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Connor, a teenager in the 21st century who enjoys spending time playing military and strategy games. He is now looking forward to a VRMMO game called "Warzone" that mirrors Earth where the players start as an ordinary soldier in one of two factions, Federation or The Empire, then rise through the ranks and manage their own armies. Connor, who was looking forward to playing Warzone, put on his VR helmet. Although unbeknownst to him, where he was sent to was not... Warzone.
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This story is written on RoyalRoad as well.

"Faith: A strong word and feeling"

Two girls living in different timelines, but connected as one. Have been chosen by two different Gods. 

Mazatl born in the past were the Gods were strong and visible. Living in a small village outside of Tenochtitlan, better known as the Aztec Empire. Chosen by the "Feathered Serpent". Honor is given and faith grown stronger
For sheep being born in modern day society that is not the case. A child of immigrants in America. Western ideas and beliefs shoved down her throat since birth. A god has been planted in her soul but another has taken her heart, none other than the "Smoking Mirror". 

Both have paths they must follow, but what if one was to lead a stray? What would happen to either if them? will a cycle end or start?

"Faith: A strong word and feeling"

Two girls living in different timelines, but connected as one. Have been chosen by two different Gods. 

Mazatl born in the past were the Gods were strong and visible. Living in a small village outside of Tenochtitlan, better known as the Aztec Empire. Chosen by the "Feathered Serpent". Honor is given and faith grown stronger.
For sheep being born in modern day society that is not the case. A child of immigrants in America. Western ideas and beliefs shoved down her throat since birth. A god has been planted in her soul but another has taken her heart, none other than the "Obsidian Smoking Mirror". Sheep has been tasked by Tezcatlipoca to locate Quetzalcoatl.

Both have paths they must follow, but what if one was to lead a stray? What would happen to either if them? will a cycle end or start?

What happens when two worlds collide. A runner and a hi-caste K-sec Lieutenant officer run into each other after faith has been in prison for 2 years.

Andrea Caputo was a girl who worked as a chef at Serra Restaurant, her parents died and left her and her little sister sick sister alone, one day coincidence brings her and Luca Serra the leader of one of the biggest Italian Mafia together, but also the coincidence has once brought her with the FBI agent Owen Jones when she's put between her little sister and prison what is she going to do?

Luca Serra, one of the most feared Mafia Capos, everyone who dared to say no to him ended up dead, but one day he puts his sight on the best chef at his restaurant, Andrea Caputo when he knew about her sister, he took advantage of her, but what will happen when he finds out that she has been arrested.

Owen Jones, one of the best FBI agents, he was an orphan until one day, a loving family who couldn't have kids, adopted him, but they were killed when he was 18 years old and he knew who was responsible for that so he decided to go after them and became an FBI agent, but what will happen when life gets him and Andrea Caputo together.

