Valkyrie's Shadow - Chapter 17Before the Storm: Act 5,

The smell of blood invaded my nostrils. I watched helplessly as the woman standing over me raised her sword. I was completely drained, I had no mana left, no items, nothing. As the crimson tendrils held me down by my arms and legs, all I could do was wait for my death.

As the sword drew near, I felt the last bit of courage I had disappear. I was going to die. Alone. In this god forsaken place filled with evil. And for what? To protect those ‘friends’? The same people who mocked me, took advantage of, and used me?

Oh, who am I trying to fool? I was here only because of my own greed. Because I wanted to be useful to someone. Because I wanted to that group to need me. To value me. To have a reason to keep me around. How naïve I was, thinking that power would grant those wishes. All it did was help build a wall between me and everyone else.

The sword approached. I saw the purple light reflect off the sword’s blade. After everything I went through, I hadn’t expected my death to be by the hands of another player. I saw her smile, but this time I didn’t think it was beautiful. It was an ugly smile because it was genuine. She was enjoying watching me die. She was enjoying killing me.

The sword struck my chest and pierced my heart. I let out a scream of pain and agony. The pain was so real, all of this was so real. It shouldn’t be, but it was. What should have been a simple game had become my new reality – all of our new reality. A reality filled with magic, war, blood, and death.

My vision darkened as the pain slowly faded. I felt the last of my vitality leave my body. It felt cold. I wondered to myself, when would I stop being? When would my thoughts disappear?

Soon, I saw those words I feared for all this time appear before me. “DEATH”, in the pale blue font the game always used. They remained suspended in the air for several seconds. It was over. After a long time of fighting, grinding, and exploring, it was finally over. I had died. This was the end of my story.

Suddenly, words before me shifted and changed into something different. I took a shallow breath as I heard a faint heartbeat.

……………………………………………………………

Dear readers! Without any ads, maybe you will prefer .

“If the world stands in my way, if people threaten me or those who are dear to me, then I shall become the true darkness, the fear in their hearts that haunts them forever!”Lee Gaon was a professional gamer until one day she was framed as a cheater by a big gaming company and betrayed by those she held dear. Now she is known as Death Eater, a powerful dark entity in the game system world, slicing her enemies in half if they dare mess with her. Her path is now filled with blood and adventure as she desperately tries to find all who were dragged with her into this world—those who destroyed her life. She has only one goal now... “Revenge!”Content Warning:This work contains scenes of gore, violence, and strong language. Reader discretion is advised.

In a world of countless schemes, where you are being manipulated at every moment,often without even knowing it.A world where you can't be sure if what you see is reality… or just another illusion crafted as part of a deeper scheme.This is the story of someone who survives it all kind of schemes both small and vast, some he understands, and others he never even realizes.Even he, who is constantly being schemed against, crafts schemes of his own against others.This is a world ruled by deception and Yuan will persevere it, shape it, and rise through it.------------English is not my native language, so please understand if there are any mistakes

In a world transformed by dungeon gates and awakened classes, Hunters fight monsters to earn power, fame, and fortune.Frank? He awakened as a Trader. F-Rank.No spells. No sword skills. Just one system window… and 500 dimensional tokens.Everyone laughed. Told him to quit. But Frank didn’t need fireballs—he had something better:『Dimensional Trading System Online』Connects to other worlds. One trade per day. Limited inventory. Unlimited potential.He sold candy to bug warriors. Swapped solar chargers for alchemy potions. Bought a sword technique with instant delivery.Then, he opened a booth beside a dungeon gate… and started outselling real vendors.Now, the same Hunters who mocked him line up to buy.Guild-backed merchants want him gone.And Frank? He’s just getting started.He’s not hiding. He’s not cheating.He’s building a business—and a blade arm to match.When monsters strike, Frank fights beside his customers.When dungeon loot drops, he flips it across worlds.From a broke rookie to a cross-realm powerhouse, Frank isn’t just surviving—he’s becoming the most dangerous F-Rank in the business.