Netherworld Retrograde - Chapter 1 - Black Shadow

At the end of the world, a legendary hero gave his life to save a dear friend, only to be reborn as a four-year-old orphan with 'Crab Affinity'.The apocalypse has come and gone, claiming humanity with it. All humans have had their 'Souls' stolen and claimed by monsters - vampires, demons, zombies - you name it.Reborn as Barnacles (Barns for short), the once-legendary hero claws his way back to strength under the tutelage of the gluttonous King Crab, a sentient crustacean with more vice than virtue in his shell.Follow Barns' journey as he rediscovers his power of rebirth, which when combined with a little 'crab magic' has the power to reset humans back to their original selves.It's time to take a crack at resetting the apocalypse.

Konominato Aoi, who had been learning Kendo at her family’s dojo since childhood, had a dream of becoming the best in Japan in Kendo, as her father wished. However, that dream didn’t come true. Disheartened by the failure of her student dreams, Aoi became a high school teacher with a new dream: to make her own students the best in Japan in Kendo.Facing numerous challenges and feeling pessimistic, Aoi lost consciousness on the spot and found herself transported to a different world. The one who helped the now-younger Aoi was Owen Millers, an elven mage. Out of curiosity, Owen decided to impart his magical knowledge and research results to Aoi. Inheriting Owen’s skills and knowledge, Aoi became a mage and, under Owen’s guidance, became a teacher at the world-renowned magical academy.However, the academy was filled with the entanglements of aristocratic society, discrimination based on magical power, and individuals exploiting noble students. Aoi found herself dealing with various situations as she navigated through these challenges. This is the story of Aoi Konominato, a female teacher later known as the strongest archmage and the witch of the academy.

When the Soul Plague arrived, it struck fast, transforming its victims into soulless monsters. The horde swept across the land unchecked—until the Awakened appeared. These survivors, immune to the plague, turned the tide of war into a bloody stalemate. But while the front lines held, the plague continued to spread and the horde only grew in number.Desperate for reinforcements, the World Government began conducting controlled infections of its able-bodied citizens to produce more Awakened. Hill was one of the conscripts. After going through a harrowing trial induced by the plague, his life was torn apart and remade: he emerged Awakened, endowed with strange new powers—but also bound by a dark curse that resides deep within his own soul.As Hill learns to wield his abilities alongside fellow survivors, he uncovers unsettling truths about the plague’s true nature and the hidden price of becoming one of humanity’s last line of defense.

One-eyed Wolf Lecan is a skilled adventurer who has conquered many dungeons all over the world. He had been going solo for a long time, but in the last three years, he’s had a partner. That partner jumps into the black hole together with Lecan, and both go their separate ways as they fall into another world. Dungeons and magical beasts also exist in that world. After learning the native language, Lecan goes on a journey. Meeting a good teacher, Lecan studies medicine making and magic under that teacher, and begins his dungeon explorations for real.