More by Andrew Karevik
In the quiet crafting village of Arthursberg, Dren’s life was little more than a routine of pain and drudgery. A mangled leg, a crippled arm, and a shattered future left him stuck at the post office, stacking boxes while his friends chased dreams he could only imagine.
But everything changes the day an explosion shakes the nearby forest. When everyone else turns a blind eye, Dren hobbles toward danger, determined to help. What he finds is an Artificer’s workshop—and a gift that will rewrite his destiny.
Granted the
Artificer Class
at Level 1, Dren is thrust into a world of possibilities where creativity meets combat. First, he must rebuild himself, constructing mechanical limbs to replace his broken body. But these upgrades don’t come easy. Resources are scarce, and the only way to get them is by diving into dungeons, facing lethal monsters, and risking it all.
As Dren levels up, he gains more than just XP. New schematics unlock, granting him the power to create ingenious machines and powerful constructs. But with every invention, he attracts attention, some good, some deadly. Allies will rally to his side, but enemies will stop at nothing to crush his rise.
From outcast to innovator, from invalid to adventurer, Dren’s journey will test his courage, ingenuity, and determination. Can he rise to the top and become the hero Arthursberg never saw coming?
Dren has come a long way from the broken man stacking boxes in Arthursberg. Now a Level 4 Artificer and the proud owner of Dren & Associates, he’s ready to expand his ambitions—and his inventions. But progress doesn’t come without risk, and neither does adventure.
Tasked by the Green King himself to scout the mysterious Tallik Treetops, Dren sets off in his latest the Walking Bug. But what started as a simple quest quickly turns into a grand mission that will push him to his limits, forcing him to delve into new dangerous dungeons where peril lurks at every corner.
Along the way, Dren will face ferocious werewolves, a cunning necromancer with dark intentions, and a host of monstrous threats. But Dren is no ordinary adventurer—he’s an Artificer, and his ingenuity knows no bounds.
With every level gained, he’ll unlock new schematics, crafting ingenious weapons and tools to turn the tide of battle. And he won’t face these dangers alone. Allies, old and new, will rally to his side, each bringing their own strengths to the fight. Together, they’ll take on challenges that would crush lesser adventurers and uncover secrets that could shape the future of Arthursberg.
Will Dren’s creations and courage be enough to survive the trials ahead? Or will the dungeons, beasts, and darkness finally claim him?
Dive into Arcane Book Two and join Dren on his thrilling journey of invention, adventure, and triumph!
Today is the day that I, Luciano Fjorborn, First Paladin of Berella, go out into Yurnip County to push back the forces of darkness with a few vigorous thrusts of my mighty lance! Who’s Berella? Why, she’s the goddess of love, tenderness and hot rumpy-pumpy, of course! As her loyal servant, it is my mission to go out of my cloister and show the world Berella’s divine love. Repeatedly. And in multiple positions!
But it’s a cruel world out there, especially for a Paladin who doesn’t believe in violence (unless it’s consensual and proper headgear is involved.) So I’m going to need as many hands on deck to ensure we can get the job done properly! No, wait, I said, ‘Deck. Deck!’
Come on, don’t call me a perv! I’m a holy warrior from a totally legit religion! Just give me a chance to show you Berella’s glory! No! Not like that! Officer, wait, let me explain!
Your Diplomacy skill has failed! Next time, try opening with a compliment on her hair, you weirdo.
Content warning: Profanity? Check. Intimate relationships with scenes hot enough to cook a turkey? Check. Good and bad jokes? Check, please! Finally, an ecumenical sexy comedy that’ll be fun, unless you’re an old fogy.
I guess trying to catch the bus with your laces undone isn’t such a smart decision after all…
One fatal collision later and I’m facing my judgment. As it turns out, I’ve been a lazy sob and my short, uneventful life of playing games and getting up late wasn’t worth much. And so I don’t qualify to move on to the afterlife.
I try to argue to the goddess in front of me that I do have skills, that it was hard work playing those simulation and management games. But she will not concede.
In the end, I manage to get the benefit of the doubt and a wager is made. To test my claims, I’ll be sent to a desolate, Level 1 village with the mission to make it thrive. If I fail or die, the goddess will bring me back to my old life, back to the drudge of working at the grocery store.
