Rise of the Living Forge - Chapter 15: How much?

My name is Joo In-gong. The name that my parents gave me meant ‘protagonist’ of the world. Really?

In a world where power reigns supreme, Zoey Monroe was born with nothing. Labeled “Mana-less” in a society of Hunters, she was the stain on the prestigious Monroe Family, a shame to one of Sunrow City's most powerful bloodlines. Ridiculed, ostracized, and treated as less than human, Zoey endured years of scorn.Until one day, at seventeen, she made a choice—to leave it all behind.Six months later, struggling to make ends meet in the city, Zoey’s life takes an unexpected turn. After another grueling day at work, she returns home, only to witness a dungeon rift tearing open behind her apartment.Drawn by curiosity—and the desperate hunger for change—she steps inside. But the dungeon is merciless. Death looms over her, suffocating, inevitable... until—[Enough Mana Has Been Accumulated!][Error! A mysterious system has already been bound to the host. Adjusting...][Ding! Installing the A Hundred Times System!]In an instant, Zoey's fate is rewritten. From outcast to overpowered, from weakling to warrior—the path to greatness has begun.This is her story.

“Welcome to Eclipse Online, the most lethal full-dive MMORPG on the planet, where there is only one life. Death is permanent, and each choice has a price the fragile world cannot afford. But for one of its players, the rules are about to be rewritten”.Following a fatal attack of the dungeon, he discovers a hidden room with a horrific inscription: he has been made the Eclipse Reaver, fated to tread the game world eternally.Each time he dies, he is resurrected, but at a horrific cost: shattered soul shards erase his memories, emotions, and abilities.As the game universe descends into chaos and its top players fall, he is forced to explore the dark conspiracy of Eclipse Online before he too is lost for good.With gory fights, shifting game mechanics, and a mystery thickening by the minute, never has the pressure been higher.Will he overcome the system, or lose himself in the void? Will he manage to retain his sanity, or be one of the many lost souls in the void?

[MATURE CONTENT]Abigail Snow accidentally caught her fiancé being intimate with her sister. She learned that her fiancé had only used her to advance his business and had never truly loved her.Heartbroken, Abigail called off the engagement and left everything behind to start a new life with nothing. At her lowest point, she met Sawyer, a hidden tycoon who helped her rebuild her life and seek justice against those who made her suffer.As Abigail begins to fall in love with Sawyer, his childhood sweetheart reappears, causing doubt and confusion for her.***Excerpt:Whoever this man was, he was her savior. If he hadn’t held her hand and pulled her, she might have become dead meat and gone straight to the afterlife.“Thank you so much, good sir,” Abigail said softly as she finally looked up to see him.Abigail was stunned.“But I'm not planning to commit suicide. I tripped over my own feet,” she continued, avoiding eye contact. She stared at his chest—her line of sight only reaching his sturdy chest.“It sounds better to hear that, Miss. Because I don’t want to go to the police station to become a witness, or they might wrongly accuse me as a suspect,” he said with a sarcastic tone that caused Abigail to stifle a laugh.“Sir, I’m so grateful you helped me. You are my savior. I owe you my life—” Abigail paused, taken aback by her own words.How could she make such a deep vow to this man!? This man might take advantage of her if he was a bad person. Right?“Alright, young lady, you’re supposed to release your tight embrace on me. You’re safe now.”Abigail was utterly shocked to hear his words. She only realized she was still in his arms, her hands tightly wrapped around his waist, and her entire body pressed against him. They were so close—close enough to hear his loud heartbeat. She quickly took a few steps back.