Underworld Player - Chapter 9: Crossed Wires

Vainqueur Knightsbane is your average dragon: a giant, fire-breathing lizard who loves to take naps on his golden hoard, kidnap princesses for fun, and make the life of adventurers miserable. Vainqueur's only pleasure in life is to watch his treasure get bigger, one coin at a time.

So when a would-be thief turned unwilling minion tells him about "classes," "levels," and "quests," Vainqueur wonders if maybe, just maybe, he should consider a career change.

After all, why bother hunting monsters for free when you can get paid for it?

The rule had always been this way: the strong over the weak, the rich over the poor. Mark knew this, he'd even experienced it.After his boss fired him for discovering the affair with his girlfriend (who also worked at their small gaming company), Mark vowed never to be humiliated like that again. He wanted to rise above everyone, to become the world's top player, the one who made the rules and decided everyone's fate. But that was wishful thinking. He was just a heavyset, nerdy guy with some programming skills and a large appetite. What else did he have going for him?Hit hard by this reality, jobless and dumped, Mark withdrew into gaming, which also became his source of income. One day, after leaving a bad review for a game he played and streamed, he received a strange reply from the game's creator. Suddenly, Mark found himself transported to Aetherium, the world of that same game, as Magnus Lancaster, the young lord of a crumbling territory.Now, with this new beginning, he vowed never to be weak again, never to leave his fate in someone else's hands.

Rhodes accidentally tripped and fell while playing with his phone as he walked down the stairs, only to find himself transported to the world of Fairy Tail.To his surprise, he discovered that he had the ability to summon various wild monsters from League of Legends and even learned how to use Receive Magic.But that wasn’t the main issue. The real problem was that, among a guild full of reckless individuals, there was suddenly someone who actually liked making plans.Some people believed he was destined to become the next guild master.But Rhodes knew the truth—becoming the guild master of Fairy Tail meant endless self-reflections and a never-ending pile of compensation bills.Determined, Rhodes made up his mind: I don’t want to be the guild master!

In the neon of blue and purple, under the thick steel sky, at the forefront of this surge of data, lies the world post-tech revolution.It’s also the dividing line between reality and illusion.Steel and flesh, past and future.In this place, the world outside and inside coexist. Everything in front of us feels like a wall of time within reach.The darkness is slowly creeping in.But hey, my friend, you gotta know, we can’t just counter darkness with softness.Gotta use fire.