MTL - I Am a Normal Player! - Chapter 555 Chance is something like this, as long as you have it, don't pick and choose

Li Yi once lived the dream of every pro gamer. He was at the top of his game with the best equipment, the highest stats, and everything a gamer could ever hope for. However, he soon realized that none of his ill-gotten gains for his to keep when he was branded Public Enemy Number One and killed in the biggest battle of the ages.Now, he has the chance to turn back the clock and return to a time before his first mistake put him on the path of no return. This time, Li Yi will make different choices. With that, comes many interesting encounters — like saving a woman in distress then making love to her seven times in a row while her child slept in the next room. However, will he get back to what truly matters?One thing is for sure, with the memories retained from his past, he will become King of this game.

A modern-day antihero, who was infamous for his devious acts, dies in an explosion meant to take down a powerful criminal syndicate. Waking up in a world of sword and sorcery, he finds himself possessing a fragile, powerless body with a strange “System” that seems broken. Initially thinking he's doomed, he learns that by pretending to be weak, he can manipulate others into revealing their secrets, granting him abilities they possess. As he rises in power, he discovers that the System was intentionally sabotaged—by none other than his own future self.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

=========================================

I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

……………………………………………………………

Dear readers! Without any ads, maybe you will prefer .

[Main Plot Completed]A love doomed from the start, a lost cause, a losing battle—and yet, neither hearts are willing to let go until the very end.-----Arlan Cromwell, the epitome of the perfect Crown Prince. All he wants is to live a normal life of a human but the life of a dragon is anything but normal. He has but one goal—to find his runaway betrothed and behead her. What happens when he discovers that the woman who has snagged his heart is the one he vowed to kill?Oriana, a Black Witch, disguising herself as a man, has spent her entire life on the run without knowing what she is running away from. When the mysteries of her past slowly catch up to her, she has no one to turn to…except Arlan. But when she learns that the man she has given her heart to is the same man who wants to kill her, how can she accept the cruel card life dealt her?Two people with secrets to keep, identities to hide, and answers to find. When the certain darkness threatens to take Oriana away, will the Dragon be able to protect his mate?-----Excerpt-“If I knew you were my betrothed, I would have killed you the very first moment we met.” Arlan's gaze darkened with hatred.“If I knew I was betrothed to you, I would have killed myself before you even killed me!” Oriana mirrored the same emotions as him.He pulled out a dagger and offered it to her. “It’s not too late. Just slit your throat with this and you'll bleed out painlessly.”She accepted the knife, her fingers clutching its handle tightly. The next moment, he was pressed against the wall and the knife was on the right side of his neck. “How about I try it on you first, my betrothed?”“Feel free to try. But when you fail, this knife will first taste your grandpa's blood, then yours.”Anger rose in her eyes, and the next moment, blood was flowing through the right side of his neck. She cut deep enough to severe an important blood vessel.“You should not have challenged me,” she sneered and stepped back, waiting for him to collapse.He simply smirked and brushed his finger along the deep wound on his neck. “Seems like you failed.”She watched the wound on his neck heal on its own and felt shocked to her bones. “You.. what are you?”“Guess?”