2nd place in Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi~! 2019 comes a new one-shot by Ishikawa Hiroshi.... more>>

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Sou Uehara visits a Seaside Hospital.

He was once hospitalized at this very place.

His former companions suffered from an enigmatic disease that killed them off to the point of extinction. Those who survived however, have still not been discharged yet.

Sou reminiscences the events that happened “That day”.

The disease’s spread to a certain region of a city,

The deaths of the adults it lead to,

The power of an affected child,

And furthermore the conclusion of the battle――. <<less

Can jianghu wanderers ever refrain from messing around?... more>>

The turbulence of the world fostered us, whose existence upon joining jianghu going by as quick as a blink.*

"In this world where war erupts throughout, jianghu is a cycle of vengeance and retribution. You either persist, or you perish."

Many years ago, a young Chu Xiwei who recently joined the sect was chilled to the bone by those words he happened to have heard.

Seeing that his young disciple was scared quite enough, Ye Fusheng leisurely sipped his tea, "What I just said is pure nonsense."

Every young chivalrous individuals joining jianghu would happen upon one martial art scroll or another. Ye Fusheng was so often tricked by this preconception in his younger years that when he got older, he decided to hoard other people's scrolls.

But jianghu didn't work as simply as that.

It was a society of using one's might to carve one's path, of competing for artifacts and debating one's skills.

Legends would never fade with the withering time, just as hatred would not disappear in a peaceful age.

As the golden time passed, all splendor would be reduced to dust. With it, Glimpse of Grace** was sealed away from the world.

Notes:
* From an unnamed poem, by an unknown poet (rumored to be authored by Li Bai).
** The sword name is 惊鸿掠影, which in context of the story can also be separated into its short title: 惊鸿 – Jing Hong, and the name of an organization 掠影 – Lue Ying. <<less

A woman’s pale shoulder and back appeared in the dark. Soon, a scalding iron brand approached her skin. The iron branded her skin with ‘娼’ to indicate her stigma as a prostitute. With this stamped on her body, she was now branded as a prostitute and could no longer escape this status for the rest of her life.... more>>

Amidst the pain burning into her flesh, she remembered. The man who had ruined her family. The man who had killed her family. The man she had once loved. She would have her revenge.

***

EunSeo’s eyes widened in astonishment and fear.

After she had decided to accept her fate as a prostitute, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to reject anyone.

However, not this man. She would accept every other man in the world, but she could never give herself to this man.

“I…” He opened his mouth and spoke in a low, grave voice. “I bought you.” <<less

The foundation of South Korea’s high society is money, power, and marriage. His marriage was considered a mere ‘contract’ between the fathers.... more>>

So it didn’t matter who the bride was going to be. Pretty or ugly, addicted to shopping or depressed, promiscuous or virtuous. The important thing was what the bride would bring to the table.

However, she was different.

He recalled Yuan, who had been sitting so gracefully in front of the magnolia tree. Her white, slender face, pure smile, and her brown eyes looking at him.

Crack. His chest hurt. Damn it, it hurt so much that he began to curse.

***

Their bodies perfectly became one. Their entangled bodies, legs interlocked, embracing each other. They moved as one as if they were searching for salvation.

“If you begin seeing another man, I’ll kill you.”

He sharply bit the nape of her neck.

“I’m warning you now, but I’ll really kill you. Don’t even look at them. Don’t talk to them. Don’t even acknowledge their presence.”

Yuan let out a soft moan and couldn’t respond.

In the night, a spring night where the heavy darkness dripped down like paint, the room was brimming with passion. <<less

The notorious imperial court lackey and the meritorious military general were well-known for their mutual dislike, a pair of arch-enemies set in stone. Who could have foreseen the unexpected change in the winds of heaven: the general injured on the battlefield, both legs disabled, and even forced by the emperor to marry his nemesis. ... more>>

With one marriage edict, two people with mutual hostility are forced to marry and live under the same roof. Yet after these long days together, they come to the realization that this fellow is not truly devoid of any saving grace/unattainable and high out of reach. <<less

As the youngest “Crown Prince” loved by his family, Han Shi did not have the right acting skills but entered showbiz, and wanted to become famous just to pursue and approach Li Feng.... more>>

Fortunately, in a reality show, Li Feng chagrined because he did not understand the variety of a reality show. He want to cooperate with Han Shi, but slowly found that he had a different understanding of Han Shi.

