Pioneer of the Abyss - Book 3 - Chapter 2 (Patreon)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Don't mind this. It's so that free readers can't see half the chapter when the chapter eventually becomes patron only.

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For those of you who are reading this on a website that is not Patreon, please stop. You're reading a pirated version. Instead, if you would be so kind, please click on the table of contents link below and go to my Patreon instead. Or even read it off of Royal Road, which is free.

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Table of Contents

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Just thought I might mention this, but I've already started what will likely be my next Royal Road story about half a year ago ish. I just never posted it anywhere.

I've already got almost 60k words written of it, but I'm still waiting to post it on Patreon for a while until I feel ready to lock it in as my next ongoing Royal Road story. Mostly because I don't have the time right now to set another story in stone for regular updates thanks to the house stuff.

Although lately I've been writing for the new story as a hobby, so it might not be too long before I post it. Especially since I will be finishing Reaper's Resurgence in the next few months or so.

As for my usual poll thing? I decided I just wanted to write this story this time. And that the story this time will be a male protagonist story, since I've done a lot of female protagonist stories in a row and want to try a new male protagonist story again this time.

I'll probably do a poll again for the next story after this one.

Also, the new story will likely have between like 70k to 100k words written already when I first post it on my Patreon. So you'll have a lot to binge read at once if you're interested.

That said, here's a little sneak peek at the story if you're interested.

Just the first Royal Road cover.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy today's Pioneer chapter :)

Click the following link for the 1482 word chapter 2:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vbGyi1CLpUjAygvxG2TLKlj2u4oa5z_AZx596nN9OqI/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read the unformatted version below:

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Aqua

After dealing with the livestream moderation, I take an entire three days off of everything to just relax for the first time in a long time. Not dealing with the people of Oceana. Not dealing with monsters. And not dealing with the livestream or the people sitting in space waiting on me or any entertainment industry jobs.

I just laze away, reading books and watching tv shows all day long for three days straight. All while Vir deals with any visitors that try to enter my base during this time to bother me.

Then, once my little three-day-vacation is over, I finally move to deal with the next items on my list. Starting with the signing of the new Official Pioneer Contract with Rhett’s agency.

Since the previous contract expired once I became an Official Pioneer, apparently. So now I have to sign a new contract.

That said, it’s not a bad thing. Specifically because the new Official Pioneer contract is significantly better than the old contract. With a lot more freedom.

Mostly because the old contract was originally designed to milk Pioneers for all they can before the Pioneer inevitably dies. While an Official Pioneer Contract is meant for a long term or even life-time working relationship with the Official Pioneer and owner of a new world.

Of course, since I’m a Bloodliner, all of the abusive clauses often found in Pioneer Contracts weren’t in my contract, and a lot of the restrictions were missing too. Leaving just the restriction about doing jobs daily if possible.

But now even that clause is gone. So I can do jobs whenever and however often I want to.

My only problem with it is that I have to sign the contract in person now. Because the phantom thing is gone. I can’t send out a System Phantom version of me to do stuff anymore unless they’re Pioneer jobs registered with the System for a fee.

And people aren’t going to pay a fee just to bring me over to sign a contract.

The System wouldn’t even allow that since it’s not a job but a signing.

So I have to leave Oceana to sign the contract. Even if it’s just the ships above the planet.

Which also means leaving the water.

I can’t even ask for them to fill the signing room with water since it would ruin the signing. What with it being rather difficult to sign something underwater.

The document would be ruined.

I let out a sigh at that.

The main issue with my power is that a lot of it is dependent on me being underwater to use. Like the abyssal servants and the fifty percent boost to my strength stat.

And I won’t be able to make my own Domain until I reach one thousand in my Magical Strength stat. Which won’t be for a very long time since my Magical Strength stat is only a bit below four hundred.

There are only two things I can do to bring water with me. One being just controlling a bunch of water all the time and carrying it with me using Abyss. And the other being Call of the Abyss. The skill I used to use quite a while ago when I was in those caves or dungeons to fill the place with water.

