My Dearest Reader - Chapter 2: A Story About Love

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.

“Mana to breathe, mana to eat, mana to fucking live,”Inhale: -0.001 MP… oops! You're out of mana points.(Pay-to-breathe RPG.)Humanity's last walled stronghold._____In the world Elio lives, every gasp of air comes at a price.A floating indestructible book for every human, a magical system that turns survival into a pay-to-breathe RPG.Here, poverty isn't just being broke, it's choking.Surrounded by barren land and a sea of monsters on top of it (No water, just literal monsters), each day is a suffocating dance of survival, a balancing act between mana for air and mana for food.In this economy, holding your breath isn't just a game, it's a retirement plan.Driven by desperation (and the city's miserly rulers that don’t cut anyone a break), Elio dives into the Book System’s trials to save his family.Along the way, he unlocks powers he didn’t ask for and starts to figure out... Who he really is.Immerse yourself in an adventure where one young man's stubborn refusal to become a statistic could spark a revolution. Who knew being a pain in the system's rear could change the world?Because in Elio's world, breathing is just the beginning of the revolution and... he's gasping for change.But hey, who said saving the world had to be all doom and gloom? Join Elio as he kicks monster butt, uncovers ancient secrets, and maybe, just maybe, figures out how to grow a tree or two along the way.__________Warning:May contain traces of world domination, an unhealthy obsession with the periodic table, damage points, progression math, and yes, even a sprinkle of that old “power of friendship” magic. Because sometimes, you need a buddy to help you remember which element does what or even help you calculate those sweet, sweet stats.A quick heads-up:Despite what the cover might suggest, this isn’t a hack-and-slash adventure. Think more along the lines of a turn-based RPG, where strategy and choices matter as much as action. Get ready for a different kind of challenge!If you want to know more about the cover:Yep, that's our first FL crying and crossing the transparent barrier straight into a pixelated, indistinguishable sea of monsters. Because why not mix emotions with chaos? She's crazy like that! (Not really... or is she?)Discord to check the visuals: https://discord.gg/W3CjfC2cw4I’m still working on it in the little moments I find between writing, editing, making more character images, etc.Little by little, we’ll have a Poked... uh, a full SummonDex! Meanwhile, you can check out the ones on Fandom with their... funny descriptions? Or at least I hope so... orzWarning 2 (Privilege 4 and 5):I just wanted to stick to the novel’s level system, so I had to add those '0s'!!! Don’t be an elephant... unless you’re an enormous one... A whale! Seriously, nooooo!You’re going to make me die from the pressure, and I’ll feel terrible!! It’s just one chapter!!! You can wait... But if you’re dirty rich and really, Really, REALLY want to support, well... okay, though I’ll still feel bad!!! orz

Guy Larks was famous in his original world for his widespread charity work in poverty-stricken and war-torn nations.

He was especially known for his efforts in developing schools and educational facilities for children, as well as teaching and nurturing many students.

So it was devastating news to learn that he wouldn't live past his 30th year.

But he was given a second chance! A new life in another world, as a down-by-the-dumps teaching apprentice in a world of magic and wonder. He was given no cheat, just a Repository of Knowledge holding all the information he could bring with him from his previous life.

In this new world, Guy rediscovered his life's true calling! Ride along on Guy's journey as he changes the world one budding mind at a time, as the greatest teacher this world has ever seen!

# RELAXEDLiu Qing is reborn and goes back two years in time. He starts his reborn life at the point of getting a breakup text message from his girlfriend.Previously, in that life, he dated his girlfriend for a few years, and used all the money he earned from being a security guard to support her and pay for her lifestyle and living expenses when she quit her own security guard job to go back to school. However, in the end, she looked down on him after she found an office job, then cheated on him and eventually left him for another man.To add insult to injury, in his desire to have a simple life with his girlfriend, he rejected the chance to reunite with his wealthy estranged mother and missed out on the opportunity to become a rich second generation. He was overwhelmed by immense grief after all that and fell into a deep depression that eventually destroyed him.In this life, Liu Qing is determined not to become a simp again, especially since he is being given another chance to change the path of his life.He says to her, “Let's come clean. Isn't it good to break up? I don't have to be your spare tire anymore. You can also live with your one true love. We would each get what we want.”Then he resigns from his security guard job to reunite with his mother. When everyone asks him why, he says, “Because I am going to inherit assets worth billions of dollars!”