Return of the Former Hero - Chapter 3. Former hero ・ Strikes the thieves

In a world where power is stolen from the blood of dead gods, the strong feast, and the weak are forgotten. Dante “the Fox” Hollow knows this all too well—he’s a low-tier Harvester, scraping by on leftover drops of divinity while the real monsters take everything. Quick with a blade, quicker with his mouth, and always one step ahead of trouble, Dante dreams of a day when he won’t have to run anymore.That day comes when he stumbles upon the abandoned resting place of a god—not just any god, but the Trickster himself. A legend, a liar, a master of chaos. And Dante? He’s just stupid enough to take a sip.Now, the hunger is setting in. The whispers in his head are getting louder. The gods are watching, and some aren’t happy. Dante’s power is growing—too fast, too dangerous—but the higher he climbs, the closer he gets to losing himself.Because there’s one rule every Harvester knows: the more you steal from the gods, the less of you remains.And Dante? He plans to steal everything.

Just days before his final discharge, Sergeant Shin Young-joon, a military chef by profession, witnessed the doom of the world.An apocalypse, that came out of nowhere and ruined the world that he used to know.In the blink of an eye his battalion fell into shambles, all the communication lines, and radio frequencies were severed, and before him was a message stating:[Congratulations on your awakening!] [Occupation: Novice Chef Lv.1] If only he had a profession like a warrior or an assassin, he might have attempted to stand his ground alone.But what was given to him was clearly the supporting job of a chef.With the recent developments in progress, he didn’t have any choices, other than saying, “From now on, I’ll be the one to feed you all.”

The world had been in chaos for over three hundred years.In the Central Plains, singing and dancing never ceased, foreign tribes sharpened their weapons and fed their horses, Sword Immortals roamed the Martial World, and famed generals quelled unrest in all directions.Five years before the great upheaval, the young Pharmacist Li Guanyi committed murder on a rainy night.At last, he opened his eyes and saw this chaotic human world.Underneath the hooves of horses lay piles of bleached bones – famed generals, beauties, the Martial World, Divine Weapons, commoners, Dharma Forms.Since ancient times, only white bones and yellow sand remained on the fields!Confucian Scholars, crushed beneath iron hooves; Buddhas, swept away by long spears!“I, Daoist Li Guanyi, invite this world to its death!”

“That monster’s prefix is two hundred meters long?!”“It’s back. Who can stop it?”Isaac never planned for Celestia: The Eternal Realms to change his life. The game promised 100% immersion, a completely realistic world powered by quantum brainwave interfaces. But the moment he entered the game, Isaac was thrown into an entirely new world, no longer the player, but the played. His character, a “Lesser Hyena-Wolf,” came with the dreaded “Weak” prefix, reducing his stats by 20%.Isaac quickly realized that this wasn’t a game he could simply log out of. It was his new life, and there was no escape. To survive, he had to evolve, to fight, and ultimately, to conquer. He knew the game inside and out, but this wasn’t the same reality he’d logged into. This time, he would have to become the monster, instead of fearing it.Every step he took, Isaac grew stronger. He realized that monsters weren’t bound by the same rules that governed the players. He could evolve, gaining new powers and unlocking Monster Reputation. With every kill, every victory, he unlocked a new level of power. The prefixes that marked his growth—Normal, Strong, Especially Strong—were a testament to his evolution. And the players began to whisper.