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

The number of creatures trying to invade and take over the city of Crystal increased with each passing second. At first, it was only the ghouls, but then skeletons started to show up, along with stone gargoyles and even undead wolves.

"The undead are resurrecting beasts from the forest," Alex yelled as he slashed with his Umbra Blade.

A skeleton swung its curved sword to attack him. It was a fast attack for a skeleton, but Alex's dexterity was on another level. With swift and planned movements, he dodged to the side and counter-attacked the skeleton.

His Umbra Blade had tremendous power, and his Shadow Strike dealt a lot of damage to the skeleton, killing it on the spot. He relaxed for a second, which was enough for Alex to get hit by three bone arrows, piercing his chest.

"Argh, damn it. There are archers hiding behind the trees!" Alex shouted, making others fighting alongside him aware.

Is That Guy Even Human?