The Dark King - Chapter 957: Retreat

Due to her family's worsening financial situation and the need to pay off her late father's debts, Isabella Quinn was forced to agree to a marriage proposal offered by Juliana Brown, to marry her son, Hunter William Brown, who had disabilities including paralysis and impotence.At that time, she had a boyfriend, Joe Fernando. However, she convinced Joe that the marriage was only temporary and that one day they would be together again.But when the marriage took place, Isabella was shocked to discover that Hunter was not as afflicted as she had thought.This fact left her feeling trapped, confused, and lacking the courage to tell either Joe or Juliana.What did she find out? Was it something that could make her fall in love with Hunter? Or the opposite? And what about Joe, who remained loyal while waiting for her?

I gave them my everything.My time… my strength… my heart.I trained while they slept.I smiled when they laughed.I stayed… even when it hurt.And what did I get?Nothing.They looked at me like I was pathetic.Like, I didn’t belong.Like I was… less.But I... the naive person I am, continued trusting them.They told me to act like trash, fine—I became trash.They told me to act like a scumbag, fine—I played the role.However...One mistake, one single moment...That’s all it took.And they threw me away.But now…Someone else woke up in my body.A stranger, a man who doesn’t know the pain I suffered, but wears my face.Let’s see what he does with it.Because me?I’m done with this life, so to the soul who took over my body...This is your mess now…'Gray'.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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In the foreign world, the martial artists dominate the world and the sword of the emperor controls the fate of hundreds of millions of lives! Long Yu, the number one killer on Earth, after dying, takes rebirth in this new world in an aristocratic family of martial artists but faces rejection because he is unable to practice martial arts.

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