The Bookkeeper - Chapter 12: Soul of Dragon

That year, she made a run for it while pregnant. He was a powerful figure in the Malacca Strait, commanding respect in both legal and illegal circles. He allowed no one to cross him. So, at the engagement party when she was 25, a stranger in black claimed that the bride had taken his virginity and insisted that she take responsibility and return his... child.“Do you also want to marry me?” she asked him. Although the wording was wrong, they were both getting married, so he agreed to “marry” her. Having a child and taking the wife's surname seemed like no big deal to the big boss. Surprisingly, he decided to retire and become a stay-at-home dad, shocking his brothers!

The world froze.Literally froze. The chattering students, the falling cherry blossoms outside the window, even the dust motes in the air – all suspended in perfect stillness.“Oh wonderful hero,” a melodious voice echoed through the room. “Your world faces a terrible crisis, and you have been chosen to—”“No,” he said flatly.A pause. Then a shimmer of golden light coalesced into the form of a beautiful woman in flowing robes. She blinked at him. “I... what?”“I said no. I'm not interested in whatever quest or destiny you're selling. Pick someone else.”The goddess's perfect features creased in confusion. “But... but you've been chosen! The prophecy speaks of a warrior with a fierce spirit, one who—”“Lady, I don't care about your prophecy. I've got enough problems here without adding some fantasy world's issues to the mix. Now un-freeze time and leave me alone.”“You don't understand,” she pressed. “Our world is being ravaged by the Demon King's armies! Millions will die without—”

Kiro is a slave branded with a deadly collar, forced to work in brutal mines under the ruthless Kargal Empire. Each year, slaves are hunted for sport in the deadly Hunting Games—a fight to the death on a savage alien moon. This year, Kiro is chosen to play. Sent into a wilderness filled with monsters and traps, survival seems impossible. But something ancient watches from the shadows—and it has plans for him.

Hutson, a man reborn into a ruthless and dangerous world, now inhabits the body of a young hunter in a small barony. With no connections and nothing to his name, he must rely on his sharp mind and cunning to rise through a medieval-like society. As he climbs the social ladder, he uncovers a terrifying truth: wizards, beings far more powerful than any knight or noble, rule over the world. Driven by this discovery, Hutson throws himself into the pursuit of wizardry—a path darker and more brutal than he could ever have imagined. In a world where betrayal lurks around every corner, Hutson seeks what all others desire: immortality. With his intellect and ruthlessness, he will stop at nothing to claim it for himself.