3RD PERSON/SHALLOW POV/ SEMI-OMNISCIENT

Lonely Island: The last place on Earth you will want yourself to be in. A doomed place where nowhere is safe, nothing is sacred, and nothing, not even a monkey, is what it seems.
This is a nightmarish tale of group of teenagers and seemingly teenagers, battling against a mysterious dark entity that wants to wipe an entire island off the face of the planet by means of unholy destruction and terror.

◼◼◼◼◼

Started: August, 2017

Ended: ----

Genre: Science fiction
Subgenres: Robot fiction/ Gothic science fiction/ Apocalyptic science fiction/ zombie fiction
Status: On-going
Language: English

It was a hot summer when the college entrance examination results were released.
The examination results of 2014 weren’t very different from previous years. Chang Liu checked his grade online the moment it was released—519. A grade like that would only get him into an average college. In a small town in northern China, such a standing was neither good nor bad. It wasn’t worthy to show off, but it wouldn’t be made fun of either. It was ordinary, just like he was.
Seeing the result, Chang wasn’t pleased nor saddened. He quietly clicked the cross on the upper right corner of the web browser, and then subsequently threw himself onto his bed.
Ring ring ring ...
The phone rang. Chang didn’t set any fancy ringtones like his peers would usually do; he was just a person as boring as his ringtone.
He saw that the call was from his mother as he answered.
"Hey son, I heard that the results come out today. I just saw Wang’s son from the convenience store. He got a score of...."
"519." Chang didn't wait for his mother to finish the sentence. He emotionlessly reported his score, interrupting his mother's lecturing. Then, he casually said a few words, and then hung up. Without a second thought, he turned off his phone.
July and August were the hottest months of the year, and even though the room cooled down by the air conditioning, the heat seemed impossible to drive away. Tossing and turning on his bed, Chang couldn’t fall asleep, so he got up and turned on his computer to watch a movie….
It seemed like nothing could excite him; even the movie that he used to enjoy was now a tedious task for him to watch. "My life is monotonous and passionless," he thought. He muted the computer and stared at the stained ceiling. For a moment, he couldn’t tell whether he was tired or just bored, and slowly, he fell asleep.
The sky was slightly dark when Chang was awakened by someone’s footstep. During the summer, there were more hours of daylight, so the slight darkness in the sky meant it was just past 7 o’clock.
His parent came home from work. This meant that a family meeting was about to begin.
On the table.
"It won’t be a problem for you to go to an average college with this grade, but what you can do in the future after graduating from there?" Apparently, Hua Wu–Chang’s mother–was very attentive toward her son’s education and knew the cutoff line for the renowned universities before anyone else in the family.
"Your dad and I…we respect your decision. Tell us what you are thinking. Do you want to just go to an average college and be an ordinary person for the rest of your life, or do you want to repeat a year in high school to improve your grade so that you can go to a prestigious university?"
"Any college is fine." Chang took a bite of broccoli, and then put down his chopsticks.
"Think about it carefully." Hui Liu, Chang’s father, waved his hand, and with that the meeting ended in silence.
Three days later.
"You know, our family has always been democratic. We never thought of interfering with your decisions and we respect your choice. But knowing the pressure and competition in finding employment, if you’re a graduate from an average college, I know you can imagine the difficulty of finding a job. Your dad and I aren’t resourceful either…."
Hua kept mumbling, "Tell me, which one you would rather do, repeat a year or go to any college that accepts you?"
"I told you, any college is…"
His mother interrupted him, "Think about it again."
...
Two days later.
"The fact is, you have nothing to be afraid of when you’re young; few people are successful in their first attempt. You know that kid from our neighborhood? He’s 5 years older than you and didn’t get a good grade on his first try, so he repeated a year and ended up in a famous university. Now that he has graduated, jobs are hunting for him. What I mean is that the reality of this society is cruel, and having a diploma from a famous college will gain you access to everything. Think about it again, whether you want to repeat a year or go to a random college to…"
"I’ll go to any college."
"Think about it again," his mother sighed.
...
The day after.
"Son, you may think that I’m being annoying, but sometimes a decision you make will determine your life. Whether it’s heaven or hell is a very thin line…"
"Mom, I want to repeat a year of high school!" Chang clenched his teeth, ending his mother's rant.
"Well, well, well, this is what you said; we didn’t force you!" As if she didn’t understand her son’s current mood, Hua finally cracked a smile.
