Grind to Greatness: The Barista System - Chapter 28 - 27 – Invitation Without Strings

[Warning: Sexual content, lemons, comedy, MILFs, face-slapping, and a shameless protagonist!].....Creed Walden was a man of culture. Refined. Sophisticated. A true enjoyer of the finer things in life.Which was exactly why he ended up getting shot in the nuts.Who knew that messing with a gangster’s woman would lead to such unfortunate circumstances? One moment, he was enjoying the peak of pleasure, the next—BANG! Eternal darkness.But instead of fading into nothingness, he woke up… in a completely different world.A world he knew.It was the setting of a novel he had read ten years ago—a brutal, unforgiving wasteland where monstrous creatures roamed, and humanity teetered on the brink of extinction.The Apocalypse had begun.Here, humans awakened incredible talents to survive. Some became swordmasters, capable of cutting mountains in half. Others became mages, wielding fire and lightning at their fingertips. The strong ruled, the weak perished, and only those with true power could thrive.And Creed?He awakened… a summoning ability.Not bad, right? He could call forth mighty beasts, legendary heroes, or divine warriors to fight for him!At least, that’s what he thought.Until his first summon appeared.A gorgeous, sultry woman with horns, bat-like wings, and a very inappropriate outfit.A Succubus.It didn’t take long for Creed to realize the shocking truth—his summoning ability could only summon Succubi!The apocalypse was raging. Civilization was collapsing. People were awakening godlike powers to fight for survival.And here he was.Surrounded by beautiful, seductive demons who thrived on… other kinds of energy.Creed leaned back with a grin, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and wicked excitement.“...Well, I suppose there are worse fates.”

Murong Jiu, the Ninth Young Miss of the Marquis Mansion, was ugly and talentless, and her fate was to harm her relatives. She was raised in the countryside from a young age. Due to her exceptional medical skills, she was used by the Crown Prince, who drained her of all her value and then threw her into a deep well to drown.Only before her death did she realize she had been switched at birth. Others were rightfully enjoying everything that should have been hers; later, all her family died for her, becoming stepping stones for the Crown Prince!Reincarnated, she returned like a vengeful ghost from hell, making her enemies tremble with fear, ready to seek revenge for each grievance.Unexpectedly, she unintentionally became the darling of her biological family, which made her retract her sharp edges.As the substitute Princess Consort of Prince Ling, she and Prince Ling were a fake couple, intent only on finding the real father of the child in her womb, yet unaware that the man from that night was right in front of her…

The king of assassins was reborn, mastering both alchemy and poison. Sitting inside the space, there was a ghost that loved crying.

“If she feels pain, then I'll make sure we all do...”As a purple and pink tailed meteor enters Earth's atmosphere, it begins “snowing” all over the planet.Humans are no longer on top of the ladder. A crystal ice dragon explodes from the space rock, creating Hell.Bringing along an ambush of bloodthirsty aliens, some large enough to demolish buildings, “Leviathan” has forced humanity into various locations of hiding around the world.Within three years after the initial invasion, humans have begun to not only fight back against the aliens, but some choose to become symbiotic hosts, acquiring “magical” abilities after slaying one of the unconventional extraterrestrials.Shortly before leaving their sanctuary/apocalypse training academy, two once drifted friends, Katsu and Saku, are reunited on the same scout team. As polar opposite personalities they are chosen by the only surviving “Creator of Humanity”.Both boys become 'blessed' to be hosts for their universe's contemporary forces and use those “God given abilities” to achieve their (secretly combative) goals.Accompanying them is Katsu's adopted sister, Shelly. Regarded as “The Beast of the Beasts” by her peers, she is the reincarnate of her grandmother. The greatest, most underrated female Scandinavian sword fighter to live before the 13th century.After learning of her destined lineage, and admiring the otherwise “mythical” accomplishments completed by her top tier, ass kicking Valkyrie grandma, Shelly is determined to retrieve all of the stolen blades from those who dishonorably stole them over 800 years ago.In order to do so she will have to defeat several members of a manipulative covenant of warrior witches. Each woman blessed with an undiscovered form of energy that has unknowingly coexisted with humanity. These 7 women usher in the POST-post-apocalyptic world as Mafia Bosses, Matriarch Socialist Dictators, Seafaring Conquerors, and a few just want to see this new snow covered world burn.To prove which unnaturally born creature is the Supreme Ultimate amongst them.Aliens, action, romance, betrayal of old friends, the gaining of trust from new, overpowered goofballs, magical damsel despots, righteous and nefarious humans gaining niche powers, not to mention a secretive psychopath using his God given abilities to preserve who he views as his sole purpose.In the end, will love truly conquer all, or will 'their' love conquer us all?“If you have a beloved purpose you can't live a day without, do you truly have any freedom to live?If you have complete freedom to act however, or say whatever you desire, do you truly have any purpose worth caring about to protect?”~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~[All character and cover art is not done by AI but by my good friend Amon-kun]~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~WARNING/DISCLAIMER: This series uses ætiological mythopoeism to spotlight coincidental parallels between various religious scriptures, and scientific theories but is in no way discrediting or belittling the beliefs of others whether that be Creationist or Evolutionist.The views, ideas, and conversations between characters aren't in any way meant to change anyone's beliefs.The conscious use of certain psychological elements from theistic ideology and out of context holy verses is only to support this fictional plot and it's characters. As well as aid the reader as to how one could theoreticize or philosophicize the plot. Instead of using various conflicting ideologies to shame or undermine those who believe, the intention is for deeper thinking and uniting those who believe peace and tranquility between humanity is most important above all.