《The Genius Manipulator》Chapter 3.5 - After the Duel
Advertisement
In the Student Council room, Stella is sitting at her desk. Rhys and Liliana sat on the couches facing across each other with a coffee table in between them. Their faces showed how exhausted they are.
“Rhys. Liliana. Why do you guys look tired even though I was the one doing all the work?”
They giggled a bit and that helped lighten the mood.
“Stella, I didn’t know you were so good at chess!” exclaimed Liliana.
“Yeah. You never told us anything. You really surprised us.” said Rhys.
“I’m not good at chess.”
"Eh?” Liliana and Rhys shouted at the same time.
“Well, I guess that’s not true. Kastille really is the champion from the national chess tournament.”
Stella leaned back on her chair.
"I was second in that tournament. He utterly defeated me.”
“Whaaat?” Liliana and Rhys shouted at the same time again.
“I didn’t know that…”
“Kastille never realized?”
“I suppose I'm not noteworthy enough for him. It’s a good thing, though. If he had chosen something other than chess, I don’t know if I could have won.”
Stella propped her legs on top of the desk in front of her.
“Honestly, I would have lost if he was just a bit more serious. He’s beyond a tough opponent. It would have been impossible. I got lucky. His own arrogance proved to be his downfall.”
Liliana interjected, “Wait. You weren’t sure if you were going to win? It was all just a gamble?”
“Yup. Chess was the best chance I had at stopping him. It was a pretty high probability that Kastille would pick chess over anything else. The data I have of him showed that was the only thing he really got a first place trophy kind of thing. Good thing his ego is just as I expected.”
Advertisement
“Speaking of his ego,” Rhys interposed, “how do you know he’ll keep his side of the bet? Honestly speaking, I think you went too far. Taking everything from him and all. What’s to stop him from running away?”
Stella removed her feet from the desk and replaced it with her elbows. Leaning on the desk, she now gave her comrades a serious expression.
“His pride and ego won’t let him back down from an already established agreement. In addition, that crowd will further enforce the agreement. If he decides to cancel the agreement, it will tarnish his name and ruin everything he’s worked for.”
Rhys then continued his thought, “And why would you want someone with such a sour personality like him?”
“We need him. He’s someone very skilled and talented at what he does. I’d go as far to say he’s a genius at what he does. For all this time that I’ve known him, I’ve seen him bring people up from such a low standing and turning them into leaders. I’ve seen him bring the strong who prey on the weak a taste of their own medicine. I’ve seen him turn the dejected into the joyful. I’ve been watching him all this time.”
Rhys interrupted her, “But he only does those things only for his own selfish reasons. Just a few days ago, he blackmailed someone into giving him money!”
Stella raised her hand to stop Rhys.
“And that is why I had to get him. While he does all these things to help himself, I have another plan for his skills.”
She leaned back on her chair.
“I’m going to have him join the student council. Of course, we’ll stop any of the extortion and operations he’s been doing. It is my duty as the elected student council president to help the students in need. He must use that talent of his not for himself, but for those who need help. A philanthropist who uses their talent for good. I think Kastille is the perfect man for that job.”
Advertisement
- In Serial141 Chapters
The Heart Grows
Dungeon games? Yeah, they're a good way to waste a few hours. The trick is to know the map and plan appropriately. Of course, it doesn't matter if you get beaten. You revise your plan for that map and do a bit better next time. Man, it'd really suck to wake up as a dungeon heart in a fantasy world you know nothing about, barely able to even work out how to control your dungeon. Lucky that wouldn't happen to anybody, huh? What with only having one chance at getting things right, you'd have to plan extra-defensive. This story should be getting chapters published weekly. I have a comfortable buffer set up and on top of the weekly writing I am committing, a commissioner has donated two monthly writing slots to ensure this remains on a weekly schedule. There will be a stat block at the beginning of every chapter bar the first, and a handy map at the end. All my works come with a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. This means you are free to download, publish, and even make derivative works of my writing so long as you include this license, attribution, and don't sell the works. Keep it free!
