Becoming the King of Magic in my Brother's Novel - Chapter 40: Not Alone

This is a time of great powers: The vast Persia, Sparta that is founded by force, Athens with its trade and business, Thebes the rising star, The ambitious Macedonia, The twin heroes of the Western Mediterranean, The rising Rome and so on.

This is an era of brilliant stars: Agesilaus II – the last king of Sparta, Epaminondas – the Rising General of Thebes, Philip II – the founder of Macedonian hegemon, Dionysius – the tyrant of Syracuse, Camillus – the Roman dictator and savior…

This is an era of contention among a hundred schools of thought: Plato – the great philosopher, Antisthenes – founder of cynicism, Pythagoras – school of number, Democritus – the encyclopedia scholar, Hippocrates – the father of western medicine, Aristophanes – the great dramatist…

What will the hero bring to the world when he comes to this age as a humble mercenary through rebirth?

- Description from Novelupdates

Living life in this new world was already hard enough....So why?Why is the villainess of this world obsessed with me?

“With each stroke, a river and a sea are painted, and with a brush, mountains and rivers are determined.Some people admire a painting depicting a fierce ox toppling a mountain and comprehend the profound martial art technique called 'Crushing Mountain Force.' With boundless strength, one can move mountains barehanded!Others gaze upon a sword shining with a cold moonlight in the painting, thus realizing the 'Cold Moon Divine Sword Art.' With this sword, they can slay otherworldly beings and gain fame that resounds in all directions.Li Changqing, a top woodcarver, transmigrates into the world of Cangyuan. He discovers that his woodcarvings are more enlightening than his paintings. From being a destitute and worthless painter, he rises to the pinnacle of the Cangyuan world.In his previous life, he indulged in sculpture and ended up raising a wayward child. However, in this world of Cangyuan, he has a well-behaved and filial son who lacks talent but dreams of becoming an immortal through cultivation.If my son wants to become an immortal, then as his father, I will help him achieve it!However, Li Hengsheng, the son, begins to suspect that his useless daydreaming and money-begging father may have been possessed by someone else!”

Ethan is a man nearing forty who has squandered his life behind a screen. Since his teenage years, he has poured everything into online games, chasing digital achievements while real life quietly passed him by. Now, with reality finally weighing on him, he realizes how empty his existence has become.Despite decades of obsession, he has only one thing to show for it: the #1 account in the world’s most popular MMORPG, Lost World Online—a fully immersive virtual game operated through neural-link technology. It is an account powerful enough to guarantee fame, sponsorships, and a second chance at life.But overnight… it vanishes.No warnings… No errors… His account simply ceases to exist.Ethan spends the entire night frantically searching for answers, contacting the developers through official forums, only to be told that nothing can be done. Without the account, even streaming or professional contracts are impossible. Exhausted and hollow, he finally gives up and falls asleep, deciding to forget his regret, half hoping everything would be a dream when he wakes up.When Ethan opens his eyes, he finds himself standing before the character creation screen of Lost World Online.It feels like a dream, yet his mind is clear, his body well responsive, not even like a game. Paying little attention, he goes ahead and creates a character and initiates the game.Then, his vision is swallowed by darkness.A violent rush of wind slams into him, and when his senses return, he is standing inside a bustling town from the game. Before he can question the missing opening cutscene—something that should always play after character creation—his attention is seized by the scene around him.The town was celebrating an Annual Festival. This was a festival that only ever occurred once, a festival that marked the first day Lost World Online was launched.Realizing the impossible, Ethan hurriedly calls up his system interface—only to find that there is no options menu, no settings, no log-out button…“This cannot be real.”