Alpha Instinct - Chapter 75: "Black Smoke and Burning Steel"

The Empire stands triumphant.

For twenty years the Dread Empress has ruled over the lands that were once the Kingdom of Callow, but behind the scenes of this dawning golden age threats to the crown are rising. The nobles of the Wasteland, denied the power they crave, weave their plots behind pleasant smiles. In the north the Forever King eyes the ever-expanding borders of the Empire and ponders war. The greatest danger lies to the west, where the First Prince of Procer has finally claimed her throne: her people sundered, she wonders if a crusade might not be the way to secure her reign. Yet none of this matters, for in the heart of the conquered lands the most dangerous man alive sat across an orphan girl and offered her a knife.

Her name is Catherine Foundling, and she has a plan.

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A Practical Guide to Evil is a fantasy series about a young girl named Catherine Foundling making her way through the world – though, in a departure from the norm, not on the side of the heroes. Is there such a thing as doing bad things for good reasons, or is she just rationalizing her desire for control? Good and Evil are tricky concepts, and the more power you get the blurrier the lines between them become.

Once an imperial princess, now reborn among the lowest of s*aves of the nobility.

Xu Yuan transmigrated to a parallel world where everyone became lords. Initially, he thought he would be a lord too. To his surprise, he became the Dark Demonic Dragon, a starter hero awaiting to be summoned by a lord. He also awakened the Dragon God Cultivation System.

[Transformation of the Dark: You can level up quickly by staying in the dark.]

[Slumber of the Dragon God: For the Dragon God, sleeping means residing in the dark.]

[Rejuvenation of the Demonic Dragon: You can revive using the power of the dark. Your basic attribute points will increase every time you revive.]

[The Blade of the Hidden Wings: This is a dark attribute AoE skill. It can annihilate all enemies within the area of effect.]

[Unlimited Devouring: The skills of your enemy shall be yours now. Unleash this skill to devour your enemy and acquire their skills.]

…

Su Wan, a beautiful lord, had no doubt that she could easily become the most powerful lord in the universe.

She felt her heart beating fast when she first saw her starter hero dazzle amidst the flashing summoning light.

Unbeknownst to her, her nightmare was about to unfold.

While other heroes devoted themselves to training day and night in order to level up, her hero goofed around and showed no effort to improve himself.

While other heroes charged into the enemy’s base and valiantly killed off their foes, her hero hid in their base and slept soundly.

…

As time passed, Su Wan slowly discovered that there was more to her hero than met the eye.

In his first life as 'Caine Wilson', was the villain—ruthless, cunning, and very powerful.He played his part perfectly, crushing the so-called “protagonist” and parading his enemies, their families, and anyone who crossed him naked through the streets.He watched with glee as the “hero” lay broken, stripped of his dignity, before finally ending his pitiful existence.But just as Caine, thought he had finally won and secured his place at the top, 'Higher ups' intervened.A booming, ethereal voice—like the universe’s pissed-off judge—shook the skies:“You have violated the sacred code of villainy! The villain shall not win. The balance has been broken. Caine Wilson, the world hereby rejects you!”Before he could even enjoy his victory, his world blinked out, like a story whose writer just erased the last chapter in frustration.Everything went dark.And when he awoke, he wasn’t Caine Wilson anymore.He was 'Su Xiaobai', a nobody on 'White Cloud Star', a world of cultivation, martial arts, and endless struggle.But this time, things were different.He could feel it—he could see through the cracks of reality itself.He could break the fourth wall!He wasn’t just some reincarnated soul; he was a villain who had 'seen the system', who understood the game.And he was about to flip it upside down.