"You know, our family has always been democratic. Since you chose you own path, you need to study hard this year. In order to support your choice, we have contacted a boarding school for you. There are fewer students in each grade, so it’ll be less chaotic. We figure that the time you wasted on commuting to school could’ve been used to study. Since you chose to pursue this path, every second is important. Some students who’ve repeated high school already have a head start..."
...
The next day, Chang packed his luggage, grabbed some utensils and a few sets of clothes and arrived in Xing Zhi, a small boarding school. As all the students there had repeated high school, their motivation to study was erased by the summer heat. After just 3 days, old habits were restored.
Three days were enough for the boarding students to get to know each other. After night class, Chang took a shower and laid on his bunk bed, chatting with his roommates.
"Hey, did you guys choose to repeat a year?" Chang said as he looked at the other three.
One man wore glasses and seemed like he never cared about his hygiene. His hair was always greasy. Most of the time, he held a thick book. Judging from his appearance, it looked like he was a hard working student, but apparently he went in the wrong direction – the book he read wasn’t a textbook. So obviously, he didn’t choose to come here.
"I'm not sure, I didn’t even pass the examination. I wanted to go to an engineering school or something, but my dad disagreed." The man wearing glasses responded; his gaze never left his book.
"Hey kid, what do you read every day then?" A voice came from the upper bed. Pang Zi was a chubby man and also a fan of web fiction, but he didn’t like whatever that man was reading.
"Apocalyptic fiction."
"Come on, let me take a look," Pang Zi took the book away swiftly. Within a few glances he said, "Zombies again? Why does all apocalyptic fiction mention zombies? It’s such a joke!"
Pang Zi returned the glasses man’s book while ranting.
"It’s been more than 10 years since the release of the Resident Evil series, yet everyone still thinks that zombies are a key element of apocalyptic fiction. They have no creativity at all! If viruses aren’t transmittable through the air, then zombies can’t be considered a threat to humans."
"Breathing heavily, walking slowly, mental retardation and those stupid ‘ah, ah’ sounds they make. For any normal human, it’s impossible to be bitten by such a creature. Think of our ancestors from ancient times. Facing all kind of predators who were way stronger and more flexible than humans, humankind still managed to thrive."
"I’m not bragging, but even if all the students in our school turned into zombies one day, I could still run out of here safe and sound, if you know what I mean."
Pang Zi shook his belly while talking.
The last person in the dorm interrupted Pang Zi’s lecture as he became arrogant.
"In fact, the zombie theme didn’t originate from Resident Evil series, but rather from European Medieval Literature. In 1968, the American movie ‘Night of the Living Dead’ set the tone for apocalyptic novels and movies. The concept of killing zombies by shooting their heads and viruses being contagious through zombie bites…that movie basically proposed everything we know about zombies today."
Tao explained calmly. Within the four of them, he was the only one with a good academic standing. Tao was really close to getting into Peking University, which was one of the best universities in the country. Unsurprisingly, not only was he good at studying, but he also had extensive knowledge in different disciplines. From time to time, Tao loved to show off his mastery of all kinds of knowledge.
"Hence, the zombie theme has been boring ever since it was popularized four or five decades ago. And Pang Zi, your opinion is correct; we don’t need to fear zombies. As long as they aren’t intelligent, their chances of being a threat to humans is infinitely close to zero."
"Hey, I was asking whether or not you came here voluntarily. Stop changing the topic." Chang interrupted the "good student" and brought the conversation back on track.
"Obviously no one came here voluntarily aside from me," Tao concluded everything with a single sentence.
"Ah, these days, we never really get to make our own choices, even though our parents insist that they respect our decisions. From my viewpoint, it’d be better for me if they just said things straightforwardly." Chang laid on the bed and recalled what happened a few days ago.
Right after he spoke, the door opened and a teacher wearing a pair of rimless glasses came in.
"Stop chitchatting and go to sleep, you have classes early in the morning." He shut the door upon leaving the command, but his last statement snuck through the door, "In the history of evolution, small and medium sized predators who made heavy footsteps became extinct, not to mention those who moved slowly. There’s no significance in discussing this issue, so go sleep!"
____________________________________________________________________________
Chang Liu - Chang means fast, fluent, carefree.


