MTL - My Ranch - Chapter 18 : recruiting horses

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.

For as long as records about humanity and monsters existed, so did the tower of ascension.

Those amongst men who were chosen to enter the tower were given the tag 'Climber' and were worshipped as warrior's who had transcended mere mortals.

Rocky, who had aspired to be a Climber for as long as he could remember, found his dreams and nightmares merging on the very day he was endowed with powers as the very day that he got selected as a climber became the day when his sister was abducted, ensnaring him in a web of conspiracies that spiralled far beyond his wildest imaginations.

Bound by a system not meant for him, Rocky gained unparalleled power and attention that came with his position as the 'Champion' of gods, however, without the strength to back his position, he became an easy prey for envious vultures.

In this tale of ambition, power, and vengeance, Rocky's journey through the Tower of Ascension promises not just answers to his darkest questions, but a confrontation with his own nature.

Will he emerge as the saviour he never intended to be, or will he succumb to the darkness within, becoming the very villain he fears?

This is a story of how the line between hero and villain blurs when faced with the ultimate stakes, making Rocky's ascent a thrilling saga of survival, betrayal, and desperate choices.

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The suicide of a high school girl following the rejection of her crush whom she confessed to roused the soul of a Scorpio* Marshal from her 200 million years of slumber — she reincarnated into the body of Xuan Mo. And so, she decided to live on Earth on behalf of the girl! However, it was quite the miserable situation for an alien to own two different sets of memories. She had to use her peculiar mental power to peep into the previous owner’s memories regarding everyday, mundane matters while trying to rein in her cutting aura pretending to be a normal human…

But her shocking performance during military training definitely must have floored everyone. Okay fine, her incredible finesse aside, what’s with the consecutive bullseye for every single round during their shooting competition? Was this something a normal female student is able to achieve? Shouldn’t you explain yourself a little damnit! And what’s with the multiple grade jumps, and being contended for by the various prestigious universities? What kinda havoc you try’na wreck with your low-key flaunting? I mean it’s a good thing she’s caught the eye of a special organisation and was entrusted with important tasks, but what’s with all aloof rule-breaking gameplay? She’s practically the walking definition of “hated by even the gods”.

What’s even stranger was that Xuan Mo’s only ever interested in warring matters and battling; she’ll only ever pay her ferociously blooming blossom luck as much heed as she minds the passing cloud with the mindset of crossing the bridge when she reaches it (wipes sweat) and can you be less insensitive when handling the various Earthlings’ endless crushing and eye-candying you?!

This all screeches to a halt however when she discovers the existence of someone else from her home-planet, so she’ll be needing a raincheck with the getting a “spouse” part of mortal life on the Blue Planet. Of course, we’re discussing this on the premise that she wanted to return home…

* T/N: 天蝎星 = scorpio; may be referring to the star sign “Scorpio” or the planet called “Scorpio Planet” (to be determined later in the story)

Ryoma Kogure, a high school student, is surprised when his childhood friend and best friend, Hirasawa Reo, who has always been popular yet indifferent to romance, suddenly confides in him about a love matter.However, when Ryouma learns that Reo’s crush is their quiet classmate, Otsuki Shizuku, he decides to help him out.While personally gathering information on Shizuku for his best friend, Ryoma is unexpectedly summoned by the school’s most beautiful girl, Asahina Alisa!She, being Shizuku’s best friend, mistakenly believes that Ryouma has feelings for Shizuku…!?Caught in Alisa’s misunderstanding, Ryoma scrambles to sort things out…As they began supporting their best friends for their own reason, Ryoma and Alisa grow closer——A romantic comedy that starts with friends supporting each other’s love!