I Fooled The Goddess Into Pitying Me - Chapter 3: Self-Respect

In a certain world, there was someone who excelled in magic combat, people called him 『Sage』. Seeking the strongest combat art, he devoted himself to research every magic and combat arts in existence. And the conclusion he arrived at was very cruel, 『My body is not fit for magic combat』. Yet he didn’t give up. He sealed his own soul with a magic art, and was reborn in a far-off future. And the magic theory in the completely changed world he saw there was of unbelievably low level.

The year was 2026, and the world wasn't what it used to be. Ever since the Abyss Gates cracked open three years ago, spilling monsters and dungeons across the planet, life had turned into a chaotic mess. Cities were half-ruined, half-rebuilt, and people clung to whatever normalcy they could find. Hunters—those brave or crazy enough to fight the monsters—became the new heroes. Everyone else? Well, they just tried to survive.Fin wasn't a Hunter. He wasn't a hero either.He was just… Fin. A lanky 19-year-old with messy brown hair, a chipped front tooth from a dumb skateboard accident, and a power that everyone called useless. Absorption. Sounds cool, right? Like he could suck up energy or steal someone's strength. Nope. All it did was let him “feel” things he touched a little more than normal. He could tell you the exact texture of a brick wall or how warm a coffee mug was—big whoop. No fireballs, no super strength, no flashy moves. Just a glorified touchy-feely trick.“Fin, you gonna eat that sandwich or just stare at it like it's gonna confess its life story?” Meg's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.He blinked and looked across the rickety table at his best friend. Meg was short, loud, and had a wild mop of dyed purple hair that she swore made her look “intimidating.” It didn't.

“I don't share my possessions, Mr. Campbell. Your wife stole from me and now I want something back. You should know I always collect what I'm owed,”When Liam Campbell's wife steals from his wealthy female boss and disappears, he's left to face the music. But his boss, Lady Isabella Ashworth, has other plans for repayment—plans that involve keeping the handsome man for herself.Everyone thinks they know the score: young guy becomes a rich woman's plaything. What they don't know is that Liam's got more weapons than just his looks. Behind his perfect face lies a ruthless mind that turned him from a nobody into a rising star.Now, trapped in Isabella's world of luxury and power, he'll play her game—but by his rules. His main goal is to dominate her as much as she wants to dominate him.But who's really taming who?

Inexplicably reborn in the year 2003, having failed terribly in his previous life, the prevailing concern with Xu Tingsheng, that stands above all else, is none other than her. But alas, he is just months away from entering university, while she is but in her first year of junior high… Regarding this, all he can do is wait silently…for now.