"That's fitting. Now I can really call myself a ghost and demon. Turns out I've been one all along."

Meet Han Abrial Chae-young.

A reckless demon, a badass blade fighter, and a total shitshow by probably most of the Empire of Gongkua's standards.

After being imprisoned in her parents' house for eighteen years and finally breaking free, her first goal is to, um...well, go straight back to the house. She has to, ok?! It's in order to rescue her best friend and (technical) servant, Finley, who's still stuck there, and for whom she doesn't feel anything except total platonic non-romantic non-sexual attraction (starts coughing violently cough COUGH).

In the Empire of Gongkua, Abrial will have many adventures, meet enigmatic people, cultivate the art of magic, and slowly experience the unfolding of a mysterious fate that has shrouded her from even before birth.

A mysterious fate involving the one and only murderer of millions, the cruel and heartless Emperor of Gongkua — the one who's wanted Abrial dead from the very beginning.

How a Reckless Girl Defeated the Heartless Emperor is a fantasy/drama/comedy novel with themes of magical/spiritual cultivation, action, adventure, mystery, suspense, and LGBTQ+ romance (including, but not limited to, GL and BL). There is also a lot of food — Abrial loves a good bowl of chili oil noodles, almost even more than she loves to blade fight. This is a story to bring you to furious anger, pitying tears, and laughter.