NPC Town-building Game - Chapter 5.2 - Wandering Villagers and Me

“Mana to breathe, mana to eat, mana to fucking live,”Inhale: -0.001 MP… oops! You're out of mana points.(Pay-to-breathe RPG.)Humanity's last walled stronghold._____In the world Elio lives, every gasp of air comes at a price.A floating indestructible book for every human, a magical system that turns survival into a pay-to-breathe RPG.Here, poverty isn't just being broke, it's choking.Surrounded by barren land and a sea of monsters on top of it (No water, just literal monsters), each day is a suffocating dance of survival, a balancing act between mana for air and mana for food.In this economy, holding your breath isn't just a game, it's a retirement plan.Driven by desperation (and the city's miserly rulers that don’t cut anyone a break), Elio dives into the Book System’s trials to save his family.Along the way, he unlocks powers he didn’t ask for and starts to figure out... Who he really is.Immerse yourself in an adventure where one young man's stubborn refusal to become a statistic could spark a revolution. Who knew being a pain in the system's rear could change the world?Because in Elio's world, breathing is just the beginning of the revolution and... he's gasping for change.But hey, who said saving the world had to be all doom and gloom? Join Elio as he kicks monster butt, uncovers ancient secrets, and maybe, just maybe, figures out how to grow a tree or two along the way.__________Warning:May contain traces of world domination, an unhealthy obsession with the periodic table, damage points, progression math, and yes, even a sprinkle of that old “power of friendship” magic. Because sometimes, you need a buddy to help you remember which element does what or even help you calculate those sweet, sweet stats.A quick heads-up:Despite what the cover might suggest, this isn’t a hack-and-slash adventure. Think more along the lines of a turn-based RPG, where strategy and choices matter as much as action. Get ready for a different kind of challenge!If you want to know more about the cover:Yep, that's our first FL crying and crossing the transparent barrier straight into a pixelated, indistinguishable sea of monsters. Because why not mix emotions with chaos? She's crazy like that! (Not really... or is she?)Discord to check the visuals: https://discord.gg/W3CjfC2cw4I’m still working on it in the little moments I find between writing, editing, making more character images, etc.Little by little, we’ll have a Poked... uh, a full SummonDex! Meanwhile, you can check out the ones on Fandom with their... funny descriptions? Or at least I hope so... orzWarning 2 (Privilege 4 and 5):I just wanted to stick to the novel’s level system, so I had to add those '0s'!!! Don’t be an elephant... unless you’re an enormous one... A whale! Seriously, nooooo!You’re going to make me die from the pressure, and I’ll feel terrible!! It’s just one chapter!!! You can wait... But if you’re dirty rich and really, Really, REALLY want to support, well... okay, though I’ll still feel bad!!! orz

At the feast of the Gluttonous House’s auction, there was a little girl with an exceptional furnace constitution for offer at a sky-high price. Everyone wanted to lay their hands on her. Suddenly, the little girl in the golden cage opened her eyes, radiating a cold gaze. She was no longer cowardly.

She was the gold medal assassin of the 21st century, transmigrating to become the good-for-nothing humiliation that everyone bullied, third miss Nalan Hexi of the genius doctor’s manor.

Meridians completely crippled, no innate skill to cultivate? What is she afraid of? She is the exceptional miracle doctor, and these injuries were nothing in her eyes.

Father doesn’t dote on her, mother doesn’t love her, everyone schemes against her? Humph, an alternate dimension in hand and an invincible spirit pet as well, she can destroy the small Nalan Manor with a flip of her hand!

Ugly complexion, malnourished and sickly in appearance, no one wants her? She recovered her unparalleled looks with the blink of an eye and gained a dozen good looking men as bodyguards!

That overbearing man who’d been sticking to her since the auction. Who said I was destined to be yours? I am my own, no one can decide my future!

A certain man: Then I am yours, will that do?

- Description from Novelupdates

(A cruel, merciless, inhuman, Prime Minister gong x (previously) a cute, naive, foolish prince shou)

As an alluring beauty, the Ninth Prince Qi Changyi inherited his mother’s looks, but was unfortunately a bit s*upid. Not only did he live in fear, even within palace walls, but he also merely lived as a substitute in his beloved’s eyes. Then, while being used and tormented, his delicate, pure heart finally burned to ashes.

Pei Zheng was the Prime Minister of the Imperial Court, a man of great status; he gained it all through the most ruthless methods. He was known for his cruel nature, but gradually, he became close to the unfavored ninth prince.

“Your Highness, just now, at court, who were you looking at? Huh?” Pei Zheng squeezed the small man’s delicate little chin.

Qi Changyi’s eyes were misty with tears of pain, “I, I wasn’t.”

“Stop trying to seduce others.” Pei Zheng’s voice was frigid. “Otherwise, I’ll make sure that General Zhao, for whom you pine, dies on the battlefield!”

He thought he had a firm grip on this little fool, but he could’ve never imagined that one day, this little fool would leave his side carrying a broken heart.

“Brother Pei, I’m leaving now, you should be happy.”

With scarlet eyes and a heart burning with obsession, he searched everywhere, but found no trace of him.

“I won’t, without you, I’ll never be happy again. Your Highness, where should I go, how can I bring you home?”

1v1, happy ending! But the path leading up to it is laced with sweetness and cruelty.

- Description from Novelupdates

I never expected my life to change so drastically. One moment, I was a woman with dreams, deeply in love with a man I thought I’d spend my life with. The next, I was betrayed and heartbroken, walking in on him cheating without a hint of remorse.That night, overwhelmed with pain and too much alcohol, I made a reckless decision, a one-night stand with a stranger who, to my shock, turned out to be my new boss.Arec, the vice president of Denco Groups, was desperate. To secure his future as CEO, he needed a wife, and in a twist of fate, he offered me a contract marriage. It sounded absurd, but his desperation mirrored my own need to escape the wreckage of my life.It was supposed to be simple: no emotions, no strings attached. A business arrangement, nothing more. I thought I could handle it, that I could keep my heart out of it.I was wrong.What started as a deal quickly spiraled into something far more complicated. As our fake marriage blurred into real feelings, the world around us began to close in. Disapproving family, old enemies, buried secrets, scheming rivals, and even an attempt on my life threatened to tear us apart.This is my story, a journey of heartbreak, unexpected love, and a fight to protect what we built together. In a world filled with lies and deceit, can a marriage born out of necessity become something real?---