The Ghost of Vermil - Chapter 36: Marco XX

In 2173, the world’s first Full-World Virtual MMORPG game ‘Astral Online’ went on sale globally, forever changing the blue planet Asteria!

With its revolutionary Digital Capture System, astonishing graphics and ability to scan yourself into the game with up to 20% beautification, countless defenders rallied to play the game.

Fifty million players logged in on launch. There were no queues or lag on launch, leaving countless critics impressed and willing to try the game. Because the game used a 6-hour play limit a day, it allowed even working adults to keep up with young students and the unemployed.

A resounding success, as more people poured onto the game servers, families and friends alike. Astra Online became a household name overnight.

One month later, the game opened its first RMT system, which made earning a living from the game easier... Thus began the Astral rush!

Professional players formed guilds and factions to increase their profits, but nobody could know this prosperity was a mere joke.

One year later, players fused with their avatars, gaining powerful abilities in the real world, which tipped the power and caused chaos.

Two years later, demons and monsters from inside the game invaded the real world.

Three years later, over 90% of humanity perished, leaving the rest to hide like rats, unable to fight back in fear.

Four years later, this world is no longer ours. The demons march on our last bastions, one by one. They exterminated us.

Zell was an average player who liked to collect beasts in the game and evolve them into humanoids, as they were primarily females.

He spent most of his life working two jobs to make ends meet.

Thanks to the excellent healthcare of his country, there were no crippling debts. There was only emptiness.

When the end came, he was powerless and alone. His only companions were his cute pets and Rika, his cherished Flame Rabbit.

She was the only beast he evolved to a humanoid form after his late start to the game.

He died saving the life of a strange girl with white wings and his pet Rika, the sad eyes of Rika and the girl’s sorrow floating through the air as he slowly passed away.

However, instead of dying, he awoke inside an empty white room with a single computer and a strange, game-like screen that allowed him to edit his IRL avatar and persona.

Who offered him this second chance?

For what reason did they help him?

Can he meet Rika again?

Zell could never know; he only knew his second life’s goal.

Survive!

Reminiscent of no mere illusion within a world of urban supernatural abilities, the art of magic herein is one of rigorous objectivity and precision!The Magician's Code:1. Unwavering belief in science2. Never perform magic in front of muggles3. Never break the magician personaRemember, if someone asks, tell them it's sleight of hand, that magic is surely a farce, a complete farce!One day, Jiang Shu discovers he can gain corresponding supernatural abilities through his magic performances. Thus, on stage, he believes in science, but off stage, he strikes with mighty blows.Simple magic tricks, solving minor mysteries, this is the ordinary day-to-day life of an average magician in a cyberpunk world.(This cyberpunk setting has no direct connection with any game and doesn't present any barriers to reading)(This story includes logical reasoning, magical detective work, magic analysis, and a light-hearted everyday routine, all of which will be featured.)

[The 34th Galaxy Award for Best Online Novel][The No.1 on the Science Fiction Literature IP Adaptation Value Potential List (2023)][The Best Chinese Science Fiction Online Novel]…Have you heard?When the night is deep and silent, if you open your music player, put on headphones, curl up under the covers, and cover your head, listening to the same song on loop.After the loop has played forty-four times and you fall asleep, if you’re unlucky, when you open your eyes again, you will no longer be lying in your own bed, but will have entered a bizarre space completely isolated from reality.That space… on the surface, it appears to be places we commonly see, such as one’s own bedroom, the living room at home, the underground garage, the bathroom, the basketball court, construction sites, etc., but if you observe carefully, you’ll realize that everything is different…everything.====This is the story of an ordinary person, named Common, who after acquiring supernatural abilities, gradually transforms and grows in an alternate world, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of their experience.

I fell into a wannabe murim.But apparently martial arts is supposed to be difficult?Hm… Is it really that bad?