After traveling to the world of Naruto, Anlan obtained a system called a god-level store manager, and began to build various shops in the Ninja world: gourmet shops, Internet cafes, pet shops, comic shops, custom shops...

So I have had the worst day ever. I finally started to get along with my family, and someone shoots me in the back. I am immediately rushed to the hospital to get surgery, but by the time I get there, I had given up on my life. I just sit there lying on the gurney waiting for the bullet fragments to make their way to my heart. I am busy thinking about movies. I start to laugh at the fact that I am dying and all I can think about is the next Marvel movie to come out. As I am laughing I start to convulse as my heart is finally punctured by the bullet fragments. I am conscious for 5 excruciating minutes. During these minutes I think about my life, and who I wish I had helped. " I swear if I can survive this, I will live and help people. I will be there for those I care about. I will help those who can not help themselves. I WILL be someone who matters to them. I will not be someone who stands by. " I lose consciousness after I say these words to myself. When I wake up, I can see that I was surrounded by the people I care most about. I am filled with happiness to see them. I don't know what happened to them but they are crying. I get up to help them up and they just look at me and then I say let's go. We go home and I get to work. I live for 30 years after that day. I cure diseases, Help people who need it. I built homeless shelters. I end up with a large, loving family. We lived in a private mansion in upstate New York. I decide to buy the rights to both marvel and dc. In the end, I ended up with an amazing life and family. I became the head writer and publisher for both comics. I created new characters and flushed  out some old, yet good ones. I made a final event, kind of like crisis on infinite earths, but I called it crisis in infinite multiverses where the perspective speedsters had to vibrate at the exact same frequencies at the same time. As they did that both multiverses collided and changed the histories, so that all hero and villain backstories from both universes were represented. The universes merged. They made a lot of movies about what I did in the companies. I merged them and renamed the company The Marvelous Detective comics. There were a few differences. New York City was split in 2 and manhattan was renamed Gotham City and the rest of the city was called Metropolis. In this new world, they started from the beginning. The avengers never was formed. Shield didn't exist, and neither did Hydra. The storyline did start with tony getting kidnapped. I added a new character based off of my own younger self. I wrote my family into the continuity. I made it so that we were in almost every major event that has ever happened. I gave my character the first system in any comic ever. I called it the marvelous detective. Since I basically owned all entertainment at that time, which made my comics so much more popular. It helped comic book store owners out a lot. With the comic book stores more popular, more people got interested in the sciences. The influx of people into the sciences, many breakthroughs happened. Even geology was popular! All this happened in a matter of years! 15 to be exact. Then I happened to get sick like the day I was shot. There was a meteor shower that day. As my family and I went outside, I clapped twice. All power in a 100 mile radius was turned off. Thank god we don't live near any hospitals. We laid down on the blanket I set up and the meteor shower started. The meteors seemed to be larger than normal. One exploded over our shed. I started to pull my wife inside, and she pulled along the children. I pulled them into the underground safehouse that I had built so my parents could live with us and not annoy us with their personalities. They were initially surprised that we were there. I told them about the exploding meteors,and they immediately opened up the control panel. In the end they sat with the children until I made sure that it was safe for us to leave. My father kept pushing buttons until he found my hidden button. As we sat there I asked what he was doing, and he pushed the button. I ran to my children and grabbed them while my parents glared. I told them that he hit the teleport button. It did work, but with a price. It drained life forces, and  what survived got increased bodies.I explained that it was a prototype and it's issues.The issues are usually deadly.In lieu of the death, it causes mutations, portals, black holes, dismemberment, and suicidal thoughts. As I am tinkering a small black dot starts to form on top of the machine. I make my way to the dot and I hear a voice on the other side. I make my way to the dot and grab it. It immediately began to expand to encompass the whole house. I then heard the same voice say "Welcome to the Serve Your Self Theoretical Energy Manipulation powers. Your S.Y.S.T.E.M.

Milton Graves grew up a happy child, at least for the first few years of his life. His parents, Todd and Lucy, were hard working but they spoiled Milton to no end. They loved him and he loved them and their days were filled with love, happiness, and prosperity. Milton was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with his parents.
They shared with him their love of comic books and thus he was introduced to a whole other world. A world full of people and otherworldly beings with amazing and frightening abilities, skills, and gadgets. The happiness that came from having the comic books and sharing those worlds with Milton made Todd and Lucy the happiest they had ever been. However, the world isn't all sunshine and fucking rainbows.
Lucy had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer around the time she had become pregnant with Milton. She had been asymptomatic for years, but the symptoms started to appear after a few years and her health went on a decline. Todd attempted to stay strong for Milton's sake and even looked at getting Milton more comic books to read.
Then, the time had come for Lucy to go. Milton was heartbroken, but Todd...
Todd was destroyed due to losing Lucy.
He drank bottles upon bottles but he never touched Milton. Milton was a smart kid and he knew that if he didn't fix his dad then he would lose him too.

"Dad, I need to talk to you."

Milton got his father's attention away from all the booze and TV.

"Hey sport, what's up?"

Milton took a deep breath and with all the air in his lungs he yelled with all the courage he could.

"Get up of your lazy ass and do something with your life you deadbeat piece of shit!!!!!"

Todd was taken aback by what his 8 year old son had said. The first thing that caught him off guard was that his young son had used such profanity and the second thing was that he had no idea how to respond to those words. He thought for a minute and came up with a response.

"Milton, where did you hear those words?"

Milton looked at his dad and without skipping a beat he replied with.

"Xbox Live."

Todd muttered under his breath, 'Those damn video games.' He then looked back at his son and asked what he had in mind on how to occupy his time.
Milton ran to the office and came back pushing a large box with some numbers written on the side. Todd saw the box and recalled what was in it, the start to his comic book collection.

"Well dad, since you love comic book why not open a store?"

Todd thought about the idea for a sec and realized that with all of the new games that had been surfacing in various game stores. He also knew that the nearest game store was about 600 miles away. The town they lived in had a decent sized population and there were a few other towns nearby that had moderate populations. So Todd put down his bottle, cleaned up his act and showed his son the idea for the gaming hub that would reach thousands.

Todd and Milton began looking for the perfect place to host their shop. After looking at a few different locations, they settled on a larger space that had many unsuccessful businesses. The landlord was hesitant to make a deal with Todd as the other businesses had been more common place and had failed to prosper so what hope did a game shop have. Luckily, Todd had been a businessman and convinced the landlord to let them stay for a year and if they failed then they would move out. 

Todd made sure to get all of his documentation in order and began to order their inventory and decorations. Within three months, Todd and Milton had successfully opened their store, the Graveyard. The Graveyard had a slow opening but as word spread of the game store people flocked to it from all over the county and even some from other counties. 

"Wow dad, we did it. People can enjoy all their hobbies and we can share our hobbies with other people."

Todd hadn't seen Milton smile so much since his wife had been alive but he knew that if it wasn't for Milton, he would never have been so lucky to have this dream come true. The piece de resistance for the store was a comic book that was put in a special shadow box for all to admire. The comic was old, almost 100 years old, but it was the most expensive item in the store because of how rare it was. Many customers had offered to buy the comic but Todd had all turned them down.

Milton was told long ago, "No matter what happens Milton, promise me you won't ever sell that comic. It's very important to me and one day it will be yours. That comic is the only one of its kind."

Milton never forget those words as a kid and he remembered them into his teens. The popularity of the Graveyard also grew as Milton had and he soon felt the effects of it on the town. The last name Graves was well known throughout the town, the county and even the state. People had poured so much money and time into the Graveyard that many businesses even paid Todd to advertise some of the businesses in the shop. 

Todd, being the businessman that he was, couldn't say no and this allowed for more funding to be brought into the Graveyard which allowed for events, like MtG tournaments and charity events, to take place. Milton also became popular in the store because puberty had hit him pretty hard. He had always been on the taller side as well as being built like a twig but his love of comic books inspired him to be look like a super hero. He started training intensely and he grew taller, by his senior year of high school he was 6'5" and around 240 lbs. 

