Astral Pet Store (WN) - Chapter 20: Evolution

August Clementine was once Reacher, a wealthy and thrill-seeking businessman who had everything but satisfaction in life. After a fatal adventure, Reacher awakens on a parallel Earth, in the body of the destitute and troubled 19-year-old August Clementine. With his new identity, August finds himself burdened with debt and responsible for his beloved younger sister, Sophia. Desperate to change their fate, August immerses himself in Enders Light, a cutting-edge VRMMORPG that blurs the line between virtual and reality. In this fantastical game world, players can bring specific items that meet certain requirements into the real world and even gain a fraction of their in-game abilities and strength. Stuck at level 12 and unable to progress past his starting village due to a rare armor shortage, August must rely on his wits and determination. A breakthrough comes when he retrieves a mystical purification stone from a river teeming with magical aqua beasts and uses it to cleanse an ancient, corrupted altar. His reward includes the legendary Fruit of Corruption, a priceless item with the potential to grant supernatural abilities in the real world. Caught between the allure of selling the fruit for financial security and the temptation of gaining extraordinary powers, August must make a choice that will define his and Sophia’s future... “What? I gained the ability to extract any item from the game into the real world without restrictions?”

1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

In humanity’s final war against the Demon Lord, the strongest heroes fell—not by the enemy’s hand, but by their own, twisted into madness by a cruel illusion. Betrayal. Bloodshed. Despair… and then, silence.Only one person remained: Riley—the weakest warrior of them all. Powerless. Ignored. Forgotten.But he saw through the Demon Lord’s deception. The tyrant was on the brink of death—so weak even a fly could’ve finished him off.And Riley did just that, drawing every last ounce of strength to bite off the demon’s head.Victory? Not quite. A final, desperate strike from the Demon Lord pierced him from behind, killing him instantly.But fate wasn’t done with him yet.Riley awoke ten years in the past—when the online game [Apocalypse] was launched. Before demons descended. Before monsters overran the world.And this time, he wasn’t starting from nothing. He had a decade of experience—and a second chance.Even more shocking, he didn’t awaken his old D-rank Strength Boost talent. This time, he received something far more terrifying: an SSS-Rank Gluttony talent!He could now devour anything—monsters, items, talents, even traits—and gain their power.Ding![You have devoured: Iron Fang Wolf][Acquired: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, Skill: Bite (F-rank)][You have devoured: Goblin ShamanAcquired: +8 Intelligence, Skill: Mana Bolt (E-rank), Talent: Minor Spellcasting Efficiency][You have devoured: Flaming Salamander Drake][Acquired: +22 Endurance, Trait: Dragon’s Resilience, Skill: Flame Breath (C-rank)]Now, there is no demon, no god, no monster who will stand in his way. He will devour everything—and save the world.But the power of Gluttony was a double edged sword. If he wasn’t careful… he could be the one getting consumed.

“Serena, you are hereby exiled from the Silverstone Pack. You will remain exiled until the day you draw your last breath.”Serena, a Healer exiled from her pack for a crime she did not commit, accused of murdering her mate, the Pack Beta. The evidence against her was damning, warranting the harshest punishment: death.However, an oath between her father and the Alpha of her pack spared her life. Instead, she was cast into the wilderness, cursed to live as a rogue until the day she dies.Life as a rogue was treacherous, seeing the next sunrise was never promised. One fateful day, Serena stumbled upon injured strangers and saved their lives. In return for her kindness, she was granted asylum in Ironshade, the strongest Western Pack.Haunted by the loss of her first mate, Serena is determined to live in secrecy, until she discovers she has yet another fated mate. Her new mate is none other than Darius, the stoic Alpha of Ironshade burdened by the dark legacy of his father.The Ironshade Pack is on the brink of collapse, plagued by a mysterious curse. Serena’s arrival may hold the key to its salvation...or its ruin.As tensions rise, Serena and Darius find themselves drawn together with an undeniable bond. Together, they must confront buried secrets, face their deepest fears, and decide if their second chance at love is worth risking everything.“When the shadow of the Thorn bleeds into the light, And the wolf who carries death finds her second life, The moon will bless the broken bond, And the cursed will find peace at dawn.”