Solace: The Infinite Path - Chapter 3: Shadows and Space

When I opened my eyes, I was inside a novel.

“Go Yohan, you really are a terrible bastard.”“I can’t help it. Bullying is more fun than being bullied.”Despite his outer appearance of a kind model student, Kang Jun was filled to the brim with an inferiority complex.As he advanced into his second year, he grew closer to Go Yohan, who was in the same class as him.“I’ll treat you especially different.”At some point, as if it were only natural, Go Yohan claimed his seat at the very summit of the pyramid inside the school.He, whose second nature seemed to be ignoring and suppressing others, showed interest in Kang Jun.Kang Jun, who was subtly ignored by his friends for being weak, didn’t dislike Go Yohan’s interest, but…Eighteen, the period where one’s pride took the lead and held fear of crossing the line.Kang Jun had to make a choice to survive.A very wise choice.

“Every second, every moment, every breath of mine, Charles. I will never forget what they had done to me. My revenge… was never completed last time… and this time. They will pay a hundredfold more than they can afford. Only then, I will be free of this misery of mine.” -Mikael Aroa to Charles Richard…Mikael Aroa, lost everything in the end.Lover, family, friends, trust, hope and perhaps his will to live as well.They took everything from him in this life, whether it was his [Time-Seer] class within the game, or the entire corporation he built from scratch in the real world.They took everything.Mikael Aroa, killed everyone who destroyed his life.Enemies, competition, assassins, people who wanted to abuse his weaknesses and perhaps even his desire to live in this world.Nothing was left to be done.The revenge wasn’t beautiful.It didn’t fill the void of regret he had. It didn’t soothe his anger, his anguish and his misery.But nothing more was left that could be done…So, he decided to end it all.But…“Save them for me,” fate twisted, bent and rewound itself.-Bang!A bullet to the head, from a strange emerald gun, from an honest inspector, Charles Richard, who still abided by the law in this borderline lawless world.And the next thing that Mikael saw…His mother, who died a decade ago, cooking his favourite meal once again.And his body, 10 years younger, was ready to turn the entire world upside down with the knowledge and skills he had honed to the peak.******It's The year 2078 that the world finally succeeded with its first biggest and most successful MMORPG ever.Arcadia Online.A world much vast than our own, holding thousands of secrets of its own waiting to be explored. Where even Gods intervene when they need to, and people have the chance to dethrone the very Gods themselves.Here Races exist and so do their Kingdoms. Be it Elves, or be it Undeads, you will find every race possible here somewhere hiding in the corner of the world. Be it Dragons or be it Unicorns, you will get what you want as long as you have what it takes to get it.And just like any other Fantasy, Monsters roam freely here without any limitations. And monsters… could come in any form. So be careful what you wish for.Choose what you want to beAn adventurer who lives his/her/them/they/it’s life trying to figure out the mystery of the world, meeting new people or just strolling past the beautiful sceneries and making memories.A Blacksmith who creates weapons that even the Gods would kill to get.A Merchant so big that he can buy anentire kingdom if he wishes to.Climb the Highest mountain or reach the deepest trench. Become a Dragonslayer or saviour of the Elven Kingdom. The choices are yours.Or maybe you could stumble upon the [Main Quest] and be called upon an adventure that will shake the entire core of Arcadia? Though the rewards will be high, will you take the risk that might wipe out an entire nation? May the Gods of Arcadia Bless you… unless of course your journey is to kill them…Though… no matter where you go… no matter what you become… you must always remember that…Arcadia has its own rules and regulations.***

Tae-seo, a villain who tormented the main character in an Omega verse novel, suddenly finds himself reincarnated into that very antagonist role. What’s worse, he reincarnates just as he’s about to administer a heat-inducing drug to the main character!Tae-seo, the protagonist of the original story, thwarts Seo Da-rae’s plan to administer the drug and, in order to avoid triggering a dead flag, casually drinks the inducer. Reincarnated not as an Omega but as a Beta, Tae-seo expects nothing out of the ordinary to happen.“Well, causing a cycle right here is quite audacious. Or are you asking just anyone to pick you up?”Unfortunately, due to side effects, Tae-seo manifests as an Omega and experiences the heat cycle. By chance, he ends up sharing a bed with a man named Kang Se-heon.“Don’t expect me to take responsibility later. I have no intention of being manipulated by a bloodthirsty person like you.”“I don’t have any intention of asking you to take responsibility either.”Initially unaware of his relatively minor role in the original story, Tae-seo is surprised to learn that Kang Se-heon happens to be the main character’s cousin. As Se-heon starts approaching Tae-seo in a suspicious manner and even other characters from the original story oddly gravitate towards him, Tae-seo’s confusion deepens.“Yoon Tae-seo, you should choose me, even if it’s for the sake of the child.”Will Tae-seo be able to navigate through the night with Kang Se-heon and escape the grasp of the original story’s main characters unscathed?