But that’s not going to happen. I will prove that all these countless hours spent in front of my computer were not in—
Ack, my head! Where the hell have I landed? Looks like a dilapidated farm, with a few huts scattered about. Qualifies as a desolate village alright. I can’t believe it. This is it! I’m actually doing this! But where do I even begin… Yes, first, find the Mayor… but then what, convince her to hand over the keys so I can work my magic? Could it be that simple?
Oh, there she is. Uh, hello? Hmm, why isn’t she waking up? Maybe I should go look for some quest to do in the meantime. Uh, are these goblins I see there on the road?
“You are under attack!”
Dang.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
The gods should have agreed to fight the giants and let Ragnarök run its course and bring about the end of time. For a new world could only rise from the ashes of the old. But because the gods prophesied to die refused to take part, Yggdrasil—the World Tree—was forced to act before the stalemate led to the annihilation of the nine worlds and its very existence.
And so I was born.
One of the many seeds dispersed by the mighty World Tree, I was teleported through different planes and universes to find a new home where to settle. Eventually, I landed in a strange forest known as the Feverwood. However, this place is nothing like my home world. Here, there are no mighty Vikings or Valkyries, but humans, elves, orcs, and other strange creatures.
If I want to flourish and carry on the World Tree’s legacy, I will have to grow my roots and expand my branches towards the sky. But if, at first, I rely on the ambient magic to power my growth, as my Mother did before me, I quickly learn that there’s a far more efficient way…
This is the story of how I find how to attract adventurers into my mouth and absorb their raw essence as they succumb to the challenges I pit them against. This is the story of how I make the acquaintance of many a friend and foe, both mortals and gods. This is the story of how a stranger in a strange land must face many a peril to ensure its own survival. This is the story of the Tree Dungeon.
I’m not alone anymore.
Since that day I injured a Kinru and absorbed the Bloodpoints that turned me into a Venator, I had been doing every darn thing on my own. From tracking monsters to setting traps or even having to figure this whole craziness out, I could count on no one but myself.
Luckily, things have changed. With the creation of the first Lodge in centuries, I now have recruits to follow in my footsteps, recruits who will—once blessed by the power of Bloodpoints—each have their own special class and abilities, depending on their personality and natural talents. Yes, I finally have people to watch my back.
Still, that doesn’t mean that I can slack off in the least, oh no! The Zinoss Jungle is still far from a safe place. There are myriad other monsters roaming the surface…and Mulrand, the worst of them all, the terrifying Titan who’s reigning over this particular region.
If we want to have a chance to defeat him and bring the villagers to the surface, we need to grow our ranks and power. Thankfully, as I push further into the jungle than I’ve ever been before, I stumble upon a few new villages that might give us that edge that we lacked: new technology, miners, metal, engineers, as well as a few more recruits…
But if I’m not alone in this anymore, I might not feel entirely like myself these days. The more I hunt down those monsters, the more I can feel the malicious effects of the Hunter’s Stare, that condition known to drive a Venator slowly insane until he turns into a Dread Beast. I will need to find answers to that sentence, especially now that I have other fellow hunters who could fall victim to it.
When I climbed out to the surface this morning, to scavenge some food for my village, I knew the odds were severely stacked against me. A mere nurse, I had no business going out into the sun where all kinds of monstrosities roamed. But what other choice did I have? All our scouts had already perished on previous surface runs, leaving us few other options. It was either take the gamble or let my people die of hunger.
As if to prove my fears right, I was only out in the open for a few minutes when a pack of Kinru spotted me. Standing absolutely no chance, I started to run for my life but was quickly cornered by one of the fearsome beasts.
In a last desperate attempt to defend myself, I managed to hurt one in the face…right before the creature was snatched by an even bigger monster that turned it into a snack. Then everything became a blur.
When I came to, I wasn’t the same anymore. As it turns out, wounding the Kinru had earned me some mystical energy called “Bloodpoints” which gave me access to the “Hunter’s Sight.” Now, wherever I look, I have strange words floating before my eyes urging me to assign those Bloodpoints to gain incredible skills and abilities. Moreover, if I manage to kill a monster in the future, it would seem that I could use its bones to craft powerful talismans and its organs to brew magical potions.
As I’ll learn, there’s a name for people like me who’ve unlocked the Hunter’s Sight: Venators. But if those new talents give me a chance to survive on the surface, I still am very much a green and weak Venator. I will need to keep hunting monsters if I want to increase my points and provide for my people. Who knows, someday, I might even grow strong enough to reclaim the surface from those foul beasts and the worst of them all: the Titans, the dreaded giants which drove humanity underground in the first place…