The New World - Chapter 29: A Pound of Flesh

They called him useless. A Class E farmer in a world where strength meant survival.Betrayed by the woman he loved, beaten by a power-hungry King, and left to die like trash, Isaac thought his story had ended.But death was only the beginning.Beneath the earth, sealed for thousands of years, a forgotten being awakens, an ancient force of ruin once feared by angels and demons alike. When Isaac agrees to its desperate offer, he doesn’t just survive… he becomes something else. Stronger. Colder. Hungrier.Now reborn with a forbidden power that rejects magic itself, Isaac walks the line between man and monster. Each time he unleashes the Abyssal Overdrive, his strength grows, but so does the Corruption threatening to devour what’s left of his soul.To protect the innocent, he must become the very thing they fear.To destroy the kings who shattered his life, he must embrace the darkness within.Enemies will fall. Secrets will unravel. And when the kingdom of Carreon learn that Isaac is still alive… it will already be too late.The world shunned him. Now, it will kneel.

“Every second, every moment, every breath of mine, Charles. I will never forget what they had done to me. My revenge… was never completed last time… and this time. They will pay a hundredfold more than they can afford. Only then, I will be free of this misery of mine.” -Mikael Aroa to Charles Richard…Mikael Aroa, lost everything in the end.Lover, family, friends, trust, hope and perhaps his will to live as well.They took everything from him in this life, whether it was his [Time-Seer] class within the game, or the entire corporation he built from scratch in the real world.They took everything.Mikael Aroa, killed everyone who destroyed his life.Enemies, competition, assassins, people who wanted to abuse his weaknesses and perhaps even his desire to live in this world.Nothing was left to be done.The revenge wasn’t beautiful.It didn’t fill the void of regret he had. It didn’t soothe his anger, his anguish and his misery.But nothing more was left that could be done…So, he decided to end it all.But…“Save them for me,” fate twisted, bent and rewound itself.-Bang!A bullet to the head, from a strange emerald gun, from an honest inspector, Charles Richard, who still abided by the law in this borderline lawless world.And the next thing that Mikael saw…His mother, who died a decade ago, cooking his favourite meal once again.And his body, 10 years younger, was ready to turn the entire world upside down with the knowledge and skills he had honed to the peak.******It's The year 2078 that the world finally succeeded with its first biggest and most successful MMORPG ever.Arcadia Online.A world much vast than our own, holding thousands of secrets of its own waiting to be explored. Where even Gods intervene when they need to, and people have the chance to dethrone the very Gods themselves.Here Races exist and so do their Kingdoms. Be it Elves, or be it Undeads, you will find every race possible here somewhere hiding in the corner of the world. Be it Dragons or be it Unicorns, you will get what you want as long as you have what it takes to get it.And just like any other Fantasy, Monsters roam freely here without any limitations. And monsters… could come in any form. So be careful what you wish for.Choose what you want to beAn adventurer who lives his/her/them/they/it’s life trying to figure out the mystery of the world, meeting new people or just strolling past the beautiful sceneries and making memories.A Blacksmith who creates weapons that even the Gods would kill to get.A Merchant so big that he can buy anentire kingdom if he wishes to.Climb the Highest mountain or reach the deepest trench. Become a Dragonslayer or saviour of the Elven Kingdom. The choices are yours.Or maybe you could stumble upon the [Main Quest] and be called upon an adventure that will shake the entire core of Arcadia? Though the rewards will be high, will you take the risk that might wipe out an entire nation? May the Gods of Arcadia Bless you… unless of course your journey is to kill them…Though… no matter where you go… no matter what you become… you must always remember that…Arcadia has its own rules and regulations.***

“Hah..Hah..”

In the midst of what seemed like a battlefield, a young boy with white hair knelt on the ground, struggling to catch shallow breaths. A short sword pierced his heart, his arms and legs were broken, making him unable to stop the crimson blood from coloring the ground.

“That's what you get for betrayal,” a red-headed teenage boy sneered as he stood before him.

“A pathetic person like you could never be my brother,” added a purple-haired girl, her voice seething with anger, as she stood alongside the redhead.

With great effort, the young boy shifted his gaze forward. He could see many familiar faces in front of him—his so-called family, his so-called friends but his gaze remained fixed on her.

“Wh..y, A.nna,” he uttered with immense difficulty and sorrow in his voice, his vision blurring as he locked eyes with the blonde-haired girl, who regarded him with emotionless eyes.

“I did that so I could save you,” he said, his voice gradually growing louder.

“I DID THAT SO YOU COULD LIVE!” he shouted, making everyone present flinch in fear.

“I never asked you to do this” the blonde-haired girl replied, her words crushing the very soul of the boy.

“A...nn.a,”

the young boy whispered one last time, a small tear slipping down from his eye as he breathed his final breath.

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Neil survived eight grueling years in a post-apocalyptic world only to die and be reincarnated in the body of Eden Morton, a character from a game he

used to play as a teenager, by an unknown entity for unknown reasons.

Eden's life was a pitiable one, plagued by the constant manipulation and betrayal of those around him – whether it was the princess, the famed hero, or even his very own family. Eden died without ever experiencing genuine love. Now, as Neil took over, he was determined to embark on a new journey, seeking the one thing he and Eden never had : a life worth living.

He kept her by his side, never letting go! “Please, can you let me go?” “Impossible,” he said, “unless you're no longer my only one.” After they fell in love, he declared possessively, “I want to keep you by my side, to make you belong only to me. You can only love me too, your mind, your world, must be filled with only me.” Yet his domineering love sent a chill through her.