My Researching Journey (HxH) - Chapter 142: Stalemate Before The Checkmate?

In the fantasy world ruled by Matriarchy, Kael of the Ancient Moonstone House, was working as a guild receptionist. Throughout his life, he was protected by his mother and later, younger sister, who was considered one of the highest potential individuals in the Queendom of Elyria. One day, he hears that his sister has gone missing and his family has accumulated debts of over 127 million gold coins to the Bank. The Queen comes to his rescue, paying off his debts and in exchange, he has to marry her five daughters, who each excel in a domain of their own.Having the five imperial princesses and the Queen herself as the backing, Kael has become one of the most protected individuals in the Queendom. Little did his wives know that Kael had another identity. He is the most dreaded yet noble Assassin of the imperial city, “K,” one who hunts down the criminals who escape punishment either because of insufficient evidence or using their connections.Follow Kael's journey, as he navigates his life as the protected figure in the light and protector of justice in the shadows.

In a world where any normal human could create elements at will, Aziel Mateo came into life and was left in an orphanage.Humans from this world were granted magic by the universe when they turned fifteen years old. These blessed magic users served under the twelve gods.Aziel Mateo, a kid without visible talent found that he also couldn't do magic as he wasn't blessed by the universe.He decided to train himself in order to fill the gap between magic users and himself. However, he still found himself lacking, as the magic users can become stronger with their magic.Aziel Mateo later got admitted in the Academy but felt like an outsider, always being bullied, and rediculed constantly. Still, he continued his training in the shadows, slowly but surely he rose up to the ranks of the strong students without using magic.When everything seem to finally going his way, he was ambushed during their training camp, and left there to be eaten by a beast.However, this tragic event forever altered the course of his life in a positive way.Aziel Mateo survived that ambush and was brought into a cave where he saw a woman, introducing him the magic chest that was full of magic scrolls. The scrolls that contained forgotten arcane knowledge for magic.The woman revealed herself as a goddess who was betrayed. She helped Aziel become stronger for a cause. She needs his help in getting vangeance, in getting the justice that she deserves.Aziel Mateo obtain the ancient arcane powers, and become stronger that he didn't thought he could attain, not even in his imaginations.

In humanity’s final war against the Demon Lord, the strongest heroes fell—not by the enemy’s hand, but by their own, twisted into madness by a cruel illusion. Betrayal. Bloodshed. Despair… and then, silence.Only one person remained: Riley—the weakest warrior of them all. Powerless. Ignored. Forgotten.But he saw through the Demon Lord’s deception. The tyrant was on the brink of death—so weak even a fly could’ve finished him off.And Riley did just that, drawing every last ounce of strength to bite off the demon’s head.Victory? Not quite. A final, desperate strike from the Demon Lord pierced him from behind, killing him instantly.But fate wasn’t done with him yet.Riley awoke ten years in the past—when the online game [Apocalypse] was launched. Before demons descended. Before monsters overran the world.And this time, he wasn’t starting from nothing. He had a decade of experience—and a second chance.Even more shocking, he didn’t awaken his old D-rank Strength Boost talent. This time, he received something far more terrifying: an SSS-Rank Gluttony talent!He could now devour anything—monsters, items, talents, even traits—and gain their power.Ding![You have devoured: Iron Fang Wolf][Acquired: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, Skill: Bite (F-rank)][You have devoured: Goblin ShamanAcquired: +8 Intelligence, Skill: Mana Bolt (E-rank), Talent: Minor Spellcasting Efficiency][You have devoured: Flaming Salamander Drake][Acquired: +22 Endurance, Trait: Dragon’s Resilience, Skill: Flame Breath (C-rank)]Now, there is no demon, no god, no monster who will stand in his way. He will devour everything—and save the world.But the power of Gluttony was a double edged sword. If he wasn’t careful… he could be the one getting consumed.

Philip never expected his new life to be so… complicated. When a tragic accident in the modern metropolis of Bortinto abruptly ends his struggle for survival, he wakes up as the scandal-ridden heir of a ducal house in a world where magic and science coexist. Any fantasies of an easy, heroic life vanish the moment he realizes that the estate that he is tasked with managing is drowning in debt, and his reputation has been shredded by rumors involving his predecessor’s broken engagement to the socialite Lady Rosetta—the granddaughter of a prince.Even as he scrambles to rebuild his estate’s fortunes—grappling with contaminated land, mounting debts, and shrewed industrialists—he unearths troubling secrets about the original Philip’s heartbreak and suicide. A dark, hidden force seems intent on wiping him out for an unknown reason. As conspiracies emerge linking Lady Rosetta’s departure to these shadowy machinations, Philip struggles to separate ally from adversary, not knowing why this power in high places is so bent on destroying him.Meanwhile, the realm teeters on the brink of monumental change. Technological and social revolutions collide with century-old magical traditions, and war drums thunder on the distant borders. Armed with his modern knowledge of finance—now fused with the kingdom’s burgeoning industrial innovations—Philip attempts to ride the trends and transform his estate into a beacon of prosperity and secure his heirship to the ducal title. Yet each small triumph only attracts more enemies.Tasked by the System with cultivating a supernatural entity while uncovering the real reason behind Lady Rosetta’s canceled engagement and the original Philip’s tragic end, he must also shield those he grows to care about from the looming threats. Will he harness the synergy of magic, technology, and commerce to steer his estate toward greatness, or will malevolent forces quash his second chance at life? Will his second chance at life end the same tragic way as his first?