Li walked through the miles and miles of lush grass with his feet tingling with every step.
"I should probably make some clothes". Li thought, looking as his now tanned body from the direct sun. His hair started to grow longer the day he got here and it looked silver, reflecting into the grass. 
"Am I not human? No human has this kind of straight silver hair." He realized he hasn't actually looked as his full body yet due to lack of mirrors. Li started to think about mirrors and their reflection, but nothing showed up in his hand. 
"Mirrors are of glass and metal put together..... I should start with the desert biome." Li began to think about the hot sun with burning sand and the dunes. He soon found a pile of coarse sand in his sand, about a good handful. 
AUTOMATED SYSTEM: SAND ACQUIRED
" I want a 1000 mile by 100 mile square area of sand. Can you do that system?
 AUTOMATED SYSTEM: DONE
"Bu...." Before the words could get out of his mouth, a land of sand started to spread quickly to an exact square of 1000 miles by 100 miles if you could use something to look into space. Sand saw slowly heating up and flying into the air due to the present breeze. 
"So... yellow" What a wonderful shade! Li ran around and jump through the sand mounds randomly generated, feeling the rough yellow substance across his entire body. It didn't feel uncomfortable, despite being naked. The breeze also felt nice as he "swam" through the area. 
"I should start making some buildings, i'm not a naturalist". Li thought about the pyramids based in Earth's Egypt, filled with items not known by many people. He opened his eyes and saw a large pyramid, as big as he imagined, but it soon fell down, creating a small dust storm. From the collision with the ground, the air picked up and a large dust storm, approaching Li fast.  He tried to bury himself within the sand , but it was too late as Li got hit was millions of sand particles. He closed his eyes and braced for the worst. He brought his toned, bronze arms and shielded his face. He didn't feel any of the sand hit his arms, in fact, the only thing he felt was the wind. Li looked up and found the sand circle him, like there was a transparent wall.
SYSTEM: YOU HAVE SOME RESISTANCE TOWARDS THINGS YOU CREATE. 
HIDDEN TRAIT FOUND: RESISTANCE ISN'T FUTILE
Li found the the statement surprising and soon relaxed.
"At least I can't be killed anytime soon, though I wonder what will happen if I create life?
SYSTEM: YOU CANNOT CREATE LIFE YET. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO KILL YOURSELF. IF YOU DO, YOU SHOULD REMEMBER THE CONSEQUENCES. 
Li shuddered as he thought about what mythology's hell looked like, with lava, obsidian, and Hades, lord of the Underworld.
SYSTEM: CONGRATS, YOU CREATED FIRE, LAVA, AND OBSIDIAN BASED OFF YOUR IMAGE.
Li looked in his hand and found three things. A golden flame that stayed stable. Along with the fire was a small block of black rock, obsidian. The third thing was a small drop of molten lava. Li started to panic, feeling the invisible pain fire and lava should, but soon found the fire and lava didn't burn through his hand. He didn't even leave a scorch mark.
"I can play with fire! I've got the thank the system for the resistance"
SYSTEM: YOU'RE WELCOME. YOU CAN NOW CREATE GLASS SINCE FIRE HAS BEEN FOUND. 
"Bout time".
SYSTEM: YOUR SASS ISN'T REQUIRED
"Oh I have a question for you, are you an AI or are you an entity, but what are you?"
SYSTEM: THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED UNTIL YOU HIT THE MEDIEVAL ERA.
"Damn, how long do I have to live?"
SYSTEM: A GOOD WHILE, AT LEAST UNTIL I SEE A RELATIVE MODERN SOCIETY.
"You can see?"
SYSTEM: OF COURSE, I AM THE SYSTEM. I AM BETTER THAN THOSE COOKING AND WORLD DOMINATION SYSTEMS. SOUNDS FUN BUT I WANT TO SEE SOMEONE NOT DEAL WITH PROBLEMS THAT AREN'T THEIRS. I WANT YOU TO CREATE YOUR OWN PROBLEMS AND SOLVE AS WELL AS COLLECTING DATA FOR MY NEXT "SYSTEM" PROJECT. I AM HERE TO HELP SLIGHTLY AND OBSERVE. YOU ARE THE HOST, AND I HAVE TO FOLLOW SOME OF YOUR ORDERS. YOU WON'T FIND MY TRUE IDENTITY TILL LATER. I'VE RANTED LONG ENOUGH.
TEMPORARY MISSION: MAKE A MIRROR AND EVALUATE YOURSELF AND TAKE A GOOD GUESS WHAT RACE YOU ARE
REWARD: FLAME AND MANA MANIPULATION
"Oh mana exist? I haven't heard about mana since I've read those web based novels. I wonder if this is similar to mana from the novels." Li pondered but eventually stopped, and thought about a mirror. Some reflected glass appear, with no frame. 
SYSTEM: YOU HAVE CREATED A MIRROR.
Li was finally ready to see what body he had given since he been reincarnated. The results left him speechless.

Li is ready to pass on into the afterlife until a unique system makes him become a god of his own world.

