The Villainess is a Marionette - Chapter 32

The city lights blurred as Evelyn Carter ran—away from the past, away from the voice that had kept her caged for years. Westbridge University was supposed to be her escape, a place where she could disappear, blend into the background, and finally breathe.But then he showed up.Adrian West wasn’t supposed to notice her. Loud, confident, and radiating a warmth she wasn’t used to, he crashed into her quiet world like a storm she never saw coming. And for the first time, silence wasn’t her only option.But the past doesn’t let go so easily.Secrets don’t stay buried forever.And running… running was never the same as being free.She thought she was invisible. He saw her anyway.Are you ready to uncover the truth?It is a slow-burn, heartwarming story about love, healing, and finding the light even in the darkest places.

At the end of the dark 40,000 years, the enemies in the Milky Way launched their final offensive. When the end of the Era comes, the eternal war will come to an end. The human empire has now reached its destined final moment.

But the gear of fate does not end. The fate of the Milky Way will be determined by him and them as it was ten thousand years ago. What will happen at the end of this dark 40,000 years?

- Description from novelbuddy

“Mana to breathe, mana to eat, mana to fucking live,”Inhale: -0.001 MP… oops! You're out of mana points.(Pay-to-breathe RPG.)Humanity's last walled stronghold._____In the world Elio lives, every gasp of air comes at a price.A floating indestructible book for every human, a magical system that turns survival into a pay-to-breathe RPG.Here, poverty isn't just being broke, it's choking.Surrounded by barren land and a sea of monsters on top of it (No water, just literal monsters), each day is a suffocating dance of survival, a balancing act between mana for air and mana for food.In this economy, holding your breath isn't just a game, it's a retirement plan.Driven by desperation (and the city's miserly rulers that don’t cut anyone a break), Elio dives into the Book System’s trials to save his family.Along the way, he unlocks powers he didn’t ask for and starts to figure out... Who he really is.Immerse yourself in an adventure where one young man's stubborn refusal to become a statistic could spark a revolution. Who knew being a pain in the system's rear could change the world?Because in Elio's world, breathing is just the beginning of the revolution and... he's gasping for change.But hey, who said saving the world had to be all doom and gloom? Join Elio as he kicks monster butt, uncovers ancient secrets, and maybe, just maybe, figures out how to grow a tree or two along the way.__________Warning:May contain traces of world domination, an unhealthy obsession with the periodic table, damage points, progression math, and yes, even a sprinkle of that old “power of friendship” magic. Because sometimes, you need a buddy to help you remember which element does what or even help you calculate those sweet, sweet stats.A quick heads-up:Despite what the cover might suggest, this isn’t a hack-and-slash adventure. Think more along the lines of a turn-based RPG, where strategy and choices matter as much as action. Get ready for a different kind of challenge!If you want to know more about the cover:Yep, that's our first FL crying and crossing the transparent barrier straight into a pixelated, indistinguishable sea of monsters. Because why not mix emotions with chaos? She's crazy like that! (Not really... or is she?)Discord to check the visuals: https://discord.gg/W3CjfC2cw4I’m still working on it in the little moments I find between writing, editing, making more character images, etc.Little by little, we’ll have a Poked... uh, a full SummonDex! Meanwhile, you can check out the ones on Fandom with their... funny descriptions? Or at least I hope so... orzWarning 2 (Privilege 4 and 5):I just wanted to stick to the novel’s level system, so I had to add those '0s'!!! Don’t be an elephant... unless you’re an enormous one... A whale! Seriously, nooooo!You’re going to make me die from the pressure, and I’ll feel terrible!! It’s just one chapter!!! You can wait... But if you’re dirty rich and really, Really, REALLY want to support, well... okay, though I’ll still feel bad!!! orz

Feng Xinying was an heiress of a billion dollar empire. She was a model by profession, a celebrity hailed by all as a winner in life.Suddenly she found that all she had was but an illusion. Upon her father's death, her company fell into the hands of Xie Yuansheng, leaving her with nothing but a fiery anger and indignation. And Xie Yuansheng was no easy man to deal with.Forced to be his secretary, Feng Xinying was fuming mad, never wanting to compromise on her career.Unfortunately, things were not going as she planned, and while she was hostile towards Xie Yuansheng, he was eager to mark her as his.----------------------------Before he was reborn, he loved Feng Xinying crazily and all he wanted was to make her his for the lifetime. But she hated him to the core because he mistreated her, caged her and didn’t let her go anywhere. He was suspicious of her movements. He knew that she hated him, and so he only tightened his control over her.After his rebirth, he looked differently at her. Xie Yuansheng was ready to make all amendments in this lifetime.From being the worst husband, he became the best that would dote on his wife. This is a story of how two people came to meet each other. She hated him first and then fell in love irrevocably.