Gilded Ashes - Chapter 9: Second Steps

“The biggest blessing in my life was meeting you. The greatest misfortune was hurting you.” — Ye FeimoOn the night she finally confessed her feelings, Wen Nuan entered the wrong hotel room—and woke up in the arms of a stranger.Drunk, confused, and heartbroken, she never expected that one night to bind her to the ruthless and enigmatic CEO, Ye Feimo.To find her, he boldly posted a half-naked ad of her across the city. To own her, he made her sign a contract as his substitute lover.She thought it was love. He only saw her as a stand-in.When the woman he truly loved returned, Wen Nuan vanished without a trace.But it was already too late.Ye Feimo finally realized that the only woman he truly loved... was the one he let go.

In the autumn of the 28th year of the apocalypse, Gu Xi and her companions finally eliminated the last Zombie Emperor in the world.That night, at the celebration banquet held at the base, Gu Xi took the fine wine handed to her by a companion, and then... she collapsed headfirst.When she woke up again, it was already the 58th year of the apocalypse.30 years had passed, and the beautiful world that Gu Xi had once yearned for and for which she had fought tooth and nail did not appear.Although human society had restored order, a new food crisis arose—after plants and animals underwent a second mutation, a bizarre energy that the human body could not digest, absorb, or excrete through metabolism suddenly appeared within them.And she, Gu Xiaoxi, also had a brand-new identity—a refugee girl picked up from the ruins by a group of pioneers.The newly-minted undocumented girl, Gu Xiaoxi: No more fighting and killing, no more shouldering the future of all humanity; just needing to cultivate one hundred acres of wasteland to achieve the simple dream of eating well, drinking well, and getting a peaceful night's sleep is pretty good.Later, she discovered that her former companions had all become powerful figures, while she, the former apocalyptic hero, had become a person who was never recorded in history.Gu Xiaoxi: ?

In a world where strength is law and the weak are trampled, Ezra Cain was destined for nothing—crippled, abandoned, and left to rot. But when death comes knocking, something awakens within him.[Primordial Evolution System Activated.]A forgotten power lost to time, capable of infinite growth, limitless evolution, and ultimate domination. From the ashes of his former self, Ezra begins his ascent—devouring monsters, absorbing abilities, and forging a path no being has ever walked. But power comes at a cost.Ancient gods stir in fear. Forbidden realms tremble. The strongest beings in existence move to eradicate him before he reaches his full potential. But Ezra is no pawn in their game—if the gods wish to stop him, then he will do what no one has dared before.He will evolve beyond them. He will devour them. He will become the first Primordial Overlord.The age of gods is over. His reign begins.

“It was an era taken over by a single online game, the “”Second World.””

The “”Second World”” offered a vast amount of classes and skills...

Micheal, our protagonist, reincarnated back into this era and realized he had a few bugged passive skills that would put him as one of the best.

[Passive skill: Damage Reduction: When you receive damage from an enemy, the damage will be reduced accordingly to the reduction percentage. Skill lasts for 10 seconds and takes 10 seconds to cooldown.]

[Passive skill: Damage Reflect: When you receive damage, the damage will be reflected accordingly to the reflection percentage.]

[Passive skill: Damage Multiplier: When you deal damage to an enemy, the damage you dealt will be multiplied.]

[Passive skill: Sword Attack Nullifier: When you attack an enemy with a sword, the enemy will kneel in front of you and catch your blade with their bare hands.]

[Passive skill: Priest: When you suffer from damage, automatically heals yourself.]

[Passive skill…]

[Passive skill…]

.........

After reading through all his passive skills, he suddenly realized how invincible he as.

Even though he didn’t possessed a single active skill, he could still triumph over everyone else with his passive skills.

One day, when the “”Second World”” mysteriously merged with the real world, monsters and divine beings began to invade Earth…

That was when Micheal realized that his passive skills have also given him the power to kill these divine beings…”