The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream - Chapter 102

Ethan was betrayed, he was broken, left crippled by those he trusted most: Zachary and Ivy, the people who ruined his life. Stripped of everything, Ethan crawled through three grueling years in the abandoned depths of despair, desperate to regain what he lost.Until one final act of defiance opened the door to something greater.When Ethan completed a hidden quest, fate granted him a miraculous reward: a second chance.He awakens years in the past, on the eve of a revolution: the launch of Ethereal, the world's first fully immersive VR game and humanity’s obsession. Armed with memories of four years in Ethereal, he’s no longer the helpless pawn who lost everything.This time, Ethan knows every secret, every hidden quest, every exploit to climb back to the top. But when he steps into the game, the system unveils a shocking twist: a divine bloodline, legendary abilities, and a class no one believed could dominate.Ethan vows to rise once more, but this time, he knows where the paths of glory begin, where betrayal lurks, and where to find legendary treasures that will crown him king in this brutal new world.The stakes are higher than ever. Factions are forming, alliances are shattering, and the clock ticks toward an event that will rewrite reality itself.The weak will perish, and the strong will thrive.They betrayed him once.They won’t live to do it again.

An ancient proverb from the Homo sapiens era once stated, “Light and darkness can never be united because they are natural enemies arranged since the creation of the universe.”The statement seems plausible, yet it may contain inaccuracies...——————————————Leon Kruger, a 22-year-old man counted among the three of humanity's heroes, is dispatched by the Holy Empire of Mankind to invade the territory of the Demon Empire—an enduring adversary of humanity for over 7000 years.Wielding the Great Holy Sword Zenith and commanding a legion of thousands of holy troops, he leads the raid on the Desert of Chaos, facing the elite armies of the Demon Race with unwavering valor.Even, he engaged in direct combat against the Demon Emperor, who was actively leading the war on behalf of the Demon Race!Unfortunately, he never foresaw that his offensive was a cunning scheme orchestrated by the Emperor of the Holy Empire.The emperor aimed to eliminate Leon, perceiving him as a threat to his position as the ruler.Furthermore, unbeknownst to him, he had been poisoned before setting out for war, leading to a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Demon Emperor and resulting in his capture as a prisoner of the Demon Emperor.Envisaging torment at the hands of the notorious Demon Emperor after his capture, he was surprised to find that this foreseen ordeal did not come to pass!The Demon Emperor, unveiled as a remarkably beautiful woman, unexpectedly and without apparent cause, asked him to be responsible for abandoning their triplet daughters?!“Nani! Since when did I have triplet daughters with you, smelly demon woman?!”Not only that, Leon gradually realized that an increasing number of women were approaching him to claim the love debts he had unwittingly accumulated in his youth.“Wait! Hold on! Please be gentle! Both my kidneys are nearly tapped out!”

Ten years after her parents’ divorce, the grandmother who raised Chu Tingwu passed away, leaving her to be shuttled back and forth between relatives.At this moment, an entity claiming to be a “Cub Rearing System” suddenly appeared, wanting to bind itself to her and cultivate her into an outstanding graduate of its program.Just as Chu Tingwu was about to refuse, she saw her personal attributes on the system interface—[Name: Chu Tingwu][Species: Cat]Chu Tingwu: Something’s not right here…Due to a bug, the system had identified her as a kitten.Her stats were those of a cat, but her appearance remained human.How should an exemplary human-cat be raised? Sleeping, causing mischief, eating until she became as round as a pig?However, the reality turned out to be quite different: extreme sports, expert bird-catcher, master mouse-hunter, catching invasive fish barehanded with dynamic vision, using camouflage and tracking skills to film documentaries of rare birds, nearly making the social news as a suspected retired special police officer.For the first lesson in cultivation, the system said gravely:“A cub cannot live alone. We need to find you a cat mother… I’ve already detected a suitable candidate nearby. Go to the target location quickly, little one, and let the cat mother adopt you.”Chu Tingwu looked up as an advertisement fluttered into her hand:[Sunshine Pet Hospital: Limited-time half-price pet neutering, one month of free food with every pet adoption]Chu Tingwu: Who exactly is adopting whom here?

The protagonist, Punk, is a cautious, cold-blooded, and ruthless Mage.

His goal is always his top priority, over feelings or morality. When unnecessary, he doesn’t like to act like pigs to eat tigers; there are almost no life and death struggles, sometimes risky but steady progress. No strong enemy everywhere, Instead, Punk is always a strong enemy of others.

And he has a very keen interest in the secrets and teachings of the Netheril civilization.