Novels by Quil and Ink

Iron Knight and Moonblame remained in the tunnel, staring at the portal.They watched as the portal slowly shrank as it took the right number of Dragonkins and turned into a ball of green light."I guess that's it then," Iron Knight said, as if he was greatly tired just by leading the two groups there.Moonblame shifted as if he didn't know how to react.It was exactly when the construct moved. It was a tiny movement of changing position, but instantly Iron Knight became alert. He turned to Moonblame. "You, sunshine, or what's your name? Go on, I will meet you."Moonblame's eyes widened, but he nodded quickly and ran out of the tunnel.Iron Knight watched him go and then he turned his attention back to the construct. Surprisingly, the expression on his face right then was one that, had Quinn been here to witness it, he would have been struck dumb by surprise.The normal irritated gloomy expression on his face was gone, replaced by a respectful expression as he straightened, facing the

There wasn't much to tell his men.Captain Amros had already appointed an acting captain that would take charge of things in their care and gave instructions on how they should manage the castle.So Quinn only nodded and smiled at the bowing they did when he walked out of the castle.Quinn, Captain Amros, Taurus, Canute, and Devour Bandit with the remaining New Dawn members, five of them. Moonblame was also with them to be dropped off.Since it was morning, they quickly walked toward the golden ship where Iron Knight was already hovering in the air.They met Eloryna Stormhaven and her ten subordinates there, already waiting.This morning, Eloryna didn't glare at him. She only watched him with indifference.Quinn sighed as he watched her. He began to wonder how many artifacts and treasures she had with her and her subordinates. All of them wore faint blue robes with deep blue cloaks on top that covered most of their heads with hoods.All the subordinates she took were in the third stag

Syrax gave him a look. "I'm not done with Wailshear! You should be really careful when using it. That weapon is going to consume all of your energy in one go if you are not careful. And even if you are, it's still going to take that much to activate it.""Seriously, I will advise you to only start using it when you reach the third stage. But who knows what will happen in that Great Dungeon?"Quinn nodded seriously because that was the truth. Who knew what was going to go down in the Dungeon? It was better to go with all his weapons, even the one that would consume all his void energy just to activate.He took the Wailshear and put it in his ring and then focused on the key with the bell attached. It was what he was most curious about. That power that created and isolated a blurry box seemed so powerful and mysterious.Syrax placed his foreleg on it. "This is called The Toll of Severance and as you know, it can create an isolated space in the shape of a box that can't be destroyed from

A lot of people were killed, both normal humans and Dragonkins. That same night, they were buried, even the Dragonkins were buried.It cast Quinn and his group into a solemn mood. Not only because they died, but because of the reason and the how. They died so easily, without even knowing who killed them.Worse still, the death was caused by a powerful Dragonkin that was not even trying to kill them. They were just in the way. But it brutally drove home the point of how weaklings are not tolerated in the world.By dawn, when everything was done, Quinn settled down to get a good look at the loot he acquired.The fight had gone surprisingly well.When Quinn expelled the large amount of void energy that covered everything in rolling, thick darkness, he then used one of his artifacts to attack Whispered Blade.Since he knew he had only one shot at it, he used one of the most powerful he had at hand: the First General's sword.It was a single-use artifact that could unleash the devastating

The next seconds though, a carriage shot out from it and a mutilated body fell down.Quinn, who was standing atop the carriage, quickly shouted, "Everyone out of here!"Without slowing down at all, his carriage shot forward with blinding speed, leaving behind a shockwave that shoved many Dragonkins away.They looked at the retreating carriage with confusion and shock, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Only one person took the advice seriously and began to run.It was Taurus Drakemont.Immediately when Quinn had shouted for everyone to run, he had already started running. And that was because he knew that anything that could make Quinn run was something he did not want to meet.And he was right.The next moment, a dominating aura suddenly spread like the wings of some monstrosity. The area around two meters suddenly gained weight as if something invisible and incredibly heavy was pressing down on everything.The Void energy that was still obscuring the portal broke down and

Quinn watched Whispered Blade with a very displeasured look on his face. He really did not like how things were shaping up to be.He and the others were cloaked by an illusion created by Canute to fool Whispered Blade that it was indeed the Morrowling that entered the carriage with his men.When he put up the plan to catch Whispered Blade, he wanted to participate in it to give himself extra warning for the next day. Who would have thought that the bastard had something like the Artifact to create a special space to lock the carriage in?That threw a lot into their plan."Whispered Blade," Quinn said again, his displeasure leaking into his voice. "What is the meaning of this?"Whispered Blade blinked, then he smiled. "Well, you see, I really am from the Eastern Region and an independent. I mean, I'm still independent if I was still being backed by the Grand Duke, right? Maybe not, but who cares?""I don't," Quinn said flatly and jumped on top of the carriage. "What I care about is the

