Serenade - Chapter 65: Don’t Hug Me

A broken prince, a shadowy scheme, all that amidst a bloody fight for a throne wrongly succeeded. Join a group of youngsters as they take their first steps into the martial world, towards the grandest adventure of their lives. It all begins in a certain inn, set against verdant mountains and facing a scenic lake.

“Bring us your finest wine and best meat!” Yelled a hulking man who seemed to be the leader of the dozen strong group.

“How much?” The waiter anxiously nodded his head.

“As much as you have!” The hulking man yelled back.

“That’s…”

“HUH?” The hulking man shot the waiter a furious glare.

“Dear guests, our inn operates on the principle of ‘pay first, dishes later’. As such, it will be better if you tell us exactly how much meat and wine you need.” Xiao Se returned their furious stares with a thin smile.

“Who are you supposed to be?” The hulking man eyed him with bulging eyes.

“This humble one is known as Xiao Se, the owner of this inn, the Fallen Snow Villa.” Xiao Se replied with the same smile and with a level of courtesy worth a solid 12/10.

“Well, we have no money.” The hulking man stabbed his blade into one of the nearby tables.

“Oh?”

“But I’m sure you have some!” The man pointed his finger at Xiao Se.

At that, Xiao Se furiously shook his head. “I’m sorry to break it to you but our little inn hasn’t made a single sale in almost a month. I’m about to owe them salaries myself…”

“Like hell if I care!” The hulking man smashed his palm down on the table. “Even if you have no money, that fur coat of yours should at least be worth a hundred odd silvers.”

“NONSENSE!” Yelled Xiao Se, eyes wide open and gaze as sharp as daggers.

The hulking man was stunned, his body even shivering involuntarily for that split second.

“I, Xiao Se, ride only the finest horse and wear only the richest threads! This fur coat of mine was specially sewn by some of the finest seamstresses in the imperial capital in the August Threads. Just sewing it took three whole months, shipping it, another one. Hmph, a hundred silvers? That’s not even enough to buy the sleeves of my coat!”

A madman's journey up the towers.These are the ironclad rules of the Three Towers Game in the eyes of others:1: Do not create killings in the Tower of Desire. The Tower of Desire is a tower full of love; please climb it with love.2: Killing is the only pass for the Slaughter Tower. All creatures in the Slaughter Tower are enemies of humanity; do not try to communicate with the monsters.3: Stay away from the Deceit Tower, and happiness will be abundant.These are the ironclad rules of the Three Towers Game in the eyes of Wen Xishu:1: The Tower of Desire is full of sheep that won't kill.2: The monsters in the Slaughter Tower are powerful and reliable, truly a camp of righteous fathers.3: I absolutely love the Deceit Tower.

Derek Carter never asked for a System, an apocalypse, or the pressure of being humanity’s so-called “last hope.”He was just trying to survive the daily struggles of being an orphan in Paleview City—dodging bullies, scraping together meals, and lying his way into school. Life was already hard enough.Then, one day, a blue screen pops into his vision:[Warning: The world is doomed. Try not to die.]Yeah, great. Just what he needed—cryptic doomsday messages and no instruction manual.Now, monsters are creeping into the city, reality is unraveling, and Damien’s “legendary” starting stats are barely above zero. The System promises him power, but there's just one tiny problem—he’s never won a fight in his life.Armed with sarcasm, questionable decision-making skills, and the sheer refusal to die, Damien is about to embark on the worst (and possibly last) adventure of his life. Because if the world really is ending… he’s at least going to make it someone else’s problem first.After all, heroes are overrated—survivors get to tell the story.

Shiro Sakamaki was reborn into a new world with one simple goal: to live a peaceful, luxurious life free from drama.But when he transfers to a prestigious high school in Tokyo, he quickly discovers that his new reality is anything but ordinary. The city is a strange mix of supernatural forces, ghostly phenomena, and events that feel like they’ve jumped straight out of an anime.Before long, bizarre occurrences follow him everywhere, along with a series of beautiful, mysterious girls—from the arrogant, blonde twin-tailed exorcist, to the mysterious quintuplet sisters, to a passerby heroine with hidden powers.As Shiro gets tangled in the supernatural chaos, he realizes he’s at the center of something far darker. Cursed relics begin to surface, and Ancient, Evil Outer Gods—whose very presence bends reality—start to stir.Now, Shiro must figure out why he’s caught in this web of strange occurrences while trying to survive school and the surreal new world he’s been thrust into.