The Young Master in the Shadows - Chapter 198: Ranks

A young boy was living peacefully.

Although he was poor and alone, he was happy with what he had.

Until one day, a girl came into his lonely life, making it worth living.

However, this also didn't last long when the girl he considered his only family in the world got afflicted with a mysterious illness!

In the end, he sold his parent's house, the last memory he had of them, hoping to save his Lil Sis.

He was even willing to live in the slums if he could save her and, for the first time in his life, stop this tragedy from happening!

But fate yet played another trick on him when a greedy shop owner sold him fake medicine and tricked all the money he got after selling his parents' house!

After being pushed into the corner, he hated those treacherous people; he hated the unfair life, and he even hated Heaven itself!

In the moment of hatred and helplessness, he holloed to the sky,
"IF I HAVE THE POWER, I'LL STEAL FROM HEAVEN ITSELF, JUST LIKE HOW IT STEALS EVERYONE FROM ME!"

However, this boy didn't know that this absurd wish would be granted one day by something called the system, and it would also force him to walk on the path of a THIEF!

A path that was despised and loathed by Heaven itself!

In the year 2100, global warming has long since made the Earth's natural surface uninhabitable with a new ice age. Humanity takes refuge in huge, closed cities, but life is difficult. Video games are the opium of the people, letting them escape the chaos of life in immense metropolises.

In 2100, the first fully immersive VRMMORPG, "Horus," was released, and the world changed! Entirely coded by an independent AI, "Horus" made all other games look meaningless by comparison.

Megacorporations quickly monopolized on the wealth "Horus" allowed its players to amass, and soon people like Alexander were spending their lives slaving away to make money for the companies who employed them.

But on the day Alexander died of exhaustion, collapsing in his gaming booth...

...He woke up, alive, nine years earlier.

One day before "Horus's" launch.

"This time, I'll do it right! I know everything that's going to happen! I'll become the strongest, and no one will take advantage of me again!"


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///This work takes place in an MMORPG whose main goal is the exploration and conquest of space.///

///my two main inspirations are: The Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God and the Legendary Mechanic.///

///I care about the coherence of the story, even if the theme of overpowering is present, it is thanks to the reflexive and opportunistic choices of the MC and not a chance to come out of nowhere. ////

What would you do if your entire world were turned on its head? A Primordial System buzzing in everyone’s heads, displaying strange screens and other displays in their visions. Being thrown into a tutorial before entering your first System Event broadcast across the universe. Returning back to your home after the System Event to realize that it’s been filled with Gates leading to monster-filled domains, a good number of which have already broken and released their monsters into the world. And learning that the abilities every human being has – abilities that have led to the current structure of society – are nothing but the root of their Skill Trees. The very first skill in their Skill Tree out of many. Well, Ashley doesn’t know. She doesn’t remember anything other than some basic common knowledge from before waking up at the start of the tutorial with amnesia. So why should this change anything for her? Other than her finding out about the blood bestowed upon her by a certain primordial and her own Skill Tree. One with just a single skill. A skill to unlock the skill trees of those she kills. To assimilate. What to expect: Skill Trees, LitRPG Apocalypse, Skill Tree Assimilator(the ability to take the skill trees of those the MC kills that she can unlock through Skill Points without getting the skills right away), Livestreamed Dungeons, Livestreamed Public Battles and Events, Chaos Magic, Varied Magic due to Skill Tree Assimilator, and the MC does not start off strong in the start and only grows strong as she assimilates more skills from those she kills, the MC starts out without any memories and few emotions and slowly gains them throughout the series. What not to expect: I do not write romance(for the main protagonist), there will be no harem, there will be no reverse harem, and do not expect a really strong MC at the start of the story as she has to grow into that role.

It’s been 11 years since I’ve lived for others and not for me.

The moment I cried out wanting to get away from my exhausting life, I opened my eyes in the body of some Count’s 20-year-old daughter.

Since this happened, I decided to live my life freely as a single woman.

But…

“I need a lady to act as my fake wife for a certain period of time.”

“A contract marriage?”

“The term is one year. When the time is up, I’ll give you divorce with no strings attached.”

The Duke of the Empire whom I had happened to meet at a ball was hitting on me.

Turns out he’s no other than the Emperor’s beloved brother, Duke Scade!

Hold on, it’s just going to end in a clean divorce with no strings attached?

“You should also give me alimony. Give me one of the best lands of the Ducal household with 10 years’ worth of profit.”

“…..What?”

“If you don’t want to do that, then we cannot get married.”

This time I’m going to live a life taking care of the things I need first!

***

“I’ll escort you since it’s late.”

Where to? My bedroom is just around the corner.

“Tonight, I’ll do my best.”

No, I don’t need you to do that.

“Did you just look at that man?”

Excuse me, Duke, you said it’s for a limited time only, so why do you keep obsessing over me?