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

"Master Shade!" Alex exclaimed as Shade appeared before him. It had been a while since Shade showed up. He had gone missing without saying a word, and this fact made Alex's anxiety increase each day.

'Where was he?' Alex wondered. 'Is he okay? If he dies, then how can I learn more skills?'

These were the thoughts that crossed through Alex's mind since the day Shade vanished without elaborating on what he was doing.

"Did you miss me? Now, where the hell is Sebastian? How did he allow this to happen to the city?" Shade asked, his tone tinged with urgency.

"We can discuss that later, as we don't have time," Alex replied, his heart racing. "Sebastian is in a type of coma, and a dark elf has been impersonating him since! There's even a chance that it wasn't the real Sebastian the very first day we arrived here!"

Alex had found Mayor Sebastian underneath the city, in one of the many tunnels. But for how long had he been there?

One Shot, One Kill