The Great Core's Paradox - Chapter 12: Mana Overload

A thousand-year dynasty would inevitably face decay, and a hundred-year noble family would eventually return to dust.What in this world could last forever?Was it an Immortal Body, tempered a thousand times, or the Martial Arts will, in Heart Unity with heaven and earth?Chen Mu came to this world, his sword in hand, and when he turned back at dusk, countless heroes and millennium-old Demons had all turned to dust, leaving only one person on the road paved with yellow sand.

Leo had a problem. Don't be like Leo!It wasn't that he was poor. It wasn't that he was unlucky. It was that he had been cursed, or blessed by the Accidental Tycoon System.The rules were deceptively simple. Any money he lost on an investment would be returned to him, doubled. And any money he gained, aside from system reimbursement couldn't be used by him on himself.His life's new mission was crystal clear. He had to go bankrupt.In a high-tech world of S-Rank Heroes, magic, and newly-contacted alien civilizations, this should have been the easiest thing to achieve in the galaxy. He just had to become the biggest, most spectacular loser the universe had ever seen.So, he tried. Oh, how he tried...He threw billions at publishing a dungeon guide written by a 10-year-old. The maps were in crayon, and it listed the final boss as a Big Grumpy Badger.[Breaking: New S-Rank dungeon called 'The Whispering Labyrinth' appears! All high-tech mapping drones fail. A lost F-Rank porter used the crayon guide... and it's 100% accurate. The final boss is a 50-foot divine badger. The Galactic Union has declared the guide a 'holy text' for exploration!]He bought the galaxy's most useless moon, planning to build a 'Museum of Paint'.[Alert: Ancient magical ley-lines discovered under the moon's surface! It's the only place in the universe that can safely grow the 'Star-Lotus,' the key ingredient for immortality!]To the Intergalactic Hero's Guild, the Magic Academies, and the Alien Federations, Leo was the god of investment whose every move was like 5D chess that ordinary people couldn't understand.Heroes would soar with his sponsorship. Alien emperors offered him their daughters' hands in marriage for a single 'tip'.But Leo just stared at his bank account, which now displayed his wealth that he couldn't use on himself, with tears streaming down his face.“Please,” he cried, “I'm trying to fail! Why won't you just let me be poor?!”

Ethan, an elite army commando, loses his life in the line of duty while eliminating a dangerous terrorist cell during a high-stakes anti-insurgency operation. Despite his unwavering dedication and discipline, Ethan dies with a deep sense of regret—he never fully embraced his personal desires and unfulfilled fantasies. As his final breath escapes, he vows that, should he be given another chance at life, he will live it to the fullest, without restraint.Fate, however, has its own plans. Ethan awakens in a strange, unfamiliar world—a land governed by strength, where power is the key to survival, and the strong hold dominion over all. In this brutal and unforgiving realm, Ethan discovers that the rules of life have drastically changed. The only currency that matters here is strength, and only the strongest can ascend to become the ultimate power.Gifted with extraordinary intelligence and a mysterious cheat that grants him unparalleled abilities, Ethan sets off on a path to conquer this new world. With each passing day, he hones his skills, builds alliances, and amasses power, all while exploring his deepest desires. This is a journey of self-discovery and unrestrained ambition, where Ethan’s focus is singular: to become the one true transcendent being, an existence unmatched by any other.Through intense battles, strategic brilliance, and encounters with those who would either aid or challenge him, Ethan fights not only for dominance but for the fulfilment of every longing he once held back in his past life. With each victory, he rises higher, carving his name into the annals of history as the peerless king, above all others—an immortal legend in the making.Content Warning: This story will explore mature themes, including R18 content, but will avoid extreme elements. The protagonist’s journey will also include romantic entanglements, with a harem dynamic, including themes like netori. No yuri, NTR, or netorare will be featured.

I never thought I had meaning to my life, but I guess I have a talent too.

「Get ready. The duel will begin soon.」