Book Of The Dead - Chapter 32: Dabbling in the Dark

Frost is a healer and must use her wits, modern knowledge of medicine and challenge her moral compass in order to survive this world of Eldritch entities born from emotions, folklore, fairy tales, concepts and despair. She was no more than an ordinary man who fell into an unordinary circumstance. Suddenly appearing in a place called the Nexus in a different world from Earth had left him... er... HER curious about what this newfound world is all about. A world of swords, kingdoms and dungeons? Yep. Of races that were thought to be found only in fiction? Oh yeah. Of technologies that far surpass anything seen on Earth? Huh? isn’t that a bit much? At least they’re limited. And of magic that blatantly violates the laws of physics!? Yeah... physics don’t apply here. But her curiosity ended up costing her before she had learned much of the world of Elysia, and she was betrayed by a person she was led to believe she could trust the most. Come join Frost as she tackles Eldritch entities in a strange world far from home. However, this world may be a lot more closer to home than she realizes. *** < Judgement in Progress > The ‘Blessing of the Nexus’, which she had come to call the ‘System’, displayed these words before her wilting eyes. “Judge… ment... I… I came from… Earth… Transported here… turned into… a girl… and now… I’m being… Judged…? < Decision of One Thousand Juries Pending > < Awaiting Verdict > “… If… my only… wrong… is living… then I’d rather… be wrong… to the very end!” When the black forest fused with the darkness behind her eyelids – – A message appeared.

After the sudden death of her boyfriend, Leslie Song has been single-handedly raising her precious little daughter Calliope. It’s a difficult life, but it’s a happy one. A freak accident puts an end to that.As Leslie lies dying on the road, watching Calliope breathe her last, she curses her helplessness. Calliope’s crochet fox seems to hear her. It opens its mouth and asks, “Do you want to see your daughter again? If so, follow me. Her soul has already left for another world.”Leslie agrees. That’s the last thing she remembers before losing consciousness. When she opens her eyes again, she finds herself—or rather, her soul—standing beside her unconscious body on a hospital bed.“How is this supposed to help me find Calliope!” she exclaims.“This is not your body. Your body is dead. This is my original host, Charlene Li,” explains the toy fox. “You can possess her body to find Calliope, but if you do, you must finish her uncompleted mission for her.”“And what mission is that?”“To marry the second most eligible CEO in the city.”‘This,’ Leslie concludes, ‘is a scam.’ But she has no other choice.**********Meanwhile, the second most eligible bachelor in the city, Calix Xu, is patting himself on the back for thwarting his grandmother’s attempts to marry him off. After exhausting all of his tricks and excuses, he has resorted to marrying the comatose daughter of the Li family.Calix smiles, pleased with himself, “Aren't I smart? Grandmother can do nothing now.”But… why is he seeing his newly-wedded wife hovering beside her own body?Before he can react, his wife—the moving one—floats towards him.“Husband! Help me find my child!”“Your child?” Calix asks weakly before doing the only reasonable thing he can do in such a situation.He faints.

Traveling through the world of pirates, Shane fell from the sky and knocked out Shiki, the golden lion who was patrolling the floating island.

With a dazed expression, the large beasts on the island heard the sound and opened their bloody mouths one by one.

Fortunately, the system was awakened, and at the beginning of the game, he obtained the full-level overlord and domineering.

Xia En was full of firepower, stunned millions of beasts, awakened the golden lion, and vowed to accept Xia En as a disciple.

Since then, this sea has completely fallen into rampage because of his appearance.

“The indescribable monster born under the Golden Lion Gate appeared in the sea!”

“The evil generation Shane established an evil pirate group.”

“The despicable and shameless pirate Shane begins his bloody journey.”

“The emperor-like Shane led his kings across the great route.”

“The great Lord Shane has arrived at his faithful holy place, Mary Joa.”

“His Majesty Shane, the unparalleled nobility, delivered a fatal blow to the dictator of the World Government.”

…

On the Red Earth Continent Pan Ancient City, Xia En stepped on the Void Throne and looked down at many sea powerhouses.

“I come, I see, I conquer!”

- Description from novelbuddy

In a world where everyone is a slave, someone is born who cannot be controlled. At the same time, an unstoppable villain rises on a quest for revenge. But the truth is darker than he ever imagined, and now he must face an unbeatable enemy — including himself.***Bruno was a young man born on Earth, the son of an influential modern Emperor. Despite having everything money could buy and receiving the best and most rigorous training to succeed his father, he chose the opposite path, defying his family’s ruthless rule.The price of his innocence? A merciless death and the complete erasure of his existence by the deity controlling his fate. On Earth, the law of the powerful was absolute; a slave could never rebel.But then, he wakes up again.He’s reborn in a world of cultivation, where freedom was promised to those strong enough to claim it. Now, he could soar like a free bird and carve his own destiny... or so he thought.The harsh reality of this new world soon showed him how insignificant he still was. He realized he had only changed masters.The freedom he sought was an illusion. The heavenly laws treated everyone as servants, and their rules were unbreakable. Bruno learned this bitter truth after losing everything that made him happy due to an unjust rule.But who was he to question?Hopeless, Bruno died... and was reborn as Alm, an unstoppable villain. With a soul poisoned by pain and vengeance, he sowed chaos across the universe. Planets were destroyed, countless lives taken, and his name became synonymous with terror.A hero rose to oppose him, wielding a sacred sword of hope. People from all corners of the universe united against Alm, raising their voices and weapons to stop the villain who defied the heavens.But Alm was no longer just fighting for revenge. He was challenging the heavenly laws that sought to control him, fighting fate and all living beings.And against all odds... the sacred sword shattered. The alliance of the entire universe was defeated.The villain won!Now, Alm found himself alone in the empty void of a dead universe, facing his own inner demons. Who could be more ruthless to him than himself?“What have I done?”At that moment, the doors of truth opened to him.Everyone was a puppet of a supreme figure, an entity that manipulated minds and even the heavenly laws.“I will find you, no matter where you are!”Thus, the last emissary of the true Heaven’s Will awakened. Alm, who once only relied on his sheer will and rage, now had a system to guide him. But his opponent was an immortal existence, above even the heavens.The villain who destroyed an entire universe now faced a new beginning. He discovered that the universe he devastated was just a tiny grain of sand in an infinite cosmos, where countless other universes existed.And so begins the legendary tale of the villain’s rise... and the Sacred Round God? A strange Duality of Shadows existed within one person.But this time, he wouldn’t be alone.***To clear up any potential confusion or frustration, here are some key points about the story. I’ll avoid major spoilers, but a few things will be revealed.You might find this concerning at first, but just check the book cover—it shows the main character and his only partner. She first appears at 10 years old, but rest assured, there’s no inappropriate content or early romance.At around 13, SHE starts developing feelings for the protagonist, but he doesn’t respond until she’s an adult. With her determined personality, she tries to seduce him at 17/18, but it doesn’t work. Their relationship only happens much later.The book has nods to other works, with my own spin on them, and focuses on avoiding elements I find problematic in other stories.Lastly, the beautiful book cover was commissioned and created by HDIArt.