Garden Of Poison - Chapter 264: Grim as the dark cloud

I don’t need companions. I don’t do party play. But… the game forces party play?

From quiet grind to legacy brew.Jun had nothing—no café, no followers, not even a bed. Just a secondhand kettle and a broken dream.Then came the Barista System.No shortcuts. No instant success. Just slow, intentional tasks... and a promise:Brew. Grow. Endure.Every pour sharpens his skill. Every cup deepens his path.From street corners to pop-ups, from whispered praise to a space of his own—Jun’s grind is just beginning.This is a story of stillness, patience, and the quiet pursuit of mastery.Because greatness isn’t given.It’s brewed—one cup at a time.

In a world where darkness was always a step ahead further and the light was late and bleaker, “Grim Dark Online” has become a well acclaimed VRMMORPG, drawing players into its thrilling depths. But when hackers breach the game's firewall, players including Kenji find themselves trapped in this virtual reality after an abrupt system shutdown.As chaos unfolds, the World Soul Barrier collapses, unleashing a horde of demon gods and their minions upon the realm. The Cult of Black Snake, the Silent Nightstalkers assassins, and the slaughter of the Immortals threaten their very fabric of existence. With the World Soul and the World Tree corrupted, Kenji must navigate this perilous landscape armed only with his last playthrough’s knowledge as a Warrior and several other Classes.Previously, he had conquered the God of Death, a necromancer villain, and earned the title of God of Slaughter. But now, faced with the onset of devastation, he is thrown back to the beginning of this nightmare.Desperate to reclaim his former power as a warrior, Kenji discovers that fate has other plans. Instead, he is bestowed the class of Necromancer—the very embodiment of his past fears. This transformation offers him an unexpected opportunity to rise above his previous limitations. With the unique ability to summon minions that mimic his battle instincts, Kenji possesses greater firepower and tactical versatility than ever before.Now, he must embrace his newfound abilities and confront the demon lords and gods that threaten to consume his world. As a warrior trapped in the body of a necromancer, Kenji’s journey is one of survival, adaptation, and redemption in a realm where darkness reigns. Will he harness the power of his newfound powers? Or will the very darkness succumb them all?

Zheng Nianru went from being a Commandery Princess who could be killed at any moment to the position of the Empress Dowager, wielding power over the world. What she couldn't accept was that she didn't end up with a good fate. However, Zheng Nianru thought that no one would have been able to save Nanzheng State.Yet, she was reborn and, having deeply reflected upon her pain, also considered several past mistakes. Firstly, she should not have married down into the family of Ju Nanyi, a man with a narrow mind who came from a minor house, who only thought about romantic affairs and entangled with her in desperate affection, incapable of assisting Nanzheng. Secondly, she should not have killed everyone in Qiandao Temple, which was the spiritual pillar of the people of Nanzheng State. After all, there were better ways, weren't there, like seduction? Thirdly, she should not have been so confident that the monarch of the neighboring country would fall at her feet, nor should she have trusted the promise of that fickle neighboring monarch, which led to years of drawn-out conflict between the two states.Um, Zheng Nianru felt she was not wrong. She just wanted to live well and to be a good Empress Dowager. Since she had the chance to live again, why did she have this chance? Could it be that she was expected to once again turn Nanzheng State upside down?