“If you do a good job…” Rhys looked around at the children gathered inside the hut. “Not only will you keep that pouch…” He pointed at the injured girl kneeling on the floor. “I’ll heal her too.” The room fell silent. “…Huh?” The fear on the children’s faces slowly gave way to confusion. Even the girl everyone called Big Sister looked stunned. For a few seconds, none of them spoke. It sounded too good to be true. No noble. No wealthy merchant. No powerful Beast Tamer. No one would ever make an offer like that to a group of slum children. One of the twins suddenly gasped. He hurried forward before dropping to both knees. “Please…” His voice trembled. “If you can really heal my sister…” “I’ll do anything.” “Anything you ask.” “Please save her.” The other children quickly followed him. One after another, they knelt beside him without hesitation. Rhys quietly watched the scene. He hadn’t expected this. He could tell the injured girl was important to them, but he

After finishing their meal, Rhys and Grace left the inn and made their way toward the mayor’s residence.Neither of them was in a hurry.Their pace was relaxed, but both knew the walk itself was part of the plan.Someone had been keeping an eye on them from the moment they stepped out of the inn. Syrax had already confirmed that.Now all they had to do was wait.It didn’t take long.Less than five minutes later, a small figure darted out from a nearby alley.Bang.“Ouch!”The boy stumbled into Rhys before falling hard onto the street.Rhys immediately turned toward him and raised his hand.The boy’s face turned pale.Almost on instinct, he threw both arms over his head and curled up, expecting a beating.Instead…Nothing happened.A calm voice reached his ears.“Are you alright?”The boy slowly lowered his arms.Rhys was standing in front of him with one hand extended, offering to help him up.Beside him, Grace looked genuinely worried.The boy froze.His eyes widened in disbelief.“I

“So…”Rhys stood up from his chair.“Let’s put politics aside and get back to the reason we’re here.”Grace blinked.“Have you heard everything you wanted to know?”“Don’t you have any more questions?”Rhys nodded.“For now, I know enough.”He stretched his shoulders.“The rest can wait until after the mission.”“We have plenty of time to talk later.”“But if we keep sitting here…”“We’re only wasting daylight.”Grace smiled and nodded.“Alright.”She stood up as well.“In that case…”“Should we head to the mayor’s office now?”She glanced toward the window.“We arrived this morning.”“It’s already been several hours.”She rubbed her throat with a small laugh.“And after talking this much…”“My throat is getting sore.”“Maybe we should grab something to eat first.”“Then visit the mayor.”Rhys nodded.“Sounds good.”“Although…”He raised a finger.“There’s one thing we need to do before meeting him.”Grace tilted her head.“One more thing?”A second later, realization flashed across h

Rhys frowned thoughtfully.“So Sage Dent belongs to that second category?”Grace nodded.“That’s right.”“And he’s not the only one.”She leaned back in her chair.“Besides Valaris Academy, there are two other academies led by World Class Beast Tamers.”“The Ironhand Guild has one.”“So do the Witch Tower and the Magic Tower.”She began counting them off on her fingers.“There are also two major chambers of commerce.”“The Merchant Guild.”“And several other influential organizations.”She smiled faintly.“Even the Dragon King falls into this category.”Rhys raised an eyebrow.“The Dragon King?”“Yes.”Grace nodded.“The pattern is actually very simple.”“Almost every major organization has at least one World Class Beast Tamer standing behind it.”“The kingdoms acknowledge their strength and grant them a certain level of independence.”“In return, those organizations obey the law and avoid causing unnecessary trouble.”She shrugged.“It’s beneficial for everyone.”“Those organizations

“Five World Class Beast Tamers…”Rhys leaned back in his chair as he considered what Grace had just told him.“That’s quite a number.”Grace nodded.“It is.”“Normally, whenever someone shows the potential to become a World Class Beast Tamer, the royal family will do everything it can to bring that person into the royal bloodline.”“The easiest way is marriage.”“If the Beast Tamer is a man, they’ll marry him to a princess.”“If it’s a woman, they’ll arrange a marriage with one of the princes.”She smiled faintly.“Once that happens, they can legally grant that person the title and authority of a Duke or Duchess.”She folded her hands together.“That’s one of the reasons my position has always been so dominant.”“I’ve earned the support of two World Class Beast Tamers.”“None of the other candidates can compare.”Her expression gradually became more serious.“Of course…”“Once I lose my succession rights…”“My father will most likely recall Duke Carmichael.”“He serves the kingdom fir

Before discussing something as sensitive as the royal succession, Rhys and Grace decided to find somewhere private. They entered one of the better inns in Ellenwood City and rented its finest room. Business had nearly collapsed after the disaster. Very few travelers still came through the city, so the innkeeper greeted them with unusual enthusiasm. Every request was handled immediately, and privacy was guaranteed without them even asking. Once the door was closed, the outside world seemed to disappear. Rhys and Grace sat across from each other with a small table between them. Grace took a deep breath before raising one finger. “Let’s start from the beginning.” “There are thirteen royal children in total.” “Eight princes.” “And five princesses.” She smiled. “But you don’t have to remember all of them.” “Only four are actual candidates for the throne.” “They’re the only ones with enough influence and support to realistically become the next sovereign.” Rhys no

