height:20px;padding-top:3px" align="center">'''<big>Side Stories</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible " style="text-align:left; margin:5px 5px clear:both; font-size:100%; background:transparent; width:100%;" id="mw-customcollapsible-Arc6">'''

===XMAS 2014 Mushoku Tensei Side story===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:Web Chapter XMAS2014|The Truth of Santa Claus]]

===The Overthrow of the King Dragon King - Introduction to the Conclusion Chapter===
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-0|Prologue]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-1|Chapter 1: The Collapsed and Dying Women]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-2|Chapter 2: The Collapsed and Dying Women - Continued]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-3|Chapter 3: Death God Knight]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-4|Chapter 4: Heroic Tale]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-5|Chapter 5: The Abandoned Boy]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-6|Chapter 6: The Abandoned Boy - Continued]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-7|Chapter 7: Emperor of Dragon Emperor]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-8|Chapter 8: Duel]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-9|Chapter 9: The Beginning]]
::*[[Mushoku_Tensei:SS-10|Epilogue]]

===Mushoku Tensei - Redundancy Chapter===

* '''Wedding of Norn'''
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/05/ch-rc1.html Chapter 1: Norn's Marriage - First part]
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/06/ch-rc-2.html Chapter 2: Norn's Marriage - Second part]
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/06/ch-rc3.html Chapter 3: Norn's Marriage - Final part]

* '''Lucy and Papa'''
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/07/ch-rc4.html Chapter 4: Lucy's First Day at School - First part]
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/07/ch-rc5.html Chapter 5: Lucy's First Day at School - Last Part]
::*[http://Thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/07/ch-rc6.html Chapter 6: Lucy's Family]

* '''Story of The Seven Asuran Knights'''
::*[http://thelordofpie.blogspot.com/2015/08/ch-rc7.html Chapter 7: Isolte's Marriage Hunting - First part]
::*Chapter 8: The Gatekeeper Doga - First part
::*Chapter 9: Isolte and Doga - Final part

==Original Web Novel==
*[http://ncode.syosetu.com/n9669bk/ Web Novel' homepage] (WARNING: The web version shows some differences with the published one)
*[http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4251cr/ Redundancy Chapter homepage]

==Project Staff==

*Supervisor: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Manager: [[user:Kaezar|<span style="color:teal;font:normal 10pt Papyrus, fantasy">Kaezar</span>]]

===Translators===

'''ACTIVE'''
:* [[User:Tensaizz|Tensaizz]]
:* [[user:Kaezar|<span style="color:teal;font:normal 10pt Papyrus, fantasy">Kaezar</span>]]
:* [[user:Pielord Miniman|<span style="color: Limegreen;font:normal 10pt Comic Sans MS">Pielord Miniman</span>]]

'''INACTIVE'''
:* [[user:Imagelesskink|Imagelesskink]]
:* [[User:Dark Kaito|Dark Kaito]]
:* [[User:Skuizaan|Skuizaan]]
:* [[user:Ren|Ren]] (Learner)
:* [[user:Kazeboy|Kazeboy]] (Learner)
:* [[user:COTHER|cother]] (Learner)
:* [[user:Giorgio wu|Giorgio wu]] (CHI -> ENG)
:* [[User:Banisher|Banisher]] (CHI -> ENG)
:* [[User:Fighter747|Fighter747]]
:* [[user:Phiseca|Phiseca]]
:* [[user:Johnemis123| Johnemis123]] (learner)
:* [[user:Verse|Verse]]
:*[[user:Superduperelectromagnetictops|Superduperelectromagnetictops]]
:* [[User:SallissLights|SallissLights]]
:* [http://silentwolfie.deviantart.com SilentWolfie] Translator outside BT
:* [http://pastebin.com/u/loliDrag0n LoliDrag0n] editor for [http://silentwolfie.deviantart.com SilentWolfie]
:* [[User:Kanant Vaito|Kanant Vaito®]]
:* [[user:Team Tensai|Team Tensai®]]
:* [[User:Vanant|Vanant]]
:* [[User:Awrya|Awrya]]
:* [[user:Onii Sama| Onii Sama]] (CHI -> ENG)
:* [[User:zmunjali|zmunjali]] (MIA)

