MTL - Legend of the Great Saint - v3 Chapter 59 Retreat to Simon

The year was 2026, and the world wasn't what it used to be. Ever since the Abyss Gates cracked open three years ago, spilling monsters and dungeons across the planet, life had turned into a chaotic mess. Cities were half-ruined, half-rebuilt, and people clung to whatever normalcy they could find. Hunters—those brave or crazy enough to fight the monsters—became the new heroes. Everyone else? Well, they just tried to survive.Fin wasn't a Hunter. He wasn't a hero either.He was just… Fin. A lanky 19-year-old with messy brown hair, a chipped front tooth from a dumb skateboard accident, and a power that everyone called useless. Absorption. Sounds cool, right? Like he could suck up energy or steal someone's strength. Nope. All it did was let him “feel” things he touched a little more than normal. He could tell you the exact texture of a brick wall or how warm a coffee mug was—big whoop. No fireballs, no super strength, no flashy moves. Just a glorified touchy-feely trick.“Fin, you gonna eat that sandwich or just stare at it like it's gonna confess its life story?” Meg's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.He blinked and looked across the rickety table at his best friend. Meg was short, loud, and had a wild mop of dyed purple hair that she swore made her look “intimidating.” It didn't.

Attention: This is not a furry story!____________________________________An unfortunate guy found himself stranded inside a forest with a questionable system that turned his gender upside down. He will have to scavenge and survive in this hostile place, meeting many enemies and few friends. He will have to navigate a Cultivation Society that either hates (Kills) or wants to 'contract' Beasts.Will he find his place in this world or will he become someone's pet? Will his system help him Evolve into Divine Beasts? Or will he change into a Human to explore this world?____________________________________I'm new to this kind of thing, so any advice or criticism would be welcome. (Especially grammar, I can get most words right, but I can't hear where to put ',' or how to separate sentences nicely.) I have searched the web for any image that could properly portray our protagonist while keeping it free. I have found a very nice picture that was close to what I was going for, but it IS AI-generated and I have no idea how copyright works. I do not own that image, I have simply searched for a free picture describing her features and found this... if you are the owner of this picture, please write me a message and I will take it down as soon as possible. (The Image is temporary and I will commission an artist later for a more accurate depiction~)

The crumbling Vienna System is unable to stop the rise of the Second Empire, as the Emperor's nephew is about to visit his faithful Paris.Protector of the Apennine, Honorary Chairman of the Rhine Federation, Close Ally of the Kingdom of Spain, French Empire Augustus Jerome Bonaparte:I will make France great again!--------------------(Reasonable historical deduction party, Paradox Interactive game players rejoice!)

There was nothing left to lose in his life.He had lived as a hero. He had started at the bottom and worked his way up to the top, at the end he become the best, yet he had always been betrayed by those he had tried to protect.Humanity did not deserve his protection.When everything went out and he could no longer even hope to beg for his life, he could do nothing but look up at the blood-red sky among the corpses of demons and angels.He wished for one more chance, just one more chance.And when that chance was given to him, he swore that he would change everything. He would no longer be a hero to save people, but an anti-hero to save the world.Sacrificing hundreds of people to save an elf, poisoning hundreds of people to save a group of half-demons.He didn't care about any of that anymore, he would protect those he cared about and send everything else to hell.Not even the gods or goddesses could stop him.