Technomancer: Birth of a Goddess - Chapter 9 – Futility

Anastasia Harrison, a young woman abused by her cruel family, thought her life was over when they forced her to marry Richard, the sleazy black sheep of the wealthy Wallace family. Meanwhile, her favored younger sister, Michelle, was set to marry Xavier, the elder brother, who was a CEO.Yet, an error at city hall ended up swapping their names on their respective marriage certificates.“What is this?! How are you married to Xavier Wallace?”“You're not getting any food or water until you sign the divorce papers!”To add fuel to the fire, the old Mr. and Mrs. Harrison passed away, leaving all their assets to Anastasia and not the rest of the family. This drove the Harrisons to their breaking point. To trade for a peaceful life, Anastasia was willing to leave her inheritance and leave the family, but the Harrisons had other plans in mind.They wanted to get rid of her. Permanently.However, it was by a stroke of luck that Anastasia was found by her new husband, Xavier, before her family succeeded. Determined to get her revenge, she struck a deal with Xavier.“Continue to be my wife and I will help you get your revenge!”

The year was 2026, and the world wasn't what it used to be. Ever since the Abyss Gates cracked open three years ago, spilling monsters and dungeons across the planet, life had turned into a chaotic mess. Cities were half-ruined, half-rebuilt, and people clung to whatever normalcy they could find. Hunters—those brave or crazy enough to fight the monsters—became the new heroes. Everyone else? Well, they just tried to survive.Fin wasn't a Hunter. He wasn't a hero either.He was just… Fin. A lanky 19-year-old with messy brown hair, a chipped front tooth from a dumb skateboard accident, and a power that everyone called useless. Absorption. Sounds cool, right? Like he could suck up energy or steal someone's strength. Nope. All it did was let him “feel” things he touched a little more than normal. He could tell you the exact texture of a brick wall or how warm a coffee mug was—big whoop. No fireballs, no super strength, no flashy moves. Just a glorified touchy-feely trick.“Fin, you gonna eat that sandwich or just stare at it like it's gonna confess its life story?” Meg's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.He blinked and looked across the rickety table at his best friend. Meg was short, loud, and had a wild mop of dyed purple hair that she swore made her look “intimidating.” It didn't.

Bob was a good guy. He had done everything you were supposed to do. He exercised, he kept to a healthy diet, he'd studied hard, gotten excellent grades, and was working towards his masters. Somehow, things just weren't working out for him like he'd been told they would. He was stuck in a thankless position, constantly passed over, and it seemed that the only being on earth that cared about him was his cat.

Then things got worse.

Never back a man into a corner unless you want to find out just how hard he can fight.

Several hundred thousand players are trapped in a gritty zombie apocalypse survival game just after game launch. There are hints that deaths in the game might be serving some other terrible purpose in the background of reality…