===Editors===
'''ACTIVE'''
:* [[user:Pielord Miniman|<span style="color: Limegreen;font:normal 10pt Comic Sans MS">Pielord Miniman</span>]]

'''INACTIVE'''
:* [[user:C0debreaker6|C0debreaker6]]
:* [[user:Striderman34|Striderman34]]
:* [[user:DaiZzed|DaiZzed]]
:* [[user:Trejon|Trejon]]
:* [[user:John Woodward|John Woodward]]
:* [[user:Trev lite|Trev lite]]
:* [[user:Doomr|Doomr]]
:*[[User:Tasear|<span style="color:green;font:normal 10pt Papyrus, fantasy">Tasear</span>]]
:*[[user:Sarnik|Sarnik]]
:*[[user:Laclongquan|Laclongquan]]
:*[[user:Deadgye|Deadgye]]
:*[[user:Trarc|Trarc]]
:*[[user:Sniper0432|Sniper0432]]
:*[[user:Subsinexus|Subsinexus]]
:*[[user:Saihafire|Saihafire]]
:*[[user:Gk159yo|SubratM./Gk159yo]]
:*[[user:Shvanell|Shvanell]]
:*[[User:Chaosmik|<span style="color:green;font:normal 10pt Papyrus, fantasy">Chaosmik</span>]]

== Series Overview ==
*無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~ 1 (January 23, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-066220-6)
*無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~ 2 (March 22, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-066393-7)
*無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~ 3 (May 23, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-066755-3)
*無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~ 4 (August 25, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-066961-8)
*無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~ 5 (October 24, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-067130-7)
*無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~ 6 (February 25, 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-067412-4)

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Drama]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Mature]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]

Overlord

2015-07-24T16:40:50Z

Thorlong: /* Updates */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==
* July 24, 2015 - Volume 4 Drama CD Complete.
* July 18, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 2 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 1 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Prologue Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7, Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62882.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The End and the Beginning
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62883.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/61675.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62884.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/65271.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O52.html Link] ]
::*Intermission
::*Chapter 3. Those who pick up, those who picked up
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, soard sparks of fire.

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/66589.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King capital disturbance
::*Chapter 7. Attack preparations
::*Chapter 8. Six arms
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The most strongest trump
::*Chapter 11. The final Battle of the disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to death]]
::*Chapter 2. Butterfly entangled in a spider web
::*Chapter 3. The large tomb
::*Chapter 4. A handful of hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Story 1. Henri's upheaval and hectic days
::*Story 2. A day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Overlord

2015-07-24T16:37:28Z

Thorlong: /* Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 1 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Prologue Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7, Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62882.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The End and the Beginning
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62883.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/61675.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62884.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/65271.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O52.html Link] ]
::*Intermission
::*Chapter 3. Those who pick up, those who picked up
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, soard sparks of fire.

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/66589.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King capital disturbance
::*Chapter 7. Attack preparations
::*Chapter 8. Six arms
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The most strongest trump
::*Chapter 11. The final Battle of the disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to death]]
::*Chapter 2. Butterfly entangled in a spider web
::*Chapter 3. The large tomb
::*Chapter 4. A handful of hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Story 1. Henri's upheaval and hectic days
::*Story 2. A day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Owari no Chronicle

2015-07-22T18:33:11Z

Thorlong: /* Owari no Chronicle 1-B (Full Text - PDF) */ ePUB removed dead link

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:OnC_v01_cover.jpg|thumb|x400px|right|]]
Owari no Chronicle (終わりのクロニクル) is a light novel series written by Kawakami Minoru (川上稔) and illustrated by Satoyasu (さとやす). It had 14 volumes published from 2003-2005 by Dengeki Bunko. It takes place in the past of [[Kyoukai_Senjou_no_Horizon|Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon]] and the [[City_Series|City Series]], two other series by the author.

:The Owari no Chronicle series is also available in the following languages:
:*[[Owari_no_Chronicle_~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
==Story Synopsis==

The world once fought a war with ten other worlds that exist alongside ours. That war was known as the Concept War and sixty years have passed since it was won. It was all kept secret and time has passed to the present without the ordinary people knowing.

After the death of his grandfather, the high school student Sayama Mikoto is suddenly summoned by the giant corporation IAI. He learns this world is headed for destruction due to the acceleration of the Minus Concepts. To prevent this, negotiations must be undertaken with the survivors of the other parallel worlds so their ten concepts can be released.

