The Monarch - Chapter 16: Limits

On the day of her wedding to her childhood sweetheart, Natalie Ford received an unexpected gift: a marriage certificate. It stated that she was already married to a complete stranger—Aiden Handrix.While the wedding guests continued to mock and insult her, her lover Ivan decided to dump her, choosing to marry her half-sister Briena instead. To add insult to injury, she was thrown out of her home.To prove her innocence, Natalie Ford could only take one course of action - she had to find this mysterious Aiden Handrix and get to the bottom of this!The next day, there was news trending on the TV. Justin Harper, the heir of the richest family in the Bayford was returning home. Natalie’s eyes narrowed at the TV screen.‘Why does this man look exactly like the man in the picture of my wedding certificate?’In the quest of uncovering the mystery behind her said marriage, she decided to follow him and ask personally.“Are you married?”“No.”“Do you have a twin brother?”“No?”“By chance you heard the name Aiden Handrix?”“No.”“Then, who the hell are you?’“Your brother.”“Wait, what?”“Yes. Now pack your bags and come home with me.”First got a husband out of the blue and now a brother with the same face? Was god creating clones and offering them to her with different relationships?

Eli Turner had perfected the art of coasting through life, gaming, lounging, and vibing with no grand ambitions beyond the next high. But his laid-back existence is upended when his laptop inexplicably transforms into a gateway to another world. What starts as a surreal escape becomes a perilous journey as Eli finds himself wielding a mysterious system that allows him to level up, fight monsters, and gain abilities beyond his wildest dreams.At first, the portal world feels like a haven, offering purpose and adventure Eli never knew he craved. Guided, or manipulated, by Azrael, a mischievous god orchestrating the game, Eli rises as one of the system's chosen players. But as the quests grow more dangerous and Azrael’s true intentions begin to surface, Eli struggles to balance the fantasy world with his life back home. His girlfriend, Sara, and his friends are left grappling with a version of Eli they hardly recognize, as the lines between his two lives blur.When the system expands to players worldwide, Eli crosses paths with others drawn into Azrael’s cosmic experiment: Yumi Tanaka, a fiercely disciplined Japanese student with a perfectionist streak, and Arjun Mehta, a charming Indian playboy with secrets of his own. Each carries their own burdens and ambitions, but all three must face the harsh truth: Azrael’s game is far more than it seems.As alliances are forged, rivalries ignite, and the stakes escalate, Eli must confront not only the dangers of the portal world but the growing rift between the person he is and the hero he’s becoming. In a game where every move is a test and every choice ripples across both worlds, the question remains: can Eli, Yumi, and Arjun uncover the truth before the system consumes them all?

In a world governed by the mysterious power of dimensional gates, young Dabi, once frail but gifted with a photographic memory, discovers his life-altering ability: a leveling system that grants him new skills and magic as he rises through the ranks. After his family perished in a gate-related tragedy, Dabi swears to protect his siblings and unravel the mysteries within these deadly portals. Alongside his loyal spirit pets and rare allies, Dabi faces ancient threats and powerful enemies tied to his parents’ tragic past. As he rises in power, Dabi’s quest draws the attention of noble families, dangerous royals, and sinister forces seeking control over dimensions and the future of humanity itself. Secrets, betrayals, and a growing vendetta lead him deeper into a battle that threatens the fabric of existence. With the fate of his world hanging in the balance, Dabi must outwit and outfight forces beyond imagination all while confronting the truths hidden within the gates of the lost dimension.

…Ring! [ The Unique Skill ‘Grand Devourer’ has been acquired! ]

That’s how it first started.
And then… it didn’t stop:

[ The Unique Skill ‘Evolve’ has been acquired! —
[ The Passive Skill ‘Jelly-like Shapelessness’ has been acquired! —
[ The Passive Skill ‘Resistant Body’ has been acquired! —
[ The Unique Skill ‘Dwell’ has been acquired! —
[ The Unique Skill ‘Skill Copy’ has been acquired! —
[ The Passive Skill ‘Mana Perception’ has been acquired! ]

Up until…

[ The Passive Skill ‘Consciousness’ has been acquired! ]

And then I was through—

Normally, monster-type creatures don’t just pop up in some random place—let alone a human place—out of the blue, and without notice.
Yes, if we’re talking ‘normally’, monsters belong more to places like remote, hostile grounds: they ought to be from dark, nasty forests, old caves, or abandoned, ancient ruins.
As I said, it was only so long as we spoke of the usual deal, however. For better or worse, I wasn’t your regular mob.
So, forget about all the remote, uneasy places humans hardly go to—all the abandoned forests, caves, or dungeons I, a monster, should have been from—and picture a bright, lively family restaurant, in an oh-so-peaceful human village. A restaurant where people ate, chatted, and jested together, all having a good time, blissfully oblivious to the fact that, very soon, I would be cutting them all down.

By magic, a monster-type creature spawned in such a place. It was me.
So far, for the few seconds I had been living, it was quite the good life… I got to listen to a fantastic story being told and shared a cool moment with people.
However! Following an uncertain course of events, I happened to be put up against a wall, with a sword aimed at my chest, before I was mercilessly killed.

I, a unique monster, just spawned in that restaurant, with no clue regarding what was going on.
All I knew was that I wanted to live and survive.
Also, I knew I wasn’t your regular kind of monster.
Thankfully, I’d been granted unique abilities before I showed up.
That is how I managed to survive.