Close Combat Mage - Chapter 254 - Encountering a Little Thief on the Road Part 2

As a princess that could not wield magic, Princess Daphne’s only value to her kingdom was her arranged marriage. The task was simple, but when Daphne gets kidnapped and brought to the cold mountains of Vramid, she realizes that she’s in over her head.

She had heard of these cursed mountains before― rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, and the land was ruled by a man feared by many within the continent.

King Atticus Heinvres, the blood-thirsty ruler of the North.

Even though she had never met him before, tales were spread of King Atticus’s ruthlessness. Some said he was a monster, others claimed he was the devil himself, but whatever the story was, everyone knew of the man who had powers beyond anyone’s imagination. He could topple armies and crumble nations with just one wave of his hand, aided by what others rumored to be a cursed obsidian ring.

No one outside of Vramid had ever met the fearsome king before. Not until Daphne.

However, upon meeting the formidable man, Daphne found out that the king might not really be the monster others had claimed him to be.

In fact, what was hidden under that obsidian shield could just be a diamond in the rough.

―

[Excerpt]

“Now… where should I put you both?” he asked casually, not expecting a reply. “It’s regretful that I only have one chandelier.”

“Underneath my bed? No, no, too dirty. My dust bunnies don’t deserve this,” Atticus mused to himself. “The mantlepiece? How about the vanity table? I suppose if I lop off one of your heads I could mount it over… Wife, which head do you want to stare at while you do your hair?”

“Atticus!” Daphne screamed. “I don’t want any heads! Let them go.”

“Fair enough.” Atticus shrugged, and flicked his fingers.

There were two identical cracks as both necks snapped at once.

Daphne gasped, horrified. This man, her husband, had just killed two men with a flick of his finger, as though he was snuffing out candles.

“I told you to let them go!” Daphne cried out.

“Yes, I let them go,” Atticus said. Then, his eyes darkened. “To receive divine judgment from the heavens.”

―

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After being confined in a mental asylum for years, Jin Jiuchi had just been released back to human habitation when he suddenly found himself trapped in a dangerous and thrilling survival game.

Wait, is there something wrong with you all? Why do you look so scared? This world is so… exciting!

For Jin Jiuchi, this beast in human clothing who was chained by society laws, the appearance of the Nightmare Cycle was akin to a dream come true!

Drinking tea with a dismembered bride in a haunted apartment, dancing tango with the evil spirit in the depths of suicide forest, skipping rope with the ancient god in a forgotten civilization…

Jin Jiuchi was so happy that he was going crazy! However, when he went crazy, all the players and NPCs in the cycle trembled in fear.

***

There was only a beautiful jade doll who had never been afraid of him.

Shen Nianzu called out softly, “Jin-ge.”

Jin Jiuchi, who was happily digging through a rotten corpse's stomach, suddenly dropped everything and zoomed in front of Shen Nianzu with a speed invisible to naked eyes. His eyes were curved into crescents as he asked, “What's wrong, Nian'er? Do you want to join me too?”

Shen Nianzu was expressionless as he stared at the bloody man in front of him. Then he suddenly stretched out a hand, palm up. Confused, Jin Jiuchi placed his dirty paw in Shen Nianzu's hand and shook it.

Shen Nianzu: “Good boy.”

Jin Jiuchi: ?

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I couldn’t even clear the 2D version, now to clear the game in reality?Maybe I’ll have to live here for the rest of my life.Well, even that won’t be easy.– A player found himself in the game, Dungeon and Stone, as a savage barbarian.To keep his secret, he must become the mask – must make himself be seen as more savage, more fearless than any others – a paragon of his race in the eyes of the whole world.Back on earth, in the empty darkened room, the quiet computer again began to whir. Text began to appear on the black screen.「Synchronization complete. 」

After dying a pathetic death as an overworked office drone, I woke up reincarnated as Archer—the bastard prince of the Brutish Empire.My existence is a royal secret as My father, the King, would rather pretend I don't exist. My half siblings get royal treatment while I'm hidden away like a dirty secret.But I have a secret of my own. I was OP.By age two, I realized monsters flee from my stupidly OP mana. By age ten my mana could level cities—if I dare to unleash it.When my half-sister is kidnapped by the demon king, I finally decided to step out of hiding to become the strongest in this new world.