Ranker Who Lives Twice - Chapter 243.1: The Summer Queen (8)

In a fantasy world where martial artists can split mountains and creeks with a wave of their hand and break rivers with a kick, there exists a little restaurant like this.

The restaurant isn’t large, but it is a place where countless apex existences will rush into.

There, you can taste egg-fried rice made from phoenix eggs and dragon blood rice.

There, you can drink strong wine brewed from vermillion fruit and water from the fountain of life.

There, you can taste the barbecued meat of a ninth grade supreme beast sprinkled with black pepper.

What? You want to abduct the chef? That’s not going to happen, because there’s a divine beast of unfathomable level, the Hellhound, lying at the entrance.

Oh, that chef also has a robotic assistant that killed a ninth grade supreme being with a single hand and a group of crazy women whose stomachs were conquered.

- Description from Novelupdates

The days where adventurers would roam the land and grow strong are long gone. More than 99.9% of the world's population is level 1, and in fact, leveling just isn't something people think about anymore, as almost every spawn point on the planet has been gone for close to a thousand years. Only the elites, the super rich, or the super lucky have access to spawn points, and because of this, they are like Gods among men: like superheroes. For people like Zach, life is a mundane, ordinary experience of getting up, going to school, working, and then going back to bed. But that's all about to change when he stumbles upon one of the only unknown spawn points in existence. And in doing so, his life is about to descend into a wild chaos he never could have expected. (Lit RPG, fantasy, action, slow burn)

Ryo Tanaka, a struggling college student, works tirelessly at multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet. In a bid to earn some extra cash, he volunteers for a paid drug research study, unaware that it will alter the course of his life forever.The experiment takes a disastrous turn, leaving Ryo bedridden with a high fever for several days. But when he finally awakens, he finds himself in a world plunged into chaos. A deadly virus has ravaged the city, turning its inhabitants into ravenous, flesh-eating zombies. Streets once bustling with life now lay desolate, the remnants of civilization crumbling under the weight of the apocalypse.

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.