Hard Enough - Chapter 203: Throwing down the gauntlet

Long time ago, the world was ruled by the Primordials — an ancient and powerful race who mastered magic and shaped the land with runes and magic. They built bastions that stood as monuments to their greatness, cities protected by powerful enchantments. But their thirst for even greater power led to disaster. They opened gates to another realm… and unleashed demons.What followed was swift and brutal. The Primordials fought back, but they lost. Their civilization crumbled, their names were erased, and only the magical bastions remained — sealed places protected by forgotten runes that even demons could not cross.Now, demons rule the night. Humanity lives in fear, hiding behind rune-marked walls, unaware of their true origins or how close the world stands to its final collapse.Into this broken world falls Alex — a stranger from another reality. Upon his arrival, he awakens a forbidden power within himself: nature magic and the ability to shapeshift. A gift… and a curse.Magic is forbidden. Hunted. Destroyed. If anyone discovers what he is, he could be executed on the spot. But only through his power does Alex stand a chance of surviving… and fighting back. As he journeys across this dark and ruined land, he begins to unravel secrets long buried, truths about the demons’ origin, and the real reason the world fell.This is a dark fantasy tale of blood, survival, ancient knowledge, and inner transformation. Alex must choose what he will become: a monster, a savior… or something in between.Hello and welcome to everyone who decided to read my first writing attempts!The story you are reading is created in my free time, so new chapters will be released approximately 3-4 times a week. I run my own business, which sometimes makes it difficult to find a moment to sit down and fully focus on writing.I'm a fan of brutal, bloody scenes – the kind that stay in your mind long after you've finished reading. I have a vivid imagination, and when I write, I see each of these fights clearly, as if they were happening right in front of me: torn bodies, blood spraying, guts... none of that sugar-coated fighting.I try to transfer these images from my head to the page with as much intensity as possible, so you can feel the same tension and thrill that I do while writing.I also want to build a sense of horror – especially when it comes to monsters. I'm not interested in easy enemies. These are meant to be creatures you feel before you see them. The kind that stir fear and force the characters into desperate decisions.I hope you'll enjoy these scenes too – brutal, emotional, and full of darkness.As for the plot, I already have a general outline in my head, so there’s a lot of writing ahead of me. In the future, the story may include R18 scenes, but before that, I want to build a solid world and well-developed characters.If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to reach out—I’d love to discuss them, and maybe we can add something interesting to the story!Enjoy the read!

“It’s finally here,” said the man with the sword in an echoing whisper.

“The Tower of Choice, the last 100 floors!” the band of five exclaimed in unison.

Angelica came down from the altar with a dull look, seemingly annoying.

Then we looked around.

“I tell you once again, but you’ve had a lot of trouble in the meantime. I couldn’t have climbed to the 100th floor alone without you.”

Thud!

One by one, they fall to the floor.

Angelica’s dagger pierced my neck, and I felt a darkening in front of my eyes with a tumultuous rage. My awareness faded, from my senses, from everything else. After that, everything was eroded by profound darkness.

(1V1, Shuang Jie, Two-way Secret Love, Chasing His Wife Long, Banning Cookies)

(Cold and dumb elite secretary VS paranoid and fierce loyal dog president)

Jiang Mingyu, a well-known all-round secretary in City A, is low-key and humble, with outstanding strength, and is a top talent that no one in the industry does not covet.

But no one knows that she has lost a memory in her brain, so she suffers from a mild emotional disorder and is also troubled by nightmares.

Tang Jinchuan, a terrifying business boss, has a level that must be avoided.

But also no one knows that he accidentally fell in love with his secretary, but he never managed to grasp the other party’s heart.

*

In an accident, Jiang Mingyu found her panacea, but at that time, she didn’t want it.

It was not until she was forcibly pressed against the door of the office and had nowhere to escape that she had to face the man’s gentle and cold question,

“Jiang Mingyu, what are you running for?”

Only later, people still ran away.

The angry-eyed CEO chased half the world, and after finally catching the person back, he directly locked him in the basement.

In the endless reversal of day and night, Jiang Mingyu’s eyes were red, and she couldn’t help trembling and asked,

“Tang Jinchuan, what are you doing?”

“……you.”

- Description from novelbuddy

800 years ago, 3000 dimensional gates opened across the entire world. In that moment, it was as if 3000 different colored eyes opened across the world as hordes of monsters swarmed out of these gates like tears.

Some could destroy city walls with one strike; They had bodies the size of a giant and fed on humans

Some latched onto humans, absorbing their bodies’ nutrients and enslaving humans

Some infiltrated the humans’ cities, disguising themselves as normal human beings while feeding upon human blood to sustain themselves.

In a night, the Human race fell to the bottom of the food chain.

The world had turned into a paradise for monsters…