Li Feng became curious and interested. His heart moved for Han Shi. <<less

“A Virtual Dream Device? What the heck is this?”... more>>

“Is it used for daydreaming? Nope, not interested.”

“What? It could simulate reality at a hundred percent? I could live out half a year in one night’s time and bring in a replicate of a real person?

Hmm, pretty sweet I must say.”

“I’ll be the only one left in the world while the others are all gone in the first dream?”

“Uhm, I’d like to bring in a female celeb at the pinnacle of her glamor, could I?” <<less

Welcome, Kamijou Touma-kun, to the colorful underground!... more>>

Kamijou Touma meets two girls in Academy City’s back alleys.

One is Mitsuari Ayu, a lady of Tokiwadai Middle School with the Metal Stinger power to control people’s minds. The other is Kumokawa Seria, a mysterious genius high school girl who can control people’s minds without any power.

Kamijou is at the mercy of those girls, but those peaceful times do not last long.

That kind time is torn apart by a gigantic creature that towers over them: a dragon. Who is the Biohacker who created it, controls it, and freely gives it the power to fight?

Why is that giant creature pursuing Mitsuari Ayu? Kamijou Touma enters Academy City’s deep darkness to protect the girls.

It all happened one year ago.

It is the summer of Kamijou Touma’s third year of middle school. This is an untold story different from the time he spent with Shokuhou Misaki. Kamijou Touma’s starting point begins here. <<less

One day, wandering the streets, complaining of hunger, a cute boy runs to her and shouts, “Mama!”... more>>

The handsome Duke, the father of the child, offers a contract to provide food and lodging when she becomes a nanny.

Lina, the poor beggar, who suddenly had a son, finds out that the dead Duchess looks just like her…

She tries to recall the lost memories of her past and surprisingly, it was connected to the Duke and the late Duchess. <<less

Cheng Zhi Chu was pulled into an infinite stream of horror games. If he didn’t clear them, he would die.... more>>

But can someone tell him why others clear the games using violence and force but his method of clearing the game is by kissing the boss?!

Cheng Zhi Chu: I am a straight man. Even if I kill myself or am killed by monsters, I will not kiss the boss!

Boss: Be good. Kiss me and I’ll let you go.

Bai Yi had been trapped in the game for many years.

Rather than exploding in anger in the silence, he had turned crazy. And so…….he split himself. His soul was broken into many pieces and each of them became the boss in the games.

But, regardless of how the soul was split, from the beginning to the end there was one thing that didn’t change —–He, likes Cheng Zhi Chu.

Every fragment of his soul was utterly in love with him.

It was also because of this that he and every fragment of his couldn’t stand seeing people other than himself getting close to Cheng Zhi Chu —- Even if the other party used to be a part of himself.

Dark desire gradually surged inside him.

Anyone who gets between him and Cheng Zhi Chu——even if it’s himself —– he would kill them all.

“The person who you should really kiss……is me.” <<less

I am an unfulfilled third year university student. Led on by my frenemy Ozu; pushed around by the preposterous demands of the mysterious, freewheeling Master Higuchi; unable to approach the beautiful, aloof maiden Akashi; I find myself far from the rosy campus life I had dreamed of. If this is how it's going to be, I had rather return to my sparkling days as a freshman and do it all over again!... more>>

A rambling chronicle that sends you hurtling through four parallel realities on a bittersweet journey through youth. <<less

During an excursion with an eccentric acquaintance, I am accused of breaking the Gion Festival Ordinance by a burly posse. Seized and taken on a whirlwind tour through Yoiyama, I come face-to-face with a gallery of exotic, grotesque characters. But who's this "Lord Yoiyama" that they all seem to revere? (Yoiyama Goldfish)... more>>

