HP: The Arcane Thief - Chapter 102: For the record, I'm single

During the Second World War, Kyle looked at Captain America standing straight and proud before him. Suddenly, a series of skill cards appeared.

「Pistol Master」

「Martial Arts Master」

「Shield Defense Master」

「Super Soldier Serum」

Which skill card do you wish to extract?

“Wait… what? This golden finger… you must be pulling my leg! Not only skill cards but I can also extract super-powered skills like the Super Soldier Serum? Mother of God… what is this?!”

“You are my salvation and an answer to my cursed eyes.”------In a world of vampires, werewolves, and witches, a girl is born to be the bride of the vicious and bloodthirsty 300-year-old immortal Vampire Prince. The man who could never be enticed by any ethereal beauty till now suddenly has shown interest in a woman with a curse whom everyone abandoned.Alora Wilson, the eldest daughter of a high-noble human family, is born with the curse of an old powerful witch.It is the curse that burns the person into ashes if the person looks directly into her eyes. A curse that forces her to wear the blindfold since the moment she was born in this world.When the kids of her age enjoyed every small moment of their lives, she couldn't. No one loves to befriend her. Even her own father and siblings despise her.One day Magnus Lukeson, the Vampire Prince, enters her life– The man whom the entire kingdom is scared of. A man with only foes and no friends. A man who ventures his territory at night to take the fresh blood out of humans irrespective of the age or gender to quench his thirst.~~~~~The blindfold cascaded off Alora's eyes and her enchanted blue eyes met with Magnus' blood-red eyes.“You have enchanting eyes, Alora,” Magnus pronounced.No one ever said that to her. But no one could look into her eyes either. Only Magnus was the exception. The reason was still unknown to her.“Shall we begin the night?” Magnus asked for her permission.“Will His Highness give me love?” Alora asked. She was desperate to be loved. The feeling she could never get from her family and only heard in the words.“And how am I supposed to provide love to you?” Magnus queried since he was curious to know her thoughts.“Holding hands, hugging each other, sleeping together, and sharing thoughts. Isn't that how you shower love?” Alora innocently asked.Magnus ended up smiling to hear her explanation of love. He leaned down and kissed her lips, causing her to shiver from that sudden feeling. “This is the way I shower love,” Magnus pronounced, gazing into Alora's charming blue eyes.

On just another normal Monday, the world changed. The universe had reached a threshold humanity didn’t even know existed, and it was time to finally be integrated into the vast multiverse. A world where power is the only thing that one can truly rely on.

Jake, a seemingly average office worker, finds himself thrust into this new world. Into a tutorial filled with dangers and opportunities. In a world that should breed fear and concern, an environment that makes his fellow coworkers falter, Jake instead finds himself thriving.

Perhaps… Jake was born for this kind of world, to begin with.

***

Author Note: Tags and content warnings are mainly to give me creative freedom later on. This is my first novel ever, and English isn’t my native language, so go easy on me chaps.

In humanity’s final war against the Demon Lord, the strongest heroes fell—not by the enemy’s hand, but by their own, twisted into madness by a cruel illusion. Betrayal. Bloodshed. Despair… and then, silence.Only one person remained: Riley—the weakest warrior of them all. Powerless. Ignored. Forgotten.But he saw through the Demon Lord’s deception. The tyrant was on the brink of death—so weak even a fly could’ve finished him off.And Riley did just that, drawing every last ounce of strength to bite off the demon’s head.Victory? Not quite. A final, desperate strike from the Demon Lord pierced him from behind, killing him instantly.But fate wasn’t done with him yet.Riley awoke ten years in the past—when the online game [Apocalypse] was launched. Before demons descended. Before monsters overran the world.And this time, he wasn’t starting from nothing. He had a decade of experience—and a second chance.Even more shocking, he didn’t awaken his old D-rank Strength Boost talent. This time, he received something far more terrifying: an SSS-Rank Gluttony talent!He could now devour anything—monsters, items, talents, even traits—and gain their power.Ding![You have devoured: Iron Fang Wolf][Acquired: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, Skill: Bite (F-rank)][You have devoured: Goblin ShamanAcquired: +8 Intelligence, Skill: Mana Bolt (E-rank), Talent: Minor Spellcasting Efficiency][You have devoured: Flaming Salamander Drake][Acquired: +22 Endurance, Trait: Dragon’s Resilience, Skill: Flame Breath (C-rank)]Now, there is no demon, no god, no monster who will stand in his way. He will devour everything—and save the world.But the power of Gluttony was a double edged sword. If he wasn’t careful… he could be the one getting consumed.