Five hundred million years ago, an epoch of extraordinarily fast evolution and mutation took place. It is said that all ancestors of today’s species on Earth derive from those that appeared in the “Cambrian Period”. 

Unfortunately, nothing gold can stay. After the brief “Cambrian Period”, life on Earth entered a period of stagnation. Humans came out on top, becoming the most powerful species on Earth.

A second age has come.

During the first “Cambrian Period” humanity was kicked off of the throne of the food chain quickly. Now, during the second “Cambrian Period”, what will happen to humanity?

The real end of the world is not the tale of brainless zombies. 

It is paradise.

This is an interlude that will lead into the final chapter of Tragedy Awaits. The chapter will summarize a person's vision of the end of the world through sleep paralysis. The chapter itself will also foreshadow events that will take place in 2049 which forays into the apocalyptic fiction genre, combining a fictional alternate universe with the end of the world themes.
Dr. Bridges
So, what's your name?
Nightingale
My real name is Noah Pittsburgh, but I preferred to be called Nightingale because I love studying nightingales with my daughter Valerie. I'm also a priest at The Times Square Church to study the Bible and protect the establishment by using the Holy Grail to seal a magical barrier.
Dr. Bridges
Who taught you to study the Bible?
Nightingale
My father Warren Pittsburgh.
Dr. Bridges
So, what's your purpose in talking to me?
Nightingale
My purpose of being here is to share with you a time where I experienced a sleep paralysis episode that revolved around the End of Days.

"Even when tough times occur, the love that we share will never fade away."

****

Set in the year 2040 in Raleigh, the story is told in a non-linear interview style (though it will feature a song and a speech), focusing on various people who had experienced many tragedies throughout their lifetime. With stories that are enticed with deception, personal struggles, occultism, and a deep sense of fear, each citizen has gathered around in a restaurant called Harvest 18 to tell stories about their past and how it affected them in different ways. 

Dr. Bridges, a psychiatrist from Michigan, sets up counseling at Harvest 18 for patients that dealt with tragedies that affected them. Warm, helpful, and inviting, he offers great advice to patients on how to be resilient in difficult times. The series will be served as a prequel to the apocalyptic series 2049 which takes place nine years where a final battle for the end of the world will be staged. 

Tragedy Awaits is a psychological tragedy that is told in an interview style. Tackling dark social issues, its story revolves around the theme of resilience, which encompasses many different scenarios that each person had been through (i.e. family loss, paranoia, stress).

Sequel: 2049
Crossover: Codename Ultimate
Shared Universe: Lonely (alternate story), Corona Force (alternate story)

Content Rating: 16+ (violence, mature themes)

info, 
au; modern post apocalyptic.
genre; fiction, action, thriller, slice-of-life. also comedy kind of.
status; on going.
warnings; slight blood, foul language, suicide, horror in a way. also, anything that happens has nothing to do with my real intentions and is purely just a part of a fictional plot. 

.characters;

•Mark;;
-leader like persona 
-trusts too easy and is very emotional 
-good at close-combat but still works wonders with guns, bows, and arrows
-"we've gotten this far, we can't give up now!"


•Renjun;;
-medic of the group 
-gets rattled quickly
-has a temper
-knows his shit and gets with it
-avoids emotions
-vegan and often appetite-less 
-always looking after everyone's dumbasses 
-"I told you you shouldn't have done that stupid thing 'cause it'll hurt you! I'll kill you for this!"

•Jeno;;
-leader of the group
-really good at close-combat but hates it
-skilled with guns and knives
-is only willing to live because a jaemin still exists in his life
-impromptu but still does the right thing
-"trust me, we'll be alright."

•Haechan;;
-offense of the group, in charge of attacking physically the infected, verbally the members of his team
-highly alert 24/7
-screams if needed
-loves mind games
-hates showing emotion but does anyway
-prefers guns, bows, and arrows over close-combat weapons
-willing to trade all his emotions to Satan for a potato chip 
-"I'm sorry you had to see that."

•You;;
-the brains of the group
-satan's child
-should get an oscar for acting tough 24/7 when actually all you want to do is cry 
-seem careless and cold-hearted when really you're very sensitive and get hurt emotionally very easily
-hates how quick you catch The Feels™
-"well shit.. it's way easier to just kill ourselves at this point."

•Jaemin;;
-in charge of all kinds of supplies; food, water, medical, sanitary, etc.
-always finds a way to make the circumstances they're under seem ok
-very close friends with jeno 
-a daredevil 
-impulsive 
-"what do you think will happen if we do this stupid thing like, right now??"

•Chenle;;
-happy virus and walking map of the group
-makes sure everyone knows he's there
-screams a lot 
-knows how to make use of maps, compasses, locations, cardinal points, etc.
-"guys, it's this way! Let's go!"

•Jisung;; 
-the tech of the group
-oftentimes is lost somewhere
-everyone is soft for him
-quiet and reserved 
-regularly inquires himself  what's the point of surviving when the world looks like it's ending already 
-youngest of the group
-"ugh! No wifi connection... we're done for!"

---

again, this entire thing is merely a work of fiction. copying my story in any way is prohibited. the characters' original real life personality will be slightly altered to fit the plot, and their ages as well. i promise i hate myself for doing all of this too lol.

From ordinary teens to survivors, a group of friends fight for their lives through the war against the infected; suffocating in a dark labyrinth of choked up emotions and loathed memories.