Although the orcas it summons are kind of useless now thanks to my abyssal servants.

The bright side is that the former option is actually viable thanks to my immense amount of mana. Same with the latter, although the latter has a cooldown unlike the former. And Call of the Abyss only lasts for half an hour. So it’s less useful.

It doesn’t take long for a solution to appear in my Sponsorships menu though. And from my own mother at that.

A smile spreads across my face as I see the item.

The item itself is a locket with a picture I took with her and my father during one of our times hanging out together. But it’s not just a regular locket with a photo as it also has magic technology in it, giving it the power to create a thin veil of water that covers my entire body. Including the bottoms of my feet when I’m standing on dry ground.

And this is enough water to give me my strength boost.

It’s apparently technology the Abyssal Orcas had developed for their own use a long time ago. Since they have the same strength boost as I have.

Actually, my strength boost came from them in the first place. So it makes sense they’d have something to deal with it.

I can’t help but feel warmth in my chest at how exactly she gave me this item, though. In the form of a locket with our picture in it.

After looking at the picture for a little bit, I finally close the locket and put it on. With the locket itself hidden under my armor.

This should solve the strength problem, but I still need more water to use some of my skills. Like my abyssal servants need to be fully submersed in water.

But it at least solves the main issue. Which is the strength issue.

I’m a lot weaker without my strength.

Other than the locket, my father sends a new set of armor. A much better one than my current set that is pretty much top quality armor. The same type of armor that the Bloodliners going into the Abyss wore.

Because another benefit that the Official Pioneers get is that the restrictions on level for sponsorships vanish. Letting sponsors give me whatever they want now.

So I go ahead and put on the new armor after it arrives in preparation for going topside to sign the contract.

The armor itself has multiple forms. One of its forms looks a lot like my previous armor, with it being dark blue in color with a smooth and aquatic metal lined with glowing pale blue energy tunnels. And at the center of the chest is a glowing pale blue core to further power the armor.

Meanwhile the other form of the armor lets me have the armor absorb casual clothing that it will then be able to transform into. Albeit with a significantly reduced amount of protection.

But it still has at least seventy percent of the protection the regular armored form has. Which is more protection than my old armor had.

After putting on the armor and looking at myself in the mirror to see what it looks like on me, I go ahead and put several outfits in the armor as well. Mostly consisting of shorts, shirts, and hoodies.

Then I go through the outfits having the armor transform into them one by one to test them. And once I’ve confirmed it works, I transform into a simple outfit of a pair of shorts, a shirt, and a hoodie over the shirt before finally leaving my room and heading towards the entrance to my base.

I don’t need the full armor when I’m just going out to sign a document. So it’s better to just stay in the comfortable clothing form of the armor. Since it genuinely feels like I’m wearing regular clothes even if they’re technically armor.

When I make it to the entrance of my base, I find Vir already moving up to follow me. And, after a brief hesitation, I go ahead and let him. Leaving a force of abyssal servants behind at the base to defend it while we move up towards the surface.

I found out at some point that Vir can actually leave the water, unlike the other abyssal servants. Which I’m guessing is unique to Abyssal Lords.

Thanks to that, I feel even more confident in leaving the water. Since he’s a lot stronger than any of my other abyssal servants.

Although it would’ve been nice to have the Dark Lord’s abyssal servant with us too. But, again, I’m not going to war. I’m signing a document and coming back.

I have to wonder if I’ve grown too cautious over my time in this ocean.

That might not be a bad thing, but it’s also a little annoying.

Anyway, my Abyssal Lord and I rise all the way to the surface before finding a spaceship I allowed to enter the planet hovering over the water. Ready to pick me up.

It’s time to leave the planet for the first time since arriving here. In my real body, that is.

Even if I’m about to come right back after signing the document.

I take a deep breath before lifting myself up and my Abyssal Lord into the ship through controlling the water at the surface.

Time to meet Alliance people in my real body for the first time since becoming a Pioneer.