A Court of Lost Stars - Chapter 22: Monsters in the Trees

The year was 2026, and the world wasn't what it used to be. Ever since the Abyss Gates cracked open three years ago, spilling monsters and dungeons across the planet, life had turned into a chaotic mess. Cities were half-ruined, half-rebuilt, and people clung to whatever normalcy they could find. Hunters—those brave or crazy enough to fight the monsters—became the new heroes. Everyone else? Well, they just tried to survive.Fin wasn't a Hunter. He wasn't a hero either.He was just… Fin. A lanky 19-year-old with messy brown hair, a chipped front tooth from a dumb skateboard accident, and a power that everyone called useless. Absorption. Sounds cool, right? Like he could suck up energy or steal someone's strength. Nope. All it did was let him “feel” things he touched a little more than normal. He could tell you the exact texture of a brick wall or how warm a coffee mug was—big whoop. No fireballs, no super strength, no flashy moves. Just a glorified touchy-feely trick.“Fin, you gonna eat that sandwich or just stare at it like it's gonna confess its life story?” Meg's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.He blinked and looked across the rickety table at his best friend. Meg was short, loud, and had a wild mop of dyed purple hair that she swore made her look “intimidating.” It didn't.

The story starts on earth, after some unknown circumstances, the world was suddenly invaded by monsters from other worlds. Many died and even more turned into zombies, starting what many would call 'The apocalypse Era'.

Rin, a normal teenage boy who lost all of his family members was on the verge of falling into despair when a goddess appeared and sent him to another world that was very similar to a game Rin played before the apocalypse.

Her goal from this was simple, trample on all the protagonists and become the strongest creature in that world for a chance to get back what he thought he lost forever.

Accompanied by a cold beauty, both of them embark on a new journey to become stronger, get back to their world and fix everything.

Cho Kang-hyuk, the owner of a large fitness center, woke up to find himself a young disciple at Shaolin Temple.

The chief female forensic investigator, Ran Yan was secretly killed by her assistant. Unexpectedly, she was reborn in the years of the Tang dynasty. After experiencing a narrow escape, she fled from Jiangnan to Chang’an. Although, Chang’an was at the beginning of its flourishing period under the Li family’s Tang dynasty, various princes were vying for the throne by using all kinds of strategies. This was the dark days of the imperial court, where one needed to walk on a tightrope as one’s life was as powerless as an ant. The Xiao family controlled a large amount of wealth so inevitably they also became involved in the conflicts.

After arriving in Chang’an, she discovered many suspicious incidents: the original owner had unexplainable amnesia but his family was indifferent. She once again saw the orchid shaped clay inkstone, a valuable object that her mother has given her in modern times. Hence, could it be that she can time travel back? In order to survive in the Tang dynasty, she displayed her strong spirit and willpower by learning medicine from a doctor, pretended that she benefited from being sick on how to cure diseases, suffered hardship in earning money, manufactured penicillin, cured syphilis, and used her autopsy skill and experience to solve each and every murder mysteries.

- Description from Novelupdates