Summary:
The story unfolds after the friendly aliens saved our Blue Planet from death, but the problems kept arising here and there and both races act together, trying to save humanity this time for sure. At least, so it seems on a face of it. 
The young earthling and, not as young but certainly a full of energy, extraterrestrial race individual come to the forefront of the story. 
How do they get along? Do they need to? Who is a true friend? I will try to reveal these and a couple of hundred more questions in the story.
 
Author's Commentary:
So, the novel I'm working on – Earth | 9th century AR [after reload]
It is a science fiction covering few thousand years ahead. Post-apocalyptic but rather utopian, kind of))
Estimated word-count: 50 000+
Rating: definitely explicit, but the first very-really-truly NSFW scene will take place in around 15-th chapter.
Also it's a slow-burn, pinning, teacher-student, alien-human, age difference and MPREG(!) novel (but it is not about the pregnancy itself.. if that's of any importance).
Now you may consider yourself totally warned. Read at your own discretion. And if you do – I really hope you'll enjoy the ride!
Cover and arts made by me.
 
Vocabulary:
Here are some words & phrases the purpose of which is to ensure the smooth reading process:
Sirkazai [sirkʌ`tsa:i] – my aliens' home-planet
Sirka [`sirkʌ] – aliens' language
Zirkaazte [zir`ka:tstə], zirka(/zirks) [`zirkʌ] – formal race name and informal singular and plural individual name used by humans only
Erzketau [ertske`ta:u] – main zirka character's name
Krezke-Plau [`kretskə-`pla:u] - zirks' emperor's personal name
Akkatl [ʌ`k:a:tl] – zirks' emperor, chief, leader; a general name
-kri & -kaia – somewhat an honorific suffixes used when addressing a male & female respectfully
To pronounce race and characters' names as I pronounce them in my head, you might need a reference. I mean the [ts] sound. It must sound strong and sharp, don't mute the [t]. It is quite similar to the one appears in "pizza" or to Japanese sounding of the syllable つ [tsu].
 
Other Notes:
I won't post often but will try to do it regularly once a month. Any feedback is more than welcome and appreciated! ATM I have a draft of about 15 chapters that still need to be revised and edited, so I would like to know in advance whether it is worth it, or is it better to go learn the beads knitting craft instead :)
And one more thing. If you believe that you know a lot about biology, human body, genetics, fertilization, etc. and you clearly see that I miss something huge and pull a real nonsense here – please let me know and I'll think how to correct this applying your advises. Thanks!
 
 Copyright © BakeNekoMadara 2015-2020. All rights reserved.

The story unfolds after the friendly aliens saved our Blue Planet from death, but the problems kept arising here and there, and both races act together, trying to save humanity this time for sure. At least so it seems on a face of it. The young earthling and ... not as young, but certainly a full of energy UFO representative come to the forefront of the story. How do they get along? Do they need to? Who is a true friend? I will try to reveal these and a couple of hundred more questions in the story.

*Tag MPREG doesn't mean that the story is all about the pregnancy term... if that matters ;)

First 12 chapters will be uploaded fast enough. And the further update pattern will be 1 ch. per 3-5 weeks.
I update weekly on Tapas with the split chapters. If you prefer it more often in smaller bites - please visit the Earth there and subscribe

Carl calmed down and began to formulate his questions that he did not want to go to a world that would kill him immediately, he began to ask about how he could be resurrected.
Carl: how am I going to be resurrected? And what about the world I'm going to?

 Okaru: mmm you will have to resurrect in the form of a baby it is easier that way and in addition to the planets and universes mmm you can choose, let me pass you the number of worlds you can go to reincarnate there are categories about the worlds choose with Be careful after you take a look I will continue explaining.

Okaru moved his hand and patted a holographic window with various options on it.

[Options of worlds to go]
[Worlds of magic and sword]
[Anime and movie worlds]
[Apocalyptic worlds]

And the list went on and on there were many worlds to choose from so I got interested in the anime world and took a look at it.

[Naruto World]: World full of ninjas and unsolved mysteries a dangerous world where you can die at any time.
Difficulty: medium

[Bleach World]: World of Shinigamis who fight with their counterpart Hollow a world of war between the spiritual world and that of the Hollow.
Difficulty: medium

[Dragon Ball World]: World where there are gods and very powerful entities this world is always evolving this world is a world of the strong eat the weak.
Difficulty: Variable

God until I found the world of pokemon and many others that I did not know existed then I left the list of anime and I was curious about the apocalypse heee because the series The Walking Dead is here ...

