SHAMAN PROTOCOL - Chapter 20: Who was the light and the shadow?

William was once a gamer ranked in top 20 worldwide. After his death, he found himself in the body of an insignificant NPC in the game “God's Apocalypse.” This NPC was doomed to die early in the game, filling William with dread because he knew he had only three months to live.The game world of “God's Apocalypse” was rich with many different fantasy races, from elves to dwarves, each offering unique opportunities for him to make use of, as well as challenges to home oneself.William was terrified because he had the knowledge of the game's future but lacked the power to change his fate.However, he was not without options. He retained his game panel and the unique talent “[Jack of All Trades],” which allowed him to learn skills from various professions.William realized that when the game's beta opened, players would arrive. As an NPC, he could assign quests to them and use his knowledge of the game's future to manipulate them to do his bidding.He began to leverage the abilities of the players to alter his fate and grow stronger.William made alliances with various races, gaining their trust and learning their secrets. This enabled him to transcend the boundaries of his initial condition and steadily increase his power.As William's power grew, players in the game started to complain: “This boss is impossibly strong and keeps getting stronger, we demand a nerf!” They were frustrated by his rapid progression and the unique challenges he posed.In contrast, the elves venerated him: “Lord William is the ultimate chosen one, bringing an unparalleled peace to our realm.” They saw him as a savior who brought stability and hope.The mages revered him as well: “He is the trailblazer of magic, our protector. His name, William Cain, is synonymous with the god of the arcane.” They admired his innovative approach to magic and his role in advancing their knowledge.When asked how he managed to achieve such feats, William simply responded, “Knowledge is power, and it's the one thing I don't lack.”

The footsteps sounded closer, and closer, and closer, until he faintly heard Siri's voice welcoming someone into the house, but before he could open his eyes to see who it was, he felt a large hand gripping his neck, his legs were locked tightly between much larger ones, and, he felt the cold metal of a gun placed directly on his...gun.Zeno quickly opened his eyes from instincts, ready to fight off his attacker, but the moment he did so, he was met with mesmerizing dark grey orbs, staring dangerously at him.The face of his attacker was too close, he couldn't make out his features, but he knew they were sharp, even from a closed look.He didn't bother fighting, he didn't want to lose his junior member down there, and his Nana still expected grandchildren from him. He couldn't disappoint her.“Who. Are. You?” The voice of his attacker was so deep, dark, and commanding.Zeno was a fighter, but he felt a chill run down his spine from the sound of the voice.The hand around Zeno's neck tightened, but he endured it, he was a fighter.Judging by his attacker's looks and actions of confidence, this was his boss.~~~After losing his parents and being faced with an unbelievable medical bill, Zeno Evander finds himself working as a Manny for a mysterious Billionaire, but it doesn't last long; after almost being killed by the Mafia billionaire, Zeno swore never to return to that place again.But after a week of escaping the Mafia billionaire, Zeno finds himself kidnapped and Blackmailed into signing a year's contract as the Mafia's Manny and bodyguard.Could Zeno escape his evil and monstrous boss? Or would he be consumed by him? Consumed by the forbidden passion he felt build up between them? Would he risk his life just to experience the burn of forbidden love?After the betrayal from his family, ex-wife, and friend five years ago, Sebastian Orion became a totally different being.He became cold, aloof, and dangerous as he rose to become the most feared Mafia king of the underworld, and everyone who heard his name shivered from fear.He distrusted everyone and hated any form of human relationships, building a thick wall around himself.But, not until his son's manny came into the picture.Zeno irritated him in every way, he hated the mere sight of his bodyguard and would have chosen to kill him if not for the sake of his son.Sebastian always tried to push Zeno away by treating him in the lowest way possible.But when the contract was coming to an end, were his feelings still the same? Or did he suddenly realize that it wasn't only his son that needed Zeno?~~~“What are you waiting for? Leave!” Sebastian snarled bitterly.He would have to speak with Butler Nicole to find out why he brought back this stupid clown to his house.He had just returned from yet another trip, just to find this nuisance in his house again.He hated Zeno so much; he was classless and looked extremely dangerous to be near his son; who knew if he was sent as a snitch by an enemy?“I'm sorry, boss, but I can't,” Zeno said and stood his ground.Leaving would mean he wanted his Nana to die; no, he'd rather stay here and take all punches that came his way; he was used to it.“What?!” Sebastian couldn't believe that such stupid people were still existing in the world.“I can't leave,” Zeno repeated.

Tachikawa Shin always thought he was a decent, upright man—unfortunately, he’d been saddled with an indecent favorability system.Raise others’ affection to grow stronger?“I’d rather stay away from these witches, but this concerns my safety and physical integrity... Well, it seems I don’t have a choice,” Tachikawa Shin said righteously, with absolutely no perversion whatsoever.All hail the Rizzler!

In her previous life, Jiang Yan's mother was murdered by her stepfather under the guise of celebrating their wedding anniversary with a trip abroad, and Jiang Yan herself, holding a huge inheritance, was locked by him in the basement of a villa and had one of her hands mangled. As natural disasters became more frequent and the apocalypse descended, the stepfather's family, hiding in the villa waiting for the apocalypse to pass, ultimately set their sights on Jiang Yan...With the opening of her eyes, Jiang Yan was reborn three months before the apocalypse. After activating her portable Space and successfully taking her revenge, she, now in possession of a massive amount of funds, started a global shopping spree: yachts, helicopters, off-road RVs, weapons, amphibious boats, necessities for clothing, food, shelter, and transport; everything from five-star delicacies to tasty street food hidden in remote corners... she bought and hoarded them all, bringing everything into her Space!Seeing that there was only one month left, Jiang Yan began a cramming-style learning binge: shooting! Flying planes! Driving boats! Hand-to-hand combat! Agricultural Planting! She even learned how to operate an excavator from the Red Xiang Technical School!In July, a double typhoon that caused seawater backflow starting from Japan marked the beginning of the apocalypse. A super high temperature wave followed right after, sweeping across the globe, along with torrential rains, earthquakes, pest infestations, extreme cold, nuclear contamination, mutation of animals and plants... one natural calamity after another ensued!While others fought over a packet of instant noodles or half a bottle of water, Jiang Yan was leisurely planting vegetables, raising fish, sitting comfortably in her safe house with air conditioning on, and enjoying her hot pot meal~PS. This entire story is fictitious.