As Dog Two ran like crazy, Wang Ling and the others drew closer to the Altar of Water in the south. The set-up of the world of the Palace of Mirrors was in fact very simple, but the shadow army invaded and forced it to become more complicated. 
As they drew near to the Altar of Water, Wang Ling and the others stopped and approached in secret. 
Wresting control of the altar now would mean regaining sovereignty over the world. Once the operation of the five element altars was restored, this swarm of shadow army invaders would be forcefully sent back by the nomological laws in the Palace of Mirrors to their original world. The departed spirits wandering around in this world would in turn return to their original worlds and rest in peace. 
As for the innocent killed by the shadow army, they would become inhabitants of the Palace of Mirrors. The nomological laws of the world would create new bodies for them, and then strip them of their memories of this world before sending them back to their original world. 
The nomological laws of the world were an order unto themselves. 
When the order was disrupted, the world fell into chaos. 
When order was reasserted, everything would return to what it was. 
In the real world, Gu Shunzhi's role was to maintain the order of the universe. 
But the Palace of Mirrors was obviously something Gu Shunzhi couldn't predict. 
This was an unusual world which existed in between the cracks. 
And an extraordinary world would usually only open in extraordinary circumstances.
So here was a new question for Wang Ling.
If the key figure behind the shadow army invasion wasn't the master of this world, then who on earth was the real master who created the Palace of Mirrors? 
Each altar had its own characteristic. 
The altar wasn't simply an array: its structure was far more complex. 
Each altar was composed of three key constituents. 
One: A material object of a highly spiritual nature that aligned with the altar's attribute.
Take the Altar of Water for example: its material object was very likely a river or a lake. 
Two: Offerings had the same attribute as what was used to build the altar. 
The offerings were usually magic artifacts with tremendous, ancient power. These sort of magic artifacts were mostly antiques that had already lost their original effects, but could still be used as sacrificial tributes. Dharmaraja's Holy Thunder Pill, for example, was a holy relic passed down in the Thunder clan for generations, and which was perfect as an altar offering.
Finally, the third and most inhumane key element: the altar envoy, who guarded the altar. 
Altar envoys were like sacrificial offerings themselves: they were people offered up to the altar, who resonated with the altar's attribute and were carefully selected. 
After becoming the guardian envoy of the altar, they would receive the altar's power and become immortal. On the other hand, they would lose their freedom forever. 
The altar was like a prison for the guardian envoys; each one was imprisoned inside, where no light shone… 
In the ancient cultivation world, various types of elemental altars were usually used to protect cities. Ancient cultivators used the power of the altars to defend their kingdoms. 
However, with the onset of modern cultivation culture, the altar became an inhumane and forbidden technique. 
Hundreds of years before the modern era, there were cultivators who had looked into upgrading the altars. After the upgrade, an alternative for the third key constituent was found: an "artificial puppet." However, these soulless puppets were, in the end, non-living things, and couldn't exhibit even a tenth of the power of a living person. After the altars' power was drastically reduced, they naturally phased out. 
Later, with the advent of modern cultivation, the sacrifice of living things was added to the list of forbidden techniques banned under the Cultivation Convention. 
Wang Ling had heard Old Antique talk about this part of history in class before, but it wasn't a test point and was just a piece of additional trivia in the modern history of cultivation course. 
Old Antique had vast experience far beyond what many people could imagine; he could be said to be erudite and well-informed, and could almost be described as omniscient. That particular lesson was still fresh in Wang Ling's memory, because he had been eating a crispy noodle snack on the sly in that class before Old Antique found and confiscated it!!! 
As everyone expected, up ahead was a marsh surrounded by a sea of tall reeds, which made it hard to see and could completely swallow up an adult. 
"There's a very strong aura." Stopping in front of the sea of reeds, Dog Two frowned deeply and involuntarily bristled. This was a natural manifestation of its perception as a beast, which indicated that there was hidden danger inside the reeds. 
"This is the Altar of Water. I explored it once before, and I got stuck and almost couldn't get out of the sea of reeds." Mother Juan shivered as she said this. 
"You weren't caught?" Dog Two was surprised. 
"The shadow army have never done anything to the original inhabitants of this world; our status gives us immunity. I pretended that I lost my memory and entered this area by accident; when they found me, they brought me out," Mother Juan said. 
Mother Juan's cooking skills were a little weaker in the Palace of Mirrors, but at the late Nascent Soul stage, her realm strength in fact wasn't low. However, it was still very dangerous to approach the altar. 
Perhaps the reason why the shadow army hadn't silenced Mother Juan was because they knew that the original inhabitants of this world would gradually lose their sense of self. 
"Don't panic. Let me and Old Guo check it out first." As they hid behind a rock, Wang Ming held out his index finger, and the metal covering it slowly opened. Several mechanical flies flew out directly into the sea of reeds. 
These were tiny reconnaissance drones in the shape of flies. Dog Two swallowed when it saw them.
It had been a very long time since it had eaten big meat flies… it really missed eating them. 
While Guo Ping was analyzing the terrain from the scans the drones sent back, he and Wang Ming jolted at a sudden shrill sound from their headphones which made them dizzy and their ears ring. 
"What's the matter?" Dog Two asked. 
"The drones were intercepted… None of the twenty-nine flies made it…" Guo Ping checked the image from the last fly drone before it disappeared: a small, muddy hand broke the surface of the marsh and directly dragged the drone down into the marsh and engulfed it. 
"It seems that passing through this sea of reeds won't be as easy as we thought." Looking at this scene, Dog Two shuddered. 
It seemed that the sea of reeds was already under the enemy's complete control. This sort of wide-ranging magical ability was very tricky, as there was no way to immediately find the spellcaster, while the other party could instantly start monitoring your position. Once you were dragged into the marsh, you might not be able to break free with your own power. 
The nature of a marsh was that the more you struggled, the deeper you sank. 
"Let's go." At that moment, Wang Ling stood up. 
He walked toward the sea of reeds. 
Then, an incredible miracle happened. 
As Wang Ling advanced, the marsh parted to create a path… 
The Great Sea-Parting Spell… This was one of Wang Ling's passive Heavenly Dao.


