Tunnel Rat - Chapter 37: Lurking

Is a flower demon with three hundred years of cultivation.

Shao Zi’s biggest wish is to beat up that egghead Scholar (shu sheng) that always comes to water plants at noon.

But when she got close and rubs her hands in preparation for action, she realizes that she’s clearly playing along to someone’s rhythm ah!

- Description from Novelupdates

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!

[Webnovel Spirity Awards 2025 Entry]In a world of magic and machines, Blaine Lionheart had been proclaimed a once-in-a-lifetime genius since he was still just a child.Born to the Legendary Warrior who had earned himself the moniker of 'Supreme Sword', Blaine was seemingly destined for greatness from the moment he first opened his eyes.He awakened to his unique Mana Art at the age of eight and entered the Kingdom's Royal Guard at the age of twelve.However, despite all of this... There was one thing that the boy genius could never do.Protect the people he cared about.No matter how hard he tried... Everyone he cared about would slowly slip through his hands, with him powerless to save them.And now that he's being reassigned to be the princess's bodyguard... Blaine can only hope that history doesn't repeat itself.No... He wouldn't let it!

[A/N: I urge you to give it a try to chapter 20, if you still don't like it then you can drop it, but you won't be disappointed!]_________________________________[Ding! You have defeated the Mobius King Titan!][Ding! You have defeated the Primordial Demon General!][Ding! You have gained the Dual Soul-Core!]I was just an average guy with normal dreams, you know? The kind of dreams that teenagers have at one point in their lives. However, I learned the hard way that dreams are completely different from reality.In the real world, your fate decided your life, and mine was twisted. My father and brother died in an accident, and after attempting to save my mother from her condition, I got hit by a truck.But death wasn't always the end of one's journey.Moments after my death, I discovered I awakened the Dragon Sage system and was transmigrating into another world when suddenly, my transmigration was altered by the spell of a goddess whose goal was to summon capable Soul-Hunters.Because of that, I got transmigrated into the wrong world with two of my classmates. Not as a hero, not even as a low-class villian, but as a no-named character who wasn't even relevant to the story, a character rejected by the author at chapter 2.An extra.But hey, in this world where an individual's place in society was decided by their talents, I knew my fate would change now that I had a system, and I awakened a talent too.But something went wrong.[Error... Error... Error]While others awakened talents beyond comprehension, due to an unexpected event, I awakened nothing and was faced with mockery, and eventually, I was abandoned by my teammates.However, moments before my death, I discovered that because of the goddess's intervention, I awakened something, something no human should have been able to.[Due to System errors, your false awakening has been deleted.][Due to System errors, the hosts Soul-Cores will be reset back to it's default state.][Due to system errors, all restrictions has been removed from level 5!][Due to system errors, all cooldowns has been temporarily disabled!][Rebooting System Functions...][System functions has been successful rebooted!][Ding! You have fulfilled the conditions for a re-awakening!][Ding! You have sealed the shadow contract!][Ding! You have obtained a new shadow summoning!][Ding! You have tamed the dragon god!]My system crashed.And because of it I got access to the infinite powers of the shadows. Now, armed with an army no one man should possess, I took on this world only to discover that my journey wasn't just about becoming the strongest, it was about surviving. So the war against these Soul-Beasts? It wasn't just humanity's fight anymore, it was mine.I refuse to be at the mercy of fate, so if this world rejected me, I'll reject it too. It made sure of that when it tried to eliminate me._________________________________[A/N: A bit moderate paced.Additionally tags: Summons, dragons, extra, weak to strong. Note that the MC has a harsh past, so if you don't like it, this isn't for you.]