Spoiler Alert!

“I must have been blind to date you from the start! Let’s break up!”

Your ex-boyfriend’s last words still ring in your mind now and then.

That’s why, for the last year or so, you’ve been playing an MMORPG where you can be as beautiful as you want!

Your avatar Xi’er has even been nicknamed “Goddess” by the other players.

Today, you decided to meet Ziye online again.

“It pains me to see you only in the game,” he says with a gentle smile. “We should meet offline tomorrow.”

Alarmed, you say, “No! I look different in real life!”

“So do I! Besides, we shouldn’t judge people by appearance alone. We should look for beauty inside too. No matter how you look, I’ll love you!”

“You…mean it?”

“I do.”

…

“Hi! So…you’re Xi’er?”

“Y-Yes,” you stammer.

“It’s just that…this is kind of a shock to me!”, he says with a nervous chuckle.

“Well, you’re not as handsome as I thought either!”

You spend the day going on a date with “Ziye”. It doesn’t matter that he’s this different from his online avatar. For the first time in a long while, you feel love again.

And he loves you.

Late that night, you lead him to a small hostel where he can spend the night.

As you turn to leave, a hand clutches your arm. You hear Ziye say, “Wait, don’t go home just yet…”

Is…is this it?

Have you found…happiness?

…

*yawn*

Sitting up and rubbing your eyes, you look around but couldn’t find Ziye.

You pick up your smartphone and check your messages.

Hmm? There’s a notification from your MMORPG.

What’s wro…

!!!

No, noo, no, no, no…how…why…

Your dreams…your…life…

It’s…over…

No life…to…live…

Maybe in another life…you can be a real goddess…

Darkness fills your sight and the bliss of…oblivion…takes you.

W-what’s this?!

“In this game, you can become a real goddess by conquering the hearts of men!”, the fairy explains without pause.

“To aid you, our server provides the best professional services. We have a gym complete with various equipment and fitness programs! At our spa, you can enjoy quality beauty treatments! Our library will grant you the treasure of knowledge!”

“And last, but not least, we have an online shop to provide for all your needs, from lipsticks and medicine to the most expensive of dresses and magic items! Of course, most of our services aren’t free! Our currency is Charm Points!”

“To earn Charm Points, you must win the desire of men and the envy of women. The more attractive you are, the more Charm Points you earn and can spend at our server! Now let’s begin the game!”

Seconds later, you feel yourself wake up from a deep sleep. What a dream!

Sitting up and rubbing your eyes, you…

Wait, where ARE you?

Goddess Creation System (女神制造系统, Nǚshén zhìzào xìtǒng) is an online manhwa written by Sanfu Anime (三福动漫, Sānfú dòngmàn).

Dumped by her boyfriend in high school, the shy Xia Xi spends her free time playing an MMORPG where her avatar could be as beautiful as she wants. Eventually, she meets a male game player offline and spends a single night with him. The next morning, Xia Xi learns to her horror that the player had posted her true identity on the internet, destroying her online reputation in a single night. Her dreams of marriage shattered, Xia Xi slashes her wrist. As her life ebbs away, she sees a vision in which a fairy introduces her to the computer game Goddess Creation System.

After the vision ends, Xia Xi awakens in another world where she quickly learns that she is a maid to the wealthy, influential Huangfu family. One thing leads to another and the family head, General Fumu, has her beaten to death for speaking out against her master. After the game restarts and she is resurrected, Xia Xi is disillusioned by the cruelty of her new world and vows to live for only herself. The fairy, Bao Bao, gives Xia Xi her first game mission: win the love of General Mu’s second son, Mingluang. Moreover, she must do so within one year or her soul will be obliterated!

Xia Xi first comes to Mingluang’s attention by serving him tea and taking interest in chess. Over the next few months, Mingluang grows to trust Xia Xi and eventually becomes troubled when his older brother, Mingyi, asks for Xia Xi as his maid. Faced with the prospect of losing his favorite maid, Mingluang focuses on his military studies, hoping to become strong enough to keep Xia Xi for himself. Realizing that he would be heartbroken if Xia Xi is taken from him, Mingluang falls in love with her. Bao Bao then tells Xia Xi to win Mingyi’s love for her next mission.