As a cultivation genius who has achieved a new realm every two years since he was a year old, Wang Ling is a near-invincible existence with prowess far beyond his control. But now that he’s sixteen, he faces his greatest battle yet - Senior High School. With one challenge after another popping up, his plans for a low-key high school life seem further and further away...
Wang Ling: I just want to eat my crispy noodle snacks in peace...
Father Wang: If you're careless enough to destroy the country, it’s coming out of your pocket money. 
Wang Ling: It’s not my fault that the backlash from punching me kills you.
Please support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/henyeetranslationsDLIK
If we hit certain milestones, we will release more chapters in a mass release!
Tags: comedy, school, cultivation, tsundere, popular culture, almighty protagonist, action

"You know what, let's abandon this section and go directly to the cave exit. If the animal is dead, everyone might have left too. And I think we already recovered this thing from here, might as well leave from front," Su Xin Yu said, a bit frustrated. She was, kind of, done with all these traps and all. Now that she knew there was a chance that her dad might have escaped the caves and fled to one of the five countries, she was not interested in exploring the caves anymore.
What did the human brain's secret to do with her? Anyway, world was heading towards its doom. Hadn't the current scientists progressed so much in artificial intelligence, who required original intelligence anyway?
"What is that?" Li Ming Hao had not seen the box before, so he got curious.
"Something addressed specifically to me. Not sure if it's something from one of these humans who have invaded this space. Like, come on. This was my personal area and that Dean sends his humans to just… Gosh, I am so mad right now," Su Xin Yu almost smashed a few mirrors in her rage. This was sacred safe space. Whenever she needed to run away from the shackles of that old man, she would come here. But now, everything was ruined. He seemed to have given free access to those people.
"Umm… I think I might have found the right pattern," Han Xiao said as the two were still discussing about the possibilities.
"What!" both of them exclaimed together. They were just more and more impressed by this youth's brain. Was Shu kingdom trying methods to unlock their kids' potential as well? Han Xiao would probably be able to beat a computer in the modern world, would he not?
"Yeah, I just calculated the paths again, I think the earlier spiral we saw was a fluke. With the introduction of more mirrors, the patterns have shifted. Now it points to this wall rather than the floor," Han Xiao explained. As he flashed the light, another spiral formed on the wall. This time, however, it was in the form of dragon.
"What the heck!" Su Xin Yu went ahead and touched the majestic head of the dragon like figure. At first glance, the figure looked too small to make out any details.
But on a closer look, the head was an exquisite work of craftsmanship. Even the eyes could be separated out and one could see the direction it was looking at.
Oh wait, direction it was looking at?
Su Xin Yu followed its apparent gaze and knocked on the rocks its eyes were pointing to. It was a faraway place in distance. There was indeed a block of wood in the wall which blended with the rocks do well that no one would have guessed there was potential if another lever here.
"Again the same thing?" Han Xiao appeared behind her, curiously looking at the switch. "Yeah indeed the same," he pulled the lever exactly the same way as Su Xin Yu did previously.
Thud! Thud! Boom! The caves shook again and a spiral staircase opened up in front of them from the wall.
"Neat!" Han Xiao remarked. He was, after all, seeing this for the first time. Despite getting so much exposure to these caves since his childhood, he had not come across such kind of magical pathways.
 "Let's hurry up lest they catch us!" Li Ming Hao just stepped inside, not worrying about any traps at all. Su Xin Yu worriedly followed him. They could not afford another staircase completely destroyed. As soon as the three humans and one dog entered the area of the stairs, the rock wall slid again and the door closed behind them by itself.
"Great! At least those people won't find us now," Li Ming Hao rejoiced a bit.
"Unless, this staircase takes us right to them. Who knows where it opens up," Su Xin Yu shrugged her shoulders. That was also a possibility.
