Karl no Tensei: Transmigrated as an Assassin with a Mana Meter - Chapter 16: Ch : Preparations [5]

Far in the eastern corner of the world lies a city covered in chaos, Aetherpolis. A city that is far more different than any other, a ruin where law and order are mere fantasies. This place isn’t governed by the government nor military powers. This city….. belongs to the gangs.And at the top of the food chain stand those with terrifying strength. The Awakened Users.These are individuals who have unlocked their Drive Core, a latent force within every human that responds not just to strength or talent, but to pain, trauma, and intense emotions. Only by facing these can the Drive Core bloom.Into this brutal world steps Ren Asakura, a quiet teenage swordsman with his Tempest Drive. On a quest to find his lost brother, he joins the well known gang ZEAL, determined to dismantle the corrupt and violent gangs that rule Aetherpolis.But every turf war brings him closer to a chilling realization, the true enemy has yet to reveal themselves, and the battle for the soul of the city is only just beginning.In a world where power is earned through suffering and only the ruthless survive…You either DRIVE forward or you BREAK.

In a tyrannical world, what is evil? What is benevolence? All living creatures are brutal. Passing through the heaven road to find one’s purpose in life. Struggles to be stronger is not an easy path. The whole journey thistles and thorns, one blade chops open a path, I alone will be supreme!

- Description from Novelupdates

In the late years of the Daqian era, tyrants roamed freely, war erupted endlessly, and the people could not sustain their lives.After transmigration, Chen Jie finds himself as a drunken gambler with a pair of unfortunate sisters at home.The elder one, Su Yunjin, is his wife, and he also has a five-year-old sister-in-law, Su Yunrui.Their family is so poor they can barely make ends meet.Then suddenly, his beautiful wife comes smiling, bringing him a bowl of hot porridge.“Husband, I was wrong yesterday. Please have some porridge while it's hot.”Seeing the bruises on his wife's face, Chen Jie feels something is amiss.Ding~[Daily Information has been updated][1. Yesterday, you gambled away the last three acres of good land, beat Su Yunjin while drunk, and planned to sell the five-year-old Su Yunrui, to recover your losses.][2. The Su sisters rely on each other. Su Yunrui is Su Yunjin's only hope.][3. Su Yunjin, having lost hope, traded her mother's hairpin three days ago for a pack of arsenic.]...Arsenic!Staring at the hot porridge brought to his lips, Chen Jie looks up at his wife, seeing the faint bruise on her face and her eyes shifting away, avoiding his gaze.“Honey!”“Yes?”“You're not going to kill me, are you?!”

Starting life as a college student is hard, but not as hard as dying on your very first day. Ali Asad was just your average guy, ready to start fresh in a new city for college. But when he jumped into traffic to save a mysterious woman, his good deed got him killed—fast and painfully. Just when he thought it was game over, he woke up alive... sort of. Turns out, the woman he saved, Carrisa, had a few tricks up her sleeve. Now resurrected as an immortal being and renamed Alicarde, he’s thrust into a world of ancient power struggles, dark magic, and impossible expectations. Bound to Carrisa’s fate, Alicarde quickly learns that being immortal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Instead of focusing on classes or meeting new friends, he’s dodging dangerous foes, navigating Carrisa’s high-stakes supernatural battles, and trying to figure out just what his role is in all this madness. All while struggling with the fact that he really didn’t sign up for any of this. Thrown into a fight for survival with powers he barely understands and a fate that’s now intertwined with Carrisa’s, Alicarde has to adapt fast—or risk dying all over again, this time for good.