Stray Cat Strut - Chapter Twenty-Six - So That Is How It Feels

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

What to Expect: - Fast-paced Action and LitRPG Progression, System, Monster Taming, Skill Copy and Fusion, Crafting, with Dungeon and Other Worlds Exploration. - Constellations based on all sorts of both Historical and Mythological figures. - A colorful cast of side characters full of life, the original Protagonist changes and becomes a better person. - A smart MC that abuses her knowledge of the story to become REALLY OP. - A story that doesn’t go by the script, the butterfly effect the character creates affects the story and doesn’t leave it as it was supposed to be, unlike many other similar stories. - 3 ~ 7 Chapters a week, almost daily updates until I can’t. 1800 ~ 3000+ Words per chapter, usually. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a review. This novel is also being posted on Scribblehub and Webnovel (for free). If you see it anywhere else, please let me know. Thank you.

Word went around that no one that had ever knocked on the esteemed Eleazar family’s doors seeking shelter were turned away.Fleeing the prince of Lustris no less, Arabella Sterling held out hope that those weren’t mere rumors as she crossed the border over to Umbraria, home to all creatures of the night. A land where noble blood like hers was a highly coveted delicacy.As such, she wasn’t turned away, but since the Eleazars ran no charity, Arabella was compelled to become the sole blood provider to the heir of the family in exchange for safety.Though never, in a million years, did she imagine that what had started as a simple trade off, could morph into a swirl of tangled passion when the cold and stoic vampire she served showed interest in the young woman beyond the crimson nectar coursing her veins.

April 4th.

The apocalypse descended, mountains and rivers shattered, and the human world turned into purgatory.

April 5th.

“Brother Wang Tao, before I die, I ask you for a favor, please take care of my wife…”

April 7th.

Wang Tao unexpectedly discovered that he could not only see the HP bars of living creatures but also that the creatures he killed would drop loot!

“Rest in peace, Big Brother. I will definitely take good care of your wife!”