La Di ran blindly through the forest, panicking with every step.
Dead twigs and fallen leaves let out faint, fragile cries beneath his feet. Sweat soaked through his rough-spun hemp clothes, clinging uncomfortably to his back as his heart pounded violently against his chest with each frantic beat. Sunlight filtered through the layered canopy, scattered into fragmented patches of light that danced across the ground.
Behind him, a dark shadow flickered through the trees from time to time, weaving between them like a specter.
"A mere commoner without a drop of magic, and you dare to poke your nose into our affairs?"
The shadow spoke with a mocking tone, dripping with arrogance and utter contempt.
La Di did not answer. He simply ran for his life.
If he could just make it to the residential district—to where the crowds were—this bastard wouldn’t dare to strike him out in the open.
This stretch of woods sat at the boundary between the West District and the East District. Nobody usually passed through here, but La Di knew there was a shortcut that cut straight across. The noble lords and ladies who rode by in their carriages knew nothing of it. It was a little path that the street-sweeping children had told him about.
He always took this way through... he never imagined he’d be ambushed here today.
His pursuer kept pace leisurely, like a cat toying with its prey. No matter how desperately La Di sprinted, he couldn’t shake the man off his trail.
"You’ve already caused more than enough trouble for the higher-ups," the figure said, leaping from branch to branch, its shadow overlapping La Di’s own, clinging as if to deepen the despair. "You lowborn commoners were born to be livestock."
La Di clenched his jaw and kept fleeing, ignoring the taunts entirely.
Ahead, he could already see light breaking through the trees.
Just a hundred meters more, and he’d be out of this forest...
"Tch. What a bore."
The hunter finally lost patience. Like a hawk diving from the sky, it swooped down in a blur and swept past him in a flash.
"Ah—"
La Di finally came to a halt. He felt a chill across his chest, and then searing pain engulfed his whole body.
He stared blankly at the five deep claw marks gouged across his chest, blood spurting out like wine from a punctured wineskin.
All strength drained from him, and he crumpled to the ground.
"An easy job." The hunter flicked the blood from its hands, unfurled the bat-like wings on its back, and vanished into the shadows.
That fool was nothing but an ordinary man with no magic. With wounds like that, how could he possibly survive?
Let him slowly savor the despair of death.
La Di lay helpless on the leaf-strewn forest floor, his body’s warmth ebbing away with every drop of blood. He could feel his life slipping from the wound like fine sand through an hourglass—irreversible, unstoppable.
He’d been gutted as easily as a rag doll.
Was he about to die? His thoughts grew hazy.
He hadn’t even found his daughter yet. He didn’t want to leave this world now.
But the agonizing pain in his chest and the fading edges of his consciousness told him it was all about to end. La Di could feel the terrible severity of his wounds; death seemed all but certain. In the end, he had accomplished nothing at all.
He wondered how he’d face his wife when he got to the other side.
Darkness surged in like a tide, swallowing his awareness.
He had no idea how long passed.
Then, suddenly, a faint light appeared before his eyes.
La Di instinctively ran toward the light.
The glow gradually filled his entire vision.
La Di jerked awake in bed, gasping for air, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
The rising sun streamed through the window and cast its light across his face, as if everything that had happened before were nothing more than a nightmare.
Where was this place? Was he dead?
La Di looked around. He found himself in an unfamiliar room—small, but furnished with considerable taste. A crystal lamp with a brass base sat on an ornate carved bedside table, landscape oil paintings hung on the walls, and thick velvet curtains were tied back with golden cords. Everything spoke of the owner’s refined sensibilities.
This probably wasn’t heaven, was it?
La Di looked at the sheets beneath him, soaked through with blood and already beginning to darken, and became even more certain that he wasn’t dead. Someone must have saved him.
It felt sticky and unpleasant.
La Di froze for a moment, then immediately lifted the front of his clothes.
There, five rough, jagged scars remained, though they had mostly healed—no longer bleeding, the new pink flesh standing out against the surrounding skin.
He could still feel a faint itch at the wounds.
“Truly… unbelievable.” La Di gently touched the scars, muttering in disbelief.
A beautiful, tall elf woman pushed open the door and stepped inside. Her golden hair fell like a waterfall to her waist, her pointed ears peeked out from among the strands, and her eyes were like emeralds.
“Oh, you’re awake? That was quick, huh. Xia Lun’s blood really does work well… It’s only been an hour since Luo Lun carried you here.” The elf’s voice was crisp and pleasant, with a lazy undertone.
“Hah… you… you are…” The elf before him looked very familiar to La Di. “I’ve seen you before…”
“Yeah, we met when we first entered the city…”
Liyana suddenly lowered her voice and leaned close to La Di. “So, uh… do you really know that place? The inn with… special services?”
“Huh?” La Di, who had just narrowly escaped death, clearly couldn’t keep up with Liyana’s train of thought.
“Ugh—” Liyana let out another dry heave and waved her hand in disgust. “You’re all dirty and stinky. Go wash yourself.”
Only then did La Di realize that his body still carried traces of blood and sweat, giving off an indescribable smell.
“Ah…”
Dazed, La Di let Liyana lead him to the bathroom.
After washing clean and changing into dry clothes, La Di slowly gathered his scattered thoughts back together.
When he finished washing, Liyana led him downstairs.
The intricate carved patterns on the stair railing, every single detail, spoke to the extraordinary quality of this residence. La Di looked at the expensive furnishings in the room, swallowed hard, and finally understood why these people had turned down his offer to promote their inn before.
At last, in an elegant parlor, he met the other two again.
At that moment, Xia Lun was brewing a cup of hot tea. The boiled water had been prepared by Mo Lini. As Liyana had said, Mo Lini had indeed been useful… though the purpose of that boiled water was not quite what Mo Lini had imagined.
In truth, Liyana had simply thought it better to send Mo Lini away, afraid that she might witness the gory scene and be unable to sleep that night.
Upon seeing La Di, Xia Lun gave him a kind smile and raised the teapot in his hand. "Would you like some tea?"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
