Rise of the Living Forge - Chapter 410: Normal

Lacking funds for his brother-in-law’s dowry, Cole Stone is abandoned by his cheating girlfriend.

He makes a phone call…

“Ma’am, I give up. I don’t want to work hard anymore.”

“Sure.”

$10,000,000 is credited into his account.

Betrayed, mocked, and humiliated for being poor…

Cole Stone is forced into an engagement with a billionaire CEO whose motives are unknown.

“Ma’am, I would like to issue you a refund—”

“Do you think that my dowry can be refunded so easily?”

Cole Stone is stunned speechless.

Unfair! Absolutely unfair!

How will Cole Stone fare with this mysterious and sassy fiancee of his who never takes NO for an answer?

How will he fare in the world of elites?

In 2173, the world’s first Full-World Virtual MMORPG game ‘Astral Online’ went on sale globally, forever changing the blue planet Asteria!

With its revolutionary Digital Capture System, astonishing graphics and ability to scan yourself into the game with up to 20% beautification, countless defenders rallied to play the game.

Fifty million players logged in on launch. There were no queues or lag on launch, leaving countless critics impressed and willing to try the game. Because the game used a 6-hour play limit a day, it allowed even working adults to keep up with young students and the unemployed.

A resounding success, as more people poured onto the game servers, families and friends alike. Astra Online became a household name overnight.

One month later, the game opened its first RMT system, which made earning a living from the game easier... Thus began the Astral rush!

Professional players formed guilds and factions to increase their profits, but nobody could know this prosperity was a mere joke.

One year later, players fused with their avatars, gaining powerful abilities in the real world, which tipped the power and caused chaos.

Two years later, demons and monsters from inside the game invaded the real world.

Three years later, over 90% of humanity perished, leaving the rest to hide like rats, unable to fight back in fear.

Four years later, this world is no longer ours. The demons march on our last bastions, one by one. They exterminated us.

Zell was an average player who liked to collect beasts in the game and evolve them into humanoids, as they were primarily females.

He spent most of his life working two jobs to make ends meet.

Thanks to the excellent healthcare of his country, there were no crippling debts. There was only emptiness.

When the end came, he was powerless and alone. His only companions were his cute pets and Rika, his cherished Flame Rabbit.

She was the only beast he evolved to a humanoid form after his late start to the game.

He died saving the life of a strange girl with white wings and his pet Rika, the sad eyes of Rika and the girl’s sorrow floating through the air as he slowly passed away.

However, instead of dying, he awoke inside an empty white room with a single computer and a strange, game-like screen that allowed him to edit his IRL avatar and persona.

Who offered him this second chance?

For what reason did they help him?

Can he meet Rika again?

Zell could never know; he only knew his second life’s goal.

Survive!

The servant looked at the grieving princess. “Your Highness, the Regent Prince sent your scholar fiancé to the Western Butcher’s daughter!” 

The princess gritted her teeth, speaking to her servant that it matters not as she has other suitors in line. Many days later, much to her dismay, the servant ran in a hurry. “Your Highness, the Regent Prince expressed his intention of becoming your suitor! All other men in line were sold to Gou Lan Red District!”

The princess was distressed. She said to her servant it matters not. She’ll soon be married to Prince Fuma. Then the uneventful came. The servant once more ran to her, almost tripping in the process. “Your Highness, Prince Fuma was imprisoned at home! Meanwhile, there’s a red sedan chair waiting at your residence for your marriage! It was led by the Regent Prince!

The princess was stunned. For a day such as this to come, it seemed impossible. This nothing but a sad story of a female boss crossing back in time to hold the thick thighs of the big boss. But while raising him, she was eaten in the process.

Amelie Conley, the eldest daughter of a revered Alpha family, was once expected to carry on her family’s proud legacy. However, when she turned sixteen, she failed to awaken her wolf, which made her earn the scornful title—the Curse of the Conley Family.At eighteen, she found her destined mate and carried his child, believing she had finally been given a chance at happiness. But when she rushed to share the news, she found him in a compromising position with her younger sister, Flora.Betrayal cut deeper than any wound, but the final blow came when he rejected her without hesitation, declaring Flora as his true mate.Shunned and heartbroken, Amelie made the painful decision to leave her pack for the sake of her unborn child. But just as she tried to escape, she was ambushed—hunted down like prey.Desperate to protect herself and the life growing inside her, Amelie fled to save herself and her unborn child, only to collapse into the arms of an enigmatic stranger—Gabriel Sinclair.Gabriel was no ordinary man. He was the Alpha Prince, a name feared across the nation. For twelve long years, he had scoured the lands for his mate, only to find nothing. He had convinced himself that the Moon Goddess despised him, just as his own mother had. But the moment he laid eyes on Amelie, everything changed.“You were marked, weren't you?” His voice dropped, edged with something dangerously close to possession as his gaze met hers, demanding the truth. The question left Amelie in a dilemma. She didn't wish to tell him the truth.“I am not an ordinary wolf, Amelie. Who the fuck marked you before me?” Gabriel voiced in a possessive yet intimidating tone. Amelie didn’t know that the man, who saved her was none other than the infamous Dark Tyrant—the Alpha Prince, Gabriel Sinclair, whose intentions were still unknown to her.