VILLAINOUS SYSTEM: I am fated to be a villain in fantasy novel - Chapter 24: Puppeteer’s Gambit (1)

Joseph Sullivan is at an all-time low. He lost his job, his fiancée dumped him, he moved back to the Midwest and currently lives in his parent’s basement—oh, and his workout was just interrupted with the arrival of the System.Earth has become a playing field in a contest amongst the gods, where mortals are the pawns. The winning god gets the glory, and their chosen champion gets a single wish. The first stage of this game: Tutorial – Class Selection.Provided the ideal stat array for a physical, combat-focused class, the choice for Joe is obvious. Until he fat thumbs the selection screen and ends up selecting Spellcaster. His starting Intelligence stat? 1.With a useless class selection and only his raw testosterone-fueled strength to back him up, Joe decides class optimization is for dummies. Pumping all stat points in Strength, he hopes to not only survive the contest of the gods, but to win the whole damned thing.After all, a real wizard should be measured by how much they can bench!

He was a wealthy and mysterious financial backer who had appeared before her when she needed money the most. After the courtship, she took the money and left.

This is a world shrouded in darkness.The spreading Black Fog corrodes every living creature.The only protection for humanity lies in fire.But as the dark Epoch approached, the fires slowly extinguished.Countless strong Kingdoms became dens for Dark Monsters, humans lost contact with each other, and survivors trembled in the faint solitary light.Until Rod came to this world.“Damn, what's this cow and horse stuff, is it edible?”“This Soul, it's delicious.”“As long as the will of fire remains unextinguished, I believe, one day, humanity will once again illuminate this world and burn all spectral vermin to ashes.”“Even if I'm mired in darkness, bearing the Dream Realm, I can still support this world!”“We've won!”——The world is about to fall, the Abyss looms at our side.And I will raise this Unique flame to light up the world.Yes, I am the last King of Darkness.But...Hello? Anyone, save me.

Jake had spent his entire life buried in textbooks, chasing one exam after another — until he finally graduated from one of the world's top universities as a nuclear engineer. He thought the hard part was over. It wasn't.On the very first day of his new job, a speeding truck ended it all.But fate had other plans.Jake woke up in the arms of a stunning goddess who offered him a second chance — along with one extraordinary skill of his choosing.[Hypnosis (SSS-Rank): The power to control minds and issue irresistible commands.]Reborn as the bastard son of a noble house in a fantasy world, Jake quickly realized he held a power that could change everything.“Lady Aria,” Jake said, his voice low and calm, “you'll find yourself wanting to obey me more than anything else.”The cold, dignified head maid stiffened, her eyes clouding with confusion — then softening into eager submission.“Stepmother,” Jake smiled lazily, “you've been working too hard. You need to let me take care of you... personally.”The once-proud woman faltered, her cheeks flushing as she nodded without hesitation.“Miss Evelynn, heir of House Marlow,” Jake said casually to the visiting noble, “you'll trust me more than anyone else in the world.”With every whispered command, Jake planted a seed deep inside their minds — seeds that would soon blossom into absolute devotion.***Check out my discord for character illustrations: https://discord.gg/Z9pY9tE9e8(No Yuri/No NTR)