And so Sayama is caught up in the final battle to clean up after the Concept War which left behind so much enmity.

== Awards ==
'''Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2005'''
* 3th Place in Best Male Character, Sayama Mikoto

'''Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2006'''
* 2nd Place in Best Male Character, Sayama Mikoto
* 5th Place in Best Novel Series, Kawakami Minoru
* Most Heart Trembling Line to "Eroundic"

'''Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2007'''
* 1st Place in Best Male Character, Sayama Mikoto
* 7th Place in Best Novel Series, Kawakami Minoru

== Translation ==

=== [[Owari no Chronicle:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

'''Translators are asked to [[Owari no Chronicle:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they are working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Owari no Chronicle:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
'''If you enjoyed the series, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5892 Feedback Thread]'''

==Updates==
{{:Owari_no_Chronicle: Updates||}}
Older updates can be found [[Owari_no_Chronicle: Updates|here]].

==The ''AHEAD series - Owari no Chronicle'' by Kawakami Minoru==

===Owari no Chronicle 1-A ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/6s1ii96xad2fg9z/Owari_no_Chronicle_1-A.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/0n8e64wu8v2y7mh/OnC_1-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v01 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue: Saint’s Song]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_1|Chapter 1: Sayama’s Beginning]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_2|Chapter 2: The Two Meet]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_3|Chapter 3: Her Song]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_4|Chapter 4: A Mysterious Abyss]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_5|Chapter 5: Notification of Ignorance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_6|Chapter 6: Their Impressions]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_7|Chapter 7: A Peaceful Morning]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_8|Chapter 8: Chasing the Past]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_9|Chapter 9: The Circumstances of Justice]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: Development of Will]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: Her Fingers]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_12|Chapter 12: A Reunion with Someone New]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_13|Chapter 13: Location of the Heavens]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>
===Owari no Chronicle 1-B ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/cpvcnar1rjqg9s0/Owari_no_Chronicle_1-B.pdf PDF])===
[[File:OnC v02 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_14|Chapter 14: Proof of Determination]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_15|Chapter 15: Multiple Sounds of Wind]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_16|Chapter 16: The Conditions of Good Will]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_17|Chapter 17: Tranquil Flowers]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_18|Chapter 18: Broken Horizon]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_19|Chapter 19: Prematurity of Thoughts]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_20|Chapter 20: Heart of Realization]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_21|Chapter 21: The Path to Relief]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_22|Chapter 22: Unforgettable Secrets]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_23|Chapter 23: Windy, Moon-Filled Sky]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_24|Chapter 24: Entrance to the Dance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_25|Chapter 25: The Path to Overcome Suspicion]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_26|Chapter 26: Recommendation to Lie Prone]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_27|Chapter 27: Longing for Right and Wrong]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_28|Chapter 28: Their Confirmation]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_29|Chapter 29: The Dragon’s Contract]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_30|Chapter 30: Inheritance of the Dragon’s Will]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_31|Final Chapter: Lineage of Pride]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 2-A ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/y3le33m6blesllb/Owari%20no%20Chronicle%202-A.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/5y618a1c7v3wcez/OnC_2-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v03 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Preface|Preface]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue: The Beginning of False Testimony]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_1|Chapter 1: The Two in the Flames]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_2|Chapter 2: Lesson from the Past]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_3|Chapter 3: Progress of Oversight]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_4|Chapter 4: Constant Questions]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_5|Chapter 5: A Mutual Introduction]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_6|Chapter 6: Former Admiration]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_7|Chapter 7: Lying Neighbor]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_8|Chapter 8: The Beginning of an Answer]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_9|Chapter 9: Blocked Perception]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: A Call for False Testimony]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: Falling Sounds of Rain]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_12|Chapter 12: Morning Plan]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_13|Chapter 13: Blooming World]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>
===Owari no Chronicle 2-B ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/tr35y30fym4tfee/Owari_no_Chronicle_2-B.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/5mql3oa509vddfx/OnC_2-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v04 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Preface|Preface]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_14|Chapter 14: Location of the Answer]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_15|Chapter 15: Point of Acquisition]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_16|Chapter 16: Unmoving Predecessor]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_17|Chapter 17: A Scream in the Rain]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_18|Chapter 18: Demand for Pain]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_19|Chapter 19: Night of Compensation]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_20|Chapter 20: Intent to Escape]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_21|Chapter 21: Honest Intentions]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_22|Chapter 22: Impetus to Stand Up]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_23|Chapter 23: Chooser of Power]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_24|Chapter 24: Murmur of Tradition]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_25|Chapter 25: False Name]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_26|Chapter 26: Beginning of the Confrontation]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_27|Chapter 27: Your Name]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_28|Chapter 28: Song of Battle]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_29|Chapter 29: Seeing Through the Lies]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_30|Chapter 30: Place of Yearning]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_31|Chapter 31: Will of the Dragon of Water Droplets]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_32|Final Chapter: That Which the Wind Conveys]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>
===Owari no Chronicle 3-A ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/7662xdcjb17id8s/Owari_no_Chronicle_3-A.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/llr6313j4crlo95/OnC_3-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v05 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Preface|Preface]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Prologue|Prologue: On a Trip of Self-Questioning]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_1|Chapter 1: A Morning Change]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_2|Chapter 2: Meeting of Steel]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_3|Chapter 3: Scent of Light]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_4|Chapter 4: Greeting at the Entrance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_5|Chapter 5: Machine Footsteps]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_6|Chapter 6: Driving Questions]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_7|Chapter 7: Painful Guard]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_8|Chapter 8: Nighttime Visitor]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_9|Chapter 9: That Which a God Desires]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: A Chance Meeting of Questions]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: Running Metal]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume5_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 3-B ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/xt2db2bx2mwsl72/Owari_no_Chronicle_3-B.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/t4mmdl7frza3kdw/OnC_3-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v06 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Preface|Preface]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_12|Chapter 12: One Side of Their Feelings]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_13|Chapter 13: Round Dance of Expectation]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_14|Chapter 14: Choices from a Cry of Suffering]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_15|Chapter 15: Illusion of a Feeling]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_16|Chapter 16: Flowers on the Board]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_17|Chapter 17: Afternoon Space]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_18|Chapter 18: Future Circumstances]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_19|Chapter 19: Pursuit into the Depths]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_20|Chapter 20: Noisy Challenge]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_21|Chapter 21: Silently Read Memories]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_22|Chapter 22: Pulse of Ascertainment]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_23|Chapter 23: Accusing Attacker]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_24|Chapter 24: Signs of an Approaching Enemy]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear: both;" />

