A Barbaric Proposal - Chapter 47: Risebury’s Promise

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.

Kiyoshiro Takeda lived a life without purpose, drifting through his days with no direction. But one fateful moment changes everything. Now, he finds himself in a world unlike any he has ever known, given a role he never asked for. A new life, an unknown destiny, and a looming catastrophe that only he can prevent. But can someone who failed in his old life truly become the last hope?

Every player had the same starting resources.Everyone could choose to explore 10 rooms every day. One room could be dangerous while the other might contain resources.Players must do everything they could to survive.After he finished reading the instruction, Li Zheng heard a voice next to him. “Selecting a random daily reward…”“Congratulations. You have obtained a silver chest that contains a silver-grade blueprint for the Ordinary Detector, and a few other resources.”“Congratulations. You have obtained a bronze chest that contains a bronze-grade blueprint for the Air Purifier, and a few other resources.”“Congratulations. You have obtained a platinum chest that contains platinum-grade blueprints for the Ionized Knife, Intermediate-grade Genetic Cultivation Liquid, and TJP Shield, and many other resources.”“Congratulations. You have obtained a hyper legendary chest that contains…”Li Zheng looked at the colorful chests in front of him and grinned.

At nineteen, Dexter was already one of the world’s most celebrated authors. His books topped charts. Critics praised his genius. Fans devoured every word. But behind the acclaim was a lonely boy—raised without parents, love, or real friends—just stories.He published his first novel at fourteen. By seventeen, he was a literary star. But the higher he rose, the hollower it felt.Then came the writer’s block. The headaches. The blackout. And the transmigration.Dexter awoke in the body of Daylan, a disgraced young man in a crumbling, medieval world laced with steampunk tech, divine law, and political unrest. Daylan had already failed two of the three sacred Trials—rites that determine one’s magical potential. He was drowning in debt, entangled in plots to overthrow a corrupt Divine Church, and branded a lost cause.With no way back, Dexter took the final Trial—the most brutal of them all—and began a path that would earn him the whispered title: Soldier, Poet, King.But as his powers grew, one question haunted him: Did he truly die? And if so, who—or what—chose to bring him back?