Arkinslize

In my data base, they're rank 9 and should be alive. I checked before because it was a long time ago even for me, but maybe I'm wrong.

Not really. Can't say much without spoiling, but this part of the enemies' plan would have happened either way. Even if Jake did nothing, people would still die horribly, and Anthace would have been even more prepared.

Not yet. There's obvious hints, though.

Enyoy your nightmares

Thanks for bringing this up. It’s a fair concern, especially on a platform like this. I write my chapters myself from start to finish. What I do use is proofreading/editing assistance, mainly because English isn’t my first language and Webnovel’s release pace is extremely demanding. But the story, scenes, ideas, and first draft are mine. That said, you’re not wrong that some edited phrasings can occasionally sound a bit artificial. I reread everything, but I’m still refining that part of my process, especially in English. So feedback like yours is useful, and I do take it seriously.

yeah, I must admit it didn't age well

To clarify my writing process: I’ve never used AI to write in my place, or to rewrite whole sentences for me, add content, and so on. I do have a pretty big prompt I use during proofreading (roughly the same one since the early days of AI, and it replaced DeepL, which I used back then to help with translations. Every new AI model changes somewhat how it applies it), but I’ve always reviewed the output afterward, and I write the first draft 100% myself. Objectively, the result is, in my opinion, much better than if I didn’t use this tool at all, whether in my native language or in English. I resisted using it for a long time—sometimes to the point of feeling impostor syndrome, but it’s unfortunately a tool that every author is, like it or not, going to have to learn how to master. In my case, AI actually helps me improve as a writer, because proofreading, paragraph splitting, certain rephrasings, etc., have clearly revealed some bad habits I had, and I’m doing my best to align with the changes that work for me. That said, if you notice patterns that feel too “AI” (I don’t really see them anymore in French after I rework the result, but in English it’s less obvious to me since it isn’t my first language), like slightly grotesque, overly layered emphasis structures (e.g., “A wasn’t just B. It was C—and above all, D,” or “Thanks to A, B was beaten, defeated, and even eradicated”), please tell me. If you’re curious to see what a first draft looks like with zero touch-ups, and then the final version after AI-assisted proofreading, feel free to ask on Discord. For me, there’s no doubt: it’s better with AI. But I completely understand that some people might see it as a form of cheating. The real debate is this: when everyone’s “cheating,” can you still afford to go without that tool? Even back in the pre-Grammarly days, most webnovels would’ve been riddled with mistakes, especially at the writing pace this platform forces on authors if they want to stay competitive.

Not this month, it's already a challenge to resume The Oracle Paths with stable releases. After repeated hiatuses, I had to reread everything. Fortunately, Blood Legacy isn't as far along, so if all goes well, I should be able to resume it in the coming months. For now, the challenge is not to bite off more than I can chew and burn myself out.

The squad duel was with Jake's squad. Their performance was awful, but they still won technically

Frogs at the bottom of a well is not a Chinese idiom but I keep in mind the other ones for future chaps lol.