Arcane Era - Chapter 81: True Colors (Part 1)

A calculating merchant of noble birth lives a comfortable life managing his guild's business at the Imperial Academy—until lightning strikes him, leaving him with prophetic visions of a disastrous future. In these visions, he's expelled from his family, branded a traitor who aids demons, and worst of all, becomes a penniless beggar. When the supposed “protagonist” of these prophecies enrolls at the academy, he realizes his countdown to ruin has begun. Now he must use his foresight to rewrite a story where he's cast as a third-rate villain, all while navigating ancient dungeons, demonic threats, and the troublesome “hero” who might be the key to changing his fate.#MoneyIsEverything

After Chu Zheng was inexplicably judged to be dead, the only trouble was – spending money.

Since the binding of this system, her waist has not been sore, her legs have not hurt, and she is not even breathing. She lives in fear of spending money every day.

System: Let’s set a small goal and defeat it by 100 million… Miss, stop! Don’t just turn on the invincible mode! (▼ dish▼#)

Chuzheng: Can you first explain what this thing holding my thigh is?

Something: Baby, you can do whatever you want.

Chuzheng: (touching the knife) Well, then I’m welcome.

System: Miss, please put down the butcher knife! ! (▼へ▼メ)

#Miss, you can really do whatever you want, find out#

- Description from novelbuddy

Falling in love with my imposter sister's fiance wasn't the plan. After finding out that she was exchanged at birth and was the real daughter of the Moore family, Eliana was expecting a turn in her life, but nothing changed except that she lived in a big house and could now eat good food. Her parents still ignored her and everything good was first given to Amber, their imposter daughter.She was twelve when she met him, when he saved her from drowning, and when she found out that he already had a betrothed. It was already known that the eldest son of the Sanders family was betrothed to the eldest daughter of the Moore family since birth. She knew this, and it was only natural that she accepted this, but the more they crossed paths, the more she wanted him and the more she wanted more for herself. Eliana was ready to do anything to achieve all her dark desires, even if it made her a villain.After all, there is a saying that goes “Villians are not born, they are made.”

“Mana to breathe, mana to eat, mana to fucking live,”Inhale: -0.001 MP… oops! You're out of mana points.(Pay-to-breathe RPG.)Humanity's last walled stronghold._____In the world Elio lives, every gasp of air comes at a price.A floating indestructible book for every human, a magical system that turns survival into a pay-to-breathe RPG.Here, poverty isn't just being broke, it's choking.Surrounded by barren land and a sea of monsters on top of it (No water, just literal monsters), each day is a suffocating dance of survival, a balancing act between mana for air and mana for food.In this economy, holding your breath isn't just a game, it's a retirement plan.Driven by desperation (and the city's miserly rulers that don’t cut anyone a break), Elio dives into the Book System’s trials to save his family.Along the way, he unlocks powers he didn’t ask for and starts to figure out... Who he really is.Immerse yourself in an adventure where one young man's stubborn refusal to become a statistic could spark a revolution. Who knew being a pain in the system's rear could change the world?Because in Elio's world, breathing is just the beginning of the revolution and... he's gasping for change.But hey, who said saving the world had to be all doom and gloom? Join Elio as he kicks monster butt, uncovers ancient secrets, and maybe, just maybe, figures out how to grow a tree or two along the way.__________Warning:May contain traces of world domination, an unhealthy obsession with the periodic table, damage points, progression math, and yes, even a sprinkle of that old “power of friendship” magic. Because sometimes, you need a buddy to help you remember which element does what or even help you calculate those sweet, sweet stats.A quick heads-up:Despite what the cover might suggest, this isn’t a hack-and-slash adventure. Think more along the lines of a turn-based RPG, where strategy and choices matter as much as action. Get ready for a different kind of challenge!If you want to know more about the cover:Yep, that's our first FL crying and crossing the transparent barrier straight into a pixelated, indistinguishable sea of monsters. Because why not mix emotions with chaos? She's crazy like that! (Not really... or is she?)Discord to check the visuals: https://discord.gg/W3CjfC2cw4I’m still working on it in the little moments I find between writing, editing, making more character images, etc.Little by little, we’ll have a Poked... uh, a full SummonDex! Meanwhile, you can check out the ones on Fandom with their... funny descriptions? Or at least I hope so... orzWarning 2 (Privilege 4 and 5):I just wanted to stick to the novel’s level system, so I had to add those '0s'!!! Don’t be an elephant... unless you’re an enormous one... A whale! Seriously, nooooo!You’re going to make me die from the pressure, and I’ll feel terrible!! It’s just one chapter!!! You can wait... But if you’re dirty rich and really, Really, REALLY want to support, well... okay, though I’ll still feel bad!!! orz