"The Grimspire has taken everything from him: his parents, his brother, and his future. Now Jethro only has one thing on his mind—revenge.
A deadly tower with over 20 floors of monsters and challenges, the Grimspire popped into existence one day and forever changed the face of the world. No one knows where it came from or what its real purpose is. The only thing known for certain is that to reach the top means to get a wish—any wish. Most people try their luck with dreams of fame and riches, but Jeth just wants to see the wretched tower crumble. The Grimspire's demise is all that matters to him.
When he is released at the entrance to the tower, together with other freshly-trained Ascendants, he soon realizes the folly of his goal. Within seconds, everyone around him is crushed by terrifying creatures.
As it turns out, his mission is close to impossible. If he wants to have the slightest chance to succeed, he will need to become more powerful than the Lord of the Spire himself."
"Nathaniel didn't want to believe the rumors about Castle Drachenstein and the strange experiments taking place where his new home was to be. But when a shockwave of dark energy erupts from the research facility, and the dead villagers start turning into monsters, he can do nothing but agree that he's now in a literal hell!
If he wants to stay alive, he will have to make good use of the Tiler he's been provided. Contrary to the other units he's been a part of, soldiers around here have a peculiar device on their wrist which can grant them powers. But as a basic grunt, with no hellrunes to fuel his Tiler, there's only so much he can do.
To stand any type of chance, as he looks around for answers in a world now ripe with twisted abominations, Nathaniel will need to remain cautious and not attract any unwanted attention. The key to his survival is simple: upgrade his weapon and armor set, and gather enough runes and mana to unlock his first few spells. This is the only possible way out of this horrible mess."
"The life of a Diver can be a really short and violent one. There are not many prospects more terrifying than having to jump into a mysterious portal to find out what lies on the other side.
To say that the odds are stacked against them would be a huge understatement, yet the reason why so many are ready to risk everything is that the rewards are on par with the magnitude of the dangers. In no other profession can you go from rags to riches so quickly.
For Mikhael Corvin, life was supposed to be a breeze. Born into the nobility, he was destined to become a Cartographer and live a safe and peaceful existence, but fate had other plans in store for him.
Now, he finds himself at the training grounds of the Seven Portals, about to start his crash course in how to become a Diver. To Mikhael, this whole charade is little more than a suicide mission, a way to get back at those parents that wronged and abandoned him. But as his self-preservation kicks in, Mikhael learns that life—no matter how harsh—can be worth living.
The life of a Diver can be a short and violent one, for certain. But every time Mikhael steps into a portal, he's determined to make the most of whatever time he has left."
"To Angus, things couldn't be more perfect. Sure, he still has to deal with an aging body in the outside world that won't allow him to do much . . . But he's found solace in Alterwelt, a virtual world where he can craft to his heart's content and indulge in his life's true passion. Spending his time between fulfilling orders and expanding his ever-growing smithing guild, Hephaestus is living the dream, so to speak.
But maybe, just maybe things were a little too perfect.
As he'll quickly learn, there's a growing movement gaining traction in the real world; Moralizers who denounce all the violence and depravity that pervade virtual worlds. Their demands are simple: they want the 'games' neutered; they want Alterwelt and other Imperium spaces strictly regulated, which could threaten the world Angus has come to call his home.
Behind the movement stands one familiar foe: Lord Liberath, the same individual Hephaestus had managed to oust when the blacksmith had been accused of item hacking."
"Angus Bjornson only ever wanted to do one thing: to continue crafting exquisite weapons and pieces of armor for his loyal customers. Unfortunately, after one accident too many that leaves the old blacksmith completely disabled, it would seem he has no other choice but to hang up his hammer.
However, that would be underestimating the stubbornness of the self-made man. Fearing he's not going to stop until he ends up dead in his forge, Angus's children offer him a virtual rig that connects to Imperium Games' many universes.
After choosing a fantasy-based world called Alterwelt, Angusnow known as Hephaestus—quickly learns that he can make use of his lifetime of experience by disabling the Auto function and playing on Manual. His skills allow him to create unique items that beat everything sold on the market. But Hephaestus has a long way to go before he can afford his own in-game forge. Moreover, he only ever learned to work with steel while here he has access to metals as strange and exotic as azuraneum, veridium, orichalcum . . ."
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