Pale Lights - Chapter 42

“Ah, him? He’s just Daeyeong’s acquaintance.” He hated those words. Choi Seolwoo is trying to leave behind his teens and twenties, which he spent as Won Daeyeong’s shadow. Won Daeyeong (gong), the national team captain who became the first Korean track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics in the 400m, and Choi Seolwoo (soo), a newly qualified Certified Public Accountant, are childhood friends of over a decade. Choi Seolwoo, weary of the pain of his obsessive unrequited love for Won Daeyeong, impulsively enters into a contractual relationship with a sub-seme and declares a break-up with Won Daeyeong, intending to completely remove him from his life and start anew. Won Daeyeong is displeased with Choi Seolwoo trying to end their friendship over a relationship. Just how much attention had he demanded since they were young? Even he himself acknowledged how incredibly well he’d treated him. It wasn’t as if he had expected anything in return for looking after him, but still, this is absurd. To take him for granted and push him aside like this. Won Daeyeong proposes that if Choi Seolwoo appears on five episodes of a segment called “An Acquaintance” on his Xtube channel, which has 1.1 million subscribers, he will agree to the break-up. The filming of a variety show exposing every detail of Won Daeyeong’s life begins. Unexpectedly, the view count explodes due to the spicy and entertaining talk with frequent bleeps, the genuine bromance chemistry and realistically fierce fights, and Choi Seolwoo’s idol-like visuals. Choi Seolwoo, the “break-up guy,” ends up advertising himself to the entire nation as Won Daeyeong’s best friend. Wait, somehow this… seems to be moving further away from a break-up…?

As soon as Bai Lu opened her eyes, she became the boss’s little wife.

***

When we met for the first time, even though the traces of time had crept up to the corners of our eyes, the man’s graceful and handsome appearance was still stunning. His cruelty, cold-bloodedness, and ruthlessness were all hidden under the deep and silent cold eyes, creating a deliberately hypnotic environment. It had no effect on him.

His consciousness was clear and he looked at her calmly.

Bai Lu has been a good child from other people’s families since she was a child. She is well-behaved, sensible, and listens to her parents. After graduation, she works step by step as a psychological hypnotist.

If she hadn’t accidentally learned that the international case her father was trying was related to Xiao Cheng, she would not have been involved in the danger privately, trying to hypnotize him into his memory and obtain relevant clues.

She had seen Xiao Cheng’s information. His father was addicted to gambling, and his mother abandoned him when he was three years old. Shortly after his father remarried, he and his stepmother died one after another, leaving behind a younger brother who later accidentally disappeared.

Xiao Cheng climbed out of the darkness alone, starting from scratch. His psychological defense was too strong. Bai Lu was no match at all. The hypnosis only read part of the memory and was interrupted unexpectedly.

During their second appointment, her plane unfortunately disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

When I opened my eyes again, I was transported back to more than twenty years ago.

She became Xiao Cheng’s little wife who died young…

What’s even more unexpected is that it turns out that the evil dragon is also gentle, and is willing to turn into a thorn to protect her and the rose will bloom brilliantly.

- Description from novelbuddy

Facing extinction, humanity seeks salvation in the Astral Verge, a dangerous dimension accessed via portals that threatened to wipe out the entire planet.Few years later, aspiring recruit Daniel Vance enters the Verge for his final assessment, hoping to Awaken a Talent and secure his future. While others gain common abilities, Daniel secretly Awakens the mythical SSS-Grade Talent: [Soul Assimilation]. This allows him to absorb essence, enhancing gear, gaining stats and EXP from slain creatures, and crucially, absorbing attributes and skills from fallen Awakened.Witnessing the swift death of the arrogant Jaxon Rex, Daniel makes a grim choice: he assimilates Jaxon, gaining his first skill, [Kinetic Pulse]. This sets his path: scavenging the aftermath of others’ battles. He enhances gear and, after achieving his first kill on an injured beast, waits patiently to assimilate two more fallen recruits, acquiring [Quick Step] and the invaluable passive [Aura Sense].Starting as average, Daniel rapidly gains power in secret, enhanced gear, multiple skills, and boosted stats , far exceeding his peers while remaining outwardly unremarkable. He navigates the lethal Verge alone, using its inherent dangers to fuel his growth, wrestling with the moral cost of his unique, overwhelming power.

I, Mukouda Tsuyoshi, was caught up in a summoning circle into a different world where sword and magical skills are the norm.

However, when the summoners cast ‘Status Appraisal’ on us, the three other people who were summoned with me had [Heroes from Another World] in the occupation box, whereas I was the [Random Guy Caught Up in the Summoning Spell].

As for our ‘Skill Set’, the three Heroes had outrageous sounding skills rolling after their names like [Holy Sword Technique], [Holy Spear Technique] and [Sacred Magic].

In fact, I too have a skill you know? My one skill is called… [Net Super]…

Because it’s clearly not a combat skill, I am automatically treated like garbage.

Furthermore, the King of the country who had summoned us looked really shady.

As a veteran lightnovel reader, I can read the atmosphere well enough to come to the conclusion that ‘This is a bad world to be summoned into’.

Thus, it is decided. No matter what, I must get out of this castle as soon as possible and escape from this rotten country!