Novels by Cliff Hanger

Beth's POV I woke up the next morning pensive and annoyed, partly because I had a restless night punctuated with brief dreams and overthinking. I was motionless for a minute as I tried to remember the details of the dream but gave up when I couldn't recall it.I looked at my phone and groaned as I saw the time. I had overslept which was something that happened rarely as I was a stickler for routine. With a manic burst of energy, I got up and began preparing for work. I needed no one to tell me that my day was only going to get more weird.Once my schedule was broken, it was only natural that the rest of the day became shitty. I knew that much from experience.My pensive mood continued as I drove to the office and I only heard my name after I had been called at least thrice. I snapped at Brenda when she got in my business then asked her to call a mandatory meeting for all employees.She didn't hurry to do it but hesitated a bit and I knew she was curious as to why I was calling a me

“What do you think about all this, Aldred?”As Rey’s question echoed in the air, Aldred gave a knowing smile—as if he already expected the question.“It’s probably a ruse. The actual Warehouse must be hidden underground.” Rey made a slight grimace underneath his mask.‘Just as I suspected…’Even with this discovery, it didn’t change what they had to do. ‘We still have to invade. The entrance to the underground passage must be here somewhere.’Rey almost felt like he was invading the territory of a mafia group or some sort of cartel. He hadn’t done it before, but it seemed like this was how it would feel.“This establishment is run by Evals Redart, the biggest guy in business in the South.” Aldred went on, his tone still retaining the same hint of amusement from earlier.“I don’t imagine that we’d run into him here, but if we do, then the KariBlanc Group would like to stay out of it.”Rey let out a sigh and shrugged lightly.“I hadn’t planned for both of you to come inside with me a

‘Ah… I see. So that’s how it is…’Rey smiled as he stared at his opponent.Even though his eyes were on the BigFoot-like creature, his senses also observed the ceiling where it fell from.‘There are more of them lurking above.’ Rey couldn’t see them even if he tried. There was a reason he hadn’t detected any until this one landed to confront him.‘A Camouflage Skill, maybe? Interesting…’ These creatures were masters of blending into their environment, making them nearly impossible to detect unless someone paid close attention.‘Even now, I can only detect their movements due to the sound they make and slight distortions they cause in space.’He still couldn’t see them properly.‘I already have [Stealth], which basically allows me to be invisible. But I guess this isn’t too bad either.’ When Rey raised his head and studied the Skill, he figured that the camouflage ability would be more than enough for it to be registered by [Doppel].He sighed softly and turned his attention back to

The deal was sealed after that.Aldred Winsley used an Enchanted Item to calculate the amount of Monster Cores in each sack, and by multiplying them with the agreed price, they arrived at the selling price.It turned out to be a whopping 4,650 Platinum Coins!‘I still can’t believe this…’Rey was trying his best to remain composed after hearing such an insane number, but his heart raced uncontrollably.Adding that to his balance of 1,251 Platinum Coins, he now possessed 5,901 Platinum Coins in total.‘I never thought I’d get this much at once… let alone now!’ Rey felt like he was pulling off a scam, but he didn’t feel guilty. Why would he? This was the Black Market, after all.‘Once the Monster Cores start flooding in, these guys will be in trouble. I should probably avoid this place for a while…’Rey felt a sense of satisfaction knowing he had enough money for the moment. Now, it was time to focus on training; distractions like this were unnecessary.“As always, it’s a pleasure d

“Haha! Is it all done?” A hefty man, his belly protruding, emerged from the 'staff-only' room.He had blood stains on his hand, and each finger had rings on them. His fat-ridden body moved slowly as he cleaned his bloodied hands with a rag and flung it to the side once he was done.“Oh, Leader? Did you kill that woman already?” One of the men who had secured both Alicia and Billy said with a somewhat disappointed face.“What do you think?” The fat man replied, a twisted grin on his faceThough he had cleaned his hands, stains of red still appeared in some areas.“I-I see… I shouldn’t have asked in the first place."In all honesty, this man—as well as the rest of his six comrades—wanted to have his way with her.He had been looking forward to enjoying the waitress for some time now.‘When we killed her Boss and took over this shop, I expected my time to come soon…’He felt frustrated that his Leader had done away with her already.“She intentionally tripped, that woman. I was watching

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to go…”Adonis muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the night sky. While he couldn’t recall every single detail from the past, this particular incident was engraved in his memory.‘The kidnapping of Billy and Alicia… it’s supposed to happen way further in the future!’Sure, a lot of things had been altered now, but he hadn’t expected such a drastic change to the original timeline.‘They’ll nearly be sold at the slave auction a few days after being captured, but thankfully the investigation was done before the auction was completed.’As a result, the Royal Knights swooped in and apprehended a lot of criminals in the Black Market and Slavery World.Unfortunately, this huge victory came with a great loss.‘Alicia’s mental state became unstable and she went insane. Billy was fine, but he was so concerned with Alicia’s health that he didn’t focus on training any longer…’Eventually, Alicia’s mental health deteriorated to the point where she eventually commi

