Enlightened Empire - Chapter 459: Old Investments

[Read up to chapter 5, you won't regret it.]Haru Mizuki died the lamest death possible: alone in his room, playing a hentai VRMMO. No heroic sacrifice. No tragic accident. Just... pathetic.But instead of oblivion, he wakes up in Aethelgard.Cursed by Chronia, Goddess of Time, Haru gains an ability no one else has: he can't stay dead. Every time he dies, he loops back to his last checkpoint. What seems like a curse becomes his greatest weapon, infinite retries mean infinite opportunities to learn, train, and seduce.And seduce he must. Because Haru's cheat ability, Touch of the Goddess, lets him steal powers from anyone he touches... but it works best through intimate contact.Armed with death loops, a hacker-class system that lets him sabotage rival players, Haru begins building the ultimate multi-species harem. But he's not the only player in this game, and they all want the same thing: absolute domination.

An 18-year-old gamer, dies and reincarnates into the world of Records of Istea—the game he was obsessed with. He awakens as Raze Dragonheart, a crippled cultivator with a fragmented core but exceptional stats and an [Absolute Genius] talent.Armed with complete knowledge of the game's plot, quests, and hidden secrets, Raze plans to systematically complete every major storyline before they unfold naturally, claiming artifacts, preventing disasters, and recruiting key allies. His strategy: “swallow the plot” entirely, reshaping the world's destiny through foreknowledge and strategic intervention.His journey begins with saving his dying sister and evolves into a mission to rewrite fate itself.

The most vulnerable time in a tennis game is when you are leading; even if there is a match point, the game is still possible.

Football is round, tennis is also round.

- Description from novelbuddy

Zhao Du'an, a government official leading a cautious life, finds himself transported to another world where he becomes the favored 'pretty face' of a female emperor and an oppressive, power-abusing villain. Before he can relish the moment, he faces mortal danger for releasing a national criminal. Cornered and desperate, he plans to soothe the female emperor to seek mercy, only to discover his 'leading gigolo' role is a sham.Worse still, his notorious reputation prompts officials and heroes alike to impeach and eliminate him; and martial artists and clerical magicians consider him a disgrace. Overwhelmed, Zhao Du'an decides it's better to stop being human to survive.Starting by betraying his allies, he becomes the Emperor's top lackey. Years later, amidst heavy snowfall in the capital, the female emperor Xu Zhen Guan sighs atop the city tower, 'It was supposed to be a pretend companionship, how did it turn real...'Also known as 'Deceiving and Flattering at the Court of Great Yu', 'The Record of a Villain Going White'.