Novels by The Guitarist

The two snipers moved like blurs of faded yellow and blue. They leaped from the warrior carriages, their [Relic-Grade] rifles barking in the muffled air. THWIP-THWIP-THWIP. The bullets, tipped with [Luminous Aether-Cap] spores I’d traded from Kylan, struck the Keeper’s weeping eyes. They didn't just pierce; they exploded into fungal neon-blue fire, eating away at the ancient stone.The Keeper shrieked, a sound of grinding tectonic plates—and lashed out with a dozen stony arms.One arm, thick as an oak trunk, caught a carriage of Gothic knights. There was no time for a scream. I watched in horrific slow-motion as the wood splintered and the knights were crushed into a red slurry against the stone, their blood turning grey and solid before it could even hit the ground."NO!" Barbany screamed. His suit flickered, and he became a whirlwind of vibrating green blades. He sprinted up the Keeper’s colossal leg, his swords shearing through stone as if it were soft clay. He wasn't just cutting

Queen Ariadne was already there, looking infuriatingly perfect in a fresh gold-silk traveling gown. She was leaning against the Red Beast, holding a cup of steaming tea and watching the chaos with that same sharp, amused smile from the night before."Your 'Spec-Ops' unit is... colorful, Arthur," she sassed as I approached, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "I’ve seen circus troupes with more discipline, and yet, I’ve never seen men move with such... violent purpose.""It’th called 'High-Performance Culture,' Ariadne," I snapped back, my lisp making a brief cameo. I grabbed a cold Red Gatorade from a crate and chugged it. "We don't do 'Military Precision.' We do 'Aggressive Branding' and 'Overwhelming Force'."Elsa marched up to me, her [Pink-Black-Pink] suit humming with a low-frequency mana hum. She started checking my belt pouches with a practiced, aggressive flick of her wrists."Food rations? Checked. KOK reserves? Checked. Emergency backup power for the HUD? Checked." She looked up

I watched them. The Queen of Aven and my Second-in-Command, two women who could probably conquer a continent with a well-placed glare, bickering over me like two siblings fighting over the last piece of Kylan's garlic frog.My heart did a weird little flip—not because of the 250,000 VP bonus, but because for the first time since I woke up in this realm, I didn't feel like a merchant on a mission.I felt... wanted. I felt like I had a home, even if that home was currently a heated argument between a monarch and a maid-assassin. It tasted better than the gold-fizzy wine. It tasted like belonging."Ladies," I said, standing up and brushing the dust off my [CEO-Red] jacket. I felt a surge of genuine warmth that had nothing to do with the fire. "As much

"You're staring," she said, not looking up from the fire."I'm observing. There's a difference.""Of course there is."She patted the ground beside her. "Sit.""I'm comfortable here.""You're standing. That's not comfortable.""I'm emotionally comfortable.""Sit, Merchant Lord."I sat.The fire crackled. The mountain air was cold and clean and smelled like pine and snow and something ancient. In the distance, an owl hooted. Probably judging me."Tell me about the Keeper," I said, because I needed to talk about something that wasn't flirtation and VP bonuses."She's old. Older than me. Older than my mother. Older than the palace, maybe. She lives in the mountains alone, reading books that should have crumbled to dust centuries ago.""And she knows about the thing beneath the roots?""She knows about everything. That's her job.""How do we convince her to help us?"The Queen—Ariadne—turned to look at me. Her dark eyes were serious now, the flirtation gone, replaced by something heavier.