Beth's POV Noah Sherlock had a very small frame for a High School Student.His cute face and unassuming expression made him seem harmless and even fragile to his classmates.As a result, he didn’t attract much attention in class.However, he was also a smartass who was recognized as a teacher’s pet, so he wasn’t liked by many.Since Noah was a smart student who always aced everything he set his heart to, he made a lot of people seem dumb in comparison.All of this culminated in somewhat average Karma Points for him.When it was time to choose his Skills and Class, he could only afford three Skills due to his limited resources.Shadow Magic (B-Tier)Phase (C-Tier)Projection (C-Tier)His Class on the other hand was pretty average as well. He ended up with the [Thief] Class, which focused on stealth and agility.It was quite hilarious how he ended up following the path of his Class to the letter.Thanks to this set of abilities, Noah could easily enter and exit the Royal Estate without

Beth's POV “Keuk!”Billy winced as something landed heavily on his stomach, the force of it creating a rush of wind even before impact.Fortunately, his quick step backward lessened the impact of the blow by a considerable degree.‘A-ahh…!’Still, a sharp burning sensation spread across his abdomen, making him grit his teeth to suppress a cry.It stung him, to say the least, but he endured the pain.He also tried to hide his downright shock, but Billy failed woefully at that.His bulging eyes were glued to Rey, who had resumed his standby stance—almost as if prepared to deliver another volley.‘D-did Rey just land a hit… on me?’ Billy stared in disbelief.Sure, Billy was aware that he lacked the advantage of using his incredible Skills, but his Stats were meant to be superior.How was Rey able to do something like that?!‘Calm down, Billy. He just got lucky. Yes… I was distracted and he had a lucky shot.’After chalking it down to a fluke, Billy found himself regaining composure.The

Beth's POV Noah Sherlock had a very small frame for a High School Student.His cute face and unassuming expression made him seem harmless and even fragile to his classmates.As a result, he didn’t attract much attention in class.However, he was also a smartass who was recognized as a teacher’s pet, so he wasn’t liked by many.Since Noah was a smart student who always aced everything he set his heart to, he made a lot of people seem dumb in comparison.All of this culminated in somewhat average Karma Points for him.When it was time to choose his Skills and Class, he could only afford three Skills due to his limited resources.Shadow Magic (B-Tier)Phase (C-Tier)Projection (C-Tier)His Class on the other hand was pretty average as well. He ended up with the [Thief] Class, which focused on stealth and agility.It was quite hilarious how he ended up following the path of his Class to the letter.Thanks to this set of abilities, Noah could easily enter and exit the Royal Estate without

Beth's POV "Good morning, everyone! Sir Brutus won’t be here today, so I’ll lead your Martial Arts Class instead.”The shock written on everyone’s face as they stared at the person speaking was priceless.No one could have anticipated this outcome, leaving them all staring in wide-eyed surprise.“Adonis is busy with the Alpha Group, so I guess you’ll have to settle for me.” The one who said this, with a bright smile on his excited face, was none other than Billy McGuire.Both Head Warrior Brutus and Grand Mage Lucielle would be away for the next few days, and there was no one left to teach the students, so they had to teach each other.Initially, when this was announced, everyone assumed that training would be put on hold until their teachers returned. How wrong they were…“This has to be a joke, right? Why are you the one teaching us? You’re practically one of us!”As expected, Adam flared up in rage.It was as if he had been waiting for a moment like this where his anger would be

Beth's POV “This is the place.”Rey and Noah stood in front of a massive building—one of the biggest in the area.Of course, it wasn’t more than three storeys, but it was very wide.It was clear that a lot of activities went on in this building, and it wasn’t for the faint of heart.“You actually did business here?!” Rey was shocked that someone as timid as Noah had the gall to trade in such an intimidating structure.“W-well, I was approached by an affiliate who brought me here.”“A-ahh… that’s true.”According to Noah’s story, he was initially just looking for a place to sell the Monster Cores when he was approached by a guy who told him he’d help him sell the goods.This man then escorted Noah to the imposing building and guided him through the necessary procedures.‘That guy must be the one behind the scam’ Rey figured, connecting the dots.The company must have dealt directly with the so-called Affiliate, who in turn dealt with Noah.He probably pretended to be the seller and g

Beth's POV After the Trial, everyone went their way and Rey had to return to his room.Although he had the freedom to wander the central Living Room, he opted to stay put since he preferred not to.No one could blame him.As night descended and everyone else slept soundly, a certain student couldn’t sleep."Damn it…" He muttered, his eyes were wide open as he stared at the ceiling. Before long, he sat upright and clapped his hand over his face.“I screwed up big time…” He murmured in the dark.It was hard to make out the expression on his face, but it appeared to be a grimace. ‘I didn’t expect to be asked for another testimony. It wasn’t part of the plan…’In the dark of the night, Adam Sanchez lay on the bed going over the earlier events of the day.How he had been humiliated before everyone.“I really fucked up!”“Ahh… don’t blame yourself too much.” A voice suddenly said from the corner of the room.“Eep!”Like a little child, Adam shrieked as he jumped from his position, startl