Preface

  Before you enter Portenzo City, I need to speak honestly:

  Seeing this novel slowly and steadily gaining visibility, in a platform where LitRPG, numbers going up and power fantasies are the expectations, I feel like I need to write a preface to let people know what are they walking into and if this is the place for them or not, as it looks like the synopsis, despite being clear, is not doing enough filtering.

  So here I go:

  This story is not for those who come seeking a power fantasy without consequence, nor for adults who measure a child’s worth by how quickly they can kill, destroy, or detach in a world they never knew or had to face.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  A child is a child, even in hell.

  Portenzo City will test Alex, will challenge him, will make him ask questions, will make him wonder:

  What is right?

  What is wrong?

  Should I resist or let go?

  Is what my parents taught me—love, passion, care, never hurt others—completely useless in a place where these things cost more than reward?

  It’s okay if Alex isn’t your cup of tea. There’s plenty else in Portenzo City to discover. This is not a tale of a passive victim either; Alex is competent, deliberate, and his choices drive the story forward and affects the people around him.

  But—

  If you're here for a self-insert narrative or for an OP MC,

  Or if your ultimate creed is that:

  Softness is weakness,

  Restraint is cowardice,

  Toughness is moral detachment and embracing evil,

  And above all: that a child’s character should be judged by adults who never had to survive the world they so easily condemn him in.

  This is not for you.