Stranger's Handbook - Chapter 146: A Trap Called Custom

Isabella was supposed to be sipping champagne at a luxury spa, not waking up in the middle of a forest. Worse, a SYSTEM had attached itself to her like some clingy ex, spouting nonsense about survival, quests, and—oh, hell no—manual labor.“System, I was NOT built for the wilderness! My ideal ‘roughing it’ experience involves a five-star hotel with bad WiFi!”Now, instead of lounging in silk robes, she’s being ordered to farm? To hunt?“A farming quest? You want me—a city girl—to grow food? System, I once killed a cactus by overwatering it. This is NOT my calling!”And don’t even get her started on the hygiene situation.“You want me to bathe in a cold river? Darling, I require warm water, scented oils, and an ambience! What do I look like—some barbarian?!”Unfortunately, the locals—big, muscular beastmen—don’t seem to understand the concept of self-care. The women? Neglecting their skin like it’s a crime to be radiant. The men? Walking hygiene disasters.“Ladies, if your man can smell you before he sees you, we have a problem.”“You see this? This is lotion. It exists so you don’t look like a dried-up leaf. Use it.”“A beard should be majestic, not tragic. Let me fix it.”And the beastmen? They don’t just stare at her like she’s an oddity. No, they hover. They smirk. They lean in too close, fangs flashing with amusement.“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she huffed, crossing her arms.The panther grinned, his tail flicking. “Because you’re fascinating when you’re annoyed.”No, absolutely not. She was not here for this nonsense.“If you have time to stare, you have time to moisturize.”She didn’t ask to be here. She didn’t ask to be their savior. But if she has to suffer through this world, she’s making everyone around her suffer less—through skincare, style, and some serious attitude.“If I hear one more ‘We don’t season our food here,’ I’m launching a war.”“If you have time to gossip, you have time to do squats.”“You want to impress a woman? Start with not smelling like the battlefield.”Survival isn’t just about fighting monsters; it’s about looking good while doing it. So what if the System keeps throwing impossible quests her way?“What do you mean ‘you can’t skip quests’?! Since when?! Where is the skip button?! I demand a skip button!”But somewhere between dodging ridiculous quests and fixing these people’s tragic grooming habits, Isabella found herself in situations. Uncomfortable, heart-racing situations.Like being trapped against a tree by the red python, his red eyes half-lidded as he murmured, “You talk too much, little star. Should I silence you?”Like waking up with the lion lord’s fur-lined cloak draped over her shoulders, his deep voice gruff, “You shiver in your sleep. I’ll fix that.”Like the phoenix watching her every move, his burning gaze searing into her skin as he mused,“You cause chaos wherever you go, but I find that I don’t mind.”Oh, hell. No. She was not about to fall for four beastmen. She was too pretty for this much stress.“If you insult me again, I’ll make sure your soul needs a beauty upgrade.”“I refuse to be disrespected by anyone who dresses like an unwashed tree branch.”And yet, when a rival tribe came to challenge her, when danger lurked too close, those same beastmen stood beside her—smirking, taunting, fighting for her.“A beastman growled at me today. I growled back. He ran. I am the alpha now.”Isabella isn’t just surviving. She’s thriving. And this world better keep up.

[Main Plot Completed]A love doomed from the start, a lost cause, a losing battle—and yet, neither hearts are willing to let go until the very end.-----Arlan Cromwell, the epitome of the perfect Crown Prince. All he wants is to live a normal life of a human but the life of a dragon is anything but normal. He has but one goal—to find his runaway betrothed and behead her. What happens when he discovers that the woman who has snagged his heart is the one he vowed to kill?Oriana, a Black Witch, disguising herself as a man, has spent her entire life on the run without knowing what she is running away from. When the mysteries of her past slowly catch up to her, she has no one to turn to…except Arlan. But when she learns that the man she has given her heart to is the same man who wants to kill her, how can she accept the cruel card life dealt her?Two people with secrets to keep, identities to hide, and answers to find. When the certain darkness threatens to take Oriana away, will the Dragon be able to protect his mate?-----Excerpt-“If I knew you were my betrothed, I would have killed you the very first moment we met.” Arlan's gaze darkened with hatred.“If I knew I was betrothed to you, I would have killed myself before you even killed me!” Oriana mirrored the same emotions as him.He pulled out a dagger and offered it to her. “It’s not too late. Just slit your throat with this and you'll bleed out painlessly.”She accepted the knife, her fingers clutching its handle tightly. The next moment, he was pressed against the wall and the knife was on the right side of his neck. “How about I try it on you first, my betrothed?”“Feel free to try. But when you fail, this knife will first taste your grandpa's blood, then yours.”Anger rose in her eyes, and the next moment, blood was flowing through the right side of his neck. She cut deep enough to severe an important blood vessel.“You should not have challenged me,” she sneered and stepped back, waiting for him to collapse.He simply smirked and brushed his finger along the deep wound on his neck. “Seems like you failed.”She watched the wound on his neck heal on its own and felt shocked to her bones. “You.. what are you?”“Guess?”

Billions of light years away, on a planet where magic flows through every creature, two dominant species battle for supremacy, 'Humans and Ants'.In this world, Ants aren’t just insects, they are the most intelligent and powerful race who challenged humans, wielding magic and evolving in ways no one can predict.Reborn as an ant in this brutal, predator-filled realm, Kai refuses to accept a life of insignificance. With a sarcastic system, ultimate skills, bizarre evolution choices, and a talent for chaos, he sets out to defy fate.From dodging death against Dragon Men, Ape Men, Wolf Men and Termite Kings, etc to building his own army, Kai’s journey is one of relentless growth, cunning strategy, and outrageous battles.Survive! Evolve! Conquer! The world isn’t ready for the rise of the most overpowered ant in history.

Felix Morningstar's life was a tale of both fortune and misfortune. Blessed with an IQ of 170, he was a true genius, fluent in twenty languages and well-versed in a multitude of fields, from mathematics to science, computer science to finance. With his exceptional intellect, he rose to become a self-made billionaire by the age of twenty-five, earning a spot on the prestigious Forbes list as the youngest billionaire.However, Felix's early years were marked by tragedy. Born an orphan, he was abandoned and left to fend for himself. Despite his remarkable abilities, he never experienced the warmth of a loving family. Instead, he faced constant bullying and isolation, even as he excelled academically and professionally.Despite his success, Felix remained haunted by a sense of loneliness and distrust. He struggled to form genuine connections, wary of those who sought to exploit his wealth and power. Yet, fate had other plans for him.During a fateful business trip, tragedy struck, and Felix's life was cut short in a devastating plane crash. But instead of meeting his end, Felix found himself reborn in a new world, his memories intact and his potential limitless. Bound by a mysterious entity known as “the system,” he was promised unparalleled strength and influence in this unfamiliar realm.Now faced with a new beginning, Felix must navigate this strange world with his unmatched intelligence and unwavering determination. Will he find the sense of belonging and love that eluded him in his previous life? Can he truly carve out a place for himself in this new reality, or will the challenges ahead prove insurmountable?Only time will tell if Felix Morningstar, with his extraordinary gifts and unyielding spirit, can find his place in this world and finally discover the true meaning of family and connection.