The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm - Chapter 171

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

The strongest Demon Lord dies, and reincarnates as a human. Not only that, he because of various incidents turns into the hero’s best friend.

Follow his journey as he tries to help the hero escape his fate, and on the sideline to conquer the continent while he’s at it.

In high school, Ling Chen was the most taciturn student in the class, always walking alone with lowered eyebrows and eyes.

The longest sentence Zhu Wenshu ever said to him was just a polite sentence at graduation, “I wish you a bright future, and I will keep in touch in the future.”

Later, Ling Chen really did have a bright future.

He was dubbed a monster rookie when he debuted, sweeping the major music charts, winning various music awards, and was followed by flowers and applause.

It was rumored that Ling Chen’s “Classmate Xiaocan” was written to his first love who had been engraved in his heart.

Friends knew that Zhu Wenshu and Ling Chen were classmates in high school, so they came to gossip: Do you know who his first love was?

Zhu Wenshan shook her head: I don’t know. It might not be from our school.

One day, the class that had been silent for a long time suddenly became active, discussing the hacking of the famous star classmate Ling Chen.

An old classmate privately approached Zhu Wenshu to complain: Thanks to the account hacker, I just found out that my remark in Ling Chen’s Q|Q was “the sixth in the fifth row.” What about you?

Zhu Wenshu laughed out loud, and couldn’t help opening Q|Q, which hadn’t been touched for a long time, and sure enough, she also received the same message.

Ling Chen: Classmate Xiaocan, Part-time Summer Job, Easily Earns 500 RMB a day, Come quickly add my WeChat: JzB1551

- Description from Novelupdates

The protagonist, Inaka Yuuji, was run over by a truck because his awareness was dulled from overworking.

“Ahー, with this I don’t have to work so much anymore. I want to spend my next life leisurely……”

was the wish Yuuji blurted out. He met God and it was decided that he will be reincarnated in the countryside of the otherworld. He became Alfred Slowlet, 2nd son of a countryside noble. Will he be able to enjoy and leisurely spend his slow life in the countryside?