Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix - Chapter 23: Creepy

He was weak, he was depressed, he was a loser.
He wasn't even Lvl 10 in the game when Earth was destroyed in the Quake and the players of Redlands were transmigrated to the fantastic world of Zushkenar.
But he lived, learned, and died again.
Now, he was back on Earth, one year and three months before the Quake.
Deciding to rejoin the game earlier and with greater focus, what changes would he bring with his actions?
What life would he live?

*
paypal.me/JInDaoran

*
There's a map for the lands of Zushkenar posted on the DeviantArt website:
https://www.deviantart.com/kilrain/art/Hunters-Guide-map-cities-grid-b-877682076

It's not complete, but it'll give an idea of the general geography.

*
The background image for the cover is part of a landscape by moinzon taken from pixabay.com

Somebody once told a joke.A man ran in place all his life. He worked a job he didn't love for people he couldn't stand. But at the end of the day, the number in his bank account went up.That man got a second chance at life. He woke up in another world, full of adventures and romances and monsters and gods. And floating above his head he saw the number “1”. So what did he say?“Gosh I better make the number go up.”Not today. Not for this old soul. Reborn as a beast of battle meant to live a short life and die screaming, Garek refuses. He puts the madness of skills and levels behind him and sets out to found a little farmstead. He grows crops. Maybe someday he'll get a pig, and have bacon.It's a shame the world won't let him be. It's a shame that the warmongers and level-grinders hate nothing more than a soul at peace.He put down his sword for a plowshare, but when trouble comes calling, he'll pick it up again.

'When the heart is talking, the head has no choice but to shut up!'Chin-hwa always had everything done and solved for him.He was a loved and adored omega child who was spoiled rotten by his three parents, his two elder siblings, his grandparents, uncles, and aunties... Basically everyone.Chin-hwa never lacked and always had his problems solved for him by someone else. But he felt he stood out too much.So, he decided to be a wallflower after entering college. He wouldn't be on top of the class but wouldn't be in last either.The middle spot was just right for him.He had friends like everyone else, wasn't a loner, and was good at communicating, just that he often kept his words in his mind and nodded in response.He was the kind of guy in a friend group who just went with what everyone else was doing, making little to no suggestions and listening to their gossip with just the right amount of interest to make him less visible.He felt this was perfect.But then one day, 'he' arrived. And at the same time, one of his friends asked him for help.Ah, it was the first time anyone was asking for his help, so he was dedicated to helping out to the best of his capabilities, to give that feeling of satisfaction, just as he felt when anyone helped him out, only... The kind of help he was asked of was a sorta... Complicated.His friend wanted him to link them to 'him' his close childhood friend... Ah, his first crush, in fact.Byul.His sweetheart to whom he had given most of his firsts.The young Alpha he grew up with, the young Alpha that shone like stars as his name entailed... had suddenly become so tall and handsome and... Irresistible. Such dominance of an Alpha.And so Chin-hwa finds himself secretly longing for his childhood Sweetheart, all while trying to hook him up with his friend.Great, how was that gonna work out for him?Will he decide to help out for the first favor ever asked of him despite his feelings, or will he give it up and fall heavily for Byul's charms?Hm, either way, he's still gonna fall, so let's find out together and see how it goes.#fluffy with misunderstanding #green flag ML #slow and steady

Yi Feng, who was terminally ill, was reborn in the year 2000. In that year, his childhood sweetheart and school beauty Gu Muxi turned 18.“Yi Feng, lend me a pen!”“…Didn’t you just borrow one yesterday?”“Yesterday was yesterday, today is today, things change, don’t you understand?”“…I’m convinced, alright, here you go.”“Yi Feng, tear off a piece of paper for me to use!”“…Why tear mine? Don’t you have any?”“I do, but I don’t mind tearing yours.”“…You really have a way of thinking! Fine, fine, here you go.”“Yi Feng…”“…What do you want to borrow now? I don’t have anything left.”“Hmph, lend me your hand for a moment!”“…What for?!”“Nothing much, I just want to hold my boyfriend’s hand.”“Huh???”This is the daily life of a romance between childhood friends, filled with social awkwardness.A story full of sweetness, without any melodrama or heartache.Welcome aboard!~