===Owari no Chronicle 3-C ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/272e9bs2daavzad/Owari_no_Chronicle_3-C.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/l519sqe8bwj18xj/OnC_3-C.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v07 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Preface|Preface]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_25|Chapter 25: Afternoon of Misunderstanding]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_26|Chapter 26: Jab of Guidance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_27|Chapter 27: First Time Behavior]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_28|Chapter 28: Confrontation of Discovery]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_29|Chapter 29: Ready for a Reunion]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_30|Chapter 30: Clash of Divulgence]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_31|Chapter 31: Cleansing Transition]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_32|Chapter 32: Compensation for a Lie]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_33|Chapter 33: Growing Closer on the Board]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_34|Chapter 34: Battlefield of Farewells]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_35|Chapter 35: Spirit of Gathering]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_36|Chapter 36: Hope for the Next Generation]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_37|Chapter 37: The King’s City]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_38|Chapter 38: Shadow of Light]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_39|Chapter 39: Light of Shadow]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_40|Chapter 40: Words of the Night Sky]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Chapter_41|Final Chapter: Praise of the Great Heaven]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume7_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 4-A ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/e6u18wl1ba37p6f/Owari_no_Chronicle_4-A.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/x708zec084688me/OnC_4-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v08 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Preface|Preface]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Prologue|Prologue: Blue Guidance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_1|Chapter 1: Descent of Darkness]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_2|Chapter 2: The Pair’s Pace]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_3|Chapter 3: Clash of a Greeting]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_4|Chapter 4: Morning of Conversation]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_5|Chapter 5: The Depths of Memory]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_6|Chapter 6: Door of Misapprehension]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_7|Chapter 7: Departing Pace]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_8|Chapter 8: Confirmation of a Word]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_9|Chapter 9: Approach of Intention]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: One who Commands Great Power]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: Complicated Power]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_12|Chapter 12: Guidance of Thought]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_13|Chapter 13: Mutual Words]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_14|Chapter 14: Shadow of Fate]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_15|Chapter 15: Morning Commotion]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_16|Chapter 16: The True Contents of One’s Heart]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Chapter_17|Chapter 17: Meeting of Conflict]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume8_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 4-B ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/2nc0px73mxba69n/Owari_no_Chronicle_4-B.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/wf13p8v321k28rt/OnC_4-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v09 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Preface|Preface]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_18|Chapter 18: Place of Continuation]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_19|Chapter 19: An Invisible Known]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_20|Chapter 20: Sky of Reunion]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_21|Chapter 21: Voice of Concern]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_22|Chapter 22: Dead End Escape Path]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_23|Chapter 23: Developing Assignment]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_24|Chapter 24: Heart of Identity]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_25|Chapter 25: Desired Sky]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_26|Chapter 26: Running Destination]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_27|Chapter 27: Beyond the Forefront]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_28|Chapter 28: Her Guidance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_29|Chapter 29: The Wind’s Guidance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_30|Chapter 30: Preemptive Truth]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_31|Chapter 31: The Human Dragon’s Will]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_32|Chapter 32: The Sky’s Guidance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_33|Chapter 33: Announcement of Acceleration]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_34|Chapter 34: White Guidance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_35|Chapter 35: Black Guidance]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_36|Final Chapter: Where the Wind Reaches]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 5-A ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/ruvxvmm157s5151/OnC_5-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v10 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Prologue|Prologue: Beginning of the End]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_1|Chapter 1: Your Usual Self]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_2|Chapter 2: Unknown Beginning]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_3|Chapter 3: Lone Defiance]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_4|Chapter 4: Night of Guests]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_5|Chapter 5: Feeling of Separation]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_6|Chapter 6: Resentment's Beginning]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_7|Chapter 7: Victorious Treachery]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_8|Chapter 8: Troublesome Visit]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_9|Chapter 9: A Back that Watches Over]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: Sounds of a Visitor]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: Flow of Human Will]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_12|Chapter 12: For a Conclusion]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_13|Chapter 13: The World’s Expression]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_14|Chapter 14: Forming Thoughts]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_15|Chapter 15: A Place with a Voice]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_16|Chapter 16: Dry Desire]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_17|Chapter 17: Reason for Agreement]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_18|Chapter 18: Something Important to Me]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Chapter_19|Chapter 19: Annihilating Betrayal]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume10_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 