THE VILLAIN'S POV - Chapter 217: Ashes of Hope

Late 21st century, the acclaimed game Company Elden Throne released yet another immersive action MMORPG after a decade of silence.While the world was getting ready for this new Supermassive MMO, Dale Houston trained his body every day in preparation for its eventual worldwide release.Not because Dale wanted to get healthy or muscular, but because he saw a glimpse of the secrets hidden by the Megacorporation.All because of what he found out one year ago... This time, he wasn't here to play the game.He would find all of the secrets, things he couldn't even imagine...It wasn't about the game anymore....*Author's thoughts:So! What this is actually about?As you read in the Title, there was an old version of this work going by the same name.Because of some problems, I had to leave it alone for a few months, and after I came back I realized neither I nor my readers remembered much, so I decided to go from the start again.I'll be re-editing every single chapter I made to make a more conclusive story while also tying up loose plot points and bringing them forward as I re-reading through everything.As in the synopsis, this is an MMORPG story with a big emphasis on the real world and how the game affects reality in more than a socio-economic way, so this isn't the story about a guy playing a game and getting rich with a bit of drama.This is a story about how the game impacts the real world and vice versa.A story about a secret so big it could change society and the world... No, it will.The Mc isn't a chosen one and instead was someone who found something out of his own effort and the story progresses from that point, you can take it as he being favored by the plot, but at the very least this is a better plot initiative then the boy who survived Avada Kedavra through the power of Love... Just kidding, Harry is sick.There will be a few more explanations to help you with understanding his personality and goals better.No romance planned for at least the first 200 chapters, however, we'll have some candidates as we go by including, you could say, a Main Female lead.But there are plans for interactions with other players and side characters as we go by.The story will be divided into 2 parts, we are currently on the first part and the focus is on the game.Don't misunderstand, getting out of the game to do something in real life doesn't mean we are going through a phase, you'll know once it happens.Things may change along the way but that's how things are.The main aspect of this series is about Dale exploring this new world, Azimuth while building up his forces that will eventually become a Kingdom.At least the first part of it.

In the year 2100 humanity was introduced to the revolutionary full dive VR game called 'Omega', however, the game was not a technology made by humans but one granted to humanity by a higher power to prepare them for the first awakening.

It was only a tutorial and a means to smoothly transition the primitive species from thinking that they were alone in the entire universe, to being integrated into the true wide universe.

When the average user level in the game exceeded the predetermined threshold the tutorial finally ended and planet earth underwent a catastrophic event called the 'First Awakening ', as mana started to flow freely in the real world as it did in the virtual world and the real universal stage game called 'Sigma' was unveiled.

'Sigma' was governed by the omnipotent A.I. the universal queen, and was the grand stage where races from all across the universe fought together for territory, resources, and honor.

Set in a universe where fantasy races such as elves, dragons, and vampires are not a myth but real power players, humans quickly found out that they were one of the weakest races to play 'Sigma'.

In such desperate times, humans turned to their best professional players for salvation.

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Max, was a genius in the world of Omega and deemed the hope of mankind after the first awakening. However, an accident crippled his mana veins and caused him to be assessed as a manaless trash in Sigma!

Deemed hopeless and irredeemable, he quickly went from hero to zero, and the world ignored him.

For ten years since the first awakening, he lived the life of a manaless trash and became a bottom feeder in society, slowly losing his pride, his possessions, and eventually his identity.

In the end, he faced a tragic and painful death while failing to save his young nephew and niece from assailants.

However, it was not the end of Max's story but just the beginning as he was reincarnated back in time to the day before the first awakening before his downfall started!

Armed with the knowledge of the future, watch as Max reaches for the apex in his second life and fights against his destiny with grit and tenacity.

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Cover edited by the very talented bird of paradise

A princess's duty is to be beautiful, quiet, not loud, to be seen and not to be heard, which was how Dahlia lived most of her life. Bound by the expectations of her title, she spent years trying to prove to her father that she was more than just a princess and capable of being more than an ornament in his court but each time she never got the chance. Instead, she was forced into a marriage of convenience with the bravest knight in all the kingdom, Reagan Hawthorne.Dahlia thought she would use this marriage to escape the brutal crutches of her father and glide out of her cage but Reagan’s cold disdain was an unexpected prison of its own. While he waged wars on distant lands, she stayed behind, holding his household together and protecting the people he seemed to ignore. But Dahlia carried a dangerous secret. By day, she was the perfect wife. By night, she became the “Black Knight,” a masked vigilante fighting for justice in the shadows.Reagan returned, ready to focus on his personal mission: avenging his father’s death. To him, Dahlia was just another pawn in his plans—a spoiled princess he needed to tolerate. But as cracks began to form in her perfect façade, Reagan couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his wife than met the eye.Now, with enemies circling closer and their secrets threatening to collide, Dahlia and Reagan must confront the lies they’ve told themselves and each other. But when masks fall and truths are revealed, will their fragile bond withstand the storm—or will it shatter beyond repair?One wound. One secret. One night that changes everything.

Who could have guessed that the accidental discovery of a pitch-black USB drive would one day turn Chen Chen’s world upside down?