Paragon of Sin - Chapter 39 - 39: Elemental Lesson

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

In a world where power is stolen from the blood of dead gods, the strong feast, and the weak are forgotten. Dante “the Fox” Hollow knows this all too well—he’s a low-tier Harvester, scraping by on leftover drops of divinity while the real monsters take everything. Quick with a blade, quicker with his mouth, and always one step ahead of trouble, Dante dreams of a day when he won’t have to run anymore.That day comes when he stumbles upon the abandoned resting place of a god—not just any god, but the Trickster himself. A legend, a liar, a master of chaos. And Dante? He’s just stupid enough to take a sip.Now, the hunger is setting in. The whispers in his head are getting louder. The gods are watching, and some aren’t happy. Dante’s power is growing—too fast, too dangerous—but the higher he climbs, the closer he gets to losing himself.Because there’s one rule every Harvester knows: the more you steal from the gods, the less of you remains.And Dante? He plans to steal everything.

Shi Li found herself transported into a novel, becoming the vicious female supporting character who had an unhealthy, obsessive love for the male lead.During classes, she was either scheming how to win over the male protagonist or pondering the fates of her classmates in the original story.[It seems that in the next few days, Director Wei will have a car accident]Upon hearing Shi Li’s inner thoughts, the young lady abruptly stood up.[However, after Director Wei’s death, his mistresses and illegitimate children will show up at the door, claiming a large portion of the family fortune]The young lady gracefully sat back down.A few days later, the chairman died in a car accident and was promptly cremated before his last breath had even faded.When the mistresses tried to storm in with their illegitimate children to claim their share, all that remained was a fresh, warm urn of ashes.[That new sister-in-law of the school bully seems to be involved in some serious trouble behind his brother’s back]The school bully thought indifferently, wondering how bad it could be – at worst, she’d be cheating on his brother.[She’s connected to human trafficking rings operating across borders]School bully: !The police cracked a major international case, and thanks to this incident, the school bully finally gained recognition from his family.Everyone assumed Shi Li was madly in love with the male lead. The academic genius helped her create “chance” encounters. The young lady even delivered the male lead to her bed.Of course, some people took a different approach.Class monitor: What do you think of my young uncle?Others who rushed over upon hearing this: You fool, what are you trying to do?Following the principle of “if you can’t beat them, join them”Other classmates: This is my 6’3″ athlete little brother, and this is…

They had been married for less than a week when Lin Banxia discovered that without his embrace, she couldn’t sleep; without his love, she felt anxious; without his companionship, her emotions spiraled out of control.But then one day, she had stomach troubles!The hospital handed over a test result: Congratulations, Mrs. Huo, you’re pregnant.He said, “Give birth to my child, and we won’t just have three years together—we’ll have a lifetime!”She squinted her eyes and replied, “Mr. Huo, you’ve miscalculated. Clearly, after giving birth, you’re letting me go in three years.”“The child can’t go without a mother, and I can’t go without you. Understand?” That was Young Master Huo’s confession.