Lord of the Secret Art! - Chapter 76: Cursed Doll

“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.

It was supposed to be just another argument with his girlfriend. But Alexander Faust's world was turned upside down when the dead started rising from their graves on February 20th, 2023. Suddenly, the apocalypse wasn't just some abstract concept but his reality.As he fights to survive in a world of death and destruction, Alex must confront his regrets and deepest desires, facing betrayal, despair and the darkness hidden in people's hearts.On the cusp of despair, he suddenly discovers a rare skill that makes him immune to zombie infection but transforms into a fierce and feral Ghoul.Is this skill truly random, or is there some plot in the darkness, always one step behind him?Torn between his former human self and new Ghoul self, Alex develops a new persona to protect his fragile mind.Faust!With newfound power coursing through his veins, Faust sets out to fulfil his wildest dreams. He seeks to reunite with Amy, his girlfriend, and maybe even find love among the survivors drawn to his strength and confidence.But as he journeys through a world overrun by the dead...Faust must also confront his darkest impulses and the consequences of his actions.He is forced to navigate the dangerous territory of being a Ghoul, balancing his newfound desires with the things that truly matter to him.Faust soon discovers that the line between life and death is razor-thin.In this thrilling and dark tale of survival, Faust must find his way in a world that has been forever changed - and hold onto the things that matter most to him before it's too late.

Fang Li transmigrated into the cannon fodder gong demon lord of a dogblood novel. The demon lord’s cultivation was outstanding, his power shaking the heavens. He stirred up wind and rain and rampaged across the cultivation world……. Towards the captivating main character shou, he fell in love at first sight and seized him, contributing many forceful love scenes that made one’s face and ears red.

Fang Li: I might not be able to do it.

System: ……

As soon as he went out the door, Fang Li saw the dark mass of demonic cultivators tightly encircling the faintly distant cultivation sect so that not a drop of water could escape. The head of the Yunjian-que sect disciples stood alone facing the wind, sharp sword pointed in his direction.

Fang Li looked at the cold and peerless man, gazed at his white clothes and long sword soaked in blood, and pondered for a minute…… He suddenly felt like it wasn’t impossible.

On this day, the cultivation world’s number one son of heaven, Yunjian-que’s Yuyi-jun, for the sake of protecting the disciples behind him, had no choice but to submit to the cruel, cold-blooded demon lord. Just thinking that this unparalleled genius would be tormented and humiliated by that devil in a hundred ways, the whole cultivation world sighed and wrung their hands, sobbing ceaselessly.

Fang Li brought the beauty home. Although he didn’t want to force a straight man, just going through the motions wasn’t a problem. While putting on a show of “forcible love,” Fang Li considerately went about creating opportunities for the main character shou’s admirers, helping them develop some romance……

On the day that the Immortal Alliance attacked Fuqiu Mountain, Fang Li completed the plot and successfully escaped with his death.

When he was reborn, it was already nine years later. Just when he was about to start living properly in this world with a whole new identity using his experience as a demon lord, he ran into the current number one under the heavens, the main character shou.

The cold man grabbed his wrist, a wisp of vague madness in the depth of his eyes, his voice low and hoarse: Where does Your Excellency want to run to this time?

Fang Li: …… What on earth is wrong with this script?

- Description from Novelupdates

After being killed by a high-velocity tree-hug, Arlo is transported to a new world of skills, stats, and levels where those brave and talented enough to conquer ancient Delves are rewarded with incredible supernatural power. Unfortunately for Arlo, there is no tutorial, and he is immediately forced to tackle a Delve set to the highest difficulty with a party of adventurers who are not only strangers to him, but strangers to each other as well. Arlo has no armor, no weapons, no knowledge of the world at large, and his party is growing increasingly suspicious of his lack of preparation and paper-thin excuses for how he got there.There's also the fact that the System seems to be treating Arlo's situation like a big, cosmic joke.Determined not to die again, Arlo forgoes putting any points into his highest stat, Intelligence, and instead dumps everything he's got into Fortitude. After all, who needs equipment or fighting skills when you can eat fireballs for breakfast and still ask for more hot sauce?Mage Tank is a comedic LitRPG adventure set in an epic fantasy world that is rapidly evolving as new and powerful secrets of the Delves are uncovered. There are strong horror themes, graphic violence, overindulgent use of naughty language, and poorly constructed jokes. Mage Tank features slow progression and intelligent characters who spend time making intentional build choices. It’s not action all-the-time, but Arlo’s life is replete with danger and, more importantly, consequences.Cover art generated with MidJourney and Canva.Maps and world-building support by Sir Raiu Koren.