I Don't Want to Get Hurt, So I'll Max Out My Defense - Chapter 125 - 126: Seeing Feng Wuxie Again

Earth is dying. The sun is expanding at an uncontrollable rate, but Theo Spencer is alright with this. He's led a deplorable life. When the end comes, a mysterious entity grants him the gift of reincarnation. The gift of a quiet life as an alchemist.

Theo awakens in a small town in the southern reaches of a small kingdom in a non-human body. Broken Tusk doesn't seem like much, but his legendary alchemy skills will soon turn their fortune.

Join Theo on his journey to turn the swamp-town of Broken Tusk into a prosperous trade town.

In this world, orphans or just anyone without any hope for this world can apply to become a “walking target”. Their sole purpose is to be a practicing dummy for the students of the sect who train to become “Demon Hunters”. These students need “walking targets” to test their training on living, walking beings of flesh and blood.
In exchange, they will be provided with food & shelter.
Their existence value is lower than a slave, but if they manage to survive a few years they can receive a life long pension.

Xiao Han is such a “walking target”. One time he witnessed a powerful Demon Hunter disposing a demon. When the demon died, a fragment of the demon that managed to escape entered Xiao Han’s heart. No one saw that, and even Xiao Han himself only felt some discomfort for an instant.

But that thing in his heart soon gave Xiao Han visions, and the first one is of a cultivation method which allows Xiao Han to absorb damage to enhance his body. A perfect cultivation method for a “walking target”.

- Description from Novelupdates

From a caste based high school, bottom-tier Naomi Masatsugu is caught up in a summon of his class to a different world. However, as soon as they arrived the king said, “This guy is unnecessary because he only has clumsy skills ” and it is concluded that he is to be forced to administer the orphanage, which no one wants to do. Unfortunately for the orphanage his skills were cheat skills that cause the girls to cling to him.

In order to “defend” the girls that depend on him, he must operate the orphanage while overcoming the powerful people, authorities, and former classmates that surround him.

Zaiyila thought she had suffered enough—betrayed by her own mother and sold into marriage with a wealthy, aging man. But on the night of her pre-wedding ceremony, everything takes a dark and unexpected turn. A swarm of deadly snakes descends upon the gathering, killing her groom-to-be and throwing the hall into chaos. Fear spreads as the people recognize the serpents as the servants of the enigmatic and terrifying Snake King, Everett.When Everett himself arrives—a striking, horned man of unmatched beauty and power—Zaiyila finds herself drawn to him in ways she cannot explain. Despite the fear he inspires in others, she feels an unshakable connection to him, one that transcends the realm of logic. The moment she defies the fearful kneeling of the crowd, she unknowingly seals her fate.Taken into Everett’s domain, Zaiyila is forced to confront not only the dangerous, supernatural world she’s been thrust into but also the awakening desires she cannot deny. As she unravels the truth about her past and her connection to the Snake King, she must decide—will she resist the pull of destiny, or will she embrace the darkness and passion that Everett offers?A tale of betrayal, power, and an irresistible bond, Bride of the Serpent King explores the fine line between fear and desire, fate and choice.---