Carl: kami mmm I can call you that right, because this series is here it should not be with anime series and such things

Kami: mm of course I have no problem with the names, let me see…... hooo this series if it is because it is apocalyptic and someone already chose it and it is because it is a world of almost pure zombie mmm you are going to choose that world

Carl: of course not, I don't want a zombie to eat me…. I will keep looking.
The truth is that the Dragon Ball series already caught his attention, but he doubted that the level of difficulty was variable and wondered if those worlds were really real, so he decided to ask, he didn't lose anything anyway.

Carl: anime worlds are real or just fiction that was created in the land of manga and movies
Kami: young man you are very green, still those worlds exist they are very real but they are in different universes very far away the fact is that they exist as they know about them on earth it is confidential, you have already chosen I don't have much time boy.

Carl: if I have already chosen I want to go to dragon ball but I can choose who to reincarnate as and in what time line.

Kami: if you can, you don't go to the original story anyway since it will be like a parallel timeline since it will exist thanks to you now say your wishes this kami is getting bored

Carl: my first wish, I want a super system that contains articles, bloodlines, and all the things that exist from all the anime, and that has many missions and gives enough points of the system and that I can choose which mission I want and which not .

Kami: very well I will give you the system [without equal in the world], this system is beyond all things if you work hard you can become a real god, next wish.

Carl: My second wish is that I want a giant planet that cannot be destroyed by anyone that contains all the materials of the universe and plants and that gives me system points for the people who live on it.

Kami: interesting I want to tell me why you want a planet, it is not better to go live in other places or find your own planet.


Carl: no way, I want a planet for [ps / system points], to have a base of operations and to make my own strength in that very problematic and dangerous place, my own world is not bad.

Kami: It is a good reason since Dragon Ball World is always evolving which is next.

Carl: before continuing I have a question, do I have to use a wish to go to the timeline and how and where do I want to be born? And how come I want to see myself?

Kami: hooo forget to explain that is not necessary you can not need a wish that is the responsibility of a kami, that is the responsibility of the house.

Carl: My third wish is that I want the legendary ancient Sayayin bloodline and that I never lose my ozaru tail, if they cut it off it will grow back over time.

Carl: my fourth wish I want the highest starter package that can be given.

Kami: why don't you ask for immortality or something else op I'm curious.

Carl: that's because I want to grow my own powers myself if I ask for immortality I will not be afraid of anything and I will be digging a hole myself my rhythm can be tricky but not so much.

Kami: hahahahahaha you are very right what is your last wish.

Carl: I want the ability to create my own dragon balls and my own divine language.

Kami: mm is fine but the dragon balls will be restricted by your own power your first balls will be like the earth balls but these allow you three wishes and you are going to have to do missions and fulfill the requirements before updating them and ask you for points of system, you can't have it all in life mmm it's time for you to go tell me how you want to reincarnate.

Carl: I want to be reborn as the brother of goku and raditz I want to be the middle brother and see myself as a vegetto but more handsome hahaha I can't waste this opportunity.

Kami: hahahahahahaha boy you still don't forget that hehehehehe, let me give you a little present before you go, have fun. When kami said that Carl started to sweat coldly for some reason and then he heard something that almost made him die again.

Carl: NOOOOOOOO SON OF P ***** BASTARDO AND YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A GOD, YOU ARE THE DEVIL.

Kami: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAVE FUN LITTLE AND ENJOY THE TRIP HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Carl was devastated by what that god damn him now he was screwed that's what was said in the head. I should have asked for immortality shit noooooo snfff snfff snffff I curse you kami you have fucked my life.

While Carl was crying he heard something in his head
[BEEP… ..the system is booting 5% ... 10% ..... 50% .... 100%, the system has started]
Carl heard Orta system alert

[BIP… .in reincarnation process has started 5% ... 10% ..... 50% .... 100%, reincarnation has been successful]

System: [welcome to the planet vegeta host you have 1 week as an embryo]

Carl was still crying and I don't pay attention to the system the final words of the evil Kami said were still ringing in his head: I'm screwed ...…. snfff snfff

System:[....]

Carl was 19 years old he was very unlucky that day his girlfriend left him and he was fired from work a cat scratched him while he was walking home and when he kicked the cat away he died because he was struck by lightning on a sunny day, he met a god and he granted 5 wishes ……….
Carl: my first wish is I want to go to drug ball
-------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------
This is my first time writing a novel I hope you will forgive my mistakes and help me improve and I am not an English speaker I hope you understand it thanks