I wake up, only to find that today is Yoiyama... just like yesterday was, and the day before that. How in the world am I going to find a way to escape this loop? (Yoiyama Maze)

A collection of strange and wonderful short stories, weaving in and out through the backdrop of the Gion Festival's Yoiyama. Morimi takes you into a fantastical world where the colors of fantasy and reality blur into each other like a kaleidoscope. <<less

Waking up after a car accident, the first thing I saw was Yin Li’s handsome threatening face.... more>>

It made me somewhat embarrassed.

But in the end I had to be ruthlessly heartless, cursing while pointing at his shapely nose:

“It looks like you’re the bastard who hit me!”

He blankly stared, and then coldly said:

“I’m your fiancé. Yan Xiao, you have amnesia.”

Then I had to persuade Yin Li, I was a wretched toad and wasn’t good enough for him.

He sneered, “Even if you grew wings to become a swan, you still wouldn’t be able to escape your birthright. Not to mention that you’re just a toad.”

This is definitely not the general amnesia plot that you have in your mind! You definitely won’t be able to guess it~ <<less

Master Cheon-Ho birthed two foxes out of boredom. One was beautiful and strong while the other was plain and weak. The story follows a fox... more>> who was born plain and weak. <<less

After discovering about her wealthy husband's affair, she humiliates the adulterous pair on the streets and divorces him the very next morning. Just as everyone anticipates her downfall, she goes on to marry the most brilliant bachelor in the nation whom her unfaithful former husband cannot hold a candle to!... more>>

"Aren't your mother's legs always hurting? It hasn't gotten any better despite seeking help from various doctors."
"How did you know that?"
"Not only do I know why her legs hurt, I can also treat her condition."
"As long as you can treat my mother, I'll give you anything you want."
"I want money."

After An Xiaoning uses her psychic powers to break the curse of a poltergeist, she earns herself a fortune as well as a perfect man of her dreams.

Don't be daunted by her psychic powers, for this book isn't terrifying at all! <<less

You are the ruler, I am a subject, you want loyalty, I will give you loyalty.... more>>

You are the ruler, I am the subject, you want my sacrifice, I will sacrifice for you.

This lifetime, we’ll only be a ruler and his subject…… I cannot become the one who accompanies you to experience everything.

A deposed empress, a failure of a substitute. Charging into battle, he was the emperor, and she, his general. But within the intimacy of their military tent, he was her husband, and she, his wife.

But everything was star-crossed. For the one he loved the most, he would push her into hell again and again. <<less

She died in her prime as the Queen of Song.... more>>

After being reincarnated, she becomes a simple trainee.

Losing her former glory? It doesn't matter—no one can compete with her voice as a beautiful singer.

Mocked by her lowly birth? It doesn't matter—her true identity is enough to make the whole world tremble.

She owes huge debts? It doesn't matter...

A powerful boss once whispered to her, "Your debt will disappear if you become my woman."

But the proud her would reply, "I'm sorry. I would sell my art, but not myself." <<less

The first time they met, he was a downtrodden prince everybody bullied whilst she was a small palace maid responsible for washing the clothes of the people in the palace.... more>>

Twenty years of companionship; he is the only one capable of influencing her emotions. For him, she is willing to immerse her hands in the blood of others, to help him rule this world.

Even though she wasn’t the one he loved, and she wasn’t the one he married, she insisted on remaining by his side, aiming to become the one and only woman capable of standing by his side whilst he held court and the one and only woman in his harem – even if doing so would cause her to get insulted by the entire world.

However, that person whom she loved so much, that person for whom she committed all sorts of preposterous acts for – wanted her to die.

He said, “In this lifetime, I don’t wish to see you ever again!”

She returned to him as a spirit, yet he begged for another lifetime together.

