Gardenia's Heart - Chapter 58: Combat Lesson

The world of Anexia is rotting. The Mist has taken hold over entire continents and continues to spread, not content until the entire world is under its control.Raorka, along with his mother Zoe and father Zack, are thrust into this world after an accident. However they wake up at different parts of the world.Raorka wakes up near the Domed Town of Temuril, where inhabitants speak of the cursed dragon in the woods and the exiled witch who teaches magik...for a price.Zack wakes up near the town of Odania where the red cloaked Chianti Hunters battle against the tyrant mayor and the last Great Kingdom.Zoe awakens near the abandoned Church of Laments, where the cries of persecuted nuns echo, praying for the return of their Goddess and her blessings.Now they journey separately, desperate to reunite with each other amidst the chaos of a dying world.

In the year 2090, technology has advanced to the point where Simulation Boxes, (Sim Box for short) are common place, allowing for the user to link up their brain's neural network to a full dive Simulation. While initially used for educational purposes, recently a large gaming company, Averon, released a fully fledged immersive MMORPG simulation where users can become anyone they desire, level up, choose their class, and become a hero or a villain. The name of this simulation is The Shattered World Online.

Eli Winters had no interest in playing it. His father, a jobless bum who spent his entire life playing games in the hope of becoming a famous player or streamer, was able to use the release of The Shattered World Online to gain wealth and fame, quickly becoming the number one player and a household name as the game took the world by storm. He immediately abandoned Eli and his mother in favor of being with someone from his guild, despite his mother having worked two jobs to support them and raise Eli by herself. Eli had nothing but spite for his father and the game.

When Eli's best friend convinces him to try out the game, his father's fame begins to interfere, culminating in him being singled out and shunned by his peers, and his father offering to pay for his university tuition in return for Eli hiding their relationship and quitting the game. Instead of complying with his father's wishes, Eli decides to prove to everyone how useless a guy his father is by challenging him that if Eli is able to surpass him in the game world he must delete his account and quit his streaming career. His father accepts the challenge believing his son to be useless at games - but Eli will soon show him just how ambitious a spiteful person can be.

Cain was living his best life as the leader of CROSS, a gang ruling Zone A, District 4.At 21, thanks to constant cigarettes and booze, he looked older than his years. He didn’t finish college or have a job, but he made a living through “guard fees” from local markets and his shady side business.One night, his life turned upside down when a shooting star crashed through his window, transforming into a cute fairy girl in a pink dress and rabbit hat, who declared herself the Idol-Idol Goddess!Now, Cain has to juggle being a gang leader and a rising idol star. Can he balance both lives without blowing his cover?[RPG System Style. No Harem. Drama. Romance. Face Slapping. Idol. Magical Realism. Urban Setting. Beautiful Female Lead. Strong ML. Smart ML. Handsome ML. Cold ML] XD

To save someone, a poor boy unexpectedly acquired Dragon Blood as a body fortifier and even slept with a beautiful female CEO. By a twist of fate, he became the bodyguard of this female CEO, thus beginning a journey of an incredible turnaround.Female CEO, “Come to my room tonight to discuss work.”Long Fei, “Are you trying to kill me? Discussing work every single day for a month, can't you give me a break?”