LightReader

isekai

A God of hope.

Heath Dollen was a man in his 40s who lived in a suburban complex in Lund, Sweden. He was lonely and spent most of his days tending to himself after an accident that had left him scarred for life. Heath had travelled throughout Europe and Asia, painting and writing avidly about his experiences. When he is not in his apartment, he does his best to give warmth to others around him, helping people around his neighbourhood, aiding in light labour, cleaning the environment, and donating much of his money to people he verified that required it. Heath saw the downtrodden teen Elias drop his phone on accident from the other side of the street. To help, he thought of buying a new phone for this young man. He introduced himself and after gaining their trust, Heath and Elias became good friends and Heath was even nicknamed 'uncle.' There, he was introduced to many games, specifically sandbox games. Heath heard of Games like Minecraft and Roblox, but after being introduced to 7 Days to Die, Cities: Skylines, Dwarf Fortress, Enshrouded, Going Medieval, Valheim, Project Zomboid, Rimworld, Vintage Story and more. Heath became an avid gamer while also gaining strength by replacing some of his joints with prosthetics and managing his exercises and diet. It was slow progress, but his life became more fulfilling than ever. Now he had a family to look forward to! But at one point, while Elias was helping with Heath's troubles, he spotted a man who appeared lost, walking across the street in traffic, yet was somehow never hit. Heath said aloud that they should be careful there and asked if they needed assistance. The man, that 'thing,' turned to him. Now walking towards Heath robotically, yet avoiding the vehicles like a phantom, they soon came upon him. Once close enough, its features were noticed: A beautiful, yet uncannily androgynous face, eyes that appeared too clear and glassy, and skin that was too perfect with no features of wrinkles or pores and no hair throughout. A voice that sounded harmonic with the world spoke, yet their mouth never moved. "Perfect." A melodic sound, one expected for a tenor, it captivated Heath but simultaneously scared those around him, then. . . Suddenly, Heath blacked out. Hearing the cry of Elias for him. He left this world.
Jaedyn_Jasmara · 202.4k Views

Lost World

Ethan is a man nearing forty who has squandered his life behind a screen. Since his teenage years, he has poured everything into online games, chasing digital achievements while real life quietly passed him by. Now, with reality finally weighing on him, he realizes how empty his existence has become. Despite decades of obsession, he has only one thing to show for it: the #1 account in the world’s most popular MMORPG, Lost World Online—a fully immersive virtual game operated through neural-link technology. It is an account powerful enough to guarantee fame, sponsorships, and a second chance at life. But overnight… it vanishes. No warnings… No errors… His account simply ceases to exist. Ethan spends the entire night frantically searching for answers, contacting the developers through official forums, only to be told that nothing can be done. Without the account, even streaming or professional contracts are impossible. Exhausted and hollow, he finally gives up and falls asleep, deciding to forget his regret, half hoping everything would be a dream when he wakes up. When Ethan opens his eyes, he finds himself standing before the character creation screen of Lost World Online. It feels like a dream, yet his mind is clear, his body well responsive, not even like a game. Paying little attention, he goes ahead and creates a character and initiates the game. Then, his vision is swallowed by darkness. A violent rush of wind slams into him, and when his senses return, he is standing inside a bustling town from the game. Before he can question the missing opening cutscene—something that should always play after character creation—his attention is seized by the scene around him. The town was celebrating an Annual Festival. This was a festival that only ever occurred once, a festival that marked the first day Lost World Online was launched. Realizing the impossible, Ethan hurriedly calls up his system interface—only to find that there is no options menu, no settings, no log-out button… “This cannot be real.”
ZombieMann · 5.8k Views

Scholar's Mate

“In an age where knowledge cuts deeper than knives, Victoria is about to learn far more than is safe for any soul to bear.” Victoria and Robert were torn from the gentle dullness of their ordinary century and cast into a realm governed by proto-concepts—those ancient, unblinking truths from which life, death, and divinity themselves are carved. Proclaimed “Heroes” by a world too desperate to question its own choices, they were commanded to rise in strength, confront a Demon Lord, and deliver salvation to a land that had never been theirs. Robert donned the mantle with the fervour of a man stepping into destiny. Victoria… hesitated. And in that hesitation, something old—older than scripture, older than light—turned its gaze toward her. She felt its attention like a draft through a locked room. In a moment poised between terror and terrible understanding, she accepted its offer: a contract sealed in silence, a year of her life exchanged for a thing that should never have been permitted to exist. Not in this world. Not in any. She did not yet grasp that, in straying from the Hero’s ordained path, she had not merely shifted her fate— she had begun to unwrite the very scaffolding of her humanity. Now Victoria walks like a phantom through a world that has marched on without her— one year behind the celebrated Hero, yet burdened with an insight so sharp it threatens to cut her free from mortality itself. She can now trespass upon knowledge forbidden to scholars, sorcerers, or even those who stand at the pinnacle of human mastery. She commits the kind of acts whispered only of beings who have stepped beyond the human threshold… and never returned. And in a world built on primordial, immovable truths, one truth endures: Knowledge is power. But power, when mishandled, becomes a curse that devours its bearer— quietly, inevitably, like rot beneath embroidered silk.
NovaLumin · 76.3k Views