Transcendent Odyssey [Coffeepen] - Chapter 38: Three Heartbeats Deep

In the year 2090, technology has advanced to the point where Simulation Boxes, (Sim Box for short) are common place, allowing for the user to link up their brain's neural network to a full dive Simulation. While initially used for educational purposes, recently a large gaming company, Averon, released a fully fledged immersive MMORPG simulation where users can become anyone they desire, level up, choose their class, and become a hero or a villain. The name of this simulation is The Shattered World Online.

Eli Winters had no interest in playing it. His father, a jobless bum who spent his entire life playing games in the hope of becoming a famous player or streamer, was able to use the release of The Shattered World Online to gain wealth and fame, quickly becoming the number one player and a household name as the game took the world by storm. He immediately abandoned Eli and his mother in favor of being with someone from his guild, despite his mother having worked two jobs to support them and raise Eli by herself. Eli had nothing but spite for his father and the game.

When Eli's best friend convinces him to try out the game, his father's fame begins to interfere, culminating in him being singled out and shunned by his peers, and his father offering to pay for his university tuition in return for Eli hiding their relationship and quitting the game. Instead of complying with his father's wishes, Eli decides to prove to everyone how useless a guy his father is by challenging him that if Eli is able to surpass him in the game world he must delete his account and quit his streaming career. His father accepts the challenge believing his son to be useless at games - but Eli will soon show him just how ambitious a spiteful person can be.

Shen Yu was sincerely in love. For that person’s sake, Shen Yu ignored his illness-ridden body and plotted to overthrow the tyrant. It was only after Shen Yu died that he learned the truth. He was a character in a book, and the man he loved only viewed him as a stand-in for the protagonist. To pave the way for that couple’s happiness, Shen Yu lost everything.After he was reborn, the sickly Shen Yu was so done with that.As for that man, whoever wanted him could have him.Shen Yu took his half-brother’s place and became the male concubine of the tyrant. The tyrant didn’t like men anyway, and Shen Yu didn’t have much time left. Since he was going to die, he might as well go to the palace to sit around and wait for death.After entering the harem of the tyrant everyone feared, Shen Yu ate and drank without a care in the world.The tyrant, with long black hair on his shoulders and crimson eyes, didn’t hide his hostility. He grabbed Shen Yu by the neck. “You’re not afraid to die?”Shen “Just get it over with” Yu felt a little excited. “Are you going to kill me now?”Tyrant: “? ? ? ? ?”Shen Yu entered the palace expecting to die, but he waited and waited and waited. In the end, the officials petitioned to make him the empress, and the tyrant cured his deadly illness.Shen Yu: “…”Shou: jumps frantically up and down on the gong’s bottom line but never diesGong: all he can do with the shou is lower his bottom line again and again

In his first life as 'Caine Wilson', was the villain—ruthless, cunning, and very powerful.He played his part perfectly, crushing the so-called “protagonist” and parading his enemies, their families, and anyone who crossed him naked through the streets.He watched with glee as the “hero” lay broken, stripped of his dignity, before finally ending his pitiful existence.But just as Caine, thought he had finally won and secured his place at the top, 'Higher ups' intervened.A booming, ethereal voice—like the universe’s pissed-off judge—shook the skies:“You have violated the sacred code of villainy! The villain shall not win. The balance has been broken. Caine Wilson, the world hereby rejects you!”Before he could even enjoy his victory, his world blinked out, like a story whose writer just erased the last chapter in frustration.Everything went dark.And when he awoke, he wasn’t Caine Wilson anymore.He was 'Su Xiaobai', a nobody on 'White Cloud Star', a world of cultivation, martial arts, and endless struggle.But this time, things were different.He could feel it—he could see through the cracks of reality itself.He could break the fourth wall!He wasn’t just some reincarnated soul; he was a villain who had 'seen the system', who understood the game.And he was about to flip it upside down.

There was a time where I was summoned to a different world. I spent more than a year as a Priestess from a different world. I fulfilled my role and decided to return to my original world. Before leaving, I confessed my feelings to my escort knight. And from there I was heartbroken. After returning to the original world for a year and half, I was summoned again. What? Apparently this time, nobody summoned me. I was sent out to a great extent and have a lost love. I cannot face anyone now! No one knows that I was a former Priestess and I can only quickly return to my original world. Even so, it does not seem to work out very well…