Firebrand - Chapter 523: One Step at a Time

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.

My Shenhao system can only be upgraded after completing tasks.

With the Shenhao system in hand, you can go all the way to a radical life!

This is the rhapsody of a thirty-year-old man!

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- Description from novelbuddy

Born crippled with a rare disease, abandoned by his indifferent father, and hated to the core by his half-siblings, Xylen’s life was nothing but a tragedy.His mother died searching for a cure, and the only person who ever cared for him was cruelly taken away.Betrayed. Schemed against. Left with no way out.Lured into playing Fallen Realm Online with the promise of earning money for treatment, he fought desperately, doing nothing but living in the game and failing over and over again—only to be killed by his half-siblings right before completing a crucial quest. His reward stolen. His last hope shattered.With nothing left to lose, he ended his own life in the real world… only to wake up on the day the game was released.Armed with future knowledge, Xylen vows to seize this second chance. He will become stronger. He will protect the only person who ever mattered. And he will make those who wronged him pay.But fate had other plans.Instead of a normal start, he is forced into a demon fief as a baron—with an uncle who wants him dead. If he fails to kill his uncle and defend his land, his character will die, and he will be permanently banned. Worse, he is given a race despised by both NPCs and players—and given a class that should not exist.A mystery, fearsome, and despised character to the world. Feared by gods and demons alike. A walking catastrophe in the making.Yet, the more he learns about his new power, the more he realizes…This is no curse. This is his greatest weapon.And when the world finally learns the truth about Fallen Realm Online?Xylenia will be the name that shakes reality itself.

Cultivating his power by slaying demons and taming countless beasts, the emperor solidified his throne as the world's ruler. But not once in his life had he expected that his disciples would use research on demonology to sap the world tree's power and push the world to destruction.Trying to fix his mistake, he opted to use all of his cultivated power to cure the world tree and block anyone from sapping its power ever again. But in exchange, he was to lose all of his power.But...the worst had happened, his wife... had betrayed him.