I WAS The Rank–1 Hero - Chapter 170: Act 1: Where It All Began

Lane Allen, an A-rank Guide, got injured on an emergency mission suppressing a dungeon break, and perished in his almost-lover’s arms.As the remaining members of his team continued to fight for their lives, in a fancy apartment in a distant part of the city, a young man opened his eyes.“Phew… That hurt like hell…”“It’s a bit of a shame to switch so soon… But I guess it is what it is.”“Anyway, who should I become next?”Actually, Lane Allen was not a Guide, but rather an Esper with a mysterious Plunder ability! It allowed him to possess other people’s bodies, and steal their awakened abilities. Keeping his real body safe, Lane could enjoy life to the fullest, constantly swapping identities, and doing whatever he wanted without ever worrying about the consequences! How great was that?Except…Damien Lennox grabbed Lane’s arm, and pressed him against the wall, his clear green eyes staring down at Lane intently, as if he could see right through him. “There’s no one else whose guidance feels so harsh and chaotic, yet pleasing at the same time.”It seems that Damien was somehow able to recognize Lane even after switching identities, and is unwilling to let him go?

The handsome, skilled newbie livestreamer, Ji Zhiyao, has a dream.

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

“Mr. Lei, rumor has it that you have a crush on me?”

With a cold icy face, the man ignored her question and continued reading his documents. He later decided to explain himself, “I swear to God I want nothing to do with you! The b*stard who spread the rumor is a dog!”

Snap! Suddenly, a pencil snapped in his hands while their eyes meet. The surrounding seemed to have frozen.

A few moments passed…

“Grrr woof!” Lei Xiao barked…