Novels by Quil and Ink

Rhys and Riva arrived at the battle hall just as the Beastmaster Conclave between Maeve and Cade was already underway. He had not expected those two to end up facing each other like this. “What is going on? How did this even happen? Why are they fighting?” Rhys tilted his head, clearly confused. Riva answered calmly. “According to the official submission, Maeve was the one who challenged Cade.” Rhys went quiet for a moment, then looked back at Maeve. She was holding a wooden staff now, something she had not used back in Ravenroot Forest. That alone made him wonder if she had planned this carefully from the start. Riva noticed his focus on the arena and gave a small smile. Jason stepped forward and addressed both participants. “If Cade wins, Maeve will assist him in the next event. If Maeve wins, Cade will hand over the Fire Staff. Is that correct?” “Yes.” Both Maeve and Cade confirmed. “In that case, begin.” Jason moved back to give them space. Cade drew his sword while his

Skylar arrived at the battlefield and immediately felt how serious things had been. The ground around her was littered with Abyssal remains, torn apart and scattered across the field. Near Rhys, another body lay that looked different from the rest. Her eyes narrowed as she studied it more carefully. This was not an ordinary Abyssal. A Common class was the bare minimum strength required to cause destruction on this scale, but even then something felt off. There were signs of unnatural growth, something that did not belong to a standard Abyssal. Her thoughts tightened. A mutant? If that was true, then the situation was far beyond what she had expected. Mutants were unpredictable and far more dangerous than normal Abyssals. Skylar turned her attention to Rhys. His clothes were stained with blood, and although he was no longer injured, exhaustion clung to him. For someone his level to deal with a Common class mutant… he must have relied on strategy rather than raw strength. After a

“!!!”Skylar’s head snapped toward the sound of a distant, piercing Abyssal scream. Her thoughts immediately tightened. She could not shake the feeling that Rhys was still dealing with something far more serious than expected. From what she had seen of his ability, those lesser Abyssals should already be gone by now.Another worm-like Abyssal surged up from the ground and lunged at her.Skylar sprang backward, barely avoiding its jaws.The attack itself was not as strong as she feared, but her attention kept drifting back to Rhys. Something about the timing felt wrong. If he was still fighting, then it could not be a Common class enemy anymore. A stronger Abyssal, maybe even an Elite class, would explain the delay.Her chest tightened.“If there really is an Elite class… he won’t survive that long…”She clenched her teeth and stomped down hard, summoning another familiar without hesitation.The Abyssal twisted its body and dove again, but before it could reach her, a figure appeared o

Rhys’s voice came out strained but steady. “I got you!” Anubis and Gaelion both froze for a split second, their eyes widening at what he had just done. The plan was reckless, far more dangerous than anything he had tried before, and yet he held on without hesitation. The Abyssal reacted immediately. It tried to jerk the blade free, twisting it, dragging it up and down to force Rhys to let go. But Rhys refused to release it. His grip stayed firm despite the blood running down his hands. When brute force failed, the Abyssal changed tactics. Its other arm began to morph, cells shifting rapidly as a second blade formed. It moved to strike Rhys down where he stood. Gaelion did not give it the chance. He lunged forward and clamped his jaws onto the creature’s arm. The Abyssal had no time to react. With a brutal yank, Gaelion tore the limb clean off. “Scree!” the creature shrieked, its voice cutting through the air. Rhys stepped back at once and pulled the blade out of his body. The m

“That’s…” Rhys drew in a sharp breath after seeing what Anubis had just done. “What?” Anubis tilted his head, confused by the reaction. “Nothing,” Rhys replied, shaking his head. Still, the moment stayed with him. That brief exchange had already sparked an idea in his mind. The Abyssal came again, its blade stretching to nearly three meters as it carved through the trees in its path. Gaelion met it head-on, striking the blade with full force while Anubis wrapped it tightly, halting its movement. Gaelion tried to force the weapon downward, hoping to drag the creature’s body along with it and throw it off balance. The Abyssal caught on immediately. It pulled the blade back and shifted the mass of its body, splitting it into two separate blades instead of one. Gaelion lunged forward without hesitation. With Anubis already in position, he allowed one of the blades to strike his left side. Blood spilled, but he endured it. Using all his strength, he blocked the other arm and sank h

Slash! The curved blade slammed into Gaelion and cut through his hide, drawing blood despite his natural toughness. Even so, it did not go all the way through. His durability held just enough to stop the strike from becoming fatal. Gaelion twisted his body midair, slammed his paw against the creature’s arm, and released a burst of mana to push himself back and create distance. Anubis was already moving, his power activating without hesitation. This time, neither of them argued. They both understood the same thing at once. This enemy was different. If they treated it like the others, they would not survive. Rhys narrowed his eyes, staring at the blade that had formed from the Abyssal’s arm. The shape was unnatural, too fluid to be anything ordinary. ‘What is that? Is that the symbiote?’ he thought. Then his expression tightened. ‘No… not unless… a mutant.’ Gaelion had faced a mutant before and handled it with ease. But this time, he had been injured in a single exchange. That a

