Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead - Chapter 6: The 7 Commandments

Can't a man maintain his dignity while preparing for the end of the world? Is that too much to ask?

The Tower was all I knew... all any of us knew, and just like that, it was gone. Monsters the likes of which I'd never seen ravaged the land of my ancestors. They burst through the outer walls and stormed the city. No one could have been ready for that. But now... Now I have a second chance.

After the collapse of the known world, I woke up to find myself on the First Floor of the Tower. I was young and healthy, 18 again, and sitting in the same classroom that marked the worst days of my life. Confused and excited, I accepted this gift, deciding to use my vast knowledge of the future to climb the Tower in preparation for the end of the world.

Maybe I'll help some folks along the way? Who knows. Survival comes first.

The clock is ticking, and I'm left with only a century to build a Deck powerful enough to survive the end. Things to do... What's first? I need Essence, and I need power. I'll have to climb the Tower to acquire both of these. Some of the zealots will try to stop me, need to look out for those. What if-

“Hey, kid! Hand over the pouch or-”

Stab

Sorry, where was I? Ah... there's a spot of blood on my suit. What a lousy morning.

In this world of blood and fantasy, century-old Rowan Wilder has to not only survive, but thrive as he powers his way to the top of the Tower. The Demonic Plague that has twisted the creatures on the upper Floors is the least of his worries. Cane in hand and Summons by his side, he'll have to tear his way through the monsters, as well as the humans who want to stop his ascent. Of course, he can maintain a sense of decorum while he faces these trials, right?

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

Waking up, I discovered that I had become a cat with superpowers...

“I swear I will make them pay with everything I have. I will use my very own blood to sign the documents that will end them if I must!”To Champagne Gold, life was always like a fast-moving truck with no brakes and a drunk driver, one she couldn't avoid.At the age of five, she lost her parents in a helicopter crash. Life after that was one problem to another but she held on... until her grandfather passed away as well.With his death came the loss of her position of CEO and her hard-earned shares. As if that was not enough, she was served with divorce papers and the revelation of her husband's adultery with her cousin.Dealt with one too many blows, Champagne sought to end it all. Perhaps she could be reincarnated or whisked away to another world like the books she read before, but that was not to be. Instead, a mysterious man entered her life.“Rather than escape like a coward, I can give you the power and resources to carry out your revenge. I have but one condition―marry me.”Champagne held her lips between her teeth and took the offer.However, just when she believed her new life was going smoothly, she found out another painful secret. One more painful than any she had discovered before.She had undergone a uterus removal procedure and she didn't even know it.Now Champagne is more determined than ever to get revenge on everyone who wronged her. She would do and give everything to make them pay for taking away something so precious from her.