Firebrand - Chapter 9: An Unexpected Visit

It was the year 2169. The apocalypse finally arrived.

Global warming, zombies, nuclear war, all at once. Just one tipping point and the world itself would crumble.

Then, Nova Corp, a hegemon of the corporate world, seemingly convinced the global super powers into doing the impossible: Taking everyone online.

And they did. Everyone, poor or rich, was taken into the VRMMORPG: World Online.

A fantasy world where anything was possible. A utopia, unlike everything that the real world was.

But what was supposed to become a method of existence, became a battleground for supremacy. Companies, world powers, and the rich battled to become the greatest.

The disparity between the poor and the rich grew. There was no justice in this world. It took Darwin's words further than any other.

Jake, as poor as one could get, was caught in the rift, torn apart by the unfair system.

He was a dog of the Shadow King Guild, and even though he was absolutely loyal, in the end, the guild cut him off.

He was without an anchor and left in the cruel world. He knew no Utopia like the others.

But one day, when he opened his eyes, nothing was the same anymore.

Opening his eyes, he found himself ten years in the past. He was done being the henchman now. He was not going to let himself be used anymore.

Now, it was time for him to fight back. So what if the strongest were going to stand in his way? He was going to be unstoppable.

Perdi, known widely throughout the continent, is a very famous author of adult novels. But Perdi’s true identity is actually Vivian, the Imperial Night Librarian.

Vivian sends over the fourth draft of her latest novel to her publisher to be reviewed, but her work is criticized because the way she writes hetero s*x scenes isn’t erot*c at all.

“What? So you’re saying I’ll only know what sexual relationships are like after I experience it myself? But what can I do when I’m bound to a chastity contract?”

Unfortunately for Vivian, she had to sign a chastity contract in order to be hired as an imperial servant, and has been forced to remain a virgin ever since. Worse still, only a member of the imperial family could break the contract … but Vivian only has eyes for Ray, a mysterious man who visits the library every night.

But as it turns out, Ray is the imperial archduke and the emperor’s brother! One day, he approaches her with a sweet offer that she can’t resist …

Crimson Vale Academy—where reputation is currency, and failure is a stain you wear on your sleeve.Behind gothic walls and spotless uniforms, students aren't just educated—they're measured, ranked, and pitted against each other in a brutal meritocracy. Privileges are earned, not given. The strong rise. The weak vanish.Enter Kairon Vale, a transfer student marked Rank D—the bottom of the bottom. No badge. Just a stitched black fang, branding him as “Obsidian”—a warning to others.In a system where points dictate your value, Obsidian-ranked students claw for every opportunity to ascend into the prestigious Golden or Platinum ranks—where comfort, power, and influence await. But for most, it’s a losing battle.Yet Kairon isn’t here to fit in, impress, or play by their rules. Cold, calculating, and impossible to read, he watches the system… and waits. Because while the academy judges worth by numbers and names—he understands something deeper:Everyone wears a mask. And every mask can be cracked.Let the games begin.

They say luck is an uncontrollable force and karma is nothing but a cycle of cause-and-effect that depends on one's deeds. But what if luck somehow really could be manipulated while the way karma worked could be changed?

With the appearance of the Realm Games where every life became worthless and Artifacts that granted various powers, humankind was pushed to the ultimate path of evolution for one last time!

Raven, a simple young man, was also forced to walk on such a path, which with his cursed bad luck became even more difficult than for others!

However, what he did not know at that time was that it was not only humanity that was coerced with such a cruel fate but every living being in the far cosmos too!

Come and follow Raven on his journey and witness how he struggles his way through hardships and how he shifts his seemingly already decided fate that the Gods have destined him to walk from the very start!