It's been two months since I last posted. I took this time as a chance to reread the story and revise the chapters. I tried to address the points that you as readers have raised, and I used our discussions in the comment sections as a reference. Of course, I couldn't fix everything, but I did my best to improve the story as much as possible. The change log below describes the main edits I made.

At first, it was difficult for me to deal with criticism. It affected my self-esteem, made me lose confidence in myself, and took a toll on my mental health. But I believe that I'm learning how to react better. I owe lots of thanks to everyone who commented their opinions throughout my first year of writing, and I'm counting on your feedback in the future. Constructive criticism will lead to discussions and debates; then after the volume is complete, I will make edits accordingly. Spam and hate comments, on the other hand, will be deleted, and I believe this is fair, since they serve no purpose.

As for publishing, I have no access to Patreon or any self-publishing service where I live. Royal Road will remain the only platform I use until further notice. I will start working on the second volume soon, but I won't post anything new until October or November for personal reasons. In the meantime, please follow, rate, or review. We're almost at 400 followers, and I hope to have more people around by the time the second volume starts. The more, the merrier.

Change Log

Location Problem Solution Chapter 18 The Pilgrim's Dream was confusing and included unncecessary drama. I compressed the dream so that it takes only half a chapter. I added a clear transition that links it to the previous chapter and another transition that links it to the awakening in Rust Lake. Chapter 18-45 The term First Death was unnecessary and confusing. I removed all references to First Death and substituted them with Blood Pilgrimage and Pilgrim's Dream. Chapter 20 The rules of the Class Ascension were rushed during the horseback ride with Eleanor. I divided the chapter into two distinct parts, where the first involves a campfire conversation and the second a horseback journey. I hope this change will provide a better introduction to Middlerift. Chapter 22 Hollie and Shannon were not introduced well as characters, and the chapter focused on Oswald alone. Readers only got to know Shannon from the Redspine High, which distorted her character. I rewrote chapter 22 to give Shannon and Hollie more dialogue. Shannon is portrayed as a pacifist who does not belong in Middlerift. Vance agrees to help her before the Redspine High, and asks for her Flame of Revival as payment, since her flame is more valuable than gold. Chapter 22-23 Eleanor's actions before the Redspine High were illogical and inconsistent with the rest of the story. I removed the meaningless arm-wrestling match between Gunner and Eleanor. Instead, Eleanor leaves to attend a meeting with the Dullahans, who are about to appoint her as a Dullahan Guard. She plans to tell Vance about Rust Lake and Necronettes, but she decides to postpone this conversation until her appointment is secured. When she returns, however, Vance is already experiencing the Redspine High, so the story continues unchanged. Chapter 23-25 The Redspine High was prolonged and confusing for some people. The hallucinations part was unnecessary, since the account of the murder described Vance's actions later in the story. I removed the frogs, riverside, boat ride, and Castle Somnus from the Redspine High. I included clear transitions that define it as a dream. I included a transition into Shannon's POV. The memories of the Geomancer, however, still remain unchanged due to their relevance to the theme and plot. Chapter 29-31 The trial had stylistic problems. The changes in chapters 22 and 23 also required edits in the trial. Furthermore, the final revelation sequence did not put together all of the clues. I edited the account of the murder to include important clues for the final revelation, including the fact that the potion patches requrie 2-3 hours to be absorbed. I also edited the rest of the trial to be more consistent and easier to understand. I put together all of the clues at the end of the trial so that it becomes clear why Vance is accusing Hollie of the murder. Chapter 42 Some of the paragraphs and details were difficult to follow in the fight against the Mother Rabbit and her children. I rewrote some of the paragraphs to make it clear that Vance was making an explosive and to make his other goals apparent. The chapter was also reduced a bit in length. General Outdated author's notes. I removed most author's notes so that they wouldn't interfere with reading. I kept only brief thank you's or jokes.