Cultivation Begins From The Desert - Chapter 77: A Clear Conscience (Part 1)

Hazekaya was just an ordinary guy… until he woke up in another world. Sounds exciting, right? WRONG!Before he could even process his isekai moment, he found himself being chased by a horde of horny male orcs.From dodging unwanted “affections”, to getting thrown in jail, to accidentally sleeping in horse crap and earning just enough to not starve. Between dealing with an ex-adventurer boss, getting tricked by his so-called “friends,” and realizing even slimes are harder to kill than he thought, his life in this new world is anything but the overpowered adventure he dreamed of. Instead of becoming a hero, he’s stuck as a low-wage wall repairman, constantly broke, and now the locals call him “Shitman.”With zero cheat skills, no legendary weapons, and a severe lack of dignity, Hazekaya is left wondering—“Why is my isekai life like this!?”

After being torn from the only life she knew, 16-year-old Margo is forced into a new home with strangers who call themselves her parents. Haunted by memories of her past and consumed by feelings of isolation, she struggles to adapt to her unfamiliar surroundings. School offers little relief—until she meets Lucien, a mysterious boy who appears just when she needs a friend the most.Gabriel is everything Margo needs: kind, attentive, and always ready to whisk her away from her troubles. Each night, he invites her to secret places—an abandoned playground, a fog-choked garden, a crumbling train station at the edge of town—each more unsettling than the last. Yet with every chilling rendezvous, Margo feels more alive... more seen.But something isn’t right. Gabriel never comes to school during the day. Her adoptive parents never see him. And when they catch her talking to thin air, their concern deepens into fear. They say Gabriel isn't real—that he’s a figment of her imagination. Margo wants to believe them, but Gabriel feels real. More real than anything else in her life.As the nights grow colder and more twisted, Gabriel’s true nature begins to surface. Shadows move where they shouldn’t. Time warps in his presence. And the places they visit seem to echo with whispers from another world. Margo is forced to ask herself: Who—or what—is Gabriel? Why does he only want her? And what will happen on the final night he asks her to come with him?As the line between reality and delusion begins to crumble, Margo must make an impossible choice: stay in a world where she feels loved, or return to one that barely feels real.But one thing is certain—some friendships never let go.