Master Zhan, Calm Down! - Chapter 9

To rise from defeat; to revive amidst the dissipation.

As the vast oceans turn to dust and the thunder and lightning fade away,

That strand of spiritual mist once again approaches our great world.

With the shackles that bound our world now severed—

A whole new world of mystery and wonder awaits,

As we turn the corner…

——

The Sacred Ruins is a story set in a post-apocalyptic world. A world that has recovered to a state that is roughly equal to our own world in terms of technology and culture, although its ancient history remains largely unknown. The story begins during the post-graduation trip of our protagonist, where he discovers some ancient ruins and witnesses “the great change”, an upheaval that changed everything. The changing earth not only brought about new, unexplored landscape but also sparked the evolution of all organisms. Plants and animals started gaining sentience and some humans obtained unimaginable powers. The legends, myths, and tales of old seemed to have suddenly come to life as the earth entered a new era where beasts and men formed factions, explored new lands and ultimately struggled for supremacy.

We follow the MC as he grows from being an eccentric young man into a badass expert warrior while meeting other funny characters and forming brotherly bonds. We watch as he falls into just as much hilarious situations as he does perilous ones, all the while wondering and slowly discovering the mysteries of this world. Just why was the world destroyed in the first place? Who or what had triggered this earth-shattering “change”? What profundities lie behind the process of evolution?

- Description from Novelupdates

I don’t know why I die, I don’t know why I live.

Divided hunters die of loyalty,

The witch who plays with emotions dies of love,

Cautious fortune-tellers die of trust.

The thief who steals everything has nothing,

The visionary who created everything never existed.

The traveler fell on his way home,

The twilight giants rest before dawn.

Lawyers sacrifice for order,

Judges forget the law.

The sleepless sleeps in the dark,

The corpse collector lay in the coffin.

We are guardians, and a bunch of poor creatures who are constantly fighting against danger and madness.

This journey is life and death.

While drowning was inevitable, they had struggled.

This is the worst of times, this is the best of times.

- Description from novelbuddy

Year 2056, in a city in the Yuan Jiang Su Jin area. On top of a ruined, shattered six story residential apartment sits a teenager wearing a combat vest, militaristic trousers, and alloyed battle boots. On his back is a hexagonal shield and equipped is a blood-shadow battle knife. He sits there silently on the edge of the roof. At this time, the sparkling sky was shining and there was a refreshing breath within the air that blew towards him. However, there was only silence within the ruined, deserted city, with an occasional howl that makes your heart skip a beat.

July, 1946. The existence of an alternate world was confirmed.

It was supposed to be a new world for mankind.

However, the enormous cost, the annihilation of the advance troops, and fierce public opposition led to the signing of a non-aggression treaty.

Mankind turned their eyes towards space.

Half a century later.

A certain company formed a team in order to explore the alternate world’s dungeon.

Five professionals and three artificial intelligences. And one reserve member.

With modern weapons and technology, the adventure was expected to be easy.

However, the ones who had arrived in the alternate world were a defective artificial intelligence and a non-professional.

Through trial and error, they lived, ate, and fought. And, they explored the dungeon.