Apocalypse: Counterattack of a Cannon Fodder - Chapter 265

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.

When the cosmic tyrant Frieza detonated Planet Vegeta, home of the Saiyan race, a twist of fate sent a lone infant—placed in an escape pod by his mother—hurtling through the void toward an unknown destiny. The pod's trajectory led him to a desolate world: Titan, a planet ravaged by catastrophe and long stripped of life.Beneath the shadowed skies of this barren realm, the watchful eyes of Thanos, the self-appointed director of the universe's population balance, beheld an unexpected sight—a child, the sole survivor of Titan’s forgotten civilization... a child with a tail swaying behind him.“A survivor of Titan... From this day forth, you shall be my son.”

Cross is a laborer and helper working in multiple construction sites and stores to pay his bills and food. The pay isn’t much, but he is content with his life. He has a job, a crappy rented apartment, and a girlfriend.

But it all shatters when the world changes one day. A strange phenomenon teleports everyone into a world of fantasy, magic, dangerous beasts, and mystifying creatures.

Everyone is given abilities, skills, and spells and can level up like in a game.

And that’s not all. They are transported in a medieval timeline where technology is nonexistent, and living is harsher than one might expect!

When Cross swipes his hand, a screen appears, and the first thing he read.

‖ E V I L S Y S T E M

S I D E Q U E S T ‖

* Insult Someone

Reward:

+100 EXP

* Spank a girl’s butt

Reward:

+1,000 EXP

‖ E N D ‖

‖ E V I L S Y S T E M

M A I N Q U E S T ‖

* Brake up with your girlfriend

Rewards:

+10,000 EXP

Egg (?)

The middle boss of the AAA-class game produced by the company. The villain who dies 999 times out of 1,000 times. Deculein.That person, was me now.“You’re going to die on almost every route.”Deculein, like all villains, inevitably dies.[First and foremost survival goal: Be what the game requires you to be]I’ll have to survive even if it means twisting my fate if I am destined to die.