The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 167 - Fear from a Higher Predator (4/4)

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.

“Sometimes it's about remembering and never forgiving.”Jane Devold, the only daughter of the CEO of one of the most successful tech companies in the country, grew up to be a seemingly happy and spoiled young woman, despite her stuttering and fragile condition.However, her rich and elegant way of living ends in a heartbeat when her father goes missing, leaving Jane alone and with an enormous debt on her hands.That's when she reunites with Vernon Lin, her strange and intimidating senior from college, who claims to be the new owner of her father's company and promises to resolve her financial issues if she agrees to marry him.His offer seems harmless, and Jane accepts his helping hand only to realize that Vernon's intentions are not so pure, and his personality is still miles away from that of a knight in shining armor.But what really does feed Vernon's unhealthy obsession with Jane? Whether it's his desire for revenge, his own twisted way of teaching the spoiled young woman how the real life works, or unresolved complicated feelings, he still succeeds in turning Jane's life into a living hell.Until he realizes that without her, his own life is hell, too.

[The return of the Great Holy Spirit, blood boiling! 】 The father was killed, the family wealth was taken, all the hands and feet were interrupted, and the revenge flame was ignited, and the Qitian Dasheng inheritance was obtained. Since then, the rise of the sky, God blocked the killing, the Buddha blocked the Buddha! Qin Feng wore a gold armor and held a hand of the sea god: “I want this world for thirty-six days, and I will return to the big holy flag!”

- Description from Fpzw (Translated)

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online-a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other-opens its virtual doors, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating their brain waves to create a wholly realistic gaming experience.

But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG-a log-out button.

Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, “game over” means certain death-both virtual and real…