Once Upon a Time In Hollywood - Chapter 435: Fuck MGM (1)

…Ring! [ The Unique Skill ‘Grand Devourer’ has been acquired! ]

That’s how it first started.
And then… it didn’t stop:

[ The Unique Skill ‘Evolve’ has been acquired! —
[ The Passive Skill ‘Jelly-like Shapelessness’ has been acquired! —
[ The Passive Skill ‘Resistant Body’ has been acquired! —
[ The Unique Skill ‘Dwell’ has been acquired! —
[ The Unique Skill ‘Skill Copy’ has been acquired! —
[ The Passive Skill ‘Mana Perception’ has been acquired! ]

Up until…

[ The Passive Skill ‘Consciousness’ has been acquired! ]

And then I was through—

Normally, monster-type creatures don’t just pop up in some random place—let alone a human place—out of the blue, and without notice.
Yes, if we’re talking ‘normally’, monsters belong more to places like remote, hostile grounds: they ought to be from dark, nasty forests, old caves, or abandoned, ancient ruins.
As I said, it was only so long as we spoke of the usual deal, however. For better or worse, I wasn’t your regular mob.
So, forget about all the remote, uneasy places humans hardly go to—all the abandoned forests, caves, or dungeons I, a monster, should have been from—and picture a bright, lively family restaurant, in an oh-so-peaceful human village. A restaurant where people ate, chatted, and jested together, all having a good time, blissfully oblivious to the fact that, very soon, I would be cutting them all down.

By magic, a monster-type creature spawned in such a place. It was me.
So far, for the few seconds I had been living, it was quite the good life… I got to listen to a fantastic story being told and shared a cool moment with people.
However! Following an uncertain course of events, I happened to be put up against a wall, with a sword aimed at my chest, before I was mercilessly killed.

I, a unique monster, just spawned in that restaurant, with no clue regarding what was going on.
All I knew was that I wanted to live and survive.
Also, I knew I wasn’t your regular kind of monster.
Thankfully, I’d been granted unique abilities before I showed up.
That is how I managed to survive.

Chu He transmigrated into a barren world as a lowly odd-jobber in the Xia clan. He had initially accepted his fate and was ready to spend his life ordinarily and peacefully. Little did he expect himself to suddenly awaken the Checkpoint System which rewarded him for checking into places!

Ding, congratulations to the Host for successful checking-in. For your first check-in, your reward is the Golden Nine Turns. Ding, congratulations to the Host for successful checking-in. For your twenty-one-thousandth check-in, your reward is the Golden Manifestation of Buddha’s Form.

Chu He was certain that the world outside was too dangerous, so he resolved to not leave the book depository until he became truly invincible and peerless, and thus he stayed for a hundred years. A hundred years later, the Tiger clan attacked the Xia clan and planned to massacre countless humans, it was at that moment that Chu He finally showed his hand!

Arriving in a new world where the steam industry was booming, he inherited a three-story apartment on the capital’s royal square, took in someone else’s cat, and listened to the whispers at his ear, ready to witness this mysterious and bizarre era. The epic of the Sixth Era was about to commence, and behind the curtain, The Chosen One was destined to step into legend. Old Gods, Relics, steam, witches, detectives, ancient secrets, the Era’s brilliance... “Would you like to play a round of Roder Cards?” Time engraved the hours, as Silvermoon illuminated the shadows. I compose your legend, you whisper your verses to me.

Renji Takeda didn’t expect to die from drinking too much sake. He also didn’t expect to wake up as Leif Thorenvald, the second male lead in a romance novel.But wait—shouldn’t he have transmigrated as a villainess? Or maybe an omega in some steamy Omegaverse? Nope. Fate clearly enjoys a joke.Now he’s trapped in a story where the heroine wields divine powers, the villainess plots in silk gowns, and the dashing Grand Duke is destined to win the girl. And Renji? He’s the poor sap who gets rejected with a smile.There’s just one tiny issue.Renji is gay.So instead of sulking and chasing after a woman he has zero interest in, he tosses the author’s script into the chamber fireplace, packs his bags, and flees to the cold, quiet North to enjoy his second life in peace.Everything’s going perfectly... Until the Grand Duke, Alvar Ragnulfsson, shows up. The supposedly straight male lead is suddenly far too close—lingering stares, casual touches, and an interest that’s definitely crossing the “just friends” line.Suddenly, the overlooked second lead might be headlining a very different story.Between politics, divine powers, and a dangerously attentive Grand Duke, Renji has only one question:Is he rewriting the script... or is the script rewriting him?