MTL - Pirates Make Memes: Get Eight Magic Skills at the Beginning - Chapter 203

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

Zhao Du'an, a government official leading a cautious life, finds himself transported to another world where he becomes the favored 'pretty face' of a female emperor and an oppressive, power-abusing villain. Before he can relish the moment, he faces mortal danger for releasing a national criminal. Cornered and desperate, he plans to soothe the female emperor to seek mercy, only to discover his 'leading gigolo' role is a sham.Worse still, his notorious reputation prompts officials and heroes alike to impeach and eliminate him; and martial artists and clerical magicians consider him a disgrace. Overwhelmed, Zhao Du'an decides it's better to stop being human to survive.Starting by betraying his allies, he becomes the Emperor's top lackey. Years later, amidst heavy snowfall in the capital, the female emperor Xu Zhen Guan sighs atop the city tower, 'It was supposed to be a pretend companionship, how did it turn real...'Also known as 'Deceiving and Flattering at the Court of Great Yu', 'The Record of a Villain Going White'.

What if a power to level up or upgrade everything—your way of living, battle skills, military prowess, etc.—but this power is limited to your Eldritch tribe.Would you expand your tribe to rise above all adversaries, would you use it to gain more personal power or use it to toy with everyone?Lyerin wanted nothing more than peace on himself, but all he had was regret. He possessed a secret ability that allowed him to quickly excel at anything he chose, but he could only use it once.While others had to spend a long time to reach higher levels or master new skills, he only needed to complete a simple, specific task to level up.However, he had already used this ability to count a specific number of sand grains to save his own life. After that, his existence became a living hell.One day, he was unexpectedly sent back in time, where he would witness numbers appearing in the sky, signaling the end of the world again—an apocalypse he despised the most!But Lyerin realized he could use his ability once more, this time on a certain group of people.A TRIBE!```[ Ding! ][ You have chosen to level up knife slash! As a Wildling of your tribe, you can level up your knife slash. ][ Condition: Slash the knife 500 times. ][ You have chosen a random tree to level up! The tree is part of your tribe; you can level it up. ][ Condition: Water the tree 300 times. ][ You cannot level up anymore due to your limited rank within the tribe. Raise your rank in the clan first. ][ Condition: Give honor to the tribe. ][ You have reached the peak level of your tribe. If you want to level up further, improve and level up your clan! ][ Condition: Level up the Ancestral Healing Ritual, level up the Newborn Den, and level up the tribe's farm. ]```With this overpowered ability, can he still hold onto his selfish wish for peace within himself?

Shishio stared at the beautiful girl in front of him, and he couldn’t look away. Her waist might be the narrowest waist that he had ever seen, and he was wondering how it felt to hug that waist. Finally, he made up his mind and decided to say hello to her, but suddenly…

[Target has been found!]

«Huh?»

[Welcome to Scumbag System!]

[The more woman you have, the more rewards you will receive!]

[As a starting gift, you have received «Japanese Food Cooking Mastery»!]

[As the first target has been found, you also receive 500 million yen on your back account!]

[The journey has only been started!]

[Work hard, young man!]

«???????»

Shishio frowned and said, «I refuse!» without hesitation, but after a while…

«I refuse!.. I really refuse!.. I really try hard to refuse!.. Sorry, I can’t refuse it…»

Shishio tried really hard, but he couldn’t…

***

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.