Painting of the Nine Immortals - Chapter 41: The Lake of Ecstasy

They were all characters doomed to die. Out of all the suffering they were destined for, I lightened their burden. Just a little. And then… I got caught for stealing. …But after all that effort, why did things only get worse?

Masaru Ryunosuke is an outcast—a scholarship student in a school of elites, struggling to keep his head down in a world that looks down on him. But when a chance encounter with a vampire attack leaves him at death’s door, he wakes up to a new reality—he's no longer human.Now a ghoul, the lowest rank of undead, Masaru finds himself thrown into a world of ancient bloodlines, deadly supernatural creatures, and secret organizations hunting beings like him. His only guide? Akane Mikazuki, the cold and ruthless noble vampire who saved him, but only for her own mysterious reasons.Armed with the Cape of Dracula, an artifact of legendary power, and an unnatural potential that defies vampire logic, Masaru refuses to accept his fate as a weakling. If the world wants to treat him like a mere undead—then he’ll rise above them all and prove them wrong.As battles erupt between vampires, werewolves, assassins, and monstrous beings, Masaru must claw his way up the supernatural hierarchy before he’s devoured by forces beyond his comprehension. Because in this world, the weak exist only to be devoured.But what happens… when an undead refuses to stay at the bottom?

Feng Xinying was an heiress of a billion dollar empire. She was a model by profession, a celebrity hailed by all as a winner in life.Suddenly she found that all she had was but an illusion. Upon her father's death, her company fell into the hands of Xie Yuansheng, leaving her with nothing but a fiery anger and indignation. And Xie Yuansheng was no easy man to deal with.Forced to be his secretary, Feng Xinying was fuming mad, never wanting to compromise on her career.Unfortunately, things were not going as she planned, and while she was hostile towards Xie Yuansheng, he was eager to mark her as his.----------------------------Before he was reborn, he loved Feng Xinying crazily and all he wanted was to make her his for the lifetime. But she hated him to the core because he mistreated her, caged her and didn’t let her go anywhere. He was suspicious of her movements. He knew that she hated him, and so he only tightened his control over her.After his rebirth, he looked differently at her. Xie Yuansheng was ready to make all amendments in this lifetime.From being the worst husband, he became the best that would dote on his wife. This is a story of how two people came to meet each other. She hated him first and then fell in love irrevocably.

Shi An is the last Abyss Dragon in the world. Since he was bored, he decided to go into a deep sleep while hugging his treasures. After fifty thousand years of satisfying slumber, Shi An opened his eyes only to discover that he had become a weak human with short hands and legs.

He glanced down at his mysteriously downsized body and then lifted his head to look around his empty cave. “……” Where is my powerful and majestic body? My big tail? Most importantly, where are my treasures?!

After thousands of years of hard work, sleeping just once has sent me to square one.

***

In the year 2202, the conflicts between humans and monsters are becoming more and more intense. Although the monsters are strong, the fantastical species that used to rule the continent have all but disappeared.

Shi An, the Shi family’s youngest son, is Mage Academy’s infamous mage who has no magic power. Each student’s magic power is measured at the beginning of the school year. Shi An looked at the three destroyed magic detection equipment and innocently asked, “Eh? Are these equipment’s quality not very good?”

During actual combat training, low-ranked monsters fled before Shi An could get close. Shi An looked at their fleeing figures and innocently exclaimed, “Yay, lucky!”

Everyone else was speechless. “……?” I believe I am dreaming.

***

Mu Heng——human species’ strongest mage——is the only remaining human who bears the noble dragon slayer bloodline.

He coldly and arrogantly said, “Dragons? Extinction is their best outcome.”

A long time later, Mu Heng turned his head back to look at the dragon cub reclining on the piles of treasure. Mu Heng withdrew his gaze and leisurely asked, “Are there any other jobs? I want a well-paid one.”

Extinction is out of the question now. As a matter of fact, I can only earn more money so that I won’t get kicked out of bed at night.