Stella & Khaos : The tale of duality. - Chapter 16: The arcane engine

Welcome to the world that has shed its old skin.

It's an age of avant-garde technologies that break common sense. Science that transcends fantasy. And yet, it has lost its charm in the face of something even more fantastical.

The presence of mana is for those who are blessed by their origins. The Rankers are the true elites of their circles.

A long lifespan is possible. Gaining superhuman powers is feasible. But what use is personal power when the entire existence of your species is on the line?

Things on Earth are much more serious than the general populace is aware of. A threat of the unknown looms over the existence of everything living and otherwise.

Humanity may soon need to leave the only place it calls home. And seek shelter somewhere else in the infinite universe.

Who would find the Oasis for humans who have never been so powerful or as helpless as they are now? Will it be the hero they asked for? Or will it be the not-a-hero they need?

What happens when that not-a-hero gains one of the most broken powers?

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I am lost and found

In the world of dreams

My serenity awaits

Amid the banshee screams!

Within mayhem, I'll find my reason

Within sorrows, my bliss

In the darkness, I'll see my light

In the desert, my oasis!

- Grayback

My younger brother died.And it happened inside the prestigious private school that I struggled so hard to get him into.As I was crying in despair in front of his grave,A strange man who claimed to be the student council president appeared and made an unbelievable offer.“Would you like to go back one year if you could?”He seemed like a swindler, but faced with sudden despair, I had no other choice.I grasped at this rotten lifeline and hastily made a deal with him.And surprisingly, I really did go back one year in time.Without wasting time, I immediately transferred to that problematic private school. To protect my younger brother who was still alive.But this school, the atmosphere is not right.Ghosts and spirits appear all over the school, and ‘ghost stories’ occur.Somehow, my brother seems to be connected to these strange phenomena.Will I, Melody Hastings, be able to safely solve the ghost story, protect my younger brother, and get out of this school?

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.

Chen Rui, an otaku from earth, is reborn into a human body in another world, who falls into the legendary evil, brutal world of the devil called Mozu where humans are treated as food. He has to survive while facing horrors of the devil, violent dragons and a variety of power enemies depending on a strange super system chip and his wits. Surrounded by Devil’s beauties such as black-bellied lolita princess, cold queens, violent dragons, charming poisonous devils …

Wanting to live in the Devil’s world is hard! Wanting to live in the Devil’s world as a human is harder! Wanting a human to be the devil’s son-in-law is hardest!

Let us see how a small otaku uses power and strategy step by step starting from an ordinary human to writing a legend as the devil’s greatest son-in-law.

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