Douluo Dalu: The Legend of Heavenly Ruler - Chapter 8: Carpenter and Blacksmith

In a world where fate is dictated by prophecy, heroes are chosen by the gods, and Dark Lords are doomed to fall… Lucian Draeven refuses to play along.Once feared as the greatest Dark Lord in history, Lucian had the world under his iron rule—until the so-called Chosen Hero struck him down in a blinding flash of divine justice. The kingdoms cheered. The world rejoiced.Too bad Lucian isn’t actually dead.Having faked his demise and gone into hiding, Lucian watches from the shadows as a new Dark Lord rises, more reckless and incompetent than ever. Worse, the gods have selected another overly enthusiastic, sword-swinging Chosen Hero to bring “peace” once again.The problem? Neither of them have a clue how to actually rule the world.As kingdoms crumble, wars break out, and the balance of power teeters on the edge of collapse, Lucian comes to a horrifying realization:If the world is going to survive, then it’s up to him—the so-called villain—to secretly fix everything from the shadows.But there's just one little catch…Lucian’s legendary Dominions are still sealed, and the only way to regain his strength is by playing the role of a villain once more—spreading fear, manipulating his enemies, and pulling the strings behind the scenes.Now, as the oblivious Hero and foolish new Dark Lord battle it out, neither realizes that the true mastermind is watching their every move.Because if the world wants a villain…Then Lucian will be the greatest villain it has ever seen.

At the heart of a wish lies an attempt at completion, a human desire to become our true and final selves. Wishes are fuelled by regrets and are bound eternally to the past, serving as approximations of what once was. We all experience regret and nostalgia, leading us to make wishes and find despair, but can we become our true selves despite this all?That's where the story of a girl who struggles to control her desires begins...Two souls sharing the same body and memory are living in Kyoto 2031. Tang-Ji Shizukesa, a girl who's grown up in her previous life with a hardcore passion for gaming, is now a bookworm in her new life who has no interest in video games. Along with her, Kazami and Hoyeon, the three childhood friends who separated 7 years ago due to an accident, have now been reunited again in a VRMMORPG game known as Dusk Protocol. The game has a unique combat system known as “Leere,” a physical manifestation of an individual soul that can be conjured into deadly weapons.As Tang-Ji navigates this virtual world, she confronts the echoes of her past and the dissonance between her former self and her present identity. How will she cope with the rediscovery of a life she thought she left behind? How will Kazami and Hoyeon react to the new Tang-Ji? In a world where reality is malleable and death is just a click of a button away, the boundaries between past and present blur, forcing everyone to grapple with the truth of who they truly are.Disclaimer: This novel contains explicit language, violence, racism, and sexual scenes. There are also scenes that deal with various traumas, from physical to emotional to mental.(THE CHARACTERS’ CIRCUMSTANCES , TRAITS, AND BELIEFS IN THIS NOVEL ARE ALL BASED ON A TRUE STORY.)

Coming to my senses... I find myself a desperado.In the depths of azure, black sails flutter.Treasure gleams, blades ring out.Pillage, slaughter, irreverence towards the gods.Youth fades swiftly, all but meat and wine for pleasures.[Slice of Life][Romance Simulation][Business Simulation]

# ANOTHERWORLD

God’s Path was a mysterious game that appeared on the blue planet 20 years ago.

Only 1 million slots were opened every month.

Once a person became a player of the game, they would gain superpowers and become stronger than normal people.

…

Ling Yi was able to activate the Super Mutation System after becoming a player.

From consumables to divine weapons, he was able to mutate everything.

He was even able to mutate a bunch of cheat-like powers when he maxed out his potential.

When he mutated the +1 luck talent, it became a cheat-like power, Probability Reversal, where he could reverse a 10% possibility to a 90% one.

If an item only had a 0.1% chance of dropping, then it would be 99.9% for him instead.

When he mutated the True Eyes, he got the Eye of Truth, another cheat-like power that not only allowed him to see the hidden stats, but also the information of items.

Other than those two, he also had other powers like the Malevolence Manifestation where he could turn other people’s evil intentions into narration, and the Intelligence Reduction Light which reduced the intelligence of his target.

A year later, Ling Yi, who had achieved titles such as the Fastest Player to Level Up, First Maxed-level Player, and Strongest Man, was in one of his many interviews.

“Actually, I…”