Herald of Steel - Chapter 1227: Cambyses’s Hurdles (Part-End)

In the darkest and most cruelest dungeon is the birth of a specie who lives his every day life trying not to fall prey to the claws of the predators.

To survive amongst predators, one most shed off the flesh of a prey and take on the skin of an even bigger predator.

Power Ranking

Note

The numbers refer to existential value, and all lifeforms has it.

ADVENTURER GUILD POWER RANKING

Lv 1 - 20 = F (1 - 49)

Lv 20 - 30 = E (50 - 99)

Lv 30 - 50 = D (100 - 499)

Lv 50 - 60 = C (500 - 999)

Lv 60 - 80 = B (1,000 - 4,999)

Lv 80 - 100 = A (5,000 - 9,999)

Lv 100 - 200 = S (10,000 - 19,999)

Lv 200 - 500 = SS (20,000 - 29,999)

LV 500 - 900 = SSS (30,000 - 49,999)

LV 900 - 1000 = XS (50,000 - 99,999)

SPIRITUAL ENTITY RANKING SYSTEM BELOW

■MONSTERS AND OTHER NON-HUMAN LIFEFORMS

●Apocalypse > 100,000,000 - 1,000,000,000

●Armageddon > 10,000,000 - 99,999,999

●Cataclysm > 1,000,000 - 9,999,999

●Disaster > 100,000 - 999,999

■HUMAN

●Transcendent > 100,000,000 - 1,000,000,000

●Warlord > 10,000,000 - 99,999,999

●Mystical > 1,000,000 - 9,999,999

●Heroic > 100,000 - 999,999

In China’s modern martial arts society, Wu Xinghe was history’s youngest grandmaster of martial arts. He was invincible. Because of a strange incident, he was reincarnated as Qin Wushuang, a poor aristocratic boy in an entirely different world with its own set of rules. With his strong will and passion, he began his journey to pursue the highest peak of martial arts!

What would you do if someone—or something—offered you everything you ever dreamed of?Power.wealth. Even a chance to rewrite your fate.In this world, nothing is given freely.Some trade their souls. Others their eyes.Just like the horror stories.But when my moment came…they didn’t want my soul.They didn’t want my eyes.They asked for my face.My name is Ross Mutt, and everything changed with a single phone call—a call that dragged me into a hidden war run by people who control more than governments, more than nations.People who decide who vanishes… and who never existed.I thought I was going to take them down.Until the day I heard that voice.A calm voice.A patient voice.A voice that had been waiting for me long before all of this began.“Rise.”That was my first glimpse—my first warning—that something far greater than my enemies had taken interest in me.And from that moment…my real fight began.

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)