MTL - Deep Sea Embers - Chapter 42 found in the book

Asura, a noble in the kingdom of Silvara, spent his days quietly until his world ended. Betrayed by his beloved wife and then killed, he swore to get revenge on them in his late moments. Upon death, Asura somehow returned 20 years into the past. Prepared to get revenge on the woman who betrayed him.On his journey for revenge, he discovers true love, friendship, and a life-altering truth.A dark cult controls his fate like a game—even his beloved's betrayal was their work. He learns about his powers and strange bloodlines. Then, about this being his ninth and final rebirth! All to revive their god, using Asura as the perfect vessel.Vowing to destroy the cult's plot and protect his loved ones, Asura forges an alternative path.Becoming the Devouring Monarch

[Your shadow is alive.][Feed your shadow, devour souls, level up, gain skills, complete quests, and grow stronger.][Do you wish to view your current stats?]In the magical world of Aetherus, Damon Grey is the weakest student at Aether Academy, relentlessly bullied and ridiculed for his lack of power and defiant personality. Yet, he endures the torment, clinging to his scholarship—the only thing providing him with the funds to keep his sick sister alive.After a brutal attack leaves him near death, Damon encounters a dark viscous entity in the forest that fuses with his shadow, awakening the Living Shadow System. This strange power grants him unimaginable abilities but comes with a grim cost—a relentless hunger for souls and flesh to feed his shadow.Now, with his shadow alive and insatiable, Damon faces a terrible choice: feed it to grow stronger or starve it and die with it.In a world ruled by ruthless nobles, deadly monsters, and power-hungry demons, Damon must decide if his newfound power is a curse or the only way to survive. With the Living Shadow System, his fate is clear: devour or be devoured.

“Margaret, you’re the older sister, you have to give in to the younger one.” Because she had been born a few seconds before Elizabeth, those words clung like a curse to Margaret for the first 18 years of her life. Whether it was her beloved teddy bear, pretty dresses, Halloween candies, or parental love, if Elizabeth asked, she had to unconditionally yield them all up to her. Since young, Elizabeth had weighed down on Margaret like an enormous mountain and suffocated her. Fortunately she still had a boyfriend who had loved her for six years—Amster, the pack’s alpha. “You will be my wife and the future luna of the pack,” Amster promised.

Six years of companionship and Amster’s words had excited Margaret, who was turning 18 years old. She was going to welcome a whole new life today, but fate had played an enormous joke on her—Amster’s lover and fated mate turned out to be her twin sister Elizabeth! Margaret watched as Amster, who had said he loved her a second ago, exchanged a French kiss with Elizabeth in the next. Moreover, he also announced that Elizabeth as the luna. The only emotional sustenance Margaret possessed crumbled; once again what belonged to her had been snatched away by Elizabeth. What made things worse was when Amster begged Margaret to help Elizabeth entertain Wolf King Donald! All because Elizabeth knew nothing except how to wheedle and dress herself up.

Unable to refuse the request of her former lover, Margaret agreed to this. The gears of destiny began slowly turning at this moment. At the feast where Wolf King arrived, having worked hard without washing up for three days now, Margaret smelled an enticing scent. Betty, her wolf, was calling out happily for her mate. This was the smell of her mate! “My name is Donald, and I’m the king of werewolves!” Donald?! Wolf King! Margaret gaped. Her mate was actually the most powerful werewolf among them all! Margaret realized that her mate didn’t recall her s*xy and seductive younger sister. He only had eyes for her. She felt that she could believe in love again!

After her rebirth, Rita vows not to repeat her past mistakes. This time, her first priority is to stop her brother, who is about to marry into the Lopez family, from participating in the initial game beta test. In her previous life, she was deceived by this scheming brother until her dying breath. It was only at the end that she realized she was merely a villain in a male-oriented novel about a live-in son-in-law, with all the malice and manipulation orchestrated by him behind the scenes. In this life, Rita decides to change the rules of the game. She will stay in the shadows and seize all the opportunities meant for the male and female leads. By participating in the beta test and re-selecting her abilities, she systematically dismantles the protagonists’ advantages, all while making them believe she’s on their side. Rita has no intention of harming innocent people, nor is she a selfless saint. In this game, she works with the authorities for mutual benefit, all to achieve her ultimate goal—becoming the true master of her fate.