MTL - Vanguard of the Eternal Night - Chapter 32

Here martial arts are no longer intangible legends. They have been passed on from generation to generation and from century to century. After the confrontation with science and technology, they have completely integrated into modern society and all kinds of martial arts competitions are taking place across the country as superiority among scholars are hard to reach a consensus but not as difficult among martial artists!

I thought being laid off from my job was the greatest of my worries but I just had to wake up in a ship's cockpit after my space game crashed. Now I have no map, no friends and no money.But that's ok, I've started from the bottom before! With my starter ship I will scour through space as a Mercenary and maybe even start up a Mercenary Company while I'm at it! This ain't my first rodeo in space after all!Except... Apparently my crew members are weird?The guy who bumped into me yesterday was found sliced up and floating outside the space station.The girl who tried to honeytrap me was reported missing with only a finger found in an alley.And then that merchant who scammed me had his entire ship blasted into bits by unknown vessels the very next day.Some people say my crewmates were behind it but they must be mistaken, right?I only know one thing for sure...In space, no one can hear you scream...

Ezekiel recognized early in life that he didn't want to follow in his parent's footsteps and spend the rest of his days as a mere farmer. No, his eyes are set on a grander stage, a place where tales of monster hunters, mighty generals, and benevolent heroes hold court — A world of Magic and mysteries.One day, the opportunity he had been waiting for arrives. Without a second thought, Ezekiel throws himself headfirst into the adventure. However, not everything turns out to be as magical as he had dreamt it to be...THIS IS A SLOW BURN FANTASY PROGRESSION LITRPG STORY:Even though you are not going to see blue boxes from chapter one, I guarantee you that this IS a LitRPG story. This is, however, NOT a pure “game world”! Instead, I have tried to integrate the interface elements of a LitRPG into a world with a very thought-out magic & power system, which will be explored over the course of the first book.This world doesn't work like a game, where you can put '5 points in strength' and the body somehow changes magically into a stronger version of itself. It might take a couple of chapters for the world and magic to start to make sense, but I feel like a power system built on solid principles is a lot more rewarding in the long run (...and more IMMERSIVE!).

...[Inside an underground basement]“You are going to die for nothing, hahahaha,” the old man's voice thundered through the room, sending chills down my spine.Step.With a swift and ruthless motion, he lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air and slashing my throat, crimson droplets staining the darkness.“We'll see,” I whispered defiantly, my final words escaping as a mere breath against the impending darkness.Slowly, inexorably, my consciousness slipped away, and I descended into a deep, unfathomable slumber.“Huh!?” My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself seated in a bustling tavern, the air thick with laughter and the clinking of glasses.In front of me stood a captivating lady, her beauty juxtaposed with an angry furrow upon her brow, threatening to shatter the harmony of the jovial scene.“Don't follow me around!” Her words pierced the air like shards of ice, the intensity of her emotions palpable as she cast a resentful glare in my direction, before swiftly departing from the tavern....Am I trapped within the confines of a game? The fragments of my shattered common sense scattered before me, leaving me to question the very fabric of my reality.