Ark (Published Novel) - Vol 1 Chapter 4: Desperate Struggle with the Demon Mouse

It was a life without regret. My parents were in good health, and I wasn’t homey enough for me to combine my studies and part-time jobs.

I like fantasy, martial arts, games, fiction movies, cartoons… I’m a normal high school student who likes these things.

That was certainly true until ten years ago.

This is not the earth.

A fantasy world dominated by powerful people. Savage utopia. It is a world where you can take anything with you if you have physical strength.

Initially, the four elder brothers of the affluent Sang family disapproved of everything about their biological sister, their hearts and eyes solely focused on their foster sister.The eldest brother said, 'Stop embarrassing yourself with your acting, just retire from the industry.'The second brother remarked, 'Your life is less significant than Jiaojiao's movie premiere.'The third brother declared, 'Didn't buy you a gift, you are an outsider after all.'The fourth brother insisted, 'Don't come to my game, Jiaojiao will be there.'After repeated disappointments, Sang Qiao carried her bag and left, not only setting up her own company to make money but also participating in a dating show with her ex-fiance as her partner. Just when she finished the show diligently, thinking she could gracefully retire from it, she suddenly felt a pair of large hands encircling her waist, and a man's voice murmured deeply: 'Where do you think you're going, naughty girl? Were you just leading me on this whole time? Hmm?'Sang Qiao: '!' I was taking the dating show seriously, and you actually fell in love???'From then on, she gained a powerful supporter, reaping the rewards of both a flourishing career and a love life.However, the four brothers, betrayed by their foster sister and realizing how wrong they were in their treatment of Sang Qiao, deeply regretted their past actions, attempting every means to reconcile.Facing the eldest brother she said: 'Stop squatting at my doorstep begging, you're affecting the city's appearance.'To the second brother she said: 'You've only lost a leg, if I take care of you, I'd be losing five million!'Confronting the third brother: 'Keep dumping trash at my doorstep and watch how unpleasant I can be.'And to the fourth brother: 'Tomorrow I'm going to visit a friend's dog, so I have no time for your competition.'

[Your shadow is alive.][Feed your shadow, devour souls, level up, gain skills, complete quests, and grow stronger.][Do you wish to view your current stats?]In the magical world of Aetherus, Damon Grey is the weakest student at Aether Academy, relentlessly bullied and ridiculed for his lack of power and defiant personality. Yet, he endures the torment, clinging to his scholarship—the only thing providing him with the funds to keep his sick sister alive.After a brutal attack leaves him near death, Damon encounters a dark viscous entity in the forest that fuses with his shadow, awakening the Living Shadow System. This strange power grants him unimaginable abilities but comes with a grim cost—a relentless hunger for souls and flesh to feed his shadow.Now, with his shadow alive and insatiable, Damon faces a terrible choice: feed it to grow stronger or starve it and die with it.In a world ruled by ruthless nobles, deadly monsters, and power-hungry demons, Damon must decide if his newfound power is a curse or the only way to survive. With the Living Shadow System, his fate is clear: devour or be devoured.

Roy died during a war against the Evil God Cult, but somehow, he returned back in time to 30 years in the past where he was just a boy who awaken his summoning magic.