"Hey Milton, are you gonna stay after school and play some rugby on the pitch?"

"Nah, not today. I gotta go help out at the Graveyard."

"Alright, catch ya later Tombstone."

Tombstone, the ever so popular nickname that the students had given Milton due to his association with the Graveyard and his size. Milton had become well liked by his peers and he had learned about business from helping his dad run the store. The store had been expanded three times and almost covered an acre of land. Milton had become somewhat of a poster boy for the store and had even dressed up as some superheroes for kids birthday parties. He had never mind it because he knew that he was spreading joy and laughter to those around him.

While Milton had been an athlete and got good grades in school, he always knew that he wanted to help his dad run the store full time. The store was successful but it had a few issues. The store was in a very prime location to build a large business office on and many CEOs had come to Todd and offered him large sums of money to buy the store and all the land it came with. However, Todd made a promise to himself, Milton and his deceased wife that he would never sell the store to anyone. Milton had taken the same oath and swore upon his mother's grave that he would never sell the store. However, there was another issue with the store in the form of a comic book. 

Actually, it was the comic book. That rare comic book had been discovered a plethora of collectors who wanted it and tried many different ways to get it. Todd has poured a lot of many just to protect it and collectors had stopped for awhile but he knew one day that they would try to get it. The last issue was a man named Stick. Stick had gone to pawn shops and several book stores to buy comic books and then try to flip them at the Graveyard. However, Todd and Milton knew if a comic book was worth any money and Stick would always complain about how unfair they were. Stick was a notorious drug addict and he always tried to make enough money for his next fix.
A/N: Sorry for using this troupe but you know the story goes.
One day Stick was over all the bullshit that Todd and Milton had put him through and he decided enough was enough. He came in one day with a stack of comics and what looked like a game books. 

"What can I help you with this time Stick?"

"Oh nothing much, say did I ever tell you how I got my nickname?"

"No, I don't thin-"


Todd made the classic comic book mistake of never reading between the lines as Stick had stuck Todd with a butterfly knife. Milton wasn't at the store yet as he was on his way from school. As Stick hopped the counter to break into the cash register he heard the door chime.

'Ding ding'

"Hey dad, I'm here. Did we get that new pack of Yugioh cards yet?"

Milton then saw the scene that was ripped straight from the comics he loved. His father was lying on the floor bleeding out and Stick was trying to open the register. Then, all Milton saw was red and sprinted towards the register. His massive hand went for Stick's throat and Milton pulled him over the counter.

"You sick fucking little piece of shit. What did you do to my dad?!"

"H-hi M-milton, I-i was just trying to sell some comics."

"Don't play that bullshit with me. If he doesn't make it through this, then you're gonna change your name to Thomas Wayne."

Milton let the druggy go and called 911. While Milton was trying to save his dad, Stick ran out the back, down the side alley and was never heard from again. Sadly, Todd succumbed to his wound at the hospital and the whole town closed down to mourn the loss of the man who had strengthened their community. The landlord cut a deal with Milton that the rent would be taken care of and the other store owners in the town had actually pitched in to help support the store. Milton had been offered a free ride by many colleges for his academics and athletics but he turned them all down so he could run the Graveyard.

7 years later...

Milton had graduated high school and took over the Graveyard. It certainly hadn't died in popularity and while the customer base had changed a bit it was still a hangout for many comic book lovers.

"Harley Quinn is the best supervillain in Batman's rogues."

"Bitch please, Catwoman is the best. She would easily beat Harley Quinn."

Both of the young boys, Julius and Thomas ran to Milton in order to settle their argument.

"Milton, who's better Catwoman or Harley Quinn?"

"Well boys, its actually a suggestive question. It's really a matter of who you think is better. Plus other people's opinions about your favorite things don't mean shit."

"Wow."

"But you're both wrong, Poison Ivy is the best."

Before both boys had the chance to argue, Milton pointed to the live sized cardboard cut out of Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy. The boys looked at each other and found the owners logic quite sound. 
'Oh the naivety of children, how I miss it.'

Milton had managed to stay strong and persevere in maintaining the Graveyard for the past 7 years on his own. He hadn't hired any employees because he found it hard to trust people and he wanted to maintain his father's legacy. He had put on weight since he had graduated and taken over the story but he was still plenty strong. However, there was someone watching the store. Watching and waiting for the perfect moment.

Later that night...

Milton was closing up the Graveyard for the night when the door chime went off.

'Ding ding'

"Sorry, we're closing up for the night."

"You can't even stay open for an old friend?"

'That voice, it can't be.'

"Stick, you finally showed your little rat ass back here."

When Milton turned around to face the murderer something caught his eye. A glass bottle with a rag sticking out of it in one hand and a lighter in the other.

"Stick, put that fucking bottle down now or I will break your neck."

"C'mon Milton, you think I didn't learn anything from all those comic books? Whenever the parent dies, always make sure to kill the kid so they can't take revenge."

While Milton didn't look athletic anymore, he was plenty fast and he rushed Stick. However, Stick was smart and flicked his lighter. The next thing that was seen was the glass bottle with a flaming rag go up in the air and Milton slamming Stick into the ground. It all happened so quickly but Milton was strangling Stick with his bare hands as the bottle fell to the ground. When Stick's breath finally stopped, Milton was too late as the bottle hit the ground and the store started to burn. The fire extinguisher was in the back room and by the time Milton had gotten it, the fire was far too big to extinguish. The only thing he could think of was the comic. Milton scrambled to get his drill and remove the shadow box from the wall. 

When the comic was finally free, Milton turned towards the door but the fire had gotten so crazy that there was no escaping through the front doors. Milton ran towards the back door but he forget that he had already locked it. The only Milton could do was go to the ground in the fetal position and clutch the shadowbox waiting for the smoke and fire to end him. For a second, he felt the burn of the fire on his skin and smoke in his lungs and then everything faded to black.

The Graveyard had burned down in the night and when morning came, the town could only see the horror that had befell the store. Stick's body was recovered, tagged and put into a grave but the remains of the Graveyard had been cleared and the lot had become a memorial to Milton and his parents. The town had gone silent and it slowly began to fade off the map. Although the town slowly began to die, the memorial still stood to honor the Graves and what they had done.

Somewhere else...

Milton suddenly awoke in an alley surrounded by old cardboard boxes and trash. He still had the shadow box albeit a little damaged from the smoke and fire. He tried to get a bearing on his surroundings but a loud crash had broken him out of it. He ran towards the noise even though he knew that was a fucking terrible idea and he saw something he never thought he'd ever see in his life.

He saw...

Milton Graves grew up in his dad's comic book store and eventually took it over. After a fire burned his shop to the ground and smoked him out, Milton awoke to find himself in the middle of the street. Before he could even think, two beautiful women with emerald skin were fighting. He recognized as comic book characters, but they were from different companies. How is this possible?

