Steel and Mana - Chapter 13 – First Building Blocks

Humanity had finally ended the war with the Demon Race and sealed them away, forever.However, they now have to face the treat of the Shadow World, an equally dangerous threat to their civilisation under the rule of the Emperor!Facing only misfortune from a young age, Nikolaus Reinhardt never expected anything good to happen to him.But his world completely changed when he awakened as an Ascendant, and accidentally summoned a member of the Demon Race in his house.Just because he messed around with a god damn book!

Not everyone wants to live a life filled with fame, riches, glory, and honor. Some, just want the easy life. To live a life that simply plays itself over and over, with a hint of spice here and there.

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

A mysterious game called “Forsaken” descends upon the world. Players can slay monsters to extend their lifespan, or consume their lifespan to extract game abilities into reality!As extraordinary powers emerge, chaos spreads across Blue Star, plunging the world into disaster.In his previous life, Qin Feng, along with his cousin Qin Xiaoyou, rose to become one of the top hundred global powerhouses. But in the end, he was betrayed by his star-struck sister, who gouged out his 'Ancient God Eyes' to gift them to her idol.Reborn in a new life, Qin Feng chooses to walk alone!His sister? Let her be damned!Thus, a god-level assassin with no shadow or form is born.He is the Shadow, dancing in the dark with his blades. Death and slaughter bloom like art in his hands...Surrounded by countless corpses, he will ascend to the throne of gods!P.S.: Skills evolve infinitely—permanent invisibility, one-hit kill, hundredfold drop rate, divine slaying with ease...