Jin-woo let out a long deep breath. He touched his face, wiping some of the goop mixed with his blood. He could see the tips of his fingers burn and melt from the residue. The odor would have crippled him had his mind not locked everything out. The pain was gone. The shock and sheer terror of his face burning by acid had faded. But it was still dripping off his face.

  He gulped. Something bubbled in his chest, it urgently pleaded to be released. But he held it back for now, his mind attempting to make sense of what was going on. What had Demina done? It was difficult to put complex thoughts together. He knew the hints were there and with a clear mind, he would have figured it out within a few moments, but for some reason it felt impossible at the moment. Everything was just foggy and distant; just at the tip of his tongue.

  The st healthy Giant Rat unched itself at him. It lunged with maw, filled with teeth, and opened to snap around his face. He caught it in the air, forearm in its mouth. The thing snapped, cwed, and chewed on his arm. The sound of its teeth grating against his bones seemed to echo in his mind as it tore flesh. The sound was simir to what he would if he closed his ears and tried to speak. The blood dripped and mixed with the residue of the acidic poison around his frame.

  [CHEMICAL BURN DETECTED]

  [AFFECTED AREA: FACIAL TISSUE]

  [LARGE LACERATION DETECTED]

  [AFFECTED AREA: LEFT FOREARM]

  [...]

  His vision began to blur and darken. The remaining rats moved to surround him in slow motion. Even the poison rat had gained more courage and crept even closer than before. Whether it was the toxins or what Demina had accomplished, but he couldn’t feel his body at all. He was controlling a game character, it felt like, just as distant as his thoughts.

  The only thing that was a constant presence was the fme that threatened to break free from his chest. It had grown from an insistent and urgent plea, to a force too great for him to contain the longer he denied it.

  Each breath drew more of the poisonous creature's sickly-sweet stench into his lungs. It smelled like death. He would have been nauseous had he had the ability to feel disgust or any form of it. But only cold calcutions ran through his mind. With a heavy kick, he unched the rat attached to his arm away. The battle had just started, and he intended to finish it.

  The system continued its relentless analysis:

  [PHYSICAL STATUS DETERIORATING]

  [MULTIPLE SYSTEM WARNINGS ACTIVE]

  [COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS: REDUCED BY 61%]

  [RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE TACTICAL WITHDRAWAL]

  "Withdrawal,” He tasted the word. The fme that had risen to his throat seemed to resent the thought of any type of retreat. There was only one path forward, and it was the immediate and utter destruction of anything before him. There was no other recourse. Death to him or death to his enemies. One or the other had to occur and soon.

  Jin-woo groaned as he allowed the fmes to be released. Unsure of what was about to happen to him. But he trusted Demina.

  He shook as something filled his blood vessels and made him feel like he was about to burst in a gory mess. Eyes bulging, skull too small for his brain, heart beat so loud he feared it would destroy his ear drums. And a hundred other sensations he chose to ignore, a bad habit he had developed. Instead, he allowed it full freedom.

  “Aah!” He roared like some maniac. Rage flooded his mind.

  The rats took a step back. Confusion hit their sensors at the new stimulus.

  “Aah!” Hate dripped from his being.

  [NEW ABILITY MANIFESTED:]

  [CRIMSON MADNESS (E+)]

  [WARNING: Override protocols detected in core systems]

  “Aah!” All he could see was red.

  And then, it all became a single blur. Things happened, rats shrieked, Jin-woo continued to bellow like some mad creature. Lots of blood and snapping jaws.

  Then darkness was all that remained.

  Peaceful bliss.

  [COMBAT CONCLUDED]

  [EXPERIENCE GAINED: 65 XP]

  [9 Giant Rats (5 XP each) + 2 Poison Rat (10 XP)]

  [PROGRESS TO NEXT LEVEL: MINIMAL]

  [NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: CRIMSON MADNESS (E+)]

  "Sixty-five experience points?" Jin-woo stared at the notification. He had expanded it from the small feed to cover most of his vision and just reread it for what felt like ages.

  Another day, another moment he had nearly died for literally a pittance of experience points and more importantly survival. This wasn’t mentioning the part where he had his face melted off in the most agonizing way possible. If he ever got out of here, there was no chance in hell that he would be found back in a dungeon. Maybe live his life in some farming vilge with a beautiful wife and a bunch of kids. Or maybe become a rich merchant and have four wives and a bunch of concubines instead and enough children to start three whole football teams.

  Anything at all other than be found in another dungeon.

  He reached out and touched his face. He could feel the skin had mostly healed, but there was going to be scarring. Even with the enhanced body and increased vitality, escaping a bottle worth of acidic venom directly to the face without a mark was impossible. He just hoped it wasn’t bad enough to prevent his chances of getting his dream of wife, or wives, and kids.

  Laughter escaped him. Hysterical ughter at the state he was in. Getting up helped none as he fell back into the gore and blood of a bunch of enemies he had apparently ripped into bits and pieces. His stomach hurt, forcing him to curl into himself. Lungs and sides burned as he took massive gulps of air.

  “Sixty-five experience points was all I got for burning my face off.” He surveyed the treeline. “I don’t suppose there's a ‘skip tutorial’ option for this dungeon?” He waited for a second hoping for a response. The eerie forest around him did not respond. “I guessed not.”

  There was no other option other than to move forward. He cursed the dungeon, all the rats that kept attacking him like rabid creatures, and whoever this rat king was. He had bled and suffered too much already, and he refused to allow this go unpunished. Why he was so adamant to return the misery and pain he had experienced, he wasn’t so sure. But he would be damned if he didn’t do it.

  Ten fold. No! A hundred fold!

