Elijah Hart is dying. Wracked by cancer and weakened by chemotherapy, all he wants is to spend what little time he has left with his sister and her family in Washington. But fate has other plans. When the mysterious World Tree extends its branches to Earth, Elijah's Seattle-bound flight crashes into the Pacific Ocean and a game-like system takes hold—reshaping humanity's future as well as his own destiny.

For 5,000 years, the Wild Era of humanity has reigned supreme, where strength and magic are the source of everything. Kelin Wildfire, once called the Lord of Wildfire and the Archmage of Souls, was mysteriously killed on a battlefield of the Chaos War. Nevertheless, his soul lived on in the cycle of reincarnation, his memories frozen in time. Until today. Now he is twenty years old, an orphan living on a lawless planet in the human domain where he is barely able to scrape by.

Liu Peijin has spent the last decade of her life writing a widely read—and very trashy—LitRPG web novel. Too bad her readers don't really like the book . . . or the author. But who can blame them? Peijin is bitter and far more interested in challenging negative reviews and blocking all critics than engaging with fans. Until one day, after arguing with a commenter, she receives an ominous message: "Tomorrow, 1 p.m. I have a surprise for you." Sure enough, the next day the Azure Dragon of Peijin's story appears on the freeway before her and slaughters dozens of humans in a flash.

Hi, my name's Max and I'm one of the Selected. What's the first thing that pops into your head when you read those words? A great hero, chosen from among all the billions of people on Earth? A lucky man who has ended up on an unknown world and gained superpowers? An explorer of new worlds who has discovered his destiny? Well, that's all true, but there is one but . . . Actually, if I'm honest, there are a whole load of buts. And there are rules. And the first rule of the Selected is: "Try not to die. It is expensive and impractical."

Penniless, luckless, and aimless, Adam is an art student recovering from a deep betrayal. He isn't even given the chance to lick his wounds before a mysterious force pulls him into a painting–and into a new, fantastical world. Adam doesn't mind much. He wasn't particularly fond of his old world anyway. Maybe this could be the fresh start he needs. Yet, nothing improves. Adam is attacked by monsters, imprisoned by guardsmen, and pressed into service by the resident nobility. Even here, he's taken advantage of. Even here, he's still powerless.