Defiance of the Fall - Chapter 1: Roll For Survival

The Venerable Xiang Yu, an eccentric villainous half-blood demon King was infamous in both the demon and human realm for being a cold-blooded ruthless devil that could kill with no remorse.Demons and humans feared him, cultivators wanted him as a trophy and the immortals saw him as a thorn in their side.The only reason he didn't get smote by the Heavenly King's searing lightning of divine wrath that could kill all mortals and immortals was because he kept the deadliest demons in check maintaining peace between the two realms.Despite his reputation, he had a small cult following in the human realm. They took him as their deity for his selfless acts of benevolence.Such rare selfless acts led him to rescue the fallen immortal Han Xin. But his benevolence became his downfall. Condemned to death, he faced an impossible choice: serve the Heavenly King or die with no marked grave.Xiang Yu: Hahaha... death isn't so bad after all.Heavenly King: You...Han Xin: Wife, you can't escape even in death. At least when you are alive you have a chance to run.Xiang Yu: QAQ...

“I was nothing... and now, I have one chance to steal everything.”In his previous world, Ethan was just another failure. No talents, no dreams, no hope.But death wasn’t the end it was a new beginning.He wakes up in the body of “Valerian Lucard,” the son of a great family... but the weakest among them. Neglected, shunned, broken.But this time, things are different.He has an unbelievable ability:Fate Theft.Skills, talents, future opportunities... he can steal them, but at a heavy price.And the worst part? What’s stolen... never lasts.Now begins his race against everyone: the elites, the geniuses, the chosen heroes.Not because he's strong, but because he refuses to be nothing... ever again.In this world, either you steal glory... or everything gets stolen from you.

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

Within the virtual world of “Avalon Online”, Finn, or otherwise known as “Echo” within the game, was one of its greatest players. After logging off from a long session, however, he notices something awry outside of his apartment.The streets were flooded with chaos, screams echo through the night, and hell is loot loose. Monsters from Avalon Online are running through the streets, wrecking havoc. In the midst of this hellish awakening, Finn is greeted with the one gift bestowed to humanity in this dark hour:[...Assessing life experience…][Assessment Complete][Name: Finn Thorne][Age: 20][Designated Class: Assassin][Starting Level: 5][A [Legacy System] has been bestowed to you for your accomplishments within Avalon.][Assimilation System Awakened.]In this twisted turn, as the world as it was once known is gone with the arrival of magic and monsters, the remnants of humanity must level up if they wish to survive.Finn is left in this dark, hopeless apocalypse, using his own experience from Avalon Online to best survive what seems to be an impossible task.