"Why do you always need to be so pessimistic Xin Yu. If the dungeons have shown you a door, it must be to save you. You are the priestess after all. Trust in your powers and these caves," Li Ming Hao stuck his tongue out cheekily.
Su Xin Yu could not determine if this guy was trying to lecture her or crack a joke on her. But Han Xiao became completely serious in that instant.
"Mr. Li is completely correct. He learnt that much, how come you haven't learnt this fact yet?" he asked, his name expression somber. He nodded his head a few times towards Li Ming Hao in approval.
"Jeez you both, give me a break! You both are only wise, I am just a dumb person," Su Xin Yu pouted and then took the lead. Now that Li Ming Hao suddenly had so much confidence in his past, he could just wait and watch when something happened to her.
"Rocky, lead," Li Ming Hao commanded in a very low voice. Only Rocky could hear it.. Rocky could at least sniff the danger out, if any, or those people. What could this frail girl do if some enemy popped up from somewhere?
Rocky happily obliged, but to pacify Su Xin Yu, she wagged her tail and tried to circle around her a few times.
"Aiyya Rocky, you're the only one who understands me. Come here, my sweetie pie," Su Xin Yu patted the dog a few times, them climbed down the stairs. Things were very ambiguous at this moment and the four of them had no idea what to even expect.
After climbing down some twenty stories worth of stairs down and exhausting themselves out of their minds, the stairs finally ended.
"God, why is everything so long this time? The caves, the stairs, everything. Li Ming Hao, since the time you have entered the dungeons, something has changed here. I have never been so lost," Su Xin Yu whined once again. She was not saying it without any reason though. It was true that she never had much problems before. Perhaps because she never got out of the vicinity of the school. And that area was personally secured by her tribe. The traps in there were the latest ones, they were also upgraded from time to time, at least till her dad's generation.
Now she was charging completely new territories. She should have anticipated this but she failed to plan far ahead indeed. It was her fault. But she could not help but chide Li Ming Hao jokingly.
"And yet, that one time you got to visit another country and found a valuable friend too," Li Ming Hao retorted. How could he take any insults even as a joke?
On the side, Han Xiao's face completely lit up with happiness. Did Mr. Li just called him a friend? The reincarnation of the prince considered him, a commoner as a friend? Su Xin Yu had quite warmed up to him but this Mr. Li was always glaring at him. He always thought that he hated him for some reason. But now that he was being counted in the category of friends, he could not hide his delight.
Would his sister be happy to hear this? Then he suddenly remembered her deeds and how he was forced to evaluate his whole life because of that. How could he forget that? His face immediately fell thinking about his file sister. He came back to his neutral expression, not letting anyone see him. He was at the end as well.
"You are much too smart Li Ming Hao, how do I even refute it?" she replied, smiling. She was joking since the beginning anyway.
"I am very curious to know what is after this," she whispered to them both, lowering her voice, just in case there were other humans present.
Rocky growled in a low voice, she seemed restless.
"What happened good girl? Is there danger ahead?" Su Xin Yu patted the obviously distressed animal. She had never behaved like this. She was jumping and howling. From the noises she was making, it did not seem like there were people in there.
Up ahead, there was a vibrant neon greenish blue hue visible through a small crack. There was something behind the wall, like a big room.
"Can you see anything?" Li Ming Hao inquired from Su Xin Yu, who had instantly put her eyes to work. She moved her head at different angles and tried to look what it actually was. She did not reply to his question for the longest time.
When she was certain what she was looking at, she turned her head around, her face full of horror.
"Looks like some lab to me," she replied, completely confused.
"A lab? What kind?"
"Uhh… I'm not sure either but I see umm… Weird animals, with umm… Anomalies… In big chambers. Like two headed dog etc.,"
"What!" The two could not believe what they were hearing and tried to haggle the small crack to confirm with their own eyes.


