A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 43Book 1: : The Soot Stained Pig

William knew he shouldn't have taken that boat, but ambition can kick you in the teeth.Relma Artorious knew she should not listen at doors. But she is a girl with big ambitions and no intention of being less than her potential.Abdul Sahshir knew he should not undertake that assassination on Tuor's mountain. Yet, with his life ending before it has begun, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by glory.Three stories intertwine and shape the destiny of many more. But not all heroes are on the same side, and the shifting of dreams and destiny is a fickle one...The compiled documentation of all my published stories on Royalroad. Read if you want to go all the way through to the end.

Reborn into an ancient world of hardship, Chen Qing became a scholar who toiled through ten years of cold study, finally achieving fame on the golden list. Just when he thought he'd join the ranks of the literati, marry a beauty, and reach the pinnacle of life, he suddenly found himself entangled in a bizarre and fantastical incident.It was also at that time that he discovered this world was far from simple—there were man-eating demons, heart-bewitching devils, and even the legendary immortals who could live forever but were exceptionally strange!What he found even more inconceivable was... these deadly things seemed... to all have been designed by himself!!!

“Oh Lord Lunareio, you are the only one who can save our world.”...My name is Rikuya Takatsuki, and I didn’t ask to be summoned to some fantasy world with my classmates. But there I was, expected to be a hero and protect the Kingdom from Realm Eaters, dimensional monsters chewing through reality.Apparently, all the races summoned forth heroes of legend, which was sort of a shocker to me since it wasn’t the cliché “slay the demon king” trope.Sounds cool, right? Wrong. While everyone else got flashy powers and legendary classes, I was slapped with the FFF Auto Hero class—no skills, no perks, and no respect.The kingdom handed me some pocket change and politely told me to scram.Fine by me. I was all set on enjoying the easy life in this new world anyways, when out of nowhere a bunch of cultists kidnapped me, claiming I’m their prophesied god or whatever.They gave me a mansion, unlimited snacks, and zero responsibilities, so of course, I played along.But then my so-called useless class kicked in. Turns out Auto Hero means my body hijacks itself whenever there’s danger, turning me into some kind of unstoppable killing machine. Efficient? Sure. Ethical? Not so much. Now everyone thinks I’m this terrifying cult leader who takes down monsters, corrupt kings, and anyone dumb enough to stand in my way.While my classmates enjoy their shiny hero lives, I’m here in the shadows, leading a cult, toppling kingdoms, and pretending I have some grand plan. The truth? I’m just winging it.I mean... what’s the worst that could happen?

The world’s largest VRMMO, Conviction, was almost like a second world for humanity. It had integrated itself into the real world’s economy, with both corporations and individuals seeking their fortunes through the game.

In this game, Nie Yan prided himself in his Level 180 Thief. He could barely be considered among the top experts in the game. Though, that was the only thing he could take pride in. He was penniless and unable to advance in life; a situation he was forced into by the enemy of his father. If it weren’t for the little money he made by selling off items in Conviction, he would’ve barely been able to eat. In the end, he chose to settle his matters once and for all. He assassinated his father’s enemy. He lay dying shortly after being shot in the pursuit.

However, that wasn’t the end of his story. Instead, he awoke moments later to find that he had reincarnated into his past self. Armed with his experience and knowledge of future events, he sets out to live his life anew.