The Phantom's Gambit - Chapter 38: Thorne

I possessed a minor character who marries the prince. I’m not thrilled about it. The prince is a scumbag who flirts with the heroine despite being engaged and eventually gets defeated by the original male lead. In the epilogue, all he does is apologize to his fiancée and marry her, with barely a line to his name. Well, his personality is twisted, but at least he’s handsome. And since he’s the third prince, he doesn’t have to shoulder the burden of ruling the kingdom. That’s decent husband material, I suppose. Go ahead, make a fool of yourself. You’re going to marry me anyway. I’ll just sit back and enjoy watching your embarrassing history unfold. “Doris Redfield. Don’t expect me to ask you to dance at this ball. Maybe not at the next one either. Or the one after that.” “Yes, Your Highness. As you wish.” “Even though we’re engaged… wait, what?” “It’s just a joke proposal our parents once tossed around, isn’t it? You don’t need to take it seriously, Your Highness. I’m really fine with it.” “…Is that so? Yes, that’s… fine, right?” Why are you panicking, prince? You started spouting nonsense first. Where’s your conscience? But then, this guy really has the audacity to ask something outrageous. “…Do you, perhaps, have another man?” The guy who flirted with the original heroine is saying this now? Calm down. He’ll regret this later. All I need to do is remain a devoted fiancée until then. “What are you talking about? A woman like me… plain, not beautiful, with a gloomy personality, what man would even—” “What? Who dared to say that about you?” …You did, in the original story. This guy is acting weird. But he’s not the only problem. “My dear little sister Doris, that dress you’re wearing today is dreadful. No wonder there are rumors His Highness has abandoned you.” “Well, it can’t be helped. His Highness is too good for me anyway.” “…Hold on. Too good? Who said that? Wait, were you really dumped?” The original villainess, who also happens to be my older sister, Natalie, is suddenly interested in my love life. Why are all the original tr*shy characters growling at each other over me now?!

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.

Xin Meng woke up from his dream and found himself entering a horror game. He must work with five other people to struggle and survive in a terrible world. Every effort is made to get back to reality, and the name of the game is… “Infinite Reincarnation”.

Soon, Xin Meng will realize that the human heart is far more terrible than the game.

- Description from Novelupdates

Lao Chen was just an old, underpaid security guard in a rundown apartment complex, living a miserable life under a stingy, ungrateful boss.His wife left him, his daughter wanted nothing to do with him, and poverty was his only constant companion.In the end, death came in the form of a drunk driver, leaving him broken and forgotten on the cold pavement.But fate wasn’t done with him. In his final moments, he prayed—desperate, pleading to any deity who would listen.And someone did.The God of Wealth and Love took pity on his wasted life and granted him a second chance.Wake up again as Zhao Yiming, a 25-year-old gambler and alcoholic drowning in debt with nothing but a good face and a strong body to his name, he was given the Affinity Money Maker System—a mysterious power that let him gain wealth and influence by forming relationships, whether as lovers, friends, or even enemies.Before he knew it, he had stumbled his way into unimaginable riches.But things never go as planned. One moment of recklessness—one affair with the wrong woman—led to an unexpected murder.Now, the system has thrown him onto a new path: The Villain Route. With a negative perk that keeps the police off his trail but tightens the noose around his future, Zhao Yiming is faced with an impossible choice.Will he claw his way to the top and become the billionaire he was meant to be? Or will his second life end behind bars, just as tragic as his first?