The Systems Challenge - Chapter 254: Thick Darkness

I have given up power that can make the strongest of men tremble. I bore scars very few can imagine; loved women, very few had the gall to talk; and tread paths with chaosfiends.

“And I'm still standing.”

- - -

Gale was summoned into a mysterious world of magic and monsters for no particular reason. Thrown into squabbles of beings vastly higher than him, Gale strived to make a place for himself in the vain dream of immortality and a better world.

That was six years ago.

Beaten and battered from years of brutal war, Gale finally had enough and resolved to start over a new peaceful life in a totally unremarkable town with his trustworthy companion, Vale. Give up the weapon of slaughter and take up a hoe? That seemed like a fine deal to him.

Unfortunately, the valley wasn't as unremarkable as he thought it to be. Dictatorial governing bodies, suspicious practitioners, an exceedingly unwelcoming guest, and a secret that would change the entire world, all impeded his peaceful life. Gale will need all his mental stability to keep his temper in check, lest he brutalises his way out of trouble. Again.

In a world where magic intertwines with reality, a dying human girl named Elara awakens to find herself in a foreign land. The air smells of ancient forests, and the sky is painted with hues she’s never seen before. Before her stands the enigmatic Demon Queen, Seraphina, her eyes as cold as the ice that encases her throne.Seraphina proposes a desperate bargain: a contractual marriage between them. In exchange for Elara’s hand, Seraphina promises to save the crumbling human kingdom from impending doom. Elara, with nothing left to lose, accepts, thrust into a web of intrigue, danger, and forbidden emotions.As they embark on their perilous adventure, Elara discovers that Seraphina’s icy demeanor hides a tragic past. The Demon Queen’s power is unmatched, her wrath swift and merciless. Yet, beneath the frost, Elara glimpses vulnerability—a longing for connection that defies her ruthless reputation.

Lin Shuang, just a bar waiter, started off by bullying a billionaire heiress. What to do? He was in such a panic! She investigated him every day.And there were hordes of rich rivals threatening him...If this continued, he genuinely feared his identity as the leader of the Netherworld Army would be exposed...

Xu Qing woke up to find himself turned into a Zombie.Zombies do not die; their life is endless, yet they suffer from the lack of a method to evolve and ascend!Facing a chaotic era where ceremonies and music collapse, and demons and strange creatures emerge endlessly, Xu Qing chooses to remain under the radar and becomes the most inconspicuous Corpse Driver in the shadowy profession of corpse craftsman, earning various rewards by performing rites for the dead each day.Be it folk arts, innumerable professions, or the nation's destiny and heaven's will, gods, ghosts, and the extraordinary, Xu Qing hides within a shop, mastering them all.Watching clouds rise and fall, witnessing the dynasties change and old acquaintances fade; with eyes opening and closing, witnessing the vicissitudes of life, thousands upon thousands of years, my form remains unchanged, eventually becoming an eternal name among the immortals!------------------[Alternative Longevity Stream, Folklore and Anomalies, Management Daily, Steady Cultivation]