Dual Cultivation - Chapter 38: Swift Feather City

I’m a high school student who became an author after debuting at Dengeki Bunko. After taking a year of hiatus from school to write my work, I transferred out to another high school to study, and met a girl called Eri Nitadori in school, a rookie voice actress cast as a character in the anime adaptation of my work.

In school, we treat our professions as a secret. However, Nitadori’s very popular in class, and I’m a loner…the only chance we get to talk to each other is when we take the Limited Express train together every Thursday, seated side by side as we head off for an anime, After Recording.

To improve her skills, she asked me questions regarding the profession. While I was answering the questions regarding the process–how did it end up like this.

This is what I last remembered before I lost consciousness, and the story of my near-death experience.

In the year 2093, mysterious energy known as mana descended upon Earth for the very first time in millions of years. People began to spontaneously awaken, allowing them to gain supernatural abilities, classifications, and affinities.

Simultaneously, dungeons with immaculate treasures and horrid monsters began to appear all over the world, forcing humanity to stand together in order to survive.

Lloyd Elrod was a simple boy at first. He was a boy with no power and little to no social standing, yet that all changed on the day before his awakening ceremony. The day he became what the humans and the other races saw as a monster.

[Welcome to the Void]

It was the day he became a Void Walker. A race capable of growing faster than any other. A race with individuals capable of putting an entire civilization created by a multitude of races on the brink of collapse and walking into the Void itself.

Having become a part of the most wanted race in the universe, Lloyd is forced to hide and fight to keep his freedom. In order to not be restrained by those he once saw as his brethren, he must become strongest.

Will Lloyd be found out? Will he finally earn his freedom and have control of his own fate? Join Lloyd in his journey of joy, sorrow, grief, and pain as he climbs to the top and becomes the most powerful creature in existence.

Born different in a family where everyone has black hair and golden eyes, the boy was labeled a cursed child; yet, he didn't let despair swallow him. He would live on and understand the reason why he was different and what made him unique.Follow him as he embark on his journey of self discovery. This is the Chronicles of the Cursed Child, the one who will later be known as the Primordial Heir, the Elemental Lord.

[Mature Content:]Alaric was too close to Nicolette.Her mouth was just inches away from his.He could smell the lavender on her skin, the heat radiating from within her.But he held back, refusing to be carried away by her charm…“Mr. Allens…” she purred, and he looked down at her.Her eyes widened with desire, and he knew, in that moment, that if he wanted to kiss her, she would let him.The last thing he wanted was commitment. He knew that Nicolette didn’t want that either.But why was she this tempting?So willing?It was that willingness that confused him.She blinked, then swallowed as she pulled the jacket off her shoulders. His eyes lingered on her exposed neck.God.He just wanted to bury his mouth in that hollow spot.“Here,” Nicolette said calmly, extending the jacket to him.He took the jacket, his hand brushing hers just a second. She flinched, her face turning pink as she clutched the towel against her chest.His stomach flipped at the sight.If only that towel would give way to…Before he could stop himself, Alaric pressed his arousal against her stomach, pushing her against the wall, cornering her.She gasped at the sudden movement and for a moment, he lost his mind.“Cole…” he breathed, crushing himself against her.Her eyes gleamed with desire and a vulnerability that rocked him to his core.He would be foolish not to give in to this feeling.But he would also be a fool if he did.She had chosen to marry him.Not her boyfriend.And definitely not Lucian Crawford.Yet, he couldn't help it.She was only his for a year.But still…***************When her business and the gallery she inherited from her mother burn to the ground, Nicolette Voss is determined to rebuild—and get revenge on her father.She turned to her father’s rival, Alaric Allens, for an alliance.Alaric is willing to help, but on one condition—she must be his wife for a year.They called him Ruthless Alaric after an infamous incident 6 years ago. Alaric is back in town, and so are the crumbs of his past. But he is determined to change everything with a wife.He has his hidden agenda.She needs her revenge.But will this marriage between storm and steel survive the heat? And what will they do when deep secrets threatens to destroy them both?