"I'm not sure. I need time to think it over, I guess…"
Suzuki Ara was aware that her answer sounded so wishy-washy. Nonetheless, there was nothing else she could say at the moment. She was not ready to give answers to anyone, not even about this path she had hoped to take a while ago before remembering who she was.
"I mean, I completed the character sheets they asked me to draw," she said as she showed them the ones she was working on before they came. "But even if I did, I'm still unsure if I really want to pursue this at the moment."
"Well, take your time then," Rin and the others assured her with a smile.
"That's right. You're a married woman now. Compared to the first time we discussed being a comic artist, you have to consider other things before making decisions," Midori agreed before sighing. "In any case, my cousin looked like he'd be happy to wait for as long as he could when we talked to him earlier. It meant that your work really has potential."
Ara smiled. "Thanks. I will really try my best to sort my life out."
"Just relax. We still have two weeks left before graduation. You don't have to hurry," Miharu told her as she gave her shoulder a pat.
"But, Ara, you're not going to escape today. You have to tell me about your story and characters!"
Rin who remained holding her sketchbook looked at her in anticipation. She's really an anime and comic geek that she's very excited about Ara's work. On the other hand, Ara didn't mind, and it was also easier to talk about her drawings than anything else.
"I will be writing an adventure story. It's about this girl," Ara said as she pointed at Alinea in armor. "– and her friends' quests to bust all the myths and legends in the land."
At the mention of myth-busting, memories of a long, long, long time ago – a time that's too far gone to remember normally assailed her along with a deep sense of nostalgia. What was done by her younger self still came to her mind as if it was just yesterday. She had loved busting myths even in the celestial plane.
It was how she met Kresnik for the first time and fell in love.
She remembered that time when she first took a glimpse of him resting under a tree near the lake. She recalled that first moment he came to her house to return her voice. She could clearly reminisce about the confusion of why she wanted to see the man with the ice-blue gaze so badly and the longing she felt when she realized the reason.
Those were the good old days.
"Ara? Ara? Are you okay?"
She snapped from her train of thought and realized she had spaced out and missed out of the conversation.
 "What?"
"Are you sure you're well?" Miharu asked with a frown as she placed a hand on Ara's forehead. "You don't seem to have any fever. But I think you still need to rest. Why don't you go home?"
"Miharu's right, Ara. We don't really have lessons anymore and you've already completed your requirements and projects. Go home so you can rest," Midori seconded, and so Ara had no choice but to follow, albeit reluctantly.
She didn't really want to go home, but she didn't want to be in a place where she had to deal with a lot of people either. Her eyes fell on her sketchbook again. "But I need to submit the character sheets to your cousin today."
"Then leave this to me. I will bring this to Ikebukuro for you," Midori offered as she took the sketchbook from her.
"Are you sure?"Ara might already be convinced that she should go home, but she didn't want to bother Midori and her friends on things she should be the one doing.
"Of course, I'm sure. My cousin's the one who asked you to do this anyway. Besides…"The expression on Midori's face changed a bit as if remembering something unpleasant. "We're no longer in danger to go out."
She was, of course, pertaining to Okada Koharu's death, and Ara who knew the truth, of course, kept mum as she was instructed. Still, a part of her rebelled and tried to tell them the truth anyway.
"Guys…" she began, and the three girls looked on. "What if I tell you I'm not human? Will you be angry?"
All three exchanged looks of surprise at first before bursting out laughing. Ara was confused. She suddenly felt that there's something going on that she was not privy to, and she soon found out.
"We know," they answered in chorus, taking Ara by surprise.
"Er… you do?"
Her uncle had told her that everyone at school and her friends had their memories wiped out to prevent humans from finding out the truth about the Homura House.
Rin grinned. "The older prince told us the truth," she confessed, surprising her further. "We were supposed to have our memories altered like everyone else, but the older prince changed his mind when I told him I saw how Koharu turned into a monster and that you fought with the bad people who took us."
"You… were awake?"
Rin nodded. "I woke up but pretended to still be knocked out so you wouldn't have to worry and just fight."
Oh…
"But I didn't want to forget that Ara. Every one of us didn't want to forget. It's who you are. You are our friend who'd protect us," Rin continued as she took Ara's hand.
"Then why…"
"Because everyone else forgot. We were told by the older prince to keep quiet about it until you're ready to tell us about it, yourself."
It was Miharu who spoke this time. After the kidnapping, Gin realized that it would be unfair to them to erase their memories.
"The older prince didn't want you to feel bad about lying to us. He allowed us to keep our memories, although we have to act like we don't know anything to everyone else."
Upon hearing this, a soft nostalgic smile appeared on Ara's face. Indeed, it was what her uncle Stribog would do.
"We lied to Big Bro Aki too," Miharu smiled sheepishly, making Ara laugh.
"It's fine, my big brother knows," she assured them with a brighter smile as her eyes filled with moisture. "Thank you. Thank you for not being scared and for choosing to remain friends with me."
"Don't be silly. No matter what you are, you're still Suzuki Ara to us," Midori told her which the others agreed with.
"But demigod or not, you still need to go home and rest. The older prince said you were injured accidentally by your husband."
"You know about Ryuu too?"Ara was not beyond amazed.
"Of course. We know everything now."
"Then…"Ara wondered if they also knew about her curse.
Miharu smiled and patted her head. "Ara, stop worrying about us. Just be yourself," she said. "As to your feelings towards your husband, it's up to you. You can be angry at him for now. You have the right to. But do not forget about the future."
Huh? Ara didn't quite understand, but she remained quiet nonetheless. She was really suddenly tired. But, it was also a fact that a heavy burden was lifted off her chest now that she didn't have any secrets to keep from the people who mattered.
"How about Hiroaki?"
"He knows too. He just caught a cold that's why he didn't come today," Midori giggled.
"Go home and rest too, Ara. We'll take care of this," Rin said as she pointed at the sketchbook in Midori's hand. "I'll tag along Midori to Ikebukuro. I need to buy some items from the anime stores there anyway."
With this, Ara nodded. "I will go now. Thanks, guys…"


She was the Princess who had to die…

Alinea, beloved Princess of Ritz, and celebrated heroine of the recently concluded Immortal War was betrayed and killed for political reasons.  However, death did not come. She found herself waking up in modern-day Tokyo, in the body of a girl, named, Suzuki Ara, the most hated antagonist of all.  

He was the Prince who had to live…

Homura Ryuu, heir of the most influential family in Japan was forced to be engaged to Ara since birth, due to a family curse. He could only marry and have children with the woman mentioned in the prophecy, else his bloodline would die out. 

Fated…

The Prince and Princess from different worlds, where revenge, hatred, conspiracy and strive for power prevailed, found each other in the most unexpected turn of events.  Was this a coincidence? Maybe not. For two souls destined for each other meet regardless of time and circumstance. It's called fate...


PLEASE DO NOT SPAM THIS BOOK. I REQUEST FOR EVERYONE TO SHOW RESPECT & AVOID EXP REVIEWS. 
=============================
Ara elbowed Ryuu in the rib. "Darling, you are scaring the people away. Learn how to smile."

"Darling, if I smile, they will totally forget why they exist," Ryuu countered smugly, so Ara had no choice but to sigh in defeat. There's no sense making sense with this stubborn husky anyway.

Well, he kind of had a point anyway…

Ara looked towards the nurse's station where nurses kept bumping into each other or hitting the tables and making things fall because they were busy giving Ryuu demure glances.

"See? They get distracted like that with me not smiling – what more if I do?"Ryuu told her with amusement in his voice. Then again, mischief danced in his blue gaze and he finally sent one bright smile the nurses' way.

CRASH!

BANG!

Ara watched as chaos ensued in the station and she quickly pulled the naughty husky to the side and gave him a glare.

"What? Who told me to smile?" he asked her innocently.

"I did okay? It's my fault," Ara told him as she dragged him away.

=============
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"I don't want to attend that fan meeting! I don't want to join the Marvel exhibition! I don't want to participate in the film's promotion! The film is a product of the Hollywood assembly line. My presence won't affect anything. I just want to go home!"
 "I have read your email, Qin Guan, but you need to stay in America until you finish your job! My expected date of delivery is around next February. You are of no help at home right now. Plus, we call each other every day. There is no difference. Okay, I'm busy. I have to go now. Bye!" Qin Guan felt like he had been abandoned in a foreign country. He could only fall asleep by holding Cong Nianwei's photos in his arms. As a father-to-be, he was obsessed with his wife and new baby. Even the bustling American downtown couldn't fill the void in his heart.
 He had been invited to attend the largest comic exhibition in the US as a way to promote "The Dark Knight". Warner Bros. had invested a lot in the movie, with the intention of creating another superhero legend that would make box office history.
 This was the first time Qin Guan was seeing so many characters from American cartoons. Unlike the elegant, fine cartoons in Japan, American comic characters were tougher and more realistic. People had gathered in the exhibition hall from all corners of the nation, wearing all kinds of costumes.
 The average American loved superheroes. One could see DC and Marvel superheroes side by side, staring at each other with hostility.
 There was Iron Man, Spiderman, The Hulk, Batman... Qin Guan was the only guy not wearing a costume or any makeup.
 As a result, he attracted more attention than the others. I should have at least dressed up as a Doraemon. I look really odd now!
 Some people, who had gone there specifically for him, spotted Qin Guan immediately. The girls, who had seen Qin Guan in the film's poster, thought that he was most likely the most handsome villain in film history.
 It was interesting how many humans liked villains. The Batman exhibition was occupied by those girls, who were wearing different costumes and makeup. Their long legs shocked the other introverts in attendance.
The girls rushed over to Qin Guan, screaming, "My love! My Joker! Please take me away! I'll be your slave forever!" Aren't beautiful girls supposed to love superheroes? Costume stores had welcomed plenty of customers that day. As a result, villain costumes had been almost sold out.


