The Legendary Mechanic (WN) - Chapter 12: Original Identity

I will go forward step by step, until one day I surpass you, Dad! !!

Zhao Gang, who has graduated from the World Hunter School, returns to the city. He inspires his own country and surpasses his father who is already at the top of the world.

- Description from Uukanshu

Zaiyila thought she had suffered enough—betrayed by her own mother and sold into marriage with a wealthy, aging man. But on the night of her pre-wedding ceremony, everything takes a dark and unexpected turn. A swarm of deadly snakes descends upon the gathering, killing her groom-to-be and throwing the hall into chaos. Fear spreads as the people recognize the serpents as the servants of the enigmatic and terrifying Snake King, Everett.When Everett himself arrives—a striking, horned man of unmatched beauty and power—Zaiyila finds herself drawn to him in ways she cannot explain. Despite the fear he inspires in others, she feels an unshakable connection to him, one that transcends the realm of logic. The moment she defies the fearful kneeling of the crowd, she unknowingly seals her fate.Taken into Everett’s domain, Zaiyila is forced to confront not only the dangerous, supernatural world she’s been thrust into but also the awakening desires she cannot deny. As she unravels the truth about her past and her connection to the Snake King, she must decide—will she resist the pull of destiny, or will she embrace the darkness and passion that Everett offers?A tale of betrayal, power, and an irresistible bond, Bride of the Serpent King explores the fine line between fear and desire, fate and choice.---

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

Follow Kairi Izumi—a quiet, eccentric, and somewhat conspicuous girl— who never felt like anything but an NPC in a story. Working behind the scenes, unnoticed by others had always been part of her daily life, dwelling with medicine and toxins.So, it's not surprising that she wasn't tad attractive according to others.That is, until one day... that guy, he confessed to me.Wait a minute—doesn't that mean I'm a heroine now? Hang on, how is that even possible? Me? Heroine? No way! I’m just a girl from a small village who likes to help others. I don’t particularly stand out, and compared to the other girls, I’m not even that attractive.And so, a question lingers, driving the unfolding of this dumbfounding narrative forward:Wait, what do you mean I got reincarnated to be a heroine?That's weird because usually a heroine is not strong let alone smart - they are usually dumb, cute and pretty. Definitely not me. I mean, how is that possible? Me? Heroine? No way!