I Never Run Out of Mana - Chapter 158: Test

“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.

**Mature Content**[I hope the day never comes when I can’t find a reason to keep loving you, for you are my every reason.]*********************Yoon Haeun, a quirky 27-year-old chaebol heir and who runs a game company, is often pestered by his unconventional mother about settling down and having children. As an omega who has never experienced his heat cycle, Haeun is constantly set up with alphas by his mother. Unfortunately, the pheromones of these alphas usually make him nauseous and disgusted.Everything changes when Haeun meets Cheon Yeongsoo a third-generation heir whom he has previously disliked. When Haeun encounters Yeongsoo’s pheromones, he is unexpectedly enveloped in a sense of safety and comfort—a feeling he’s never experienced before. As Haeun’s heat cycle arrives, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to Yeongsoo.Three days later, Haeun wakes up disoriented in Yeongsoo’s bed, his mind racing with confusion and a surge of panic. The room is unfamiliar, and the scent of Yeongsoo’s pheromones is overpowering. He tried to piece together the fragments of his memory from the night before, only to realize the gravity of his situation. The man he’s long disliked is now his unlikely savior, and the last thing Haeun wanted was to admit how much he had grown to need Yeongsoo.**Excerpt**Haeun looked up at Yeongsoo with a pout, his hand resting on his pregnant belly. “Will you still love me if I weigh 200kg and become very ugly?”Yeongsoo chuckled, pulling Haeun close and gently hugging his bulging stomach. “You’re already displeasing to the eyes, so it doesn’t really matter.”Haeun’s eyes welled up as he looked at Yeongsoo,obviously hurt. “Are you saying I’m ugly?”Yeongsoo’s smile softened as he held Haeun, brushing his fingers through his hair. “Whether you weigh 200kg or become ugly, you’ll always be the prettiest person in my eyes. Why? Because I love you. You’re my everything, Haeun. And no matter what, that won’t ever change.”Haeun’s heart swelled, a tear slipping down his cheek as he snuggled closer. “You really know how to make everything feel okay.”Yeongsoo kissed his forehead tenderly. “That’s because being with you is the best part of my life.”

Ethan Cross was just an ordinary college student in his past life—until he died trying to save a banker playing hero. Now, he finds himself reincarnated in “New World”, a realm plagued by Dread Beasts, where only those who awaken Aethermarks can become Heroes.But there’s a problem.Ethan has awakened as an E-rank Hero, the weakest tier, cursed with only one ability slot—a death sentence for any aspiring warrior. With no powerful clans willing to recruit him and the world already looking down on him, his future seems bleak.Until he discovers his Innate Talent: Sanctum of Beasts.This mysterious power grants him access to a personal dimension, where he can hunt endless waves of Dread Beasts. Unlike the real world, slaying them in this space drops Ability Fragments, which he can combine to gain abilities without slot restrictions. Even better? Time flows differently—he can train for days, yet only an instant passes in reality.Determined to rise from nothing, Ethan embarks on a secret journey to accumulate power. But as he completes missions and unravels the truth about the Black Pits, he realizes there’s something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface.The Hero Association hides dark secrets. Villains roam freely in the shadows. And Dread Beasts may not be the mindless creatures everyone believes them to be.With powerful enemies watching his every move, Ethan must play a dangerous game—remain unnoticed or become the hunter of both beasts and men.But one thing is certain:In this world, strength is everything. And Ethan Cross will carve his own path to the top—no matter the cost.

After dying unexpectedly, she was reborn as a ten-year-old little girl in an ancient farming family, with barely a few rooms in her house and even fewer acres of land, not to mention a household of the old, weak, sick, and disabled.Fortunately, the elders in the family were kind and honest, her brothers loving and good-natured, and the neighbors harmonious and friendly. For Yang Mengchen, who had suffered from her relatives' torment and endured all sorts of mockery and scolding since she was young, this was truly a blessing from heaven.To support the family she loved, she resolutely took on the heavy responsibility of providing for them. If she, a modern corporate CEO who had once dominated the business world, couldn't feed a family, then who could?Pharmaceutical recipes, building greenhouses, opening storefronts... Not only did her family start living a comfortable and prosperous life, but she also led the surrounding villages in creating a magnificent pastoral scene!With money and fame, as she grew up, Yang Mengchen decided it was time to choose a husband, and thus, young talents from around the world began to flock to her.Who knew a grim-faced god of death would be blocking the entrance to the Yang family's home?“You're too tall, you're too short, you're too fat, you're too skinny, you're too dark, you're too pale, you're uneducated, you're deceitful and sly... All eliminated!”In a moment, the entrance was empty, and Yang Mengchen was instantly furious, “Prince, you've driven everyone away. How am I supposed to choose a husband now?”“I would like to see who dares to marry you. I wouldn't mind sending him to the Underworld as a groom!”Yang Mengchen...A certain Prince counted his merits on his fingers: “I have power, prestige, and substance, no concubines, no secret love affairs, no gallivanting— I embody the standards of a husband's three obediences and four virtues... In short, only I, this unparalleled good man, am worthy of you!”The guards: Oh wise and valiant Prince, is it really good to be so lacking in your role as a husband?