Shadow's Hand - Chapter 22: Shadow Contract

Fate and destiny; no one can foreshadow the terrifying challenges on the road to the Pure Land. Instead, one may unearth the evil within the road of light towards paradise.

A King’s Holy Sword, bringing light to the darkness,

An unyielding soul, igniting the fiery hope of the world,

As his soul awakens, the youth fiercely battles the gods of darkness and evil,

As the surging dark clouds gushed out like a phantom, their conflict swept the world like raging tide!

The clash of darkness and light, a massive war on the verge of exploding,

The decisive battle of gods and deities rewrite the creation of the world into one destructive epic!

- Description from Novelupdates

Ethan was betrayed, he was broken, left crippled by those he trusted most: Zachary and Ivy, the people who ruined his life. Stripped of everything, Ethan crawled through three grueling years in the abandoned depths of despair, desperate to regain what he lost.Until one final act of defiance opened the door to something greater.When Ethan completed a hidden quest, fate granted him a miraculous reward: a second chance.He awakens years in the past, on the eve of a revolution: the launch of Ethereal, the world's first fully immersive VR game and humanity’s obsession. Armed with memories of four years in Ethereal, he’s no longer the helpless pawn who lost everything.This time, Ethan knows every secret, every hidden quest, every exploit to climb back to the top. But when he steps into the game, the system unveils a shocking twist: a divine bloodline, legendary abilities, and a class no one believed could dominate.Ethan vows to rise once more, but this time, he knows where the paths of glory begin, where betrayal lurks, and where to find legendary treasures that will crown him king in this brutal new world.The stakes are higher than ever. Factions are forming, alliances are shattering, and the clock ticks toward an event that will rewrite reality itself.The weak will perish, and the strong will thrive.They betrayed him once.They won’t live to do it again.

The Halfling says: curiosity is power.The Dwarf says: unity is power.The Elf says: Magic is power.The Gnome says: creation is power.The Beastman says: slaughter is power.Humans say: authority is power.The Dragon always says: knowledge is power.The Gods once said: faith is power.Lynch stands on the terrace of the All-Knowing Tower, overlooking the Anriel Continent, and gently says:“I”, am power.

Coco Coison, after her untimely death at the hands of a fairy, finds herself transmigrated into the body of Coco Hughes, a woman with a troubled past. However, Coco was bestowed upon an ability: she was given abilities similar to Lala, a garden fairy, as compensation from Lala's sister.Eager to embrace her new life and start afresh in this unfamiliar world, Coco soon discovers that her new reality is far from what she wanted it to be.She encounters the four husbands of Coco Hughes, only to learn that they harbor deep resentment towards her due to Coco Hughes's abusive behavior— both physically and emotionally.Despite her intentions to lead a better life, Coco realizes that she must go through the complicated relationships and work to mend the damage caused by Coco Hughes to the husbands, who are now tied to her fate.Coco Coison must confront her past actions in a world where she is both an outsider in the lives of those Coco Hughes has wronged while carving a path for her to separate herself from her husbands.However, they seem to have another plan.“Where are you going? Stay for the night.” The first husband who doesn't like her presence around the house had started to let her stay.“Coco, what the f*ck are you doing? I told you to not lift a hand after coming back from outside!” The second husband who likes slaving her, cusses her out from trying to make herself a cup of tea.“The librarian told me that you went to the main city to get me books again. I thought I told you to stop doing that and put yourself at risk?” The third husband who loves books more than anything else had scolded her for doing her supposedly weekly errand told by him.“Who told you to go and ask those mediators to sing for you? I'm here, I can do it for you.” The fourth husband who doesn't like to sing for her had made it his daily task to sing for her before she goes to sleep.Coco Coison only wanted to live her life peacefully and earn money so she could divorce the four husbands, but it seems like they didn't want that.“It seems that tons of leeches want to have you around, huh? How about we get ourselves busy and have some kids fill the empty space of this house?”