Su Xin Yu was the only person in the whole country who could unlock the secret to the dungeons beneath her school because she possessed the blood and inherited her tribe's will. In reality, she was just running away from her day to day life under her tyrannical caretaker, the Dean of the school and looking for her dad. She did not care about the riches buried underneath.

Li Ming Hao was the only son of the Dean and was sent to spy on her for his dad did not completely trust her. First he started helping her because he was interested in the adventures and looking for whereabouts of his mentor. Then he started realizing there was more to these dungeons than met the eyes. Now he had a decision to make, to help Su Xin Yu to break free from her cage or his own dad to become the richest person in the world.

Follow Su Xin Yu and Li Ming Hao in their journey of discovering the truths about the dungeons and their lives and run away from their fates of being the puppets of the old Dean.

*Cover credits to the respective owner. I do not own the picture. Please DM or contact on Insta for taking it down/ credits*

Slim, pale girls in eye-catching workout clothes were stretching in different and varied positions under the bright LED lights. Some used the wooden handrail near the shiny wall mirrors while others simply stretched with their body. The walnut wooden flooring and red brick wallpaper gave the room a homely feel, a deep contrast to the tense and anxious pupils. They were awaiting their dance instructor for the afternoon class, diligent in not spending a moment to rest. 

These young girls barely slept a wink and worked laboriously every day in hopes to finally achieve the dream of debuting. They wasted away their whole childhood and life for the chance to do so, some not even having any ambition to pursue higher education or other work areas. It was all fun and games to the media who used these vulnerable girls to create exhausting debut shows, giving the netizens a glimpse of the stressful and fragile life of an idol trainee.

"When is Yu Yan coming?" A tall girl wearing a knotted back crop top asked annoyingly. She leisurely tightened the laces of her Noke shoes, glancing upwards at another girl.

"Dunno, she's probably gonna be late again," The pony-tailed girl replied, her delicate lips humming as she watched the clock tick. "It's almost 4:30, Instructor Yang is not going to be happy, that's for sure."

And sure enough, Instructor Yang came in the room with a bang. The flustered trainees immediately settled into their respective spots, ready to hustle and learn.

"I see that you guys are prepared," Instructor Yang said, casually dropping her sports bag on the floor. "So let's get started right away."

Instructor Yang was a charming woman in her mid-thirties, possessing a rather muscular build. Her arch eyebrows and slanted eyes embraced a feisty look as she confidently raised her two hands to her lower hips, ready to lecture her students head-on. The entertainment industry wasn't suitable for all of them, but she knew they would succeed in some way or another.

"Though most of y'alls won't be doing hip-hop if you debut, you still gotta learn the fundamentals," Instructor Yang led with an assuring voice. "When people think of modern or trendy dancing, they usually think something along the lines of b-boying, locking and popping, or some other dance. So today, we'll be learning some locking and popping. Now, it may seem difficult at first, but—"

Instructor Yang's voice cut off when her ears caught wind of a door creak, her piercing blue eyes glaring towards the glass opening. Slowly, the door hastily revealed two timid girls, one of them unfamiliar. Yu Yan was apprehensively looking around to make sure Instructor Yang wasn't there yet when suddenly she made eye-contact and almost jumped backward.

"I-Instructor Yang, sorry for being late," Yu Yan sheepishly smiled, messily rubbing the back of her head before strongly bowing. "I was guiding a new trainee here."

"Oh?" Instructor Yang mocked, curiously raising an eyebrow. "Trainee 124, remind these two fellow ladies on why do we not take attendance in this class?"

The girl with the knotted back crop top immediately shouted, "Because we come to this class to learn, not to get graded. We all come willingly and with respect for the teacher who graciously teaches us every day, we never come in late!"

