Alpha Instinct - Chapter 66: "A Question of Power"

Elyn, a famous singer, fell from grace after she was framed for her husband’s death. After days in prison, the police suddenly told her:“You are free now. Your husband is waiting for you outside.”She was shocked. When did she get a new husband?Outside the prison, a black limousine was parked. She was ushered inside by the driver, and when she saw who was waiting inside, her eyes widened.It was the most powerful man in the country, the President himself!“Welcome back, wife.”Additional Tags: Age Gap (older ML, younger FL), second marriage, contract marriage, smut, celebrity FL

Oscar, a destitute young boy, died in a tragic accident and was reborn in the forgotten realm. As a member of the lowly Birch tribe, his solace comes from the fragments of a guardian's spirit, residing in his soul. After the decimation of his family in the hands of a powerful race known as the dreads, he embarked on the part of revenge, leading him to the path of transcendence.

In the year 2090, technology has advanced to the point where Simulation Boxes, (Sim Box for short) are common place, allowing for the user to link up their brain's neural network to a full dive Simulation. While initially used for educational purposes, recently a large gaming company, Averon, released a fully fledged immersive MMORPG simulation where users can become anyone they desire, level up, choose their class, and become a hero or a villain. The name of this simulation is The Shattered World Online.

Eli Winters had no interest in playing it. His father, a jobless bum who spent his entire life playing games in the hope of becoming a famous player or streamer, was able to use the release of The Shattered World Online to gain wealth and fame, quickly becoming the number one player and a household name as the game took the world by storm. He immediately abandoned Eli and his mother in favor of being with someone from his guild, despite his mother having worked two jobs to support them and raise Eli by herself. Eli had nothing but spite for his father and the game.

When Eli's best friend convinces him to try out the game, his father's fame begins to interfere, culminating in him being singled out and shunned by his peers, and his father offering to pay for his university tuition in return for Eli hiding their relationship and quitting the game. Instead of complying with his father's wishes, Eli decides to prove to everyone how useless a guy his father is by challenging him that if Eli is able to surpass him in the game world he must delete his account and quit his streaming career. His father accepts the challenge believing his son to be useless at games - but Eli will soon show him just how ambitious a spiteful person can be.

Suddenly I died.Because of a heart attack, right after beating the hardest game I had ever played.But when I opened my eyes, I was no longer myself. I become Tristan Althrone, the main villain of the first arc, the wretched noble who tormented the protagonist, only to meet a gruesome end.I know how this story unfolds. I know how I die. I know who will betray me.So I refuse to play my part.I won’t follow the script. I won’t accept my fate.But the more I struggle to escape my doomed role, the deeper I sink into it.And the worst part?I have to deal with her, the naïve protagonist, destined to become this world’s hero.But she doesn’t even know that the fate of this world rests in her hands.And me?I just want to survive… even if it means deceiving everyone. Including her.