Rise of the Apex Predator: A LitRPG Adventure

Hey folks

I wanted you all to know that I take your comments and concerns very seriously. From all the comments over the last week, I am currently working on these things (dont worry you will get your weekend chapter too. Sometime today or tomorrow).

- Aenon's WIL stat at the start. It was pointed that his willpower stat must be higher based on how much torture he has already endured. So going to raise that. Rest all stays the same, just his base stat will be higher. But it also means more calculations and edits for me :-( Thankfully I have an excel sheet for this.

- The Kissing scene. My god, did I get grief for this. You would think people would be more upset about the casual murder a few chapters back. But somehow this scene upset people more. If you are reading this announcement, that means you have already caught up to the story, so I will speak freely. The reason I do not want to remove the scene is because it shows the impact the Overseer's soul chains has on Aenon. Under normal circumstances, someone as fiercely independent as him would not tolerate it at all. He also let himself be killed without resistance. This was supposed to show the 'suggestiveness' effect of the soul chains. But people were up in arms thinking he and Allie (who is also affected by the chains, if it isn't obvious by now. Why do you think she flipflops so much and has such an unstable personality. Thats a deeper plot that I do not want to disclose yet) would end up together. I almost felt like deleting the chapter and writing it from scratch.

So, I reached a compromise instead. I have kept the scene but added the missing conversation between Aenon and the Overseer. I will attach it at the end of this chapter, so you don't have to go back for it. Hopefully this hints people where their relationship is headed. End of rant.

- The mana aspect classification. When I make a mistake, I will wholeheartedly accept it and apologize for it. The current classification is horrible as many of you pointed out. So, sorry about that. I am currently working on some cleanup work and will address this in future chapter updates. Will let you all know what the changes are in a separate announcement, so you don't have to backtrack. In the meantime, this is what I am thinking the new classifications are (not set in stone yet).

Order

Neutral

Chaos

Emergence

Space

Void

Light

Time

Dark

Life

Energy

Death

Water

Fire

Earth

Air

As always feel free to let me know what you think I am doing well and what areas I need to work on. I am writing this book mainly to develop my writing skills, and so any comments, reviews, and ratings help.

Cheers!

Zaker

Chapter 19 - Additional Scene

………………

Aenon

Aenon sat there with his eyes closed, completely ignoring the Overseer’s presence. His emotions were in turmoil, unable to reconcile with what had just happened. He had not had any such feelings towards the girl, despite his sister’s teasing. And although the kiss felt… no. He could not let his mind go in that direction. Even if he was to consider the relationship, there were too many strings attached.

“It’s alright young man,” he heard the soothing voice of the Overseer. For some reason he felt at ease by those words, like everything was going to be ok. He was worried the old man would have mistaken the situation and be angry at him. Aenon didn’t want that.

“I can expla…,” he started to speak but was interrupted by the Overseer’s raised hand. There was a calming smile on his face.

“The passion of youth need not be explained to an old man like me. I can guess what has transpired here. The question is, what are you going to do now?”

The question gave him pause. On the one hand, he didn’t really like Allie that way, she just wasn’t his type. But on the other hand, he didn’t want to anger or disappoint her mentor. It was weird but for some reason, the old man held an important position in his life now. He just wasn’t sure why. He needed more time to sort out his feelings, something he never had a problem with in the past.

“I… I need some time to think about it,” he muttered quietly while staring at the ring in his hand. He didn’t want to entangle himself with her any more than he already was. “Could you please hand this back to her?”

The Overseer looked disappointed, something that bothered him a lot. It must have been his imagination, but he thought he also saw a hint of… anger? But the expression passed by too quickly for him to be sure. But he had to be resolute here, he had to clearly draw the lines. This was not the time for him to get mired in relationships.

“Of course, my boy. You are no longer leaking mana, so the ring is no longer needed. What would you like me to tell my precious granddaughter though?” the Overseer asked with a warm smile. For whatever reason, that smile made him uncomfortable, as though…

“It doesn’t belong to me. Just tell her that,” Aenon said flatly. He hated owing favors, but from his perspective he had settled any favors she had done for him. She had saved his life, but just as easily taken it. Which meant his score was settled. And he didn’t want any more favors from her.

“She would be disappointed,” the Overseer said with a sad smile.

Aenon’s anger flared for an instant, and he almost lashed out. But that smile soothed his anger just as quickly. Ugh, this was going nowhere. He needed to get this old man off his back and take some time to consider things. He wanted nothing to do with Allie, but he couldn’t outright deny this wily old man.

“The trinket is too eye catching. Makes stealth harder,” Aenon said while trying to keep a straight face.

“How about this instead?” the Overseer pulled an obsidian bracelet from out of nowhere. It was small and discrete, but more importantly emitted dark wisps. Aenon knew just from a cursory glance that this was a priceless artifact.

Aenon felt his emotions getting restless again. He had no idea what was going on. He wanted that bracelet for some reason, like his soul craved it. This bothered him, because he hated taking freebies. Then why did he so desperately want this bracelet?

“I’ll think about it,” he said with gritted teeth. It had taken all his willpower to turn down the offering. The moment he said it, he saw the previous expression from the Overseer again. It was gone just as quickly, but since he was searching for it, he could make out what it was – annoyance.

“Well, keep it on you just in case,” the old man tossed the bracelet at Aenon, who caught it out of reflex. “When you decide to claim it, just put it on. And it shall be yours.”

Aenon said nothing. He took one last look at the bracelet, and despite the pull he felt from it, deposited it in his inventory. He gave the Overseer a terse bow but stayed silent. The Overseer regarded him for a moment longer before disappearing.