MTL - Mermaid Effect - Chapter 24

In humanity’s final war against the Demon Lord, the strongest heroes fell—not by the enemy’s hand, but by their own, twisted into madness by a cruel illusion. Betrayal. Bloodshed. Despair… and then, silence.Only one person remained: Riley—the weakest warrior of them all. Powerless. Ignored. Forgotten.But he saw through the Demon Lord’s deception. The tyrant was on the brink of death—so weak even a fly could’ve finished him off.And Riley did just that, drawing every last ounce of strength to bite off the demon’s head.Victory? Not quite. A final, desperate strike from the Demon Lord pierced him from behind, killing him instantly.But fate wasn’t done with him yet.Riley awoke ten years in the past—when the online game [Apocalypse] was launched. Before demons descended. Before monsters overran the world.And this time, he wasn’t starting from nothing. He had a decade of experience—and a second chance.Even more shocking, he didn’t awaken his old D-rank Strength Boost talent. This time, he received something far more terrifying: an SSS-Rank Gluttony talent!He could now devour anything—monsters, items, talents, even traits—and gain their power.Ding![You have devoured: Iron Fang Wolf][Acquired: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, Skill: Bite (F-rank)][You have devoured: Goblin ShamanAcquired: +8 Intelligence, Skill: Mana Bolt (E-rank), Talent: Minor Spellcasting Efficiency][You have devoured: Flaming Salamander Drake][Acquired: +22 Endurance, Trait: Dragon’s Resilience, Skill: Flame Breath (C-rank)]Now, there is no demon, no god, no monster who will stand in his way. He will devour everything—and save the world.But the power of Gluttony was a double edged sword. If he wasn’t careful… he could be the one getting consumed.

David thought he would live a normal life when he awakened the banking system at the age of 18.However, fate seemed to have something else in store for him as his life turned upside down when following the death of one of his loyal client, a shiny window popped up in front of him.[Regretfully! You lost one of your clients today. However, the Bank of Eternal Origin can never suffer a loss.Even if he died, the client will have to pay back somehow, therefore his soul was captured. You now have the following options, keep in mind that you can only choose one.1 - Extract Client's Crystallion of Life (Money Talks, Grade - Uncommon)2 - Extract Bryan's memories from his birth till his death.3 - Any item that client owned in his lifetime.4- Do Nothing, let the compound interest do its thing and decide again when the Client dies in his next life.Please note as capturing the soul and imprisoning it requires a large amount of mana because of which you only have two hours left to make a choice.]

[WSA 2024 Entry][3-5 daily chapers update]“BOOM!”Tron's body smashed through seven mountains, shattering them to dust as shockwaves destroyed everything in a twenty mile radius!But by a stroke of luck, he managed to survive.[DING!][Host's has received an attack from a Crimson Void Dragon God][Host's muscles will begin to adapt to the same level of power.][DING!][Congratulations Host, You now possess the strength of a God-level Magus!]* * *In a world where magic reign supreme, Tron Mahoraga was rendered crippled, his Magical Cortex destroyed, used as an experiment for an Arch Magus.However...[Ding! Congratulations! Ultimate Evil Matrix System Activated!][ERROR!!! Arcane Cortex not detected!!!][Multiversal Law Of Survival Activated][Randomly increasing one of host's ability... ][Ding! Supreme Muscle Adaptation acquired: Host's Cells can adapt 10,000× times faster than regular human]

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.

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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?

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