Dungeon of Knowledge - Chapter 159: Visiting

Ryouma Takuma, a 39 year-old man with a hidden past, finds himself in a strange white room. There the gods tell him that he has died and that they are sending his soul to a different world; a world where magic exists. After living alone for three years his gamer soul loses common sense and starts toward crazy routes.

Zhang Xiao Qiang is a nobody in this apocalyptic world with danger lurking everywhere, he is forced to wander around and learn the rules and principles to survive. Over the course of time, Zhang Xiao Qiang’s character and laziness slowly wore away from the experiences he faces. Zhang Xiao Qiang becomes more resilient, of course also gaining power whilst watching the lunatics of the apocalypse trampling on everything they could trample on. Zhang Xiao Qiang always maintained a bit of conscience in him. He never had the thoughts of being a hero, yet he doesn’t mind sharing bread from his plate. Zhang Xiao Qiang will continue to live in the cracks of the apocalyptic world until the crack can no longer hold him.

It was supposed to be a perfect deal in which both parties got what they needed. However, after the child was born, he tore up the agreement with discontent and told her, “Who said that we’d only have one child? I want twins! Twin brother and sister! You’ll continue giving birth to more children until you bore me a pair of twins!”

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.