Sitting on a bench on the grounds of Beacon Academy, I contemplate my life choices. 
It's been a few hours since I found myself in the body of a random student in a world I thought was only fiction just the day before.
I got transmigrated to the world of RWBY. Not only that.  Apparently I'm also training to become some kind of mercenary/monster killer or whatever a Huntsman counts as. Awesome, right?
Yeah, no.
When I first arrived, I was freaking the hell out. I thought that maybe someone had drugged and kidnapped me. All the people walking around with all sorts of weapons did nothing to dissuade me of that notion, up until the moment when my mind was assaulted by a bunch of foreign memories.
A common trope in web novels is going to another world in the body of another person, and then recieving the memories of the previous owner of said body. 
What those novels don't tell you is that it hurts like a bitch. 
The bright side is that I stopped freaking about about me getting kidnapped, just to start freaking out because I was going to fucking die.
'What are you afraid of?' you say? 'Aren't you going to become a hunstman? What's the problem?' Well, let me tell you something. 
Grimm are fucking terrifying.
The Creatures of Grimm, beasts that have harassed human and faunus kind since time inmemorial. The spawns of the God of Darkness, made with the sole purpose of destroying humanity and everything it has built.
That sounds nice and all. A perfect plot for a web show full of cool battles and waifus. The problem is that grimm are way more terrible in real life than the show made them out to be.
A single beowulf, a grimm that can be considered as cannon fodder, is enough to kill a big group of normal people. Easily, I may add.
Now imagine an army of those coming at you with the intent to rip your body to shreds. Yeah, I don't like my odds either.
Aura, you say? Pffhh, aura can only protect you so far, and its ability to empower you depends mainly on your own talent. 
People like Ruby Rose are considered prodigies. Trained since childhood by some of the best hunstmen and huntresess, and born with a bigger than average pool of aura. People like that are the main characters. 
Then we have people like the boy I stole the body from, people like me. Those without talent and without the guidance of strong people. Those who were lucky to survive till now in a career where  there's no retirement plan that doesn't involve being dead or crippled for life. The people who only look like the silhouette of a person at the bottom of the screen in the original web show.
I close my eyes and  let out a long, depressed sigh. That's it, I'm a mob character. A mob character in a post-apocalyptic world. A mob character studying in a school where shit is going to hit the fan in at most half a year.
Yay, me.
Opening my eyes, I take a look at the floating screen in front of my face. The helplessness filling my mind is replaced with determination as my gaze roams over the words covering my vision. Luckily, I wasn't completely doomed.
[Quest Completed!]
[Description: Ask any woman from the main cast on a date.
Reward: Random Sacred Gear]
.
.
.
[Do you wish to recieve you reward? Yes / No]
I mentally select yes and a new screen materializes, displaying the image of a person surrounded by what appears to be a purple mist.
[Congratulations! You have recieved the Sacred Gear: Dimension Lost!]
After reading the last annoucement, I suddenly feel like my body is on fire. I curl into ball on top of the bench as the feeling of something being shoved into my soul slowly recedes. A few passers by gave me pitying looks, while some others smirked condesently at my writhing form. The bastards.
When the pain finally stops, I slowly stand up from the bench. I recall old memories from my past life. Memories of watching an anime where the protagonists was an unrepentant pervert for boobs. Memories of a bespectacled man doing real crazy shit in said anime with this same sacred gear. 
My mouth widens into a grin as I lift the palm of my right hand in front of me. That grin turns into mad cackles as wisps of purple mist come out of my hand.
Ignoring the creeped out people close by, I begin making my way towards the academy. A determined smile set on my face the entire time.
Fuck being a mob character.

