Parallel - Chapter 4: Rats & Thieves

As a princess that could not wield magic, Princess Daphne’s only value to her kingdom was her arranged marriage. The task was simple, but when Daphne gets kidnapped and brought to the cold mountains of Vramid, she realizes that she’s in over her head.

She had heard of these cursed mountains before― rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, and the land was ruled by a man feared by many within the continent.

King Atticus Heinvres, the blood-thirsty ruler of the North.

Even though she had never met him before, tales were spread of King Atticus’s ruthlessness. Some said he was a monster, others claimed he was the devil himself, but whatever the story was, everyone knew of the man who had powers beyond anyone’s imagination. He could topple armies and crumble nations with just one wave of his hand, aided by what others rumored to be a cursed obsidian ring.

No one outside of Vramid had ever met the fearsome king before. Not until Daphne.

However, upon meeting the formidable man, Daphne found out that the king might not really be the monster others had claimed him to be.

In fact, what was hidden under that obsidian shield could just be a diamond in the rough.

―

[Excerpt]

“Now… where should I put you both?” he asked casually, not expecting a reply. “It’s regretful that I only have one chandelier.”

“Underneath my bed? No, no, too dirty. My dust bunnies don’t deserve this,” Atticus mused to himself. “The mantlepiece? How about the vanity table? I suppose if I lop off one of your heads I could mount it over… Wife, which head do you want to stare at while you do your hair?”

“Atticus!” Daphne screamed. “I don’t want any heads! Let them go.”

“Fair enough.” Atticus shrugged, and flicked his fingers.

There were two identical cracks as both necks snapped at once.

Daphne gasped, horrified. This man, her husband, had just killed two men with a flick of his finger, as though he was snuffing out candles.

“I told you to let them go!” Daphne cried out.

“Yes, I let them go,” Atticus said. Then, his eyes darkened. “To receive divine judgment from the heavens.”

―

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“There are no heroes. In life, the monsters win.”

...

In 2106, [Mayhem Online], a fully immersive VRMMO game, was released. Soon, it dominated the world's economy when people could exchange the in-game currency with real-life currency and vice versa.

In the year 2107, Flynn Grey, a 22-year-old college dropout with an ambiguous history, joined in the fray of billions of people that had already started playing [Mayhem]. Hoping to uncover the game's secret and earn a fortune, he spent months on adventures without fruitful results.

For better or worse, Shura, Flynn's in-game character, ends up in a great Wyvern's den, acquiring a hidden class and a monstrous race. Join him as he defeats his past and paves his way into becoming a true legend in both worlds.

“Everyone is a protagonist of their own story and hero of their own struggles.”

.............................

It all began with a nightmare…..

A nightmare where corpses were strewn across the vast land and blood flowed like a river all around.

Roy, a normal 20-year-old college student filled with hope and aspirations, found his world breaking apart, just a day after he had a terrible nightmare.

The very next day, Roy died in an unfortunate train accident and reopened his eyes in the world of the modern fantasy book he had read.

Dawn Of Legend.

A world filled with myths, legends, and dangers lurking all around.

Behind the beautiful world filled with opportunities lies a grim prospect of destruction threatening the stability and peace of the current generation.

And in such a world, he woke up in the body of an extra called Lucas whose existence seemed to be quite negligible as there was no mention of a character named Lucas.

He did not know whether this man even survived the first arc or did he even reach the academy safely.

Since most of the details are omitted, it would not surprise him if this man had died somewhere in the beginning or middle of the plot.

Finding himself in the world of the novel, countless questions came to his mind.

Is this transmigration just a mere coincidence, or are there any external factors involved in it?

Does the world have some plans for him, or is he some kind of pawn who could be disposed of, when he becomes worthless?

And the most important thing, will the future events follow as mentioned in the novel? Can a mere rabbit survive in a den filled with wolves?

Roy, who had read countless novels, knew better than anyone else that there would surely be some sort of butterfly effort that might change the plot, and the world which needs to be saved by the protagonist might be destroyed due to a change in plot.

No… No….Let's think about unpleasant things later.

As long as I can survive and gain a stable footing, I can work out something.

Roy, who was now Lucas, decided to give his all to survive in this harsh world and get stronger so that he would not get swept away by the adversaries that the world was going to face in the future.

With fierce tenacity and grit to live, Lucas strides ahead, trying his best to avoid the bleak prospect of the world ending and along the journey, searching for the secrets behind his transmigration, if there are any.

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Who’s a hero, really?Is it someone willing to risk everything for the greater good?Someone who forgives easily, no matter the wrong?Someone always ready to lend a hand when trouble shows up?Or maybe it’s the one who’d sacrifice one to save all?If that’s what makes a hero… then why do I have his power?Why am I the one with the system that was meant for him?I’m not a hero. I’m not even close.I wouldn’t throw away everything for some noble cause.I wouldn’t give up what matters to me, not my life, not my goal, just to play some role.Because I didn’t come to this world to save it.I came here as an extra, not the protagonist.I’ve read the story—Hero’s Vow.It was your typical chosen-one tale.Orphaned child, gets a cheat power, makes some friends, defeats the demon lord, yadda yadda.Predictable. Familiar. Boring, even.But then… after what happened to me…I woke up as Kai Lorne.Just a background character.A commoner with no ambition, no purpose—just an extra meant to a die a brutal death in Chapter 3.His death wasn’t even for himself. It was just there to spark the hero’s rage.But here’s the twist.I didn’t die.I got the hero’s power.I got the system.The cheat. The Narrative Override.The one thing that lets you alter the story itself. The power only the author of the said story would have.And now, I’m stuck asking myself the same question, over and over:If I’m not the hero…Then why the hell do I have his power?-----------------------------------------additional tags: Transmigration, Slice Of Life, Mana Cultivation, No-yuri, No-NTR, Genius MC, Hidden Identity and Power, Magic, Weak to Godlike, Story Alteration, Cheat system, Demons, Dragons, Beast girls, Swords, Tragedy, Grim dark.