Chaos Era, Year 1814.
"Ah! Moke, let go! Let go now! You broke the skin—I’m bleeding!" Liyana shrieked, flailing her arm as Moke clenched his teeth around her hand.
"If you dare pat my head again, I swear I’ll bite your fingers off!" Moke finally released her, growling the threat.
"Eh? I just couldn’t help it… You’re seriously cute for a man. What a waste…" Liyana muttered, casting a minor healing spell on herself.
"Bastard…"
"Enough, both of you. Stop bickering," Xia Lun commanded coolly. "Stay alert. Something’s coming."
The two fell silent. Liyana slung her longbow off her back, and Moke tensed, his hand hovering over the dagger at his waist.
Moke had ventured into the labyrinth with Xia Lun’s team multiple times now, and Xia Lun acknowledged his skills and experience as a rogue.
And his knack for attracting monsters.
Just as Moke had warned, ever since he joined, mindless creatures had been drawn to them like moths to a flame.
"ROAR—"
A thunderous bellow shook the earth, tremors rippling like an earthquake as a monstrous land dragon charged toward them.
It was a four-legged beast, mountainous in size, with a triangular head, pillar-like limbs, and a humped back resembling a small hill.
"Shall I handle this?" Aina asked Xia Lun.
"Please."
Aina smirked, pride flickering in her eyes. She knew Xia Lun struggled against such colossal foes—his sword would be little more than a toothpick to this beast.
With a light tap of her staff, a vast crimson magic circle erupted beneath the land dragon, engulfing it entirely.
The surge of elemental energy alerted the creature, and it roared in fury.
Then came the devastation. The magic array erupted with apocalyptic flames, blinding the group as if the sun had risen at their feet.
Liyana glanced at her bow, coughed awkwardly, and strapped it back. Moke slowly withdrew his hand from his dagger.
Well, they’d considered helping.
As the inferno faded, the air remained thick with fire mana. The ground ahead had melted into glowing magma, and at its center stood a charred monolith, the scent of roasted meat wafting from it.
"Can we… eat that?" Liyana gulped.
"Technically, yes. But you’d regret it," Moke said. "That thing’s meat could crack your teeth."
"Good work," Xia Lun told Aina.
"Hmph. It was nothing." She flipped her hair, stowing her staff.
A flawless one-hit kill.
The rivalry between her and Xia Lun continued.
"Just… what are they?" Moke whispered to Liyana.
"Xia Lun’s a hero blessed by the goddess. His strength makes sense… But Aina? No clue. She’s always been a mysterious noble mage," Liyana admitted.
"That can’t be all," Moke pressed. "I’ve met other blessed ones. They’re strong, sure, but nothing like this."
Liyana pondered. "Maybe the goddess gave Xia Lun extra power because he’s handsome?"
Moke: "…"
"What’re you two gossiping about? Get over here. A land dragon this size has to have a core," Xia Lun called, already slicing into the carcass with his sword.
Magic cores—crystalline mana reservoirs from monsters—were prized for crafting staves or powering arrays.
Liyana sighed and climbed onto the corpse. She hated this grisly work; the stench clung for days.
Aina, the MVP, lounged nearby, snacking while the others toiled.
Hours later—
"What’s this?"
A gaping slit in the dragon’s belly spilled out a slippery, bulbous sac.
"Uh… Liyana, don’t touch that. It’s the stomach—" Xia Lun warned.
Too late. Her dagger slit the organ open, unleashing a wave of putrid stench.
Yellow-green sludge oozed out, littered with half-dissolved swords and armor.
"Ew—disgusting!" Liyana leapt back, narrowly avoiding the mess.
"What happened?" Moke rushed over, gagged, but held his lunch.
"Wait… what’s that?" Xia Lun spotted an angular mass lodged in the stomach’s tear—untouched by acid.
Squelch.
A pale-yellow crystal, coffin-sized, slid to Xia Lun’s feet.
No core. Cores weren’t this big, nor found in stomachs.
And cores didn’t contain people.
Through the translucent crystal, a figure loomed—a bald, near-naked giant clad only in shorts. His bronzed muscles gleamed, radiating menace.
Crack—
The crystal shuddered, fissures spiderwebbing its surface.
BOOM.
"HYAH!"
With a battle cry, the man burst free, arms flexing as he vaulted onto the ground before them.
Liyana and Moke gaped.
"Did you slay the dragon? You saved me!" The man boomed, voice like a war drum. "Thank you!"
"Uh… you’re welcome," Xia Lun managed.
"I’m Musen. My party took a contract to kill it, but… we were no match." Musen eyed the corroded gear. "My comrades… I alone survived, sealing myself in magic crystal."
"My condolences," Xia Lun said, offering spare clothes.
Musen’s face darkened. "I’d hoped to escape its bowels and avenge them… But I’m weak. Just a cleric who can’t fight."
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?"
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.
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?
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
