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

Snake-Eyed stared at Alex, and his personality changed completely from what it was moments ago. He became much more serious, and his imposing presence made it hard for Alex to breathe.

"But what if I die? Then you won't be able to find someone to free you," Alex stated.

"You just said you cannot die," Snake-Eyed replied as he moved toward the bookshelf, searching for something. "This will make you more powerful if it works, and if it doesn't, you'll just return from the dead to free me again. I'll reward you handsomely if you do. I can even grant you a kingdom of your own!"

Alex didn't know if Snake-Eyed was telling the truth, but there was no denying that the man was powerful, and saving his life would make them allies, which would be quite useful to Alex.

Snake-Eyed had been trapped there for 2000 years, so he would do anything to escape and was willing to pay any price to do so.

New Bloodline