Dark Magus Returns - Chapter 3: Unfamiliar Territory

She is one of the best thieves that the world has seen in the 24th century. However, not even in her wildest dreams had she imagine that she’d be reincarnated as a good-for-nothing orphaned Seventh Miss of the Vermilion Bird Family. She finds herself stuck in a family that mistreats her, as well as an unfamiliar place with no support system.

In 2173, the world’s first Full-World Virtual MMORPG game ‘Astral Online’ went on sale globally, forever changing the blue planet Asteria!

With its revolutionary Digital Capture System, astonishing graphics and ability to scan yourself into the game with up to 20% beautification, countless defenders rallied to play the game.

Fifty million players logged in on launch. There were no queues or lag on launch, leaving countless critics impressed and willing to try the game. Because the game used a 6-hour play limit a day, it allowed even working adults to keep up with young students and the unemployed.

A resounding success, as more people poured onto the game servers, families and friends alike. Astra Online became a household name overnight.

One month later, the game opened its first RMT system, which made earning a living from the game easier... Thus began the Astral rush!

Professional players formed guilds and factions to increase their profits, but nobody could know this prosperity was a mere joke.

One year later, players fused with their avatars, gaining powerful abilities in the real world, which tipped the power and caused chaos.

Two years later, demons and monsters from inside the game invaded the real world.

Three years later, over 90% of humanity perished, leaving the rest to hide like rats, unable to fight back in fear.

Four years later, this world is no longer ours. The demons march on our last bastions, one by one. They exterminated us.

Zell was an average player who liked to collect beasts in the game and evolve them into humanoids, as they were primarily females.

He spent most of his life working two jobs to make ends meet.

Thanks to the excellent healthcare of his country, there were no crippling debts. There was only emptiness.

When the end came, he was powerless and alone. His only companions were his cute pets and Rika, his cherished Flame Rabbit.

She was the only beast he evolved to a humanoid form after his late start to the game.

He died saving the life of a strange girl with white wings and his pet Rika, the sad eyes of Rika and the girl’s sorrow floating through the air as he slowly passed away.

However, instead of dying, he awoke inside an empty white room with a single computer and a strange, game-like screen that allowed him to edit his IRL avatar and persona.

Who offered him this second chance?

For what reason did they help him?

Can he meet Rika again?

Zell could never know; he only knew his second life’s goal.

Survive!

Wen Le’s grandfather was a revered literary writer who escaped to the mountains for inspiration and has lived there for over 10 years.

Ever since she was a child, Wen Le has lived in the mountains with her grandparents. Only upon attending school did Wen Le discover that they only had a black and white TV while her friends all had LED ones.

Thus the young Wen Le who matured early knew that they were poor and that she had to work hard. However, Wen Le gradually realized that something felt a bit odd. Wen Le hesitantly gave her grandfather a call.

“Yeye*, when I passed the university entrance exam, what are the two keys that you and Dad gave to me for?”

Grandpa snorted in reply, “I gave you a courtyard house, and your dad gave you a building.”

Wen Le trembled in trepidation, “Then what about that document which Dad got me to sign a few days ago?”

Grandpa snorted, “How would I know? But your Dad recently bought a gem mine.”

Wen Le cautiously asked, “Yeye, is our family really not poor?”

Grandpa got so angry and scolded her for being s*upid.

After Wen Le got together with the school crowned hunk Zhou Kao, who was cold to everyone, it shook the entire school. Zhou Kao was a wealthy young master from birth, and Wen Le was only a poor child from the mountains. With their social status deemed unfavorably matched, Wen Le was deemed as a scheming girl who wanted to marry into wealth.

Until someone secretly recorded the interaction between the two of them. In the video, Zhou Kao had unexpectedly backed Wen Le up to a secluded corner. He played with Wen Le’s long hair, “It’s said that this jewel that’s currently on you is worth millions but was bought from a street stall for $20?”

Wen Le smiled: “The stall owner was probably my Dad.”

“However…” Wen Le raised Zhou Kao’s chin and looked at him with her seductive eyes, “How much are you selling this ten million beauty for?”

Reputed as being hellishly difficult, Zhou Kao, the famed hunk whom nobody could successfully chase, was infatuated. He leaned down for a kiss, and with a raspy voice said, “I’ll give it to you for $10.”

Wen Le dodged the kiss with a laugh, “Isn’t $10 a little expensive?”

Zhou Kao clenched his teeth, and directly kissed her, “I’ll bear a deficit of $10.”

The whole school was SHOCKED!

- Description from Novelupdates

5 years ago, Earth was subject to an event now known as the “World Awakening”.

At that time, the world completely changed. Mana awakened in the world, gates began opening, and a holographic screen showed up in front of the eyes of every human that outlined their “status”.

Each individual was given a talent to start with, ranging from simple abilities like enhanced eyesight to insane fantasy stuff like pyrokinesis.

And within this myriad of abilities, Damien awakened a spatial affinity with the skill “short-distance teleportation”.

At first, he was excited, thinking about intense battles and gaining great power, but the reality was quick to shoot him down.

His ability only worked in the area 10 meters around himself, and his physical stats were insanely weak, leaving him tired after using his ability a couple of times.

Disillusioned by his weakness, Damien lived a quiet life doing anything he could to meet ends meet, until one day, everything changed.

Damien was betrayed and thrown into a gate, left to fend for himself in a labyrinth of beasts.

Something snapped in him that day. He refused to stay weak and keep his head down any longer.

When he emerged from the darkness, he found himself in a new world with no idea how to return to earth.

However, he wasn’t the same kid he was when he first fell.


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P.S. Cover is not mine. If the owner has any problems, I can remove it.