Blossoming Path - Chapter 1: Descent of the Heavenly Interface

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

“The Earth was chosen by the gods, and all humans were sent to another world, participating in a 'Dark Lord and Hero's game'.Billions of humans played the roles of 'Dark Lord' and 'Hero', each needing to choose their initial race at the beginning.Ethan Jackson was matched to the 'Dark Lord' faction and became a Dungeon King.To his surprise, he found that he could see hidden information that others couldn't...[Goblin Dark Lord] Low-level Bloodline, not recommended.[Stone Giant Dark Lord] Mid-level Bloodline, not recommended.[Magical Treant Dark Lord] High-level Bloodline, recommended.[Golden Divine Dragon Dark Lord] Top-level Bloodline, highly recommended!...Heroes coveted Ethan's dungeon, and the treasures within it attracted numerous adventurers.Among them, there were young Lady Knights, the saints of the royal capital, tsundere female magicians, and innocent but naive female priests...Ethan could never have anticipated that.As the game had just begun, the dungeon's Goblin guards caught a Lady Knight and offered her to him as a tribute.”

A legendary powerhouse of his generation, tired of the bustle of the peak, returned to the ordinary city and started a new life as an ordinary teacher. He wrote the legend in the city.

Magnificent mountains and rivers, the rising powerful ones. Some ancient martial art masters stood at the peak, becoming legendary. Some financial crocodiles rose up in the minuscule places, laughing arrogantly.

However, watching the school beauties was better than fighting and killing; educating was better than fighting for fame.

- Description from Novelupdates

On the brink of destruction, I regained consciousness and found myself back in the past, 20 years ago. In order to have a peaceful retirement, I must prevent the impending doom.