This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 304:

Meet Alex Knight, a hardworking young man burdened by crushing debt and a bleak future. When his new boss turns his life into a waking nightmare, Alex finds himself trapped in a job he can't escape, his future held hostage by the whims of a tyrant.Just when he believes he has one anchor left—his girlfriend's love—a devastating betrayal leaves him utterly broken.But then the world changes. The system descends, dragging everyone into a chaotic new reality. Alex becomes the first to sync with it, earning a mysterious title:[Apocalypse Baby][You have awakened the skill: Exploding Touch][Anything you touch turns into a bomb.]Armed with a deadly gift, Alex rises from the ashes of his former life to become an unstoppable force in an urban fantasy world where power rules and vengeance drives him forward.

In 2173, the world’s first Full-World Virtual MMORPG game ‘Astral Online’ went on sale globally, forever changing the blue planet Asteria!

With its revolutionary Digital Capture System, astonishing graphics and ability to scan yourself into the game with up to 20% beautification, countless defenders rallied to play the game.

Fifty million players logged in on launch. There were no queues or lag on launch, leaving countless critics impressed and willing to try the game. Because the game used a 6-hour play limit a day, it allowed even working adults to keep up with young students and the unemployed.

A resounding success, as more people poured onto the game servers, families and friends alike. Astra Online became a household name overnight.

One month later, the game opened its first RMT system, which made earning a living from the game easier... Thus began the Astral rush!

Professional players formed guilds and factions to increase their profits, but nobody could know this prosperity was a mere joke.

One year later, players fused with their avatars, gaining powerful abilities in the real world, which tipped the power and caused chaos.

Two years later, demons and monsters from inside the game invaded the real world.

Three years later, over 90% of humanity perished, leaving the rest to hide like rats, unable to fight back in fear.

Four years later, this world is no longer ours. The demons march on our last bastions, one by one. They exterminated us.

Zell was an average player who liked to collect beasts in the game and evolve them into humanoids, as they were primarily females.

He spent most of his life working two jobs to make ends meet.

Thanks to the excellent healthcare of his country, there were no crippling debts. There was only emptiness.

When the end came, he was powerless and alone. His only companions were his cute pets and Rika, his cherished Flame Rabbit.

She was the only beast he evolved to a humanoid form after his late start to the game.

He died saving the life of a strange girl with white wings and his pet Rika, the sad eyes of Rika and the girl’s sorrow floating through the air as he slowly passed away.

However, instead of dying, he awoke inside an empty white room with a single computer and a strange, game-like screen that allowed him to edit his IRL avatar and persona.

Who offered him this second chance?

For what reason did they help him?

Can he meet Rika again?

Zell could never know; he only knew his second life’s goal.

Survive!

“Money doesn’t buy happiness. It buys crazy ahh happiness.”[Ding!]
⟪ You have cleared the 100th Floor of the Tower of Beginning. ⟫
⟪ As the requirements for the completion have been met, the game will now undergo a maintenance period. You will be logged out safely. ⟫
⟪ Rewards for completing the floor will be made available after a maintenance period and a following content will be made available. ⟫
⟪ You will be rewarded the permanent title: Conqueror of the Tower of Beginning, after the maintenance period. ⟫
⟪ Your achievements will be highlighted in the [Akashic records]. ⟫
⟪ May the fortune be on your side. ⟫Kaizen, ID:KiRA, a 24-year-old streamer and obsessive gamer, etched his name as the only player to conquer the brutal Tower of Beginning, a VRMMO notorious for its punishing difficulty.Living in a modest two-room apartment, he poured over half a decade into the game, finally conquering the impossible.But on December 12, 2052, the world flipped: blue countdown screens bearing the tower’s runes appeared globally, and colossal Towers of Cessation erupted, tearing through cities and integrating the game’s system into reality.[Time remaining until Tutorial: ][00:54:51][After the conclusion of the tutorial, clear the first floor of the Tower of Cessation within or else your world will be terminated.]Earth became a chaotic battleground of monsters, dungeons, and players.KiRA, armed with unparalleled expertise, his companion Unity, and a wealth that dwarfs all others, dived back into the fray—- not just to relive the adrenaline of the climb, but to cement his legacy as the richest and most dominant force in this new, perilous reality.

“He” was originally a weak and pitiful “sissy”. Once reborn, he became an ancient martial arts genius with both medicine and poison. The national male god.

Don’t touch anyone who belongs to her, and she will hold what is not her, and she will never be merciless when she abuses scum and face.

He is a business genius who covers the sky with one hand in Huaguo. He has a dark belly and is decisive in killing. He is the only one who turns into a loyal dog in front of her.

She kills, he sets fire. She poisoned, he silenced.

One day, the pampered and lawless Lu Xingchen said in disgust, “Brother, they all say you are my dog.”

- Description from novelbuddy