The King's Gambit: The Bastard Son Returns - Chapter 98: If It Looks Stupid, It’s Dangerous...

“The stronger the weapon you awaken, the greater your chance of survival.”That’s the law on Mars, humanity’s last refuge after Earth fell.After the mysterious death of the Red Space Dragon, the most powerful of its kind, the surviving dragons tore through Earth in a brutal war, each hunting the lost source of its power. Half the planet was scorched in their wake… and in the chaos, Gavin died. Crushed under rubble. His girlfriend was slaughtered. His dog too.Both gone.But death wasn’t the end.He awakens on mars - into the future, years later, in a new body. Stronger. Sharper. Not entirely human and with the new name; Tatehan.Mars, now colonized by desperate human survivors, is a harsh, dystopian, dangerous world ravaged by wild Martian beasts and alien threats. And here, power is everything.Survival depends on awakening ancient weapons — divine swords, elemental guns...But Tatehan awakens something else entirely, the lost spaceship of the Red Space Dragon.A sentient vessel. Alien. Unimaginably powerful.The ship grants him access to a mysterious system that unlocks alien powers, not all at once, but only through extraordinary feats.[You have awakened your first ability: Gravity Manipulation — Level One]Armed with this force, Tatehan will battle monsters, rival factions, and godlike threats.He will journey to Venus, Pluto, and Saturn’s moons.And from the ashes of Gavin’s past, he will rise, now as Tatehan, not just to survive, but to become a legend feared across the galaxy.

Ye Xuan came from a normal but extremely wealthy family. Yet, one day, when he woke up, he realized that he had been transmigrated to a fantasy world.

He was prepared to train and embark on an adventure, but he quickly learned that he had actually become the young master of Thousand Realms, the biggest trade company.

His father even let him inherit more than trillions of spirit stones.

“Are you serious? I’m sick of being rich!” Ye Xuan complained.

Fortunately, he had awakened a system that would make him stronger by spending money.

With that, he used the Grade 9 Celestial Pill to feed his dogs.

He used the famous painting that contained the will of the Supreme Sword to start a fire.

He used the Five-elements Divine Talisman to clean his ass.

And yet, he still had much more to spend. He then decided to join a clan that no one had even heard of.

He spent thousands just to see the saintess of the clan smile.

He built a pill alchemy workshop and gave out high-grade celestial herbs for free, and yet, one of the disciples who had never made a single pill was actually talented and was able to create the high-grade celestial pills.

When he started a dueling competition, he bet a lot of his money on the weakest contestant.

However, that contestant had actually awoken the Ancient Holy Body during the fight and was able to fight 100 men on his own.

“You sure are my son. You are as talented as me when it comes to managing a business!” his father complimented.

“This man is so cool when he spends his money!” exclaimed the saintess.

“So I can summon Heroines and Villainesses, but I just have to create them myself? Seems easy enough!”Max lived for one thing and one thing only: a good story. Novels were the only escape in his mundane life. However, all the light novels and manhwas he read had the same problem:Ruining female characters.In all these novels, the powerful heroines and terrifying villainesses were always reduced to one-dimensional trophies obsessed with the MC. They had no goals or purpose of their own.When Max discovered Awakener Supreme, he thought it would be different. It started out promising; a dark fantasy, detailed, consistent world building, a complex magic system and interesting characters.But everything went downhill pretty fast. To please the fans, the dark tone vanished, and the fierce female cast was reduced to shallow fan service.In a burst of anger, Max confronted the lead writer, criticizing him for ruining female characters, and claiming he could do a much better job at creating heroines and villainesses.He never expected the universe to take him at his word.Max suddenly wakes up inside the world of Awakener Supreme, and was given the chance to back up what he had claimed in the form of a unique class.⸢ You have awakened your Class ⸥⸢ Class: Architect - You can create heroines and villainesses and make them your Summons ⸥⸢ Class Group: Summoner ⸥Was Max all talk? Or can he truly create more powerful and consistent heroines and villainesses to help him survive the grim world of Awakener Supreme?

Elara’s first life crashed hard. Cruel tricks ruined her name, broke her dreams, and turned the whole entertainment world against her. Friends betrayed her. Lovers sold her out. Everyone she trusted stabbed her in the back. The pain piled up until she felt trapped with no way out. One night, she couldn’t take it anymore. She walked to the river and ended it all in the cold, quiet water.Later, proof came out. Messages. Recordings. Everything showed she had been framed. People posted apologies online. But it was too late. She was already gone.The universe, though, clearly has a twisted sense of humor.Because somehow, Elara came back. She woke up in her own past, every awful memory still sharp in her head. Right then she made a promise she would never break: protect her gentle grandfather no matter what, and never let anyone push her to that dark place again.This time she steps into the entertainment world with her head high. She trains harder, sings better, fights smarter. The same people who once crushed her? Now they get to feel the pressure.Love? Not happening. Her heart is locked tight. But why is it that as she rises and shines brighter, handsome, powerful men start circling her—guys who never even glanced at her in her previous life were now hovering around her.The actor smiled at her during a press interview, leaned closer, and said softly, “We should have dinner sometime.”The footballer sent flowers so big they blocked her room door.The surgeon she met at a charity event checked her pulse and then forgot to let go of her wrist.The singer she collaborated with kept calling her name during rehearsals, as if the mic could not hear him well enough.Elara stared at the ceiling that night and sighed.She only wanted to sing. Why did everyone look like they wanted to adopt her, date her, or both?But the worst one came after the concert.The lights had just gone off. Her ears were still ringing. Sweat clung to her neck. She had barely stepped backstage when a shadow blocked her path.She looked up.The CEO of the greatest company in Aurelia stood there. The same man who once said her voice was “not worth investing in.” The same man who did not even know her name before rebirth.Now he held her wrist lightly, but firmly.“Let’s talk,” he said.Elara blinked. “About… sponsorship?”“No,” he replied calmly. “About marriage.”Her brain froze.“…What?”“I will give you everything,” he continued, as if asking for a glass of water. “Resources. Protection. Freedom to sing. Become my wife.”Elara stared at him, her mouth open, her thoughts running in circles.This was not how it was supposed to be.Why was the world now skipping steps?NB:This story takes place in a fictional world. Aurelia is a country. Solmere, Veston, and Starfall City are the three capital cities of Aurelia. Other cities, such as Lorien and Crelou, are smaller cities.