Seeking the Tao in the Mortal World - Chapter 179: Intertwined Memories

The most popular game worldwide is Ancient Arena Online, a high-octane PvP fantasy game where teams fight for supremacy in mythical arenas. Millions of fans watch livestreams, bet on matches, and follow their favorite players like celebrities. The game’s competitive scene is so fierce that professional teams are treated like esports royalty.At the heart of it all is Kai Ashford, one of the top players and captain of the pro team Phoenix Edge. With lightning-fast reflexes and strategic brilliance, Kai leads his team to countless victories. But success breeds jealousy. Sabotaged by a teammate he thought was loyal, Kai is not only kicked off his team, but also humiliated in front of millions of fans. With his reputation shattered and confidence at rock bottom, Kai retreats from the public eye.However, Kai's competitive spirit is not easily extinguished. He stumbles upon a group of amateur players—a ragtag bunch who show raw potential but lack the finesse needed to win at the highest levels. Their quirky personalities clash with his no-nonsense attitude, but something about their passion reminds him of why he started gaming in the first place. Deciding to put his past behind him, Kai agrees to train them into a professional team.Along the way, Kai builds unexpected connections with his new teammates, including romantic entanglements with a fiery mage, an eccentric hacker, and a mysterious assassin player, all while juggling his personal feelings and growing attraction for multiple women. As his new team rises through the ranks, they gain attention from fans and sponsors, putting them back on the radar of the professional scene.But Kai’s past doesn’t stay buried for long. His former teammates—now rivals—plot to sabotage him once again, while jealous contenders within the gaming world aim to tear him down. However, Kai's return to the spotlight will be on his terms this time. With a darker, more calculating approach, he plans to not only dominate the game but also to get sweet revenge on those who betrayed him.

On one spring evening when I was eight years old, I, Erica, Duke of Aurelia’s daughter, realized something.

Huh, I have reincarnated into a fantasy world, haven’t I?

Moreover, it was the romance-fantasy girl game that had the reputation of being bloody, 『Liber Monstrorum ~Phantom Beasts and the Winter Princess~』

The face reflected in the mirror was that of the villainess character of that game.

After repeatedly harassing many characters, including the heroine, she would die without exception, signaling the beginning of an event called the bizarre incident. She was a villain who deserved to get the consequences!

—I absolutely don’t want a destiny like that, though?

No, for me who has remembered the memory of my previous life, there would be no such thing.

In my previous life, I was harassed immensely by an irrationally angry yandere man who proclaimed ‘She is absolutely in love with me.’

My cause of death, too, was from being stabbed by another yandere man who I only had talked with a few times……

Now that I have become the haughty villainess Erica, I shouldn’t encounter more misunderstandings like with the previous life’s yandere men anymore, right……?

In that case, it will be fine as long as I deal with the death flags that I may have raised myself.

All right! First of all, before the bizarre incident begins at the Magic Academy, I will strike down the death flags accordingly!!

—Or so I thought, but it seems that I am about to die.

Eeh, how did this happen—!?

Earth, thousands of years after the apocalypse.

Countless technologies and advances had been lost to time as the Specters, horrifying beings with terrifying powers, arrived and destroyed the world.

Over the coming thousands of years, humanity had built itself up but always died again.

Nobody remembers the past.

Nobody remembers what humanity had once accomplished.

Now, everyone is living in a world where the Specters reign supreme.

-----

A boy with amnesia woke up in the middle of the Dregs, the worst part of Crimson Fungus City.

The boy grows up and manages to become strong enough to pass an exam for one of the most prestigious jobs in existence, a Zephyx Extractor, someone that can harvest the powers of Specters.

Sadly, he had already gained a power from a Specter in the past, which made him ineligible for the position.

But then, a mysterious man visits him.

And his luck finally turns around.

……………………………………………………………

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Wei Shao’s part.

At first, Marquis of Yan, Wei Shao, was advised to marry the Qiao’s daughter : “The Qiao’s family has been in the Eastern County for three generations, although declining, but deeply honored, like the hundred-foot insects that die but not stiff. My Lord is majestic and powerful. The family of Qiao has begged the Lord, so why not take the daughter of the Qiao family and use her?”

Later, Wei Shao finally understood and hit his own face. It’s hurt, really hurt.

Xiao Qiao’s part.

Hmm, men are indeed cheap bones. The Emperor is the same.

……

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