Qin Guan was reborn and sent back to his final semester in High School 18 years ago. Getting a second chance at life, he works hard to turn things around and eventually become a Prince Charming. What will his life be like the second time around? What will he have to go through? How will he succeed in turning from a loser into a Prince Charming? Read this story carefully and find out!

A white room that seemed endless. All around me was...nothingness. I felt a pang of deja-vu as I looked around the room that seemed to have a blue tint towards the end of the endless expanse. A paradox, I guess. Maybe an illusion based on my perspective...I don't know.
This entire place reminded me of one thing:
A waiting room.
But the leather gauntlets attached to arms I didn't recognize--my arms, or rather new arms--told me that I wasn't here to wait for any wishes like in some low-quality fanfic.
I was here to fight something.
The sound of a horn shook through the endless white expanse I was in, the very fabric of the area in front of me shaking and making me feel nauseous. I fell down to a single knee, managing to see some blond hair falling down in front of my vision - I didn't have blond hair. I had brown-hair. What had changed? Why was my body different? And for God's sake, what the fuck is making that horn sound?!
As soon as my questions came to an end, even as my curiosity was still surging through my mind, the horn stopped and I could finally compose myself.
Multiple deep breath later, I finally found the balance that I'd lost from the shaking and stood up again. I looked around but something instantly caught my attention. In this land of white and nothingness, there was a massive screen that seemed to stretch kilometres wide.
It was completely blue with black writing across it. But what was written was what caught my attention.
[Player: Tyler Williams]
[Class: Monk]
[Abilities: Unarmed Combat Mastery Lv1, Robust Body Lv1, Quick Reflexes Lv1, Qi Manipulation Lv1, Serpent Physiology Lv1]
[Weapon: Bare Hands/Gauntlets]
[Current Condition: Preparing For The First Test.]
[Points: 0]
...What? Isn't...isn't this like that manhwa 'Life Howling'? Kinda like a rip-off of 'The Gamer' but mixed with 'Terror Infinity'. It was an enjoyable read. Not the best grammar or art but the idea was interesting.
And this whole menu looks way too similar to the menu the MC of that comic saw when he first got sent to the white room.
If it follows the same route as that comic then--
*Growl*
My thoughts were cut off when a wolf-man appeared in front of me. Just a bunch of white energy dots that collected and formed it. It was wielding a club and was about 5 feet tall and was well-muscled though it wasn't bulky or intimidating and covered in muscle mass. It was obviously more built for speed and endurance than raw power as shown by it's lithe build.
On instinct, I felt my arms being brought up as I settled into a stance I'd never once got in before right now. Which pretty much helped me, along with the other pieces of evidence, confirm that this place was the same place from 'Life Howling'.
The status screen, the wolf-man, the instinctive ability to fight that coincided with one of the abilities shown in my status...it was all too much to be a coincidence.
Without giving me anymore time to think, the wolf-man rushed at me, it's club raised high. True to it's physique, it was incredibly swift and I barely had any time to react before I had to tilt my torso to the right, letting the club sail past my body harmlessly.
Again, from instinct and whatever the passive skill [Unarmed Combat Mastery] did, I whipped my fist out and the gauntlet I was wearing collided with the wolf-man's ribs, throwing him back.
A whimper came from the creatures snout and it actually seemed quite damaged by my attack.
I also noticed that the way I threw that punch was...odd. Odd because I'd obviously done movement I knew wasn't normally possible for a human. In the sense that the way I whipped my arm around shouldn't be possible with the way human joints work unless...[Serpent Physiology]. That skill probably gave me incredible flexibility. It seemed to enhance my strength as well because the wolf-man, despite being small, was still heavily muscled and should weigh at least 110lbs. Me being able to send it a metre or so back with a single punch was more than I knew I should be able to do.
Just what kind of weird body was I in at the moment? It felt like I was definitely in someone else's body right now. At least I was still in control, right?
Ducking again, I noticed [Quick Reflexes] was really putting in the work before I dropped to the floor, following what my instincts told me to do, and swept the wolf-man's leg out from under it, knocking it over with another whimper from it's snout. Especially when it's somewhat short snout hit the ground head-on, beginning to bleed.
Knowing what I had to do, I threw myself at the down wolf-man and positioned myself behind it.
I, ironically, slithered my left arm around it's neck and grabbed my right elbow, steadying the arm, before I began to choke out the wolf-man with my legs wrapped around it's waist and holding it's arms there as well.
I practically crushed it like a Boa Constrictor would and after a minute or two and a lot of thrashing from the wolf-man, it gave in and went limp.
Seconds after it went limp, it faded away into motes of light and I could finally relax.
Lying on the floor, I looked up at the white ceiling or maybe it was a sky? It didn't matter. I looked up and just regained my breath. It hadn't taken long and I'd only attacked it twice but I'd put my everything into that last move and it'd slightly tired me out. Especially now that my adrenaline was coming down.
But suddenly, I felt a calm and warm energy filling me, replenishing my stamina. Almost instinctively, I knew what this energy was. Qi.
Qi filled me and soothed my sore body until I was able to breath easy again. I sat up, feeling a different type of exhaustion. Again, I somehow knew it was due to my body running low on Qi.
Looking up, I saw the screen that was exactly the same as last time...except now I had 10 points.
Thinking I could finally test to see if it were exactly like 'Life Howling', I called out, "Show me all the things to do with Qi replenishment that I can afford right now," I said and near instantly, the screen changed to a sort of shop menu.
[Lesser Qi Replenishment Potion - 1P]
[Qi Replenishment Potion - 5P]
[Greater Qi Replenishment Potion - 10P]
It went on for a while, surprisingly, showing different types of potions that seemed to all have the same effects. But really, that wasn't what I was looking for. What I was looking for, however, didn't take too long to show up.
[Basic Cultivation Manual Lv1 - 10P]
Without waiting, I looked through it's info and upon confirming that it would allow me to replenish my Qi and grow it at the same time, I instantly brought it.
[Basic Cultivation Manual Lv1 - The ability to draw Qi in from the surroundings and temper the body while replenishing your own stores of Qi. When not being used to replenish the amount of Qi you've lost, it can be used to expand the amount of Qi you have.]
Said information and how to enter a meditative state to absorb Qi from the surroundings and how to pull it through my body, slowly tempering it before adding it to my Dantian either to expand my Qi storage or replenish what I'd used/lost. I quickly got into a lotus position and closed my eyes before breathing in the specific way it told me to. It felt incredibly natural to me and I don't know whether that was because of my class, the fact it was a skill I'd brought and now owned or both of those two things working in tandem.
Slowly but surely I became aware of an energy source that was apparent all around me. Like little motes of light. I pulled the motes of light toward me, slowly at first but ever so quickly building up speed and influence until most of the motes of energy, Qi, were flying toward and entering my body.
I pulled the Qi through my skin and saturated my muscles, veins, bones, nerves and flesh with Qi, strengthening it ever so slightly before I pulled the Qi toward where my Dantian was.
This was a single wave of Qi. If I had to quantify it, I'd used 70% of my storage to replenish my physical stamina and the wave of Qi I just brought into my Dantian was about 5% of my total storage. So I quickly got to pulling in more waves of Qi.
I quickly discovered that there was only a certain amount of Qi I could actually pull in. Whether this was due to the fact my Qi Manipulation ability was so low or because the Cultivation Manual I was using was only the basic one, I didn't know.
But it didn't matter. Ever so slowly, I replenished my Qi and slowly tempered my body at the same time. Though the tempering was very slight, it would eventually add up to something.
Why was I trying so hard? Because if this isn't an incredibly lucid dream, I'd just been thrown into what was practically a death game. I needed power and if this Cultivation stuff could help give me more power, then I'd do it as much as possible. Even after I'd filled up my storage, I continued trying to cultivate though it quickly came to my knowledge that expanding my amount of Qi was much harder than replenishing it, so I had to give up. Even after trying to stuff the Qi into my Dantian with wave after wave of the stuff, my capacity only grew by less than half a percent.
Guess that stuff about cultivation taking a while for normal people wasn't all lies in those Xianxia books, huh?
Chuckling to my own little joke, I opened my eyes before looking around...only to see that I was in a forest. Ah, shit, another cultivation cliche - the old 'I was cultivating so I couldn't sense any changes around me' shtick.
I heard a howl before two of the those wolf-men from earlier jumped out of the bushed in front of me.
Ah shit, here we go again...