Yi Fei gulped. She knew it was a mistake to come attend training earlier than intended.

— Quick Trailer

Who said you couldn't dominate the world without a system, connections, or wealth?

Yi Fei, an average damsel in distress, has been ridden with social anxiety, low self-esteem, and so much more. Yet...  in the boundless plains of depression lays a legend in the making.

Can she rise to a different 'her'?

The path to stardom was never easy.

— Random Part

She just sang. Something she would never do, even in the comfort of her own home. It seemed that even if she screamed till her lungs burst, the room would just mute her out. There was a tranquilizing, almost magical feel to this spectral of a room.

— Author’s Note

If you like becoming the MC, maybe you'll like this one. It'll teach you that even when things aren't alright, you can prevail and go against fate. Bear with her weakness for the first few chapters. When you see MC grow strong into an empowering woman, it will be really satisfying. 

- Credits to @jenjibread for cover~

Athens, the world's most well preserved ancient city in existence. Humanity went from hunting to agriculture, and slowly tumbled into the gate of civilisation. When men did not need to worry about food, weather and wild animals, the more intellectual of men started to learn. When men started learning letters and used mystical icons to symbolise their thoughts and marvel of the universe, cities grew and kingdoms flourished.
Those intellectuals who escaped the shackles of basic survival could now focus their sharp minds on more monumental pursuits. Stone upon stone, rock upon rock were put in place, carved and chiselled, forming high walls, arcs, domes and steps as cities rose. They were symbols of humanity's strength, with intricate statues and carvings of various religious connotations decorating them. Humanity had long moved on from building simple shelters. They created awe-inspiring monuments, which rose skywards, quickly becoming remarkable products of this planet.
However, humans were not the sole contributor to the rise of cities on this planet. There was another group of beings living side by side with humans. Despite being driven into the shadows and disappearing from the minds of current generations, they lived and thrived on Earth. Human records may not have included them, but another kind of record would never forget their existence: Cities.
The older the city, the more prominent the trail of these ancient creatures, so much so that the oldest cities became inseparable with the shadowy denizens. Earth was not only the home of humans, creatures of the shadows lorded over this land. While the demon hunters and churches may say otherwise, it was a fact that this planet still had lairs that housed many other unusual creatures. These lairs were built by the supernaturals through blood, sweat and tears. They were not about to give it up so easily.
In the age where lines between mythology and written history were blurred and cross-contaminated, very little unusual creatures lived openly with humans or developed cities alongside them. Most creatures viewed humans as inferiors who were meant to be brutally ruled over. The more benevolent kind that viewed humans as their flocks of sheep were in the minority. These "benevolent" ones were hence viewed as gods and worshipped. There were plenty of cities built in their worship and this lasted over several thousand years until humans obtained the aid of the demon hunters, breaking free from this "enclosure-like" existence. With that, part of these cities' original founders were driven into the shadows.
Today, no one would believe that unusual creatures actually lived in those temple ruins a long, long time ago.
Even though things had taken such a turn, these cities were still home to a few supernatural beings . They built them, maintained them and even went to war for them in the past. Despite being driven underground or into the shadows, these unusual creatures never really left town. They simply rebuilt their hearth and fortress in places humans were unable to detect.
A ground of people were slowly approaching an entryway into one such fortress.
After having a good rest in the hotel, Hao Ren and the crew followed Vivian to look for the rumoured supernatural who came from the Mythological Era; a rare acquaintance by Vivian's standards. She was living in one of the oldest areas of the city, and the group had been walking for quite some time ever since they got off their car.
"You sure we're at the right place?" Hao Ren said as the surrounding area looked awfully familiar after the third time around. "If I'm not wrong, this is the third time we've passed by this stone wall."
"Yes, it's supposed to be like this—going in circles." Vivian nodded. "Athens is a very special place, many supernatural survivors live here. But, we need to use a special method to find them. The demon hunters were always out looking for blood, and those who did not know how to hide their trails would be dead."
