Legend of the Empyrean Blacksmith - Chapter 45

The daughter of a duke, the stuttering Maximilian, married a knight of lowly status at her father’s coercion.

Joseph Knox, one of the most prolific and well-known serial killers on the planet.A person considered so demented and manic that even trying to reason with him was believed to be a waste of time. A man so far gone that he seemingly didn't deserve any pity even on his deathbed.So why? Why would a man like him receive a second chance? And why did the world around him seem so familiar?Disclaimer: AU when it comes to some parts of Madara's plan(I'll try to make it make sense at least), and aliens don't exist in this world

After learning about my girlfriend's infidelity, I got drunk and woke up in the world of the novel R-19.I became a character who is not even included in the extras of the novel — the useless and unnecessary daughter of the Duke de Walt. However, I didn't care about it, because I knew what this world was waiting for ahead.In the near future, the Ruvens Empire will be mired in chaos, and in order to survive it, I decided to quietly sit out in the manor enjoying a luxurious life. Everything went according to plan, until one day I made just one fatal mistake.A year after my rebirth, I accidentally found a wounded commoner in the forest. Out of pity, I decided to take her in and kept her. We lived together until I found out that this was the main villain who was supposed to die at the end of the novel. But because of my interference, the plot of this damn book continued with me!I have to run now! But where...?!After all, this crazy woman is now stalking me.— Where are you going, lady?— I… just went out for a walk.— Take a walk? The border of the empire is not the best place to walk. Let me walk you back.With the sword in her hand, I didn't have a chance to refuse.

Ethan is a man nearing forty who has squandered his life behind a screen. Since his teenage years, he has poured everything into online games, chasing digital achievements while real life quietly passed him by. Now, with reality finally weighing on him, he realizes how empty his existence has become.Despite decades of obsession, he has only one thing to show for it: the #1 account in the world’s most popular MMORPG, Lost World Online—a fully immersive virtual game operated through neural-link technology. It is an account powerful enough to guarantee fame, sponsorships, and a second chance at life.But overnight… it vanishes.No warnings… No errors… His account simply ceases to exist.Ethan spends the entire night frantically searching for answers, contacting the developers through official forums, only to be told that nothing can be done. Without the account, even streaming or professional contracts are impossible. Exhausted and hollow, he finally gives up and falls asleep, deciding to forget his regret, half hoping everything would be a dream when he wakes up.When Ethan opens his eyes, he finds himself standing before the character creation screen of Lost World Online.It feels like a dream, yet his mind is clear, his body well responsive, not even like a game. Paying little attention, he goes ahead and creates a character and initiates the game.Then, his vision is swallowed by darkness.A violent rush of wind slams into him, and when his senses return, he is standing inside a bustling town from the game. Before he can question the missing opening cutscene—something that should always play after character creation—his attention is seized by the scene around him.The town was celebrating an Annual Festival. This was a festival that only ever occurred once, a festival that marked the first day Lost World Online was launched.Realizing the impossible, Ethan hurriedly calls up his system interface—only to find that there is no options menu, no settings, no log-out button…“This cannot be real.”