The villain's side of the novel - Chapter 181 The Towering Shadow

Riven was a young man with dreams as vast as the horizon, but life demanded sacrifice. To support his struggling family, he gave up his education and ambitions, shouldering endless work to keep them afloat. Yet, his loyalty was met with the ultimate betrayal by his own father.As his life slipped away, Riven awoke in an unfamiliar world brimming with magic, reincarnated by a mysterious system. Gifted with a peculiar mana heart that pulses with untold power, Riven is thrust into a realm of mages, monsters, and ancient secrets.Determined to rise above his tragic past, Riven vows to become the strongest mage in this new world, uncovering the mysteries of his strange mana heart and the enigmatic system that guides him.

In the post-apocalyptic age, men were damned.

The year was 2026, and the world wasn't what it used to be. Ever since the Abyss Gates cracked open three years ago, spilling monsters and dungeons across the planet, life had turned into a chaotic mess. Cities were half-ruined, half-rebuilt, and people clung to whatever normalcy they could find. Hunters—those brave or crazy enough to fight the monsters—became the new heroes. Everyone else? Well, they just tried to survive.Fin wasn't a Hunter. He wasn't a hero either.He was just… Fin. A lanky 19-year-old with messy brown hair, a chipped front tooth from a dumb skateboard accident, and a power that everyone called useless. Absorption. Sounds cool, right? Like he could suck up energy or steal someone's strength. Nope. All it did was let him “feel” things he touched a little more than normal. He could tell you the exact texture of a brick wall or how warm a coffee mug was—big whoop. No fireballs, no super strength, no flashy moves. Just a glorified touchy-feely trick.“Fin, you gonna eat that sandwich or just stare at it like it's gonna confess its life story?” Meg's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.He blinked and looked across the rickety table at his best friend. Meg was short, loud, and had a wild mop of dyed purple hair that she swore made her look “intimidating.” It didn't.

Aurora Grey thought she could win her husband, Lucas Rossi's heart, even if it took years.For three long years, she endured his coldness, hoping that one day he would see her as more than just a convenient substitute.But when she reads the headlines announcing Lucas’s return to the city with his ex-girlfriend, Julia Mayhem, the truth hits her like a dagger—she never had a place in his heart.Lucas's affection had always belonged to Julia, and now that she’s back, Aurora knows her time is up.No longer willing to be the woman in the shadows, Aurora takes control of her fate. With a sharp resolve, she demands a divorce, choosing to reclaim her dignity rather than watch the man she loves cherish someone else.But Lucas Rossi isn’t a man who easily lets go of what he considers his. The moment Aurora steps out of his life, he realizes just how deeply she had entwined herself in his heart.Driven by a need to reclaim what he’s lost, Lucas tracks her down, determined to make her see that she belongs with him—and no one else.