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 lighthouse was right beside the massive building with four floors. It was close to the beach and the port, making it a calm and beautiful place. Alex wondered about the view someone had on top of that place.

There were fewer guards than Alex was expecting the place to have. He was puzzled by it, and Officer Americ seemed to have noticed his concerns.

"The ruler of Port Jeria is an incredibly powerful figure, so there's no need for guards to be here. Of course, the only guards are so powerful you cannot see them," Americ explained.

It was just like in Sebastian's mage tower. He was a powerful mage, and the normal guards would not protect him. In fact, they could even get in his way and make things worse. So it was the same for the ruler of Port Jeria.

'Stealth guards!' realized Alex when he heard Americ.

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