8 314 - In Serial90 Chapters
Singularity [Fantasy-LitRPG | Hard SF]
After an accident that nearly claimed his life, Arnel has become Humanity's first Mind-Machine Interface, the fusion of Artificial Intelligence and human consciousness. In the competitive, virtual fantasy world of Singularity, this gives him tremendous and unfair advantages. However, there is a small problem; The AI he shares his mind with is not a harmless helper program, but a vast, sentient intelligence created for war, and capable of not only predicting the future, but influencing it to a degree of certainty. Coincidentally, possession of such an intelligence is equivalent to possessing nuclear armaments for which the punishment is death.
8 224 - In Serial44 Chapters
Shared System
"System Notice: For the safety and anonymity of the participants, the system has chosen participants from all over the wide world. It's recommended that you don't share any of your personal information. The cultivation world is treacherous, devils and saints walk the same path. Happiness turn to tragedy overnight. The only permanence is impermanence."Zheng Jie stares at the screen with a strange expression. What is this "system", and why is it necessary to remain safe and anonymous?
8 209 - In Serial12 Chapters
New Admission: An Original BPS Fanfiction
Caramel Charlatte, a novice animator, is a shy Humancorn living in the mountains with the Ninja Twins. Though often bullied and afraid to come out, she dreams of being accepted into the most popular animation studio in the city: Black Plasma Studios. There's just one problem: she is the ONLY out-of-place player. While the rest of the city residents are humans in skins that range from normal-to-intriguing, she is the ONLY Humancorn. Acceptance is hard, and the competition is harder. She finds new friends in the Obsidian Patron Guild, but also new enemies, such as the H.E.N.D Corporation. Can Caramel overcome her challenges and fears and become a part of BPS? Or will reality come crashing down on her like a wrecking ball?
8 125 - In Serial39 Chapters
The Uncertain Adventurer
-- NOW RELEASING CHAPTERS EVERY WEEKDAY! -- When her little brother is murdered, Rowena must choose: stay safely in the hometown she loves as the Merchant she was born to be, or become an Adventurer on a quest that will take her and her friends to the very heart of her world’s Class System. Rowena has always known who she is and what she wants. Hasn't she?--The Uncertain Adventurer is a fantasy serial with light LitRPG elements and a focus on character development as well as an Odyssey-style adventure. Although the first story arc is told entirely from Rowena's perspective, the story features a strong ensemble cast.It is PG-13 mostly for themes and topics, without excessive amounts of violence or sex, though both occur in the story. -- Eventually, but with plenty of notice, the plan is that each arc will be released on Amazon as both an ebook and an audiobook.Current plans are for four ~100-150k arcs and one novella-length arc for this 'series' and at least two ~100k arcs set in the past of this same universe.
8 199 - In Serial30 Chapters
Pumpkin Patch Princess
A fairy godmother internship is just what Noelle needs to escape her family's pumpkin business . . . until she starts to question her own happily-ever-after.Perfect for fans of The Princess Diaries or Ella Enchanted! * * *Noelle Simpkins is sick of working for her parents. Sure, her dad runs a booming pumpkin business and her mom's the greatest shoemaker in the land. But pumps and pumpkins get OLD after a while, and she's ready to see more of the world.When she hears about a fairy godmother internship in the city, she jumps on it. The goal? Make sure royal clients get happily-ever-afters . . . all while battling goblins, curing curses, and figuring out how to use a magic wand. Not to mention shutting down a rival godmother and avoiding Kit, a distractingly cute guy who sells pie and keeps turning up.But as exciting as her new gig is, Noelle is surprised when she realizes . . . she kind of misses making shoes and growing pumpkins. Has she gotten closer to her own happily-ever-after, or farther away? And when the glass shoe's on the other foot, can she stay true to her heart? [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]Cover by Erin Bowman and April Alforque
8 176

