Acquiring Talent in a Dungeon - Chapter 16 - Day 5, 5th Floor Hunger

What if you could unlock the deepest secrets of the human mind? What if every word, every gesture, every thought could be shaped and bent to your will?Jason Cross was once an ordinary man, trapped in a life he didn’t deserve. His family’s fortune stolen, his dreams shattered, he was left with nothing but bitterness and regret. Forced to work a dead-end job, Jason’s life seemed doomed to mediocrity—until a tragic accident changed everything.Now, Jason has been given a gift. A mysterious system has awakened within him, revealing the hidden language that can influence the mind—Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) at a level beyond human comprehension. With every task completed, Jason unlocks new abilities, gaining the power to manipulate emotions, thoughts, and desires.But power comes with a price.Jason's rise to influence is swift. He becomes a master of persuasion, able to seduce anyone, outwit rivals, and build an empire from the ruins of his former life. His enemies fall one by one, their minds broken before they even know what hit them. But as Jason climbs higher, so do the stakes. Rivals from the shadows, powerful enemies, and his own unchecked ambition threaten to consume him.How far will Jason go to reclaim what is rightfully his? And when the world bends to your will, can you ever trust anyone again?

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

Yan Mu Lin, who just got the Best Male CV award, was killed in an accident, but fate made him traverse into another world.

In there, he has more opportunities to showcase his talent. His goal is…

Shao Nuo Yu: to assist his husband and educate the children.

Yan Mu Lin: ……

The otakus who loved to express their shock and regret: （ ⊙ o ⊙ ）

Pan Jinlian‘s CV is actually male, male, male……

Lin Daiyu‘s CV is actually male, male, male……

Daji‘s CV is actually male, male, male……

The drama / movie fans who loved to express their astonishment: （*@ο@*）

X superstar’s voice in this TV drama is super sexy~~

X film emperor’s voice in this movie sounds really distressed~~

X female lead’s voice in this movie sounds really heartbroken~~

They found out that the superstar, film emperor, and female lead unexpectedly had the same CV!

In the end, who is it?! Who is it?!

- Description from Novelupdates

In a world where everyone is a slave, someone is born who cannot be controlled. At the same time, an unstoppable villain rises on a quest for revenge. But the truth is darker than he ever imagined, and now he must face an unbeatable enemy — including himself.***Bruno was a young man born on Earth, the son of an influential modern Emperor. Despite having everything money could buy and receiving the best and most rigorous training to succeed his father, he chose the opposite path, defying his family’s ruthless rule.The price of his innocence? A merciless death and the complete erasure of his existence by the deity controlling his fate. On Earth, the law of the powerful was absolute; a slave could never rebel.But then, he wakes up again.He’s reborn in a world of cultivation, where freedom was promised to those strong enough to claim it. Now, he could soar like a free bird and carve his own destiny... or so he thought.The harsh reality of this new world soon showed him how insignificant he still was. He realized he had only changed masters.The freedom he sought was an illusion. The heavenly laws treated everyone as servants, and their rules were unbreakable. Bruno learned this bitter truth after losing everything that made him happy due to an unjust rule.But who was he to question?Hopeless, Bruno died... and was reborn as Alm, an unstoppable villain. With a soul poisoned by pain and vengeance, he sowed chaos across the universe. Planets were destroyed, countless lives taken, and his name became synonymous with terror.A hero rose to oppose him, wielding a sacred sword of hope. People from all corners of the universe united against Alm, raising their voices and weapons to stop the villain who defied the heavens.But Alm was no longer just fighting for revenge. He was challenging the heavenly laws that sought to control him, fighting fate and all living beings.And against all odds... the sacred sword shattered. The alliance of the entire universe was defeated.The villain won!Now, Alm found himself alone in the empty void of a dead universe, facing his own inner demons. Who could be more ruthless to him than himself?“What have I done?”At that moment, the doors of truth opened to him.Everyone was a puppet of a supreme figure, an entity that manipulated minds and even the heavenly laws.“I will find you, no matter where you are!”Thus, the last emissary of the true Heaven’s Will awakened. Alm, who once only relied on his sheer will and rage, now had a system to guide him. But his opponent was an immortal existence, above even the heavens.The villain who destroyed an entire universe now faced a new beginning. He discovered that the universe he devastated was just a tiny grain of sand in an infinite cosmos, where countless other universes existed.And so begins the legendary tale of the villain’s rise... and the Sacred Round God? A strange Duality of Shadows existed within one person.But this time, he wouldn’t be alone.***To clear up any potential confusion or frustration, here are some key points about the story. I’ll avoid major spoilers, but a few things will be revealed.You might find this concerning at first, but just check the book cover—it shows the main character and his only partner. She first appears at 10 years old, but rest assured, there’s no inappropriate content or early romance.At around 13, SHE starts developing feelings for the protagonist, but he doesn’t respond until she’s an adult. With her determined personality, she tries to seduce him at 17/18, but it doesn’t work. Their relationship only happens much later.The book has nods to other works, with my own spin on them, and focuses on avoiding elements I find problematic in other stories.Lastly, the beautiful book cover was commissioned and created by HDIArt.