What It's Like Being a Vampire - Chapter 12 - Matchmaking (Part 1)

“Any who don the title of 'king' or anything of the sort in my presence is nothing more than an ignorant fool. This is my land and I shall be reclaiming it soon. I am Cacophony, the Vampire Empress!”As those words left her lips, every cell in my body reacted. It was unreal—no, it was otherworldly. Her beauty, her power, and her overwhelming arrogance. It might've been then that I realized that my normal life had ended.How did it come to this?Ah, it was curiosity. Yes, a deathly curiosity brought me to that graveyard that day.It was there that I stumbled upon her coffin. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing then, and even now I have no idea what possessed me to touch it—that single moment changed the course of history for the entire world. I found myself delving into a completely unknown world.Should I regret it? Maybe. But the truth is, I don't.Exploring the world’s hidden secrets, forging unexpected bonds, and living alongside the revived empress—it’s exciting.“Even if it's wrong, I think I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.”

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online-a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other-opens its virtual doors, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating their brain waves to create a wholly realistic gaming experience.

But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG-a log-out button.

Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, “game over” means certain death-both virtual and real…

A Russian economics expert had been making money through long-short strategies during the Russia-Ukraine war. Despite his economic success, he felt deep regret about Russia's historical mistakes. He wrote on his blog that “Russia has been on the wrong path since the 19th century,” critically analyzing Russia's history. Then, remarkably, he traveled back in time to 1891 and found himself in the body of Russian Crown Prince Nicholas II during his visit to Japan.

(Mountain hunting + Animals + Rural Daily Life + Light Livestreaming + Farm Construction + Relaxed)Offline:“Who in Changbai Mountain doesn't know that this leopard is my underling? Ask anyone, they all know!”Livestream:“Let me make it clear beforehand, I have absolutely no ties with this leopard.”“It approached me on its own.”“I'm not familiar with it, really not familiar.”“You guys are slandering me, you're slandering me!”Viewers watching the leopard cozying up to the streamer:“With both human and leopard as witnesses, you still want to deny it?”“Go on, we're listening.”