MTL - Reborn Russia As An Oligarch - Chapter 23 old friend

Aliandra Amariel loved magic, dedicating her academic years to the study of runes and spells, pushing the boundaries of mana's infinite possibilities. Like most Fae, her destiny seemed clear until that fateful day of her Class Trial, when the Blind Lich unleashed an undead apocalypse on her home, the fabled underground city of Dal’mohra, and triggered The Breaking – a cataclysm that forever reshaped the world. Saved by her mother’s legendary time-stasis spell, Ali wakes thousands of years into a dark future. Everything she knew and loved is gone, buried under a mountain, transformed into a twisted dungeon by the malevolent will of the Lich. Now, Ali must confront her deepest fears, mastering the arts of battling monsters and braving a town riddled with corruption. As the Lich's grand design shadows her every move, she scrambles to forge new friendships and unearth ancient knowledge in her fight for survival. Why must she struggle? All she had ever wanted was to curl up in a comfy chair with a few thousand good books. But the immortal Lich is drawn to her unique magic, ever hungry for more power to fuel his cold-hearted ambitions. How will she survive the giant target painted on her back as her advancement slowly reveals the horrifying truth of the Class she chose to save herself? Will she falter, forced into the eternal servitude of undeath, or will she rise against all odds and cast him down, ridding the world of his evil?

“Even in oblivion, you all shall tremble at the demon that lies beyond...”---Beaten, betrayed, discriminated against, and then sent into hell. Those were the words that defined Khan's life, if he ever bothered to think about it.In a cold world where the hearts of people surged in preparation for the next cataclysm that had the potential to wipe out the entire world, who had the time to care for a feeble, golden-haired anomaly with no memories of his first ten years?Sent away from the orphanage with the mission to end his life, fate was still not satisfied with punishing him enough.He found himself in front of a demon god who raised children into killing machines, known to complete every mission irrespective of the danger.Among a group of madmen, he was the maddest, given the name “The Hollow” due to his unfeeling attitude.But in essence, all he ever needed was a place he could call home and when his life flashed before his eyes and he awakened his memories, he embarked on that path.-----“My origin might be ten thousand light-years away from Earth, but even if I have to walk on the corpses of a million to reach it, then so be it...”-----But now he won't be walking this dark path alone:[Congratulations, the Host has successfully fused with the system.][Congratulations, Host has awakened The Bio-Nanotech System!]--------[Also Check Out My New Novel: Infinity Guardian System]

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.

**[Status: Remaining lifespan 29 days 17 hours 32 minutes]**After reincarnating into a modern fantasy novel he had read in his previous life and enduring all sorts of hardships, Ryu Seo-ha awakens as a precious S-class healer. However, he also sees in his status window that he has less than a month left to live. Then, after an unexpected encounter with Choi Gang-hu, the protagonist of the original novel, Seo-ha discovers that physical contact with Gang-hu increases his magical power. And Gang-hu begins to show a peculiar interest in Seo-ha.“Do you intend to repay me?”“Yes.”“With your body.”[Preview]As Ryu Seo-ha was leaving the bathroom to contact the Awakened Management Bureau, he stumbled back in surprise. Choi Gang-hu was leaning against the entrance wall.“Why are you here…”As he hastily stepped back and stumbled, Gang-hu grabbed his arm to steady him.[Magic Power 9]At that moment, Seo-ha’s magic power stat began to skyrocket.[Magic Power 17] [Magic Power 25] [Magic Power 33]The numbers increased dramatically with each blink of an eye. It was an impossible situation. Seo-ha’s eyes widened in shock. Gang-hu also seemed to sense the anomaly, raising his handsome eyebrows high.For some unknown reason, a chill ran down his spine. Reflexively, he shook off the hand holding his arm, and the feeling of every cell being filled to the brim suddenly stopped. Feeling dizzy, Seo-ha shakily leaned against the wall for support.[Magic Power 41]In that short time, his magic power stat had surpassed 40. This was a level that could only be barely achieved by investing all stat points gained up to level 40 into magic power. It was an astounding situation.Gang-hu, looking down at him with eyes as dark as an abyss, didn’t seem to have intentionally infused him with magic power. There was no reason for him to do so, and it was impossible for the stat itself to increase like this. Even if it were just an increase in magic power capacity, it would be enough to make him a research subject.“I thought I was imagining things,” Gang-hu muttered in a low voice as he slowly reached out his hand again. His long fingers lightly touched Seo-ha’s pale cheek. As he shrank his neck at the cool sensation, Gang-hu’s large hand cupped his entire cheek.