5-B ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/kk565g8muf5lu8i/OnC_5-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v11 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_20|Chapter 20: Lesson in the Dark]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_21|Chapter 21: In the Past]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_22|Chapter 22: What Taught Her to Smile]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_23|Chapter 23: The Second Battle]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_24|Chapter 24: Resumed Reunion]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_25|Chapter 25: Beyond Understanding]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_26|Chapter 26: Road of Shadow]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_27|Chapter 27: Waking Light]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_28|Chapter 28: Sound of Soaring]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_29|Chapter 29: The First Step]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_30|Chapter 30: Meeting Distance]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_31|Chapter 31: A Small Amount of Truth]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_32|Chapter 32: Hitting the Ground Running]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_33|Chapter 33: Released Gathering]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_34|Chapter 34: False World]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_35|Chapter 35: Word of Expectation]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_36|Chapter 36: To the One Waiting For You]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_37|Chapter 37: Restraining a Great Sin]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_38|Chapter 38: Understanding of Goodbye]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_39|Final Chapter: Destination of Prayer]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 6-A ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/8d4qtod4fc0nqr7/OnC_6-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v12 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Prologue|Prologue: Beginning of the Festival]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_1|Chapter 1: Forced Reprimand]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_2|Chapter 2: First Greeting]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_3|Chapter 3: Clashing Appearance]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_4|Chapter 4: Persuasion Through Attack]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_5|Chapter 5: Irresponsible House]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_6|Chapter 6: The Voice Within]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_7|Chapter 7: Surprise Guest]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_8|Chapter 8: The World’s Entrance]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_9|Chapter 9: Sudden Weakness]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: A Comfortable Place]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: My Opinion]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_12|Chapter 12: Consumed Heat]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_13|Chapter 13: Morning Voices]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_14|Chapter 14: A Place of Old Memories]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_15|Chapter 15: The Ordinary Extraordinary]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_16|Chapter 16: What One Has While Alone]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_17|Chapter 17: An Older Time]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_18|Chapter 18: Riddling Moebius]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_19|Chapter 19: Worn-Out Anticipation]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 6-B ([[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/lr6ojh71d99nhcb/OnC_6-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:OnC v13 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_20|Chapter 20: How to Speak of the End]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_21|Chapter 21: World of Salvation]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_22|Chapter 22: Looking Back in the Snow]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_23|Chapter 23: Notification of Continuation]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_24|Chapter 24: Greeting to the World]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_25|Chapter 25: Where to Carry One’s Being]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_26|Chapter 26: A Frank Chat About Destruction]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_27|Chapter 27: Charity of Lies]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_28|Chapter 28: There and Not There]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_29|Chapter 29ː Things Children Say]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_30|Chapter 30: How to Advance]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_31|Chapter 31: Strategy of Consideration]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_32|Chapter 32: What God Sees]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_33|Chapter 33: He who Speaks of Pain]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_34|Chapter 34: Signature of Reversal]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_35|Chapter 35: Time to Vote]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_36|Chapter 36: Solution to the Responses]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_37|Chapter 37: What I Want to Do]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_38|Chapter 38: City of Destruction]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_39|Chapter 39: Empty Roar]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_40|Chapter 40: Two Powers]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_41|Chapter 41: Title of the Heart]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_42|Chapter 42: Their Respective Conclusions]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Chapter_43|Final Chapter: Leading Edge of the Pain]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume13_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle 7===
[[File:OnC v14 0000 cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Prologue|Prologue: Step Toward Preparation]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_1|Chapter 1: The Joy of an Outing]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_2|Chapter 2: Slope of Meeting]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_3|Chapter 3: In the Direction You Are Headed]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_4|Chapter 4: Reason for Defeat]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_5|Chapter 5: Beginning of the Arrival]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_6|Chapter 6: Wind-Told Distance]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_7|Chapter 7: Voice of the Just One]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_8|Chapter 8: Confirmation of Determination]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_9|Chapter 9: Deciding Factor of the Heart]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: Where the Wind Judges]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: What Matters in Life]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_12|Chapter 12: Continuation of the End]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_13|Chapter 13: Noah’s Ark]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_14|Chapter 14: Gulp into the Past]]
*[[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume14_Chapter_15|Chapter 15: Although You Are Not Here]]
*Chapter 16
*Chapter 17
*Chapter 18
*Chapter 19
*Chapter 20
*Chapter 21
*Chapter 22
*Chapter 23
*Chapter 24
*Chapter 25
*Chapter 26
*Chapter 27
*Chapter 28
*Final Chapter
*Afterword

