Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 33: Looking for employment(2)

“Hah..Hah..”

In the midst of what seemed like a battlefield, a young boy with white hair knelt on the ground, struggling to catch shallow breaths. A short sword pierced his heart, his arms and legs were broken, making him unable to stop the crimson blood from coloring the ground.

“That's what you get for betrayal,” a red-headed teenage boy sneered as he stood before him.

“A pathetic person like you could never be my brother,” added a purple-haired girl, her voice seething with anger, as she stood alongside the redhead.

With great effort, the young boy shifted his gaze forward. He could see many familiar faces in front of him—his so-called family, his so-called friends but his gaze remained fixed on her.

“Wh..y, A.nna,” he uttered with immense difficulty and sorrow in his voice, his vision blurring as he locked eyes with the blonde-haired girl, who regarded him with emotionless eyes.

“I did that so I could save you,” he said, his voice gradually growing louder.

“I DID THAT SO YOU COULD LIVE!” he shouted, making everyone present flinch in fear.

“I never asked you to do this” the blonde-haired girl replied, her words crushing the very soul of the boy.

“A...nn.a,”

the young boy whispered one last time, a small tear slipping down from his eye as he breathed his final breath.

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Neil survived eight grueling years in a post-apocalyptic world only to die and be reincarnated in the body of Eden Morton, a character from a game he

used to play as a teenager, by an unknown entity for unknown reasons.

Eden's life was a pitiable one, plagued by the constant manipulation and betrayal of those around him – whether it was the princess, the famed hero, or even his very own family. Eden died without ever experiencing genuine love. Now, as Neil took over, he was determined to embark on a new journey, seeking the one thing he and Eden never had : a life worth living.

In a world where human and monsters relied on mystical fruits and their inner power to fight for dominance, a lost soul was thrown, given the powers from all the other worlds he’s known. But there was a catch; he had no control over what power he would get! With knowledge beyond that of most, he sails his path to the top of the one piece world!

He was very happy to be reborn, but why was he sixteen again, he can’t bear to look back at that time.

Why does he return to being sixteen years old, yet still meet Doomsday?

It’s alright to encounter the end of the world, so why did he have to fall in love with someone?

Even if he falls in love with another person, why did it have to be a man?

Falling in love with a man is also alright, so why did it need to be a secret one-sided love?

Even a secret and unrequited love is alright, so why is that man his….

- Description from Novelupdates

In the novel, the wealthy CEO male lead has a villainous stepmother. She put up a front of being nice and tender to him, when in fact she was bullying the male lead with her son. After she had successfully driven the male lead and his father apart, her ambition continued to grow as she attempted to take away the inheritance from the male lead. In the second half of the book, the truth came out — that the father had no feelings for her whatsoever but was merely using the two of them to hone his son’s character. In the end, both the stepmom and her son were sent to jail by the male lead after he took over the family business.

Yan Shuyu transmigrated and became the well-hated villainous stepmother, but she had transmigrated to the time before everything happened, and the male lead was still a foolish child. Only a fool would want to become the stepmother of a foolish child. Yan Shuyu took a longing look at her “assigned husband”, who was pretty much like the Sleeping Beauty, before she quickly packed up and made a run for it.

After that, Yan Shuyu checked out her $250 remaining on her card. She turned to look at her son, who was clinging onto her leg and asking for milk. She wanted to look up at the sky and howl. Is it too late to go back to become the male lead’s whetstone?

- Description from Novelupdates