The Reticent Blade - Chapter 290 – A Serendipitous Encounter at the Poetry Gathering

Hazekaya was just an ordinary guy… until he woke up in another world. Sounds exciting, right? WRONG!Before he could even process his isekai moment, he found himself being chased by a horde of horny male orcs.From dodging unwanted “affections”, to getting thrown in jail, to accidentally sleeping in horse crap and earning just enough to not starve. Between dealing with an ex-adventurer boss, getting tricked by his so-called “friends,” and realizing even slimes are harder to kill than he thought, his life in this new world is anything but the overpowered adventure he dreamed of. Instead of becoming a hero, he’s stuck as a low-wage wall repairman, constantly broke, and now the locals call him “Shitman.”With zero cheat skills, no legendary weapons, and a severe lack of dignity, Hazekaya is left wondering—“Why is my isekai life like this!?”

What would you do if you found yourself trapped in a world of a game?Would you panic?Rejoice?Just give up?This is a conundrum I found myself in after waking up in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, with no clue of how I got there.Magic powers?I had none of those…A cheat-like system?Nowhere to be found.All I possessed was a single skill that seemed meager at best…[ Shadow Manipulation ]

In the 21st century, a young judge time-travels to another world.Here, martial arts are evergreen, and myriad schools compete for dominance.Confucianism: Immense righteousness, impervious to all laws.Legalism: The power of rules, the law follows the word.Military strategists: The power of conquest, invincible in battle.Mohism: Ingenious mechanics, ordinary humans rivaling gods.Yin-Yang school: Numerology and the five elements, seeking divination, pursuing good fortune, and avoiding disaster....What's this? The Legalists grow stronger by adjudicating cases?Li Nuo, who has just vowed to advocate for the people and eliminate the corrupt, discovers that his father is the greatest villain in the court.Faced with countless enemies seeking revenge against his father, Li Nuo says he only needs one sentence.'My lady, guard me!'

“Look, I don’t need to be the strongest — I just need to be slightly stronger than the guy trying to kill me.”---Zayn Eldrake was nothing more than a nameless extra in the grand tale of summoned heroes — a disposable swordsman in the legendary Hero of Light’s party, fated to die in an early battle against the monsters of the Apocalypse.But when he awakens in this doomed body with memories of his past life, he refuses to meet the same pathetic end.He knows the story. He knows the heroes. He knows their strengths, their weaknesses… and most importantly, their women.With the power of [Devourer’s Pact], Zayn can consume the abilities of those he defeats, transforming himself into something far greater than a mere extra.Strength, magic, divine blessings — everything in this world is his for the taking. And if fate itself stands in his way? He’ll devour that too.