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

Alex stood on the balcony of his hotel room for a long time, taking in the view. The bright lights, the starry sky, and the distant sounds of the city brought him a moment of peace.

He leaned his elbows on the railing and pulled a vial of blood from his inventory, savoring it as he watched the scene below. From his vantage point, Alex noticed a group of players exiting the hotel door.

'Who are they? Could they have been following me?' he wondered.

That seemed to be the most logical explanation since hardly any players came to this hotel. It was too expensive for this stage of the game.

Despite finding the players' presence strange, Alex pushed the thought to the back of his mind and focused on what he needed to do, like going to the hotel restaurant and seeing which members of the high society were there.

Nia, a Business?