Xia Xi becomes one of Mingyi’s maids while maintaining outward loyalty to Mingluang. After fending off attempts by his wife and his concubines to harm his newest maid, Mingyi declares his intention to make Xia Xi one of his concubines. One night, Xia Xi says she will sleep with Mingyi if he grants her freedom in exchange. Having wanted for nothing since childhood, Mingyi finally faces the idea of NOT getting what he wants. Seeing the growing rivalry between his sons, General Fumu quietly arranges Xia Xi to be drowned in a nearby river. Using this as a chance to escape the Huangfu household, Xia Xi pretends to drown by choice, secretly swims to shore, and faints. When Mingyi learns of Xia Xi’s disappearance, he finally realizes that he had lost something truly precious and falls in love with her.

In a dream, Xia Xi is told by Bao Bao that she will need ten million Charm Points to exit the game! She explains that one way to gain points quickly is to win the love of a king, which is worth a million Charm Points. With this, Bao Bao gives the exasperated Xia Xi her next mission: win the love of Jin, Crown Prince of the Xia Kingdom.

As she finally awakens, Xia Xi meets the eyes of a young man who introduces himself as the Crown Prince…

Xia Xi’s romantic conquests and adventures throughout the world will continue!

Main Characters

Xia Xi (夏曦, Xià Xī), a beautiful wandering maiden and player of Goddess Creation System. After realizing that she was alone in a cutthroat world where men decide the fate of women, Xia Xi quickly became cunning, determined, independent, and manipulative to survive. Having been betrayed before, Xia Xi never opens her heart to anyone despite ironically trying to earn the love of others. In a dangerous game of romantic intrigue, Xia Xi gradually makes herself indispensable to powerful men to win their trust and eventually their love, but always keeps her distance. By doing this, she encourages these proud and, often, selfish men to become gentler and wiser. Xia Xi can access the Goddess Creation System server five hours per day, allowing her to make use of its services to purchase items and improve herself. As a result, she is now quite athletic and knowledgeable about various courtly topics, including history, cooking, occult, music, and dance. Later, she is able to use magic with her vital energy, or qi (氣)

Bao Bao (包包, Bāo Bāo), a fairy NPC of Goddess Creation System. Cheerful and helpful, yet playfully evasive, she acts as Xia Xi’s guide in the game. While Bao Bao provides hints, advice, and access to the game server, she also claims that Xia Xi cannot leave the game unless she earns enough Charm Points. Only time will tell if this fairy is a friend or a foe.

Personal Thoughts

This fascinating story reminds me of the Chinese TV dramas where noblewomen engage in political and romantic intrigue to overtake their rivals and win the favor of powerful men. While some of these women want power from association with men in high positions, others merely wish to survive the intrigue and live quietly or escape this cutthroat life. Even here, there are people who truly love each other, but others with vested interests usually complicate or derail such romances.

Love is a very complicated subject for everyone. We all instinctively have long mental lists of what to look for in a partner, with traits such as physical attractiveness, wealth, and personality as the most common. Disappointment becomes all too easy to find! Some people search and wait for years looking for their ideal partner. Some work to improve themselves to gain the attention of their wanted partner, such as exercising to improve their figure and learning about the partner’s goals and interests. Some even use romance as a means to an end, such as gaining power or satisfying their lust. Long-term partners may even learn issues about each other that they find unpleasant, putting their relationships in doubt.

While unconditional love for another is a wonderful thing that we all deserve to feel, it rarely, if ever, goes smoothly. For better or worse, people are generally selfish. Some take advantage of others’ love for their own ends while others won’t reciprocate love unless something is done for them. Even love itself can be selfish if it is one-sided! The best we can do is be mindful of the feelings of our loved ones and help them with their problems. You would also need the strength to give up on love if it doesn’t work out or if it seriously hinders your own life. Love involves caring for people, especially for your family. Receiving love and care from someone is wonderful, but giving it is harder and more worthwhile!

In the end, love is a bond and a commitment that involves being there for your loved ones. There will be pitfalls and you’ll have to be careful about who to trust, but you can find true love with determination and some luck!

Moral

True love is complex, but it’s worthwhile if you can find it!

Happy 2022 and Best Wishes for the New Year!

Two years have come and gone since the beginning. It’s scary how time has flown!

Once again, I have received a grand total of one comment over the last year, specifically for my post on Magic Knight Rayearth! And again, I encourage you to leave your comments on my posts and any suggestions you may have for improvements. Don’t be shy!

The total number of views on Isekai Eye for 2021 has grown ten times compared to 2020. Thank you for your continued interest in isekai stories!

As for my current thoughts about writing, I found that it is much easier to read than write. When writing a blog post, I have to convey the more exciting points of a story and condense it into a summary. You only need a few minutes to read a blog post instead of the few hours you’d need to read and understand the story itself.