Hao Ren could only nod as he followed Vivian, circling the oldest streets in Athens without knowing that they were getting closer and closer towards the heart of the of Athens' ancient quarter. He occasionally looked around the structures that he passed through and could not tell if the structures were ruins or newly built or refurbished buildings. A sense of spatial and chronological dissonance then started to well inside him. He felt like he was going through a reverse slideshow of human history. The further he went, the more ancient the scenery looked.
In the present, there were no true ancient cities on Earth anymore. Even Athens, the cradle of human civilisation was now a modern metropolis. The city looked no different than any other with its busy streets and modern buildings, leaving Lily rather disappointed. But as they left the modern city centre and headed towards the more ancient areas of Athens, they finally saw the old Greek columns and statues—they were not sure if these were originals or replicas. As the items blended into the background of the modern metropolis, the sight invoked a feeling of historical nostalgia.
The further they went into the old quarter of Athens, the heavier the feeling got. Reaching the end, old houses became the mainstay on both sides of the road. Beautiful statues and columns replaced the bright neon lights, traffic lights and any modern signage. As they went further in, with Vivian at the front, Hao Ren finally sensed that something was wrong.
He looked at the buildings next to him. He noticed that the street looked very familiar, and he had passed it three times in the last hour. Howeverm upon closer inspection, he realised that the details around the scene before him had changed. The street lights were gone, shop signs were fading and the cement road had changed into a neat, flat stone road. Even the sun, which was previously on the east had moved west.
Lily, who was not the sharpest tool in the shed also sensed that something was up. "Eh? Something's not right. There are very little pedestrians now."
While this was indeed an older part of town, it was definitely not a deserted area. When they first came, the area was filled with locals and tourists but their numbers were much reduced as time went by. It was not obvious, but the numbers became so little that Lily raised the alarm. Hao Ren also felt odd about the weird scene unfolding around time. He noticed that the remaining pedestrians were strange as well: they were almost like walking corpses, but with soul as they trudged along their path. There were no interactions among them at all and no one stopped to do anything. They were almost like props on a stage, just to give the scene some form of normalcy.
"We are reaching the Shadowy Divide. Stay alert from here on." Vivian slowed her steps. "Don't open any doors by the road, and avoid places where the sun doesn't shine. Do not speak to anyone, and most importantly, don't walk past me. This is the start of a labyrinth, and one wrong step will send you plunging into a trap of the shadowy world."
She even specifically reminded Y'zaks. "You too, big guy. This Shadowy Divide has been built by the strongest of the unusual creatures for thousands of years, even you might fall victim to it."
Y'zaks nodded solemnly while Hao Ren started to get goosebumps all over him. "F*ck my life... This sounds like a bloody horror movie..."
"The surviving unusual creatures are split into two kinds; solo adventurers like me and those who band together. The latter formed alliances and families under these circumstances, so they would have their own way of doing things." Vivian smiled. "This is one of the few remaining settlements for our kind, and it has been around for thousands of years. Its layers of defences are nothing to scoff at. Even the demon hunters have no way of breaching the place. At least, for now."
The group continued to circle the winding streets. The scenery changed every moment they passed through it again. The changes were subtle at first but they slowly got more and more obvious until they arrived at the Shadowy Divide, where all forms of smoke and mirrors were abandoned. Hao Ren noticed that the modern buildings by the streets had completely disappeared and were replaced by stone houses. They were jutting out in weird angles as if the houses themselves were taking a peek at the newcomers. While the buildings had some modern signages on it, they were all faded, almost monochrome. Hao Ren turned towards the entrance and noticed a veil of fog. The entryway had vanished.
They finally arrived in front of a weird looking shop. It was the only "modern looking" building on the street.
A beautiful yet gloomy looking lady clad in black was waiting in front of the door for them. She smiled the moment she saw Vivian. "It has been a while, Your Excellency."
"Your place is sure a difficult one to find, Hesperides," Vivian said as she stepped forward.


As a person who is down-to-earth as well as a good Samaritan, Hao Ren desires to live the rest of his life as a benevolent landlord. Stumbling into a curious yet mysterious lady, he began his journey of “collecting” abnormal and supernatural tenants. 
His life only became more chaotic when he receives a labor contract from “God”. Discover the many races, myths and worlds that lie beyond what humans define as normal! This bizzare fantasy full of fun is sure to bring you on a crazy rollercoaster of emotions!

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