Waking up in a white room, Tyler Williams wasn't quite sure what to do. That is until he saw a screen appear in front of him, telling his name, his 'class' and telling him some abilities he apparently had. The only thought that went through his mind after seeing this was:

“Wasn't this a lot like that manhwa 'Life Howling'?“

And just like that manhwa, seconds after he looked at that screen, Tyler saw a humanoid wolf spawn a few feet in front of him. He really seemed to be in some sort of game-like environment.

Everything's a cycle, you know?
The first weeks that after they basically fired me from the hotel, I started to look for a new job. Again. I sent my resume to whatever job opportunity I could find. Again. I felt extremely stressed and anxious every time a company showed me they were interested in me, but I still manage somehow to get job interviews. Again.
But, when I had a job interview scheduled, I started to think for excuses that would make me believe having that job was a bad idea. Things like: "they'd pay you too little," "your workplace would be really far away, and I don't like this neighborhood. I don't want to leave my car here, unprotected, all day long," "your workplace would be one of the most depressing ones I've ever seen," "you don't really know or care about this place," "really? Sales? You, the most introverted person you know, think you'd be good at sales?"
And so on.
Also, I feel sometimes, during the job interviews, I was too honest, and sometimes too dishonest.
And sometimes I just simply forgot about the interview. Well, one time I remembered it… 5 minutes before. And when that happened I wasn't shocked or sad or had a mini heart attack, I was just like "well, it seems I'm not getting that job. Anyway…"
So, yeah…
But then, after I saw some starting publisher was looking for comics and manga artists, I decided to distract myself from my constant failures learning a new useless ability. Again. So I bought some how-to-draw-manga books, some mechanical pencils, a sketchbook and a couple specialized pens for the inking and started to watch some how-to-draw tutorials. 
As the time passed by I began to understand how precise drawing is—a line half a millimeter to the left or right, or a slightly sharper curve could make the different of a really neat drawing or a piece of garbage—and how complex is the world we live in: reality could broke down in infinite shapes that are combined in infinite ways—and it's really important to understand them well to get the light and shadows right—how incredibly complex is the human body, and how incredibly well artist understand it; how artist must understand extremely well what they're drawing, and how you need to practice anything you're drawing—not only any object but parts of the human body, like hands (they're so free and active and important there's an infinite amount of ways to draw them, and an infinite amount of ways to get them wrong, but I like to draw them, though,) legs (they're a little complex because the shape of both the thighs and the calves are a little asymmetrical and change depending on the perspective, and the knees are slightly tilted and pointing outwards,) body proportions (it's just hell to get everything right,) hair (there are an infinite amount of hair types and styles, and you need to make hair strands a little bit varied to make them look natural but I always end up making them exactly the same or extremely similar, so they end up looking weird,) eyes (there are a lot of shapes and sizes, so I always end up drawing the same ones, and I'm really avoiding drawing pupils because they end up looking like serial killers,) eyelashes (believe it or not, I have some problems when it comes to make them look right and not like ugly thorns coming out of someone's eyes,) arms (because they're not just cylinders, they change slightly in size and shape especially in the elbow area,) feet (I have problems to draw them in some specific angles and viewpoints;) and different other things relating to a character, like expressions (there are so many of them, and a lot are so similar it's really easy to draw the wrong one, and at the moment you're about to draw them, you realize you only have a vague idea of how they are, so you start making those expressions while looking at the mirror, or the front screen of your phone,) body language (same thing as the previous one,) and clothing (there are so many different types and styles, and I have a really hard time drawing folds that look natural and express how tight or loose the clothing is.)   
Also I began to understand inking is extremely precise and, for most of the time, a pain in the ass—even if you're the most careful you can be, the chances you'd draw a wrong line and screw everything up are really high, especially with hands. 
It doesn't matter how much time you spend making your drawings as best as you can, they'll immediately look like shit.
Also, I don't know why but, once you inked your whole drawings, you then realize the arms are too long, or the hair was placed too high, or the eyes aren't that aligned, or the eyebrows are too thick, or the nose is a little too big, or the torso was too thin, or too thick, or the legs were too long, or etcetera.
And also also, since I wanna draw comics, I have to choose the size and shape of each panel (and this is more important than you think because it can help your storytelling and the rhythm of it,) the scene, the viewpoint, the character's poses, the backgrounds and etcetera.
What I'm trying to say here is that there's A LOT of variables when it comes to drawing, and I have to master ALL of them.
Anyway, for the next month or so I spent most of my day reading—mostly manga and comic theory books by Will Eisner and Scott McCloud—writing, learning how to draw manga style, watching anime and taking screenshots of characters I wanted to draw—maybe because of their expression, their hairstyle, the light and shadow on their faces, their hands, the folds in their clothing, their body pose, and so on.
Nothing else happened, but at least I haven't felt that happy since ages—I never really thought I could survive as a comic/manga artist, to be honest, but it was nice to forget about everything else and draw.
But I still needed a job, especially when that starting publisher struggled to sell all the comics they started printing.
So I started to look for a job. Again.
Then, one day, I was buying some groceries and, in my way to the checkout, I stumbled with their Funko Pops on sale. Now, I'm not a really big fan of those figures, but I had more than a couple of them at home, so I decided to check them out.
There I found some Yu Yu Hakusho figures—Botan, Kurama, and Hiei. Now, this last one caught my eye because of that "Special Edition" sticker.
Just out of curiosity, I took my phone and checked how much it was selling online—they're normally cheaper there.
But there wasn't anyone selling them in my country—except for some really sketchy post of buy-it-now-and-we'll-order-it-from-China-and-in-a-month-or-two-you'll-receive-the-totally-legit-not-fake-funko-you-ordered.
For me it seemed like a really good business opportunity.
So I bought it and sold it online in two days.
I tripled its price.
But I could totally sell it at a higher price.
And considering taxes and commissions, I didn't get that much, but I still got a good deal, though.
So I had a bad business idea.
How about I started checking everywhere for opportunities like this. Or how about I started buying Funko Pops that were common now, but will definitely increase they value in a year or so—like that Spike Spiegel Funko I decided not to buy a couple years ago, and now it's worth like ten times its original value or something.
Think about it: a business specialized not in selling the same Funko Pops everyone's selling, but the rare ones, the discontinued ones; the kinda place collectors would get the figures they can't find anymore.
It could be a good business opportunity—even though the fact it could be doesn't mean it will be. 
Anyway, I was excited with the idea, so I started dedicating all my mornings to look for rare and cheap Funko Pops—and all my afternoons to read, write and learn how to draw. 
The first day I visited some convenience stores. Some of them had a few ones, but they weren't that interesting—all of them were sold even cheaper everywhere online.
I also visited a geek store near there. They had A LOT of Funkos. Walls and walls of them, so I spent a lot of time looking for the ones I didn't see everywhere/knew they were basically worthless, taking pictures of the interesting ones, looking for them online, asking the clerk about their prices, and getting disappointed because they were expensive. 
Except for one: a Guillermo del Toro Funko Pop!
I didn't know that existed, so I checked online, and they were some on sale, but at a really high price.
When I asked the clerk for the price on that one, he told me it was on clearance.
So I obviously bought it.
I sold it the same day—even though I was almost certain no one would want it.
Then I start buying more and more of those Funkos. At first I just bought the ones that were cheaper than other places and may increase their price in the future—like a SSJ Goku glow in the dark, a Darth Maul, a Jackie Chun Limited Edition.
I then realized I spent a considerable amount of money—but nothing to worry too much about; I just used a big part of my emergency savings, and not my life saving (which I'm not gonna touch for this.)
So I decided to start thinking a little bit more about my investments. I checked online for all the offers available for the franchises that seemed promising to me—you know, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Disney, Evangelion, Naruto, Star Wars, and so on. And when I say all, I mean all—we're talking the bottom of the barrel here.
I found a cheap Cowbow Bebop collection—everything except Spike and Ed with Ein—at a really cheap price—but when I bought it the seller backed down because he solved his financial problem that made him offer that part of his personal collection, and I was happy but sad about it.
I also found a cheap Evangelion collection—Summer Convention Asuka, regular Asuka, Shinji, Rei and a bloody Eva Unit 1. The limited Asuka had a little bump on the bottom, but considering the price it was worth it.
Except I already had a bloody Eva Unit 1.
At first I was like: "It's Evangelion, it's a safe investment. And those are exclusives. They're gonna increase their price in no time."
And then I was like: "Maybe, but I don't need two of them. Besides, the Eva I have right now has a free change or refund warranty from the site—the country's equivalent to eBay." 
So I bought that guy's collection.
Then I waited its arrival—all the figures were in really good conditions, even the Convention Asuka, whose bump wasn't that big of a deal—checked both Evas and returned the one in the least great condition—which was the one I had in the first place. 
The company that sold me the first one asked me why I wanted the refund, and I said I didn't need it anymore or something like that. Then they just texted me: "well, we'll losing money for the return shipment, but it's fine."
That same day, I received a couple Funkos I bought online from different sellers—a Rock Lee and an Itachi. The last one even came with a protector box—you know, the plastic and transparent ones that are supposed to keep your Funko in pristine conditions. 
But underneath the protector box I could see the Funko's box was kinda broken.
Irony, I know.
When I tried to return it, I realize this one didn't have the free change & refund warranty, so I had talk to the seller and convince him to change my product for free. 
And the seller was none other than the one of the passive-aggressive text.
So, I sent them the most apologetic message I could write.
They just told me to return the Funko and gave me a refund.
And that was that.
Then I came to the conclusion I still wasn't investing and managing my improvised store smartly enough, so I made an Excel file with all the items I considered interesting from all the stores and sites I visited: it had their price; the lowest price I could sell it in different sites—the eBay equivalent, Amazon (I'm currently working to be a seller there, but it's not that easy,) Facebook Marketplace, and maybe eBay (I still have to check out everything about that site, though, but it seems really worth it)—considering taxes, shipping and the site's commission; the suggested price to sell it in each site with a moderate profit margin; the profit margin I would be earning depending on the price I decided to sell it; the lowest prices from the competitors from each site; the profit margin I would be making if I sold it at those prices.
Also the file had my inventory and all the data about profit, competitor's prices, suggested price, etcetera.
It also has a simple calculator with all that data so I could check really quickly if an offer was worth my interest or not.
I know, I know, that's what Excel's for, and most people could do something way better in a blink of an eye.
But this is something I made with no job experience in that regard. 
I haven't used Excel since college.
And I think I did pretty well, so I'm proud of myself.
Anyway, when I finish preparing this improvised business maybe I'd need to get a job to get some money to invest—and to recover my previous investment, and to save a little... if I can.