I respect the stories’ authors because their inspiration, knowledge and focus basically allowed them to create something out of literally nothing! Putting words together to convey an environment and a story isn’t as easy as it sounds. Conflict is also necessary to make a story exciting enough to capture your attention, so authors have to devise enemies, challenges and such to test the main characters.

One of my most popular posts so far is on the story I Became the Villain’s Mother. To me, it’s an example of how love and care from a parent allows children to flourish and grow. While many take this affection for granted, the reality is that not every child gets to experience it. Orphans and children with abusive or neglectful parents may go through some of the worst hardships in life. Being a loving parent is never easy, as he or she must devote time and care in looking after their child.

The most interesting story I’ve seen in 2021 is The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, the post of which I wrote less then two weeks ago! Once a powerful demon, Jahy is now stranded in modern-day Japan where she struggles to earn a living and find the mana crystals she’ll need to restore the Dark Realm she once lorded over. With nothing but her ambition and sheer perseverance to drive her, Jahy’s progress is slow but sure. She is an example of why perseverance is necessary for us to survive and succeed. After all, preparing and writing a post on this blog takes me longer than a day!

Writing for Isekai Eye allows me to devote myself to a purpose and make productive use of my free time. Every blog post that I publish is an accomplishment.

Every time I write a blog post about an isekai story, I almost feel like I’m having the adventure as well. Through this, I can almost feel the emotions of the characters including their frustrations, their hopes and their concern for friends. It’s also fun to find life lessons behind these stories and I hope that you can learn something from these as well.

Thank you for your support and my blessings to you for the new year!

Spoiler Alert!

*sigh*

Overtime’s a killer.

It’s already past 10 pm and you barely have time to go home and sleep.

Whoa…dizzy…

You stop, close your eyes and shake your head a bit until the dizziness subsides.

You open your eyes and…

WHA?!

It’s all…white? What hap…

“Are you Kaoru Nagase?”

Huh? Who said that?

Who’s this?

“Please allow me to explain. I am the Administrator of your world. A god if you will. I was repairing a spatial distortion on your world, but you were nearby when it happened. Your body…exploded. My deepest apologies!”

The young man gives a deep bow.

Wait…EXPLODED?!?

After rising again, the Administrator says, “Fortunately, I was able to retrieve your soul and your consciousness. I can grant you a new life as compensation.”

“Will I be able to return to Earth?”, you ask anxiously.

“I’m afraid not. If I sent you back, it would cause an even bigger distortion. But fear not – I can send you to another world similar to Earth. Its culture is similar to that of Medieval Europe in Earth’s past.”

A thought comes to your mind.

“If that’s the case, I would like some cheat abilities when I get there.”

“Yes. After all, it wouldn’t do if I died the moment I stepped on the new world, would it?”

After a moment’s hesitation, the Administrator responds, “You’ll have to consult that world’s Administrator when you get there, but I’ll let her know in advance.”

“Alright then. I would also like to say goodbye to my family and my friends. I’m sure that my sudden…passing…was hard on them. I’d like to let them know that I’ll be fine elsewhere.”

A soft smile spreads on the Administrator’s face.

“Very well then. I hope you enjoy your new life.”

…

It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to your family in their dreams, but you feel a little better at least.

Your friends Kyoko and Reiko took your death harder than you thought. Come to think of it, that was the first time you’ve seen Reiko cry! You’ll have to make sure to find a husband and give birth to children this time around.

The scenery around you turns pure white again and you’re face-to-face with a young girl.

“Welcome! I am Celestine, the Administrator of the world of Verny!”

I Shall Survive Using Potions! (ポーション頼みで生き延びます！, Potion-danomi de Ikinobimasu!) is a web novel, light novel series, and manga written by FUNA, the author of Saving 80,000 Gold Coins in Another World for my Retirement.

While walking home from work one day, the 22-year old office worker Kaoru Nagase finds herself facing a young man who introduces himself as a deity, the Administrator of Earth. He explains, due to a freak accident he caused, that Kaoru is now dead and he can make amends only by sending her to another world. Kaoru eventually meets Celestine, the Administrator of the world of Verny, and asks for several potent abilities, most notably the ability to create any potion she wishes. She soon finds herself in the Brancott Kingdom on Verny.

