The Innkeeper - Chapter 21: Survival

The most popular game worldwide is Ancient Arena Online, a high-octane PvP fantasy game where teams fight for supremacy in mythical arenas. Millions of fans watch livestreams, bet on matches, and follow their favorite players like celebrities. The game’s competitive scene is so fierce that professional teams are treated like esports royalty.At the heart of it all is Kai Ashford, one of the top players and captain of the pro team Phoenix Edge. With lightning-fast reflexes and strategic brilliance, Kai leads his team to countless victories. But success breeds jealousy. Sabotaged by a teammate he thought was loyal, Kai is not only kicked off his team, but also humiliated in front of millions of fans. With his reputation shattered and confidence at rock bottom, Kai retreats from the public eye.However, Kai's competitive spirit is not easily extinguished. He stumbles upon a group of amateur players—a ragtag bunch who show raw potential but lack the finesse needed to win at the highest levels. Their quirky personalities clash with his no-nonsense attitude, but something about their passion reminds him of why he started gaming in the first place. Deciding to put his past behind him, Kai agrees to train them into a professional team.Along the way, Kai builds unexpected connections with his new teammates, including romantic entanglements with a fiery mage, an eccentric hacker, and a mysterious assassin player, all while juggling his personal feelings and growing attraction for multiple women. As his new team rises through the ranks, they gain attention from fans and sponsors, putting them back on the radar of the professional scene.But Kai’s past doesn’t stay buried for long. His former teammates—now rivals—plot to sabotage him once again, while jealous contenders within the gaming world aim to tear him down. However, Kai's return to the spotlight will be on his terms this time. With a darker, more calculating approach, he plans to not only dominate the game but also to get sweet revenge on those who betrayed him.

I once believed life a simple equation: the wealthy thrive, the impoverished endure, the unburdened soar. Yet, even the freest of birds find their wings clipped by unseen cages. In this world, no station offers sanctuary; suffering, an inescapable shadow, finds all. And in its grim embrace, all paths converge upon death.This is not a chronicle of fleeting hope.This is not a legend whispered of redemption.This is the harrowing saga of a man twice shattered by the cruel hand of fate.... crushed, betrayed, mutilated. A soul condemned to an endless cycle of reincarnation, dragged back to a world that refuses to release its grip, only to fall, again and again. Each return a fresh descent into the abyss.But will he forever kneel, a puppet to his torment? Will he remain the naive fool who clung to the illusion of kindness? Or will the fractured remnants of his being coalesce into a force the world has never witnessed? A mastermind forged in the crucible of despair. A monster destined to unravel all, even himself.This is the tale of Veythor: the man who defied the quietude of death.And perhaps… the man who will shatter fate itself.

Mana finally arrived in our world after being delayed for unknown reasons, causing the evolution of everything that had life.

Humans, plants, and monsters all evolved, ushering the planet into a new era in which old laws no longer applied and the only law in the world was the rule of the jungle, where the strong preyed on the weak.

It was a question of whether we, the 'rulers' of the land, would be able to maintain our position and adapt to whatever came after our planet's awakening, and if we did, was that the end?

What kind of experience is it to travel through time and become an AI?

Li Wenyuan, who was hit by the meteorite, successfully experienced this feeling.

Fortunately, he discovered that the planet he controlled… seems to be a little bit special.

“Precious living metal? Any wall here is living metal!”

“Zello? You said that omnics don’t need this? Sorry, psionic machines are being produced.”

“Interstellar colony? Isn’t it good to build a ring world?”

This is a story of farming, and it is also a story of human exploration of the universe from the past.

There are space wars, interstellar adventures, civilization observations, and galaxy epics.

“So…” A few years later, facing the disaster that was about to sweep across the entire galaxy, the unmanned fleet controlled by Li Wenyuan stood up helplessly.

“They all think that I am a lost empire, and I can only do what the lost empire should do.”

PS: space opera

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