MTL - Seal Cultivation for Self-Improvement - Chapter 16 High from cold

It was an era of war unlike ever seen before in Murim history.To end the horrible war, numerous heroes had sacrificed their lives and disappeared on the battlefield.This is the story of a man that longed to be a hero and the story of his brilliant rise to the top.***Joo Seo-Cheon is a man who luckily survives the Warring Era and becomes the Hwasan sect’s elder, only to live a life full of regrets and doubts.He lays on his deathbed waiting for the inevitable when he is returned to the past…

Within the popular VRMMORPG «New Genesis», there was a ranker by the name of Arthur Holmes, commonly known by his in-game alias «Merlin».

[TRIGGER WARNING: Mature Content + Dark Themes]EXCERPT:“Axel, no. We… can’t do this!” I jolted back when he pulled up my skirt.As if to retaliate, he grabbed my wrist and yanked my body to his. “We can do whatever I say we can do, María José.”“I’m your brother’s reject. Do you even hear yourself right now? He didn’t want me, Axel. What does that make me to you?”“I don’t care about Álvaro’s foolishness. It's his loss for losing a woman like you.”“Okay, I must confess. I'm not worried about him either. It's Rosa… you're getting engaged to my sister in a month!”“Let me remind you, María José—I don’t give a fuck about that, either.”No matter how hard I jerked, he wasn’t letting me go. And part of me—so, so foolishly—didn’t want him to.______Having spent her life avoiding the spotlight, María Jośe never imagined she’d be the one to bring shame to her esteemed De la Vega family. With beauty as captivating as a field of lilies, she is the prized daughter of an ambitious father who cares more for his reputation than his children’s happiness.When Álvaro Montenegro, the arrogant heir to the Alpha title, sets his sights on her as his chosen Luna, María Jośe is desperate for a way out.But everything changes when the Moon Goddess answers her prayer in the most unexpected way: María Jośe discovers she is an Omega—wolfless and the lowest rank in the pack. Once held in awe, she is now shunned; a source of shame to her father and a target for ridicule in the pack.As her life turns upside down , María Jośe's hatred for the pack grows. The only solace she finds is in her growing, forbidden bond with Axel Montenegro—Álvaro’s older brother, who has turned his back on the pack to live as Beta.These two developed a love-hate friendship born from their shared disdain for the pack’s cruelty, which slowly evolves into a passionate, secret romance.But when Álvaro discovers Axel’s interest in María Jośe, jealousy ignites within him and he suddenly wants María Jośe as his own.Love, vengeance, and betrayal all brewed into a whirlwind of drama, desires, and deadly comebacks. Will María Jośe rise from the ashes of her former life, or will she be consumed by the power struggles of the pack she despises? Will she give in to the oldest brother who is scared of commitment or the younger one who fiercely seeks redemption?

She was once an heiress, but later her family went bankrupt, and her fiancé betrayed her. Besides, she had to bear the expensive medical expenses of her brother. Therefore, to regain everything, she decidedly married her ex's cousin in a deal. Initially, he was very aloof and didn't care about women at all, but he gradually fell in love with her, protecting her and supporting her...