Infinity, The Arcade Age - Chapter 368: The Tournament Begins

Elias “Grim” Kingsley, a nine-year-old orphan with a hardened heart and sharp tongue, dies alone from pneumonia in an overcrowded orphanage. Known for his perpetual scowl and biting remarks, he's labeled a “problem child” by caretakers and “damaged goods” by potential adopters. Years of rejection have built thick armor around his young heart.In death, he encounters the God of Balance who offers him a second chance at life in a different world—this time as Grim Van Ambrose, son of a noble house. Balance explains that every soul deserves to know love and connection, something Elias was cruelly denied in his first life.Promised the family and belonging he never experienced, Grim begins his new life only to suffer an immediate tragedy: his mother dies moments after his birth. This cruel twist of fate reinforces his belief that loss is inevitable, leaving him with a distant father and the mysterious voice of a “Guidance Assistant” in his head.As Grim grows into his new identity, he struggles with his dual nature—the emotional scars of his past life bleeding into his present one. His difficult personality and sharp tongue remain, now paired with noble privilege and expectations. Despite his outward brashness, he carries the deep wounds of his first life and the fresh loss that welcomed him into his second.What begins as one orphan's second chance evolves into an epic journey through a world of ancient beasts, elemental magic, and deadly political intrigue. As Grim uncovers the truth about the Ambrose Clan's fall from grace and the conspiracy that framed them for treason, he faces increasingly dangerous adversaries—both human and monstrous. His quest for revenge against those who destroyed his family's legacy will challenge him to master forbidden techniques, forge unexpected alliances, and ultimately decide whether to rebuild the Ambrose Clan as it was, or transform it into something entirely new.In a realm where power determines survival and ancient secrets lurk beneath noble facades, Grim must learn that sometimes the greatest battles aren't fought with swords, but with the choices that define who we truly are.

*Slow Burn Historical Fantasy Novel*

Elise had about to change into the dress that was lying on the corner of her bed when she heard a knock lightly calling from her door. Curious, she turned the door knob only to have a tall man towering in front of her.

“Master Ian!” She called.

Ian smiled with the usual mischievous smirk that he always used. His crimson eyes trailing a little over her room and spotted the black dress over her bed and shifted his eyes over to the woman in front of him. He stepped forward and spoke. “Where did you acquire that dress?”

“Mr. Harland gave it to me.” Elise replied and strained her neck to see Ian’s brows knitted in its elegance.

“Do you know why a man would love to give a woman a dress?” He gave the riddle that she always had to think twice before replying. But this time, she found no answer and instead shook her head. “I don’t know.”

His grin grew bewitching as though something had stirred deep inside the scarlet eyes that he had. He slowly slid his hand over the collar of her dress, sending a cold shiver that startled her for a moment due to its freezing temperature. After unbuttoning the first two buttons on her collar, he tilted his head down, whispering to her ears. “Because they want to be the one to undress the cloth.”

He paused and kissed her neck, turning the pale skin to red before retracting his move to fix his eyes on her and leisurely replied. “Unfortunately, you can’t wear the dress over there with this.” He chuckled and passed a box over to her hand. “And the fortunate news is I prepared a dress for you.”

Elise was a cursed little girl who could see ghosts. Her family hated her and threw her from one adoptive family to another. However, misfortune didn't act alone. When she was brought up by her aunt, she was sold as a slave. When she had thought she would become nothing but a sacrifice to the sorcerer, she was saved by a man whose identity was far different than a normal mythical being.

The Barren Continent, where martial arts are supreme, and strength is honored above all.The once-in-an-era prodigy, Ye Chen, came forth with the ancient and unparalleled divine technique. He cultivated his martial veins, survived the thunder tribulation, merged with the spirit blood of true beings, and shook the six harmonies and the eight desolations with his martial prowess. He roamed the myriad realms and heavens, fighting across the world with the secret realm of billions of stars that were eternal and undying!An endless trove of treasures, worlds of bizarre wonders, sects, ancient clans, fairies, witches, friendships and enmities, and heated battles—all of it was contained therein.

Kai is refused help from the president and thrown back into ground zero, where he meets a man whom he shows kindness to. As an act of repayment Kai is taken to the under tunnel of the city where he discovers a secret office belonging to his father. The stranger seemed to know what he was looking for after some time he handed over a box to Kai. A melodic robo voice came from the box -|DNA ACTIVATION VERIFIED|- -|ASTRAL NODE IS ONLINE|- -|SYSTEM HAS BEGUN ACTIVATING|- -|AWAITING MANUAL OVERRIDE TO TURN ON SYSTEM|- Kai is gifted a rare astral node and resolves to join the academy to save his dying sister from the F-X7 disease and also escape the life of poverty they were stuck in. -|PASSWORD CORRECT|- -|MANUAL OVERRIDE SUCCESSFUL|- -|SYSTEM IS UPDATING, PLEASE BE PATIENT|- -|SYSTEM UPDATE IS COMPLETE|- -|SYSTEM IS ONLINE|- Joining the academy does no guarantee his success since he has no powers. But he must survive since that has been his goal after being sold to slavery. -|USER: KAI HALSTEN|- -|RACE: HUMAN|- -|GENDER: MALE|- -|LEVEL: ONE|- -|EXP: 0/100|- -|HP: 10/10|- -|BEGINNING BONDING|-