Honey Stewed Squid - Chapter 21 — Eared Socks?

Ethan Cross was just an ordinary college student in his past life—until he died trying to save a banker playing hero. Now, he finds himself reincarnated in “New World”, a realm plagued by Dread Beasts, where only those who awaken Aethermarks can become Heroes.But there’s a problem.Ethan has awakened as an E-rank Hero, the weakest tier, cursed with only one ability slot—a death sentence for any aspiring warrior. With no powerful clans willing to recruit him and the world already looking down on him, his future seems bleak.Until he discovers his Innate Talent: Sanctum of Beasts.This mysterious power grants him access to a personal dimension, where he can hunt endless waves of Dread Beasts. Unlike the real world, slaying them in this space drops Ability Fragments, which he can combine to gain abilities without slot restrictions. Even better? Time flows differently—he can train for days, yet only an instant passes in reality.Determined to rise from nothing, Ethan embarks on a secret journey to accumulate power. But as he completes missions and unravels the truth about the Black Pits, he realizes there’s something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface.The Hero Association hides dark secrets. Villains roam freely in the shadows. And Dread Beasts may not be the mindless creatures everyone believes them to be.With powerful enemies watching his every move, Ethan must play a dangerous game—remain unnoticed or become the hunter of both beasts and men.But one thing is certain:In this world, strength is everything. And Ethan Cross will carve his own path to the top—no matter the cost.

##This is a rewrite of my previous book titled 'Marvel: Reborn in 20th Century India'.##Here is the actual synopsis of the story:After a tragic end to his life of ambition and regret, Aryan awakens in 1935 as a young prodigy with two lifetimes of memories—and an extraordinary system known as The Celestial Forge. With the power to reshape reality itself, he must navigate a world on the brink of revolution, balancing destiny, rebellion, and the weight of a second chance. Will he rise to reshape the future or be consumed by the power of creation?Note-This book contains political themes of India in 20th century. So anyone who doesn't like these types of novels, be warned before you read this.

“It was the year 2030 AD. The origin universe game “Divine Revelation” made its grand debut. In this game, the in-game currency could be exchanged for real money, which attracted countless players. Even countries were getting ready to enter the game. But no one knew that Li Yi who had fallen in the War of the Gods returned to this very day when the game was launched with ten years worth of memories from the game. And this time, Li Yi received the SSS Rank Talent – Blood Devour. [SSS Rank Talent, Blood Devour: After slaying any creature, the player would gain 1% fixed Health Point, and life regeneration speed. The effect of this talent can be stacked indefinitely] [Notification: You slew an LV1 Sika Deer, received 1 HP, 0.01 HP regeneration/second] [Notification: You slew an LV5 Elite Goblin, received 7 HP, 0.07 HP regeneration/second] [Notification: You slew an LV10 Legendary Boss – Aoi Flame Green Dragon, received…...] From them, an invincible being who had a health bar even longer than bosses were added to the game. “Report: Li Yi is cheating, the HP of the entire dungeon’s monsters added together is still less than his!” “Report: We attacked Li Yi with the joined force of a 1000 players army, but he only lost a slither of health!” “Report: Please tell me, how are we supposed to attack the city with Li YI standing in front of its gates?

Many years later, when the game started to fuse with reality, and the War of the Gods began, Li Yi stood at the front alone and faced the gods of the worlds. Only then did the players wake up, “Dear Sir, we’re begging you, please have even more HP!””

Chu Ning transmigrated into a novel as a fake young lady who was switched at birth. The real young lady, Ye Ting, was supposedly in Chu Ning’s original poor family, and was forced to drop out of school to work and raise Chu Ning’s seven brothers. In the original story, once the real young lady was reclaimed by the Ye family, the fake young lady’s life fell apart.

She started going against the real young lady without knowing that the real young lady was the female lead. The latter even had seven brothers to support her, and she eventually made a comeback with her overwhelming advantage. Meanwhile, the fake young lady had resorted to every scheme she could, even faking suicide, only to end up tragically with everyone hating on her. Chu Ning transmigrated over at the crucial time when the real young lady just returned, and the fake young lady was fighting to stay at the Ye family by threatening suicide.

Outside the door, her foster mother spoke in an icy tone, “I don’t care. She has to return to the slums. I get annoyed whenever I look at her now. Why does she get to live a lavish life while my biological daughter had to suffer in the slums? She even had to stop schooling to work and raise her brothers!” Her foster father said, “Still, we’ve raised her all her life, and our family can afford to feed another. Now that she’s threatening suicide, let’s just let her stay.” Chu Ning rushed out of the ward. “I’ll leave! I’ll discharge today and go back at once. I’m not a member of the Ye family, so I have no reason to insist on staying.”

Her foster mother was surprised, and her foster father was puzzled. Chu Ning ignored them. After knowing how the original plot went, she set three goals for herself. One, to stay away from the female lead! Two, to stay away from the male lead! Three, to live a good life in the slums! Yet, to her surprise, after being successfully abandoned by the Ye family, her biological brothers all became tycoons in their respective industries. Chu Ning effortlessly made a comeback all of a sudden! Even the male lead who had called off their marriage now forced her into a corner, saying, “Ningning, be mine!”