Netherworld Retrograde - Chapter 501 - 236: Three-Way Melee

Set in the Shadow Slave world...a time before Sunny was born...this story follows a simple soldier who must survive in a dystopian, apocalyptic landscape where magic and gun warfare collide.In a far-off Quadrant known as North America, a young soldier named Hope is 16 years old when he gets infected by the Nightmare Spell. He passed! But...he feels a bit scammed...?A flaw that makes him fade from people's memories...A cursed attribute that makes him remember everything endlessly in eternal wakefulness...It's as if the Spell is twisting his future and existence into an almost improbable one.All he has ever known his purpose to be was to serve as a simple soldier. Not too powerful. But not so weak either. And maybe, just maybe like some others, become an Awakened. Although he never dreamt of being one.Now that his whole life is compromised after his First Nightmare, his first objective is to survive on his own. But as he tries to escape his fate, his actions seem to lead him further from his goal.He struggles against obstacles that slowly grow bigger and out of proportion.Maybe the Dream Realm and the Real World aren't so different than one may think.Hope's journey involves uncovering secrets and gaining knowledge about his true nature and his new role in the world.Is he fit to be a hero?Could he redefine it?***Please read the READER DISCLAIMER in Volume 0.This is my spin-off novel of “Shadow Slave” by Guiltythree.But please don't expect the same writing style, setting, and characters, especially the main character.This story reveals more about how people/cities/governments operate after the Spell’s arrival. I always find it interesting how maybe one country handles it fairly, but how others handle it with desperation to the point that you question humanity.There will be easter eggs pointing to the original novel either intentional for the plot or unrelated to it, but all for fun.I am a new author so props to all who bear with me and helps me improve my writing. If it is not for you, please don't leave outright hate comments. Eat wassabi instead if you want pain. Critique and advice would be great too.

Hundred contestants.Hundred days. A single rule……survive.Every year, people vanish.Some are criminals.Some are poor and desperate.The chosen are gone, traded away like a currency and never seen again..They are taken to the Recall Trials: a live-streamed, underground competition watched only by the elites.In a fractured future where society is divided into sectors ,walled cities built on wealth: Sector A (elite) to Sector D (the swamps). The elite live in technological luxury, while the outer sectors rot in poverty, crime, and sickness.To control the masses, a secretive elite group known as The Aetherions created a deadly underground reality game called The Recall Trials.The prize?Fortune and a place among the elites.The cost? Everything else.Players are forced to survive by solving deadly puzzles, facing brutal betrayals and sometimes, finding forbidden romance, all while knowing death could come at any second.When Vincent Aston, heir to one of the richest families in Sector A loses everything, he falls into a world he was never meant to see, a world that wasn’t made for people like him. A world where memories kill, and even money can’t buy his way out..Will the golden boy of the elite beat the system or will the game be rigged from the start?In the Recall Trials, the greatest enemy isn't death…. it's the truth.There are no heroes.Only survivors.“When the countdown begins,all that matters is who survives the bloodshed.”Spoiler Alert! The main character’s flaws consume him, and will eventually turn to the dark side. Nobody’s perfect, and he’s no exception.Get ready for the Recall Trials! Music and epic promo video dropping soon!

I traverse along the pathway of darkness and imagination…

Entering the realm born by human imaginations…

Challenging Harry Potter’s magic, commanding the great Pirates of the Caribbean.

Terminating the Terminator’s strength, tearing apart the Matrix’s Hallucination.

Virus is my slave.

Endurance my inheritance.

Growing and hunting in the boundless universe.

Breaking through boundaries in a mysterious space.

Desiring evil, conspiracy and betrayer. Who can redeem what was already lost?

In a battle of demons, who can leave an immortal legacy?

A declining Trump card, Final evolution!

I’m… on a journey!

We are one!

- Description from Novelupdates

[DING! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining SSS-Rank Dark Dimensional Reality Talent][Attribute: Darkness]Freed from nuclear war terrors, all humans now have to face the new reality of their fate.Humans are given a power that allows them to have different talents according to their abilities and luck, including obtaining the power of past heroes.Aaron Lewis, an 18-year-old young man, must bear the devastating reality that his mother was killed by an unknown group. The turmoil of uncontrollable rage in his heart makes his talent affected.[WARNING!][System detected Darkness attribute energy increase][Initiates talent rank evolution][Adjusting talents with attributes ][Evolution Completed]Just as Aaron opened his eyes, he saw he was floating in a void dimension with thousands of caged ancestral souls waiting to be freed or summoned. They are the souls of heroes from all over the world.[Main Talent: Dark Dimensional Reality][Rank: SSS-Rank]With his flexibility to explore dimensions beyond ordinary human sight, Aaron gathered thousands of ancestral souls and turned them into his army.To his surprise, Aaron found a way to free his mother's soul and bring her back to life, which was to become a Great Ruler.“There is no other choice. I will become a Ruler.”