  He got up and allowed the rain to wet all the dirt, grime, blood, and other things he didn’t even want to think about. Cleaning himself was the next step, and it was a task he would need to spend a great deal of time on if he was right about how filthy he was at the moment. It was as if he had bathed himself in the blood of his enemies. Considering the ominous name of the new skill he had received, that may have been what had happened. Jin-woo didn't even want to imagine what had happened.

  [NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: CRIMSON MADNESS (D-)]

  [Activates when pain and damage thresholds reach negative status.]

  [Activates when mental break thresholds reach negative status.]

  [Activates when external system interference is detected.]

  [Activates when mind is attacked and left undefended. Encases mind in Crimson Matrix for Protection.]

  [Activates when soul is attacked and left undefended. Encases soul in Crimson Matrix for Protection.]

  [Activates…]

  It left vague statements on what would activate his new skill. Each line worse than the other, hinting at horrific monsters that could destroy his mind and far more savage things. But, this was good. As long as he was here by himself, he wouldn’t need to worry about harming those that were his allies and friends. A st chance for survival in case everything went wrong again in this damned pce.

  Jin-woo headed back towards the safe room after a long and difficult time cleaning himself. He drank his full of raining water, doing his best not to think of any bacteria or parasites that may exist in the air. Collected his weapons, of which his seven foot spear had been bent in at least four different spots, but oddly had no acidic damage on it.

  Then he fell back asleep where he had been the night before. Exhaustion still rested deep in his muscles and bones making it very easy for his eyes to shut down. Hoping his rest wouldn’t respawn the poison rats.

  Zer0n1gh7s

  Heroes fail and the Ice Age Apocalypse is nigh. The world turned to a vilin in its darkest moments. Said Vilin couldn't give a fuck.

  Alex finished a 12 hour construction shift. He made it home. Jumped onto the couch, filthy, muddy and grimy. And then fell asleep in that spot, much to his wife's great displeasure. He would take a shower tomorrow morning anyway.

  What was she so worked about...?

  Except he woke up in the body of a two bit vilin in the most brutal Open World MMORPG game imaginable. Success wasn't counted by how quickly you finished the game. No, it was recorded by how many days you made it through an Ice Age Apocalypse within a swords and magic medieval world. Facing political unrest, scheming nobles, massive armies of undead, liches, undead dragons, and more terrifying monstrosities.

  To top it all off, Alex had no pyers and pyer guilds to rely on.

  Now he was forced to prepare to fight against a dozen insurmountable odds at the same time. Scheme against his brothers. Fight opposing criminal organizations for hegemony. Figure out how to make Mechas. Dungeon dive horrific areas for resources he needed urgently.

  And to top it all off... he was on a timer falling towards his execution date! His brothers really didn't like him, being all holy and stuff.

  Follow Luther Morgan Bellham as he figures out how to fight giant undead dragons with his own giant Mechas. Recruits vilins and evil dudes and dudettes! And Bckmailing the good guys into saving the world!

  [colpse] Story 2 - Love Life - Develop Disciples - Murder Hobo Demonic Cultivators

  SpoilerGuiyang was murdered by his wife.

  John Stone's woke up a few hours ter in a new world occupying Guiyang's body. Rich, strong, and with the best wife possible. Gorgeous, loves to cook, and willing to kick cultivator butts for him. He couldn't ask for a better spouse!

  Everything was going perfect until the fire kingdom...err...

  ...until he noticed nearly everyone had heart demons, and half his servants were part of a demonic cult! In a bid to escape with his wife they must hunt demonic cultivators, console and prevent his nuke-leveled father from committing explosive suicide, and deal with a douche-bag of a brother.

  Did he mention the system was broken?

  [Time Limit : 27 days!]

  [Mission: Find a disciple!]

  [Failure: Death by Qi Explosion!]

  John Stone's, now Yang Guiyang, must develop disciples to take care of him and his wife. Unlock his external Qi usage. Throw around a massive berserk greatsword around. Maybe unch a golden lightning bolt or two. And finally fight the Heavenly Demon!

  Fight the Heavenly Demon?! He had no shot to beat the old coot, did he? Dark Lords aren't beaten by the power of friendship after all.

  Follow Yang Guiyang as he kicks ass and develops super nukes of his own! Builds his own base and decapitates demonic cultivators! All with the help of his–not crazy–wife!

  [colpse] And stly - I will be posting the first 30k words as I work through a rewrite of Ancient Being Predecessor of the Primordial Era on free tier!

  SpoilerBeing mistaken for an Ancient Predecessor usually resulted in heavenly benefits. Not for James Anderson.

  After being thrown into an isoted training realm, he was quick to figure out that there was no tutorial. No guidance. No ancient being to fully unlock his system. For eons he remained stuck by himself. Only system notifications and rewards appearing out of thin air kept him from going insane.

  But even that eventually stopped working.

  Standing at the precipice of the Isoted Realm. He closed his eyes and jumped.

  A tear in reality opened under his feet, unbeknownst to him. Dumping him into a cultivation world gone awry. Demons and evil cultivators now dominate the world. Righteous sects and cns hole up in caves and array defended mountain peaks.

  Why they hide? Well, let's just say James had something to do with it.

  Follow James Anderson, or is it Yin Hu, as he is dragged into petty squabbles and the lives of the st remaining Hu Family members; Hu Shui and Hu Jun.

  Will he achieve his ultimate dream? Would there finally be his dream dy to pamper him after eons of struggling? Or maybe he should begin a harem chasing adventure?

  Follow James (Yin Hu) as he navigates the world with the belief he isn't that strong.

  [colpse] If you've gotten this far, thank you lol

  Help me write full time! Or buy me some coffee!

  And I got a Discord!

  Join me there! Updates on current in progress works. Rewrites of other stories. And you can bother me with questions!