MTL - Mercenaries and Adventurers - Chapter 1 , Pain, Graveyard and Crossing!

A broken man who ended his own life finds himself reincarnated into the game he used to play. However, instead of becoming the protagonist or a powerful antagonist, fate places him in the role of a minor villain—a mere stepping stone for the protagonist in the game's first arc.

Penance is a prison of eternal damnation for those who go against the will of the gods.Growing up in the slums of District Nine, Nacht was like every other individual his age, struggling to survive with what little he had and blaming the capital for it. But unlike everyone else, he had been lucky. He still had a mother who cared for him deeply and did everything she could to help him succeed. However, that all changed when his mother was offered up as a sacrifice to the capital to help bolster the number of Enlightened in their arsenal.The Enlightened were elite warriors who wielded supernatural powers and served their respected clan at the cost of sacrificing an individual for the opportunity to enter Penance and be bestowed or awakening a rune, the source of their profound power.Having been exposed to the worst of humanity due to the horrific execution of his mother, Nacht developed a relentless ambition to change the world—even if it was in his own unconventional way.After performing a disgraceful ritual, Nacht is sent into Penance, where he becomes one of the Enlightened and is bestowed a mysterious power along with an insidious punishment.

Alexander walked into the room, dressed in his royal white robe that shimmered faintly under the soft glow of the candlelight. His dark hair was slicked back neatly, revealing a face carved with precision and power — sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and lips that curved with quiet confidence. His midnight eyes, deep and commanding, scanned the room before landing on the figure sitting gracefully at the edge of the bed.Serena.Her emerald-green eyes locked with his, stealing his breath for a moment. The flickering light danced across her skin, giving her an ethereal glow. Her long ginger hair cascaded down her shoulders like streams of fire and sunlight combined, adorned with delicate golden hairpins that shimmered with every movement. She was dressed in a flowing white gown that mirrored his — simple yet enchanting, the fabric hugging her form in all the right places, making her seem like a divine vision come to life.For a brief moment, Alexander simply stared, unable to speak. Then, almost reverently, he crossed the room and knelt before her. His cold, powerful hands gently took hers — smaller, softer, trembling ever so slightly.“You look…” he paused, his voice low and rough, “…breathtaking.”Serena’s cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink, her lips parting slightly as she met his gaze. “You always know what to say,” she whispered, her tone barely above a breath.He smiled faintly — that rare, almost forbidden smile that softened his usually stoic face. “Careful, Serena,” he murmured, his thumb tracing circles over her knuckles. “If you keep looking at me like that, you’ll make me lose myself.”Her eyes softened, the corner of her lips curving into a teasing smile. “Then lose yourself my king,” she replied, her voice calm yet filled with unspoken desire. “loseyourself.... In me.”Alexander didn't hesitate. He rose to his feet, his hands cupping her jaw as his thumb brushed against her lower lips. Their eyes met one more- predator and , darkness and light before he closed the distance between them.His lips crashed against hers, hungry and desperate, as if the world outside no longer mattered, Serena responded with equal passion, her hands tangling in his dark hair, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them.

When Li Xianyu was 20 years old, he received his father’s inheritance, an 18-year-old great-grandmother who was incredibly beautiful.

Li Xianyu: “Great-Grandma, why are you so young?”

Great-Grandma: “That’s because I died when I was 18 years old.”