MTL - The Man Standing on Top of the Food Chain - Chapter 31 indigenous

It was the turn of the 20th century, and in the Philippine Islands, the fledgling Philippine Republic waited to be crushed by the overwhelming superiority of the American colonial forces.But John McClain, a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, dies and finds himself in the body of the governor of a remote Philippine province in the year 1898. Initially reluctant to take up arms against his former country and skeptical of the chances of success, he eventually decides to fight for the Republic.Now living his second life as Martín Lardizábal, politico-military governor of Marinduque and armed with modern military knowledge, he will change the course of the Philippine-American War.

One scam package,That's all it took to drag the 17-year-old Cail into the world of the void....He thought he had ordered a limited-edition sneakers. But what came was a shady-looking package on his front gate. It smelled like rotten egg and sulfur. Inside the package was a strange box.It's filled with eccentric junk. They looked very intricate and mysterious. He thought, “I probably got someone else's package, a package from someone that was very interested in mysticism.”An old coin, a cracked compass, a ring with an ugly center stone, and some other weird looking trinkets.So he did what any broke student would do:He sold it. He figured someone might want them for cosplay or something. Well, except the gold-rimmed glasses that seemed to fit him very well.“Damn, I paid 7,000 nu for that sneaker; I better get something out from this scam package.”Then all hell broke loose. Strange people started approaching him.People brought that junk. Very strange people wearing suspicious get up trying to buy those stuff in the sketchiest manner possible.As he kept selling, he realized that the box was refilling, it seemed to have an endless supply of those strange stuff. Those people called it 'artifacts'.Then one day he woke up with a strange tattoo on his arm; inside the tattoo was an independent space containing the box. It is basically inseparable from him.“I didn't ask for any of this to happen. But now, strange people come to me with desperate offers. Money, memories, and even soul.”He's just trying to survive high school while earning some money!He had no idea what was going on, but apparently, this thing that he got? It's not just an artifact. It's a contract.As Cail navagates school life, part-time jobs, and otherworldly clients, he starts asking the real question:When did I become an artifact dealer?!By day, he is just an ordinary student, a NPC character.And by night? He is The Dealer. Selling ancient items and dealing with people that he probably shouldn't be talking to.“Since I'm already in this mess, might as well profit off of it.”

Varian only wanted to end the war with the Abyssals and bring peace so that no one would lose their dad like he did.

Become a prophet? Recruiting the most outstanding individuals to eradicate demons? Leading the holy army in the extermination of evils? Growing stronger until you finally defeat the demon lord?

Or you can choose to become the demon lord itself. Create your own subordinates, even shape them according to your wishes. You can also build a dreaded kingdom of darkness and make an army of chaos.

In the VR game “Mistrea: A Fantasy Management Sim Game of Light and Dark,” both options are available.

And the second choice appeals to Ethan Alexander more. To be a good citizen in the real world, he had to follow the rules; why would he do so in a fantasy realm?

Thus, in the world of magic and fantastic creatures, he was reborn as Vorn, the demon lord. But that doesn't mean he'll make the world fall into an era of darkness right away. He will not launch campaigns of heinous human slaughter.

It would be no fun for him to rule over a ruined world. That means that those who worship him will be scarce. He wanted to be adored, hailed and regarded as equal to God by many people.

He will keep using methods that are not constrained by any rules. The evil way, but not always violent, and more fun.

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This story will have some steamy scenes, but those are not the main focus.

Main protagonist's girls won't get cucked by others.

I consider this novel a multiple protagonist story. So, there will be POV switches.

Some parts feel slow, but I guarantee it will be worth your time.

There will be some dark jokes, so don't be surprised.