Crown of Thorns - Chapter 81: The Warrior's story

A 34-year-old NEET otaku, chased out from his house by his family, found that his life is reaching a dead end. He then recalled that his life could actually have been much better if he had made better choices in the past.

am the only son of Connaugt and Strathmore, and the grandson of Queen Victoria of the British Empire. Now, as a member of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Dynasty, I swear to witness and protect the rise of this land with my life, uniting all Australians and New Zealanders under a new name to witness our rise: Australasia forever!

Long time ago, the world was ruled by the Primordials — an ancient and powerful race who mastered magic and shaped the land with runes and magic. They built bastions that stood as monuments to their greatness, cities protected by powerful enchantments. But their thirst for even greater power led to disaster. They opened gates to another realm… and unleashed demons.What followed was swift and brutal. The Primordials fought back, but they lost. Their civilization crumbled, their names were erased, and only the magical bastions remained — sealed places protected by forgotten runes that even demons could not cross.Now, demons rule the night. Humanity lives in fear, hiding behind rune-marked walls, unaware of their true origins or how close the world stands to its final collapse.Into this broken world falls Alex — a stranger from another reality. Upon his arrival, he awakens a forbidden power within himself: nature magic and the ability to shapeshift. A gift… and a curse.Magic is forbidden. Hunted. Destroyed. If anyone discovers what he is, he could be executed on the spot. But only through his power does Alex stand a chance of surviving… and fighting back. As he journeys across this dark and ruined land, he begins to unravel secrets long buried, truths about the demons’ origin, and the real reason the world fell.This is a dark fantasy tale of blood, survival, ancient knowledge, and inner transformation. Alex must choose what he will become: a monster, a savior… or something in between.Hello and welcome to everyone who decided to read my first writing attempts!The story you are reading is created in my free time, so new chapters will be released approximately 3-4 times a week. I run my own business, which sometimes makes it difficult to find a moment to sit down and fully focus on writing.I'm a fan of brutal, bloody scenes – the kind that stay in your mind long after you've finished reading. I have a vivid imagination, and when I write, I see each of these fights clearly, as if they were happening right in front of me: torn bodies, blood spraying, guts... none of that sugar-coated fighting.I try to transfer these images from my head to the page with as much intensity as possible, so you can feel the same tension and thrill that I do while writing.I also want to build a sense of horror – especially when it comes to monsters. I'm not interested in easy enemies. These are meant to be creatures you feel before you see them. The kind that stir fear and force the characters into desperate decisions.I hope you'll enjoy these scenes too – brutal, emotional, and full of darkness.As for the plot, I already have a general outline in my head, so there’s a lot of writing ahead of me. In the future, the story may include R18 scenes, but before that, I want to build a solid world and well-developed characters.If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to reach out—I’d love to discuss them, and maybe we can add something interesting to the story!Enjoy the read!

In an exhilarating twist of fate, Jiang Chen traverse into a fantasy realm novel he read, taking on the role of the notorious Holy Son in a riveting tale. But here’s the catch – he’s pegged as the female lead’s obedient doglicker. Or so the story initially wanted…Unleashing the ‘Slack Off System’, Jiang Chen flips the script! Each act of slacking off spectacularly rewards him. Doglicking duties? Jiang Chen smirks at the thought. “Not in a million realms,” he declares.As the system chimes melodically, rewards rain down like immortal gifts:Ding, for successfully slacking off, you receive: the Emperor Weapon, All-Heaven Mirror!’Ding, another round of slacking off earns you: the Immortal Technique, Great Daluo Heaven!’Ding, for successfully slacking off you received: Immortal Emperor Cultivation!’But wait, there’s a twist in the tale! The world around Jiang Chen starts to unravel in the most unexpected ways.The character settings of the female leads have all collapsed.Junior Sister Ye Qingcheng: ‘I can only repay your life-saving grace with my body!’Cold and aloof master: ‘Disciple, I allow you to defy your master.’