So maybe I'll have to start the job-looking cycle once again.

Becoming a hikikomori has nothing to do with rejecting society or having trouble adapting. It’s about emptiness.

The next morning, after charging the robots with the power sockets at home, Chen Jin sent the team out searching again, along with 88 extra fully charged high-efficiency batteries to increase their battery life.
"Da Li, when you get to the City of Tereese, please keep an eye on the banks there, see if there is any gold or silver in their vaults; the same goes for the valuables in their jewelry stores. Bring some of them back; they could be of use for me," Chen Jin particularly reminded them.
"Jewelry?" A light green screen started to appear in mid air as two beams shot out from Da Li's eyes, showing Chen Jin a picture. "Master, did you mean something like these?" It was a picture of a vault full of gold and silver, and jewelry stores with mountains of shiny diamonds.
Chen Jin was almost drooling. Nodding swiftly, he said, "Yes, that is exactly what I need."
"Yes, master." Da Li saluted. "We will keep an eye out and search thoroughly." Then, Da Li and the team scurried away towards the North and were soon out sight.
Chen Jin then went back to his bedroom with great anticipation, waiting anxiously for their return. It was as if he had ants in his pants; he wasn't even able to play video games or read his comic books - all he could think about was how rich he was going to get overnight. Like five million was just going to fall right into his arms from the sky.
"I wonder how much gold they can find," he murmured to himself. "If each person owned 10 grams of gold, collecting one ton of gold shouldn't be a problem in a city that had 100,000 residents. Silver is only worth 50 cents per gram here on Earth, so it's ok if they don't find too much of that as they wouldn't be worth much even if they bring back a ton. As for palladium, platinum, rubies, and jade…these guys are worth a lot of money - I could probably make more than 10 million with just one small bag. It might not be too hard to achieve my 1-billion goal if I take all the valuables in this city that had a population of 100,000, right?"
Chen Jin started pacing back and forth in his bedroom, rubbing his palms together. He even thought about going to Tereese and search for the treasure by himself; however, he quickly dispelled the idea due to the fact that the travel distance would be too long for him to handle. Fortunately, Da Li and the team didn't keep him waiting for long.
The next day at noon, the robots had returned to the camp. But…
"Where are my tons of gold? Not even hundreds of silver? What about the snakeskin bag filled with rubies and jade? None of the stuff that I asked for is here. How come?" Chen Jin was so frustrated that he didn't even have the energy to complain. He was not happy with the stuff Da Li brought back - a small gunny bag. The kind of bag that one could fill 10 kilograms of rice in. And it wasn't even full.
After dumping all that was in the bag out on the sandy ground, Chen Jin saw the following:
A broken mechanical watch - worth a little more than $15.
Eight diamond rings - all of which were not very big.
Five platinum rings.
25 pieces of jewelry with different kinds of materials; there was gold, silver, jade - which weren't heavy; the best one was the gold bracelet, which weighed a little more than 20 grams.
Chen Jin assumed the most valuable one of all was probably the necklace that was made with 48 spectacular pearls; all of which were perfectly round shaped with a bright, iridescent color - they might be worth more than $2,000.
But the amount was still far from what he originally planned. Chen Jin guessed the total value of what was in front of him - 1 million at most. He couldn't even achieve the tiny one-billion goal. Having decided to get to the bottom of this, Chen Jin asked, "Da Li, what exactly did you look for in Tereese? Did you not find any local banks? How come these are all you could find?"
"We searched every corner of the city very thoroughly and carefully, including some banks and their vaults, but these were the only profitable ones that we could find." Da Li explained.
"How is that even possible?" Chen Jin did not believe the robot. "In a city with a population of 100,000 you should be able to find 10 kilograms of gold at least, if not a ton."
"Master, if you don't believe me, please take a look at my search history."
A video clip of the entire searching mission started playing in mid air, as two green beams shot out from Da Li's eyes. It was from Da Li's perspective too - he could see every little detail.
Chen Jin watched for a while. Then he told Da Li to fast forward to the vault in a large bank, and paused. The heavy, metal vault was cut in half with a razor gun by the medical robot "Da Bao". But there was absolutely nothing in there.
Perhaps there wasn't exactly nothing. Chen Jin saw some wads of useless, floral print paper towels that he considered to be too rough to be used for any purpose. All the hard currencies, such as gold or silver, were gone. The result was the same for the next few banks they found.
All the bracelets, necklaces, rings, and whatnot, also vanished from the glass display cases in jewelry stores on the high street. As for the residential areas, they searched more than 10 houses and still found nothing in their empty safes - not even a roll of paper towels.
Based on the search results, Chen Jin concluded that the residents in this city must have fled with all their valuables after the war broke out, leaving no chance for anyone who wished to steal.
All the stores on the high street - jewelry stores, watch stores, clothing stores, and grocery stores, had signs of being broken in; the City of Tereese was apparently in chaos during the war; criminals must have taken the opportunity and stolen all the expensive products.
They just didn't do a very good job, leaving a little over 100 mechanical watches, 10 diamond and platinum rings, and more than 20 pieces of jewelry. Da Li and the team were lucky to find the rest so they didn't have to return to camp empty-handed.
"The value of jewelry remains even if it's the apocalypse. How could people just toss them away?" Chen Jin said with frustration.
Money is liquid assets; evidently, most of the valuables in the city had gone somewhere else. My tiny one-billion goal will not be easy to achieve for sure. Luckily, the bag that the robots brought back definitely had some value; I can surely sell them and make at least a million, and it will be my "first bucket of gold". Besides, Da Li and the team only searched a part of the city; there are many other places that have yet to be investigated. I still have hope.
Moreover, Chen Jin found an alternative "in person". Or rather, "with his own eyes". Even though he was not in the City of Tereese personally, through Da Li's search history, he noticed that there were quite a few vehicles on the streets. There were cars, big trucks, buses, various construction vehicles, even some agricultural machinery. There were at least thousands of them; he saw them everywhere in the city.
Without any hesitation, he said to Da Li, "Da Li, after your batteries have been fully charged, find me a vehicle from the city - not the ones that are out of order; find one that can be easily repaired."
"Yes, master."
Chen Jin then picked up all the watches, diamond rings, and jewelry that were scattered all over the ground, put them back into the bag, and went back to his bedroom.


