Empress Running Away with the Ball - Chapter 373: As good as gold

Once upon a time in a modern city, a man died and was reincarnated into a body and a new mythical world.

This world holding many secrets, and wonderous things, but he possessed something that was highly regarded in terms of importance and usability: SPEED.

Join Noah on his quest to acquire great power, meet new people; while also discovering the many mysterious features of this new world he'll eventually learn to call his home.

In a world where villains are crafted, not born, Vyan's life takes a detour from dull to downright dramatic faster than he can say “abracadabra.”Meet Vyan, the most ordinary knight in the realm, with all the magical prowess of a damp sock. Loyalty? He's got it in spades. Betrayal? Well, that's the surprise twist in his not-so-fairy-tale life.Framed and forsaken, Vyan is left with nothing but a grudge and some pretty gnarly scars, courtesy of his once-master, Iyana. Oh, did he mention she is the daughter of a marquess and the object of his unrequited affection? Talk about adding insult to injury.Just when he is ready to unleash his inner berserker, a butler comes along with news that makes his hair stand on end: Vyan is the last heir of the Grand Duke's mage dynasty!With power crackling at his fingertips and more mana than he can shake a wand at, Vyan is ready to show the world what happens when you underestimate the underdog. Will Vyan rise from the ashes like a phoenix, or will he crash and burn like a fire-breathing chicken? There's only one way to find out.

Warning: This work contains elements of mature content featuring sex, violence, and gore.

Follow the journey of a wandering drunk swordsman who will punch immortals, kick demons, and cut down gods as he ascends the heavens in search of better women and wine.... hic...

Women, Wine, and Wager

The three most terrible vices a man could possess. Luckily, Duncan was only afflicted with two - women & wine. As an ordinary spirit stone miner, Duncan only cared about earning money to indulge in his two vices.

However, Duncan's fate had a twist in the form of a cantankerous old man who wanted to both reward and punish him in good measure. It leaves Duncan with a rather poor opinion of cultivators in general.

Pulled into the world of cultivation unwittingly, Duncan only cares for three things. His sword, his wine, and his women.

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.