Hard Enough - Chapter 21: Enjoying the Plateau

“What exactly is the point of this life of mine?”Lukas Brandt thought to himself as he chugged down a cup of Wheat beer in a local pub in Darmstadt.He had always dreamt of being a professional footballer, he fell in love with the sport when he watched his country Germany beat the Argentine national team in the World Cup final in 2014, with memories of his father hugging him tightly after Mario Gotze scored the goal that gave them the cup.He had been 7 back then, currently 36, but his biggest regret was giving up at the first sight of failure at 15.He had given up his dream of one day representing his country, and died (un)fortunately while trying to save a kid.Waking up 20 years younger and with a system, follow Lukas' journey from an SV Darmstadt 98 academy reject, to undoubtedly the greatest footballer of all time.Set in an alternate universe so some names and events will obviously be changed massively, else it'll just be a biography of a real life player :⁠')

Top Special Agent, Wu Mei, was murdered in a conspiracy. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself transmigrated into the body of the gorgeous, abandoned wife of a handsome, wealthy man and… She was sleeping with him!

The handsome man placed the divorce papers in front of her and said, “Let’s get a divorce. I’ll give you one hundred million.”

Father: “If you don’t get the money from President Li, your mother will pay with her life!”

Stepmother: “Quickly get a divorce and let your younger sister take your place!”

A sly smile crept up Wu Mei’s face. She agreed, “Sure. But... you’ll have to raise the stakes.”

After her divorce, Wu Mei became stronger and stronger. She dealt with her stepmother and punished scumbags. She was awesome!

Gradually, her true identity was revealed – A medical genius, hacker, businesswoman… Her existence shook the world!

All the big shots knelt before her. “Whoever messes with her, messes with us!”

Then, at a cocktail party, someone saw…

The almighty Mr. Li clinging onto Wu Mei’s waist, his eyes red as he begged, “Let’s get married again. I’ll even give you my life.”

Just like before, Wu Mei smiled slyly and said, “You’ll have to raise the stakes.”

Birth rates are decreasing. Hope is vanishing. The world has gone gray.Humanity, drifting in quiet collapse, receives an email.Every person on Earth. Simultaneously.The Aegis Mandate.Disguised as a cosmic aptitude test, it triggers The Incident of Separation—a global psychic cataclysm that erases identities, wipes memories, and divides all survivors into three factions: Law, Neutral, and Chaos. Overnight, cities become battlegrounds. Apartments become dungeons. Ordinary people become monsters—or the ones who hunt them.Ragnar Vhagar was just a loner university student. Now, thanks to a system he didn’t ask for, he’s a newly minted Demon King, locked in a crumbling apartment with goblins under his sofa and a glowing soul crystal next to his frozen peas. His new job? Build a deadly domain, defend it from invading “Heroes,” and somehow level up fast enough to not die.Alongside him is Isabelle Thorne, a razor-sharp warrior of few words and one very sharp sword. Their reluctant alliance, born in blood and snark, evolves into trust—and maybe something dangerously close to affection—as they rise together through the layers of the game-like world they’re trapped in.With each conquered domain and defeated boss, Ragnar realizes the truth: the dungeons aren’t meant to crown a winner. They’re meant to break the players. The Law faction wants control. The Chaos faction craves destruction. But Ragnar? He wants something they’re all too afraid to say out loud:Freedom.In the ruins of Kanta’s ogre stronghold, Ragnar and his misfit warband take their biggest step yet—claiming a kingdom, unifying a fractured system, and preparing for what comes next. The Heroes are watching. The gods are stirring. The world is watching a war.And somewhere deep beneath it all... Ragnar is rewriting the rules.

“The Earth was chosen by the gods, and all humans were sent to another world, participating in a 'Dark Lord and Hero's game'.

Billions of humans played the roles of 'Dark Lord' and 'Hero', each needing to choose their initial race at the beginning.

Ethan Jackson was matched to the 'Dark Lord' faction and became a Dungeon King.

To his surprise, he found that he could see hidden information that others couldn't...

[Goblin Dark Lord] Low-level Bloodline, not recommended.

[Stone Giant Dark Lord] Mid-level Bloodline, not recommended.

[Magical Treant Dark Lord] High-level Bloodline, recommended.

[Golden Divine Dragon Dark Lord] Top-level Bloodline, highly recommended!

...

Heroes coveted Ethan's dungeon, and the treasures within it attracted numerous adventurers.

Among them, there were young Lady Knights, the saints of the royal capital, tsundere female magicians, and innocent but naive female priests...

Ethan could never have anticipated that.

As the game had just begun, the dungeon's Goblin guards caught a Lady Knight and offered her to him as a tribute.”

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