Player Reload - Chapter 9 - Flowers and Birds

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

They stole his future and crippled his body. Now, he’ll rewrite the history in blood.Damon was on the verge of greatness—first in line to claim Bloodreign, the legendary artifact said to grant unmatched power in Earth Online, the world’s first fully immersive VR game. But his best friend betrayed him, stealing the item, and leaving Damon broken, crippled and nearly deleted. Kicked from the guild, mocked by the community, and trapped in a weak, crippled body, he was forgotten until his last desperate attempt somehow brought him back in time to the day when it all began.Now Damon was back and he knew what he was going after.A hidden lineage. A cursed class. A bloodline sealed since the dawn of the multiverse.Last time he played fair. Last time he trusted. This time he would hunt and devour. With years of knowledge of every exploit, every secret quest, every bugged mechanic, he will climb straight to the top. Armed with the blood of the first Vampire King, he was an apex predator now who stood at the very top.However, unbeknownst to him, a catastrophe lurks in the shadows. Damon finds out that the game itself might not be as simple as it seemed and the entire future of the humanity might depend on this game.

The empire had called him a villain, now they raise him as their heir.Once feared as the most powerful being alive, the so-called “Villain of Chaos” was brought down by the very heroes who craved his artifact. Now, he’s been reborn into the very home that had killed him in the name of cleansing the world. In a royal court ruled by lies and power games, he is no longer the demon to be feared… yet. His mother concealed his identity on the day he was born, and a river of blood flowed for his sakeNow he will learn how to pull the strings in court as its prince, and train to ascend the throne and become the most powerful mage the empire has ever seen.The world thinks it killed him. It only gave him a reason to return.

Forty years ago, demons invaded the eastern continent. Coming from another realm, they hunted the humans, and people soon began to wage war with them. Before long, there were those among the humans who inherited the demons' abilities.Demon hunters are currently the most in-demand profession. Although the chance of dying during a raid was high, the hunters were mostly popular among the common people. If you have some demon blood in your body, then the path to the Hunter's Association is open to you.Year 2066, Seoul. The territory of the former city is divided into three parts. Green Zone, Orange Zone and Red Dangerous Zone. Although mostly ordinary people and workers lived in the green zone, there was a chance for demons to get into it. That's why demon hunters patrol the whole area, sacrificing themselves for the lives of people.The main character, Lee Ki-hyun, inherited 50% demon blood and became the world's first SSS-ranked demon hunter. He will have to go through the path of a demon and learn the truth about his parents to save humanity.