One Useless Rebirth - Chapter 16: The First Time

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Su Jie, capable of traveling between Blue Star and the Cultivation World, discovered that cultivation was just too difficult.Spirit Pills, Magic Artifacts, Pocket Worlds, and inherent comprehension—each was a mountain on the long road to immortality.Not until Su Jie found out that Demon Cultivators refined corpses by killing, extracted souls to cultivate fiends, and used fear as sustenance for their cultivation.Need souls to consecrate a Soul Summoning Banner? Get to know the pig farms that slaughter millions of pigs a year.Need human fear to cultivate fierce ghosts? Stock up on ghost houses, horror films, and horror games…Need fresh blood for Demon Techniques? Across the ocean, America is the world’s largest grey market blood transfusion station………Years later.“You devil, how many people have you killed? And you still have the face to call yourself a good person? Pah, today I shall act on behalf of heaven to mete out justice.”The Tianyuan World’s most beautiful person’s eyebrows were furrowed with rage, as she stared at the terrifying Devil before her, enveloped in wronged souls, with thousands of ghosts parading on his Soul Banner, seated in a palace made of bones, she posed her soulful question.The Devil slowly stood up and pulled out a business card that read “Hua Country’s Philanthropist of the Year / Founder of the World’s Largest Chain of Ghost Houses / Owner of Blue Star’s Largest Livestock Slaughter Business / Emerging Tycoon of the Entertainment Industry.”“You see, I’m really not a devil, okay? Nowadays, who still uses such a lowly method as killing people to cultivate as a devil!”

Rong Zhi was switched at birth and lived in the countryside for eighteen years, her family was poor, and she dropped out of high school to work.At eighteen, her biological parents came to her door, saying she was the daughter of the Rong Family in Beijing and came to take her back to Beijing.Above her were uncles watching over the family inheritance, below were biological siblings.She was warned by her parents: Learn the rules from your brothers and sisters, don't cause trouble, the Rong Family can't afford to lose face because of you.Rong Zhi brushed aside the bangs on her forehead, smiling brightly: “Okay.”Everyone was waiting to see the joke of this ignorant and unsuccessful Third Young Master Rong, but as they watched, she became the Crown Prince who had the final say in Beijing.Everyone: This doesn't quite match what we were told??The Bai Family Head returned to the country, and all the noble families in Beijing were on high alert, except for that carefree member of the Rong Family.One day at a banquet, everyone saw Mr. Bai, standing at the top of the pyramid, bend down, holding a pair of high heels in his hand, speaking helplessly: “Such a princess.”Looking again at the long-haired woman in a dark green cheongsam standing in front of him, barefoot on his shoes, “I am a princess, and it's none of your business.”This familiar face, this familiar arrogant tone...Everyone was stunned, their eyes open wide in disbelief: Third Master Rong?!【Front-stage female disguised as male + slight sci-fi + no logic + feel-good novel + 1v1 single couple】

Arthur, a young man in his twenties, suddenly finds himself inside the world of the novel “The Rise of the Sovereign Sword,” a famous story he had been reading in his previous life. He doesn’t understand how he ended up in this world, but he soon discovers that he has been installed as the ruler of a poor and small barony due to a serious misunderstanding—everyone believed he was the illegitimate son of the Duke, a man notorious for his terrible reputation and corrupt deeds.Afraid of having his true identity as an impostor exposed, Arthur finds himself in a difficult predicament.As he tries to find a solution to his dilemma, he faces daily problems stemming from this world’s extreme backwardness in terms of economy, technology, and governance. However, instead of surrendering, he decides to use the knowledge from the world he came from to change this regressive situation.Arthur attempts to spread civilization and progress in his society, fighting against outdated traditions and establishing new concepts that will improve and advance people’s lives.