BigToad

Alex Mercer was a legendary thief known for his audacious heists and cunning skills. However, his criminal streak comes to an abrupt halt when he is finally apprehended and sentenced to prison.

In the midst of his imprisonment, a revolutionary virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game (VRMMORPG) is launched, called Eternal Realms, captivating the attention of the entire world. The prison authorities, seeking to introduce recreational activities for the inmates, decide to allow select prisoners to participate in the game as a means of passing the time.

Eager to escape the monotony of prison life, Alex eagerly takes up the opportunity to join the immersive virtual world. To his surprise, he discovers that his notoriety as a master thief has caught the attention of players within the game. They started offering him IRL means to reduce his prison sentence in an exchange on a daring quest to retrieve valuable treasures scattered throughout the virtual realm.

With a hidden class known as the "Shadow Hunter," Alex possesses unique skills and abilities that make him an invaluable asset to the players seeking rare and precious items. As he delves deeper into the virtual world, he finds himself entangled in a complex web of alliances, rivalries, and dangerous quests that blur the line between the game and reality.

As the stakes rise, Alex must navigate treacherous dungeons, confront formidable adversaries, and outwit both in-game challenges and real-world dangers. Along the way, he forms unexpected alliances and confronts his own inner demons, questioning the choices that led him down a path of crime.
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For anyone wondering about the romance, it will take a long time as this is not the focus of the book.

MMORPG: Shadow Hunter

Their reunion went well, and after Alex left the room, he could not hold his smile. For the first time in quite some time, he would leave prison!

That was not something he expected to happen so soon.

He hadn't stepped outside the prison in a long time, and honestly, he thought it would take a while before he could leave there and lead a normal life. However, with Joseph's help, things were falling into place, and he would finally have a normal life. Well, almost normal, as he would still be under house arrest, but it was much better than being in jail.

Alex returned to his prison cell, but didn't stay for long as he needed to continue his painting work, which, by the way, was almost complete. His friends Marcus, JP, and Kennedy were there, and they couldn't stop talking about the game, and the fact they would soon be out of prison.

Friends Must Leave Together