Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse - Chapter 39: Clash of Factions and the Hunt for Gnolls

Elara’s first life crashed hard. Cruel tricks ruined her name, broke her dreams, and turned the whole entertainment world against her. Friends betrayed her. Lovers sold her out. Everyone she trusted stabbed her in the back. The pain piled up until she felt trapped with no way out. One night, she couldn’t take it anymore. She walked to the river and ended it all in the cold, quiet water.Later, proof came out. Messages. Recordings. Everything showed she had been framed. People posted apologies online. But it was too late. She was already gone.The universe, though, clearly has a twisted sense of humor.Because somehow, Elara came back. She woke up in her own past, every awful memory still sharp in her head. Right then she made a promise she would never break: protect her gentle grandfather no matter what, and never let anyone push her to that dark place again.This time she steps into the entertainment world with her head high. She trains harder, sings better, fights smarter. The same people who once crushed her? Now they get to feel the pressure.Love? Not happening. Her heart is locked tight. But why is it that as she rises and shines brighter, handsome, powerful men start circling her—guys who never even glanced at her in her previous life were now hovering around her.The actor smiled at her during a press interview, leaned closer, and said softly, “We should have dinner sometime.”The footballer sent flowers so big they blocked her room door.The surgeon she met at a charity event checked her pulse and then forgot to let go of her wrist.The singer she collaborated with kept calling her name during rehearsals, as if the mic could not hear him well enough.Elara stared at the ceiling that night and sighed.She only wanted to sing. Why did everyone look like they wanted to adopt her, date her, or both?But the worst one came after the concert.The lights had just gone off. Her ears were still ringing. Sweat clung to her neck. She had barely stepped backstage when a shadow blocked her path.She looked up.The CEO of the greatest company in Aurelia stood there. The same man who once said her voice was “not worth investing in.” The same man who did not even know her name before rebirth.Now he held her wrist lightly, but firmly.“Let’s talk,” he said.Elara blinked. “About… sponsorship?”“No,” he replied calmly. “About marriage.”Her brain froze.“…What?”“I will give you everything,” he continued, as if asking for a glass of water. “Resources. Protection. Freedom to sing. Become my wife.”Elara stared at him, her mouth open, her thoughts running in circles.This was not how it was supposed to be.Why was the world now skipping steps?NB:This story takes place in a fictional world. Aurelia is a country. Solmere, Veston, and Starfall City are the three capital cities of Aurelia. Other cities, such as Lorien and Crelou, are smaller cities.

He is a legend among film directors, he completely changed the whole world’s view on Chinese directors! —Washington post.

He once again created a legendary movie, and the flock of fans almost collapsed the movie theater! ―Chicago Sun-Times.

To cry with his movies, to be moved by his movies, to shout crazily because of his movies, what else is impossible? A legendary figure in the director world, who made everyone who laughed at him feel ashamed! -New York Times.

He is the hottest director in Hollywood, the lover in the eyes of all beautiful actors and movie fans, unparalleled, a legendary director who rises like a comet, director of this brilliant life, a legend that subverts all old concepts, welcome, super director ——Smith Zhang!

- Description from novelbuddy

'A self-centric Female Lead, lost-in-love Male Leads, and useless extras who will die. On top of it, this world will not be here for long because of that ancient threat. So, what should I do now?'What kind of world was a world of Female-Oriented Fantasy romance? One filled with tinted glass and roses? Life should have been easy here, right? Wrong! Layla had read this book before, and she knew what happened.“Those useless leads left this world in a shamble! I need to do something about it before it gets destroyed. If I am going to live here, I need to ensure this world stays alive long enough. Who has time for romance when the world will end soon?”Her goal was set, and her life was laid out. Layla was going to use whatever she could to secure her second life.Everyone was a useful piece from here on, and Layla used them well to achieve her end goal. This might be a world based on a fantasy romance, but she would ensure it would not repeat it's ending.______Note: It has a strong Female Protagonist as the MC. No romance, no harem, no yuri.

Lan Hengsheng was once the pride of the Lan Clan, a child prodigy with limitless potential—until his fifth birthday changed everything.Declared spirit coreless, he was abandoned by those who once praised him, dismissed as a mortal in a world ruled by cultivators. His so-called friends turned their backs on him, and the clan that once held him in high regard saw him as nothing more than a disappointment.But Hengsheng holds a secret—one that defies the natural laws of this world.Ding![Make a wish] He wished for everything! With the ability to create a system, he doesn’t need talent. He doesn’t need fate’s blessing. He can program his own path to immortality.Why struggle for enlightenment when he can create a Cultivation Optimization System?Why waste decades training when he can install a Time Acceleration System?Why risk his life searching for treasures when he can develop an Auto-Farming System?While other cultivators beg the heavens for guidance, Hengsheng writes his own cultivation manual.Armed with his cheat-like power, he will challenge geniuses, reshape sects, and rewrite the very foundation of cultivation itself.The strongest cultivator is a system maker!