Ascendance of a Bookworm - Chapter 19 - Clay Tablets: Also no good

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.

Orin Stonewood rises from a prestigious smithing family in the Astral Kingdom. Wealth, recognition, excellence, and charisma - he had it all. But life from twenty-five ended on such terms for him. He falls victim to a dark ritual. The fate after this mystery was to rise and fall in every life he reincarnates in. The ninth reincarnation made him Zmey Ashbane. Into a world of terrifying, exciting tales. It seemed as if every encounter in this world wanted to tie him down for some reason. But he knew his goal. To break free from the ritual and rise as a master of fate, not its pawn.(Update rate: 28 new chapters a week)(The book has a slow progression. If, after reading up to chapter 100, nothing in this story interests you, that means it isn’t for you.)Due to the progression, I will lock the novel at chapter 60.

Shaymon, the man who has achieved the apex of dark magic, is framed as being a Demon King and is killed.

(A cruel, merciless, inhuman, Prime Minister gong x (previously) a cute, naive, foolish prince shou)

As an alluring beauty, the Ninth Prince Qi Changyi inherited his mother’s looks, but was unfortunately a bit s*upid. Not only did he live in fear, even within palace walls, but he also merely lived as a substitute in his beloved’s eyes. Then, while being used and tormented, his delicate, pure heart finally burned to ashes.

Pei Zheng was the Prime Minister of the Imperial Court, a man of great status; he gained it all through the most ruthless methods. He was known for his cruel nature, but gradually, he became close to the unfavored ninth prince.

“Your Highness, just now, at court, who were you looking at? Huh?” Pei Zheng squeezed the small man’s delicate little chin.

Qi Changyi’s eyes were misty with tears of pain, “I, I wasn’t.”

“Stop trying to seduce others.” Pei Zheng’s voice was frigid. “Otherwise, I’ll make sure that General Zhao, for whom you pine, dies on the battlefield!”

He thought he had a firm grip on this little fool, but he could’ve never imagined that one day, this little fool would leave his side carrying a broken heart.

“Brother Pei, I’m leaving now, you should be happy.”

With scarlet eyes and a heart burning with obsession, he searched everywhere, but found no trace of him.

“I won’t, without you, I’ll never be happy again. Your Highness, where should I go, how can I bring you home?”

1v1, happy ending! But the path leading up to it is laced with sweetness and cruelty.

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