Rivers of the Night - Chapter 33: Calm

Delia's life was a cruel reality: the neglected and abused illegitimate daughter of a noble family, the Ellington family, she yearned for the love of her stepmother, Baroness Augusta, and younger sister, Lady Anne, who relentlessly mistreated her.Her world crumbled when she discovered a double betrayal: her beloved husband, Lord George had secretly pined for Anne, marrying Delia only to be near her sister. Simultaneously, her step mother framed her for a crime Anne committed.Overwhelmed and heartbroken, Delia's attempt to escape a death sentence led to a fatal carriage accident.But death was not the end. Delia awoke one year in the past, finding herself still engaged to George. This was her second chance, and the naive girl was gone, replaced by a woman consumed by a burning desire for revenge. Her first target: Duke Eric Carson, the powerful and wealthy man her sister Anne desperately pursued.Delia boldly approached Eric with a proposition for a contract marriage. To her surprise, Eric agreed, but with a condition: their fake marriage would become real and they can go their separate way after a year, hiding his own secret agenda. Now, armed with Eric's unexpected devotion and his willingness to lay down his life for her, Delia meticulously begins to dismantle her family's world. With Eric's help, she exposes the secrets they hide, manipulates their desires, and turns them against each other, orchestrating George’s demotion, Anne's downfall and seizing everything her sister coveted, including Duke Eric love and obsession.Will Delia and Eric be able to conquer all odds to get what they want? What happens when Eric doesn’t want their contract marriage to end? What happens when the last petal of that indicates her second chance falls?———————EXCPRET“I can’t return your feelings, your grace,” Delia whispered, her back against the cool wall.“But I can,” Eric murmured, stepping closer.Delia’s voice trembled. “It’s not the same.” She choked out. “ No one can love me without hurting me.”“Then teach me,” he said, his breath warm on her cheek. “Teach me how to love you the way you deserve to be loved. I’m a quick study.”When she stayed silent, he sighed contentedly, a soft smile playing on his lips.“It’s alright. Just… use me. Anything you need. if you want money, ask the treasury, take as much money that’s needed. if you want power, use my name. if you want security and love, use my body.”His breath warmed her skin, his chest rose and fell with hers. “As long as it's from you, I'm happy.”

Five hundred years into the future, animals and plants had mutated into powerful beasts which endangered the human species.

To deal with the situation, the Federal government decided to build academies dedicated to mecha piloting. It marked the beginning of the Mecha Age.

With the help of the mechas, humans would gain the power to fight on equal terms with the beasts.

Years later, Peter was recruited by one of the mecha academies.

He thought that would be his path to become a successful pilot.

However, due to some circumstances, he was only able to choose another course…

The Genetic Warrior course.

As the world was invested in mechas, everyone knew that there was no future for a Genetic Warrior.

The basic concept the circled around Earth was that a human could never defeat a beast without the mecha’s help.

Fortunately, Peter managed to activate a special Divine-Grade Genetic Extraction System.

“Ding! Ant genes detected. Extraction in progress…”

“Ding! Extraction successful. Your strength has been increased by 100 times.”

“Ding! Grasshopper genes detected. Extraction in progress…”

“Ding! Extraction successful. Your leaping ability has been increased by 100 times.”

“Ding! Eagle genes detected. Extraction in progress…”

“Ding! Extraction successful. Your vision has been increased by 100 times.”

“Ding! Thunder God genes detected. Extraction in progress…”

On that fateful day, a mighty Genetic Warrior was born.

He was able to deflect a missile with his flesh and punch a hole in any mecha. He could even destroy a whole planet if he wanted to.

What if you woke up one morning and remembered all 999 of your past lives?

Chae Woojin, an actor who will shine brighter than the stars. A story about his journey towards his dreams!

What the hell is this? What the hell happened here?

How did my room become so ruined after a single night?

The floor and table were covered in dust, his new poster of Zhang Liang Ying that had just been posted on the wall a few days ago had already become yellow and tattered all over. Even Zhang Liang Ying’s beautiful face became monstrous, as if an old devil was looking at him with a terrifying smile.

The walls were covered by a mist of cobwebs and the fruits placed on top of the coffee table were withered and rotted to the point that the mold on them had turned black. The fruits below even seemed to have turned into mush. The aluminium framed window that the landlord had just installed not that long ago was now covered in a layer of white ash and the glass was filled with cracks and covered in dust.

The computer beside his bed was also covered by cobwebs and was accompanied by an empty water glass with a withered worm inside of it.

Dust filled the air making Wei Xiao Bei choke as he tried to breathe.

Everything seemed to be ash gray without any light, as if looking at television static.

After just one night, it seemed like everything in the room had aged for centuries or even millennia.

Mother… is this a dream?

This must be a dream!

—

One day, Wei Xiao Bei gets dragged into The Dust World, a post-apocalyptic world ruled by monsters from myths, legends, games, etc. He also gains the power to travel between it and the real world, as well as the power called the ‘Status Panel’. With this power, he chooses to strengthen himself to explore the vast mysteries and terror of the other world. What mysteries await him? And what is The Dust World.

- Description from Novelupdates