The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character - Chapter 19: Fortuitous Encounter [5]

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.

Lily Harper’s world is shattered when she discovers her husband, Daniel, has been cheating on her with a woman named Cassandra. Betrayed and heartbroken, Lily vows to make both of them pay for ruining her life. But as she sets her sights on destroying Cassandra, she unexpectedly crosses paths with Ethan Blake, Cassandra’s protective older brother.What begins as a fiery confrontation soon transforms into an unlikely partnership as Lily and Ethan uncover the dark secrets Daniel has been hiding. As they delve deeper into his web of lies and deceit, their chemistry ignites, leading to a passionate connection that neither of them anticipated.In a race against time, Lily must decide whether revenge is worth the cost of her own heart. As the stakes rise, the line between vengeance and forgiveness blurs, and Lily must choose—will she destroy the people who betrayed her or find a way to heal and embrace the love that’s blossomed with Ethan?Sweet Vengeance is a tale of betrayal, redemption, and the unexpected power of love. With suspense, drama, and a heart-pounding twist, this is a story of how a woman learns that sometimes the sweetest revenge is letting go of the past and embracing the future.

If there was an object that could grant any wish you wanted, what would you ask for?Most would ask for wealth and prosperity, while those who are sick would probably ask for health and safety.It sounds impossible, but what if something like that actually existed?...Kirigaya Yuuya, a corporate slave, found himself in an unimaginable situation.After doing a good deed for a beggar, he was given a magical candy that supposedly granted wishes.At first, he dismissed it as nonsense, but when he jokingly wished to be reincarnated as the pathetic character Arthur Vanitas from a fantasy novel he had read, he was stunned to find that the wish had come true!Fear and panic set in as he realized the fate of Arthur Vanitas was a miserable one—he was nothing more than a stepping stone for the protagonist.Just as despair started to overtake him, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.[Ding! The System of a Thousand Worlds is ready to assist you!][By completing the challenges and missions in the selected book worlds, the system guarantees a change in your fate!][Mission 1: Complete the world titled “Rise of the Unwanted Queen!”][Reward: Mastery of the Five Elements Talent and other mysterious rewards.][Mission 2: Complete the world titled “The Destruction of the World by the White Mage.”][Reward: ...]And with that, Yuuya's journey to change his fate began.

He Yuan had accidentally caused his own death. He had no idea he was even dead until he suddenly woke up on the hard floor of an empty room.

As he tried to get his bearings right, a strange guy suddenly popped out of thin air and he was offered a job.

The job offer granted him eternal life with the alternative being reincarnation. Most would hastily choose to be reincarnated so they can start a new life but not He Yuan.

He was skeptical, why would anyone want reincarnation? Once you reincarnated 'you' cease to exist. He didn't care about what people said about starting afresh, gaining new memories and all that.

All he knew was that once a person reincarnated, they get thrown into a different environment, different family, meet new people and in short became a different person entirely.

What scared He Yuan the most was losing his own thoughts and hence, awareness of his current self and so, he chose to accept the job.

What did the job entail? He carried out tasks given to him by people who were called 'leasers.' They were called this because they leased out their bodies to 'taskers' for a period of time to help set their crooked lives straight.

What the leasers didn't know was that the taskers got into realms and helped them so they( taskers) could focus on their own main tasks which was world/realm balance.

These realms had 'special ones' who siphoned the luck out of it. Luck was the binding force of these realms so without it, the realms would begin to break apart and deteriorate into unlivable hells.

So in essence, leasers gave put their bodies and 'payment' in the form of soul energy, taskers helped out the leasers while balancing the realms and the realms become stable once more.

Pretty straightforward right? Yes.

But can someone tell He Yuan why these world was so full of hypocrites, Mary sue and Gary stu characters who thought it was excusable to do horrible things just because they were in love?

He Yuan grit his teeth. If you want to be in love, then be in love, was there any need to use others as stepping stones?!

He rolled up his sleeves and bounced forward. Just you wait as I teach you all a valuable lesson!