A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor - Chapter 1880: The Pandora Goblin - Part 3

Due to his own carelessness, Duanmu Huai finds himself transported into the world of the game “Star Ocean Online.” Starting from a humble core capsule, Duanmu Huai ventures across the starry sea to countless worlds. He awakens powers that have long been dormant, confronts threats lurking in the depths of the universe, and sets his sights on dominating the galaxy!

The Strongest Magic meets the Mightiest Mecha.

I have stolen Golden Mechas from the deepest vaults of the most tightly guarded fortresses in the world.

I have personally destroyed more armies than the top three superpowers have in the span of the Absolute War - combined.

I burned down the terrorist megacity of Habon.

I was expelled from the Union of Heroes at a younger age than people are allowed in.

I have talked to Ancient Gods, loved women, and devoured mechas that would make superpowers cringe in fear.

I have faced demons head on in moonless nights others fear to speak of during the day.

I am deified in a thousand cultures, and labelled as the devil incarnate in the rest.

I am the Mecha Emperor.

You may have heard of me.

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Excerpt from Chapter 1

This is where it all began.

A junkyard.

Oh no, this isn't your clean, mechas-only junkyard that was the 'starting point' of many mecha geniuses out there.

I have seen and heard my share of rags-to-riches stories, and many of them claimed that they had started from 'junkyards' and slowly grew to be where they were right now.

From Zero to Hero, they declared.

You can do it too, they said.

As long as you work hard, everything is possible, they claimed.

I call bullshit.

Life doesn't work like that.

【I, Shen Miaomiao, was forced to take over a game company at the beginning. 】

Fortunately, the rebate system was awakened in time, as long as the company loses money, the system will compensate with ten times the rebate!

Therefore, the goal of this young girl president is to bring down the company! Wealth Freedom!

【I, Gu Sheng, traveled through the opening game and became a game designer. 】

Fortunately, the game treasury system has awakened, as long as it continues to produce popular games, it will be able to ascend to the throne of the king of games!

Therefore, the goal of this game director is to become bigger and stronger! Create another glories!

…

When the rotten president meets the sixth designer, the company’s style of painting gradually abstracts——

“No one plays the mech game you agreed to? What the hell are you doing about Titanfall?”

“Is the horror game market poor? What’s your “Escape” situation?”

“Is it easy to pay for the second-generation shooting that was agreed? Are you going to remake “Call of Duty”?”

Looking at the financial report that was profitable across the board, Shen Miaomiao’s mind was buzzing.

She couldn’t lose a penny, so she could only give up her heart!

“From now on! Torture the players for me!”

She didn’t believe it, she still couldn’t lose the money!

Hearing this, Gu Sheng unfolded a stack of plans in his hands:

“Look at the boss – black, blood, benevolence, wolf… which one shall we do first?”

- Description from novelbuddy

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.