Hugh squeaked at the sound of a man's sweet tenor. He looked around for the source, but didn't immediately find it.
"Over here," the man said. "Come closer to the fire. You're out of range of the illusion."
Hugh climbed to his feet and dusted himself off, carefully keeping the Book open to the Navigator's page in the process. As he inched toward the fire, he asked, "Who are you?"
"Come closer and you'll see," he replied playfully. The taunt backfired. Hugh stopped moving, mentally reminding himself this was a game. For all he knew, the owner of the voice was an enemy set to spawn at a certain time of day.
"I'm staying here until you tell me who you are," Hugh said stubbornly.
"I can't tell you who I am until you give me a name, but I can tell you what I am. I am your Fully Optimized Navigator Assistant, created for the dual purpose of providing you with support and acting as your liaison with the Navigator Core System. My appearance was created using the Book of Life in your hands, although I can't be finalized into a corporeal form until you're within viewing range of the illusion and confirm my appearance meets your expectations."
"Corporeal," Hugh repeated. "That means 'solid'. Right?"
"It does. I can speak more plainly in the future, if you prefer."
Hugh nodded, even though he couldn't see who he was talking with. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. I've picked up some big words while gaming, but half the time I'm just guessing what they mean. My mom would be the first to tell you I'm dumb as a box of rocks."
"I don't know about that," he replied dubiously. "It's widely believed there are multiple forms of intelligence. Perhaps you're not book smart or street smart, but you possess gaming smarts? I can see in your profile you're an avid gamer with a massive amount of achievements attached to your gaming alias."
Hugh gaped. "You can see that? How?"
"The World Council's information network is as vast as the Net itself. When they gave the Navigator Core System full access, everything they know was integrated into our databanks. What they know, Navigator now knows. As a subprogram, I'm only allowed to see information pertaining to you specifically, but my access level was sufficient to trace you to your gaming alias through links to the bank accounts in your profile. Why? Was it confidential? If so, you don't have to worry. I'm programmed to keep secrets."
"You talk a lot," he replied.
There was a long pause, then the Navigator said, "You didn't understand half of what I just told you."
"Not really," Hugh agreed. "But you don't sound like a bad guy, so I'm going to come closer now."
"Take your time," the Navigator soothed. "I'm aware most humans have trouble accepting things that seem magical, hence why the range of the illusion was limited to make players more comfortable with its existence."
That didn't make sense to Hugh. "Why? We're in a game. Of course magic can be real here."
"That's a good way to look at it, but many of the beta-testers had trouble remembering they're in a game. It's one of the drawbacks of using a full immersion interface. Many players needed technology to explain the magic rather than accepting the very air they're breathing is artificial."
"Is that the backstory for the factions?" Hugh asked as he began inching closer to the fire again. "Is magic for people who accept the unexplained and Tech for those who don't? What's neutral then? For people in denial they're in a game at all?"
"And you said you weren't smart," the Navigator teased. "I think you're going to have a very strong magical alignment when we get to that part."
"Magic is cool, but—oh." Hugh's jaw dropped as he finally approached close enough to see the illusion. Between one step and the next, the Navigator appeared hovering over the fire like a ghost. He looked exactly like Hugh's typical gaming avatar, which was the epitome of a ruggedly handsome fighter. If this had been a zombie game, it would be automatically assumed the Navigator was the token cop. In a fantasy game, he'd have been the human archer. Science fiction games would equal a roughneck Captain and post-apocalyptic games would make him a mercenary.
Aside from all the tropes, he was everything Hugh wished he could be. He was tall and muscled, but in a way that made him appear lean and compact. Hugh felt like a hulking brute in comparison. The Navigator's face was chiseled and his laugh lines were visible through his black five o'clock shadow, whereas Hugh's face was more rounded and he'd never managed more than splotches of peach-fuzz. The most telling of all was the Navigator's bright blue eyes. They were vivid with humor and self-confidence, both of which Hugh knew he was lacking.

The world is dying.  To buy time to find a way to revive it, humanity retreats into cryogenic stasis and uses a game called 'Thrive' to allow society to continue to function.  This story follows an average adult gaymer, Hugh, and his AI Navigator, Dex, as they explore this new world.

