The Duke's Passion - Chapter 20 - Stranger In The Mirror

Octavius, misled by friends, embarks on a quest to clear his father's name, ultimately facing a tragic end with his sister.Their journey results in devastating loss, leaving him powerless and yearning for revenge against those who harmed his family. Spirits offer him a chance to reincarnate, but he refuses, saying;“What’s the point of a new life if I keep running from my problems”The entities are taken aback by his unwavering decision, having never encountered a spirit who refuses to escape their troubled past. They warn him about the evil being that now resides in his old body, but that only motivates him. He believed In the saying - to defeat a monster, you have to be twice as monstrous.Embracing his fate as The Phantom's Gambit, they traverse the shadowy path of retribution, their identities blur, secrets unravel, and the line between savior and monster fades.This is a tale of darkness and redemption, where justice is a blade, and revenge is the only way forward.

As the apocalypse arrives, Song Ke, who grew up in the abandoned area, unexpectedly awakens her special ability. Within her field of vision, all objects can be transformed into handy spiritual tools with just a thought. She becomes the sharpest blade, now possessing the most flexible scabbard. Wherever she goes, zombies of all kinds cower in fear.

After wandering alone for several days, Song Ke encounters a troublesome man. The man has a broken leg, and speaks weakly as if on the verge of death, yet there’s a smile at the corner of his mouth that is strangely beguiling.

“Little girl, I have nothing to offer you in return. How about offering myself to you?”

Suspiciously eyeing him for a couple of seconds, Song Ke slowly summons her spiritual tool.

“Speak up, how do you want to… die?”

One thing leads to another, and her adventurous path… takes a peculiar turn? She ends up gathering a series of strange teammates.

A year after the apocalypse, a bizarre rumor circulates among the major surviving bases:

It’s said that the top-ranked awakener team “V587” on the scoreboard are all burly and sturdy, capable of frightening children with their bear-like physiques and iron-like strength.

Their name alone exudes power: V587, how commanding and domineering!

V587 punches the Zombie King, kicks mutant beasts, robs the Death Prison of Sin City, and KOs the tyrannical rulers of District C with one move!

No matter how difficult the mission, it’s flawlessly cleared when it falls into their hands.

Their feats become the talk of the Alliance, earning admiration from countless ability users.

Until the grand opening of the inaugural global awakeners challenge, the enigmatic V587 members gather, making their first appearance.

The crowd’s faces turn dumbfounded, “Wait, who are these elderly, young, sick, and two wheelchair-bound cripples? V587? Nooo!”

Overpowered Stutterer x Cunning Smiling Tiger

【Reading Guide】

This is not a space-oriented story. It’s set in an alternative future with a significant technological gap (about 50 years ahead) and uses fictional terms with no direct prototypes.

Combines superpowers with cyberpunk elements, featuring a main storyline alongside team adventures.

Team recruitment is relatively slow at the beginning. The protagonist’s team consists of 7 members, each with their own flaws.

There is a very strange restaurant in the City of Sin.

Elves and dwarves must share a table, orcs are strangely well behaved, dragons are only welcomed on the small square in front of the restaurant, and the demons must bring their own stool.

This strange restaurant with their strange rules continuous to attract a long line of customers.

“This place serves the best food! The chef of this restaurant is a genius!” Some of the guests in the restaurant left glowing reviews. But these guests have a word of warning for other guests, “No matter what you do, never, never attempt to kidnap the boss or try to ‘eat and run’. You will die.”

A cute little girl stood near the door, and demanded in her tiny voice, “You have eaten the food, now pay up, or I will beat you to death.” The five-meter tall dragon suddenly felt a chill running up its spine.

Year 2035. A groundbreaking game—“Glory Lords: Arcane War”—takes the world by storm.With cutting-edge VR immersion, players can feel the pulse of magic, the tremors of battle, and the weight of every decision. But more than just a game, it becomes the ultimate stage for global esports. Elite teams rise, billion-dollar prize pools emerge, and the entire world is swept into the frenzy.But for Ethan Parker, this isn’t just a game. It’s a gamble with fate itself.Las Vegas. Midnight. A secret high-stakes game.On the table lies the world’s only Legendary-tier artifact—the Stone of Glory.Its value? Far beyond a billion dollars. Because hidden within it is a secret—one that can rewrite the very rules of reality.Ethan bets everything. And loses.In that moment, he doesn’t just lose the artifact—he loses his future.Then, the world changes.The game and reality merge.Earth is no longer the world it once was. Society collapses, replaced by a brutal new order where a person’s rank in “Glory Lords: Arcane War” determines their status in real life.The strongest players become kings.The weakest? Slaves.And the one who won the Stone of Glory—Griffin Musk—rises to absolute power, ruling over this new world as its supreme leader.As for Ethan? Once the #1 player in the world, he loses everything—his account, his status, his freedom. Reduced to the lowest class, he suffers, tortured until his final breath.But now—he’s back.Reborn with the memories of his past life, he returns to the moment it all began.This time, he wins the gamble.This time, he won’t let the world fall into Griffin’s hands.But fate has more in store for him…When he logs into the game, he realizes something is off.Not only is he the first player in the world to own private territory, but he also acquires something unheard of—the only Legendary-tier unit in existence: the Green Dragon.And then—something even more shocking.These two Green Dragons aren’t just powerful units. They’re heroes. With growth potential and combat abilities surpassing even top-tier players, they have the power to change the course of the entire game.At that moment, Ethan knows—his path to the top has begun.But the real world isn’t done with him yet.Governments, military forces, corporate giants, secret organizations—and even Griffin himself—are now watching his every move.This time, it’s not just about revenge.This time, he’s taking control of the future.The war of heroes has only just begun…