Power of Runes - Chapter 51: Rune of Balance(3)

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.

A veteran player of “Starry Abyss” and a Meteor Fall Master known as Ace Bro, Li Zi came to the game world with his system template, arriving at the era of the game's beta version.This was the worst of times.Cosmic forces and financial magnates colluded, causing The Gate to the cosmos to be shut, planets' resources exhausted, even sunlight monopolized.It was also the best of times.All the Extraordinary Systems had just started, and in this era, only he possessed the final version patch as a Meteor Fall Master.While people reveled in the smoke of plasma cannons, Li Zi had already torn apart warships with Gravity.As Special Ability users proudly indulged in their awakened abilities, Moonlight had already become a servant to Li Zi.When the Interstellar Fleet crossed the Galaxy, Li Zi had just ignited the forty-second Stellar, illuminating the entire cosmos.“People have been trapped on the ground for too long and have forgotten that this Starry Sky should belong to us all,” he said gently, holding a black hole in his hand while facing an indescribable native Evil God.

In the age of interstellar exploration, three hundred years ago, Mage explorers from the yellow river planet took their first step towards outer space.

It was a joyous event for every mage on that planet, yet unfortunately, space is dominated by other races.

The Peak level Mage from the Yellow River Planet was the weakest power in existence among other outer space races. It's a cruel reality for everyone.

From then on, every mage from the Yellow River Planet began to increase their power level by consuming outer space resources.

Then they constantly researched, upgraded the power level system and tried to pave the way for the next generation of space explorers.

Now, our MC Vincent Carey's ambition is to be the next generation of space explorers.

How is he going to increase his strength and compete among other races to get resources?

How is the unknown little yellow river planet going to be known and feared by others?

Two heroes of the game Legend of Heroes 2 who were rotten waters*.