She leaned forward, the movement fluid and intentional, and reached into the mini-fridge. The clink of crystal against crystal was the only sound in the carriage besides the rhythmic thud of the horses' hooves.She pulled out two glasses and a bottle of something sparkly that caught the light like trapped stars."Drink?""It's nine in the morning," I noted, my internal clock still screaming about the breakfast burrito I hadn't finished."Time is a construct, Merchant Lord.""I can't argue with that," I sassed, checking the 1.5 million VP balance on my phone out of habit.She poured. The liquid hissed into the glass, a golden, effervescent foam. I took a sip. It was fizzy and sweet, hitting my tongue with a burst of flavor that tasted like summer, expensive mistakes, and the kind of bad decisions that lead to "Hostile Takeovers."Elsa refused hers. She didn't even look at the glass. She was glaring at Ariadne with a violet intensity that could have pierced dragon scales. If looks could

I sat there for a moment, the gold-leafed air of the VIP dining room pressing in on me, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. The bubbles from the Queen's "bad decision" drink were still fizzing in my throat, but my brain was elsewhere—caught in the static of a long-awaited digital resurrection.Then—Ding.The sound didn't just play; it resonated inside my skull like a silver hammer hitting a tuning fork. It was familiar, horrifying, and absolutely wonderful. My eyes widened, my pupils dilating as the neon-blue light of the VENUS SYSTEM flooded my vision for the first time in what felt like an eternity.I’d missed it. I’d missed the mindless scrolling, the One Piece updates, and the sweet, sweet dopamine of interdimensional shopping.I ignored Ariadne’s piercing gaze and pulled up my HUD with a flick of my wrist, my fingers trembling with a mix of caffeine and pure, unadulterated geek-joy.[SYSTEM UPDATE: COMPLETED][NEW ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ROYAL FLIRTATION]My jaw

As she ate, I asked, “Marra… what place is this? What year? What kingdom are we in?”She blinked up at me, licking her fingers clean. “This is the Far East of Elias Kingdom, sir. Year of the Ash Moon. The twenty-third cycle.”Elias.I blinked. The name hit me hard. That was the name of my grandfather—Elias Robinson. He died years ago when I was fifteen on earth. A stubborn, old farmer who taught me how to plant tomatoes and use a pocket knife. Could be a coincidence... but still."What kind of place is Elias Kingdom?" I asked, trying to hide my reaction.She tilted her head. “The kingdom of Elias has always been. Ever since the Founders came from the sky with the golden flame. That’s what the elders say. But… now it’s ruled by the Red Duke. Since the King disappeared. Everything's worse now. The Red Duke lets his soldiers take our food.”Her voice grew small at the end, and she curled in on herself a bit.A goat bleated again—louder this time—and I saw a hunched man appear from the sha

Three days later, the sky above Robinson Town had never looked clearer, nor the winds gentler.Yet inside me, a storm brewed.I stood atop the old wooden watchtower near the southern edge of town, gazing down at the fields. Farmers, merchants, children… people I’d come to know, to protect, to laugh and cry with. Flare soared overhead, drawing lazy circles as if sensing something in the wind. Silvarya and Ella were organizing crates by the marketplace. Felix barked orders to a group of young recruits. Elvie shouted at a goat that somehow made its way into the general store again.Life had… settled.And yet here I was, unsettled.The portal glowed in a secluded grove behind my tent—quiet, steady, waiting. A tear in reality itself, its edges shone with gold and silver light, like a wound in time stitched with stars. The System hadn’t spoken since the reward. But its words echoed in my head every morning since.“You will meet the one who gave you strength.”But would I come back?That was

Casualties:983 soldiers.4 elite commanders.2 trucks.1 sky glider unit.We mourned them all that night.But we also lit fires.Tents filled with songs, laughter, and toasts. Survivors ate fresh cooked mana-boar, drank enchanted ale, and sang tales of how Kael punched a monster in the mouth, or how Felix rode a flaming sled down the slope shooting backwards. Even Karl smiled—his hands still bloodstained from the fallen.I stood before the fire, cloak torn, armor scorched.The people of Robinson Town looked up to the mountain. And for the first time, they saw it as conquered land—not a cursed place.The war wasn’t over. But tonight? Victory was ours.The mountain was still steaming—cracked earth and scorched stone whispering of war—but our people were alive, and that was enough.Even before the smoke cleared, soldiers began to remove their helmets. They wept. They laughed. Some fell to their knees and kissed the dirt. Others looked up at the sky, murmuring thanks to whatever gods sti

