Steel and Mana - Chapter 8 – Sasha

Sometimes, as we go about with our lives, we all happen to think of one specific thought at least once.

“Before the towers fell, before everything was consumed by darkness...”Leo Astralis whispered to himself while traversing through the rubble of the ancient structure.His body bore the scars of survival, bite marks that throbbed against the coarse, blood-stiffened fabric of his clothing.“..I wonder what the world was like.”After humanity failed to complete the Tower almost 700 years ago in time, it exploded, spreading monsters all over the word.Even the system, which blessed humans with power, had abandoned them. Or did it?[Run]A singular message urged Leo to escape, yet it was short lived as was he was caught like an animal in a trap.And just like an animal he lashed out until the very end, taking one of the captors to the grave with him.But as darkness closed in, the system spoke again.[One time Regression activated][Congratulations. You've activated the Heart of the System]

When the enigmatic and overpowered Kieran Drayke awakens in a foreign magical world after a sudden transmigration, he brings along a system unlike any this realm has ever known. The “Sovereign Architect System” doesn’t just make him invincible—it gives him the tools to build something far greater.But Kieran isn’t interested in world domination. At least, not in the usual way.Disillusioned by the world's surface-level glimmer and the rot beneath it, Kieran sets his sights on the forsaken—those discarded by society, lost in the shadows of nobility and corruption. From slums, war zones, and forgotten ruins, he gathers orphan girls of various races—elves, beastkin, humans, and more—each with untapped potential and pain behind their eyes.He trains them in secret. Guides them. Empowers them. Not as soldiers, but as a family. A hidden organization that operates behind the curtains, shaping the world while appearing as ordinary students at the prestigious Aetherion Magic Academy.Kieran himself? Just a carefree, slightly lazy transfer student with a penchant for sweets, sarcasm, and sneaking naps between classes—on the surface, at least.With a slow-burning plot that weaves magical worldbuilding, deep friendships, training arcs, casual comedy, and a cast of unforgettable girls who grow into queens of the unseen, Chronicles of the Hidden Crown explores what happens when an OP MC doesn’t conquer the world with brute force…But builds a legacy from its forgotten pieces.No betrayal. No forced drama. Just the steady rise of a secret kingdom in the shadows of a crumbling empire.

Lin Qingge’s body was pathetically weak, so weak that just taking a few steps would make him gasp for breath. His own family treated him like he didn’t exist. His birth mother died when he was young and his father promptly remarried and knocked his stepmom up. His father didn’t like him, his stepmom looked askance at him and his step siblings coveted his position. Who told him to be the lawful eldest with inheritance rights?

When Lin Qingge was eighteen he came out of the closet, creating a huge rift between him and his family. It was all for that guy, Liu Yang. He’d whispered sweet nothings in his ear, saying things like he’d protect him and bs like that. Lin Qingge’s old man blew his top when he found out and promptly disowned him. That didn’t matter to Lin Qingge, he had Liu Yang afterall. He fully believed in that guys words and goodwill.

If only he wasn’t so stupid…

Ultimately Liu Yang was like a vampire sucking his wealth dry, leaving a husk behind. After pushing Liu Yang to a high position, Lin Qingge finally collapsed in his apartment. It was a sad sorry sight. Closing his eyes, he knew this was the end of him. Who knew he would wake up instead in a different time and a different place?

Eh? What’s this? Well fine! This time I’m gonna hug that brother’s thigh real tight and never let go!

- Description from Novelupdates