Through a mysterious portal, Chen Jin arrived at this strange place - a post-apocalyptic world where civilization had been destroyed. 

Consequently, he found -

A piece of metal scrap
A robot trash collector
A battleground
A city
A ton and more of gold
A copy of high-tech documents
A...
In short, Chen Jin found a planet.

In the packed streets of Beijing, China, a popular comic book cafe runs its business as usual with the dim, but bright lights on, extraordinary smells of delicacies escape the gaping doors, and a welcoming aura that draws people inside. Everything was going on as usual except for the large signs posted on the windows outside written in large striking letters saying, "Last Chance to Get a Comic Book! Store Closing Today!" which made old customers weep to think such a grand place was closing down after 15 years in business. A young man enters the store after stopping to read the signs posted over the front windows. He sighs sorrowfully, looking around the shop, which was in the middle of packing up its books. He knew the comic book cafe would have to close for his uncle, the owner, had to pay for his aunt's cancer bill. Regardless of trying to prepare himself for the closing, he hadn't prepared enough.

Memories flood back in the boy's head of the comic book cafe. When he had gone there to read some comic books accompanied by cup-o-noodles. When he would come with all his books to study and listen to the warm buzz from the customers. Even the times when his uncle grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the store to get a break from studying. The store had been there for as long as he remembered and he wasn't ready to say goodbye to it just yet. He walks over to the check- out counter and leans over, calling out quietly so he would not disturb the customers.

"Uncle, I'm here. You said you had something to show me?" A rustle is heard from the backroom and a man in his 30's appears in front of the counter. His shirt is damp and beads of sweat hang off of his face, dripping down his toned skin and into his shirt.

"Wei Zhixin, you're here? You came earlier than I had expected…" He says wiping off the sweat from his forehead.

"What were you doing back there Uncle…?" Wei Zhixin says teasingly as his face grows into a smirk, "You're sweating so much…"

"You shameless brat, how can you say this in front of the customers?! I have a wife!" His uncle hisses, sounding flustered.

"I didn't say, anything Uncle, are you thinking about something dirty~," Wei Zhixin says as his smirk widens and his uncle's face becomes a deep shade of red.

"You better man-up, you're already 20! This is why you've never had a girlfriend!" His Uncle exclaims with his face so red Wei Zhixin can't help but tease him even more.

"I never knew you were such a man Uncle! Not only do you do weird things in the backroom but keep up the stereotype of old pervy uncles!" Wei Zhixin gushes with both of his hands on his cheeks, laughing uncontrollably.

His uncle shoves Wei Zhixin behind the counter and into the backroom with a strong grip on his wrist. Wei Zhixin doesn't resist as he is laughing so much at the joke before he can barely breathe. In the backroom, boxes are heaped up on the left corner, labeled and all, probably ready to be shipped into his uncle's house or given to other comic book stores. A ladder is seen traversing up to the mysterious attic in which Wei Zhixin had never been allowed. Once, he had tried to sneak up there to see what was so special that had to be hidden from him but he ended up getting caught red-handed. Whatever happened as the consequence after that is up to your imagination. After that incident, he assumed that the attic was where his uncle hid his "not so PG" books and never again tried to sneak up there. As Wei Zhixin had expected, a man was in the backroom helping move boxes. The man, Wei Zhixin recognized, was his uncle's friend, and he quickly bowed down to greet the man, who greeted him back. He then followed his uncle up the ladder, step by step, into the dark attic. Or so he thought.

The attic was something Wei Zhixin didn't expect it to be. In all the comic books he had read, the attic was always a bad sign. From cobwebs to stray ghosts, the attic had a knack for drawing evil beings, however, this attic looked as if it was meant for a young child. The floor and walls were wooden and stained dark brown. A small wooden table was located on the side of the room, accompanied by a charming lamp. Apart from that, shelves and shelves of colorful comic books filled the rest of the room, making Wei Zhixin's eyes pop out of their eye-socket. From thriller to romance, all kinds of comic books filled the shelves which would attract any comic book lover, let alone Wei Zhixin.

 This, Wei Zhixin thinks to himself, must be Uncle's private library! Why has he hidden this from me all these years?!

"So, what do you think of my library?" His uncle swings his arm gracefully in the direction of the shelves, smiling as he watches Wei Zhixin's eyes widen like a baby's, a huge grin already forming on his face.

"It's amazing! Wow Uncle, and to think all these years you kept porn up here! This is even better than I thought!" Wei Zhixin exclaims browsing through the shelves.

"I'm so happy that you- Wait. WHAT DID YOU THINK I HID HERE?!" Wei Zhixin's uncle roars as his face becomes red once again.

"Nothing! What did you think I said?" Wei Zhixin raises his eyebrow, smiling like a jokester.

"Seriously, how have I dealt with you for all these years?" Wei Zhixin's uncle sighs tiredly, looking at Wei Zhixin with disappointment. "What I was GOING to say was, you can choose any comic book to take home with you. Just as a little something from me since the shop is closing."

"Are you sure about that? It looks like you really care about these books. I mean, they've been here for who knows how long." Wei Zhixin lifts an eyebrow accusingly.

"Of course I am sure, go find a book!" His uncle gives Wei Zhixin a small push towards the bookshelves.

"Alright, alright, I'm gonna go now!" Wei Zhixin says excitedly jumping up and down as he heads towards the bookshelves.

