The Phantom's Gambit - Chapter 16: Wild Card

“Why is this happening…?”

Mia Luna Tearmoon, Princess of the Tearmoon Empire, muttered to herself as she stood shackled on the execution platform.

The faces of the spectators surrounding her were, without exception, filled with indignation.

Before long, Mia was executed at the hands of the revolutionists, who were fed up with the heavy taxation.

But the next moment, she unexpectedly found herself lying on her bed.

It was eight years ago, when she was just a mere kid.

For a while, Mia even wondered if she was hallucinating. However, what appeared on her bedside table was a bloodstained diary that she had written herself.

That day, Mia’s screams could be heard echoing throughout the palace.

Mia was not a vicious person by nature. She was simply incapable of understanding the pain and hunger of others, and by the time she discovered it, it was already too late to do anything.

After she regressed back to her childhood, Mia struggled hard to trace back the events of the past with the help of her blood-stained diary and memories.

Was it to save the future of a declining empire?

Was it to save the soldiers who died in the civil war?

Was it to save the people from famine?

No, she had only one goal.

To avert her fate of facing the guillotine (execution)!

Ren Zhu: Quiet! Quiet! Look at the blackboard! I’m going to start teaching!

Bear child 1 [1]: Hahaha! Who is this weak chicken!

Bear child 2: May as well dance than listen to class. Why start the class!

Fake good child: Sit upright.

Ren Zhu: ……

Bear child 1: You received the class teacher’s quiet gaze x 1. Physical strength -500. Entered the weak state!

Bear child 2: You received the class teacher’s deep gaze x 1. Intelligence -50. Entered the mentally retar*ed state!

Fake good child: You received the class teacher’s gratified gaze x 1. Intelligence and physical strength +50. Entered the excited state.

Ren Zhu: My goal is to teach and educate people, and bring love to every bear child. Thank you.

- Description from Novelupdates

Shu Ya-wang is a 28-yr-old landscape architect who is born into a military family. When she was 16 years old, Yawang’s father asked her to take care of 10-yr-old Xia Shu.

Xia Shu had experienced death during his childhood. He stayed by the body of his dead mother for the whole night. This caused Xia Shu to become withdrawn from the rest of the world. Over time, the warm-hearted Ya-wang slowly got through to Xia Shu.

Ya-wang’s childhood good friend Tang Xiao-tian got enlisted into the army after high school, and she later at the university got to know Qu Wei-ran a classmate who eventually turned into a foe. From then on, the lives of Ya-wang, Xia Shu and Tang Xiao-tian, three of them changed dramatically.

“Born of Dragons, yet cursed by the Abyss—a king of two dooms.”----Ryuk Knull was nothing—just another powerless human in a world ruled by Titans, Vampires, and Fallen Angels. Until the Knulls came and took the only family he had left.On the brink of death, he awakened the Draconic Pets Evolution System—a power that doesn’t just tame beasts but binds them to his very soul. With it, mere monsters become apex predators.And Ryuk? He is their master.But power alone is not enough.He is a fusion of the most hated and the most divine—A being that should not exist.The abyss whispers. The dragons call. And when he rises—none will be spared.This is the Tale of the Abyssbourne Draconis!