MTL - Smallholder Farmer - ~ The fortieth section

What would you do if your entire world were turned on its head? A Primordial System buzzing in everyone’s heads, displaying strange screens and other displays in their visions. Being thrown into a tutorial before entering your first System Event broadcast across the universe. Returning back to your home after the System Event to realize that it’s been filled with Gates leading to monster-filled domains, a good number of which have already broken and released their monsters into the world. And learning that the abilities every human being has – abilities that have led to the current structure of society – are nothing but the root of their Skill Trees. The very first skill in their Skill Tree out of many. Well, Ashley doesn’t know. She doesn’t remember anything other than some basic common knowledge from before waking up at the start of the tutorial with amnesia. So why should this change anything for her? Other than her finding out about the blood bestowed upon her by a certain primordial and her own Skill Tree. One with just a single skill. A skill to unlock the skill trees of those she kills. To assimilate. What to expect: Skill Trees, LitRPG Apocalypse, Skill Tree Assimilator(the ability to take the skill trees of those the MC kills that she can unlock through Skill Points without getting the skills right away), Livestreamed Dungeons, Livestreamed Public Battles and Events, Chaos Magic, Varied Magic due to Skill Tree Assimilator, and the MC does not start off strong in the start and only grows strong as she assimilates more skills from those she kills, the MC starts out without any memories and few emotions and slowly gains them throughout the series. What not to expect: I do not write romance(for the main protagonist), there will be no harem, there will be no reverse harem, and do not expect a really strong MC at the start of the story as she has to grow into that role.

Theodora is the Queen of Polis, a city-state that lost the war against the most powerful empire in the continent.

She is sure that they'll execute her immediately but, somehow, she survives the meeting with the Emperor, and she finds herself... Married?

Tossed in a new world without connections and allies, she has to either accept her fate or lose the chance to help her people once again.

She soon finds out that her new husband knows more about her than she does herself, and that his purposes are often far from what she expects.

A fallen queen that doesn't know how to be anything else. A handsome Duke who's the cause of her ruin. And their efforts to find some happiness in a marriage that's been forced on them.

WARNING: there are contents not suitable for a sensitive audience.

The smut scenes are half-censored at the beginning, but the amount and details will increase after a few dozen chapters (according to the Queen's mood .-. )

***

«I'm sorry for lying to you, your grace...»

«You're a Duchess. No one will dare to consider your words a lie: if you say that you were painting souls, then it's the truth.»

«I will remember it.»

«No, you have to understand it, Theodora. You're not a prisoner, but my wife. I'll protect you when you need it, and I'll help you with any issue you have. You're not just a Duchess in the name. You're my Duchess.»

«It's hard to believe in such a short amount of time.»

«For now, stop shaking like a chicken. I won't hurt you.»

***

In a world where 80% of humanity has awakened supernatural talents, life is a brutal competition.College loser Kim Do-hyun is barely surviving on game bots, instant noodles, and debt. That is, until a government-mandated awakening throws him into the spotlight… only to declare his power total trash.Cloning? Level one? Cooldown? One body? What a joke.But this clone is real. It sweats. It works. It eats. And when it trains… Do-hyun's stats increase.Now, while the clone grinds 24/7—running, working, even getting beat up—Do-hyun chills in bed, reaping the rewards.His strength rises. His body transforms. His life begins to change.But power attracts attention.And when an S-Rank hunter known only as The Jumper starts watching, Do-hyun realizes something terrifying:He might not be the only one cheating the system.

I don’t need companions. I don’t do party play. But… the game forces party play?