MTL - Year of Herbs - Chapter 627 a familiar stranger

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

She is someone with the nickname “Seatmate Killer”, and also one of the prettiest girl in the school. Every male student that became her seatmate has confessed to her, and all of them got rejected brutally. The one who became her new seatmate, the seat beings located the furthest away from the front and beside one of the windows, thus being a godly seat that will make every male student jealous, is Narito Yuki. He is someone that generally you won’t notice at all. The entire class thought that he will fall for her in a short time, but that may not be the case…..

The only game in my life that makes me laugh: The Lands of The Lunerra... I played this game for six thousand hours in three years, and the day I thought I had done everything I could in this game, I felt a great emptiness inside me. I thought nothing in my ordinary and monotonous life could make me happier than when I played this game. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I was wrong with an e-mail I received the night I finished the game.

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Hi! Thank you to everyone who came to read this story. There are two things I want to tell you.

First of all, I first started writing this about two years ago, but I was writing in my native language, Turkish, and on a different site. But unfortunately, the website where I published the series came to the brink of collapse. While I was thinking about where to publish the series, I remembered Webnovel and here I am. So this is my first English novel and I believe I will make mistakes while translating. Please forgive me for these if you encounter some of them. I will do my best.

Second... yes, while writing this novel I was inspired by most of the novels I've read so far. Like The Novel's Extra, that novel is a pure diamond for me and I don't think I will ever reach the level of that thing. So I want to say the first few chapters may feel familiar to you, but I'll do my best to smooth it out.

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Dear readers! Without any ads, maybe you will prefer .

Guys here is my pitch.....In the sprawling world of fantasy, we’ve often been treated to tales of heroes reincarnated with divine blessings, legendary powers, or cheat-like abilities, thrust into magical lands as shining saviors—or chaotic terrors. But what happens when the very concept of reincarnation becomes a curse? When the divine boon is a big fat joke, and the “cheat system” doesn’t quite… cheat?Enter John, the unluckiest reincarnate. Blessed by a god and thrust into a fantasy world, he dreams of glory, power, and adventure—only to wake up as a normal, utterly powerless bird. Not a mythical phoenix, not an ancient thunder eagle. Just… a bird.To make matters worse, this world is no ordinary realm. It's a land scarred by the devastating legacies of past isekai’d heroes and villains, whose reckless exploits piled skeletons into mountains and turned their cheats into harbingers of chaos. Fed up with these unruly intruders, the ancients of the realm banded together to create a world-shaking seal: all reincarnated souls are trapped in the bodies of harmless animals, confined to isolated sanctuaries that function more like fantasy zoos.Here’s the twist: this isn’t mercy. It’s a resource grab. The powerful beast tamers of this realm have turned these reincarnated souls into exotic pets, prized for their cheat-like potential.John finds himself at the bottom of the food chain in every sense. His cheat doesn’t work. His human form is gone. And his world is filled with predatory cultivators who see him as either a snack or a tool.But John isn’t one to give up so easily. What starts as despair quickly turns into cunning survival. With wings and wit as his only tools, John must navigate layers of misfortune, dodge fate’s sharp talons, and cheat his way through a world determined to keep him grounded.Get ready to join John on a wildly unconventional journey—one where reincarnation isn’t a ticket to greatness, but a death sentence he’s determined to rewrite. His story is one of humor, wit, and persistence, as he explores a world where he is the joke and his survival is the punchline.Main tags: reincarnation/isekai, beast taming cultivation system, comedy, action, adventure.Of course No-harem!