Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Content

First Edits done on Book 4. Next 4 Chapters of Book 5.

Hey Everyone,

This week has been tough with the edits on Book 4, but I'm finally finished the first pass with all the main corrections from my editors. Now I'm going to be reading it throughout the week and making a few tweaks before submitting it to the Publishers. As a result, I've not been able to get the usual five chapters done this week... but I think you'll be happy with some of the work in these chapters.

Anyway, let me know what you think! Also, I know some people are worried about the timeline and stuff, but I just need Sal to get an introduction to a lot of these classes before we can do a few time skips that narratively make sense. Hopefully you'll see the tools I'm building into the story that will show his progress over time. :)

All the best,
Brian

Comments

ELITE_TK

Such a great way to start a Monday morning! Thank you for all of your hard work.

The Foolish One

Try using a voice reading app. Even if they sound awful, sometimes hearing something out loud draws your attention to an error.

Dlandis

This right here is one of the few reasons I haven't gone insane at the start of my hundred hour work week. Thanks for the update and chapter drop!

Pickled Rick

This is where the RoyalRoad authors can have a minor leg up. RR is free so once a Book takes off on there you have lots of eyes on your story and they find all your typos for you. I struggle on Patreon because the app is not really setup to give #Edit Suggestions like RR.

jumbosauce

I like that Sal is willing to build the thing before he knows how it’s gonna work, the optimistic tone of the story is one of its greatest strengths. Very good stuff! Thanks for posting :-)

Jonathan Robichaux

Senpai noticed my worry about the time frame lol

Heather Herren

It’s going to be so awesome!!!

John Smith

Like the chapters, wanted to point out a phrasing thing. I could figure out what was meant by a “bursary” from context and have paid money to a “bursar’s” office at college. But it is not a word I had ever heard before and stuck out for it to be used that much. So that phrasing might confuse Americans

Kiwi

Thank you for the chapters, please don’t apologise for being busy with work creating an awesome story. 5 chapters or one chapter every word is appreciated.

Benjamin Hartmann

Wow what a blast…. Are this Sal’s first steps as a guild master?!! Did not expect him delegating the drone, but it is really the best move. And Fabi will have a great time with it. Imagine they let it loose and forget about it and a year later reports come in of the drone saving people to just fly away to mangle some stray demons

Ben Cooper

Loving these new chapters. I'm looking forward to seeing Sal, Divinity, and Barry in a dungeon, and I'm really looking forward to Sal's next meeting with Villa. I'm hoping the crew pull in Upgrade and Fabi for their dungeon dive so they can do some testing on their various projects. Most of all, I'm hoping the Elixir Vending Machine is finished in the very near future just to get that off Sal's plate. It's been sitting on the To-Do list for far too long.

Meghan B

Hahahaha! Sovereign. Dear lord. I love it!

Tim Walloch

Great chapters! I don't know about time skips. They just feel like missed chapters to me, and more chapters = more better. However, I've never been to mad at authors that used time skips either since they get to more interesting chapters.

Kiwi

Ok first I love the idea of Sal having two aliases, Myth for crafting and Maestro for weaves. Trickster has multiple why can’t Sal? Didn’t Sal have a washer dryer in his first dorm room? I didn’t think it was a communal one?

keoki

A Nice set of chapters. Cool, semi free stuff via class selection. Looking forward to seeing how the healing mask works out, I thought it would more of a healing pod thing for a entire whole body heal.

OnionRings27

Thank you for the chapters! I curious as to why Robert locke even sent an offer, he had to know that there is no way 5k q-cred and his personal mentorship would equate to all the other offers that the recently outed mythcrafter would get. While I understand 5k is a lot, it sounds more like a joke/insult than an actual offer when you add in the "no other offers allowed" stipulation. If he had even made it less open ended like "no guild/syndicate offers allowed" it would have made way more sense.

C

I like Fabi. Good chapters! I can only imagine when people find out about the sovereign weave how people will react. Cant wait for that thing to be built to see what it can do.