The glow of the System interface appeared before Max and the other survivors.[ Global Event is Here! ][ Upcoming Hostile Operation: Mech Siege ][ Countdown: 48 Hours Remaining ][ Objective: Defend designated shelter against mechanical assault for 72 hours. ][ Failure Condition: Shelter destroyed. All survivors eliminated. ][ Rewards: Experience Points, Loot Drops, Survivor’s Medal, Potential Title Upgrade, and others ]’Right... thanks for reminding me,’ Max mused as he studied the message.He was about to dismiss the window when another notification immediately followed.[ Additional Notice: Enemy forces calibrated to shelter population and average level. ][ Estimated Enemy Composition: Sentinel Units, Swarmer Drones, and Beastframe‑class Units. ]After getting all this information, Max wasted no time.He gathered everyone in the central hall to discuss the matter. Survivors stopped what they were doing. Some were still clutching camouflage suits, others holding bowls of no

Aya had actually shielded Max with her body. Her Physical Strength Talent allowed her to absorb the brunt of the shock, and she seemed perfectly fine.In the meantime, Xander coughed violently as he inhaled dust and smoke."Damn it! The old man wanted revenge in the end." Ryan cursed, dragging Jett toward the corridor.For several minutes, the corridor was filled with coughing, groans, and the sound of debris settling.Dust hung thick in the air, choking their lungs and stinging their eyes.Max forced himself upright, his ears still ringing.His body ached from the blast, but his Level 5 stats gave him resilience.The pain dulled quickly as his muscles stabilized faster than any ordinary survivor could manage. He then noticed that Aya was already on her feet, brushing dust from her arms, her Talent certainly made her recovery just as swift.Xander , Ryan , and Jett also seemed shaken but alive. Their quick retreat saved them from the worst of the blast.’Good...’Max heaved a s

For a moment, it seemed as if the frail old man was about to unleash something devastating. The glow in his eyes seemed sinister, as if a laser was about to hit them...But then... nothing happened as the glow in his eyes disappeared.The Elder remained motionless, his body was still bound by tubes and wires, and his eyes were the only part of him showing signs of power.The group froze, caught between fear and confusion, as they had no idea what had happened just now.Then, they heard the Elder’s raspy voice, startling them all."...You are not ordinary. You’re not from here, are you?"Max stiffened with his revolver still half‑raised while Aya squinted her eyes as she guessed the Elder’s Gene Skill just now.However, Jett, who was just at the door, spoke."What the hell does he mean? What do you know?"Ryan and Jett exchanged uneasy glances but just remained silent.’The old man guessed it right...’The Elder’s eyes lingered on them before he spoke again. "Humans... yes. But your

"He wants to see us?" Aya frowned."Is it for revenge?" Jett asked.Max was curious too. Corin had already told them about the Elder, but they had never seen him. Since arriving at Haven‑45, the old man had remained hidden in the lowest chamber, sustained only by dextrose drips, medical devices, and the constant care of attendants."Hmm... We killed his three sons, Keagan, Julian, and Damon... so it’s not surprising that he wants to meet us," Xander muttered.Now that he was Level 4, he felt a lot more confident. He didn’t really mind going together to meet the mysterious Elder."Well, maybe he didn’t know his sons had hoarded the golden liquid, feeding only themselves and their chosen allies. Their arrogance left the shelter weak... They were even brave enough to order that guard to harm us. It’s messed up." Aya muttered.Max shook his head and turned directly to Dustin."Is he mad? Do you know why he’s calling for us?"Dustin paused for a moment, recalling the Elder’s reaction

Crack!As the pillars cracked with a snap, the ceiling of the tunnel collapsed, blocking the attack of the Sentinel.Boom!The collapse triggered another explosion that made the northern tunnel cave in even faster. The impact then sent shockwaves through the shelter, shaking the walls and scattering dust everywhere.Smoke and debris poured into the central chamber, choking the air and forcing everyone to cover their mouths.Several lamps started failing, and the ground trembled as if the entire underground structure might give way.’This is dangerous...’ Max thought as he hoped that this shelter could take this much disturbance.For a moment, panic rippled through the survivors.Workers scrambled to steady supplies, some others even started praying to their gods, and the fighters braced themselves for another assault.But then... silence.Everyone covered their mouths as they waited to see whether there would be some movement from the rubble.Then, a few minutes passed, and the rubbl

Max was definitely happy to be the first Level 5 Survivor. It was a great achievement, and he really wanted to brag about it.But he was also curious about the other types of Gene Enhancement Serums out there.Considering he had to wait so long to level up using the Alpha version of the Serum, he believed there might actually be a Beta version that could grant better Experience Points or even greater Stat Increases.Rumble!However, the sudden earthquake disrupted his thoughts. He couldn’t even share the good news with everyone.Suddenly, Corin burst into the chamber. He paused to catch his breath, his eyes darting across the room.Max and the others could tell immediately that this was not going to be good news."They’ve found us!" he shouted. "Two Sentinels and two Hounds... they destroyed the tunnel entrance with that advanced rifle. Our scout... he didn’t make it back. Either captured or forced to lead them here."The room fell silent for a moment. This was a very important mat