Starting from Zero - Book 2 - Chapter 1 – Golden Dragon

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

I’m an imperial uncle; his imperial majesty’s uncle.

Once, someone with nothing better to do took a comprehensive survey of the current dynasty, and summed up the imperial court’s three great cancers.

Wang Qin leads in corruption; the treasury is never full.

Yun Tang favours a few, forming cabals; leading to corruption in our politics.

Prince Huai plays with power, and serves as the head of a hundred poisons — thus causing instability to the throne.

When they talk about the most venomous of vipers, the wicked one who plays with power, the biggest cancer of them all, they’re talking about me: this insignificant prince, Prince Huai, Chengjun.

I can only say that I feel rather hapless in the face of these theories.

In truth, I have been ever dutiful, ever devoted, devoid of intention to monopolise power, and possess even less of a heart to covet the throne. In the entire imperial court, I dare say there is no loyal subject more loyal than I.

But, most tragically, in all the realm, the matter of my being a loyal subject is something that not many would believe.

- Description from Novelupdates

Originally from the slums, Adam was chosen as a candidate for an experiment to ignite the Spark - an entity that gives superpowers. However, he failed and was thrown into the Dead Lands - the place the world became after the fall of the Last Star, beginning a new era for mankind, dangerous and unexpected. He faced against monsters and dangerous anomalies, sometimes creating artifacts - the miracle of this world.Killing his first monster in deadly combat, Adam became a Phantom - one who could evolve, endlessly moving toward power.Follow Adam on his journey, from fighting monsters and exploring Dead Lands to endless evolution!

some day.

The heavens and worlds shook.

A huge list appeared in the sky, and the scene of counting the strange nicknames of the heavens began.

Inventory tenth, head pillar Tanjiro

Inventory Ninth: The God of the Earth Cannot Fly (Gulardo), the God of the Sea Fathead Fish (Kioka)

Inventory eighth, the second of the four Uchiha laughs – Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito

…

After the video is posted.

Countless dimensions were shocked.

It turns out that there are so many people with weird nicknames in countless worlds.

- Description from novelbuddy