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Chapter 161 - The Dumb-Ryan

🕑 Added 2026-02-13 20:27:02 +0000 UTC

Comments

Phillipbeykj

I think it could get quite dark. It would really be him and only him against the world, with no one to keep him grounded, be his "team," or teach him right from wrong. I don't think the realm would be ready if Artigan threw away his morals for the sake of survival and strength.

Phillipbeykj

Definitely, and it's not like Ryan isn't aware of what's going on. It's infinitely harder to manipulate someone if they know they are being manipulated.

mark harrell

I don't think Ryan seeing this is as dire as some people may think. If you want to talk about his choices and self-determination, it's not like this interaction is any different then the previous ones really. Ryan is *going to do what he's going to do*. There is no "tainting" his choices, because he is still the one making it out of his own volition. It's not like he's being hit with the MiB Neuralizer here, changing your decisions based off of new information or context isn't automatically brainwashing. The Manager is just an old schemer, just like how the Witch is a younger schemer and Ryan is a baby schemer. They all have their goals and intended outcomes, pitting those goals against eachother.

Marquess

Damn. Something-something butterfly. It’s interesting how different everything went just from that small change alone. I initially thought that his safety life would stop him from developing the kind of drive he needed so far to survive, but I was only half-right. Barry’s death means the Witch’s plot has a different type of weight to it. It’s not ‘the world is out to get me’ that gives him strength, it’s the complete emotional fall after thinking he finally got a second chance. That’s my guess, at least. I’m curious where this’ll go.

Purveilor

Do you mean in a 'I don't like what the story is doing?' or a 'oh no this isn't good for Ryan.'

Purveilor

He's an ex-adventurer non-Destined. Only Destined get to lose their safety and keep their powers while on Earth. If Barry wants to get his powers back he has to fully commit to The Realm and become Realmbound. Something he's said he's promised that he's never going to do. Yeah... it's a little convoluted now that I say it out loud. You can see the reasoning behind why this is the case though. It pushes the Trialists back into The Realm. You want power? You can't hide back on Earth, you must come to The Realm

1536539

I don’t understand how berry could have died from bullets, isn’t he an eighth realm? 5th realm people are bullet proof and an 8th realm is casually shot to death?