Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 421: Pioneer

In this period where countless supporting lead actors always attempt to counterattack, turn over a new leaf or simply refuse to take up the role, his purpose of existing is to fill the role of a good supporting male lead and uphold his duty to the best of his ability. To add the needed lustre to storylines and this world. Only, it’s a pity that someone who is not afraid of god-like enemies will be afraid of pig-like teammates.

Bitterly, he realises that for some unfathomable reason, he is being bothered time and again by a bastard who refuses to follow the script… In order to walk the path of a good supporting male lead, he engages in a battle of wits and courage with that person. Loving each other and killing each other, one ultimately cannot escape fate’s teasing– why is it so difficult wanting to be a responsible and diligent supporting male lead?! QAQ

- Description from novelupdates

Trapped in a hospital bed his entire life, Li Mingzhe's only escape was through the novels he read. But fate had other plans when a mysterious book appeared on his bedside table. Before he could even read its title, the book dragged him into its pages—straight into the body of Ambrose Rothschild, the sole heir to the illustrious Rothschild family.At first glance, his new life seems perfect: loving parents, devoted servants, and no siblings fighting for inheritance. But is this truly the peaceful second chance he yearned for? Far from it! Not only is Ambrose's body plagued with the same weakness that haunted Li Mingzhe's original life, but he's also flying blind—having never read the book he's trapped in, he lacks the story knowledge other transmigrators typically rely on!His only ray of hope? A mysterious system that promises to enhance his abilities. But what cruel twist of fate is this? The system declares his frail body can only handle improvements to his intelligence stat! And as if that weren't enough, Ambrose has been enrolled in Crono, the most prestigious magic academy where heroes and prodigies gather like moths to a flame.Now, surrounded by talented peers and trapped in the web of noble politics, can Li Mingzhe leverage his one advantage—his brilliant mind—to survive? With countless eyes watching his every move as the Rothschild heir, will he crumble under the crushing weight of expectations? Or will he prove that in a world of overwhelming magical might, intelligence can be the most formidable weapon of all?

The daughter of a duke, the stuttering Maximilian, married a knight of lowly status at her father’s coercion.

What comes after death?

Val has a definite answer.

It's reincarnation!

After dying on modern-day Earth, he found himself waking up in a strange world!

The world was so strange that after death, humans would turn into zombies.

Negativity could give birth to devils.

There were also dungeons that, if left unchecked, could spell disaster!

This strange world was called Eldrich.

In this strange world, Val gained a chance at life when he acquired the Devil system!

[You have gained ownership of the Devil System!]

[Please choose the type of devil you would like to become.]

[Option 1: Shadow Devil.]

[Option 2: Blood Devil.]

That night, he grinned and the world witnessed the birth of a devil!

...

A scene from the novel:-

The Anthrolisk's antennae twitched violently, its bloodshot eyes narrowed, and it gritted its mandibles. Rage bubbled up within it like boiling tar, yet it kept its fury in check.

“I admit,” it managed to grind out through clenched teeth, “you're stronger than me. On my own, I might not be enough to defeat you. But when my children come into the picture, everything changes.”

Val's eyebrow raised, “What children?”

The Anthrolisk responded by clapping its hands elegantly. Suddenly, the ceiling overhead split open, and gigantic cockroaches, each half the size of a human, crawled out. Their shiny exoskeletons gleamed ominously under the faint light of the chamber.

“Shocked, aren't you?” The Anthrolisk gloated, a wicked grin stretching across its monstrous face. “Let's see how you fare against my children! Little ones, get him!”

With the command given, the cockroaches crawled down the wall in an eerie synchronicity, their multitude of tiny legs clicking against the stone walls of the chamber as they closed in on Val.

Val, however, merely smirked, causing an ominous chill to creep down the Anthrolisk's spine. It could feel that something wasn't right.

“You're not the only one with henchmen,” Val retorted casually, his smirk broadening into a wicked grin that mirrored the Anthrolisk's earlier expression.

A sense of foreboding filled Anthrolisk and it moved to stop Val from doing whatever he was planning to do.

However, it was too late.

“Descend to the living realm, my horde of the undead!” he commanded.

Suddenly, reality seemed to bend and ripple around Val, as if it was a mere illusion.

Out of these distortions, countless undead emerged, tearing through the very fabric of space itself to answer their master's call. Their hollow eyes burned with a spectral fire, their skeletal forms imposing and dreadful. It was a sight to behold, a haunting spectacle that sent chills down the spine of the Anthrolisk and its children.

A little about Val:- Val is not good or evil. Ask long as it benefits him, he can be a saint or a devil, or both!

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