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

"So you are the person responsible for cleaning and sharpening the knives? During the night-shift, of course," Alex said, carefully watching the man's every move and expression.

"Uh, you are right. Not only me, but Fred helps me out, and there are other two during the day-shift. Why?"

Alex went straight for the question, "A knife from the kitchen disappeared a week ago. No one said anything about it. Did you notice?"

It was impossible for the man not to notice. He was the person responsible for taking care of the knives, so if he didn't see it, then no one else would. The man only stared at Alex, and after a while he said, "Yes, one knife disappeared. But I warned the manager, and that was it. After that, it was out of my power."

That wasn't a lie, at least Alex did not think so. The manager was the one who said about the missing knife, and according to the young worker before him, he had warned the manager previously.

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