BrianJNordon

Could be hubris. He believes that 1:1 training with himself is worth sacrificing all the other lower offers. Getting an 'in' with him, could guarantee your entire future, and that's why he's confident in giving that offer.

Pickled Rick

I am looking forward to Sal finding out how to evolve his skills. I shudder to think what Skill Master will look like when it evolves.

Kiwi

After the way Sophia put him in his place I was surprised too 😂

Kiwi

Skill Master -> Skill Lord (maybe? 🤔) I’d wet myself if Skill Master becomes Skill Maestro 😂

Kiwi

I thought the same, I thought the skill weave that was made for objects was a healing one that would make the pod.

Pickled Rick

Skill Maestro allowing him to instinctively devolve or evolve all skills and maybe make it easier to merge skills together or even just to create completely new skills based on intent alone

José A.A.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but, where are these offers you're talking about? I just reread the chapters and can't find them anywhere. Am I missing something? again sorry for being dense hahaha

Carl

chapter 25. it's on a separate page at the end of the chapter due to formatting. I missed it as well during my 1st read through

R. Maxwell Steele

Sovereign weave and the Terminator drone both seem like cooking natural disasters. While his current subsume ability at least always keeps him as strong as his drone. Much more sustainable. Also now that he's starting to actually have fun killing demons, seems a bit odd to offload the fun part to a drone. Reminds me of AI taking all the good jobs in real life.

R. Maxwell Steele

With class selection, just feels like a lot of talking about what they are going to do, which sort of spoils it, I'd rather not know until I'm shown.

R. Maxwell Steele

Yeah after he never slept in the cocoon thing he described making, I honestly figured he'd just spin up a skill weave that gave him ultra recovery. But some kind of back up device for active combat is definitely needed and better than a sleep cocoon. Though I'm also sad that he's not using subsume on the daily. If he just sent his drone to a dungeon every day, he'd already be strong enough that he wouldn't need healing.

C

I dont think its the fun part. Hes a support crafter. I think it would be odd to not craft the best items and gear possible.

R. Maxwell Steele

Hopefully it doesn't go terminator. Evolutionary runes plus sovereign? Seems very end of the world to me.

Kiwi

Grant has skill savant, it would be a side step not an evolving weave.

Kiwi

I do hope he makes a better device for his parents especially his mum, the burrito thing although it did work, a pod where she can spend an hour a day or something would be more practical.

Dawn Zeleznik

Great chapters. It’ll be interesting to see if classes are as straight forward as they sound.

Pickled Rick

Don't bet on it. All it takes is for Sal to open his big mouth in front of Chatfield and then all the students will be dragged into a Portal with nothing but silver shoes.

AJ

“Why am I like this” one of the best lines I have ever read man made me laugh so hard

Ron Blondeau

What is "Syndicate"? Must have missed that one. Great chapters by the way.

Marco

Good f***ing work! loved the new chapters. and it feels like that scavenger run should be happening in the next week or two! and maybe we can have a Villa reunion. I am dying to see the new dynamic with Vanessa, Villa and Sal. Do you think we might get a 1v1 snipe-out with Sal and that guy from the Reavers? Once he gets the Myth-make back, he should have a sniper rifle of his own ready to go!

Kiwi

It’s really cool how the Argento Auction are financially supporting students, I wonder who else got one? (Sal looked like he got the least lucrative from Argento Auction hahaha basically his own materials 😂)

Kiwi

And the stipulations for each Argento Bursary are easily maintained. I’d love Barry’s stipulation to be “cause as much fucking chaos as possible when possible”.

Justin

Excellent chapters, well paced and flowed from one subject to the next naturally. And I can't wait for Arc to make it's presence felt in the series.

DasGoat622

Also it sounds like the Sovereign is a “set it and forget it” demon solution. You have two red zones send Sovereign into one while Sal clears the other. This feels like one of those community level projects vs the individual projects. Also Sal probably won’t but this has Tony Stark level wealth potential once he can mass produce them.

