Ranker's Return - Supplementary Story 40

The rule had always been this way: the strong over the weak, the rich over the poor. Mark knew this, he'd even experienced it.After his boss fired him for discovering the affair with his girlfriend (who also worked at their small gaming company), Mark vowed never to be humiliated like that again. He wanted to rise above everyone, to become the world's top player, the one who made the rules and decided everyone's fate. But that was wishful thinking. He was just a heavyset, nerdy guy with some programming skills and a large appetite. What else did he have going for him?Hit hard by this reality, jobless and dumped, Mark withdrew into gaming, which also became his source of income. One day, after leaving a bad review for a game he played and streamed, he received a strange reply from the game's creator. Suddenly, Mark found himself transported to Aetherium, the world of that same game, as Magnus Lancaster, the young lord of a crumbling territory.Now, with this new beginning, he vowed never to be weak again, never to leave his fate in someone else's hands.

“If magic is power, then I'll build my own.” - Adrian.When a genius tech developer dies from overworking, he awakens in a world ruled by magic, ancient empires, and mythical beasts.But unlike the natives who manipulate elemental mana, he is granted a mysterious technology system that lets him reconstruct modern and futuristic tech.Armed with the knowledge of his old world and this game-like system, he begins to revolutionize the magic world. But his rise threatens the very foundation of society, drawing the attention of kings, mages, and forbidden powers that ought not to be offended.As nations clash and secrets unfold, one question remains:Can technology coexist with magic… or will one destroy the other?

Fengyu loved gold, silver, and jewels more than anything. Her greatest dream was to eat, drink, and enjoy life as a salted fish. Her fiancé was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial exams, handsome as the legendary Pan An. Her salted fish life was perfectly complete.Her husband was poor? No problem, she was rich!But who would have thought that the winds of fate would shift, causing her soul to transmigrate into the body of Xie Xun, a dashing and rebellious young marquis, even making him lose a leg due to her. To survive on the battlefield, the salted fish had to turn over and rise, learning horseback riding, archery, and military strategy. The young marquis, bearing her face, caused chaos everywhere. Her fiancé, deeming her wild and foolish, broke off their engagement.She got engaged, and he reneged. She made money, and he squandered it. Her mountains of gold and silver were all emptied by him, and the two became locked in a love-hate relationship. Gradually, the plot started to go off the rails.The ex-fiancé, after breaking off the engagement, regretted it and confessed his deep love.Fengyu: I've already fallen for someone else.A scheming girl at the archery range tried to kill her, only for Fengyu to stab herself instead.Fengyu: What to do now? It looks like you've committed murder.Her parents, who had defended the borders for decades, returned home only to say, “Daughter, go follow the young marquis and start a rebellion!”How did the originally carefree salted fish storyline turn into one of a villain rising?In the end…Raising a husband turned out to be a money pit, but the husband was certainly worth it!A sickly schemer hiding their true nature (Fengyu) vs. A dashing but cunning strategist (Xie Xun)

All I know is this is just wrong. I was just reading the latest chapter of One Piece in my computer. And an annoying survey popped up asking me if I want to play One Piece new beginning. Thinking nothing of it I said yes.And selected ‘Realistic’ difficulty.There was a game loading screen. Loading gibberish, and warning me that the world has a lot of surprises in store for me. Not all things are same, because I had to choose the ‘developer’s time-line’.And then telling me to brace for Character Synchronization. And before I knew it, I was no longer your average Joe. And this wasn’t earth either… no this was One Piece.And, I was Monkey D. Luffy. The future King of pirates.I mean what could go wrong? If Luffy could do it, so could I.But this wasn’t the same One piece world I remember. Some changes are small like Kuina being Zoro’s rival… who’s alive.While others were huge. Like… did you know, Whitebeard had an actual beard?! Man looked like Santa Claus on steroids. Jaked and shit!Just what did I get myself into?But does it matter?No.Because I’m going to have the time of my life. This was going to be one heck of an adventure.