CHAPTER 198: NOW (UNEDITED)

AN: Will fix it tomorrow.

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The story takes place in a modern society shaped by dungeon culture. In this world, the brave few who enter and conquer dungeons are known as Breakers—individuals who wield mana and awaken powerful abilities called Talents. Over time, this system transforms society into a talent-centric meritocracy, where a person’s worth and future are entirely dictated by their Talent.

Elian Reed is born a Defect, a person who lacks the ability to awaken a Talent. His condition brands him as worthless and causes his entire family to suffer. Despite this, Elian remains stubbornly resilient, relying on grit and hard work in a world that sees no value in either. That is, until one day, he’s lured into a dungeon by his classmates and left behind to die.

Isolated, terrified, and bleeding out, Elian is saved by a mysterious woman—Bianca Valestra, a ghost who resides within the dungeon. She offers him a single vial, a potion that bestows him with a Talent. But what neither of them expects is that Elian doesn’t just awaken one Talent—he awakens three.

The truth is soon revealed: Elian was never a Defect. He’s something else entirely. A rare mutation. Something no one ever knew could exist.

But the price of survival is steep. Elian learns that Bianca didn’t save him out of kindness. Once a living legend, she’s now a disembodied soul who can only survive by consuming monster cores. Unable to fight, she needs someone to hunt for her. The potion she gave Elian didn’t just awaken his Talent—it turned him into a golem. A living construct, unbound by flesh or emotion. A being that cannot betray its master.

In a twist of irony, it’s the very nature of his newfound Talents that allows him to accept what he’s become. And in time, he learns the truth of Bianca’s past: she too was betrayed and left to die—alone and forgotten in the same dungeon.

Through gratitude, shared trauma, and a slowly deepening bond, the two begin to rely on each other. Bianca becomes Elian’s guide, teacher, and emotional anchor. Elian, in turn, becomes the weapon she needs to survive. What begins as mutual necessity turns into something far deeper—a codependency neither of them can live without.

But Bianca carries a heavy past. Once feared as the Witch of the Frozen Night, she was accused of mass genocide and branded a monster for humanity’s survival. Whether those accusations were true or not, Elian doesn’t care.

To him, she’s the one who saved him when no one else did.

Now armed with three Talents, Elian becomes a storm. Dungeon after dungeon falls before him as he and Bianca carve a path forward, surpassing limits humanity thought were impossible. He learns to forge a new body for himself—and eventually for her.

They take their first steps back into the world of humans—uncovering the truth behind the dungeons, and eventually fighting for humanity against other races as its strongest champions.

Only this time, neither of them is bound by the limits of one—and neither of them walks alone.

This story revolves almost entirely around two characters.

Elian Reed is a teenage boy who lived his early life as a Defect—someone born without a Talent in a world that revolves around them. After being betrayed and left to die, he’s reborn as a living weapon: a metallic golem forged by magic. The one who saves him is Bianca Valestra, a notorious villainess long thought dead. Now a ghost, she was once one of the most powerful beings alive.

While the story is told from Elian’s perspective, his relationship with Bianca forms its emotional core. Both have suffered betrayal and abandonment. Both are no longer fully human. Through shared trauma and quiet moments of connection, their bond deepens.

As they travel together, they begin to change. Elian, upon learning of Bianca’s past and the injustice she endured, vows to clear her name and restore her legacy. Bianca, who never knew love or family, begins to understand both through Elian. What starts as mutual survival gradually evolves into something more.

They fall in love. At first, being together is enough. But as that love deepens, so does their longing for something more. In desperation, Bianca begins possessing monsters. Elian seeks to reshape his golem form to become more human. In time, they both succeed—and eventually marry.

But before they can earn their peace, their past returns. The same enemies who once killed Bianca learn of her survival. This time, they come for both of them—and Elian’s family. The couple must face everything they’ve tried to leave behind. Their bond is pushed to the absolute brink, but they endure. And in the end, they’ll help save a world that once cast them aside.

This is a story grounded in the growth of its main duo.

