MTL - You’re Beautiful When You Smile - Chapter 177

[2022 Science Fiction Starlight Award Word-of-mouth Good Book]

[Third Prize of 2022 Science Fiction Essay]

When a photo of the North Pole taken by a satellite was sent back to various countries, people on earth were shocked by the content of the photo.

They saw thousands of wolves in the North Pole, including hundreds of polar bears and arctic silver foxes, all bowing their heads in unison.

On the top of the snow-capped mountain, a giant arctic wolf whose size exceeds everyone’s imagination is overlooking the arctic ice sheet.

- Description from novelbuddy

June 15 of the year 2010, the third awakening happened. Several smaller worlds had returned to connect with the main world as living beings of different races started to appear and some people managed to connect with the origin and gain control of various powers: control of fire, of water, of wind, of air, and of earth... In the midst of all these confusions, towers that gave unimaginable powers began to appear in all corners of the world, where those who already had powers could upgrade and become more powerful or even those who did not have powers could receive powers through tests of the tower. And because of these towers, conflicts started to happen in all corners of the world by those wanting to monopolize these towers.

Luan Dimas was betrayed by one of the people he trusted most. However, in his final moments before being killed, he was transported back to four months before the third awakening that started the apocalypse on earth. Being a man who lived for a thousand years and had accumulated several techniques, he now had a new chance to correct some of his early mistakes. Luan decided to make the most of this new chance that the heavens had given to him.

They whisper my name in fear. Justin Black. The guy who sits in the back of the class, always in black, always untouchable. The one everyone watches but no one dares to approach.They don’t know me. Not really.Because if they did, they’d stay the hell away.I don’t do friends. I don’t do relationships. I don’t do attachments.But then there’s her.June Matthews—cheer captain, golden girl, a walking distraction. She’s everything I hate… and yet, she’s in my way. Assigned to me. Forced into my space. Testing my patience.She thinks she can handle me.She’s dead wrong.Because I have a secret. A place where I go to release the darkness inside me. Where names don’t exist, where pleasure and pain are one and the same. A world where people fulfill their deepest, most twisted fantasies.June doesn’t belong in my world.But the longer she stays, the more I want to pull her under.And once I do… I’m not sure I’ll ever let her go.

After the brutal loss of his beloved grandfather, Liam Hunter embarks on a harrowing journey into the heart of the Dark Forest, known as the Forest of Kyrell, with a singular goal: to gain the strength necessary to honor his grandfather’s memory and to never lose anyone dear to him again. At just ten years old, Liam is thrust into a world of darkness and malevolence, where he endures four grueling years of training and transformation. In this shadowy realm, he is reborn as a fierce warrior, driven by a relentless desire to eradicate every demon and ultimately confront the Demon King, Emrys himself. To achieve his formidable goal, Liam must forsake any emotional connections that could weaken his resolve. The once vibrant and joyful boy is transformed by his trials into a cold and unfeeling combatant, hardened by the harsh realities of his quest. This is the story of Liam Hunter—the last wielder of dark magic—whose journey through darkness and sacrifice will shape him into a force of vengeance and resolve.