At the first town she finds, Kaoru heals a badly wounded hunter with a healing potion she creates. A local Baron abducts her after hearing rumors about a young girl with powerful magic. After managing to escape, Kaoru travels to Aras, the Brancott Kingdom’s capital city, where she finds work as a server and consultant at a local restaurant to keep a low profile while learning what she can about her new world. She eventually attracts the attention of First Prince Fernand, who is determined to marry her. After publicly rejecting the prince’s proposal at a royal party, Kaoru flees across Brancott’s western border to the Balmore Kingdom.

At Balmore’s capital city of Grua, Kaoru gets a job as a caretaker at the Maillart Workshop. Over time, she befriends a small group of urchins, the local von Lyodart noble family, and the Abili Trade Company by using her potions to help them. News of potions’ miracles soon reach the ears of the Balmore royal family and beyond. From the west, the Holy Land of Rueda and the warmongering Aligot Empire commence their invasion of the Balmore Kingdom to both conquer the land and capture the rumored “angel”. Using chemicals and strategies to hinder the invading army’s advance, Kaoru and her allies manage to swiftly halt the invasion. At a peace conference, Celestine appears and tells the Rueda representatives that she never gave her blessing to their ancestors and they have merely used her name for selfish ends. For this, Celestine forbids Rueda from ever calling itself a Holy Land!

Determined to establish a business, Kaoru goes with a few allies go to the Drisard Kingdom, east of Brancott. In the city of Selinas, Kaoru is kidnapped but she quickly turns the tables on the culprits. She adopts one of the kidnapped girls, Layette, and continues south to the Jusral Kingdom. At the capital city of Litenia, Kaoru opens the medicine shop Layette’s Atelier where she sells medicinal potions, beauty products, and boxed lunches. Later, she manages to prevent a wide-scale epidemic using her own remedy potion and her modern-day knowledge about health.

Despite trying to live a quiet, happy life while searching for true love, Kaoru’s unique talents continue to attract the attention, desire, and envy of others.

Main Characters

Kaoru Nagase (長瀬 香, Nagase Kaoru), a 15-year old potion maker and former office worker. Cheerful, clever, cunning, and compassionate, Kaoru is skilled at manipulating situations to her advantage, whether through words or her abilities. She is also a free spirit who does not want to answer to anyone, but she never kills unless provoked. Kaoru can instantly create potions with any effect and duration she wishes, including healing magic, poisons, and various chemicals. She can also create any kind of container to hold such potions, which she often uses to create various items such as unbreakable swords and even a metal-detecting device! Kaoru can access an Item Box, a magical extradimensional space of infinite volume, and read/speak literally any language in Verny, including animal languages and coded messages. Due to Celestine’s interpretation, Kaoru’s current body can never die and is forever 15-years old.

Celestine, the Administrator of the world of Verny. Friendly and somewhat spacey, she is usually more concerned with maintaining the stability of Verny as a planet than with the welfare of its people. Celestine has a crush on the Administrator of Earth and watches over Kaoru to ensure she comes to no harm.

Roland, the older brother of King Serge of the Balmore Kingdom. Brave, talented, and politically savvy, he grew to enjoy his freedom after he was passed over for rulership due to an injury that crippled his right arm. After his arm was healed by one of Kaoru’s potions, he accompanies Kaoru as one of her bodyguards.

Francette, knight of the Balmore Kingdom and Roland’s wife. Diligent, kind, and honest, she was dedicated to swordsmanship for over a decade and earned herself the epithet of “Demon God” for her deeds. At 27, she noticed that many of her relatives and friends were married and came to worry that she herself never will be. After learning this, a sympathetic Kaoru gave her a potion that rejuvenated her to the physical age of 16. After Balmore fights off the Alicot invasion, Francette married Roland. A highly skilled swordswoman, Francette tends to get overeager when fighting. She also carries Ex-Gram, an unbreakable sword sharpened on the molecular level created by Kaoru (its pommel is a potion vial).

Emile & Belle, members of the Eyes of the Goddess, a group of former orphans that now do assignments for Kaoru. Brave, curious, and loyal to a fault, they will do anything for Kaoru, such as help conceal her abilities, perform scouting missions, or defend her to the death if necessary.

Personal Thoughts

After getting potent divine gifts to ensure a quiet, happy life, Kaoru quickly learns that her life is ironically less than peaceful because of her new abilities.

In a world where magic is usually limited to a few tricks by ancient hermits, Kaoru’s potion creation is nothing less than a miracle and she is seen by many as an angel. This inevitably attracts the attention of those who want to earn her favor and those who want to hoard her abilities for their own selfish use. While she wants the best for everyone around her, Kaoru also has to be wary of those who want to deceive her, take advantage of her, or even harm her. Her abilities could arguably be a curse since she brings happiness to her friends, but not herself. Fortunately, Kaoru is good at reading people and manipulating their needs and selfishness to her advantage, making her skilled at negotiations and, if necessary, lying.

