Alpha Instinct - Chapter 108: "A Living Calamity"

Ten years ago, Magnolia was blamed for her sister’s death and cast out of her pack. Her Alpha father’s final words “Why did she die, but not you?” drove her into exile. She lived among humans, hiding her identity, her wolf, and her pain.Now, at twenty-eight, Magnolia learns her mate is none other than Rhett Callahan , the powerful Alpha of the strongest pack and heir to a billion-dollar empire. But instead of love, he offers her a contract: marry him for one year so he can fulfill the requirements of his inheritance.Magnolia accepts to save her parents’ home but finds herself in a loveless arrangement, mocked by the pack and haunted by the past. Then Camille returns with another woman, the one he truly loves… and it’s Magnolia ’s sister, long thought dead.As secrets explode and bonds unravel, Magnolia must decide if she can forgive the mate who rejected her or burn the past down with him in it.

In a dilapidated temple, a young man receives an outdoor webcast system, and thus, his webcast journey begins. He easily finds lingzhi worth thousands of dollars, keeps a falcon as his pet, and displays skills that leave his audience in awe. When he turns his head around, he discovers that the whole world is watching him.

When he joins a show, everyone asks, “Is this webcaster cultivating to be a deity?”

Someone exclaims, “This isn’t an adventure, this is a vacation!”

A reporter asks him, “Your fans claim that you know martial arts. Is that true?”

He answers, “Not true.”

Yet, in the next moment, when a little red bird flies past him, he takes a leap from a tall platform before jumping down…

“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

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?