Pick Me Up! - Chapter 258.1: Requiem (4) (1)

“Success is a shallow foundation built on luck and circumstance. Failure, accumulated and stacked like endless bodies in a mass grave, forges the deepest roots into unshakable power. I know all this about power with surety as all I had were countless failures. After all, I am Vakochev, and I set the very Scales of Existence. This... is my story. Existence, is my Story.”---In the brutal Lands of Stone, where mountains move and beasts devour civilizations whole, power is the only currency that matters.Damian Vakochev was once a prince to a glorious power, but he was stripped of that power, family, and everything he held dear as he was left with a shattered foundation.In an age where tribes war for scraps and Neolithic Empires crush all who oppose them, where ancient beasts roam territories older than memory and Mana flows through the Lands of Stone like blood through veins, where Warriors reinforced by Mana who could go against entire armies and Primal Beasts could devour entire mountains, Damian looks upon it all and asks...why?Who said things had to be the way they were? Who decided what power truly was?Why could he not stand over the tallest mountain and declare exactly what power was as he saw fit?!Why did he have to follow the set path of cultivation? Why were others born with Land and Sky Physiques while he was not? What prevented him setting up his own rules and his own paths?!

One god, one faith, one world, one mage… I am the only mage in the world.

- Description from Ptwxz (translated)

JAYDEForged in the crucible of Xi Corporation’s labs, Jayde—once known only as SN1098—is a genetically engineered super soldier, her body honed to a razor's edge through decades of fighting humanity’s brutal wars. Her rebellion against her creators sparked a desperate battle for her people’s survival, only to end in betrayal and a fiery death on Crypso 3Q3U, her sacrifice shattering the corporate chains binding thousands of GESS lives. Yet death is not her end. Jayde awakens, impossibly, in the tortured body of a young girl on a strange world untouched by the technology she knew—no starships, no replicators, no blasters, only the primal pulse of magic. Bound to an ancient artifact pulsing with secrets, she must navigate a realm of powerful mages, mythical creatures, and lurking monsters, her old instincts clashing with the arcane forces now at her command. Her soul, scarred by battle and betrayal, carries a darkness that threatens to consume or redeem her as she carves a new path.RENRen, the fierce demon king, stands as the last bulwark against his race’s extinction, his heart a furnace of primal fury. To save his people and halt the malevolent Zartonesh’s invasion of the realms, he must venture to the Lower Realm, where the Devil Wars first ignited. His fate entwines with a young woman—Jayde—whose soul, steeped in shadow, stirs the ancient beast within him. Her vast, untamed power could be the key to salvation or the doom of all he fights for, her presence a spark to his fire, a bond that could forge or shatter destinies.AN EPIC JOURNEY OF MAGIC AND REDEMPTIONJayde trades her blaster for a sword, stepping alone into a universe where magic hums like a Centauri war-chant, guided only by a mysterious artifact that whispers of forgotten truths. She journeys across dimensions, learning the art of spellcraft, forging alliances with unlikely companions, and facing enemies born of myth and nightmare. As she grapples with the darkness within her soul—a remnant of her past life’s pain and betrayal—she searches for her true-mate, a bond that could anchor or unravel her. Will she master the magic of this strange world and rise as its savior, or will the shadows she carries bring ruin to all she holds dear?WARNING: This tale unfolds as a slow-burning romance, weaving love and loss through a tapestry of magic, sacrifice, and defiance, as Jayde’s legacy burns brighter than any star.

With the advent of steam power, mankind has advanced and ushered in the industrial revolution. This is the age of steam locomotives, guns, and cannons, as well as curses, magic, artifacts, and the supernatural.

Hidden in the shadows are a group of extraordinary people who wield enormous power and strange abilities that normal people cannot even begin to comprehend. They are known as Transcendents!

Bryan lost his parents at a very young age and was forced to live on the streets. That is until his whole life turned around when he was shown the Path to becoming a Transcendent.

The Theft Path specializes in deceit and illusions. It can steal everything under the heavens. Even the powers, thoughts, and dreams of others.

Follow Bryan on his journey through this dangerous and treacherous world as he steals from gods and robs the mortals.

This is the story of The Deceitful One.