Ascendance of a Bookworm - Chapter 7 - Neighborhood Boys

“Could you become my daughter?”

The most popular game worldwide is Ancient Arena Online, a high-octane PvP fantasy game where teams fight for supremacy in mythical arenas. Millions of fans watch livestreams, bet on matches, and follow their favorite players like celebrities. The game’s competitive scene is so fierce that professional teams are treated like esports royalty.At the heart of it all is Kai Ashford, one of the top players and captain of the pro team Phoenix Edge. With lightning-fast reflexes and strategic brilliance, Kai leads his team to countless victories. But success breeds jealousy. Sabotaged by a teammate he thought was loyal, Kai is not only kicked off his team, but also humiliated in front of millions of fans. With his reputation shattered and confidence at rock bottom, Kai retreats from the public eye.However, Kai's competitive spirit is not easily extinguished. He stumbles upon a group of amateur players—a ragtag bunch who show raw potential but lack the finesse needed to win at the highest levels. Their quirky personalities clash with his no-nonsense attitude, but something about their passion reminds him of why he started gaming in the first place. Deciding to put his past behind him, Kai agrees to train them into a professional team.Along the way, Kai builds unexpected connections with his new teammates, including romantic entanglements with a fiery mage, an eccentric hacker, and a mysterious assassin player, all while juggling his personal feelings and growing attraction for multiple women. As his new team rises through the ranks, they gain attention from fans and sponsors, putting them back on the radar of the professional scene.But Kai’s past doesn’t stay buried for long. His former teammates—now rivals—plot to sabotage him once again, while jealous contenders within the gaming world aim to tear him down. However, Kai's return to the spotlight will be on his terms this time. With a darker, more calculating approach, he plans to not only dominate the game but also to get sweet revenge on those who betrayed him.

Waking up from a nightmare several hours before dawn, Belle fetched a drink of water.

She paused in front of her kitchen’s window when she noticed a lit lantern in front of her mansion’s garden. Her butler stood there, shovel in hand. This was no hour to be gardening.

Curious, she made her way outside, but when she had gotten close enough to see a large and hollow pit next to her eternally-stoic and polite butler, she saw him pick up a rotten body.

A DEAD BODY!

Her eyes widened fearfully when she saw her handsome butler drop the rotting body into the fresh hole. She asked in horror, ”What are you doing?!“

Surprised to see his young miss awake at this hour, he stared at her with the same expression he had been keeping up for all these years. He had made sure she was asleep before coming here.

“Gardening.”

“And the body?!”she looked at him in disbelief.

“Fertilizer,” he answered her before picking up the shovel that was on the ground. Belle was now certain something had possessed her butler. Who gardened dead bodies?!

She then heard him ask her, “Want to help me in planting it, Miss Adams?” he gave her a sweet smile.

Note: If you enjoy a book of comedy with light-hearted romance and a gothic background. This book is for you~

Rain stopped counting after the first thousand years. What's the point? Time doesn't move forward when you're immortal. It just piles up.He tried everything.Thrown himself into volcanoes. Stood at ground zero of asteroid impacts. Let plagues ravage his body. Let bombs tear him apart.Nothing worked.Then the nightmare came.While the world’s governments panicked, he smiled alone, eager to face the unknown.There, he learned a brutal and simple truth: a strong frog in a small pond is still just a frog.*********Authors Note:Try the free chapter first. I’m super confident you will like it. In fact, you would regret not giving it a chance.