There are always people who will put wealth before the lives of others and people who want to tear more successful people down so that they can prosper instead. When we encounter such people, it is often necessary to understand selfishness and trickery ourselves as a defense. For example, salesmen have to emphasize what they can offer to customers. People are more likely to hire those who can improve their businesses, such as people who don’t mind working hard or who are clever enough to think of innovative ideas to improve sales. It is often necessary to be humble to a certain degree because most people are instinctively offended by those who claim to be better than everyone else.

It is a fact of life that greed and envy exist in our world. As we learn about and understand human selfishness, it is prudent to find ways to work with said selfishness to a degree in order to survive. It is still important to remember our good qualities such as honesty, empathy, dedication, and such, but we can learn to anticipate the selfishness of others so we do not fall victim to them.

Moral

Selfishness is always a part of human nature, but we can adapt to it. Just remember to not become too selfish yourself!

Spoiler Alert!

Yes, yes!

Kneel! Beg! Offer tributes to you and the Demon Lord! Ha, ha, ha, ha!

Yes, this is life!

*RING!* *RING!* *RING!*

Uuunnnh…

*RING!* *RING!* *RING!*

Argh! Wretched alarm clock! What a way to ruin dreams of days long gone!

You toss your hand on top of the clock, switching it off.

Your work shift at the izakaya will start in about an hour, so you’d better get ready.

You clutch the mana stone pendant around your neck and concentrate.

Right, time to go!

…

“Miss, I’ll take two beers.”

“Coming right up, sir!”

“Can I have the check, please?”

“I’ll be with you in a moment, sir!”

It’s 10:30 pm and finally past the height of dinner time! After several hectic hours of non-stop standing, taking orders, serving food, picking up dirty dishes, and washing them, things are slowing down for the day.

The Boss calls to you.

“Hy-chan, you can take a short break. I can handle things here for now,” she says with a cheerful smile.

You gratefully stride to the break room. Even a few minutes sitting in a chair after all this will be such a relief…

What the heck are you doing?!? Working for a living? Eating only sprouts? Using what little magic you have on such a petty undertaking?!

Whatever happened to collecting mana crystal pieces and restoring the Dark Realm?

Still, who would’ve thought that living in the human world would be so hard?!

You feel tears welling up in your eyes.

Everyone in the Dark Realm except the Demon Lord herself had to beg for your favor and wait on you hand and foot. Now you’re serving humans?!

This is cruel and unusual!

A gentle voice breaks your reverie.

“Good job as always, Hy-chan! Not much longer until closing time, so hang in there!”

“O-okay…”

“I shall raise your hourly rate by 80 yen starting tomorrow. I know you’ve been working hard…oh, and I’ve put aside some leftover fried chicken for you to take home.”

M-m-meat?! How long has it been since you…oh right, back to work!

You mustn’t forget…to restore the Dark Realm!

The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! (ジャヒー様はくじけない！, Jahī-sama wa Kujikenai!, lit. “Jahy-sama Won’t Be Discouraged!”) is a manga and anime written by Wakame Konbu (昆布 わかめ, Konbu Wakame).

Second only the Demon Lord, Jahy was feared and respected throughout the Dark Realm and lived a life of luxury. All this came to a literal crashing end on the day that a magical girl fights her way into Jahy’s palace and destroys the gigantic mana crystal that serves as the heart of the Dark Realm itself. As the Dark Realm falls apart, Jahy loses nearly all of her magical power and somehow ends up in modern-day Japan as a child. Powerless, penniless, and alone in an unfamiliar world, a despondent Jahy wanders the streets until she meets an izakaya owner, the Boss, who offers her a part-time job as a server and a small apartment for rent. Humiliated yet left with no choice, Jahy reluctantly accepts the offer while vowing to restore the mana crystal and the Dark Realm.

Having once lived a carefree life of conspicuous consumption, Jahy struggles to adjust to her new life at first. Cooking, housework, sickness, frugality, persistence, building relationships – she experiences it all. In time, Jahy gradually becomes better at her job, earns more money and learns how to be more considerate to others while collecting mana crystal pieces painstakingly. Despite her hardships and sorrow, Jahy somehow keeps her chin up.

