A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 21Book 2: : Portents

I am the sword.

Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, no one dares take ten steps.
Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, no one can take ten steps.
Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, ten steps? Not possible!

I am the sword, the sword is me,
On the path towards heaven, each shall wield their own.

- Description from Novelupdates

The most popular game worldwide is Ancient Arena Online, a high-octane PvP fantasy game where teams fight for supremacy in mythical arenas. Millions of fans watch livestreams, bet on matches, and follow their favorite players like celebrities. The game’s competitive scene is so fierce that professional teams are treated like esports royalty.At the heart of it all is Kai Ashford, one of the top players and captain of the pro team Phoenix Edge. With lightning-fast reflexes and strategic brilliance, Kai leads his team to countless victories. But success breeds jealousy. Sabotaged by a teammate he thought was loyal, Kai is not only kicked off his team, but also humiliated in front of millions of fans. With his reputation shattered and confidence at rock bottom, Kai retreats from the public eye.However, Kai's competitive spirit is not easily extinguished. He stumbles upon a group of amateur players—a ragtag bunch who show raw potential but lack the finesse needed to win at the highest levels. Their quirky personalities clash with his no-nonsense attitude, but something about their passion reminds him of why he started gaming in the first place. Deciding to put his past behind him, Kai agrees to train them into a professional team.Along the way, Kai builds unexpected connections with his new teammates, including romantic entanglements with a fiery mage, an eccentric hacker, and a mysterious assassin player, all while juggling his personal feelings and growing attraction for multiple women. As his new team rises through the ranks, they gain attention from fans and sponsors, putting them back on the radar of the professional scene.But Kai’s past doesn’t stay buried for long. His former teammates—now rivals—plot to sabotage him once again, while jealous contenders within the gaming world aim to tear him down. However, Kai's return to the spotlight will be on his terms this time. With a darker, more calculating approach, he plans to not only dominate the game but also to get sweet revenge on those who betrayed him.

“But this feels real,” She whispered.Curiosity got the best of her as she went around the coffin, luckily, it wasn't locked. She took a deep breath before pulling it open.“Jesus Christ!” Rose exclaimed, putting her hand over her chest as she breathed hard.She stood frozen beside the coffin, staring at a young man with the most beautiful face she'd ever seen, lying still and comfortably inside the coffin.Was he dead? He looked so pale like he was dead and yet so beautiful to be called dead. Talk about gothic beauty.Rose knew she should be running for her life at that moment, but she felt something drawing her closer to the man in the coffin, she flashed her light closer to his face as she reached her hand down and placed it right under his nose to check if he was still breathing. No air, his nose bridge was cold as ice too.Rose was still busy staring at the man's face when she felt something very icy touch her arm, she felt her heart drop to her stomach as she slowly turned her head to look at her arm, that's when she saw the white, slim, masculine fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist.Her soul left her and her heart completely stopped beating, before starting to beat like a parade band in her chest.“Hail fucking Mary!” Rose whispered in a frightened tone, her lips quivered and her eyes widened unnaturally.She felt her legs become paralyzed from fear and unable to move or run.She dared to fearfully turn around and look at the man's face again, just to find his blood-colored eyes, staring icily at her.She was about to scream when the young man suddenly pulled her into his coffin with incredible speed, and the last thing she remembered was feeling how cold his body was before she felt an unnatural sleep overtake her.***Rose Thiago was an ordinary human girl who loved reading dark fantasies but never believed in them.She suddenly gets warned by her best friend never to read those kinds of books again if she doesn't want to make herself visible to the dark creatures or evoke their world to herself, but she calls her bluff and reads them over and over again.On a field trip, Rose suddenly finds herself falling into an endless hole, and when she finally meets the solid ground, she discovers that it is no longer familiar ground. She gravely realized that just as her friend said, she'd finally drawn the dark world to herself.She somehow manages to bump herself into a beautiful man lying inside a coffin and dared to touch him just for the dead man to suddenly hold her hands and disappeared with her. In that moment, she came to believe that magical creatures did exist.And she was about to discover that she had the blood of the sun.Two thousand years ago, to survive a dreadful poison, The prince of the dark world, Cassius Levi, sought refuge in his healing grave, only to awaken when the right time for his revenge came.What he didn't expect was to be forcefully awakened by an undeserving mortal.

Yu Holea was a genius ghost exorcist. Cursed for being a loner she embraced the path of exorcism. At the age of 26, she died.Opening her eyes she realized that she has transmigrated to a character who has the same name as her. Yu Holea was the newly found young miss of the Yu Family. Though everyone disliked her since for them Yu Mei is the true young miss. Everyone looks down on her even her biological brothers.Her Eldest Brother, “Don't even try to get close to me. I hate gold diggers like you. Yu Mei come I will bring you to shopping.”Her Gentle Second Brother,“ The door to get out of here is on the left. Remember not to bully Yu Mei”Her Third Brother, “Uh, don't let me see your disgusting face. Let me see my cute Yu Mei's Face”However, Yu Holea ignored them. She was used to all of this.She focused on her career and earning money instead of love.She was penniless? Huh, she has a long queue of bigshots begging to give her money. Her business empire expands from City S to Capital.She was untalented? She can even summon thunders!!At a high-end party, one of the relatives of the Yu Family saw Yu Holea surrounded by the bigshot of different fields and was shocked to the core.Just as everyone was confused her three brothers arrived and started pampering her.“Lea'er do you want to eat strawberry cake? Call me Big Brother I will feed you the cake.”“Lea them, here drink this juice, by the way, why don't you call me Second Brother?”“Little Sister don't listen to them I will protect you from everyone, you just have to call me Third brother.”A certain Handsome, Ceo of a top 10 company, “Lea Baby, when are you going to say yes to my proposal?”Yu Holea: Why is everyone looking at her with a doting glance?Follow Yu Holea in her adventure filled with thriller, suspense, and pampering.