The Nine Cauldrons - Chapter 539: The Chosen Path

CONTENT WARNING:/This novel contains mature themes, explicit sexual content, strong language, and adult situations. Reader discretion is advised./---She ran from the devil who raised her…And married the one who wore a crown.After her parents’ tragic death, Lydia Andreyevna’s life became a nightmare. Stripped of her name, inheritance, and freedom by her uncle—Lord Alexander—she was treated like property and promised to a Count four times her age.Desperate to escape, she fled into the cold night… and straight into blood.A stranger. Wounded. Beautiful. Terrifying.She should’ve left him.But she didn’t.She touched him once—and fate branded her forever.Her uncle caught her the next morning. Her escape failed. But when she begged Queen Olga for protection, the Queen offered her a deadly bargain:Marry the masked Grand Duke of Zolotaria.The king’s hunting dog. The butcher of the East. The devil in a crown.The man feared by kings.The heir to the throne.The same man she once saved.Ivan Romanov.They say he bathes in blood. That he kills without blinking. That he conquered kingdoms with a smile behind a mask. That no one sees his face—and lives.Some call him the devil. Others call him Death’s favorite son.But behind the mask is the same man she found dying in the dark.The same voice that haunted her dreams.The same hands she once held.Now, he’s her husband.Her jailer.Her obsession.She doesn’t know if she’s his prisoner, or his weakness.Cold and untouchable, Ivan doesn’t share his bed. Doesn’t share his secrets. But she sees it—the hunger in his eyes. The pain in his silence. The way he looks at her like she’s the only thing keeping his demons at bay.She should fear him.She should hate him.But the moment she dares to take off his mask… it’s already too late.Because Ivan wants her—her fire, her body, her heart.And in his world, what he wants, he keeps.Even if it means burning down the kingdom.She thought she was running from hell.She ended up in his bed.And the most dangerous thing of all?She doesn’t want to leave.

The dungeons appeared 3,000 years ago. New wealth and ways to gain power poured into the world, tipping the world’s power balance.

People rejoiced in their appearance. Now the poor could thrive, escaping poverty.

There were countless people trying to enter the dungeons. They formed a guild to manage them. We named them the Explorer’s guild.

All who ventured into those dark, evil places given a title to signify their status.

[Dungeon Scout]

A special occupation created to control the people who entered the dungeon.

A young orphan, adopted by dungeon knights and, would eventually follow in their footsteps.

His name was Vincent Schwartz, born in a fractured world of death and decay.

On the day of his 18th birthday, when children could ingest a special fluid and awaken.

Vincent awakened the unique [Summoner] class.

Able to summon distant beings that wielded endless power, able to perform terrifying attacks.

The only problem was the strange system, which appeared out of nowhere.

[The Demonic Choice System]

This system would give him random choices and give different rewards at different intervals in his life.

Would his system help him attain a wonderful life, filled with women he loves?

Perhaps the world will force him to fight, as the dungeon’s purpose remained hidden in shadows.

The story is about a man whose compulsive tendencies make it impossible for him to keep a job, and a young girl who skips school and loves insects. The two meet, come to support each other in reintegrating into society, and fall in love. There’s a problem, however: namely, the parasites in their heads.