Eventually, Jahy regains enough of her power to confront the magical girl who destroyed the Dark Realm, Kyouko Jingu, and eventually befriends her after a brief battle. At Kyouko’s house, Jahy discovers a large cache of mana crystal pieces…and the revived Demon Lord as a child! Kyouko later reveals that she was granted power and told to destroy the Dark Realm by a mysterious being of light. After a couple of failed attempts to create a magical girl to replace Kyouko, the said being directly confronts Jahy and Kyouko but was stopped by the Demon Lord. The being and the Demon Lord fight each other until Jahy is knocked unconscious while protecting the Boss’s izakaya.

Sobbing uncontrollably, the being introduces herself as Su, the Demon Lord’s younger sister, and confesses that she only wanted to contact her sister after she secluded herself in the Dark Realm. Realizing that all of her pain and sorrow was caused by a childish fight between siblings, Jahy furiously declares that she will never forgive Su.

The Great Jahy’s quest to restore the Dark Realm continues!

Main Characters

Jahy, a part-time server at the Izakaya Maou (創作居酒屋まおう, Sōsaku Izakaya Maō) and former second-in-command of the Dark Realm. Ambitious, confident, determined, and proud, she often has difficulty accepting help from others because it would hurt her pride, which sometimes causes unnecessary hardship. As she becomes considerate to others and makes friends, Jahy gradually learns to regret her former selfishness during her days in the Dark Realm. Having lost most of her power after the collapse of the Dark Realm, Jahy usually appears as an 8-year-old child. She can use mana crystal pieces to regain her adult form, usually when working at the izakaya, or perform various feats of magic.

Boss, the propreitor of the Izakaya Maou and the Landlady’s older sister. Generous, motherly, patient, and a bit spacey, she is the first to lend an ear, provide advice or show some kindness whenever Jahy is in trouble. The Boss is a skilled cook, bookkeeper, and housekeeper. She affectionately calls Jahy “Hy-chan”.

Landlady, the landlady of Jahy’s apartment building and the Boss’s younger sister. An aggressive, sarcastic, and stern tsundere, her attitude conceals a genuine concern for Jahy’s well-being. The Landlady often gets into heated arguments with Jahy over rent, but she quietly respects Jahy for being a hard worker. Although she lacks her sister’s domestic skills, the Landlady is quite strong and often wrestles with Jahy during their arguments.

Druj, a.k.a. Nana Dojima (堂島 ナナ, Dōjima Nana), the owner of a financial consultancy and Jahy’s former aide in the Dark Realm. Charming, dedicated and honest, she is loyal to Jahy to a fault and is hopelessly masochistic when she receives pain or humiliation from her mistress. In the past, Jahy often abused and tormented Druj for her amusement. Now jealous of her former aide’s wealthy life on Earth, Jahy often hides her current, poverty-stricken life from Druj. The former aide has the unique magical ability to manipulate others.

Kyouko Jingu (神宮 きょうこ, Jingū Kyōko), a high school student, a magical girl, and the destroyer of the Dark Realm. Lonely, undaunted, well-meaning, and somewhat unhinged, she is a friendless young girl who suffered considerable misfortune for most of her life. Desperately searching for a purpose, Kyouko found it when a being of light appointed her as a magical girl and ordered her to collect mana crystal pieces, which bring tragic misfortune to any humans who touch them. When Jahy eventually offered her friendship, the lonely Kyouko accepted it with little hesitation.

Personal Thoughts

After losing her cushy job and luxurious lifestyle, Jahy was obliged to adapt to a poverty-stricken life in an unfamiliar land and painstakingly rebuild what she has lost. In the beginning, she had a hard time curbing her pride and disdain for humans, but she gradually learned new habits and developed empathy for others. There were many times when Jahy seriously considered giving up or became frustrated with how her life was seemingly going nowhere, but she somehow managed to persist through sheer willpower with support from her friends. As she reflected on her life, Jahy also learned to regret her former selfishness and cherish her friends.

In fiction and real life, going to a strange place and struggling to survive is a common occurrence. These people get through and eventually prosper through their perseverance. You can have talent, beauty, intelligence, strength, or something else, but these will mean nothing if you don’t have the persistence to make use of them. A persistent person with average skills is likely to achieve more than a lazy, talented person. Perseverance is also crucial in learning because it allows us to keep going despite mistakes and discouragement. What would happen if everyone in the world gave up as soon as something went wrong? Can people like Florence Nightingale, Elon Musk, and countless others achieve without perseverance?

