Empire of the Ring - Chapter 11

A young man sat on a chair and looked out at the ocean. With one wisp of Spirit Qi, he could point anywhere on this vast and expansive world, pointing at any place that didn’t look right.

Set on a giant, almost finished bridge between Sadogashima and Niigata. Abandoned by the government, the bridge, and the giant man-made floating island at the center, has become a city of criminals and societal drop-outs.

Set in the same world as Durarara, but 15-20 years later. There is almost no overlap between Etsusa Bridge and the other novels.

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online-a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other-opens its virtual doors, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating their brain waves to create a wholly realistic gaming experience.

But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG-a log-out button.

Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, “game over” means certain death-both virtual and real…

William was once a gamer ranked in top 20 worldwide. After his death, he found himself in the body of an insignificant NPC in the game “God's Apocalypse.” This NPC was doomed to die early in the game, filling William with dread because he knew he had only three months to live.The game world of “God's Apocalypse” was rich with many different fantasy races, from elves to dwarves, each offering unique opportunities for him to make use of, as well as challenges to home oneself.William was terrified because he had the knowledge of the game's future but lacked the power to change his fate.However, he was not without options. He retained his game panel and the unique talent “[Jack of All Trades],” which allowed him to learn skills from various professions.William realized that when the game's beta opened, players would arrive. As an NPC, he could assign quests to them and use his knowledge of the game's future to manipulate them to do his bidding.He began to leverage the abilities of the players to alter his fate and grow stronger.William made alliances with various races, gaining their trust and learning their secrets. This enabled him to transcend the boundaries of his initial condition and steadily increase his power.As William's power grew, players in the game started to complain: “This boss is impossibly strong and keeps getting stronger, we demand a nerf!” They were frustrated by his rapid progression and the unique challenges he posed.In contrast, the elves venerated him: “Lord William is the ultimate chosen one, bringing an unparalleled peace to our realm.” They saw him as a savior who brought stability and hope.The mages revered him as well: “He is the trailblazer of magic, our protector. His name, William Cain, is synonymous with the god of the arcane.” They admired his innovative approach to magic and his role in advancing their knowledge.When asked how he managed to achieve such feats, William simply responded, “Knowledge is power, and it's the one thing I don't lack.”