Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 149.5: Janggi (5)

When the enigmatic and overpowered Kieran Drayke awakens in a foreign magical world after a sudden transmigration, he brings along a system unlike any this realm has ever known. The “Sovereign Architect System” doesn’t just make him invincible—it gives him the tools to build something far greater.But Kieran isn’t interested in world domination. At least, not in the usual way.Disillusioned by the world's surface-level glimmer and the rot beneath it, Kieran sets his sights on the forsaken—those discarded by society, lost in the shadows of nobility and corruption. From slums, war zones, and forgotten ruins, he gathers orphan girls of various races—elves, beastkin, humans, and more—each with untapped potential and pain behind their eyes.He trains them in secret. Guides them. Empowers them. Not as soldiers, but as a family. A hidden organization that operates behind the curtains, shaping the world while appearing as ordinary students at the prestigious Aetherion Magic Academy.Kieran himself? Just a carefree, slightly lazy transfer student with a penchant for sweets, sarcasm, and sneaking naps between classes—on the surface, at least.With a slow-burning plot that weaves magical worldbuilding, deep friendships, training arcs, casual comedy, and a cast of unforgettable girls who grow into queens of the unseen, Chronicles of the Hidden Crown explores what happens when an OP MC doesn’t conquer the world with brute force…But builds a legacy from its forgotten pieces.No betrayal. No forced drama. Just the steady rise of a secret kingdom in the shadows of a crumbling empire.

Ruan Yōu became a brainless cannon fodder in the Mary Sue entertainment novel, with fair skin, a beautiful face, and long legs. She was criticized by fans as “trying to climb up” after looking at the top male lead too much, and the female lead took the opportunity to suppress her, causing her career to plummet.

Ruan Yōu accepted her fate and decided to retire from the industry to study finance and live a laid-back life as a salted fish.

However, her billionaire parents and CEO brother came knocking on her door, their eyes filled with guilt.

Ruan Yōu: ?!

Retiring forty years early and living a life reclining on the couch as a rich woman has just arrived!

**

Fu Jiazhan had known since he was a child that the little princess who had been betrothed to him had gone missing.

Mrs. Ruan spent her days in tears, holding his hand and choking out, “If Yōuyōu hadn’t gone missing, you and she would be about the same age, and you could have grown up together and taken care of her.”

Fu Jiazhan remembered those words, and when Yōuyōu returned to the wealthy family, he prepared to take care of her as her fiancé. But his future mother-in-law found three rivals for him.

- Description from Novelupdates

Jiang Chen had unexpectedly found himself thrust into a world of cultivation, stepping into the role of a core disciple within a famed sect. Fated to be the villain, his future loomed with calamity. He had plotted against the protagonist, crippling his dantian and leaving him a disgraced outcast teetering on the edge of expulsion. Were it not for an unexpected twist, Jiang Chen’s part might have ended as a mere footnote in the protagonist’s glorious tale. Fully aware of his precarious position, Jiang Chen’s lips curled into a sly grin. Alone, he mused: ’Is the protagonist powerful? Without a doubt.’ ’But will I tremble in fear? Absolutely not.’ ’Why? Because I have the Immortal Great Villain System!’ ’Wait... there’s more than one protagonist?’ ’Well, isn’t that just perfect?’ With a determined glint in his eyes, Jiang Chen declared to himself, ’As the ultimate Great Villain, I will defy the will of Heaven and seize my place at the summit!’

Lacking a pocket dimension, lacking a power, lacking a thigh to hug onto and the three life advantages (money, power, and looks), he had been cautiously living in the apocalypse for ten years, getting closer to falling inside the zombie’s mouths. But unexpectedly, he had the terrible luck, to be caught in a fight between two gangs and die, it really left people feeling disappointed.