MTL - City: My Apprentice is a Boss - Chapter 12 pupil hole

In humanity’s final war against the Demon Lord, the strongest heroes fell—not by the enemy’s hand, but by their own, twisted into madness by a cruel illusion. Betrayal. Bloodshed. Despair… and then, silence.Only one person remained: Riley—the weakest warrior of them all. Powerless. Ignored. Forgotten.But he saw through the Demon Lord’s deception. The tyrant was on the brink of death—so weak even a fly could’ve finished him off.And Riley did just that, drawing every last ounce of strength to bite off the demon’s head.Victory? Not quite. A final, desperate strike from the Demon Lord pierced him from behind, killing him instantly.But fate wasn’t done with him yet.Riley awoke ten years in the past—when the online game [Apocalypse] was launched. Before demons descended. Before monsters overran the world.And this time, he wasn’t starting from nothing. He had a decade of experience—and a second chance.Even more shocking, he didn’t awaken his old D-rank Strength Boost talent. This time, he received something far more terrifying: an SSS-Rank Gluttony talent!He could now devour anything—monsters, items, talents, even traits—and gain their power.Ding![You have devoured: Iron Fang Wolf][Acquired: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, Skill: Bite (F-rank)][You have devoured: Goblin ShamanAcquired: +8 Intelligence, Skill: Mana Bolt (E-rank), Talent: Minor Spellcasting Efficiency][You have devoured: Flaming Salamander Drake][Acquired: +22 Endurance, Trait: Dragon’s Resilience, Skill: Flame Breath (C-rank)]Now, there is no demon, no god, no monster who will stand in his way. He will devour everything—and save the world.But the power of Gluttony was a double edged sword. If he wasn’t careful… he could be the one getting consumed.

Xia Xiao unexpectedly reincarnates to the 1960s and becomes a young intellectual in a production team.Having obtained a mystical space with a spirit spring and jade water, she raises chickens and grows vegetables, but dares not use them.As everyone around her is skinny and hungry, if she turns herself into a wealthy and beautiful woman, it would lead to her undoing.Xia Xiao looks up to the sky and sighs deeply, what a bittersweet surprise this is!

He is Xi Liang’s legendary emperor: a decisive and ruthless king; a man of supreme wisdom; a cunning strategist.

According to legend, he once conferred the love meant for the three thousand concubines in his harem onto one woman, while the world watched in envy.

According to legend, he once executed a hundred people for her, turning the palace into a purgatory overnight.

According to legend, he ultimately sentenced that same woman to death by execution…

A conspiracy that swept through the country resulted in her tragic end. This lifetime seems to be a repeat of her past life. Can she escape the clutches of fate to attain true love in this life? In both lives, she was the Emperor’s wife, but is that ruthless man really her true love mandated by Heaven?

Did she really die, just like that?

In the end, beyond the veil of lies and mysteries, who exactly was she? Was she a woman that he truly loved, or was she merely a chess piece to be used in his political machinations?

The stories passed onto later generations remain fraught with conflicting opinions.

- Description from Novelupdates

“21 days. 7 hundred million won. 29 strangers. One unforgettable man.” Yoon Ji-won never planned to become a substitute driver. He never planned to be locked inside a building for 21 days with 29 dangerously attractive men. And he definitely didn’t plan to have his world turned upside down by a smooth-talking younger guy who won’t leave him alone. After a mysterious interview, Ji-won is thrown into a secretive, high-stakes project with an offer too tempting to refuse. The rules? Obey. Stay. Survive. But when he meets “Number Three,” everything starts to unravel. Cold stares. Lingering touches. A spark that turns into a fire he can't put out. Is it destiny? Or just another trap? For readers who crave intense power dynamics, isolated tension, and twisted attraction wrapped in a sleek, modern BL thriller.