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Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 139

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B←'Vital' 'Luminous' 'Arcane' 'Elemental' 'Veil' 'Resonant' ⋄ W←2048 ⋄ O←0.5 ⋄ α←0.01 ⋄ ε←1E¯6 ⋄ η←0.02 ⋄ H←0.5-0.5×2○(2×○1×(⍳W)÷W-1)

The actual laser work was taking a bi...

Occultist 325

A low sound echoed off the walls, shaking Nick’s bones and making him grit his teeth as it grew louder, until it felt like it would deafen him completely, only for it to suddenly stop. 

Something splattered onto the ritual circle, a t...

Occultist 324

“I’m not quite sure how I should be feeling right now,” Nick muttered, burning the letter to a crisp with a [Spark].

He’d known Lasazar had a sharp mind and that he’d grasped quite a lot about his true nature over the course of the...

Occultist Sidechapter poll 16

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 138

Finding the right crystal, at least, proved to be a quicker task. Orion was fairly knowledgeable about metals, but he had developed an understanding of the mana-transmission capabilities of crystals that could rival any master jewel crafter over t...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 137

“Well, I can’t say I’m not privileged, but I think I’ve earned my arrogance,” he said, drawing a bark of startled laughter from the old man.

“Good, fake humbleness is even worse than fake confidence,” Vaar grunted before signal...

Occultist 323

“I would be very careful, if I were you,” One-Ear said, looking uncharacteristically nervous. It wasn’t the first time Nick sensed such a thing from him, but he was usually much better at hiding it.

Tonight, he was almost twiddling his...

Occultist 322

A faint smell of charcoal immediately filled the room, prompting Nick to circulate the air to avoid choking.

He hadn’t laid his eyes on what was left of his wyvern wand since examining it after Sashara’s Descent, but time hadn’t lessen...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 136

“I’m glad we could reach a compromise,” Ophelia said with a gentle smile, while Orion did his best not to frown.

He was fairly sure he had entered the conversation intending to talk her out of buying any clothes, especially expensive o...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 135

Kinetic magic would be more immediately practical; there was little doubt about that. It also wouldn't provide him with the information he desperately wanted, after going so long without the ability to check everyone’s class and levels whenever ...

Occultist 321

It wasn’t often that Nick was completely caught off guard. He had become very skilled at staying alert at all times, and even when active magic was blocked, his passive awareness was enough to alert him when someone approached.

But to conf...

Occultist 320

Hunting for pockets of negativity was not as straightforward as tracking beasts in the grasslands. For one, distances didn’t quite work the same way in the ether, and things often seemed wonky when viewed through the layers of reality.

Now...

Occultist 319

By the time Nick finished his tests, the sun was setting, and he realized he had missed his lunch and might miss his dinner too, so he quickly organized his things and left the room, heading for the floor’s dining area.

At level sixty-six,...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 134

Orion’s initial plan to build a university wasn’t necessarily a bad idea, but after spending some time in Valderun and learning more about the various factions, he realized it would never truly become what he wanted.

A truly independent ...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 133

Every embassy in Valderun had enough space to host many more people than it actually needed. That was because they served as both a statement of power and a defensive position, designed for quick fortification in case hostilities broke out.

...

Occultist 318

The last time Nick had to craft a focus, he relied on Rhea’s expertise to manage most of the process and only supplied the ingredients and mana.

For a rudimentary focus like the wyvern wand, that was more than enough. Even their limited un...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 132

On the day of the party, Orion felt surprisingly energized. He had been spending a lot of time and effort lately improving his spell arsenal, bringing it up to standard, and he was finally starting to gain confidence in his ability to hold his own...

Occultist 317

For a moment, Nick hoped he would be given a great treasure, maybe even the elven princess staff that had been sold at the auction. Just a couple of hours observing it without the wards that kept him out would have surely greatly advanced his unde...

Occultist 316

“Reward?” Nick asked.

Of course, he had known there would be one. The Duke had been generous so far, and that was when his help was limited to gathering information and taking out one man.

Since Xander had openly discussed his cont...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 131

Asteria tapped her nails on the cup, gently sloshing the liquid inside. She was being calmer about this whole talk than Orion had expected, given how sensitive even meeting Antares was for her, let alone discussing their future together.

But...

Occultist 315

There was an offer to send a carriage to take him to the castle, but Nick chose to take his time to wander through Alluria and see how things were developing himself, and Tholm’s assurance that he didn't need to bow to any social pressure made r...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 130

The office they were led into was probably the most luxurious workspace Orion had ever seen, in both of his lives, which was saying something considering he’d once been in an oil prince’s palace.

He doubted it would stay like that for ve...

Occultist 314.5 - Interlude Alexander 4/Akari 2

Low thumps echoed, followed by moans of pain, but Alexander didn’t take his eyes off the bonfire, captivated by the sputtering sparks and crackling flames.

He knew he would have to face Her again. It had been his most coveted desire to do ...

Occultist 314

His triumphant return to the Tower was somewhat diminished by the large crowd filling the streets and especially the plaza around it.

Mages, civilians, and soldiers mingled, all fixated on the same thing, displaying reactions from shock and ...

Occultist 313

An attendant quickly ushered Nick and Devon out of the room.

Staying behind and listening would have been a much more interesting prospect, but Nick could see that his brother was on his last legs, having faced three cultists at once, and ne...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 129

[Null Light] wasn’t so much a single spell as it was a dense cluster of magical orders, all working together to produce what could be seen as a unified effect. To those without insight into the process, it might appear as a single piece of magic...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 128

“How wonderful it is to see you, my dearest friend,” Orion said with a hopeful tone, but Ophelia’s death glare told him a little sweet talk wouldn’t get him anywhere.

The snickering from the Basilisk Fang behind her didn’t help, an...

Occultist 312

“Stop him!” the warrior shouted, his tattoos glowing with inner light as he braced himself even harder to prevent the ritual from destabilizing.

Alexander grunted, and Nick sensed Ulter’s domain tremble as the dark flames devoured it, ...

Occultist 311

It wasn’t often that Nick was spooked. He was usually the one doing the spooking, and even when faced with extra-dimensional demons trying to corrupt the fabric of reality, he tended to respond with excessive violence rather than fear.

How...

Hocus, Pocus, Hypothesis 127

Slow footsteps echoed through the laboratory.

Though he’d been pushed away from his first choice and would depart from this one again soon, Orion couldn’t help but feel some disappointment at having to leave Valderun and the embassy so s...