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Owari no Chronicle DC===
[[File:DC_00a.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Owari_no_Chronicle:DC_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*Preface
*Interlude

<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
:*[[user:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''
:*[[user:Strike Forcer|Strike Forcer]]

== Series Overview ==
*終わりのクロニクル1<上> (10 June 2003, ISBN 4-8402-2389-0)
*終わりのクロニクル1<下> (10 July 2003, ISBN 4-8402-2407-2)
*終わりのクロニクル2<上> (10 October 2003, ISBN 4-8402-2493-5)
*終わりのクロニクル2<下> (10 November 2003, ISBN 4-8402-2515-X)
*終わりのクロニクル3<上> (10 April 2004, ISBN 4-8402-2654-7)
*終わりのクロニクル3<中> (10 June 2004, ISBN 4-8402-2698-9)
*終わりのクロニクル3<下> (10 July 2004, ISBN 4-8402-2731-4)
*終わりのクロニクル4<上> (10 December 2004, ISBN 4-8402-2884-1)
*終わりのクロニクル4<下> (10 January 2005, ISBN 4-8402-2913-9)
*終わりのクロニクル5<上> (10 June 2005, ISBN 4-8402-3062-5)
*終わりのクロニクル5<下> (10 July 2005, ISBN 4-8402-3081-1)
*終わりのクロニクル6<上> (10 November 2005, ISBN 4-8402-3213-X)
*終わりのクロニクル6<下> (10 November 2005, ISBN 4-8402-3214-8)
*終わりのクロニクル7 (10 December 2005, ISBN 4-8402-3240-7)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Minoru Kawakami]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]
[[Category:Genre - Sci-Fi]]

Overlord

2015-07-21T04:32:16Z

Thorlong: /* The Overlord series by Maruyama Kugane */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 1 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Prologue Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7, Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62882.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62883.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/61675.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/62884.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus 80% [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ] [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/65271.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2015/07/O52.html Link] ]
::*Intermission
::*Chapter 3. Those who pick up, those who picked up
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, soard sparks of fire.

