Arc of Fire - Chapter 28: The First Wave of Casualties

Ripped from a dead-end life and plunged into a world where danger lurks behind every smile, Xiulan must learn to thrive in a realm ruled by ruthless ambition and deadly secrets. When Li Mei dies in a traffic accident after another soul-crushing retail shift, she awakens in a familiar yet dangerous world—inside her favorite game, . Now inhabiting the body of Lin Xiulan, the scorned second daughter of a noble family, she finds herself thrust into a nest of vipers where her very existence is an offense to those around her. Armed only with her knowledge of the game and the wounds from a lifetime of dealing with entitled customers, Xiulan refuses to play the role of the family’s punching bag. Determined to rise above, she’ll need to master immortal alchemy, tame arcane spirit beasts, perfect her martial arts, and face off against her scheming sisters and stepmother. But in Arinthia, a land where power reigns supreme and the weak are swept aside, Xiulan must do more than just survive and fade into the background. With the knowledge of a devastating future that awaits the realm’s beloved Crown Princess, she’ll need every ounce of her modern wit and growing abilities to prevent a catastrophe that would ruin the entire realm—assuming she can survive her own family long enough to do anything about it. Only by transforming herself into a force of reckoning can Xiulan hope to protect those she comes to care about—and survive the darkness that awaits.

The Gu family had a troublemaker in the family. Her name was Gu Ning. Her mother died in childbirth when she was born. Her stepmother fell off a flight of stairs while pregnant and died. Gu Ning’s father punished her by making her face the wall in the attic. The attic was dark and humid, and there was no sunlight at all. Nobody brought her food, and Gu Ning thought she might very well die there. Moments before her death, she dialed a number that her mother had told her before she passed away.

After she hung up, there were rumbling sounds all around her. The Gu family’s residence was surrounded by a group of bodyguards dressed in black. Eight men got out of their cars, each with a different aura. They went directly to the attic.

The man who led them went down on one knee and held Gu Ning, unconscious, in his arms. He had a solemn expression on his face. “The Gu family needs to go bankrupt.”

After sleeping the entire night, Gu Ning woke up to find that her father was bankrupt. Her family members were all homeless. Meanwhile, she…

She had eight uncles and a kind grandfather who loved her dearly.

Gu Ning’s father regretted what he did, and he was unwilling to accept his fate. So what if Gu Ning was living a good life now? She was still the troublemaker who got her mother killed and her father bankrupt!

Little did he know, after Gu Ning returned to her uncle’s house, their luck only seemed to improve. Even her bedridden grandmother could now get out of bed and dance in the square! Finally, a god-like man claimed to be her father. He pampered her to the point where the entire world became envious of her.

Dear readers! Fresh green style, maybe you will like it more in .

A fully immersive game known as “Game of Gods” had swept the world by storm.

It was an online game about elves, magical beasts, and gods, and players could choose to play as one of the vast selection of classes and skills.

As soon as Occam logged into the game, he was rewarded with a 10x point system.

Since he was too lazy to move around in the game using various active skills, he decided to pour all of his points into the passive skills.

He fully leveled a ton of passive skills that could allow him to defeat a boss without even moving, skills such as Counter Attack, Sacrifice, Stun, Evasion, Magic Damage Nullifier, and more.

When the players witnessed how Occam defeat his foes, they all had the same reaction. “What the hell? He doesn’t have to move and he’s literally a God!”

The Empire's forces retreated in desperation—trampled by faceless horrors bringing darkness and death to these once beautiful lands.Only the most courageous stood in defiance, forming a last defence to buy the people time to flee—fighting until the final embers of hope burned out.A man stands with a silver sword, like a beacon of hope to those around him. He roared with all his might drawing his blade against the overwhelming enemy!“You face Lancelot, Sword of the Empire! ”These horrors tested the Lord's grit and loyalty in the final moments.“Should my blade break, I will use my body!”The knights had fallen, broken swords for their tombstones, and lords fled, betraying the Empire to survive.“If my body breaks, I'll use my Soul!”Lancelot, the sword of the Empire, fought alone.All hope seemed lost.“And if my Soul fails...”What could a single man and his army do?He fights against the dark tide, blade in hand, heart on sleeve.“I will sell myself to the devil for revenge!”But he was too weak, too fragile.The last Lord of humanity stood against the enemy.Lancelot was a master of the sword, a mortal, neither a God nor a Saint.Miracles were beyond his reach.Now only a broken man impaled on his own destroyed throne.His blade shattered—now, like rose petals, it was scattered across the charred ground.Lancelot's soul was fated for the abyss as the light faded from his eyes.His last ounce of resistance used staring at the man who betrayed the Empire.Now with only the desire to kill, crush and seek revenge smouldering inside him.Now unwilling to die and desperate to fight once again.He desired to fight for the people who supported him.Lancelot refused to surrender, to fall like this.As quietly in the abyss, a voice whispered to him.It tried to entice the Lord, ignite his desire to win and fight again.“If given a second chance, to relive your life with a different choice... Would you Accept?”Blood gathered in his throat, forcing him to reply in his mind.A frail and broken voice'There is no reason to ask, of course!'“No matter the cost?”'Even if I were to lose everything...''If my people can live on. I would sacrifice everything I have!'“You will no longer be the same, a monster, twisted and vicious.”“Will you still accept?”The Lord's heart ached, taking great pride in his humanity.To lose that caused his mind to falter.Finally, out of power, unable to speak or reply with a trembling arm.Lancelot reached out.Towards the raspy voice.Towards the abyss.Towards a new future.[So you would accept after all...]'I must accept.''I must stand tall.''I must not break.''Because...''I am the Lord of humanity![Nay, you are the king of demons]