Short, Light, Free - Chapter 1: The Knowing

Michael didn't want to die. He didn't deserve to die. After a lost battle with cancer that started only a year after he retired, he'd lived what many people would call a full life, but it wasn't enough. He wanted more time. Time with his wife. Time with his kids. Time with his grandkids. When he found himself drawn toward the light, he fought his way away from it. Unfortunately, that didn't take him back to the life he wanted to live. Reincarnated in another world, Michael is forced to be a Penitent, a soldier in the country he was reborn into in order to pay a debt to society he owes for taking the life of the child whose body he inhabits. It's not the life he wants, but it's the only one he has.An Isekai with light litrpg elementsMC will gain powers similar to those of a paladinBook 1 spends a lot of time in a military academy. MC does not stay a child for very long.Story will be a slower pace than my others.MC may not be to everyone's taste. He feels guilt for his actions that may seem unreasonable and is very human. He will grow, but it will take time.

Reincarnated in a fantasy world. All of the novels worth reading here appear to be SAT English problems. So I began writing my own fantasy novels as a hobby to augment my previous job.

However, the novel I wrote had an odd ripple effect. That’s fantastic as well.

Lu Mingshu had never believed in fate.

She hadn’t believed in it when her father had remarried and caused her family to break into pieces, nor had she believed in it when she’d been thrown into a valley to perish.

She hadn’t believed in it when she didn’t have any resources to cultivate with, nor had she believed in it when she’d been condemned by everyone.

She climbed up little by little from dust, while her reign soared into the sky, which caused the world to look on in fear!

If justice doesn’t come, I’ll personally obtain it.

If fate disregards me, I‘ll open up a way to survive.

No matter what fate throws at me, I will surely become a phoenix!

“What a ruthless woman. I’m willing to risk my life and limbs for you, willing to be calculative for you – I’m even willing to be an enemy of the entire world for you. Aren’t you moved even a little?”

“That’s right, since I‘m such a ruthless woman, what exactly is it that you like about me?”

- Description from Novelupdates

In the year 3000, the Earth shattered and it was torn open by a rift between realms that unleashed ancient beasts, magical chaos, and apocalyptic storms. Civilization crumbled, giving rise to a brutal new law: Tame or be Torn Apart. Beast Tamers, bonded to mutated and other creatures now rule what remains of the world through strength, savagery, and guild-driven power.Kelvin, a scavenger scraping by in the ruins, lives in the shadow of these warlords until he unearths Xerion, the End-Tyrant, a legendary primordial beast sealed beneath the earth. Bound by a forgotten bloodline and a cursed contract, Kelvin inherits the Sigil of the Overlord, thrusting him into a war-torn world where survival is no longer enough.He was hunted by guilds, worshipped by outcasts, and pursued by enemies both human and monstrous, Kelvin must rise from nothing to either unite or destroy what’s left of civilization. As forbidden powers awaken and ancient truths unravel, one man and his beast stand poised to reshape the fate of a world teetering on the edge of annihilation.