Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented - Chapter 6

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

[WSA 2025 Entry]Ivan Mendoza, a world-renowned robotics engineer, met his end at the hands of those who feared his genius. But death was not the end. Awakening in the body of Kael Valtieri, heir to a destitute border territory in the magical kingdom of Ardania, Ivan finds a second chance in an unfamiliar world driven by arcane forces.In this realm, magic reigns supreme, yet it is woefully inefficient and bound by antiquated traditions. Armed with the knowledge of advanced robotics and engineering from his past life, Kael sets out to merge science with sorcery, aiming to revolutionize the very fabric of magic. His quest? To uplift his impoverished territory and safeguard it against the lurking dangers beyond the border.But Kael’s journey takes a thrilling turn when he stumbles upon the remnants of an ancient, forgotten civilization. Hidden within their ruins lies golem technology—astonishing constructs far superior to anything Earth’s science could fathom. Driven by curiosity and ambition, Kael deciphers their secrets, melding ancient ingenuity with his modern intellect to forge unprecedented defenses.As Kael uncovers the dark history of this world, he learns of rifts that once unleashed monstrous beings from other dimensions, nearly annihilating humanity. Though a powerful artifact sealed these rifts, its strength is waning, and an impending cataclysm looms.Now, with time running out and the continent teetering on the brink of another monstrous invasion, Kael must wield his hybrid mastery of science and magic to confront the rising tide of darkness. Can one man, armed with the knowledge of two worlds, avert a catastrophe and carve out a new destiny?Prepare for an epic tale of innovation, mystery, and survival in a world where the past and future collide.

All her life, Eleanora did everything to make him love her but in the end, what she got from him was her execution for a sin that she never did.

Before dying, Eleanora coldly stared at his bloody red eyes as he lifted up the sword to execute her…

“I will never forgive you for killing me and my child.”

For the first time in her life, She saw his anxious gaze.

But it was too late as the sword in his hands had already landed on her neck, separating it from her body.

Eleanora finally thought everything was over but then she opened her eyes again, to find herself back in 12 years in the past when all the misfortune was yet to happen.

She was firm to change her tragic ending this time but it was not only her who changed…

“Even if you hate me, you can only be mine in your every life… My Empress.”.....

After a series of life-changing events, Pei Ge decides to start anew and rediscover her place in this world. She gets a new job, new friends and… a new boss whom she mistakes as a male host!

He helps her to get revenge on a back-stabbing friend, supports her when it seems that the world has given up on her, encourages her to be more confident about herself and even… messes up her blind dates!

With her strong working abilities and fiery attitude, she manages to climb up the ranks in the company (under the devious scheme of a certain CEO) and even gains a fan girl who can’t wait to be her sister-in-law.

As Pei Ge navigates through the ups and downs of office politics, family drama, finding her right partner and societal expectations, she realizes that things are not as simple as it seemed and everything she had believed in is tested…

The Big Misunderstanding:

“You asshole! Why didn’t you use protection?! I’m pregnant!”
“…It’s not mine.”
“Asshole! You actually dare to not admit it?! I gave all my firsts to you! You jerk!”
…
At the gynecologist, she read her pregnancy lab report and was stunned: Irregular period.
The man raised an eyebrow and smirked, “Didn’t you make a ruckus about being pregnant with my child? Where is the child?!”
“…” Who is scared of who? Let’s make a bet!