I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun - Chapter 78: Cthulhu

When I opened my eyes, I found my soul synced into the popular dating sim game, ‘Midnight’! And although I was clearly one of the female protagonists, I possessed the body of Evenes Harin, the saint who is treated like a trivial extra. What’s worse is that I must pursue one of the five male love interests and see it through to a happy ending in order to complete the game.

Having attended the triple combo of an all-girls middle school, high school, and university wasn’t enough of a debuff, having unintentionally put up an iron defense, I’ve been in ‘forever alone’ mode for 25 years. On top of that, I’ve possessed the Saint seldom played due to her atrociously difficult route! This life is screwed up, and I’m sure of it.

Liu Qing resigned.

He wrote on the reasons for his resignation:

“I’m going to inherit hundreds of millions of properties.”

- Description from novelbuddy

Koi Niles has always been alone. Quiet halls and empty lunchtimes are his familiar companions. Grades matter to him; they’re his way out.Ashley Miller owns the school corridors. Captain of the ice hockey team, confident smile, and a name everyone knows. When a class project pairs them together, Connor sees a chance. But Ashley disappears, leaving Connor to carry the weight.Days later, under the harsh lights of Connor’s part-time job, Ashley returns. This time, it’s different. He stands up for Connor, turns the tide against the bullies. A simple act of kindness that feels new and warm.They share moments—short walks, brief talks, the understanding of two worlds colliding. Friendship grows where none was before.But Ashley holds a secret behind those bright eyes. One evening, worry leads Connor to Ashley’s door. What he discovers there changes everything he thought he knew.

“That monster’s prefix is two hundred meters long?!”“It’s back. Who can stop it?”Isaac never planned for Celestia: The Eternal Realms to change his life. The game promised 100% immersion, a completely realistic world powered by quantum brainwave interfaces. But the moment he entered the game, Isaac was thrown into an entirely new world, no longer the player, but the played. His character, a “Lesser Hyena-Wolf,” came with the dreaded “Weak” prefix, reducing his stats by 20%.Isaac quickly realized that this wasn’t a game he could simply log out of. It was his new life, and there was no escape. To survive, he had to evolve, to fight, and ultimately, to conquer. He knew the game inside and out, but this wasn’t the same reality he’d logged into. This time, he would have to become the monster, instead of fearing it.Every step he took, Isaac grew stronger. He realized that monsters weren’t bound by the same rules that governed the players. He could evolve, gaining new powers and unlocking Monster Reputation. With every kill, every victory, he unlocked a new level of power. The prefixes that marked his growth—Normal, Strong, Especially Strong—were a testament to his evolution. And the players began to whisper.