A Black Market LitRPG - Chapter 121: Opening Salvo

[Your shadow is alive.][Feed your shadow, devour souls, level up, gain skills, complete quests, and grow stronger.][Do you wish to view your current stats?]In the magical world of Aetherus, Damon Grey is the weakest student at Aether Academy, relentlessly bullied and ridiculed for his lack of power and defiant personality. Yet, he endures the torment, clinging to his scholarship—the only thing providing him with the funds to keep his sick sister alive.After a brutal attack leaves him near death, Damon encounters a dark viscous entity in the forest that fuses with his shadow, awakening the Living Shadow System. This strange power grants him unimaginable abilities but comes with a grim cost—a relentless hunger for souls and flesh to feed his shadow.Now, with his shadow alive and insatiable, Damon faces a terrible choice: feed it to grow stronger or starve it and die with it.In a world ruled by ruthless nobles, deadly monsters, and power-hungry demons, Damon must decide if his newfound power is a curse or the only way to survive. With the Living Shadow System, his fate is clear: devour or be devoured.

After a car accident, Cen Pan lost every loved one aside from her younger brother, who was lying in the ICU. Feeling that she was on the verge of suffocating from the burden of medical fees right after graduation, she was visited by her grandmother in her dream. “Darling, I had a friend who really loves the clothes you design. Would you burn one of them for him? He will pay you handsomely.”

Cen Pan simply found it surreal, but did so anyway so that she could be at ease.

The next night, her grandmother gave her an address and a password in her dream. “Here, this is the password of the safe, and his payment is in there.”

Skeptical, Cen Pan looked for the safe at the address, and found a diamond worth a hundred grand in the safe!

After that, her deceased family members kept appearing in her dreams.

“Darling, it’s going to rain tomorrow—so bring an umbrella.”

“Darling, I met a hacker who had been dead for a hundred years, and he’s asking if you want to inherit his lost art.”

“Darling, do you have a boyfriend? I just made a friend who really wants you to marry his grandson!”

Marry? Cen Pan immediately shook her head, but was stunned when her grandfather showed the grandson’s photo.

Why did he resemble her new boss so much?!

Living in Tokyo, using the Mind-reading Extraction Skill, I thought I could become an all-powerful superhero, but instead, I got dragged into a twisted cycle of love?! Without even a moment to mourn my youth, the one who immediately rushed to the battlefield was— Kiryu Hina (ex-girlfriend), “Remember, this is what you owe me.” Ayakoji Chiyoko (current girlfriend), “Break it off with that woman immediately!” Kohinata Motoyo (rough target), “Please, I’ll do anything!” Ai Cheng Hua Lian (always losing), “Huh?” Kagura Hikaru (protagonist), “...........” My youth romantic comedy can’t possibly be this twisted!!!

Joseph Sullivan is at an all-time low. He lost his job, his fiancée dumped him, he moved back to the Midwest and currently lives in his parent’s basement—oh, and his workout was just interrupted with the arrival of the System.Earth has become a playing field in a contest amongst the gods, where mortals are the pawns. The winning god gets the glory, and their chosen champion gets a single wish. The first stage of this game: Tutorial – Class Selection.Provided the ideal stat array for a physical, combat-focused class, the choice for Joe is obvious. Until he fat thumbs the selection screen and ends up selecting Spellcaster. His starting Intelligence stat? 1.With a useless class selection and only his raw testosterone-fueled strength to back him up, Joe decides class optimization is for dummies. Pumping all stat points in Strength, he hopes to not only survive the contest of the gods, but to win the whole damned thing.After all, a real wizard should be measured by how much they can bench!