Sam

I am very glad it wasn't just me. I was actually a little peeved that we didn't get to see the report card so I'm glad I just missed it

Kiwi

probably reading to much into it but I’m getting a vibe that Sal and Coach are going to work together and pull a “Salvator Argento” and do something that will hugely impact everyone and change the future, just like the Perfect weave. Especially after Divinity says: “but he's definitely going to do your Masterclass... it might just be an offsite thing." I was excited for the dungeon run but now I’m chomping at the bit for Coach.

Nicholas Graves

I loved these chapters. My only ISSUE IS YOUR POSTING NEW CHAPTERS ON MONDAY!!!! That is the absolute worst day possible to post new chapters. You should swap to Fridays. With it being on Monday it just ruins our whole weekend. I spend all day Saturday and Sunday eagerly awaiting the absolute worst day on earth. I can't even enjoy my weekends because I want Monday to come (even though I have to go back to work) just because I know new chapters will be out...

Marco

yea, the whole thing about him being discrassed and wanted to improve his image has me thinking the same.

Pickled Rick

That's why reading weekly instead of as a finished book is so painful. Last week I was looking forward to Divinity and Barry seeing Sal's drone in a dungeon. Now I don't care about the dungeon I want to see Coach help Sal break the future again. My only concern is Bastion will likely get everything Sal has invented up to the point of their arrival so he will need to invent new stuff just to deal with the inevitable Civil War / Bastion's power grab.

Max

Just a question for chapter 28. Does anybody else also feel that Sal does not seem like the same character if he interacts with Fabi? We had a similar situation in Book 3 with the mantle for Rochelle. There, he also needed to outsource some work, and he had a great experience with outsourcing the work for a legendary coat to Blathnaid and Upgrade. Why does he approach this situation so differently? But now in a very similar situation he is not overthinking the possibilities, he is not particularly caring about the price and he's not even haggling, he sets no requirements for the build, he doesn't intend to improve his own standing with the achievement of the build or help one of his friends, he doesn't talk with his friends or mentors about it. Why does Sal outsource the work for the new drone to Fabi? Fabi is also busy with her school work, she is not confident she can manage to build it, she does not need the money, she tells Sal it would be a good project for his ethical crafting. She is not part of his guild. Fabi is just a friend who is also a crafter. Sal has other people who meet the same requirements. e.g. Why didn't Sal go to Blathnaid? One of these options would make more sense to me: 1 Sal would discuss the drone with Fabi, and the story will stay the same until the middle of page 4. But instead of giving the project to Fabi, he would give it to one of his classmates because she does not have enough time and is also not confident she can make it. He is already offering to help with the parts Fabi can't make therefore he could do the same for someone else. This way, he could support the people in the support class who really need the experience, money, and opportunity. He could even get them to join his guild. This would be more in line with Sal's goal. He is proud to be a support, and it would make sense for him to help his fellows. 2 After hearing that this would be a good project for the ethical crafting class, he waits for the first class before deciding whether to outsource the project. This would also reduce his workload if he could craft the drone as a school project. If he can't do that, he can still outsource it. 3 Instead of outsourcing the drone project, he could do that for the elixer machine. He is more excited about the drone. Also, Fabi is already working on the payment system for the Elixer machine. Therefore, it would make more sense to outsource the project he doesn't like.

Kenneth Darlin

Loving the idea of a murder bot that just constantly evolves and kills all the bad guys!! Especially since it can replicate the epitome of the bad guy’s skills!

Travis Nevins

Not sure about teh character part, but he is kind of doing idea 3. I wouldn't be surpised if tells upgrade who then forces him to do both projects easily getting top marks in the cass for it. Also, we don't know the requriements for projects in that ethcial class maybe he he does both in teh class?

Naotsugu97

Good chapters, cheers! Only question I have is about the “report card”. In University here in USA, report cards are received at the end of semester with your completed course grade. Typically your semester courses are chosen before the semester starts and is usually referred to as class schedule. At least in undergrad classes.