"There’s a mission like this?" Max didn’t expected as he saw the notification[ Hidden Quest: Citadel Breaker - Completed. ]"I guess this is really an achievement, huh..."He then quickly looked at the notifications.He had completely forgotten about the possibility of receiving a quest reward.After all, he had entered the Citadel simply because he wanted to find out more about the machine civilization. And perhaps, loot a few more treasures.The fact that he had ended up destroying the entire fortress had been a decision he made only after discovering how difficult it would be to reach the Central Command.But apparently, the System had been watching everything.Another notification appeared.Ding![ Hidden Quest Evaluation is being conducted. ][ Performance Evaluation: Exceptional. ][ You infiltrated the enemy’s Floating Citadel without external assistance. ][ You successfully breached the Citadel’s defensive barrier. ][ You infiltrated the Citadel’s internal network. ][ You

The first Aetherium Cannon Ball detonated.BOOM!A violent wave of energy erupted from the center of the distribution junction, instantly tearing through the surrounding machinery. The enormous wires and pipelines began shaking violently as cracks spread across their surfaces, and soon, streams of unstable energy burst from several damaged sections.Max felt a little nervous since he was still basically within the Floating Citadel."That was only one..."Before he could say anything else, the second Aetherium Cannon Ball exploded.BOOM!Then the third...BOOM!The fourth followed almost immediately.BOOM!The entire chamber began to collapse as the explosions overlapped with one another. Massive pieces of machinery were torn from their mounts and thrown across the room, while the energy distribution system began releasing a terrifying amount of power.Max quickly turned around."Chamber, how long?"[ The primary energy network is entering a critical state. Complete system failure is i

The machine raised one arm, and a concentrated beam of energy began gathering at the weapon mounted above its wrist."Laser?!"Max’s expression changed the moment he saw the weapon fully charge.He immediately activated Neural Acceleration, and his perception heightened as the machine finally fired.Whom~A brilliant beam of energy tore across the chamber.Max’s body moved almost instinctively as he activated Shadow Dash.The laser passed through the space where he had been standing an instant earlier and continued toward the opposite wall, where it struck the reinforced metal with enough force to make the entire chamber tremble.BOOM!A large section of the wall was instantly melted.Max reappeared several meters away and stared at the damage with widened eyes."That’s not a normal laser."[ Confirmed. The weapon is utilizing concentrated energy with an output significantly higher than standard Reaper weaponry. Direct contact is not recommended. ]Max smiled bitterly."I wasn’t plann

[ A direct connection to the Citadel’s internal network is possible. A nearby maintenance terminal has been detected thirty-seven meters ahead. ]Chamber replied as if it knew what Max wanted to do in the first place."That’s convenient."Max immediately began walking through the corridor.The interior of the Citadel was much quieter than the battlefield outside. The thick metal walls blocked most of the sounds from Blackreach City, leaving only the constant hum of engine and the occasional vibration running through the floor beneath his feet.Max didn’t know where the machines had designed this section of the fortress, but it appeared to be some kind of maintenance area. There were several sealed doors along the corridor, while thick cables ran through the walls and disappeared into the ceiling.After walking for less than a minute, Chamber indicated that he had reached the terminal.[ Maintenance terminal detected. ]Max looked ahead and saw a small mechanical panel embedded into th

Max’s eyes remained fixed on the enormous barrier surrounding the Citadel."Is there a way to bypass it..."[ Negative. ]Max knew as much and nodded."How negative is it, Chamber?"[ The barrier does not rely on an external authorization system that can be imitated or manipulated. Its energy structure is directly integrated with the Citadel’s defensive core.]"So you can’t hack it?"[ Correct. ]Max stared at the barrier for several seconds.He had originally thought that Chamber might be able to find some way around it, especially since the Citadel’s technology shared similarities with the systems Chamber had already analyzed.But if even Chamber couldn’t bypass it, then there was only one option left.Max opened his inventory...His eyes moved through the items stored inside until he found what he was looking for.Aetherium Cannon Balls.His eyes immediately lit up.These weren’t ordinary ammunition. They were powerful, destructive weapons that he had obtained some time ago in Cita

At this time, Max ignored them as an Impulse moved into position behind him and fired.Before the projectile could reach Max, one of the hoverboard users suddenly swept across the attacker’s path and released a powerful Gene Skill that struck the enemy’s vessel!The attack struck the Impulse directly.Boom!Max immediately took advantage of the opening and continued forward.The modified Dragoon passed between several hoverboard users before Max suddenly activated Shadow Dash.His body and the Dragoon disappeared from their original position.A moment later, they reappeared several dozen meters away.Max looked at the display with surprise..."I knew it... Since equipped clothes and weapons also get affected, then Shadow Dash can also take the Dragoon with me."A smile appeared on Max’s face as he knew that it would be so useful.If he could take the Dragoon with him, then Shadow Dash could become another method of avoiding the Citadel’s detection systems.Max didn’t waste any more ti