Perseverance is what lets us grow and become better people. As children and teenagers, we persevere through learning and gaining experience. As adults, we persevere towards earning money, raising a family, working on a project, and other goals. Even winning at a video game needs perseverance! A journey begins with a single step and many steps will be needed, but even one step at a time is progress.

Moral

No one can survive or succeed without perseverance. Even going one step at a time can make things happen if we keep moving.

Spoiler Alert!

*sigh*

Suin won’t be having lunch with you today.

Ah, well. She’s pretty and popular around here. It’s not as if you’re her only friend…

“Hey, Suin, about that girl who sticks to you like glue…”

Hmm?

Suin…?

“You mean Jo Ara?”

“Yeah. Her older cousin had been a friend of my older sister since they were kids. My sister says that she’s mentally ill.”

WHAT?!

“She also told me that Ara’s been to a psychiatric hospital many times and that she’s actually been hurting herself!”

“Seriously?”, asks a worried Suin.

“I’m just worried because you’ve been with her a lot lately. Why don’t hang with us instead of that nutjob?”

“Maybe…maybe you’re right…”

Wha…?

…

It’s been weeks since then and Suin’s been acting like she doesn’t know you.

It’s true that you’ve been to a psychiatric hospital several times, but that was only because your aunt sent you there whenever you talked back to her.

And you weren’t hurting yourself; your aunt did that. And she always hurt you more whenever you tried to tell anyone.

*sob*

You were the only survivor of a crash that killed your parents when you were only five years old.

Your aunt took you in after the funeral and she looked so kind…

But it wasn’t long before she treated you like a slave and your cousins abused you at every opportunity. Worse still, they’ve convinced everyone else in your family that you’re just a crazy, ungrateful brat.

At least, they’ll be off your back while you’re in college…

As you walk out the dorm entrance, the sight of an all-too-familiar scowl makes your heart sink…

“A-Auntie…?”

“There you are, you slob! How dare you ignore me!”

Despite your desire to run, you gather yourself.

“Auntie, wait. Let’s talk inside…”

“Don’t touch me!”

She grabs at your hair violently.

“I told you…you’re coming home, even if I have to drag you there myself!”

No…no…no…not back home…

“OOWWWW!”

Run…run…

“Come back here, you little SHIT!”

Help! Someone, anyone…not again…not…

*HOOOOOONNNK*

?!

*CRAAASH*

…

…

…aby.”

“Baby.”

Uuunnnhhh…

“Mommy has to go…somewhere far away. I’m sorry…I won’t be able…to see you.”

So beautiful…but…why so…sad…?

“I…I love…you so…much…”

W-where are you? Who is she?

• 

• 

I Was Born as the Demon Lord’s Daughter (마왕의 딸로 태어났습니다, Mawang-ui Ttallo Taeeonassseubnida) is a web novel and a web comic written by Yeoul (여울).

After her short, miserable life comes to a sudden, tragic end, the 20-year old college student Jo Ara (조아라) is reborn as Irene Nellos Parjunel, the daughter of the Demon Lord Caravan Dionne Parjunel and the paladin Seiner Ain Nellos. After Seiner dies from childbirth, the grief-stricken Caravan attempts to kill Irene but stops when the baby stares up at him innocently with bright, emerald eyes – the same eyes as his beloved wife.  Caravan then resolves to raise his newborn daughter to the best of his ability.

Over the years, Irene is attended to, educated, and doted on by demons (her father’s servitors) and angels (her mother’s former guardians). Caravan spends as much time as he could with his daughter while attending his duties as ruler of the Southern Demon Realm in another dimension. During her lessons, Irene learns about the legendary heroine and wizard Erin. One night, Erin appears to Irene in a dream and reveals that she is the wizard’s latest reincarnation after many tragic lives. During an outing in the city of Peian, Irene is almost kidnapped by thugs, but rescued by Ren Akrencian, a knight who once served Erin centuries ago. Recognizing something familiar in Irene, Ren makes an ironclad oath to serve as her guardian for as long as she lives.

Not long after her eighth birthday, Irene accompanies her father to the Demon Realm, where the ruler of the Eastern Demon Realm, Taladuk, wages war against the other rulers in a bid to claim the entire Demon Realm as his own. After kidnapping Irene, Taladuk lures Caravan into his castle and cruelly tortures him. Irene is soon rescued by Ren and Caravan’s allies, allowing Caravan to focus his full might and rage upon Taladuk. After Taladuk is killed, a silver-haired young man appears before them, his face twisted with fury and recognition at the sight of Irene, and flees.