Kurby

1) Let's Go Barry! 2) Great Job Sal. Being able to share the glory and choosing to delegate long projects to others is something I struggle with in real life. So I'm glad to see Sal can do it with such ease. 3) Yeah were gonna need that mask by yesterday. 4) He's still to hesitant for my taste but I am glad Sal has become more willing to just scan a person's weave and work on it in his spare time. 5) I can't fathom the level of arrogance the Hunters Bureau must have to think Sal would actually accept that offer. And if they knew he'd reject it, why offer so much?

Sye Olmstead

What’s stopping him from copying Sovereign or Predator and just killing a hulker and instantly boosting his strength?

Michael Victorine

I am dearly hoping that the Sovereign drone ends up being the solution to the time-locked class 10 cataclysm. (I'm also wondering if that giant fuck off dragon doesn't have something like the Sovereign weave itself. )

Kiwi

i have a theory that possibly the weave that he made that is still deducing i thought it would help make a healing pod, but another theory is it is a weave that can be used on a totem that has the time stasis ability of Chronos that can be used on the dragon instead of him. that in turn makes max like Sal and she becomes his team contoller.

Dawn Zeleznik

Several times they’ve mentioned his body would not be able to physically handle the weave. That’s why he wanted healing potions on hand before adopting the Perfect weave.

Marco

His body exploding because no one is compatible.

Sam

I suspect that he plans for fabi to use her skill for at least part of the build. None of his classmates that he knows well have the skills to make the drone. Plus it makes sense to ask fabi because she loves drones ETA: I just re-read the chapters and since he doesn't have a drone dock, it would take him a month at least to create the drone. With his 11 new classes, his training, the elixir machine and starting up the guild, he doesn't really have time to spend a month on one project like that.

dark phoenix99

This is what I mean that this story needs a glossary or an appendix of terms. I am having a hard time with parsing what everything means. The information is there but its books or chapters apart which means that I'm having a hard time integrating it all. A simple example: What exactly is a crafter? Is it anyone who has a crafting power? Anyone who makes anything? What makes that girl who crafts clothes different that Legendarycraft or mythcraft? Is it that her power is more narrowly focused so that she can only make clothes? Can she make myth level clothes but only clothes? Is her power just too low level? Could she evolve into a legendary or mythic tier clothier? Fabi had an almost nonfunctional power but had maxed out her gates or something? Why did she do that? What's the point of having gates open if she doesn't have a special ability to fuel? Can anyone engage in essence programming? Is there an essence programming power similar to tiered crafting where there is some person out there who can instinctively program to the degree of Sal or Doc can craft? There's a lot of information but a lot of it feels out of context with other information. It's too scattered.

R. Maxwell Steele

I was under the impression Fabi was part of his guild and they joined together to purchase the whole strip mall and factory together???

R. Maxwell Steele

I figured it was a crime based group, basically bandits, raiders, smugglers, etc. Bastion is space based. Worst case would be if it was corporate based. That's always tedious.

Tikiza

A healing pod with the abilety to improve the user to the pinnicle of himslfe like the soverin uses the cors or perfetc is trying to impose sounds interresting

Ivo Wißen

I don't know its right to but it here but I still hope that the perfekt weave burns itself on sal. when i read he forgott or needs to make it i think to myself thats not perfekt

Morten Bork

Uhh... It's been a week. I am jonesing for more chapters. It's an addiction!!!

nin10do

Can't wait to see all of brian norden hard work this week on the chapters and I'm anticipation of the final edition which is book 4 so excited can't wait.

Caleb Kerei

What time and timezone do chapters usually come out at? Just finished reading this past week and been waiting the last 5 hours eagerly but have no clue when they'll drop.

nin10do

They come any time during a Monday unless brian says they will be delayed and he will place a post with the new date, but it it is greengage mean time as he's lives in Ireland

Michael Munroe

There’s an obscure pronoun reference talking about the master class given by The other illusionist to Barry. You can read the sentence two different ways and one of them has the master class being given to a female instead of a male.

Adam Miller

I could have sworn that he already built his healing mask? He said as much when he cave his parents healing items

kane van

He, did make it he said that he just half-assed it and is going to make a better one CH-27

Fortunis

Clearly he needs a silver cyberpunk Dragon for the Sovereign weave.