Artifact Devouring Player - Chapter 18: Proper Discipline - (2)

Sa gitna ng kabundukang binabalot ng misteryo, lumaki si Esmeralda, isang dalagang manunugis na may kakaibang lakas at talas ng pakiramdam, sa kalinga ni Ismael— isang albularyong umampon sa kanya dalawang dekada na ang nakalilipas. Ngunit sa kabila nito, nakatago ang isang katotohanang unti-unting mabubunyag— ang lihim ng kanyang pinagmulan na bumabagtas sa hangganan ng tao at mundo ng kakaibang elemento.Sa pagbabalik nila sa baryo ng kanyang lolo, harapin ni Esmeralda, hindi lamang ang sigalot sa pagitan ng kinalakhang pamilya, kun 'di pati na rin ang mga lihim ng kanyang pagkatao. Sa gitna ng pamilyar na tanawin ng baryo, magtatagpo ang landas nila ng mga taong magiging parte ng buhay niya— mayroong magiging gabay sa kaniyang pagtuklas at may iilan namang magdudulot ng kapahamakan at kalituhan sa kaniyang paghahanap ng kasagutan.Sino ba talaga siya? At ano ang pinagmulan niya?Ngunit sa bawat hakbang niya patungo sa pagtuklas ng katotohanan, lalong lalalim ang ugnayan niya sa mga anino ng mga nilalang na walang ibang nais kun 'di ang kaniyang pagkawasak. Sa bawat mutyang mahahawakan ni Esmeralda, sisigaw ang nakaraan— at sa bawat sigaw nito, unti-unting mabubuo ang kwento ng isang salinlahing nababalot ng hiwaga na siyang uukit at huhubog sa kaniyang pagkatao.

Zane was just a working-class adult with a passion for one thing—Cursed Bloodline Online, the once-revolutionary game that had faded into obscurity. After six long years of grinding, he was finally on the verge of ascension—until everything changed.His bloodline suddenly reset.The world itself changed immediately after.And without warning, everyone between the ages of sixteen to thirty vanished—pulled into the game’s world.Now trapped in the Realm of Bloodlines, Zane finds himself different from the others. While most awaken standard paths to power, he inherits a hidden Bloodline Class—the Cursed Bloodline of the Vampire Progenitor, the same bloodline that mysteriously appeared on his account just moments before the transfer.Alone, hunted, and feared as one of the last of a forgotten, despised race, Zane must fight to survive. To grow stronger before the world turns on him. To uncover the secrets of his cursed identity. And to discover what force brought them all into this deadly game.Slowly but surely, he forgets himself from the past, overtaken by the life of the body he now inhabits and the mysteries that surround it, becoming the very thing that caused the gods to curse his race in the first place.

In the world of cultivation, countless tales follow righteous protagonists, fated heroes blessed by destiny, or those chosen by heaven to walk the path of immortality.But what of those who stand in their way?What of the villains? The so-called obstacles to the hero’s journey—do they not bleed, dream, and struggle as well?Xiao Ning was never meant to succeed.From the very beginning, the Grand Dao wove him as a stepping stone—a necessary sacrifice to elevate another. His path, like that of all designated ‘villains,’ was doomed to failure by design.But what happens when that design is defied?After death, Xiao Ning awakens—not in the cycle of reincarnation, but in the cold silence beyond it. There, he is offered the Eternal Paradox Codex—a forbidden artifact containing the hidden truths of the Grand Dao System itself.Rules. Loopholes. Vulnerabilities.Knowledge not meant for those like him.With this power, Xiao Ning is granted a single, impossible choice: accept oblivion, or step outside the Grand Dao entirely—to abandon fate, sever karma, and cultivate a path unbound by heaven or law.It is Xiao Ning’s journey, from ashes to something beyond comprehension.Not to become an Immortal among men.But something even the heavens dare not bind.If fate is a chain…Then let him forge his own path in the void beyond.Welcome to this humble tale.The cultivation world is vast and unkind.Let us begin again—on our terms.

The Apocalypse is in full swing. Defiled - powerful creatures corrupted by the Great Collision - prowled the lands in search of prey. Unfortunately for them, the human race had long since retreated behind the secure walls of the Sanctuary of Everlast. During one of his regular excursions outside the Sanctuary, Alden is separated from Celeste. - his childhood friend and crush. In that moment, he came to regret never summoning the courage to confess. Somehow managing to survive thanks to some trickery, Alden awakens as a mage. Instead of receiving a normal power, he gains the ability to decay. What’s more, during his ascension, he received a vision from his future self advising him not to trust the Asterons - celestial beings who had saved his race from inescapable doom. Normally... such a revelation wouldn’t faze Alden. However, there was only one major problem with the declaration, though. Celeste was bound with an Asteron. And not just any normal Asteron... She had made a pact with one of the Divine Sovereigns.