The Desolate Era (Web Novel) - Book 44, Chapter 25 - Snake and Sword

Sometimes dying isn’t even the worst part of your dayMark has been reincarnated into a dead town in a bog, one that has been recently destroyed and occupied by ravenous undead. They disappear every day and return again at night, mindless and hungry, hunting for any survivors. He’ll need to use cunning and subterfuge to avoid them, because since he was transported into the body of a child, he can’t level up. At least not yet.Bog Standard. It means “totally normal”, right? But for the small towns found in these bogs, there's no quick rescue and not much trade. Everything has to be made to last. To them, it means “excellent quality”. Mark will have to prove he's Bog Standard if he hopes to survive.This is an Isekai of excellent quality. It’s a progression fantasy set in a LitRPG world, rags to riches with an eventual OP main character. The pacing is slow-burn, incremental progression, sometimes slice-of-life, punctuated by moments of intense violence and possibly traumatic content.

It was understood that this was a capitalist country, where the possession of the greatest amount of capital determined to whom the nation effectively belonged.The smile that had been resting on William Sheffield’s face was abruptly erased as his expression turned cold. In a tone laced with determination, it was demanded by him that the police be contacted immediately so that they could crush those who stood in their way. The reasoning behind his words seemed clear: if such actions had been taken before by someone like Rockefeller, then why should it not also be possible for Sheffield?A sense of irony hung in the air as the sentiment was expressed—this was America, where each day seemed to unfold as though it were part of an ongoing shootout, with battles fought not just with guns but with power, influence, and wealth.

The village girl who was close to death from illness was about to marry, and her suitor was a strong and hearty hunter.Having time-traveled to a poor and backward mountain village, she had resigned herself to the lack of three square meals a day, but was her new body already halfway into the grave? What's more curious was that someone still wanted to marry her despite being on her deathbed?Driven by curiosity, she went ahead with the marriage, eager to see who the unlucky sap was who'd lose his betrothal gifts and even the coffin money.Cradled in his arms, her body was thin as a rake, and she really wanted to ask him, “Husband, does holding me hurt your hands?”