Gardenia's Heart - Chapter 47: Warm-Up

When a fantasy kingdom needs heroes, they skip the high schoolers and summon hardened Delta Force operators.Lieutenant Cole Mercer and his team are no strangers to sacrifice. After all, what are four men compared to millions of lives saved from a nuclear disaster? But as they make their last stand against insurgents, they’re unexpectedly pulled into another world—one on the brink of a demonic incursion.Thrust into Tenria's realm of magic and steam engines, Cole discovers a power beyond anything he'd imagined: magic—a way to finally win without sacrifice, a power fantasy made real by ancient mana and perfected by modern science.But his new world might not be so different from the old one, and the stakes remain the same: there are people who depend on him more than ever; people he might not be able to save. Cole and his team are but men, facing unimaginable odds. Even so, they may yet prove history's truth: that, at their core, the greatest heroes are always just human.

Crying blood and tears, she pledged a poisonous vow. The gods did not fail her. She was sent back to a decade ago. The legitimate daughter of Jiang family returned from hell.

Forget it, whatever! Since they already claimed that she was a temptress that wrecked the country, she shall overturn the world into complete chaos starting with her beguiling sister, her malicious stepmother, her cruel lover and her heartless family. Let her end the lives that Yama refused to end.

She was a pawn in her past life. In this life, however, the world was her chess board. With an alluring smile and a charming figure that enchanted the entire nation, the red-clothed woman wrecked chaos among the lands. She was a vengeful spirit from hell, determined to make those who wronged her pay in blood.

“I want those who owe me a life debt to hold their hearts out in front of me. I want those who looked down on me to only be able to admire me. I want Lord Zhong Zi to shiver when he sees me. I want to step on this splendid river and mountains!”

— — —

“You are a temptress and I am a thief.” His robe was as dark as the night and his gaze was as cold as the Northern Star. “A perfect match.”

Her red dress was akin to fire, but her heart was the coldest ice in the winter.

He was stoic in his black robe, yet he was willing to warm her frozen heart.

In this life, the elegant man seemed like a snowy bamboo grove with tall, chilly mountains, walking step by step towards her like an unstoppable force.

“Ruan Ruan, if you hate the world, then I shall conquer the lands with you.”

“What if I love the world?” She asked.

“I am the world, so you can only love me,” he answered.

Year 2035. A groundbreaking game—“Glory Lords: Arcane War”—takes the world by storm.With cutting-edge VR immersion, players can feel the pulse of magic, the tremors of battle, and the weight of every decision. But more than just a game, it becomes the ultimate stage for global esports. Elite teams rise, billion-dollar prize pools emerge, and the entire world is swept into the frenzy.But for Ethan Parker, this isn’t just a game. It’s a gamble with fate itself.Las Vegas. Midnight. A secret high-stakes game.On the table lies the world’s only Legendary-tier artifact—the Stone of Glory.Its value? Far beyond a billion dollars. Because hidden within it is a secret—one that can rewrite the very rules of reality.Ethan bets everything. And loses.In that moment, he doesn’t just lose the artifact—he loses his future.Then, the world changes.The game and reality merge.Earth is no longer the world it once was. Society collapses, replaced by a brutal new order where a person’s rank in “Glory Lords: Arcane War” determines their status in real life.The strongest players become kings.The weakest? Slaves.And the one who won the Stone of Glory—Griffin Musk—rises to absolute power, ruling over this new world as its supreme leader.As for Ethan? Once the #1 player in the world, he loses everything—his account, his status, his freedom. Reduced to the lowest class, he suffers, tortured until his final breath.But now—he’s back.Reborn with the memories of his past life, he returns to the moment it all began.This time, he wins the gamble.This time, he won’t let the world fall into Griffin’s hands.But fate has more in store for him…When he logs into the game, he realizes something is off.Not only is he the first player in the world to own private territory, but he also acquires something unheard of—the only Legendary-tier unit in existence: the Green Dragon.And then—something even more shocking.These two Green Dragons aren’t just powerful units. They’re heroes. With growth potential and combat abilities surpassing even top-tier players, they have the power to change the course of the entire game.At that moment, Ethan knows—his path to the top has begun.But the real world isn’t done with him yet.Governments, military forces, corporate giants, secret organizations—and even Griffin himself—are now watching his every move.This time, it’s not just about revenge.This time, he’s taking control of the future.The war of heroes has only just begun…

Protagonist travels between different anime worlds to right wrongs and uncover his reason for being along the way.