Magi Craft Meister - Chapter 23 - HERDING

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.

When her once-wealthy family falls into ruin, Elara Vance has only one option to protect them: marry the man responsible for their downfall, Damien Arclight, a ruthless business tycoon with a hidden vendetta.What begins as a cold-blooded deal soon spirals into a web of secrets, betrayals, and dangerous desires. Elara must navigate high society, corporate warfare, and her growing feelings for the enemy she swore to hate, all while uncovering the truth behind her family's collapse.Is love even possible when the marriage starts as a trap? And will the truth destroy them both?Genres: Romance, Drama, Enemies-to-Lovers, Revenge, High SocietyThemes: Arranged marriage, family loyalty, slow-burn romance, power play

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- Description from novelbuddy

People called him a genius—but Agares never believed it.Tired of expectations, he abandoned everything to live an ordinary life, working just to survive in a cruel world.But fate had other plans.A sudden transmigration took Agares into a world of swords and sorcery—a land ravaged by demons, ruled by power, and merciless to the weak.To his shock, he awakens as one of the Chosen Heroes. Sounds like a dream come true?Wrong.“That's a cursed job!”“He's no hero—he's a demon in disguise!”“Kill him! For the sake of the world!”[DING! Congratulations, you have obtained a Job.][Name: Agares][Job: Saber]Hunted by the empire he was meant to protect, feared for the power he never asked for, Agares finds himself branded a threat to humanity. All because of a job he didn’t choose.Just as the noose tightens, a red-eyed woman named Liel offers him a different path:“You were born to be more than their hero.”“The empire betrayed you. Humanity rejected you. Even nature turns away.”“Why not embrace what they fear —and become the successor of the Demon Emperor?”Now, Agares has a choice: run, or rise.This is the beginning of his war.A war not just for survival —but for vengeance.