Frostbound [LitRPG Apocalypse] - Chapter 13 - Mourning

The protracted ’witch hunting’ had faded into silence with the end of the Seven Years’ War, and the mysteries of the East Coast had begun to conceal themselves, yet gunpowder was on a rapid rise. Mo Qishang, who should have been utterly confounded, stood at the crossroads of destiny in the name of Arthur. He stared in astonishment at the charging knights, the wizards atop the high towers, and the bizarre wilderness. He felt the sharpness of the longsword and the recoil of the firearm, both clear and unfamiliar. At last, he excitedly shook his robe and, with a smile on his face, said— “Do not believe what I say, for to believe is to exist!”

At the heart of a wish lies an attempt at completion, a human desire to become our true and final selves. Wishes are fuelled by regrets and are bound eternally to the past, serving as approximations of what once was. We all experience regret and nostalgia, leading us to make wishes and find despair, but can we become our true selves despite this all?That's where the story of a girl who struggles to control her desires begins...Two souls sharing the same body and memory are living in Kyoto 2031. Tang-Ji Shizukesa, a girl who's grown up in her previous life with a hardcore passion for gaming, is now a bookworm in her new life who has no interest in video games. Along with her, Kazami and Hoyeon, the three childhood friends who separated 7 years ago due to an accident, have now been reunited again in a VRMMORPG game known as Dusk Protocol. The game has a unique combat system known as “Leere,” a physical manifestation of an individual soul that can be conjured into deadly weapons.As Tang-Ji navigates this virtual world, she confronts the echoes of her past and the dissonance between her former self and her present identity. How will she cope with the rediscovery of a life she thought she left behind? How will Kazami and Hoyeon react to the new Tang-Ji? In a world where reality is malleable and death is just a click of a button away, the boundaries between past and present blur, forcing everyone to grapple with the truth of who they truly are.Disclaimer: This novel contains explicit language, violence, racism, and sexual scenes. There are also scenes that deal with various traumas, from physical to emotional to mental.(THE CHARACTERS’ CIRCUMSTANCES , TRAITS, AND BELIEFS IN THIS NOVEL ARE ALL BASED ON A TRUE STORY.)

As a top manager, everyone constantly tries to curry favor with Li Xiwu. And due to her identity as Mrs. Pei, the rich and the powerful would always greet her politely. A celebrity instructor, and the wife of a man from a rich family… Is there anyone who would not envy her? However, only Li Xiwu knows that she is a substitute for Mr. Pei’s unrequited love, and none of her titles or privileges have anything to do with her.***

Losing yourself after being someone else’s substitute is a tedious thing. Having gained that epiphany, Li Xiwu began to ponder how she should claim alimony of astronomical proportions from Mr. Pei. However, while she was obsessing over how to get rich from the divorce, her mother-in-law, who had always disliked her, invited her to take part in a variety show, while promising to make her rich. Li Xiwu’s lips curled into a grin. “Fortune favors the brave!”At first, her mother-in-law constantly attempted to embarrass her, and netizens were all moaning about how she was the most pitiful rich daughter-in-law! Later, her mother-in-law was inseparable from Li Xiwu, and would keep bragging about her to everyone she met, leaving the netizens cheering: Leave the face-slapping to Mrs. Pei! Li Xiwu did not expect herself to shoot to fame in the variety show either. However, while she was convinced that she could get a smooth divorce afterward, her mother-in-law called her son immediately as soon as the variety show ended.“Divorce my baby, and I will disown you!”Mr. Pei: ???

Listen here, because I've seen it with my very own eyes.William Oh was born on the hundredth floor of The Tower, to the greatest Climbers of the ancient world, steeped in the Tower's lethal miasma from the moment he drew breath, giving him strange and unnatural powers.They say he is an immortal being who circles the dreams of mortal men, resurfacing wherever the need is greatest. Those who disparage him will fall into despair, but if you're a Climber in a tight scrape, look to the sky and say a little prayer.Maybe he will appear?Odds are probably better if you pay for my drink.- Rumor overheard on a 1st Floor Tavern. Originator did not pay his tab.