Elian begins as a kind but naive boy, hiding years of suppressed anger. After becoming a golem, he starts to lose what made him human. His emotions dull. His warmth fades. He slowly turns cruel and inhumane.

Bianca is introduced as the opposite—calculating, cold, and morally distant. But as she spends time with Elian, something changes. His warmth chips away at her walls. She begins to feel again. And eventually, she falls in love.

Their contrast drives the heart of the story. Sometimes Bianca is the voice of reason—other times, it’s Elian. Their views often clash but always mirror each other, like two sides of the same coin flipping back and forth between emotion and logic as the story unfolds.

Supporting characters will come from both of their pasts, along with new faces met along the way. The tone will shift often, blending heavy drama with light-hearted banter and comedy. As Bianca’s heart softens and Elian’s antics continue, moments of fluffy interactions will balance the weight of their journey.

Combat and high-stakes battles will be central, especially as Elian’s body continues to evolve. His three Talents change him, piece by piece:

Adamant: Lets him suppress all emotion, turning him into a ruthless machine—but at the cost of his humanity.

Driven: Grants unstoppable will, but slowly erases his memories with each activation.

Forged: Given by Bianca, it reshapes his body into living metal, making him a near-invincible juggernaut.

The more Elian uses these powers, the more distant he becomes from the boy he once was. But through it all, Bianca will remain by his side—the one person who can still reach him.

Desperate, she devotes herself to his recovery—even if it means forsaking everything she’s fought to reclaim.

This book has been carefully crafted to cater to what I believe is Webnovel’s largest and most loyal audience. At its heart, it’s a power fantasy—driven by romance, emotion, and the longing for connection amidst a world of injustice and betrayal.

While harem stories once dominated the rankings, recent trends show a rising preference for single female lead narratives. This story embraces that shift. Inspired by the success of relationship-driven epics, it focuses entirely on the emotional journey between two leads. Every Chapter revolves around Elian and Bianca—not just their power growth, but the deepening of their bond as they fight, grow, and fall in love.

From forums to manga to romance novels, I’ve seen a strong demand from male readers for emotionally grounded stories. Power alone doesn’t hold attention. Power with meaning—especially with love—does. Many of the top-ranking power fantasies today owe their longevity to this. They offer connection, not just conflict.

This book is built with that in mind.

The early hook lies in Elian’s rapid rise—his ascent from defect to dominant force, the face-slapping moments as he crushes those who mocked him, the sweet and sometimes painful interactions with Bianca that give readers pause. The romance isn’t just a subplot. It’s the soul of the story.

The mid-game is defined by Bianca’s past. Her fall. Her revenge. Her slow transformation from cold, divine mistress to devoted, deeply human partner. Elian, meanwhile, grows in strength and brutality. As he turns away from his humanity, he becomes a darker reflection of everything readers love in action: a ruthless weapon shaped by the world. Watching him struggle, fall, and climb again becomes the emotional anchor.

For readers invested in the relationship, the payoff is massive. Together, they’ll reclaim their place among humans—not as weapons or ghosts, but as husband and wife. Their peace will be short-lived. The world will begin to collapse, and they’ll be forced to fight again. But this time, it’s not for power, glory, or vengeance. It’s to protect what they’ve built. It’s them against the universe.

Each Chapter is designed with deliberate intent: to ignite adrenaline with its fights, stir hearts with romance, and inspire hope with small glimpses of joy. While there are mysteries and long-term arcs, the emotional payoff remains consistent. This is a book about feeling.

Based on my research, I’ve found that most readers turn to Webnovel not for complex storylines, but for comfort. They want a story that makes them feel good. Stories that are too bleak, or drown in tragedy, often lose their audience. This book avoids that. It doesn’t hide from hardship—but it promises a reward.

My goal is simple. To entertain. To make readers smile. To give them a story they can return to after a long day and walk away from feeling lighter. I believe people are willing to pay for that kind of joy.

This is what Elian and Bianca’s story promises: love, strength, hope—and a reminder that even in the darkest world, two people can light the way to a better tomorrow.