Zither Emperor - Volume 5 Chapter 35.1

NightmaresCreatures that appeared from the unknown a millennium ago continuously threatened humanity, pushing and pressuring people who once inhabited it aside. These Entities brought the world into utter chaos, furthering their influence to what was once a land that belonged to its rightful owner.In the end, humanity was forced to adapt.They kept trying different ways to fend off the Nightmares, and the solution they finally settled on was… why not become one themselves?Cesar Sparrow, an unfortunate fellow born in an era full of corruption, horror, and the unknown, was desperately trying to escape from its clutches… until he found an enigmatic, dying eyeball that latched itself onto him.“Hehehe, what a great fellow you are,”“How are you talking—. Just what are you…?”The dying eye that latched itself to his empty, bleeding eye socket chuckled, its voice groggy as it answered.“What do you think am I? I’m just an old and weak Nightmare, Sparrow. Though, you can call me Eyes of Deceit. And I'll borrow your body for a moment if you won't mind. Hehe,”“No, why would I give you my body?! Get the fuck out!”Entrapping himself in a series of encounters, uncovering secrets that belong to the Nightmares… and the humanity wanted to remain hidden, Cesar Sparrow ventures into the unknown.To keep struggling, to keep resisting, to keep persevering… will all that be enough?Will he be finally the one to break the chains humans had found themselves in, ending a millennium of suffering? Or succumb to the curse of the Nightmares?

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

“Even in oblivion, you all shall tremble at the demon that lies beyond...”---Beaten, betrayed, discriminated against, and then sent into hell. Those were the words that defined Khan's life, if he ever bothered to think about it.In a cold world where the hearts of people surged in preparation for the next cataclysm that had the potential to wipe out the entire world, who had the time to care for a feeble, golden-haired anomaly with no memories of his first ten years?Sent away from the orphanage with the mission to end his life, fate was still not satisfied with punishing him enough.He found himself in front of a demon god who raised children into killing machines, known to complete every mission irrespective of the danger.Among a group of madmen, he was the maddest, given the name “The Hollow” due to his unfeeling attitude.But in essence, all he ever needed was a place he could call home and when his life flashed before his eyes and he awakened his memories, he embarked on that path.-----“My origin might be ten thousand light-years away from Earth, but even if I have to walk on the corpses of a million to reach it, then so be it...”-----But now he won't be walking this dark path alone:[Congratulations, the Host has successfully fused with the system.][Congratulations, Host has awakened The Bio-Nanotech System!]--------[Also Check Out My New Novel: Infinity Guardian System]

In the year 54 of the Konoha Calendar, two super geniuses appeared in the Konoha. One is named Uchiha Itachi, and the other is named Akihara Kagura. One is a tool of the village, willing to sacrifice everything for Konoha, except for his brother Uchiha Sasuke; the other claims to be a tool of the village, also willing to sacrifice everything for Konoha, including Uchiha Itachi's brother, Uchiha Sasuke.