The pale, withered bone bird soared high into the sky.
Under Xu Xi's control,
it flew upward at a steady, unhurried pace.
Dark clouds churned, lifeless and heavy, merging with the pitch-black sun until no distinction could be made.
Only the faintest outline of an abyssal orb could be glimpsed within.
A thousand years ago, the sun and moon of the wizards' world had been normal—until the erosion of the Netherworld twisted them into the black sun and blood moon seen today.
This was a sign of the world's march toward death.
"This height should suffice," Xu Xi thought, halting the undead bone bird's ascent and maintaining a safe altitude so Servia beside him could observe the land below.
From this lofty vantage, everything lay beneath them.
The world sprawled out in its entirety.
Fierce winds howled past their ears.
The sensation of swaying, weightlessness, disorientation, and unsteady footing—
all these unfamiliar feelings assaulted her.
It was an experience far more novel than anything she had ever known in her life.
The girl shrank back at first, but gripping the gaps between the bone bird's skeletal frame, she soon steadied herself and gazed down with calm clarity.
"This is…"
"Clawphire now…?"
The wind roared,
buffeting Servia's flickering soulfire.
What met her eyes was a scene of horror—twisted, jagged earth, grotesque forms jutting from the ground, reanimated corpses wandering aimlessly, and the living cowering in fear.
Death, terror, plague, darkness…
These were things Servia already knew.
Yet, the view from the sky was an entirely different experience.
With Xu Xi's aid, the girl glimpsed the land from above for the first time, gaining a stark and sobering understanding of the undead calamity.
That…
That was hell.
"How could it be like this…?" Servia murmured, her spirit crushed, unable to reconcile the hellscape before her with the cherished home in her memories.
The world had become this.
Clawphire had become this.
It seemed there was no returning to the past.
"Great Wizard, is the entire world like this now?"
The girl's voice was soft.
"Most regions are as you see—half-consumed by the Netherworld's corruption," Xu Xi replied.
The world was vast, and a few pockets of life might still linger, but such places were rare. Death and silence were this world's dominant melody.
Beneath the bone bird, the land was strewn with corpses, the undead roaming freely. The living either hid in remote corners or banded together behind fortified defenses, struggling against the tide of death.
"Servia."
Xu Xi's gaze followed hers, settling on two distant tombstones atop a small hill.
He asked, "Even so, do you still wish to stay?"
"Yes, Great Wizard."
The answer came as expected—firm and resolute.
Her face, now ghastly pale, her body reduced to bone, yet her actions spoke louder than words.
"I will take my parents' place and protect every last person in Clawphire."
Her voice was lost to the wind,
but Xu Xi heard it clearly—the unwavering conviction in her words.
…
[To protect others, to cling to the past—for Servia, such things were undoubtedly heavy burdens.]
[Especially in a world doomed to ruin.]
[Her efforts seemed little more than a beautiful dream destined to shatter.]
[There were countless arguments he could use to dissuade her, to make her abandon this futile struggle. But then he remembered his third simulation self.]
[He smiled, realizing Servia needed no lectures from him.]
[She was a seasoned hero.]
[Her faith was unshakable, her will unbreakable. All he could do was bless her.]
[After completing their flight, Xu Xi guided the bone bird back to the ground, returning Servia to the ruined mansion.]
[At their parting, moved by the hero's plight, he imparted to her a method to grow stronger—a versatile soul cultivation technique.]
[He believed it suited her well.]
[Servia expressed her gratitude with a courteous knightly bow.]
["May fortune favor you, Great Wizard."]
[Amid the undead girl's farewell, Xu Xi departed alone atop the bone bird, soaring toward the northern Aeoca Kingdom.]
[The Four-Ring Wizard Tower—the White Crow Tower.]
[That was his final destination.]
…
Xu Xi was gone.
A wizard's speed was beyond mortal comprehension.
In the span of a single breath,
the bone bird's wings stirred the air, conjuring a whirlwind that carried it beyond Servia's perception in an instant.
Only the lingering traces of disturbed wind remained.
"Rustle, rustle…"
The withered branches swayed, scraping against one another. Only after a long, long while did Servia finally snap out of her daze, tearing her gaze from the sky.
"The Great Wizard has left…"
Her voice was calm, tinged with faint loneliness.
She turned.
Pushed open the door.
Clad in heavy armor, the undead girl stepped forward, the rotted hinges screeching sharply as the door swung inward, the sound echoing through the desolate halls.
Isolated.
Cold.
"Will I be alone again from now on…?"
She did not enter immediately.
Staring into the dark entrance, at the murky gloom within, she suddenly found herself reluctant to step inside.
Before,
the lone hero had endured every hardship without complaint—marching through storms, curling up in the dark, silently purging the relentless undead.
Yet now, strangely,
after just a single month of companionship,
she could no longer bear the solitude she had once accepted.
"Wake up, Servia."
"You are the last hope of the Clawphire family. For Father, for Mother—you must stay strong!"
The undead girl steeled herself and stepped into the decrepit mansion.
It was nothing.
Just a return to the life she had always known.
If she could endure it before, she could endure it now.
"The Great Wizard was right. I'm still too weak—too weak to protect myself, too weak to protect others."
"I must become stronger."
Retrieving the cultivation technique Xu Xi had given her, Servia began studying it earnestly, delving into its methods.
Cultivation. Swordplay. Hunting the undead.
After Xu Xi's departure, the girl's life fell into a rigid routine.
Only occasionally, when thunderstorms rolled in, did she add a temporary activity—curling up, arms wrapped around her head.
"It's the hero! The hero is here!"
"Thank goodness, we're saved!"
"Monster! You're the one who brought these undead upon us! Get out, get out!"
"Drive this abomination away from our village!"
Within Clawphire's borders,
things remained as they always had.
Some regarded the "hero" with kindness, believing her a selfless savior.
Others harbored the vilest suspicions, blaming her for the death that plagued the land.
The undead girl did not respond.
She simply donned her armor, concealing her face completely, and silently cleared away the encroaching undead.
This was how she had always lived.
From the past, until now.
"Father…"
"Mother…"
"I met a good wizard."
Atop the hill, the hero crouched once more, curled against the two tombstones, motionless in the thick of night.
The heavy armor made her silhouette seem imposing.
And yet, somehow,
it also looked small.
Lonely.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
n Our Village Many years later, Xiushui Village had transformed from a remote, impoverished hamlet into the renowned and flourishing Xiushui City of the Shifang Continent. All of this, solely because it was the birthplace of the Shifang Continent's number one sect—the Lingxian Sect. This is the story of a group of village youths, family, and friends, building a sect and growing together. Lin Xiao: As the sect master, my days are filled with countless tasks. Cultivating really gets in the way of building the sect. System: Received. Understood. Arranging it immediately. [Ding—Congratulations, Host, on successfully activating the Auto-Cultivation Function] Lin Xiao: Oh no, we're out of spirit stones. System: Received. Understood. Arranging it immediately. [Ding—Sect Mission issued. Mission Reward: Spirit Stones xN] No one loves their host more profoundly than this System!
