Chaos Era, Year 1814.
"Xia Lun, let me see! Hurry up!"
Liyana snatched the silver-edged iron badge from Xia Lun's hand.
The front of the badge displayed simple information, while the back bore an emblem—a pair of outstretched wings sheltering a half-risen sun.
This was the insignia of their adventuring party, Dawn's Wings. Xia Lun had just finished registering the team at the Adventurers' Guild.
From now on, they could operate as official members of an adventuring party.
As party members, they would enjoy many privileges—free lodging and meals provided by the guild upon arriving in new cities, for instance. Top-tier parties could even secure exclusive campsites.
Compared to lone adventurers, parties could also take on more challenging quests… some of which were reserved only for the strongest groups.
"Adventuring party rank, Lv.1… Huh? Xia Lun, why are we only rank one? You and Aina are so strong!" Liyana grumbled, clearly dissatisfied. "With your skills, even if we’re not Lv.5, we should at least be Lv.4, right?"
Adventuring parties were ranked from Lv.1 to Lv.5, with higher ranks indicating greater strength and better benefits.
"Pretty sure you’re the one dragging Dawn's Wings down," Moke teased, covering his mouth with a smirk.
Liyana gritted her teeth. "You bastard, how dare you say that?"
Moke shrugged. "I dismantled plenty of traps… Though, honestly, with Xia Lun’s strength, he wouldn’t have needed an archer’s cover anyway."
Liyana scoffed. "Ha! What kind of logic is that? With Xia Lun’s power, he could barrel through those trash traps without a scratch!"
The elven girl and the cross-dressing rogue glared at each other.
"Enough," Xia Lun sighed, already accustomed to their bickering. "We’re a newly formed party, so of course we start at Lv.1. Besides, party rank isn’t based on individual strength—it’s earned through completing quests and accumulating merit."
"Then let’s take on a quest that’ll shoot us straight to Lv.5!" Liyana declared loudly.
"You really have no common sense, do you?" Moke snorted. "There’s no such quest. Most parties take fifty years to reach Lv.5!"
Liyana almost retorted that fifty years didn’t sound so long, but then remembered that despite being an elf, she wasn’t even twenty yet. She swallowed her words.
"Now, now, Moke, don’t be so absolute," Musen chuckled, shaking his head. "Have you forgotten? There is one quest with enough merit to instantly elevate a party to Lv.5."
"Really? Musen, what is it?" Liyana perked up instantly.
Musen grinned. "Slaying the enigmatic Demon King of the Demon Clan."
Aina’s figure stiffened slightly, her face hidden beneath her hood, betraying no emotion.
"Ugh—what a letdown!" Liyana groaned. "No one even knows if the Demon King really exists… And even if they do, we’d have to face the demon race’s million-strong army!"
"You actually considered it?" Moke deadpanned.
Liyana crossed her arms. "Well, if the Demon King ever wandered into human territory alone, maybe Aina and Xia Lun could take them down together… Right, Aina?"
Aina replied coolly, "Possibly."
Xia Lun pondered seriously. "Hard to say without knowing their true strength… but maybe."
"The Demon King would never come alone to human lands. They’re not an idiot," Moke said, then suddenly felt Aina’s icy gaze on him. A chill ran down his spine.
Liyana tilted her head. "Maybe they just wanted to sightsee?"
Moke rolled his eyes. "Your perspective is… unique."
"Xia Lun, you’d better train hard. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll actually run into that scenario," Liyana said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Xia Lun shook his head. "If we could talk, I’d rather avoid a fight. A peace treaty would be ideal."
Liyana huffed. "As if it’d be that easy! Even if the Demon King agreed, they’d probably demand outrageous terms… Right, Aina?"
Aina: "…"
Aside from Liyana, Aina was the only other girl in the party, so Liyana often sought her input.
Seizing the moment, Xia Lun snatched the party badge back from Liyana. "Enough speculation. For now, let’s focus on leveling up. Reaching Lv.2 won’t take much merit. I found a suitable quest and wanted to discuss it with you all."
"Why bother asking? We’ll follow your lead," Liyana said, waving a hand.
Moke and Musen had no objections, and Aina’s silence implied consent.
"But this quest might be challenging, so I wanted everyone’s input," Xia Lun insisted.
Aina finally spoke. "What quest?"
Her interest was piqued—if Xia Lun called it challenging, it might reveal his true strength.
"The Lord of Olie City posted a request to gather Dragonblood Blossoms from the Dragonblood Mountains," Xia Lun paused. "We might face a pureblood dragon."
"Whoa! Our first quest as a party, and we’re taking on a dragon?!" Liyana’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Only you, Xia Lun."
"That’s why I wanted to discuss it," Xia Lun sighed. "A plague has broken out in Olie City. The blossoms are needed to brew an antidote…"
"A large-scale plague? That could become a catastrophe if unchecked," Musen muttered, brow furrowed.
Moke studied Xia Lun. "Captain… are you confident?"
"It should be manageable, especially with Aina’s help." Xia Lun glanced at her, and she gave a slight nod.
"Fine. I’ll handle the flower gathering," Moke said.
"This is gonna be epic! I’ll shoot the dragon’s eyes out!" Liyana bounced eagerly, fearless.
"I’ll keep our supplies ready," Musen added, cracking his knuckles with a fierce grin—though it made him seem more like a brawler than a support.
Xia Lun looked at his companions and smiled. "Then let’s move out."
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