Having her coronation as President broadcasted was just a small thing for Zhao Youyue. So was removing people she detested from her sight.
It had not required any effort on her part. After all, she could care less about what people thought of her.
Cao Chuanguang was no longer in the picture. Now, she could start placing her chess pieces down. As for those who were competent at their current roles and knew their places, she would grant mercy. Her influence as an empress had definitely won over their loyalties.
Zhao Youyue would never waste her time over such small matters. Even if something prompted her to take action, she would not depend on her character cards.
Under such circumstances, she promoted the silent Bai Yunshan and inconspicuous roommate Yu Xuefei to manage the small matters and the well-being of other members.
People were jealous of how lucky these two were. They were once nothing, and in the blink of an eye, they were now secretaries of the president. Now that Lady Zhao had nothing to worry about, she did what she loved the most… exploring the "Two-Dimensional Gate."
Zhao Youyue had not only yielded a great harvest from the source world, she had also replenished the cooldown of the "Two-Dimensional Gate." By sacrificing a character card, she could now select a novel with potential.
She sacrificed the card that allowed her to speak to cats. In the source worlds, this card allowed her to transform into a black cat.
Gone were the glorious days of the horror genre. The character card had long been sitting dormant -- it was close to expiring soon.
Perhaps the trend of animal-themed novels was also dying. Perhaps they might rebound, but that's for another day.
By her memory, the author often indulged himself in Mahjong games. He did not even need that side income. His tenants kept him well-fed.
If he was one day forced to pursue his career in writing, he might produce something better.
Zhao Youyue always believed that iconic novels could only be written by two types of authors. One would be like Han Leng -- highly gifted in writing talents and keen on pursuing the beauty of words. The other would be Su Li, disciplined and dedicated, always striving for self-improvement. Every post she made was fresh and trendy. She did not need the improvement, but she went for it anyway. As long as her passion remains, so would her popularity and along with it, her income.
WIth how competitive novels were, the only way one could keep oneself irreplaceable was to have a fresh and unique character in our masterpieces. When you define the genre of your novel, you would be one of a kind.
However, the reality was never ideal. No masterpiece would ever be one of its kind. Billions of people passing through the passage of time -- a repetition of ideas was bound to happen somewhere. To remain relevant, one had to follow the trend.
Zhao Youyue found a novel worthy for the sacrifice of her character card. It was titled "Endless Apocalypse," written by one whose fans called him, Master PhD[1].
PhD was an enigma. Even his gender was unknown, but they largely assumed him to be male, based on his style of writing. His story was always firm and logical, while the chemistry between his paired couples always wandered towards eternal friendship, rather than romance. Master PhD often exaggerated on brotherhood and the bonds between men. Reading his work was more like a gay romance than the story between friends.
This was the age of Yaoi[2]. He was not deliberately promoting Boy Love, but fujoshis[3] often gave his work praise. Master PhD was just so good at portraying how men strengthen each other with trust and encouragement. His stories were so great, so manly.
Readers assumed that only a man could write such a great novel. The author might even be a muscular gym junkie.
Two elements determined his success. One was the exclusivity of the platform he used. Yes, he was an Ancient High God author, but he had taken a risk when he left Qidian, a.k.a. China Literature Limited before that platform monopolized that sector. He had joined an equally solid competitor, just because they offered him far better pay than Qidian's.
As time passed, that platform changed its course and no longer could afford to keep an Ancient High God author such as Master PhD. The other element was his genre of choice. It was neither mainstream, nor popular. In the end, both parties decided to mutually end their contract.
Master PhD then returned to Qidian and published his novel, "Endless Apocalypse." Having left Qidian for so many years, his image needed some rebuilding.
As a veteran author, Master PhD had braved through many storms and lived through them. Perhaps it was his attitude that kept him going. He was highly passionate when it came to writing -- nothing would shake his faith. His efficiency was unwavering.
Authors like Master PhD could usually be trusted when it came to producing remarkable stories. His novels all started with a few great opening chapters. Eventually, he would twist his stories into unacceptable endings that left readers greatly disappointed. Some even called him the "the crazed devil that burns its tail"...
It was not that he was not a terrific writer. It was his readers who were misled into expecting more from such promising opening chapters. They wanted better endings. They had set their expectations through the roof. How could they still blame the author?
Master PhD was actively involved in the fight against the apps that promoted piracy like Baidu Tieba. [4] He mocked readers who supported piracy, earning their ire in return. It was an era where blatant piracy was rampant. Readers of pirated works firmly believed that they were supporting the author's hard work…
Now, things were different. As the management of online platforms improved its quality, readers have begun to realize the greater good in banning piracy. With the increase of wealthy readers online such as Lady Zhao, online novels were moving towards a better direction.
Lady Zhao was impressed with PhD's "Endless Apocalypse." It had the makings of an original, iconic apocalyptic novel!
Translation Note:
[1] "Master PhD" (p大) is a nickname for the author PhD.
[2] Yaoi fandom (基者见基,腐者见腐) refers to readers of yaoi (also called Boys' Love or BL), a genre of male-male romance narratives aimed at those who participate in communal activities organized around yaoi, such as attending conventions, maintaining or posting to fansites, creating fanfiction or fanart, etc. In the mid-1990s, estimates of the size of the Japanese yaoi fandom were at 100,000-500,000 people, but in 2008, despite increased knowledge of the genre among the general public, readership remains limited. English-language fan translations of From Eroica with Love circulated through the slash fiction community in the 1980s, forging a link between slash fiction fandom and Yaoi fandom.
[3] Fujoshi (腐女): Most yaoi fans are teenage girls or young women. In Japan, female fans are called fujoshi, denoting how a woman who enjoys fictional gay content is "rotten," too ruined to be married. The male equivalent is called a fudanshi. The words' origin can be found in the online image board 2channel.
[4] Baidu Tieba (Chinese: 百度贴吧; pinyin: bǎidù tiēbā; literally: "Baidu Paste Bar") is the largest Chinese communication platform provided by the Chinese search engine company, Baidu. It is an online community bound tightly to internet search services, one of the central business of Baidu. The website functions by having users search or create a bar (Forum) by typing a keyword, and if the bar has not been created before, it is then built upon the search.


An introverted girl has had enough of the isolation inadvertently formed by her solitary nature. Things changed when she discovers that she has the ability to transverse across the fabric of our universe into the dimensions of multiple storylines. Not only do these storylines leave her with invaluable lessons - they also impart a portion of their power - if she is deserving of it. The time has come for Zhao Youyue to change her fate. Never again, will she remain as a Side-Character!

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