Ashes of the Elite - Chapter 81: This Mark Of Mine

Takahiro Nao, a 25-year-old drowning in debt and despair, lives only for his struggling family. Every sacrifice he makes is for them—until a selfless act costs him his life. Instead of the end, Nao encounters a Goddess of Benevolence who offers him a miraculous deal: “Live in a new world, and your efforts there will support your family back on Earth.”Reborn into the dead body of Naoki von Blackmore, the so-called “Failed Hero,” he finds himself burdened with the daunting task of saving the world by defeating the Demon King—all while supporting the family he cherishes. Armed with formidable powers yet haunted by his past failures, Nao steps into a dangerous realm of swords, magic, and ferocious monsters. Facing relentless enemies, harrowing trials of life and death, and an unyielding fate, he’s forced to confront the ultimate question: how far is he willing to go to protect the people he loves?Filled with emotional struggles, determination, unexpected humor, and a touch of romance, this story asks a powerful question to the readers: What would you sacrifice for the people you love?

In the grimy Black Hound Tavern, disgraced hunter Kael Veymar drowns his failures in ale, his father’s shattered crest a noose around his neck. When a Fallen beast attacks him—spewing acid and cryptic threats about the Harbinger—he’s saved by Lyria, a rogue huntress with a deadly smile and a glowing amulet: the Fractalis, stolen by Kael’s father.Their reunion is cut short by Dren, Kael’s former brother-in-arms, who slit Garrik’s throat for the Guild. After a vicious alley fight, Lyria helps Kael escape, but not before a Fallen’s ooze sears his flesh, leaving veins of corruption that **pulse with the Harbinger’s voice.Seeking answers, they flee to Ms. Miller, an old ally who gifts Kael a sword and a warning: “Find Torin. The skulls will whistle your name.” But the Guild is closing in. At Celestis Rise Dren is humiliated for his failure, while the Dozen Vanguards receive a bone-chilling letter—its author dead, its ink fresh.The stakes sharpen:- The Fractalis is not what it seems.- And Garrik Veymar’s shadow stretches long from the grave.Now, Kael and Lyria ride toward Godsgrave, where Hunter blades go to die—and where the Harbinger’s eclipse waits to rise.

“As if I’d marry an ugly woman like you!”

It wasn’t until he paid a huge price for giving up emotions that he realized how important they were to practice martial arts.

In his previous life, in order to become a master, he had given up all his emotions and became a ruthless expert. But in the end, he realized that it was meaningless living as a person without any emotions. Before he died, he regretted a lot and made a wish that if he could be reborn, he would never be a heartless person again. He would be a person with feelings, a true person.

He had actually been reborn. In this life, he had adopted seven orphans, and each one was a genius material for cultivation. However, he could not cultivate in the beginning, so he had to keep selling off his family’s assets in order to maintain the children’s education and living needs. When he remembered the memories of his previous life, the time he had spent with his children had made him feel the great power of love even more. Through his experience of emotions, his cultivation progress in this life was incredibly fast. He cultivated together with the children, searching for treasures, and even helped many people succeed in cultivating. In the end, the battle began, and he became the publicly acknowledged strongest expert.