The snow stopped falling.Only for a moment.Then came the screams.Not from our men.From deep within the mountain.A rumble thundered across the valley. Rocks cracked, trees bowed, and the air itself seemed to recoil. Magic twisted and pulsed in the sky, warping clouds into spirals of black and red. The wind no longer howled—it screamed, like the voice of the mountain mourning its awakening.Then we saw it.The second boss.A giant of bones and black crystal, its body towering like a mountain itself. No skin, no flesh—just living fossil and arcane growths fused into the form of a behemoth. Its eye sockets burned with white fire. Each of its steps shattered the earth. When it roared, the sound ruptured stone and sent some soldiers to their knees, vomiting blood from the pressure alone.But we didn’t break.We fought.“Engage! Formation Delta—FIRE!” I shouted through the orb.Missile pods launched from our mounted turrets, streaking across the sky like shooting stars. Enchanted bullet

Time Distortion Mode: ActivatedYou now have 72 hours of absolute control—while the world is paused.Spend it wisely.I grinned.“Let’s build an empire.”And I did.In those 72 hours, I imported blueprints from the system and began laying foundations for new turret stations across the mountains.I arranged defense patterns. Reorganized supply lines. Optimized training regimens.I even restocked the entire Grocery Fortress, expanded its inventory, and reorganized the warehouse with robotic arms I built during my paused time.The world blinked again—and resumed.No one noticed. But I knew. And when the monsters came again… We’d be ready.The following days surged with momentum.The sun hadn’t yet risen when the town bell rang—a melodic chime now instead of the jarring war-siren it once was. Market stalls opened as steam hissed from early morning kitchens. Children with messy hair ran barefoot through the cobbled streets, chewing on freshly grilled sausage sticks and shouting about “drag

Inside the Grocery Fortress—as locals had started calling the town’s full-fledged supermarket—Elvie and Ella manned the main counter, their new system-registered uniforms crisp and clean despite the crowd. Five salesladies darted between shelves, answering questions, restocking goods, and handling enchanted scanners with practiced ease.“Ma’am, aisle four has instant sinigang mix and canned sardines!” one of them called.“Sir! We have new toothpaste flavors—mint, charcoal, and bubblegum!”“Ma’am, please don’t let your baby lick the shampoo bottle!”Ella chuckled while helping an old dwarf stack his cart. “Did we ever think we’d be running a full grocery store with mana-operated cash registers?”Elvie wiped sweat from her forehead and smiled. “Not in a world where hotdogs are more precious than potions.”Their success wasn’t just commerce.It was proof.Proof that life still had room to breathe, to laugh, to eat.Especially now, as new settlers arrived from the mainland—dozens of them

He was the third name on my blacklist, a guy who used to look down on my fragile, Tier-1 self like I was literal dirt beneath his polished leather boots.The entire room went dead silent as I strolled in.I wasn't wearing the ragged, soot-stained uniform of an academy dropout anymore. I was draped in the blinding, heavily enchanted silver breastplate of a High Captain, my white silk cape billowing behind me, and my permanent Tier-3 core radiating a lazy, suffocatingly dense blue mana pressure that made the teacups on the table violently rattle. Seraphine walked a half-step behind me, her arms crossed, her signature absolute-zero smirk firmly in place."What is the meaning of this?!" Marko snapped, slamming his hands onto the desk as he stood up, his face flushing with aristocratic rage. "Ethan Hoke? You're supposed to be in a dungeon or a ditch! How dare you barge into the council chambers with armed—""Quiet down, classmate. You're giving me a headache, and I haven't even had my mor

