Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 3: Small men have great shadow()

Each stroke of good luck is a triumph over someone else’s misfortune.Jack Grim, the son of two legendary assassins, was born and raised on nothing but coldness — and the skills to spill blood.At seventeen, Jack received his final task as an assassin apprentice under his parents.“Succeed, and you’ll run your own organization — live the life you’ve always dreamed of.”For Jack, it was everything he had ever wanted: the chance to finally become the professional assassin he was born to be.He struck his target at midnight, succeeded, and received everything his parents had promised.But in the wake of victory came a pounding headache, a relentless fever—and then… transmigration.Jack now found himself in Raiden’s body — the keeper of the Book of Ashes, the heart of the Devourer, and the very book the coward Raiden had died protecting with his life.Jack had no desire to live in another world, magic or not. He simply wanted to return to his life as an assassin.But duty had other plans. The balance of this world now rested on his ability to protect the book — and like it or not, the responsibility was his to bear.

Kai's story begins in a cold holding cell - with no memories and nothing to live for. Just pain and rage. Broken, like the world around him. That’s when everything went black...The next thing he knew, he awoke as a mutant!Seven years earlier, in 2020, the Z Virus outbreak shattered the world. Cities fell. Beasts and monsters ravaged the streets. And from the chaos, mutants emerged - humans twisted by the virus into something more. A gift and a curse.But Kai didn’t mutate from the virus.He was made.The first and only stable artificial mutant, created by the twisted genius Dr Nyx - a man who failed to replicate him and spiralled into obsession.Tortured. Experimented on. Pushed to the edge. Kai finally escaped after his awakening, but the scars remained. And so did the power.Now free, Kai is cold, calculating, and merciless. His ability to manipulate blood - his own or others' - is terrifying. But to him, it’s just a tool. One he’ll wield without hesitation.In a ruined world ruled by the Association, mutants, and the strong, Kai has no interest in saving it. He wants answers about his past, the truth behind his mutation, and revenge on the man who tormented him.Only one thing is certain: He who bleeds last writes the story... even if it’s in crimson ink on the bones of the fallen.This is the story of the Bloodweaver!Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real events, locations, or people are purely coincidental and not intended to portray anything.

When he returned to the World of Martial Arts, the game was filled with blood and battles! Chen Kaixin had chased after the footsteps of the one emperor, two empresses, three princes, seven dukes, and thirteen aces for three years, but during the eve of the Sword Among Us tournament in Mount Hua, he was ambushed by evil bastards, and was killed so much that his level dropped to that of a newbie. He completely lost the chance to join the ranks of the powerful players in the game! In great disappointment, Kaixin quit the game and got drunk so that he could forget his sadness, but during that stormy night, Chen Kaixin found that he had actually dreamed for a total of three years, because when he woke up again, he woke up to three years ago, when he was still a student.

Western VRMMO【DEMONDAL】was known for its extremely harsh game system. To begin with, there were no levels. There were no skills. There were no guilds. There was no inventory. There were no convenient system messages or maps of any kind either. It was so needlessly realistic that it was already basically a VR life simulator.

As for anything game-like, it was basically limited to weapon masteries; a proficiency level that you got from using your weapon, as well as physical strength that increased as well. That was it.

It was a fantasy game so there was magic, but forming a contract with a spirit was extremely difficult, and only 1% of the playerbase were magicians.

In this VR game【DEMONDAL】that was ridiculously close to reality, the protagonist Kei who was a well known mounted archery expert, was one day sent to another world with his Russian【DEMONDAL】friend.

The game that was severe to begin with had turned into a reality, and the harshness increased again――