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.
*
For anyone wondering about the romance, it will take a long time as this is not the focus of the book.

MMORPG: Shadow Hunter

They had a clear goal in mind, something to follow after interrogating all the night workers of the hotel and also investigating the crime scene. But it was late at night, and before they could do anything else, everything froze, and the server was closed for a while.

That was something that happened every single day, and it wasn't a surprise to any of the players. Alex then found himself back at his room in that five star hotel.

"Hey, Alex," Tess said as she also came back from the game, "How are you doing?"

Playing the game for that many hours was tiring, so Alex just said, "Exhausted. What do you think of eating something right now?"

Tess smiled, "You don't even need to ask me."

They met Joseph in the hallway, who was also starving and went along to get their dinner. On the way, Alex said, "Something is off in this hotel. I think we should leave tomorrow morning."

Rapidly Leaving the Hotel