A Valiant Life - Chapter 2: A Failing Business

As the overweight daughter of the Sutton family, Kelsie is an eyesore to everyone. Her father can't wait to get rid of her, his wife and their daughter daughter too.The man she's supposed to marry can't stand her and looks for ways to end their engagement, all to no avail.But on the day she's to get married, she finds out she's pregnant.Her fiancé finally uses the opportunity to break off his engagement to her and her father sends her packing to her aunt in another city never to return after she refuses to remove the baby like he asked her to.Seven years later, she returns to the city to claim her position as the heiress of her mother's fortune, which her father and his wife and daughter has been living off of all these years.But not as the overweight duckling everyone expected, but as a stunning, glamorous woman.Behind her are three children: a daughter who looks exactly like her, a handsome son, and another handsome son who looks too much like the most powerful man in the city.Unexpectedly, the dimwit, her fiancé who broke off their engagement comes begging for them to get married like they were supposed to.“So what if you're stunning now and lost all that weight? Everyone knows you used to be an ugly duckling. Who knows the underhanded ways you resorted to to lose weight. Forget our past and marry me again.”The woman looked at him and snickered. “Aren't you the heir of the Baker family? Why would you marry a fatso like me?”The man huffed and said arrogantly. “Hmph! Do whatever you want. But I assure you that no one in Silicon Valley will want to marry a woman saddled with bastard children!”The triplets came up on his face and snorted in disdain. “Who's this? Where is daddy when a man like this harasses mommy?”“I told you he wasn’t worth her. Hurry up and call him quickly.”The man who was in the middle of a conference call ended it as soon as he heard the news and went straight to where she was.“Are you hitting on my wife? Bastards? Are you calling the beloved children of Jett Adler bastards?”“Eh-what? Jett Adler? The most powerful man in the city? How is that even possible!”

In the year 2090, technology has advanced to the point where Simulation Boxes, (Sim Box for short) are common place, allowing for the user to link up their brain's neural network to a full dive Simulation. While initially used for educational purposes, recently a large gaming company, Averon, released a fully fledged immersive MMORPG simulation where users can become anyone they desire, level up, choose their class, and become a hero or a villain. The name of this simulation is The Shattered World Online.

Eli Winters had no interest in playing it. His father, a jobless bum who spent his entire life playing games in the hope of becoming a famous player or streamer, was able to use the release of The Shattered World Online to gain wealth and fame, quickly becoming the number one player and a household name as the game took the world by storm. He immediately abandoned Eli and his mother in favor of being with someone from his guild, despite his mother having worked two jobs to support them and raise Eli by herself. Eli had nothing but spite for his father and the game.

When Eli's best friend convinces him to try out the game, his father's fame begins to interfere, culminating in him being singled out and shunned by his peers, and his father offering to pay for his university tuition in return for Eli hiding their relationship and quitting the game. Instead of complying with his father's wishes, Eli decides to prove to everyone how useless a guy his father is by challenging him that if Eli is able to surpass him in the game world he must delete his account and quit his streaming career. His father accepts the challenge believing his son to be useless at games - but Eli will soon show him just how ambitious a spiteful person can be.

A salaryman by day and an Aquamancer by night. Qin Ruo might be a newbie in the popular, immersive MMORPG, “Honor and Glory”. However, that did not stop him from using his wits and battle instincts to raise money for a beloved friend’s medical fees, which eventually led him to become an elite player in the game. As Qin Ruo and his comrades progress further into the game, the trials and tribulations they face magnify. Which faction will prevail on the Mythical Battlefield? Read to find out!

In a world where black holes, magical talents, and formidable hunters form the fabric of everyday life, Ethan Cross—a freshly graduated student with an uncertain future—once believed he would lead an ordinary existence like everyone else. However, everything changed when he awakened a seemingly feeble and inexplicable ability known as “Coexistence with Darkness.” No one took his talent seriously—until a catastrophic dimensional rupture unleashed terrifying creatures known as the “Demons of Corruption” upon him.On the brink of death, the pendant he had inherited from his father suddenly activated, summoning three dragon girls—beings of unimaginable power, yet with complex and rebellious personalities. Cursed in the past and trapped within that pendant, these three dragons have now become inexplicably bonded to Ethan. The twist, however, is that they neither recognize him as their master nor believe he is worthy of such a union.Now, Ethan must unravel the mystery of the darkness within him, learn to control his burgeoning powers, and find a way to tame these proud dragonesses—forces that could either aid him in his quest to conquer the underworld or lead to his ultimate downfall.A power that no one had believed in has become the key to mastering the shadows. Can Ethan harness it without being consumed by the darkness?