Starting from Zero - Book 4 - Chapter 4 – Hawk

Eli Turner had perfected the art of coasting through life, gaming, lounging, and vibing with no grand ambitions beyond the next high. But his laid-back existence is upended when his laptop inexplicably transforms into a gateway to another world. What starts as a surreal escape becomes a perilous journey as Eli finds himself wielding a mysterious system that allows him to level up, fight monsters, and gain abilities beyond his wildest dreams.At first, the portal world feels like a haven, offering purpose and adventure Eli never knew he craved. Guided, or manipulated, by Azrael, a mischievous god orchestrating the game, Eli rises as one of the system's chosen players. But as the quests grow more dangerous and Azrael’s true intentions begin to surface, Eli struggles to balance the fantasy world with his life back home. His girlfriend, Sara, and his friends are left grappling with a version of Eli they hardly recognize, as the lines between his two lives blur.When the system expands to players worldwide, Eli crosses paths with others drawn into Azrael’s cosmic experiment: Yumi Tanaka, a fiercely disciplined Japanese student with a perfectionist streak, and Arjun Mehta, a charming Indian playboy with secrets of his own. Each carries their own burdens and ambitions, but all three must face the harsh truth: Azrael’s game is far more than it seems.As alliances are forged, rivalries ignite, and the stakes escalate, Eli must confront not only the dangers of the portal world but the growing rift between the person he is and the hero he’s becoming. In a game where every move is a test and every choice ripples across both worlds, the question remains: can Eli, Yumi, and Arjun uncover the truth before the system consumes them all?

Earth, thousands of years after the apocalypse.

Countless technologies and advances had been lost to time as the Specters, horrifying beings with terrifying powers, arrived and destroyed the world.

Over the coming thousands of years, humanity had built itself up but always died again.

Nobody remembers the past.

Nobody remembers what humanity had once accomplished.

Now, everyone is living in a world where the Specters reign supreme.

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A boy with amnesia woke up in the middle of the Dregs, the worst part of Crimson Fungus City.

The boy grows up and manages to become strong enough to pass an exam for one of the most prestigious jobs in existence, a Zephyx Extractor, someone that can harvest the powers of Specters.

Sadly, he had already gained a power from a Specter in the past, which made him ineligible for the position.

But then, a mysterious man visits him.

And his luck finally turns around.

……………………………………………………………

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“Master, the people from the Zhuang family have come to cancel the engagement.”

“My fiancé whose beauty was said to be capable of causing the downfall of a city, finally decided to throw me away?”

“I think so.”

“I want to see this legendary beauty, and confirm whether this bastard is as really great as people said to have no flaws in all 360 degree, a picturesque appearance however you see him; does he need me to help him open the corner of his eyes (Epicanthoplasty) or reshape his chin (Genioplasty)?”

“Actually, he didn’t come.”

“He didn’t? He didn’t even come to cancel the engagement? What a wicked b***h.”

“He definitely will get karma.”

- Description from Novelupdates

Akira Kuromiya is just an average high schooler who gets killed by a robber. He wakes up and is now a chicken!? Even worse he becomes the familiar of a girl who's apparently the heiress of a powerful clan.

That was for a short while though, as he was abandoned and woke up to find out he, now she, is trapped in a deadly magical forest with all sorts creatures trying to kill her.

The world she finds herself is one of magic and monsters like the manga she's been reading. Akira, now Hinotori is trying to live her life as a chicken in another world!