JACKAL AMONG SNAKES - Chapter 486: Diem Consumere

Important notice, The Prodigal Son of the Ming Dynasty, also known as “Ming Song”.

Hongzhi eleven years.

It’s a beautiful morning.

At this time, Zhu Houzhao was just an adult.

At this time, Wang Shouren and Tang Bohu were sharpening their swords and preparing for the imperial examination.

At this time, the Little Ice Age has come, and the long and severe cold is raging on the earth.

At this time in Nanhebo’s mansion, Fang Jifan, the idiot son of the landlord’s family and Nanhebo’s direct heir…began his shameless prodigal life.

- Description from novelbuddy

When disaster strikes, all order collapses, money becomes meaningless paper, and discussions about order lose their significance. The only assurance that remains is power. And I, possessing power, can do as I please.In this post-apocalyptic world, besides growing stronger, Li Ming must also deal with the persistent neighbor who continually sends the wife to borrow food.“Ma'am, you can't always request food without offering anything in return, can you?”

Elementals, Enhancers, Beast Tamers, Artifact Nurturers – These four pathways define the magical world of Arcanists. But Finn, a former university student from earth, wakes up in a body treading a whole different path…A forbidden path: The path of a Soul Mage.Soul Mages are the ultimate parasites. They lack the ability to use magic themselves, but instead, wield the power to assimilate the mana-saturated souls of the dead.From every Great Arcanist that once lived, to every Calamity Beast, to every Mythic Grade Spirit Artifact… So long as they were dead, they were simply chaotic souls waiting to be claimed.​But this kind of power does not come without cost. Madness, frenzy, mania, innate wills and primal desires of assimilated souls threaten to drive Soul Mages to total corrosion.In this new world, ​Finn finds himself thrown into the deep end, waking up as a Vessel already housing a full Parade of Chaotic Souls. Now, his body is a battlefield. The souls demand immediate payment, stacking Soul Debts that steal his senses, his consciousness, and his very humanity.​But yet… it is this same overwhelming corrosion that causes the ultimate truth and uniqueness of his soul to surface…

Adrian Voss was a forgotten beta tester—erased by a corrupt game company that put profit over players.Now reborn in Primordial Abyss with a glitched class that lets him control dungeon bosses, he doesn’t grind levels… he grinds players.Every monster he subjugates becomes a weapon. Every raid boss he enslaves earns him passive income. And every overconfident guild that steps into his domain?They drop loot when they die.But this isn't just another OP power trip. Adrian doesn't win because he's stronger—he wins because he's smarter. He lays traps like a raid leader, exploits mechanics like a dev, and rewrites the system from the shadows.From dungeons to PvP, he turns the most advanced gaming system ever built into a weapon that stabs its creators in the back.Now the streamer assassins, sponsored guilds, and even the developers are hunting for the one they call...The Dungeon Phantom.Too bad they don’t realize:The real dungeon isn’t the game.It’s the one they’re walking into.Let the hunt begin.