MTL - Pirates: Steel Chain Fingers - ~ end of volume summary

The year was 2026, and the world wasn't what it used to be. Ever since the Abyss Gates cracked open three years ago, spilling monsters and dungeons across the planet, life had turned into a chaotic mess. Cities were half-ruined, half-rebuilt, and people clung to whatever normalcy they could find. Hunters—those brave or crazy enough to fight the monsters—became the new heroes. Everyone else? Well, they just tried to survive.Fin wasn't a Hunter. He wasn't a hero either.He was just… Fin. A lanky 19-year-old with messy brown hair, a chipped front tooth from a dumb skateboard accident, and a power that everyone called useless. Absorption. Sounds cool, right? Like he could suck up energy or steal someone's strength. Nope. All it did was let him “feel” things he touched a little more than normal. He could tell you the exact texture of a brick wall or how warm a coffee mug was—big whoop. No fireballs, no super strength, no flashy moves. Just a glorified touchy-feely trick.“Fin, you gonna eat that sandwich or just stare at it like it's gonna confess its life story?” Meg's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.He blinked and looked across the rickety table at his best friend. Meg was short, loud, and had a wild mop of dyed purple hair that she swore made her look “intimidating.” It didn't.

Birth rates are decreasing. Hope is vanishing. The world has gone gray.Humanity, drifting in quiet collapse, receives an email.Every person on Earth. Simultaneously.The Aegis Mandate.Disguised as a cosmic aptitude test, it triggers The Incident of Separation—a global psychic cataclysm that erases identities, wipes memories, and divides all survivors into three factions: Law, Neutral, and Chaos. Overnight, cities become battlegrounds. Apartments become dungeons. Ordinary people become monsters—or the ones who hunt them.Ragnar Vhagar was just a loner university student. Now, thanks to a system he didn’t ask for, he’s a newly minted Demon King, locked in a crumbling apartment with goblins under his sofa and a glowing soul crystal next to his frozen peas. His new job? Build a deadly domain, defend it from invading “Heroes,” and somehow level up fast enough to not die.Alongside him is Isabelle Thorne, a razor-sharp warrior of few words and one very sharp sword. Their reluctant alliance, born in blood and snark, evolves into trust—and maybe something dangerously close to affection—as they rise together through the layers of the game-like world they’re trapped in.With each conquered domain and defeated boss, Ragnar realizes the truth: the dungeons aren’t meant to crown a winner. They’re meant to break the players. The Law faction wants control. The Chaos faction craves destruction. But Ragnar? He wants something they’re all too afraid to say out loud:Freedom.In the ruins of Kanta’s ogre stronghold, Ragnar and his misfit warband take their biggest step yet—claiming a kingdom, unifying a fractured system, and preparing for what comes next. The Heroes are watching. The gods are stirring. The world is watching a war.And somewhere deep beneath it all... Ragnar is rewriting the rules.

Growing up in a cursed world, brought up in a country of warriors and soldiers, Nero was always eager for the day he would awaken his innate ability, and gain the chance to become an Eldrim Card master! Eager for the day he could fight against hell, hail and damnation itself and rid the world of its many curses.But the day his older brother was framed and sent to the frontlines to die, he woke up to a new truth. The notions of his youth - camaraderie, brotherhood, patriotism - they are all fake, and in the eyes of the powerful he and his ilk were just cannon fodder. In this cursed world, humans were curses too.He continued to wait for the day he could awaken power and rid the world of its curses - all of them!WSA 2024Hey guys, for access to maps, character pictures and more check out the discord. For those that don't use discord, I'll think of something so you can see them as well!Discord: https://discord.gg/xTWUR5BnD2

“I'm one game away from reaching the master rank! I'll do it tomorrow, though. A true gamer knows when to refresh his mind and increase his victory chances!”Adam smiled in anticipation as he went to sleep on this special day.However, he could never have imagined the surreal awakening that awaited him.“What's wrong with my voice?!”“Claws? A tail and horns, too?”[Welcome to the demon realm. You have been selected to reincarnate as a Lord. Conquer this realm of fire and ashes, become its uncontested ruler... or die trying.]Reincarnated as an imp in the cruel demon realm, at the borders of the mythological demon Baal's territory, his life seemed doomed from the start.However, determination sparkled in his eyes as against all odds, he defiantly proclaimed.“No matter who decided to make me start as an imp, watch as I turn into a veritable devil. Even Baal won't hold a candle against me in the future!”Equipped with his unique talent, he started his lord's journey, ready to evolve and prove to those strange realms that demons were more than violent and deceptive creatures... at least he would try.