One day, a mysterious figure dressed in martial arts attire with long hair trailing down to his waist appeared and introduced himself as “Heavenly Demon.”... more>>

I wonder how many would simply nod and accept that?

“It seems you find it hard to believe, so let me tell you again, you scoundrel—I am the Demon, Wih Wajin.”

Out of the blue, he barged into an idol agency, causing utter confusion.

So, why exactly was he here!?

“I, too, will become an idol.” <<less

"I don’t need anything else. I just want to love you, that’s all."... more>>

Kang Taejoon, a man who believes love is everything in life.

“Everything I love dies. So, I’ll do everything but love.”

Baek Seorin, a woman who believes love is a curse. Taejoon reunites with his first love Seorin, who once cruelly tore his heart apart, after 8 years! Seorin has to take Taejoon’s hand to save her company, but he demands marriage in return.

“I wasn’t hot enough to melt you back then. But now, I’m more than hot enough.”

The lethal temptation of the first man reappears! <<less

Do you ever ponder the existence of myriad parallel universes, each mirroring your own reality? Clearly, it’s the same person. However, while she may be... more>> an unrivaled wealthy heiress in this universe, in another, she could just be a penniless working girl. Theoretically, these realms never cross paths. Yet, one fateful day, the affluent Jiang Xiaoyuan finds herself thrust into a meticulously orchestrated mishap, becoming another version of herself in a different realm. Stripped of her family background, education, looks, and wealth, what remains as the essence of oneself? What truly defines the self? This story plans to take a transformation plan into another dimension. <<less

Three millennia later.... more>>

In the New Federal World which had experienced a historical deviation.

A game called "Jianghu" appeared out of nowhere, forcibly defining all humans in the world as players.

Humans would experience a variety of worlds mixed with martial arts in the game! Once you die in the game, your real body would also die!

Four hours before the game began, Ye Ling returned with his previous life's memories!

This time.

He will grasp all the opportunities he missed in his previous life, and he will dominate the Jianghu!

And the starting point is Yuxu Monastery in Dali.

"Madam, you don't want your son to have an accident, do you?!"

Ye Ling threw the pill and looked at Dao Baifeng in front of him with a smile. <<less

The Dao Court has ruled the world of cultivators for over twenty thousand years. The noble families maintain a strict hierarchy, making life difficult for independent cultivators.... more>>

At ten years old, Mo Hua, who comes from a background of independent cultivators, struggles with his cultivation journey. This changes when a Dao stele appears in his mind.

The stele is damaged and mysterious, but it can enhance spiritual awareness and help understand mystical formations.

Mo Hua plans to use this stele to develop a supreme spiritual awareness, learn the secrets of celestial formations, and pursue the ultimate path of immortality. His goal is to change not only his own destiny but also the destiny of all lesser cultivators across the world.

The path to greatness starts with the smallest steps, and the journey to immortality is long and challenging.

Through dense fog and treacherous terrains, past horrors and chaos, where demons dance wildly, he must plant the seeds of his spiritual quest, survive the deadliest of trials, and prove his worth on every dangerous step…

In the grand scheme of heaven, where the universe is the game board and all creatures its pieces, the strategic game of life and death begins, shaping destinies through its intricate moves… <<less

In a vast and boundless world, where strong individuals abound, Mukun, the Immortal Emperor of a generation, is reincarnated into the body of a maltreated... more>> illegitimate child. He vows to stir up storms and reclaim his peak position. In the vast expanse of the heavens, who dares to challenge him? Across myriad realms, he shall reign supreme! In this life, Mukun is destined to command over all realms and shatter the vault of heaven! <<less

One night, Oscar picked up the key to a safe he had once desperately searched for. The person who came with it became a living key was a woman, extraordinary in every aspect. Her tearful eyes, naive actions, even her name and appearance. The woman was oddly irritating. He was even displeased at having to ponder how to describe that irritation. So, he wanted to temporarily put it out of sight, in a place where it couldn't be seen.... more>>

“I... want to be by your side.”

It was too ridiculous to be sincere, and far too pathetic to be temptation.

Therefore, the one who was ensnared was undoubtedly an idiot.

Even when subjected to all kinds of insults, the woman approached until the end. On those small, soft palms, which knew no calluses, Oscar von Reinhardt was played with.

So, I must hold you accountable.

To you, who never had sincerity, not even for a single moment.

Until the very end...

To you, who even hid your name from me,

I will hold you accountable, very cruelly.

Oscar von Reinhardt – The head of the Reinhardt dukedom, with black curly hair and blue eyes. He owns the railway that crosses the Norfolk continent and the largest steel company on the continent. He is willing to do anything for his goals, even if it means kissing the back his enemy’s hand. He has brought his ruined family back to prominence through extreme efficiency. Therefore, he spurns himself for falling for the wiles of such ridiculous seduction, nor can he forgive the woman who made him feel this way.

Han Seo Ah – A mixed-race individual with brown hair and brown eyes. She has been an outsider from the moment she formed her first memory. Her appearance stands out, to the point she is suspicious of her birth. The starting point of her sin was when she came into existence. Therefore, she wishes to atone for all her wrongdoings; to her grandfather, and to that man whose mere presence makes her heart flutter. <<less

In the winter of three years ago, the first locked room mu*der in Japanese history was committed.... more>>

All of the evidence pointed to the defendant. It was certain they were guilty. And yet, they were found innocent and released. Why? Because the crime scene was a perfect locked room no one from the police or the prosecutor's office could solve.

"Since the room was locked, it was impossible for the defendant to have committed the mu*der. It's no different than if they had a perfect alibi." That was the argument of the defense, and that was the argument the judge sided with.

The ruling sent a ripple throughout Japanese society. No matter how suspicious you were or how much evidence you left behind, as long as you managed to create a locked room that no one could solve, you were immune from prosecution. With the common anti-mystery fiction talking point "there's no reason anyone would ever actually commit a locked room mu*der" completely overturned, the rate of locked room mu*ders in Japan skyrocketed.

When the police proved unable to deal with the surge of locked room crime, the Ministry of Justice published an official categorization of all known locked room tricks as an investigative aid. When that proved insufficient, Division Zero of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, a police division dedicated solely to solving locked rooms, was created. When that still proved insufficient, locked room detectives, private investigators specializing in locked rooms, were officially licensed by the state and authorized to participate in police investigations. Calling a locked room appraiser, someone specializing in searching buildings for secret passages, is now a common first step in criminal investigations.

On the other side of the spectrum, locked room agents, assassins and crime planners specializing in locked room mu*ders, have become some of the most notorious criminals in Japanese history, and even a cult worshiping the scenes of locked rooms as a way to purify the souls of the deceased has made rapid inroads into Japan.

The protagonist, Kasumi Kuzushiro, is an introverted, somewhat cynical high school student who loves mysteries. Kasumi often finds himself dragged along on bizarre journeys by his flighty childhood friend, Yozuki Asahina. Due to their staggeringly bad luck, these trips often leave them in the wrong place at the wrong time to be caught up in locked room mysteries. Fortunately, another of Kasumi's childhood friends, Shitsuri Mitsumura, is the greatest locked room expert in the world, and can always discover the truth.

Hm? How did a high school girl become the greatest locked room expert in the world?

It's simple.

She's...

Volume 1 was the grand prize winner of the 2022 This Mystery Is Amazing! awards. <<less