Cruel

A thousand years ago, Roan was the most feared warlord in history. Undefeated in battle. Worshipped by armies. Betrayed and poisoned by his most trusted general at the height of his glory. His last breath carried one vow. I will return. He kept it. Reborn into the body of a broke, humiliated twenty year old, Roan wakes up with nothing. No home, no money, no allies — thrown onto the street like garbage by the cruel family who used him as a pawn for twenty years. At his absolute lowest, bleeding in the rain, an ancient War System activates inside him. Current rating: F. Pathetic. He almost laughed. Because the people who destroyed him had no idea what they just woke up. And the dormant king doesn’t fight with rage — he plans with ice cold precision. Every enemy catalogued. Every move calculated. Every humiliation remembered. Cole Crest threw him out. Victor Crest used him. The ancient entity that corrupted his most trusted general a thousand years ago has reincarnated and is already moving against him. They will all kneel before this is over. Rising from F rank toward the legendary S rank, reclaiming ancient power sealed since his death, uniting secret warrior clans that have waited a thousand years for his return, and protecting the one person who showed him kindness when the whole world looked away — Roan isn’t just fighting for revenge. He’s fighting to end a cycle that has lasted a millennium. The Dormant King is done sleeping. The final battle isn’t just for revenge. It’s for the soul of history itself.

Alex was reborn into Blue Star, a world of advanced technology and modern comforts, yet ruled by the ancient, unchanging power of royal families. As a prince of the mighty Roshar Kingdom, he was born into luxury but cursed with minimal talent for the martial arts that defined this world's elite. Seeing the brutal intrigue within his own family, his sole ambition became a simple one: to avoid the throne's bloody games and survive a long, quiet life of privileged obscurity. That plan shattered when he was framed for a rebellion he knew nothing about. Cast out by the king without a trial or explanation and abandoned by a mother who refused to even say goodbye, Alex was exiled to the Wall—the world's most feared military penal colony. As a low-ranking, seemingly untalented warrior, everyone believed he was being sent to a silent death. But the Wall was not a prison. It was the grim, hidden truth from the normal people. Here, Alex witnessed the real war: a daily, desperate struggle against nightmarish monsters, a crisis kept secret from the peaceful, modern world behind a veil of royal and Council lies. Facing the terror for the first time, he realized the world's cruel hypocrisy and his own terrifying fragility. Yet, in the carnage, he discovered a latent, macabre gift: the ability to harvest strength from the fallen. This power could change everything, offering a path to survival and vengeance. But even as he grasps this chance, burning questions haunt him: Why was he, the deliberately passive prince, chosen as the pawn? Why did his father condemn him without a word? Why is the true horror of their world buried beneath a facade of normalcy? Armed with a secret that could elevate him or mark him for death.

Connor Waratah, once heir to the powerful Waratah empire, lives a humble life in Melbourne after being cast out by his family, falsely branded a thief, and abandoned when he needed them most. When the family’s loyal retainer, Jimmy Coolabah, arrives to bring him back, Connor rejects the offer, unwilling to forgive their betrayal. Later, at his wife Kirra’s wealthy Kuranda family gathering, Connor makes a desperate public plea for a loan to save the struggling Billabong Elder Care and Children’s Home—the orphanage where he was raised. His appeal is met with ridicule, insults, and humiliation, leading to his ejection from the event. Kirra, furious over the embarrassment, demands that if Connor wants to redeem himself, he must secure a lucrative property deal her family has long been denied. But when Connor returns to the care home to confess his failure, he discovers a mysterious $2 million donation, medical supplies, and toys for the children—courtesy of Jimmy Coolabah. Jimmy also presents him with two staggering gifts: a rare black card with unlimited funds and full ownership of Jarrah Properties, the very company controlling the building Kirra needs. Though Connor refuses the wealth outright, he realizes he now has the power to help both the care home and his wife. Keeping his fortune and new position a secret, Connor visits Jarrah Properties, enduring cruel treatment from an old enemy before revealing to the company president that he is the new owner. Connor orders that Kirra’s family be given fair access to properties without ever knowing his involvement. Determined to restore the orphanage, protect his wife’s pride, and quietly outmaneuver those who wronged him, Connor begins using his hidden influence to change their lives—on his own terms.

Selma Elias was only eleven the first time he watched his father cry not from pain, not from hunger but from humiliation. Everyday Selma watched his mother tear Rafael Elias apart with cruel words, betrayal, and endless disrespect. Their home became a battlefield where silence hurt more than screams. While Rafael worked himself to exhaustion trying to provide for his family, Matilde Elias brought other men into their house even into their matrimonial bed while her son watched helplessly from the shadows. Then one night, that the worst happened. Rafael returned home unannounced and discovered another man inside his house. The heartbreak in his eyes that night destroyed something inside him forever. Depression swallowed him whole. Alcohol became his escape. His laughter disappeared. His focus faded. Eventually, he lost his job, his peace, and finally his life. Standing over his father’s grave, young Selma made a vow: He would never let a woman destroy him the way his mother destroyed his father. Years later, Selma Elias becomes powerful, wealthy, and emotionally untouchable. To the world, he is a successful businessman with absolute control. But beneath the expensive suits and cold silence lives a boy still haunted by memories he never escaped, he doesn’t trust women and also he doesn’t believe in love. And he refuses to let anyone get close enough to break him. But when a persistent woman begins challenging the walls he spent years building, Selma is forced to confront the truth he buried deep inside himself: Maybe the greatest scar his father left behind was not death but fear. And healing may require him to face the one thing he has avoided his entire life his own heart.

“Sarah!” Robin’s voice cracked, raw with betrayal. “After everything I did for you? The bone marrow donation—” Sarah rolled her eyes dramatically, her laughter sharp and dismissive. “Oh, please. Did you really think I cared about you? You were just… convenient.” Marcus moved to stand beside her, draping an arm around her shoulders. “Tell him about the face you made when he thought you actually liked him back. That story kills at parties.” The laughter between them burned through Robin’s veins. Every memory of their time together—every smile, every touch, every whispered promise—twisted into something ugly and false. “You used me…” Robin whispered, the truth finally sinking in. Sarah tilted her head, her expression cold and mocking. “Obviously. Let me spell it out for you, since you’re too dense to get it.” She stepped closer, her voice dripping with contempt. "I only kept you around because your bone marrow matched mine. Now that I'm cured, you're about as useful as yesterday's garbage. But look on the bright side – at least some part of you turned out to be useful. More than we can say for the rest!" After donating his bone marrow to save Sarah's life, Robin discovers their relationship was nothing but a cruel joke. Beaten and left for dead in a kennel of vicious guard dogs, his mysterious family ring suddenly activates, revealing his true heritage as heir to America's most powerful shadow organization! With supernatural abilities and unimaginable wealth as Eagle Industries' new CEO, Robin would show them what happens when you mistake kindness for weakness. After all, when you've been treated like a dog, sometimes you have to bare your fangs to survive!