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://www.wenku8.cn/novel/1/1592/66589.htm Chinese Site] ]
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King capital disturbance
::*Chapter 7. Attack preparations
::*Chapter 8. Six arms
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The most strongest trump
::*Chapter 11. The final Battle of the disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to death]]
::*Chapter 2. Butterfly entangled in a spider web
::*Chapter 3. The large tomb
::*Chapter 4. A handful of hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations
::*Story 1. Henri's upheaval and hectic days
::*Story 2. A day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.com/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Overlord

2015-07-16T06:11:24Z

Thorlong: /* Updates */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Chapter 1 Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 5 Prologue Complete.
* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7, Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.in/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.be/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus 80% [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.sg/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose
::*Intermission
::*Chapter 3. Those who pick up, those who picked up
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, soard sparks of fire.

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume6 Illustrations| Illustrations]]
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King capital disturbance
::*Chapter 7. Attack preparations
::*Chapter 8. Six arms
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The most strongest trump
::*Chapter 11. The final Battle of the disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to death]]
::*Chapter 2. Butterfly entangled in a spider web
::*Chapter 3. The large tomb
::*Chapter 4. A handful of hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume8 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*Story 1. Henri's upheaval and hectic days
::*Story 2. A day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume9 Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Overlord

2015-07-16T06:07:58Z

Thorlong: /* Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1 */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==

* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7, Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.in/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.be/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus 80% [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.sg/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O51.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose
::*Intermission
::*Chapter 3. Those who pick up, those who picked up
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, soard sparks of fire.

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume6 Illustrations| Illustrations]]
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King capital disturbance
::*Chapter 7. Attack preparations
::*Chapter 8. Six arms
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The most strongest trump
::*Chapter 11. The final Battle of the disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to death]]
::*Chapter 2. Butterfly entangled in a spider web
::*Chapter 3. The large tomb
::*Chapter 4. A handful of hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume8 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*Story 1. Henri's upheaval and hectic days
::*Story 2. A day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume9 Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Overlord

2015-07-16T06:05:06Z

Thorlong: /* Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1 */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==

* July 11, 2015 - Volume 7, Chapter 1 Complete.
* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.in/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.be/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus 80% [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.sg/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O50.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose
::*Intermission
::*Chapter 3. Those who pick up, those who picked up
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, soard sparks of fire.

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume6 Illustrations| Illustrations]]
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King capital disturbance
::*Chapter 7. Attack preparations
::*Chapter 8. Six arms
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The most strongest trump
::*Chapter 11. The final Battle of the disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to death]]
::*Chapter 2. Butterfly entangled in a spider web
::*Chapter 3. The large tomb
::*Chapter 4. A handful of hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume8 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*Story 1. Henri's upheaval and hectic days
::*Story 2. A day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume9 Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[[User:Ferro|Ferro]]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Overlord

2015-07-11T01:17:32Z

Thorlong: /* Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<br/>
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) is a Japanese light novel series written by Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) and illustrated by so-bin. The series is ongoing with 9 volumes. An [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-28/over-lord-fantasy-rpg-light-novel-has-anime-in-the-works/.78118| anime adaptation] has been announced, and is currently in the works.
:The Overlord series is also available in the following languages:

*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

<br/>

==Story Synopsis==
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down on its last day. Our protagonist Momonga decided to stay until the last moment in his beloved game and wait for the force logout. Unexpectedly, the server did not shut down and Momonga is stuck in his skeleton body and got transferred to another world. "The powerful Overlord" now needs to discover a new world and face continuous challenges.

Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary man strives to take over the new world the game has become.

==Translations==
For further details on the credited Translators and Editors please refer to the [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration page]] and the Staff section below.

=== [[Overlord:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first check the [[Overlord:Registration Page|registration page]] and the designated project representative(s).

