Golden Boy

First, it was the Gates. Now, an ancient alien species is subtly invading, planning to turn humanity into livestock. This is the Second Calamity, a prophesied trial that must be overcome to face the true end of the world. Just as a new apocalypse begins, Orion awakens with a system. Ding! [You have awakened with the Evolution System!] Thrown into a parallel Earth plagued by monsters and Hunters, Orion receives his first task. [one must stay proactive!] [Your first task: Character Development!] The system reveals his first daily quest: a grueling workout regimen of push-ups, sit-ups, and running. The goal is to transform him from his "ugly, obese" state into something better, rewarding him with points in Charisma, Agility, Strength, and Endurance. [Is this torture!?] Orion shouts. Ding! [No, it's Character Development! ^-^]

Ten years ago, John Hardwick was the golden boy of the nation. The youngest billionaire in history. The face of every magazine. The pride of the powerful Hardwick dynasty; worth trillions. He was rich, brilliant, devastatingly handsome, and born to inherit an empire. But then… he made one mistake. A scandal so massive it rocked the country. His grandfather; the terrifying patriarch of the Hardwick family, was furious. Disgraced, John vanished overnight. His name was wiped clean from the internet. No news, no photos, no trace. As if he never existed. People said he was dead. Some whispered he ran away. But soon, the world forgot him entirely. What no one knew was that he didn’t disappear… he was exiled. His grandfather didn’t just cut him off—he threw him into the harshest military unit in the world. No mercy. No privileges. Just blood, fire, and war. For ten brutal years, John was forged like steel in the furnace of hell. He rose through the ranks, unstoppable. Fearless. Lethal. Eventually, he earned a title that sent shivers through the enemy ranks: GOD OF WAR. Now, he’s back. Not as a spoiled billionaire—but as a weapon. A king in exile returned. And this time, he’s taking back everything that was his. The name. The throne. The trillion-dollar empire. And anyone who stands in his way… will fall.

BLURB Alexander Morello has mastered the art of surviving in silence—until survival means swallowing one humiliation too many. At Winston College, he's the outcast, the charity case, the punching bag for Paxton Jennings, the school's golden quarterback. But when a cruel assault on his dignity crosses the line, something in Alexander begins to crack.