Extra Basket - Chapter 38 - 25: Smoke and Mirrors

Knox is an omega – poor, orphaned, weak, and bullied. He was the unluckiest human being alive – according to his own.Burdened by debt, he has no choice but to stop school and work to pay off his loans all the while hiding the truth and pretending as a beta to save himself from harassment. He accepted all legal jobs he could get to make ends meet.Including a contractual relationship with an alpha who’s suffering from a pheromone disability. He gets paid – enough to free him from all of his debts. All he has to do is help the alpha stabilize his pheromone…not until that night happens…The contract was breached. Knox has to pay the price. Afraid of his circumstances, he ran away.Years later, Knox became a capable man. He has a nice job and a kind boss. When his boss got invited to an engagement party, as his secretary, Knox had to come with him. However, he was shocked to find out that the man to be engaged was none other than the spitting image of his son!How will Knox keep the truth from him, when after their eyes met at the party, the alpha had already marked him as his property, claiming him as the payment of the contract he breached?Will Knox hide and run away again? Or will he choose to pay off the debt to be free? Will he be able to push away the alpha whose vices are hidden behind his attractive mask or will Knox abandon his virtues and embrace the dangerous father of his son?

Ben, a postgraduate chemistry student, envisions a future where science unlocks the secrets of the universe. But fate has other plans. In a sudden twist, Ben dies and awakens in a strange new world, reborn as a five-year-old boy named Damian Sunblade.Damian's joy at being part of a noble family is short-lived. His family, valuing gold over blood, sells him off to another noble house to be groomed as a homemaker husband, a mere pawn in their political games. Struggling with his new reality and the remnants of his past life’s knowledge, Damian refuses to succumb to his fate.In his new household, Damian discovers that this world is governed by magic circles, Runic symbols wielding immense power. Driven by his scientific curiosity, Damian begins to experiment. Applying the laws of physics to the Rune symbols, he deciphers their secrets and invents his own unique form of magic.However, The family that bought him has their own plans for him, seeing Damian as a valuable tool to enhance their power. But Damian, ever the independent spirit, has dreams beyond servitude. He longs for freedom, a place to call his own—a life where he can use his talents without restraint.And so Damian devises a daring plan to escape. His journey is fraught with danger and intrigue, as he navigates a world filled with mystical creatures, powerful adversaries, and ancient secrets. Along the way, he forges alliances and battles enemies, all while refining his magical and scientific skills.In “The Runic Alchemist,” follow Damian Sunblade’s epic quest for independence and self-discovery. Witness his transformation from a forsaken child to a formidable Alchemist, determined to carve out an extraordinary future for himself in a world teeming with infinite possibilities.

What would you do if you were to wake up one day to the message?

[You have 5 days until the next full moon]

[Your bloodlust is increasing]

Gary Dem is a person with a secret. While coming back to school appearing as a whole new person, he does everything he can to keep this from the people he cares about. For his path is one that led him to become part of the underworld.

The world has changed, and gangs rule the streets sponsoring big corporations. Bribing politicians behind the scenes and controlling the decisions people make without them knowing it. Using a new breed of humans called the Altered, a mixture of man and beast.

It was only meant to be a side job, he was never meant to dig in too deep, but on a mission for his gang, something went wrong, something changed him.

[You have 5 days until the next full moon]

[Your bloodlust is increasing]

The lone wolf… is about to go on a hunt!

In a world where everyone is a slave, someone is born who cannot be controlled. At the same time, an unstoppable villain rises on a quest for revenge. But the truth is darker than he ever imagined, and now he must face an unbeatable enemy — including himself.***Bruno was a young man born on Earth, the son of an influential modern Emperor. Despite having everything money could buy and receiving the best and most rigorous training to succeed his father, he chose the opposite path, defying his family’s ruthless rule.The price of his innocence? A merciless death and the complete erasure of his existence by the deity controlling his fate. On Earth, the law of the powerful was absolute; a slave could never rebel.But then, he wakes up again.He’s reborn in a world of cultivation, where freedom was promised to those strong enough to claim it. Now, he could soar like a free bird and carve his own destiny... or so he thought.The harsh reality of this new world soon showed him how insignificant he still was. He realized he had only changed masters.The freedom he sought was an illusion. The heavenly laws treated everyone as servants, and their rules were unbreakable. Bruno learned this bitter truth after losing everything that made him happy due to an unjust rule.But who was he to question?Hopeless, Bruno died... and was reborn as Alm, an unstoppable villain. With a soul poisoned by pain and vengeance, he sowed chaos across the universe. Planets were destroyed, countless lives taken, and his name became synonymous with terror.A hero rose to oppose him, wielding a sacred sword of hope. People from all corners of the universe united against Alm, raising their voices and weapons to stop the villain who defied the heavens.But Alm was no longer just fighting for revenge. He was challenging the heavenly laws that sought to control him, fighting fate and all living beings.And against all odds... the sacred sword shattered. The alliance of the entire universe was defeated.The villain won!Now, Alm found himself alone in the empty void of a dead universe, facing his own inner demons. Who could be more ruthless to him than himself?“What have I done?”At that moment, the doors of truth opened to him.Everyone was a puppet of a supreme figure, an entity that manipulated minds and even the heavenly laws.“I will find you, no matter where you are!”Thus, the last emissary of the true Heaven’s Will awakened. Alm, who once only relied on his sheer will and rage, now had a system to guide him. But his opponent was an immortal existence, above even the heavens.The villain who destroyed an entire universe now faced a new beginning. He discovered that the universe he devastated was just a tiny grain of sand in an infinite cosmos, where countless other universes existed.And so begins the legendary tale of the villain’s rise... and the Sacred Round God? A strange Duality of Shadows existed within one person.But this time, he wouldn’t be alone.***To clear up any potential confusion or frustration, here are some key points about the story. I’ll avoid major spoilers, but a few things will be revealed.You might find this concerning at first, but just check the book cover—it shows the main character and his only partner. She first appears at 10 years old, but rest assured, there’s no inappropriate content or early romance.At around 13, SHE starts developing feelings for the protagonist, but he doesn’t respond until she’s an adult. With her determined personality, she tries to seduce him at 17/18, but it doesn’t work. Their relationship only happens much later.The book has nods to other works, with my own spin on them, and focuses on avoiding elements I find problematic in other stories.Lastly, the beautiful book cover was commissioned and created by HDIArt.