A Serpent's Tale - Chapter 257: First Period

Book I: Lost ThingsTristan Abrascal is a thief, one of many making their living under the perpetual twilight of the greatest city in all of Vesper. Quick wit and a contract with a capricious goddess have always kept him one step ahead, until one night he crosses a line by accident that burns all the bridges he had left. But not all is lost, as his mentor offers a way out of peril that turns out to be more than a simple escape.It is also an opportunity to get even with the infanzones, the nobles he’s lived under all his life, and it so happens that Tristan has a full ledger’s worth of scores to settle with them.Lady Angharad Tredegar has fled halfway across the world, leaving behind a ruin of a life: her family butchered by a ruthless enemy, their estate torched and their nobility revoked. Yet no matter how far she flees the blades of assassins follow, and she finds herself growing desperate for any protection. She has one relative left to call on, her estranged uncle, but she finds that the safety he offers comes at a cost.Angharad has sworn revenge, however, and her honour will allow for no compromise. She will do what she must to survive so that one day bloody vengeance can be visited upon her enemies.The paths of the two take them to the doorstep of the Watch, but for desperate souls like them enrolment is a lost cause. They will have to do it the hard way instead, by surviving the trials on the isle known as the Dominion of Lost Things.Where every year many go, and few return.Book II: Good TreasonsThe trials of the Dominion are over.The four survivors have become students of Scholomance, enrolling together as a cabal, yet even on those infamous grounds they soon learn none are beyond the reach of their pasts.Angharad Tredegar is returned to a semblance of the world she left behind, but finds her honor sorely tested by bargains offered - every bit as tempting as in the stories and even deadlier.Tristan Abrascal needs answers. Mysterious enemies keep trying to abduct him, his classroom does not exist and he’s now had several conversations with dead people. Worst of all, his carrots keep dying.Maryam Khaimov is going mad, which would worry her less if it were happening on schedule. More frightening yet is the possibility that she is not, and there truly is someone else going around wearing her face.Song Ren must forge the others into a functional unit, all the while fending off enemies on all sides: rival cabals, vengeful countrymen and the deluge of implacable foes her companions simply cannot seem to stop attracting.Failure is not an option, for Song must bring back honor to her family’s name whatever the cost: it is the only way to keep their disgrace from literally eating them all alive.And as the four chase shadows in Scholomance, in the distance looms the greater test awaiting them in the Asphodel Rectorate. Asphodel is a faded power, the rotten carcass of what it once was, but under that rot looms darker things - of which monsters might just be the least dangerous.Besides, is treason really such an evil when you have the best of reasons for it?

Arthur Grail, a hardcore player of the VRMMO Trinity Star Online, woke up one day in the body of Gerard Astoria—a petty villain fated to die before the main story even began. To make matters worse, Gerard's death was a crucial event in the game's narrative. If he didn’t meet his predetermined end, it could disrupt the story entirely, leading the universe toward one of the countless “bad end” routes!Unwilling to leave his fate to chance, Arthur decided to take matters into his own hands—recruiting the “player” as his partner to help him clear the game and rewrite his destiny.But wait—“Why is the player not a dude but a sharp-tongued beauty instead?!”Follow Arthur's odyssey, filled with trouble at every turn, as he works to uncover the mystery behind his awakening in a universe eerily similar to Trinity Star Online's setting, all while trying to save the entire universe… without forgetting to enjoy himself!

Ji Han, who was worried about his sister’s medical expenses, accidentally bound a money-making game.

The monsters in the other world, the puzzles in the film and television world, and the forbidden tombs in the legendary world.

Your game is too scary (love)!

What? 50,000 for completing the task? Kill a monster and give 30,000?

As an ordinary person, Ji Han shivered in the game, doing his best to complete the task to grab the head and get the much-needed monetary reward.

But in the eyes of others, he is the strongest alien warrior.

“Captain, the 10th team is really empty, they actually found a cowardly ordinary person.”

“Fart! All the monsters in the other world were killed by him alone. You fucking call this a cowardly ordinary person?”

- Description from novelbuddy

This story is a thrilling tale that plunges readers into the world of online gaming, where virtual realms hold secrets beyond imagination. Jiang Siming, an ordinary gamer, stumbles upon a remarkable phenomenon within the popular game, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Unlike his peers, he uncovers vibrant, multicolored fragments scattered throughout the game world. What sets Jiang apart is his keen eye and determination to unravel the mystery behind these fragments. As he delves deeper into the game’s intricacies, he discovers that when these fragments are melded together, they unlock a treasure trove of skills, attributes, talents, and even mythical artifacts. This revelation sparks a transformative journey for Jiang as he embarks on a quest to collect these fragments and unlock their hidden potential. As Jiang’s virtual avatar grows stronger with each fragment collected, so too does his real-life success. He rises to newfound wealth and unparalleled success, transcending the boundaries between the virtual and the real. But with great power comes great challenges, and Jiang soon finds himself facing adversaries both within the game and in the real world. The story is not just a story about gaming; it’s a tale of ambition, perseverance, and the boundless possibilities that lie within the digital realm. Readers are taken on a thrilling adventure where the lines between reality and fantasy blur, leaving them questioning what it truly means to succeed in a world where anything is possible.