Shadow Hack - Chapter 2: Flux Energy Awakens

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Qi Ming woke up to find that he had transmigrated. He had become a disciple of the Green Cloud Peak, one of the twelve peaks of the Heaven Enlightenment Sect. Fortunately, the “AFK Farming Software” was activated and changed his life.

“Ding!”

“You had been AFK Farming for seven days in the game dungeon ‘Shu Mountain Ancient Path’. You have cleared the game dungeon seven times. You have obtained: 1 Seven Star Sword, 1 Sword Kinesis Technique, 1 Top-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, and 630 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

“Ding!”

“The Green Cloud Qi Refinement Art has been cultivated for a day. Your cultivation progress has increased. You will break through to the next level after 10 days of AFK Farming.

Qi Ming was tired of cultivating. It was too dangerous out there, so he could only cultivate through the AFK Farming Software every day in the sect.

Eventually, Qi Ming reached Foundation Establishment, followed by Golden Core, and subsequently Nascent Soul. He... became invincible?

By Xishui River, there lived a family with the surname Ruo, whose luck was so disastrously poor that it was as if misfortune was possessed by their very souls. When other families had bountiful harvests, the Ruo Family harvested not a single grain. Their planted vegetables were devoured by insects, their chickens got chicken plague, their pigs got swine fever…Despite the household being full of strong men, they were either mad, crippled, or blind…What would have been a family of great prospects became the poorest within ten miles.The only thing that others envied about the Ruo Family was its thriving male members! The old lady of the Ruo Family had given birth to six sons, who then gave her four grandsons. She dreamt day and night of having a granddaughter. When she finally got a grandchild, to her dismay, the child was mentally disabled: at over three years old, she still couldn’t speak or walk, couldn’t even eat or relieve herself without help.Everyone thought the Ruo Family would never turn their fortunes around in this lifetime! That was until the half-old three-year-old mentally disabled child suddenly called out, “Mom…”The heavens began to change.The world began to turn mysterious.In the Ruo Family’s courtyard, the persimmons ripened overnight. The vegetables in the fields, nearly nibbled bare by insects, turned lush and green. The old hen that had never laid eggs suddenly started laying…While others faced famine, the Ruo Family’s granary was full.The eldest son was no longer mad, the second son was no longer crippled, the third son was no longer blind…The old lady of the Ruo Family, with her hands on her hips, laughed heartily to the sky, “Who says my Xuanbao is a dimwit? She’s clearly a treasure of blessings!”(This is a farming novel with a hint of fairy charm, where the female protagonist in a previous life was a just-awakened daylily that has reincarnated as a human.)

[When a Veteran Gamer Becomes the Game's Villain, Can the World Still Be Saved?][Villain + Light-hearted Fun + Semi-invincible + MMORPG = Ultimate Enjoyment!]After completing his seventeenth game order in an all-night session, Victor unexpectedly finds himself reborn into a game world he knows like the back of his hand—as its infamous villain, no less.In the original storyline, he was destined to face the hostility of the entire world alone:- The proud female Valkyrie leader (his fiancée) longs to take his life- An all-powerful female heiress dreams of burying him alive- The Grand Duke wants to tear him to pieces- Even the stray dogs on the street bare their teeth at himNow, this “villain” possesses a player's cool-headed mindset and comprehensive knowledge of the game world.Faced with a predetermined death sentence and countless players coveting his experience points, how will Viktor use his profound understanding of the game and his calm, rational mind to turn the tables?Can he establish an unbeatable position in this world?When a player who has mastered the game's mechanics becomes the villain within the game, what kind of sparks will fly?In this marvelous journey filled with strategy, humor, and unexpected twists:- Every level-up could be a life-or-death decision- The line between villain and hero blurs under Viktor's careful calculations- What kind of chemical reaction will occur when game skills collide with real-world magic?- Will Viktor's gaming skills and his newly formed alliance with the evil god be enough to change the tide?Are you ready? Step into Viktor's world, where the “villain” has never been so charismatic, and the future? Well, who can say for sure?