The following morning, the Grand Cathedral was suffocatingly quiet.I stood on my eastern wing balcony, dressed in my pristine, over-decorated High Captain uniform, watching the paladin guards change shifts in the courtyard below. The silver-leaf grass had been perfectly manicured, the broken fountain was fully operational again, and the corpse of the skull-faced assassin had vanished as if he had never existed.I knew the church hierarchy had picked up the remnants of last night’s mess. I knew they knew exactly what happened. And their complete, echoing silence told me everything I needed to know. The Pope and his cult allies were keeping it quiet because admitting an assassin had breached the inner sanctum to check on the Holy Maiden would expose the fragile, rotting state of their secret alliance. They were playing pretend, waiting to see my next move, and I was more than happy to let them sweat."You really enjoy standing on balconies like a tragic hero in a bad romance novel,

I stepped toward her, intending to offer a hand to guide her back to her chambers before the cathedral's automated tracking wards could register the fluctuation. But before my boot could touch the bottom step of the gazebo, the air behind us didn't just grow cold—it went entirely dead.The low, rhythmic chirping of the night crickets in the terraced gardens cut off instantly.‘Warning: High-tier physical concealment ward breached,’ thirty percent of the Eye of the Sovereign hummed inside my mind, mapping a sudden, violent distortion on the high slate roof of the cathedral’s eastern wing. ‘Spatial compression tracking active. Target velocity: Terminal.’I didn't look up. I didn't give a single indication that my neon-blue tactical grid had just locked onto a shadow currently detaching itself from the stone gargoyles above.A figure dropped from the sky, falling fifty feet with the absolute, terrifying silence of a hunting owl. It landed perfectly in the center of the silver-leaf grass

The wooden blade hissed through the silver moonlight, aiming with terrifying, academy-perfect precision straight for my left shoulder.I didn't move. I didn't tense. I didn't even shift my feet.To Clara, it probably looked like I had frozen out of sheer teenage panic. But in my mind’s eye, the trajectory of her pine saber was mapped out down to the millimeter on a phantom blue geometric grid. At the absolute last fraction of a second—right when the wood was about to clip the fabric of my black linen shirt—I casually pivoted my torso by a mere two inches.The tip of her blade sliced through empty air, the kinetic force pulling her slightly off-balance.Using the natural momentum of her own overextension, I brought my wooden saber up in a lazy, effortless flick. Thwack.The flat of my pine blade tapped the side of her wrist just hard enough to vibrate her grip, followed immediately by a smooth, sweeping kick that hooked right behind her ankle."Ah!" Clara gasped.With a soft rustle of

As the seal decayed, her locked, volatile past-life mana would begin to micro-leak into her everyday spellcasting.The beauty of the trap was the political fallout. When her light magic inevitably backfired or fluctuated violently during her public holy ceremonies, the cathedral's tracking wards wouldn't register my interference—they would register a massive spike of pure, unrefined abyssal energy originating directly from the Holy Maiden's own soul.The Pope would be forced to assume that his secret cult allies were trying to prematurely hijack his daughter, shattering the trust between the vicar of God and the lords of the abyss without a single finger pointing back to the new High Captain."It... it tastes a bit spicy," C

The Pope took a slow, calm sip from his golden chalice, his expression entirely detached. "Ethan Hoke is exactly where I want him. By appointing him as Clara's Captain, I have bound his movements to the cathedral's wards. He cannot step an inch out of line without my paladins knowing.""And if he triggers her seal?" the cult leader hissed, the air temperature in the room violently dropping as a dark, miasmic aura flared behind him. "If the Sovereign awakens No. 2 before the alignment is complete, the entire ritual collapses. The Holy See's treasury cannot fund another failure.""He won't," the Pope replied, his voice dropping into a terrifying, icy baritone that made my jaw tighten. "The seal is locked with the blood of the Pope. If he tries to force it, the backlash will liquefy his brains. Let him play the arrogant protector. When the rift opens beneath the capital, he will either serve as the perfect catalyst... or the first sacrifice."The cult leader let out a low, sickening c