Hollow Ascension - Chapter 2: First Impressions

No matter how twisted the world becomes, humans will always remain humans.In the face of their doom edging closer, their greed doubles instead of fading away. Their selfishness is unwavering—they simply want everything, even at the cost of endangering those closest to them.For that is the truth of humanity.So, if everything is linked to iniquities and sins, then unlike them, I won’t shy away from these possibilities—I will embrace them.---Synopsis:Kael, a young man from Earth—a dimension renowned for its technological advancements and brilliant minds—returns on a tour sponsored by his school.But fate has other plans.A Dimensional wave crashes into Earth, mutating the entire world into a grotesque landscape of unexplored horrors.Those who survived the dimensional impact awakened to newfound strengths, while those who didn’t perished—or worse—transformed into monstrosities far more fearsome than any beast.The world has returned to the law of the food chain. The strong will endure and rule, while the weak are devoured.Kael must cling to his sanity and navigate this nightmarish new world with a mission: to protect all he has left.But things take a darker turn when the system he acquired reveals an unexpected and horrifying backlash:{Consume human flesh}{Or perish within the next 24 hours}The clock is ticking, and Kael is left to grapple with an impossible choice that could seal his fate—or his humanity.

I had finally done it—achieved the ultimate Paladin build. Maxed stats, impenetrable armor, and so many resistances that death itself had given up on me. I was an unkillable tank, an indomitable force. Nothing could stop me.And then my PC exploded.I died.Irony, thou art a cruel mistress.But instead of the afterlife, I woke up as my Paladin character… in the wrong freaking genre. Instead of castles and dungeons, there were people flying around on swords, shooting qi beams like fantasy laser guns.“This is definitely the wrong genre,” I muttered, watching a pompous young master sneer at me.“Kowtow, kiss my foot, and beg for forgiveness!” he declared.I looked at my imaginary maxed-out health bar, then at his flimsy silk robes.Oh, this was going to be fun.

“I hesitated before, I turned back to face my shred of hope, yet still no one cared.”“Later the thick fog arose, you said you loved me so much, but why is your love even fainter than the fog, so faint that I can’t even see it clearly.”

Growing up in a cursed world, brought up in a country of warriors and soldiers, Nero was always eager for the day he would awaken his innate ability, and gain the chance to become an Eldrim Card master! Eager for the day he could fight against hell, hail and damnation itself and rid the world of its many curses.But the day his older brother was framed and sent to the frontlines to die, he woke up to a new truth. The notions of his youth - camaraderie, brotherhood, patriotism - they are all fake, and in the eyes of the powerful he and his ilk were just cannon fodder. In this cursed world, humans were curses too.He continued to wait for the day he could awaken power and rid the world of its curses - all of them!WSA 2024Hey guys, for access to maps, character pictures and more check out the discord. For those that don't use discord, I'll think of something so you can see them as well!Discord: https://discord.gg/xTWUR5BnD2