“If we have another lifetime together, I want you to love me and respect me from a very young age, and help me clear all the obstacles standing in my way. You would be forced to watch me love one, and marry another – but both of them would not be you. You must love me so crazily and so deeply that everybody knows about it, and yet you would never be able to truly receive my entire love and affection. On innumerable occasions, you would be misunderstood by me, and hurt by me. The only few tears you shed in your entire lifetime would be for me, and ultimately you would have to die for me. Even after you die, you would not be allowed to rest in peace – instead, you would transform into a spirit and return to my side… Only if you do all these, would you be able to compensate me for what I have done in this lifetime.” <<less

They’ve been entangled together for 12 years. A gong whose affairs had become second nature, and a shou who was depressed and liked to torment... more>> himself. Cracks cannot be mended, one can only intentionally choose to either ignore or endure it. <<less

Time flew by.... more>>

Even though their graduation was a long time ago, after countless nights and passing through fleeting time, their story is still circulated around the quiet campus of University G.

This story has many different versions, but there is one thing that everyone knows to be true.

Back then, that ordinary girl betrayed the genius of the fine arts faculty and yet, his love for her still remained.

For her, he nearly died in a fire.

For her, he gave up his chance to study abroad. Years later when they meet again, he is successful with a new girlfriend in his arms and she is indifferent with a light and clear smile.

However, unknown to anyone, her longing had begun long ago and even now flooded her thoughts… <<less

Before being framed and sentenced to a lethal injection death penalty, Zhao Yu used to be a street ruffian who fought recklessly without morals or a bottom line. But when Zhao Yu woke up reincarnated in a parallel universe, he found that he was no longer a criminal but a Key Case Investigation Team agent.... more>>

The change from a criminal to a police officer had thrown Zhao Yu off and had him wreak havoc for the first few days in the station. But with the help of a mysterious “Miracle system,” Zhao Yu was able to embark on a new life where his goal is to solve the unsolvable cases and make amends for his past life’s mistakes. <<less

Seven years ago. Zhang Heng was a recently transferred student with poor grades; Gu Zhun was the school’s top elite student. The school dreg lost his way, prompting him to abduct the elite student to give him directions. The top student thought he would not have any other connection with this s*upid person. Who would know this thing known as connection would come knocking at his door. As a result the two people who were poles apart ended up in the same elite class. The top student, free from any desires, pursued his studies wholeheartedly. The school dreg was the “Racing God of Mount Akina”, a smut master…. Who could have expected, that due to... more>> a disagreement, the two of them would inexplicably become friends. Their classmates were astonished.

Seven years later. The top student had difficulty finding a job. He met a benefactor at a job fair, quickly getting a job to avoid being destitute. Who would know that his immediate superior, the overbearing president, would actually be the “The Racing God of Mount Akina”. As such, disagreements happened, and they reconciled once again? <<less

When an engineering graduate set off on one last graduation road trip, the last thing he expected was to wake up in a world of... more>> swords and magic. Having saved a girl from the brink of death, he finds himself being tasked with bringing modern civilisation into this new world. But just why on earth is the strongest girl under the heavens clinging to him so tightly? <<less

A young priestess has formed her first adventuring party, but almost immediately they find themselves in distress. It's the Goblin Slayer who comes to their... more>> rescue - a man who's dedicated his life to the extermination of all goblins, by any means necessary. And when rumors of his feats begin to circulate, there's no telling who might come calling next. <<less

Summoned into an alternate world of Alayzard, Ousawa Akatsuki helps defeat the demon lord, brings harmony back into the world and, under the demon lord’s last request, takes the demon’s only daughter back into Akatsuki’s own world. ... more>>

It turns out that being teleported into a different world is somewhat of a common occurrence back home. Those who return often come back with the power to use magic. So a worldwide organization, fearing people like Akatsuki, created Babel, a school to teach and keep tabs on the magic users.

Akatsuki is able to bring the demon lord’s only daughter into Babel as his sister, Ousawa Miu. A new chapter for Akatsuki is about to begin--this time, in his own universe! [vyc] <<less