Shadow Slave - Chapter 42: Essence of Combat

“I thought we were brothers, and this is how you treat me?”Clutching his bloodied abdomen, John stared fiercely at the two figures before him.And the dragger embedded in his stomach was none other than the symbol of their former friendship: the legendary gear [Apate’s Whisper].“Just got a little lucky, and you think you’re so great?”“Claiming to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck? I’d like to see where your Goddess is.”“Hahahaha…”Amidst the taunting laughter, John’s world gradually darkened.…[Ding, congratulations to the Host for becoming player number 001 in Apocalypse]“Didn’t I die? What time is it now?”[Ding, congratulations to the Host for acquiring the SSS talent Kiss of LUCK, randomly gaining a hundredfold Bonus!]“A hundredfold Bonus?”[Ding, the Host executes a normal attack, physical damage 5; based on talent evaluation, deals a total of 2000 points magic damage!][Ding, the Host obtains an iron dagger, quality common; based on talent evaluation, it upgrades to a Legendary dagger!][Ding, the Host obtains a magic scroll, quality rare; based on talent evaluation, it upgrades to a Divine scroll!]“Good, this time, you all will pay for what you’ve done!”

“Chantelle Bently, you’re a murderer! Why are you still alive? You should have been the one to die!”Daniel shoved her away furiously, his face as dark and empty as the black suit he wore.Chantelle was caught off guard and lost her balance, falling hard onto her pregnant belly.The pain was unbearable, and she cried out as her body trembled.Chantelle shook her head desperately. “I told you, it wasn’t me! It was Kate!”In a trembling voice, she pleaded, “Daniel, how many times do I have to say this before you believe me? I didn’t betray your family or the Wilson Group Of Companies, and I didn’t cause your grandfather’s death.”Anger and resentment appeared in Daniel’s eyes as he threw the divorce settlement in Chantelle’s face. “Sign this now! From this day forward, I’ll make you pay a thousand times for everything you’ve done!”The sight of the document struck Chantelle like a dagger to her heart.Her whole body froze as if she had been cast into the icy wastelands of Hell.****Her twin sister framed her, and her perfect family was destroyed on Christmas Eve.Things got worse when her husband handed her a divorce agreement. A month later, rumors spread that she had died in prison from depression.Six years later, she returned with a new face to take her revenge. She was beautiful but dangerous.Daniel felt both devastated and irritated when he saw the mysterious woman. She had the same name as his dead ex-wife, whom he hated most and the one he believed was responsible for his grandfather’s death.Despite his anger, he couldn’t deny the strong attraction he felt toward her.In fact, he was fatally obsessed and addicted to her, and the anger that had controlled him for six years slowly started to crumble.

Despite gifted with extraordinary talent, I resented my life being cut short.One day, fueled by alcohol, I penned a proposal letter to a princess, hoping to alter my fate.[Sure. I’d love to marry you.]…What? She’s accepting?The problem is, I proposed to all five tyrant princesses.And to make matters worse, I have no clue which one responded.

The year is 2025. A devout Christian named Arthur Bennett wins a lottery to participate in a revolutionary virtual reality experience at a high-tech company called Elysium. The program utilizes a unique VR pod to immerse users in a world based on a popular anime.As the other participants—a mix of personalities with varying degrees of anime knowledge—prepare to enter the simulation, Arthur remains the only one who has never indulged in anime. Upon entering this new world, he discovers an unsettling truth: pain is excruciatingly real, despite the creators' claims of a dampened pain response.He eventually finds himself trapped in prison, unable to log out, and demanding to be released from the program. Calls go unanswered, and the world of ninjas becomes a nightmare where hunger, thirst, hygiene, and even death are all real.Angered that he was deceived, he abandons all sense of logic and vows to become a villain no one would have ever anticipated.