In a world ruled by criminals, civilians live a shit life. A cook gets shot to death for saving a man's life and gets an audience with God. "Civilians are humans too!" he complained. As compensation, God shoved him into the body of Zen Taro - the Taro Family's useless third young master. Given the ability to learn at hyperspeed, Zen has to find a way to survive this crazy deathtrap of an academy. Armed with only his superior gaming, civilian common sense and cooking skills, watch him survive the crazy VR battle royale in true Zen Fashion. Advanced chapters on Patreon!
"Run faster! Run faster! These legs are not mine!"
What a lie. If only these words were true. Zen could feel his lungs burning and blamed the previous owner of this body for not exercising more. If they did, his flawless plan wouldn't have turned against him.
Something whistled past his head, and Zen ducked narrowly. The forest was realistic... too realistic for a VR game. Why did they have to replicate even the physical capabilities of the player?
"If this is truly a game, I should be able to use some cheat abilities. These lungs are not mine. These legs are not mine. Even if I can't dodge everything, I can still survive by taking damage in non-critical areas! GAH!"
Just as he said it, a bullet embedded itself into his left shoulder from the back. The pain was nothing like Zen remembered. The last time he got shot, he died.
With a yell born from his last burst of courage, Zen followed the increasing sound of roaring water. This was it! He was near.
"Breakthrough... Breakthrough..." he whispered like a mantra. The adrenaline numbed the pain for now. He was almost there.
"Stop running and die!" his pursuer cackled and reloaded from the trees. "Either way, it's a dead-end ahead. You won't survive the fall."
Zen didn't listen. He didn't care. Sure, it was a cliff ahead with a huge waterfall. Ordinarily, Zen would never jump. However, this was a game - a death game.
"I'll take my fucking chances!" he seethed. Leaves and branches smacked into his face as his feet pounded on the dirt. This technology was too impressive, but Zen didn't have the time or energy to admire how it worked. All he knew was if that sniper hits him one more time, his health bar wouldn't hold up, and he was going to die in real life.
The sound of the sniper rifle getting fired echoed in the forest and Zen took it as his cue to jump off the slippery edge. He meant for a better angle to avoid whatever rocks there could've been in the way, but at the very last moment, the sound caused him to slip on some moss.
"How lame..." the thought crossed his mind and time slowed. He could see the smirk on his pursuer's face as he fell.
Then, time sped up. The free-fall was accompanied by freezing water pouring into his nose and throat. Zen didn't know which way was up, but he knew that if he didn't continue to struggle, he was going to die. Thankfully, Zen knew how to swim even if the young master of the Taro family who owned this body didn't.
His landing at the bottom of the waterfall broke some bones. The pain made Zen want to scream, but the water drowned everything out. This deep down, not even bullets would reach him. For now, he was safe, but Zen had to think quickly.
His nose and lungs burned. He was severely injured. The icy water could freeze him to death if he remained in it any longer. Going up to the surface was only going to make him an easy target. Was there no way out?
Zen smiled bitterly as his vision started to flicker. After everything he did, all he wanted to do was live a good life. When Zen was still a regular 24-year-old nameless civilian by the identity code #3207, he once thought good deeds would be rewarded. He saved a man from the mafia near death and brought him to his home only to be rewarded with a bullet to the head.
"So what if that shitty God gave me a special ability? Did he really think Godfather High School was a place for mafia heirs to learn their ABCs? What good will 'superspeed learning' do for me? Even if my photographic memory remembers the map of this death game arena, it's useless if I cannot win."
Top 100. He needed to survive and get into the top 100 out of 500 mafia heirs that attended. The original Zen Taro was only 15. The kid was timid, nerdy and overly kind-hearted. He was a splitting image of Civilian #3207 before he died. Of all the kids chosen to attend this fucked up battle royale academy, the oldest was only 18, still younger than what he used to be. Yet, Zen was inferior to all these people in every way. He was weak. He was timid. He had no skills, and his family rank was only #382.
"I'm not going to die here. I have to survive and grow stronger! That shitty God shoved all the responsibility of changing this messed up world in the name of a second chance, but I'm not going to complain. If bad guys rule the world... then let me be the devil and send them all to hell!"
Cold, in pain, desperate and afraid, Zen Taro let the underwater current drag him deeper to the bottom of the lagoon.
GASP!
As if God took some pity on him, Zen rediscovered air and a secret cave beneath the waterfall. With the last of his strength, shivering, Zen crawled from the water and lay on the hard stone ground panting hard.
It was cold. It was dark. Yet, it was still a game.
[Congratulations! You've discovered a secret room and safe zone. The number of occupants in this safe zone is 1/1.]
The window alert made Zen grin. He wasn't the devil yet, but he must have the devil's luck. Who would have expected to find a safe zone in this game? Judging by how it wasn't on the map, this safe zone should help him tide through the rough opening school ceremony.
"If I recall correctly, there are five rules in Godfather High. Rule one, no killing in safe zones and during safe time periods. Rule two, the microchip in our necks allow us to redeem certain benefits using credits earned in the game. It also kills us if we die. Rule three, No harming the creepy invigilators. Rule four, if you escape, you die. Lastly, the shitty game of death ends only when one survivor is left or if all the dungeon floors are cleared. I definitely lucked out this round."
Carefully, Zen looked over to his health bar. It was blinking, indicating that it was dangerously low. As he was now, Zen couldn't even take a punch or he would die for real. He checked the time and system status. So far, over two hundred candidates have died. If Zen didn't find this safe zone, he would already be dead, wasting his reincarnation chance.
"Five minutes till the purge. I wonder if my crazy pursuer made it. Either way, my spot in the top 100 is guaranteed now."
Of all things to happen on the first day of his high school debut, Zen wasn't expecting a battle royale. Then again, he should have seen it coming. The Godfather created this prison-like environment for the top mafia heirs to compete against each other. Only the strongest would be worthy of the title.
Although Zen didn't manage to kill anyone, he had to pat himself on the back for surviving the ordeal. The system announced the countdown for the purge, but Zen was already at his limits.
Unable to hold his eyelids open, Zen allowed himself to succumb to the pain as the adrenaline finally wore off. He slept like the dead as others fought for their lives, amusing a figure from the shadows.
[You have been awarded 100 credits by the Godfather for finding the secret safe zone. Keep up the good work, Zen Taro.]
Amanda Lucifer is the archmage of Time Cross Academy - the best school for all kinds of species. She oversees the best kind of education for her students who are future heirs to their clans or countries as the principal but more importantly, Amanda has a job to keep the population growing. The grand archmage of Time Cross Academy supports love in all forms and mating season is the best season to catch romance in action. Every year, clans and countries will send their sons and daughters to Time Cross Academy with their children's application form as well as an identification certificate that includes their second gender traits. This year is no different and the archmage looks forward to greeting her new students and tying a few red threads. Hormones will fly, clans will get allied, mates will be bonded. Everything that happens at Time Cross Academy happens for a reason and nobody shall question the archmage. Let the mating season begin! ***
Being a poor part-timer, Tynan could only afford a rip-off version of the i-phone called the G-phone. Never in his wildest dreams would he think of getting married to his phone - to be more precise, the thing living in his phone. She claims to be the E-Ghost residing in the G-phone who surpasses AI like Cortana simply because she possesses intellect of her own. Meet Laura, the ghost that lives in a cell phone. Part spirit and part technology, she makes the perfect life companion Tynan could ever ask for. Their problem? The G-phone is on a one year warranty. While they are busy overcoming their dimensional love barrier, G-phone calls. They want to take the phone back. Can Tynan and Laura 'live' happily ever after? ***
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"