Tome of Troubled Times - Chapter 11: Natural-Born Bandit

Insane. Traitor. Terrorist.

I reincarnated as a lizard in a martial arts world.“Roar!”“He’s using the lion’s roar!”“To deflect the Ten-Star Power Plum Blossom Sword Technique! Truly indestructible as they say!”“This is… the Heavenly Demon Overlord Technique! It’s a Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon has appeared!”It seems they’re mistaking me for something else.

“Welcome to Eclipse Online, the most lethal full-dive MMORPG on the planet, where there is only one life. Death is permanent, and each choice has a price the fragile world cannot afford. But for one of its players, the rules are about to be rewritten”.Following a fatal attack of the dungeon, he discovers a hidden room with a horrific inscription: he has been made the Eclipse Reaver, fated to tread the game world eternally.Each time he dies, he is resurrected, but at a horrific cost: shattered soul shards erase his memories, emotions, and abilities.As the game universe descends into chaos and its top players fall, he is forced to explore the dark conspiracy of Eclipse Online before he too is lost for good.With gory fights, shifting game mechanics, and a mystery thickening by the minute, never has the pressure been higher.Will he overcome the system, or lose himself in the void? Will he manage to retain his sanity, or be one of the many lost souls in the void?

“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.