The Demon God Cassius later appears before Caravan and explains Irene’s true origins. When existence began, the creator god sired three children: the God of Light Lucian, the Demon God Cassius, and the Goddess of Balance Erin. Lucian and Cassius fought each other constantly until Erin interposed herself between them and got killed. Filled with regret, the two brothers passed their sister’s soul through countless mortal lives, such as those of the wizard Erin and Jo Ara, until she gained a body that united both Light and Dark – Irene’s body. Lucian and Cassius hope to eventually resurrect their beloved sister by combining Irene with the goddess Erin’s crystallized remains. However, a silver-haired, renegade demon named Zyton hopes to become a god by claiming said remains for himself.

At nine years old, Irene returns home from the Demon Realm. Two years later, she enrolls as a student at the Demeter Academy…

Main Characters

Irene “Rin” Nellos Parjunel, the half-demon daughter of Caravan Dionne Parjunel and a former college student. Curious and friendly, she wants to be loved and live life to the fullest but is haunted by the trauma of her past lives. The latest in a long line of reincarnations for the soul of a goddess, Irene possesses tremendous potential for almost everything and can theoretically use magic of any kind. She can also summon the wizard Erin’s white bird familiar. Irene was given the Sword of the Saint, her mother’s one-time weapon, by the God of Light Lucian himself. This sword can become a bracelet when not in use and allows Lucian to watch over Irene.

Caravan Dionne Parjunel, the Demon Lord of Destruction and Annihilation and the ruler of the Southern Demon Realm. Dignified and assertive, he is usually cold and harsh to most people but shows a rare gentleness to those he loves, particularly his daughter and his late wife. When angry, Caravan becomes a true monster of destruction feared by angels and demons alike, able to render everything around him to ruin. Two millennia ago, Caravan was a young demon named Kal orphaned by Zyton’s followers who stole a crystal fragment of the Balance Goddess’ remains from Zyton himself. After becoming the ruler of the Southern Demon Realm, he met his future wife Seiner during his first journey to the Middle Realm (the world of mortals), experienced true love for the first time, and eventually married her. In addition to the Balance Goddess fragment now embedded in his body, Caravan is the owner of the Sword of Lacrus, a dangerous demonic weapon bestowed to him by the Demon God Cassius himself.

Ren Akrencian, a member of the Turkian swordsman clan and Irene’s guardian knight. Polite, easy-going, and considerate, he dedicates himself to protecting his one true love, the wizard Erin, and any of her reincarnations. Over three centuries ago, Ren swore a Turkian oath of protection to Erin and, through oath-binding magic, remains alive to this day due to the wizard’s soul surviving through reincarnation. He is a highly skilled fighter and can use some magic to enhance his combat abilities.

Zyton, a mysterious, renegade demon. Megalomaniacal, manipulative and utterly ruthless, he is determined to rule over all that exists. Both Lucian and Cassius consider Zyton an enemy because his goal is nothing less than usurping their beloved sister Erin. A powerful demon, he particularly enjoys driving his enemies to despair with illusions and trickery.

Personal Thoughts

This story is mostly about how a childhood with love, respect, and understanding leads to happiness and maturity. Having experienced much suffering and tragedy throughout countless millennia through reincarnation, Irene finally seems to get a reprieve by being born to a family that wants only the best for her. They not only shower her with attention and love but also protect her from danger and teach her the knowledge she’ll need to survive. Meanwhile, her father Caravan learns that love brings not only joy but also sadness and sometimes suffering. However, he also realizes that love makes him a better person for everyone he treasures. While upset over his wife’s passing, he honors her by caring for and protecting the child to whom they both gave life.

Love works on a give-and-take basis. When a parent gives love and proper guidance to a child, they are likely to mature into caring people who love and respect others. Similarly, the child of selfish, uncaring parents is more likely to become cruel and inconsiderate to others, including their parents!

While loving a child sounds simple, it is never easy. It involves devoting time, being responsible, and respecting the said child as a human being. Finding happiness in knowing that you make your loved ones happy, especially at your expense, is a crucial step in understanding love. For example, a parent with a busy work schedule and limited free time would be hard-pressed to spend time with their family, but they still try to do so because they want to be there for them. In one lifetime, a person would be hard-pressed to find genuine love from anyone except a precious few, and not everyone in the world gets to experience someone who truly cares for them. There are parents out there who don’t care about their children. If your parents don’t love you, who would? Love is not, repeat NOT, something to be taken for granted.

Moral

Loving a child is never easy, but it is the key to a child growing up well.