'''Translators are asked to [[Overlord:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must confirm to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Overlord:Terminology and Guidelines|Terminology and Guidelines]] - Standardization for names, terms and locations.

==Updates==

* June 1, 2015 - Volume 7, Prologue Complete.

For older updates click [[Overlord:update_history|here]]

==The ''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: The Undead King ([[Overlord:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/08/overlord-volume-1-main.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/04/overlord-v01-prologue.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1
::**Part 1 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.ca/2014/08/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 2 [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/overlord-v01-chapter-1-end-and.html Link] ]
::**Part 3 [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O11.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Floor Guardians [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O12.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Battle of Carne Village [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O13.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Conflict [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.com/2014/10/O14.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Ruler of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O15.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O16.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O17.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 2: The Dark Warrior ([[Overlord:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]] [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Link] ])===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
'''For further details for all external Links please refer to the Registration Page for Translator credits'''
::*Illustrations
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/10/O20.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. The Two Adventurers [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/11/O21.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Journey + Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2014/11/O22.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Virtuous King of the Forest [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2014/12/O23.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dual Blade of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/01/O24.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2015/01/O25.html Link] ]
::*Afterword/Character Introduction [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.ru/2015/01/O26.html Link] ]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 3: The Bloody Valkyrie ([[Overlord:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.in/2015/01/overlord-volume-3-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Predator's Gang [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/01/O31.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. True Vampire + Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/02/O32.html Link] ]
::*Interlude [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/02/O328.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Confusion and Understanding [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.in/2015/03/O33.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. Before the Death Match [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.be/2015/03/O34.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. Player Vs Non Player Character [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/03/O35.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O36.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 4: The Lizard Man Heroes===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-4-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O40.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 1. Departure [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/04/O41.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 2. Gathering, Lizardman [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/05/O42.html Link] ]
::*Intermission [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O425.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 3. Army of Death [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O43.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 4. The Dawn of Despair [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/O44.html Link] ]
::*Chapter 5. The Freezing God [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O45.html Link] ]
::*Epilogue [ [http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/2015/07/O46.html Link] ]
::*CD Bonus 80% [ [http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.sg/2015/03/overlord-drama-cd-volume-1-sealed-evil.html Link] ]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 5: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Illustrations [ [http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/2015/01/overlord-volume-5-novel-illustrations.html Link] ]
::*Prologue
::*Chapter 1. A Boy's Feeling
::*Chapter 2. Blue Rose
::*Intermission
::*Chapter 3. Those who pick up, those who picked up
::*Chapter 4. Congregated Men
::*Chapter 5. Extinguished, soard sparks of fire.

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 6: The Men in the Kingdom - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume6 Illustrations| Illustrations]]
::*Chapter 6. Introduction of King capital disturbance
::*Chapter 7. Attack preparations
::*Chapter 8. Six arms
::*Chapter 9. Jaldabaoth
::*Chapter 10. The most strongest trump
::*Chapter 11. The final Battle of the disturbance
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 7: The Invaders of the Large Tomb ([[Overlord:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Prologue| Prologue]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume7 Chapter 1|Chapter 1. Invitation to death]] '''(9/10 completed)'''
::*Chapter 2. Butterfly entangled in a spider web
::*Chapter 3. The large tomb
::*Chapter 4. A handful of hope
::*Epilogue

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 8: The Two Leaders===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume8 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*Story 1. Henri's upheaval and hectic days
::*Story 2. A day of Nazarick

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 9: The Magic Caster of Destroy===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*[[Overlord:Volume9 Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==
*Project Administrator: [[user:onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]]
*Project Supervisor:
===Translators===
*[http://imoutoliciouslnt.blogspot.com/ Imoutolicious LNT]
*[http://skythewood.blogspot.sg/p/knights-and-magic-author-amazake-no.html Skythewood Translations]
*[http://sweetacollections.blogspot.com/ Sweet A Collections]
*[https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing/ CoCayn]
*[[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]]

===Editors===
*Namorax
*Mecani

===Inactive===
*cerulean13
*Ghoststaker
*Chanity

== Source ==
The web novel raws can be found [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n4402bd/ here] and continued [http://ncode.syosetu.com/n1839bd/ here], although major changes were made for the light novel releases.

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]