Wei Zhixin thanks his uncle multiple times before walking through the shelves, his hand brushing against the spines of every comic book, collecting dust. He soon finds himself in the darker corners of the attic where the light doesn't reach there as well as the rest of the shelves. His hand comes to an abrupt stop at one book which he would've missed if his hand didn't feel it. Wei Zhixin gently takes out the comic book from the shelf and traces the title on the cover with his index finger. He flips through the comic book to get some glimpse of the drawings and chooses this as the one he would take home. He walks back into the light where his uncle is writing labels for boxes. He sneaks up behind his uncle and grabs his shoulders tightly.

"HeY there UnCLe!" He yells into his uncle's ear, making him jump up in surprise with a loud scream.

"Holy- Wei Zhixin! How dare you sneak up on me?!" He says with his eyes wide open. He lunges to punch Wei Zhixin who, since he fences, dodges the punch successfully.

"Bye Uncle, and thanks for the comic book!" Wei Zhixin yells as he jumps down the ladder, and dashes out of the comic book store, surprising some customers who were about to enter.

When he stops to restabilize his breathing, Wei Zhixin realizes he ran himself into a park subconsciously. The park he ran himself to was located 15 minutes away from his house and one of the many things he adored more than comic books, was this park. It hadn't been renovated for a while, but the park was still in good shape, and since it was spring, cherry blossom trees, which were planted all over the park, were flourishing as young children ran around and couples stopped to enjoy the view. This park was the best place to read as it was not too loud or quiet, and the scenery was stunning. Wei Zhixin found himself an open bench, laid down on his back, and opened to the first page of the comic book. For the next hour, he was on his back and read the comic book with utmost interest without being disturbed until he flipped to the last page which read "The End". He finally gets up from the bench and rubs his sore back. He wipes the tears which escaped his eyes and looks at the book cover, his eyes red from crying.

"This was the greatest book ever!" He yells out loud, catching the attention of many visitors in the park, however, he didn't care much. He looks up for a second, and back down at the book, saying in a whisper, "The sex scene was amazing, but there should've been more kisses… and that villain was total shit, I would've beaten the crap outta him the first time I saw him!"

Suddenly, his phone rings which catches him by surprise. The book slips from his hand, and Wei Zhixin jerks forward to catch it, but it falls right through his fingers. Wei Zhixin picks up the book, muttering curse words and brushing the dirt off the cover page. He grabs his phone from his pocket and sees that he missed 15 calls from his mom. He gulps, knowing that he was screwed no matter what he did. If he picked the call up, he's screwed, if he went home without picking the phone up, he better have his Will ready! Wei Zhixin chooses the path of the phone since his mom couldn't beat him up from behind the phone.

"Hey mom, how's it going?" Wei Zhixin says cowardly, shrinking as he hears her breathing.

"Is this how you greet your mom after picking up after 15 missed calls? Was your ringer not on?! Boy, don't play smart with me! I know what you did!" His mom yells into the cell phone causing Wei Zhixin to flinch.

"Mom, I didn-"

"I know you ate those cookies I left out! Those were for your dad!" She says disappointedly, which was easily masked by anger.

"Oh, uh sorry. I didn't know they were for dad." Wei Zhixin says chuckling awkwardly with a guilty conscience, his hand scratching his neck awkwardly.

"Oh, you are so dead when you come home…" His mom says murderously before shutting down the phone. A cold shiver travels up Wei Zhixin's back.

"She sounds mad… What should I do?" Wei Zhixin murmurs under his breath. Suddenly, he gets an idea and grabs his book, leaving the bench and walking through the cherry blossom path.

Wei Zhixin walks around the huge park, his nose in the comic book once again, as he walks to the closest grocery store which he knew was only 5 minutes away. As he reaches the store, he looks up and BANG. He bumps face to face with the glass doors and falls down.

"BRUH! LIKE, STOP." Wei Zhixin kicks the door, which hurts him again, and enters the store limping.

He finds himself in the snack aisle and stands back, looking at all the options of chips, cookies, sodas, etc. He grabs a pack of Talkis, glass coke, and even some chocolate chip cookies, then walks over to the checkout counter, paying $35 (I'm too lazy to convert). He then begins his walk home, a small grocery bag in his hand, the other one holding up his comic book. By the time he reaches the gates to his home, it's dark and by then, he's been reading under the light of the street lamps. Opening the gate with his key, Wei Zhixin enters the house followed by his mother running out in an apron.

"Wei Liang! Do you know how late it is?!" His mom's face looks worried and relieved at the same time, but what gave it away was the name. She'd only call Wei Zhixin by his real name when she was mad or really worried.

"Mom, it's only 9. I took a while to bring you replacement cookies and your favorite snack. I'm sorry for eating dad's cookies." Wei Zhixin says in a soft tone, stretching out his hands to show the bag of what he purchased.

"Wei Zhixin, you didn't have to… I was so worried…" She says hugging her child and stroking his hair.

"It's okay mom, did dad come home yet?" Wei Zhixin says hugging his mother back.

"No, but he's coming soon. Today I made your favorite dish, Wonton Soup." His mom replies, retreating back into the house closely followed by Wei Zhixin.

"Sounds delicious, my mouth is already watering!" He pipes up as he takes off his shoes in the front and enters the warm house. Placing the bag of goods on the floor, he goes straight to the bathroom to change and wash his hands for dinner. When he goes back outside, his father is already seated at the table.

"Hello, dad." Wei Zhixin greets his father as he sits down at the table.

"Hey, dad!" Wei Zhixin's sister, Chang Lian yells from her room and comes running out.

"Hey bitch, what's up?" Wei Zhixin looks at his sister grinning.

"Stfu hoe and eat." Chang Lian glares at Wei Zhixin and sits down at the table as well.

Wei Zhixin's mother comes out of the kitchen with a pot of steaming soup in her hands which holds no mittens. The heat never gets to her for some reason! She sets the pot down lightly on the table and opens the cap. Steam pours up and the lovely, light smell of Wonton soup fills the air. Taking a huge breath of air in, Wei Zhixin sighs as he grabs a bowl and begins to pour soup for himself. Gulping the steaming soup down his throat, Wei Zhixin finishes his soup and immediately reaches for seconds. 
 
After having at least 5 refills of the soup, Wei Zhixin finally retreats to his bedroom. Filled from all the soup, he lays down on his bed and grabs the comic book, reading it for the third time that day. However, struggling to keep his eyes open, Wei Zhixin finds himself falling asleep with the book hugged tightly around his hands, and the usual sounds of crickets chirping before everything goes dark.

When Wei Zhixin wakes up, it's still dark. He sits up on the bed and rubs his back, yawning. When his eyes open fully, he stands, shocked. The walls weren't filled with posters he knew he put up, the floor was a weird old wood, and his bed wasn't a bed at all. It was made of wooden poles and fabric tied tightly around it to hold a human's weight. Wei Zhixin gasps, looking around frantically, and after taking a few breaths, he assesses the situation.

"This doesn't look like my room…" He says rubbing his hand, but suddenly stops. His hair feels long and silky, unlike his usual short, ruffled bed hair. He reaches for the bottom of his hair and realizes it's now down to his waist, and his clothes were unlike anything modern. He was beginning to panic again.

His clothes looked like those traditional things he had to wear to parties and shit, but it looked a bit odd. Those clothes were pretty complex, but this was simple… and looked REALLY good. By the door, a beautiful silver sword lies on the floor. It looked pretty complex for a sword, but it still gave him an odd sense of deja vu. Everything did. From the room to the clothes to the hair, it reminds him of something, but at the same time, he can't pinpoint it.

Wherever he was, all he knew for sure was, he didn't wake up in his own bed.

After his favorite comic book shop closes, Zhao Hui has been gifted a comic book that becomes his favorite in a matter of a day. but when he finds himself sucked in the comic book, Zhao Hui now must face not only the problems originally in the comic book but new dangers caused by his actions. That's not all. When Zhao Hui turns this hetero book into now a new gay romance, he has to face another challenge: his feelings for the main character. What more is in store for this y/n in this cliche story? Read more to find out in this hilariously written novel!

sn: guys please read the *reupload* chapters because I changed the names of the originial characters and also edited a majority of the chapter. Thank you!

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