Return of the Former Hero - Chapter 178. Former Hero – Involved in Trouble

“You shouldn’t have crossed this line, Elisha, if you didn’t want it to be like this.”

A sturdy arm wrapped around her swaying body. Her head became hazy and an intentional hot sweet sigh was pulled out of her.

‘How the hell did I get myself in this situation—’

Elisha recalled. This never happened before.

‘Yeah, I remember.’

Her future in which she would become the fake concubine to a demonic man from the same family, and would be eaten to death—even down to her bone marrow. A future in which the Cartier ducal family is embroiled in a power struggle and fragmented.

To avoid that future, Elisha threw herself at Lucerne, the archrival of her former life.

Yeah. There was no problem. She knew this man, before and after her regression. She already knew he was the most notorious maniac in the Empire.

20-year-old Elisha owes 30,000 gold coins (about 15 billion won in Korean currency or around 15 million in USD).

After going back in time, in order to avoid a hellish life because of debt, she becomes the most capable illegitimate child in the world and visits Lucerne, the archenemy of her master.

“What do you want from me?”

“Please lend me some money. And… make me your subordinate. I’ll give you all the information I have.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“I’ll give myself up as collateral.”

Lucerne listened to Elisha and watched her quietly.

“Okay. But I decide how to deal with the collateral.”

“…….”

“First of all, marry me.”

“…… huh?”

Elisha didn’t expect it either. That her information transaction would become a marriage contract.

Burdened by the crushing debt of his parents, Lex never imagined a life beyond endless work and grief. But fate had other plans.One fateful day, an accident ends his mundane existence—only to thrust him into a world of fantasy. Reincarnated as a side character doomed to fail, Lex now inhabits the body of a so-called teacher—a fraud with no real skills, destined for disgrace.Standing at a crossroads, he faces a choice: follow the canon and flee from his inevitable downfall, or defy fate and carve his own path.Just as he considers running… a voice calls out.[Need some help?]Grasping the talent that his predecessor never realized he had, Adrian decided to defy his fate and become a true Runesmith.However, he never expected that once he would start on the path of becoming a Runesmith, he would start gaining so many connections.[Ding!][Cross-dimension group chat has been activated!][Hero of World Nebula: Old man, when can I get my sword done?][The untamed witch: When will you help me with my staff?][The obsessed one: Darling, when will you do me-I mean, when will you do something about my blades?]....what the heck is all this?°°°°°°°°°A/N:- Read the first few chapters, before deciding to drop it.English won't be perfect, but it will be readable.Additional tags: Cross-world group chat, possessive characters, sudden strength gain, overpowered MC, broken engagement.

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

Transmigrated into the novel you read and became the heir of the Duke, only to be trampled under the protagonist's foot?Passerby villain?Appeared in only one chapter?“Who are you looking down on?”Ian cursed his destiny and vowed to change everything.[Ding!][A new quest has been activated.]'Oh? Do I have a system? Even better.'[Basic Quest 1: Don't let your flower slip through your fingers.]'Nice, I won't let go of her anyway.'...[Basic Destiny Quest 1: Can You Finish What You Have Started?]'Bring it on!'...[Ding!][You are at an important fork in your fate.][Unique Destiny Quest: Fight with all you have.]'Heh? Who are you looking down on?'As Ian completed one quest after another, he also inadvertently began to fall into a vortex of the unknown. He discovered there was more to this world than described in the novel.'Damn it! These suspense and twists, one after another, are killing me!'---Tags: Smut, 18+, Harem, no incest, weak to strong, Romance, Wizard, Magic, Knight, System, Multiple Planes, Elf, Demons, Monsters