The Retired Abyss Innkeeper - Chapter 16: Form 9-A Has a Contractor Now. We Haven’t Discussed Rates

A young middle school student faces a life-altering choice. Destined for mediocrity and without a War Spiritual Bloodline, he dreams of transcending his ordinary existence and becoming a high-status War Spiritualist. His world is transformed when he becomes bound to the “”Godly Pet Evolution System,”” enabling him to activate his War Spiritual Bloodline and cultivate divine pets, even from the most unlikely sources.Armed with this system, he defies expectations by nurturing underdog spirits into formidable allies. The seemingly weak flower spirit evolves under his care, as does his Lord White Dragon, challenging the mightiest thunder-attribute battle spirits. Even when presented with a Diamond Demonic Spirit Card, he counters with three Epic-Demon Spirit Cards of his own.His journey takes an unexpected turn as powerful entities, including the Six-Tailed Demon Fox, the Phoenix Holy Maiden, and the Queen of the Seas, vie to become his second battle spirit. Faced with a wealth of choices, he refuses to settle for just one and ambitiously aims to harness them all.

The heiress to a powerful tech company, Diane Lily Hoffman, had a tough childhood filled with lies and mistreatment.At 14, her cruel stepmother tricked her into thinking her father had sold her to his enemies. From there, the family who adopted her abused her physically and emotionally.Using her as a ploy to get rich, her adopted family forced her into what she thought was a loveless marriage with a plastic surgeon named Gabriel.Despite what she perceived as a lack of love, she found solace in her married life until her path was chosen for her again and lies were made to drive a wedge between her and Gabriel.The divorce was painful and she realised all too late that everything was not what it seemed.Unfortunately, the lies her family crafted were too much for Gabriel to ever give her a chance again.Just as she was about to die, Diane was given a second chance to fix her mistakes.Now reborn, Diane is ready to find her real father and ex-husband, seeking revenge on the family that betrayed her and taking back the life and justice she deserves.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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He died in a tunnel and woke up in hell. And now He's got a system that wants him to become Death itself.Stephen King is a depressed, overlooked graphic designer with no future, no friends, and no purpose. That is… until a bus crash sends him into the afterlife, where he meets Lucidas - the Hollow Architect, a half-skeletal god of death who offers him a second chance at life.But there’s a catch.To return to the human world, Stephen must join the Death God King Tournament.... a deadly competition between 100 chosen humans, each gifted powers by a different Death God. The prize? Ultimate power, immortality, and the throne of the next King of Death.Back in the world of the living...now armed with the Soul-Reaper System, a spectral weapon, and missions to reap the dead ....Stephen must fight corrupted spirits, rival Reaper Candidates, and his own fading humanity to survive.He was invisible in life. Forgotten by everyone.Now? He’s Death’s chosen, and the whole world will know his name.......Dark fantasy, system power-ups, spirit battles, PvP tournaments, and a loner MC's rise from nothing to godhood — if you love Solo Leveling, Necromancer System, or Reaper-verse stories, this is for you.Warning: The reason why this is R17 is because of Gore. The story might be slow. during the first 10 chapters, but they are not boring either. The reason is because these are the first world building chapters.Harem?[It might be there so dive in and find out]Overpowered MC[ he doesn't begin overpowered, but he's power grows overtime, as levels up and battles enemies][1-2 chapters daily until this book gets contracted. I guarantee you that the number of daily uploads will surge]Support me with powerstones and golden tickets for extra chapters.Motivate me, and please cheer me up.