You Make Money, I'll Spend It: Stepmother's Ultimate Pleasure in the Aristocratic Family - Chapter 16: I didn’t cheat on your Dad.

Haruma Kazuki is a cursed (or maybe just deeply unfortunate) high school student whose lewd, panicked, or absurd thoughts literally manifest in reality — especially when he tries not to think about them. The more he denies or avoids feelings, the more chaotic and trope-heavy the consequences.

The Ancient Era has come to an end. Gods, demons and ancient beasts strong enough to rule anything with power and roam free in the universe... All vanished mysteriously.

No one really knows how it has ended and what actually have happened. Some records state that it was the constant war between gods and demons that caused their demise, or even the conflicts they had against members of their own race that ended that golden age.

Greed, pride and selfish motives could have been the catalysts for that ending.

Who can precisely tell what happened? It has been 2 million years since the last record of those times and in this gap of time, other races made their appearances.

Still, those considered God's and Deities of those old times, didn't let their names be erased from history. There are a lot of legacies they've left behind for the new races. Some are already claimed as people make them their sect treasure or family heirloom, but It's speculated that there are lot more legacies left behind that were still not found yet.

This is a cruel world where power reigns, so people do everything to get what they want.

It has to be known, that there were six supreme beings that were above the ranks of Gods and Demons, and they were called True Gods. Dauntless and unstoppable. They attained the peak of power and could only be feared and respected.

Till this day no one has really found any True God legacy, so people have forgotten about their existence. Although, there were a lot of god legacies, since they were constantly searching for the best inheritors for their bloodlines and their teachings. However, it is highly unlikely for a person to fully attain it, because Gods are Gods and humans are mere humans.

Their marks are all over the universe and they are treated with utmost respect until the present age. Still, there is no Deity alive to enjoy such treatment.

Ethan Cross was just an ordinary college student in his past life—until he died trying to save a banker playing hero. Now, he finds himself reincarnated in “New World”, a realm plagued by Dread Beasts, where only those who awaken Aethermarks can become Heroes.But there’s a problem.Ethan has awakened as an E-rank Hero, the weakest tier, cursed with only one ability slot—a death sentence for any aspiring warrior. With no powerful clans willing to recruit him and the world already looking down on him, his future seems bleak.Until he discovers his Innate Talent: Sanctum of Beasts.This mysterious power grants him access to a personal dimension, where he can hunt endless waves of Dread Beasts. Unlike the real world, slaying them in this space drops Ability Fragments, which he can combine to gain abilities without slot restrictions. Even better? Time flows differently—he can train for days, yet only an instant passes in reality.Determined to rise from nothing, Ethan embarks on a secret journey to accumulate power. But as he completes missions and unravels the truth about the Black Pits, he realizes there’s something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface.The Hero Association hides dark secrets. Villains roam freely in the shadows. And Dread Beasts may not be the mindless creatures everyone believes them to be.With powerful enemies watching his every move, Ethan must play a dangerous game—remain unnoticed or become the hunter of both beasts and men.But one thing is certain:In this world, strength is everything. And Ethan Cross will carve his own path to the top—no matter the cost.

*Who would have thought a precious legitimate princess was forced to secretly marry a predator in the middle of the night when the silver moon shone bright in the middle of the starry sky?__“Your wench mother seduced my father and made you!”Consumed by rage after her half-sister insulted her mother, Reneira Dorient unleashed her secret power. Magic was taboo in the seven kingdoms, and those born with it must be burned. But she was a precious princess to the Kingdom.The royal family kept this secret with them and locked away her power, however, the King had a far darker plan: he forced her into a marriage with the evil prince of Thegara, a ruthless barbarian who had bathed in the blood of countless victims, as rumors said. Their union was the King’s strategy, she was a tool to win yet another war.The night the prince arrived to claim her, Reneira braced herself for the inevitable circumstances. However, nothing could have prepared her for the truth that this wasn’t just a marriage.Her new husband was a sweet torment, an immortal, god-like bully disguised in an impossibly beautiful human form with no rival. His every gaze felt like a punishment, and his sinful aura tempted her in ways she never expected. This god of lust refused to touch her or accept her as his true wife.Believing that her dignity was lost forever, she resigned herself to her fate, hoping to make a home in the hell she’d been thrown into. But fate, as it often did play, had other plans. She came to encounter a gorgeous yet wicked ex-mistress who didn't want her as his wife too and constantly attempted to push her out of the way...__“Don’t even think about seducing me by licking your lips like that, doe-eyes!” He breathed in her ear as he joined her in bed, shirtless, his muscular abdomen rippling with each movement.“I… I’m not doing it on purpose!” she stammered, her breath catching in her chest when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her body against him.His mouth hovered near her ear. “I’m going to make you forget what happened today. My body is yours as compensation.”Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Rolling her eyes away, she tried not to meet his dangerously alluring gaze. “You said we’re not a real couple, and I’m not your true mate. What’s changed your mind?”He grinned widely, grabbing her chin and leaning in so close that she could feel his warm breath against her skin. He used his tempting aura to compel her to meet his gaze. Her treacherous heart didn’t defy him again, he could hear it racing.“That term of the treaty no longer applies. From now on, you’re truly my wife, Doe-eyes. Only mine.” He paused, studying her body’s response.“Shall I stop here?” he whispered, his breath sending a shiver down her spine.Once again, she surprised him. The answer was the opposite of what the arousal scent of her body suggested.“Yes. You should stop.”“So you’re going to play a naughty game, wife?”...