First of all, I want to thank everyone who has read up to this point.
It's a great feeling knowing that so many people have enjoyed Skill Smith.
As the first draft of book one is nearly over, I'm going to be going through and editing quite a lot.
Thank you for your comments, reviews, and opinions. I'm doing my best to address your concerns. Thank you for your patience while I do this.
"All writing is rewriting."
-Ernest Hemingway
Here's quick update about some recent edits to the story, as of November 26, 2023:
* Chapter 10: Hoss no longer gifts Nymin the Spirit Glass Knuckles that are tangible to both her intangible body and physical objects.
* Chapter 21: I've heavily edited and added to this chapter in an effort to better explain why Nymin works where she does, and why she's only willing to hunt monsters now. I may split the chapter into two chapters, as it's gotten pretty long, we'll see.
* Highlights:
* The fact that Nymin works for the government is a condition of her being allowed to stay in the city. There are certainly places she could go where she would be better appreciated, get paid more, and have a better life overall, but she chooses to stay in Root Perch for Dyani's sake, as it's all she's ever known.
* Nymin no longer gets offered a position in the Slayer's guild, and is actually prohibited from killing monsters.
* Nymin has a monitor installed in her interface, which allows the government to track her status. I've added a scene in this chapter that explains how she acquires the means to spoof this monitor, allowing her to start hunting monsters without being caught.
* Chapter 33: Nymin no longer asks about quitting, alerting the city guard. Her plans are discovered because she takes some belongings from work that have been there for so long that taking them is suspicious.
* Chapter 34: Hoss puts a mana barrier around the tracking stone so Nymin can touch it without using mana.
* Chapter 37: Explains that Nymin can touch things she conjures herself, including anything she makes with Crystallize Pure Mana.
Things I'm currently working on addressing:
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* Pikawon poisoning Dyani in Chapter 35, and running off, which felt out of character.
* Some skill descriptions being confusing.
* Dyani's talent-based powers being confusing.
I'm sure I'll have plenty more to update after those. Thanks again for your patience.
PS: I've also included a poll, regarding the chapter 18-20 interlude with Taka, and where it should be placed.