Refining the Mountains and Rivers - Chapter 1553 – Accepting Punishment

Set in the Shadow Slave world...a time before Sunny was born...this story follows a simple soldier who must survive in a dystopian, apocalyptic landscape where magic and gun warfare collide.In a far-off Quadrant known as North America, a young soldier named Hope is 16 years old when he gets infected by the Nightmare Spell. He passed! But...he feels a bit scammed...?A flaw that makes him fade from people's memories...A cursed attribute that makes him remember everything endlessly in eternal wakefulness...It's as if the Spell is twisting his future and existence into an almost improbable one.All he has ever known his purpose to be was to serve as a simple soldier. Not too powerful. But not so weak either. And maybe, just maybe like some others, become an Awakened. Although he never dreamt of being one.Now that his whole life is compromised after his First Nightmare, his first objective is to survive on his own. But as he tries to escape his fate, his actions seem to lead him further from his goal.He struggles against obstacles that slowly grow bigger and out of proportion.Maybe the Dream Realm and the Real World aren't so different than one may think.Hope's journey involves uncovering secrets and gaining knowledge about his true nature and his new role in the world.Is he fit to be a hero?Could he redefine it?***Please read the READER DISCLAIMER in Volume 0.This is my spin-off novel of “Shadow Slave” by Guiltythree.But please don't expect the same writing style, setting, and characters, especially the main character.This story reveals more about how people/cities/governments operate after the Spell’s arrival. I always find it interesting how maybe one country handles it fairly, but how others handle it with desperation to the point that you question humanity.There will be easter eggs pointing to the original novel either intentional for the plot or unrelated to it, but all for fun.I am a new author so props to all who bear with me and helps me improve my writing. If it is not for you, please don't leave outright hate comments. Eat wassabi instead if you want pain. Critique and advice would be great too.

Immediately after Gu Changge realized he had transgressed into a fantasy world, the world’s protagonist, and fortune’s chosen, vowed to take revenge on him. Envied by all, he not only has the female lead head over heels for him but he’s also treated as a distinguished guest wherever he goes. Fortunately, Gu Changge’s prestige and power are superior to everyone else’s, so shouldn’t it be easy to trample on a mere fortune’s chosen?

When I became a rich young master, I had to enjoy it.

A decade ago, the first dungeon gates appeared, but some vanished before they were ever conquered. The MC, a low-rank hunter, awakens the Lost Gate System, granting him access to these forgotten dungeons where legendary monsters and artifacts are trapped. Each completed lost gate grants him absurd power, but also reveals terrifying truths—these dungeons are prisons for ancient beings who want revenge.