Coiling Dragon - Book 19 - Metamorphosis - Chapter 15 – A Choice

-- WSA 2025 Entry --“Five… Four… Three… Two… One…”As the countdown towards the new year went on to the last second, Miles looked up to the sky, just as everybody else did.In the middle of the crowded street, Miles for once felt like he belonged. Being a teenage gamer, living with his parents, and trying to build a life as a streamer, he did not feel like leaving his room every day.But there, in the middle of that crowded street, with everyone around him paying attention to the sky, the countdown on the digital billboard, and mostly anything else but him., Miles felt like a ghost.A welcomed ghost, but a ghost, after all.With a smile on his unseen face, he looked up as the countdown reached one, and everybody sang in unison.‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!”But Miles’ eyes widened as he watched in utter horror, and curiosity, even, hovering above him, a holographic screen with a few lines of text written in it.All around him, although he did not pay much attention to it, a few other people seemed to experience the same situation.[Updating home-world 39515’s version][Version 20.25 update brings a lot of fun and games with the new and improved survival mode][Do you want to convert your previous avatar to home-world 39515’s latest version?][Yes] [No]“Survival… Mode?” Miles’ lips quivered.Before he could think of anything else, though, the people around him began to scream…

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Lu Yuan crossed into the world of immortal cultivation and obtained [Skill Panel]. He was well aware of the level of danger in the world of immortal cultivation.

[Sword-ridden skill reaches LV.10. Please choose the direction of advancement…]

[Obtained advanced skill – Ride the Wind Royal Sword Technique: Double the speed of Royal Sword]

[Reaching LV.10 in Breath Convergence Technique, please choose the direction of advancement…]

[Obtained advanced skill – Aether Turtle Breath Concealment Technique: Double the effect of breath concealment]

[Disguise skill reached LV.10. Please choose the direction of advancement…]

[Obtain advanced skill – Disguise: Adjust your face muscles to achieve a perfect disguise effect]

The so-called immortal cultivation was to see who lived longer!

Killing the enemy was not something to brag about, but living was.

Running fast, being good at hiding, looking ordinary… were the posture of the immortal emperor!

Lu Yuan: I came to the immortal cultivation world only to do three things. Live long, live long, and live a godda*n long life.

“Only those who are alive… are worthy of cultivating.”

“What, you talk to me about ghost immortals? A bunch of evil b*stards. Get out of here!”

Steady immortal cultivation: afraid to die, so I maximized my defensive abilities.

Dear readers! Fresh green style, maybe you will like it more in .

On one dark night in Tokyo, japanInside an abandoned factory…Shizuka Marikawa, a working woman was returning from her work but ran into an unfortunate situation where she almost lost something more precious than her own life but got saved at the last second by someoneShe couldn't help but look at the boy in front of her with wide-opened eyes as she was too stunned to speakAll she could do was stare at a boy with white hair soaked in blood as Around him was nothing but corpses of humans he just killedAnd From this instant, she instantly knew the boy was not human at all because, unlike humans, he had one red eye as he had some weird things coming from his back which he used to pierce through human chests with ease‘monster’ Shizuka Inwardly said this as this was the only answer to her questions even though she said this but she somehow also knew he wouldn't harmShizuka is someone who has always been able to read the intentions of other people from their faces due to events that keep happening in her life which is the reason can tell this boy or a monster moreover she found nothing in his eyes but sadness and painMaking him very pitiful in her eyes, since even though he himself is in so much pain and sadness and even then he is saving herIn her eyes, He is not only Pitiful but also very kind“Please come with me!” Shizuka blurted it out unconsciously even though she had no idea what she was saying because she said it instinctivelyOr maybe she knew? She just knows she can't leave him alone otherwise this boy will be all alone as she decided to take him with HerThe boy couldn't help but look at the woman with a cold graze even though it seemed cold but inside he was very confused as he was even considering a woman's mental healthUnknowingly at this moment, the boy made a bond that he never imagined in his entire lifeUnfortunately for them, his and Shizuka's lives will be totally flipped upside down soon due to unseen events..…