Ember Dragon - Chapter 96: The Cult of the Machine God

“I want to be free…”Kaiser Solace always dreamed to be free—from responsibilities, expectations, limits, and even the laws that bound humanity. To him, freedom was ultimate pleasure—an intoxicating dream beyond reach.However, his dream was not something attainable. In truth, true freedom could never exist. Yet, in a world ruled by control and measured by power, Kaiser saw hope in the ability he awakened—[Freedom].Though, raw and incomplete, it fueled his resolve to pursue his dream. With that ability, he slowly carved a path the world had never witnessed—a path to absolute freedom.

You say you know about pain? To feel this sort of hunger... for your body to never be satisfied... your mind crazed by endless thoughts of satisfaction. To gaze upon the stars and know that it’s not enough, That is pain. Now you stand before me and I truly question myself. are you enough.He sought a cure for his power. Now, he'll use it to consume a world.At six years old, Dax's life ended. His trait, [Insatiable Hunger], awakened—a curse that promised only madness and an empty stomach. After two years of torment, he found his answer: [Synthesis], the power to integrate anything he touched.Four centuries of research later, known across galaxies as the Black Researcher, he finally achieved his goal. And in that moment of triumph, he exploded.Reborn in a brutal realm of cults and crumbling gods, Dax finds himself weak, but free. His Hunger is quiet, his Synthesis intact. The local gods think him a pawn. The cults see him as a sacrifice.They are all gravely mistaken.Dax sees this world for what it is: a Petri dish. His new traits are the ultimate research tools. His goal is no longer mere survival, but the answer to a new, thrilling question: Can a man who was once devoured by his own power, now learn to devour divinity itself?

Here, only those with spiritual roots can cultivate while those with mortal roots are destined to stay mortal.

Mo Wuji only has mortal roots, but will he only remain as a mortal?

[However, due to mysterious anomalies during host's initial awakening trial, the Aetherfall protocol has been permanently altered.Host will be subject to mandatory sequential trials even after other hosts have been offered options to trials— ALL TRIALS FOR HOST WILL BE MANDATORY.Until Paragon Ascension has been exceeded.Failure to complete any trial will result in the utter and irreversible termination of spirit and vessel.In summary:Host will either survive or be terminated.]---The regular nobody, done in by Truck-kun after being... distracted,transmigrates into the body of a side character from his most hated novel—during the awakening trial.Somehow, he finds a way to survive... or so he thought.In a world where everything revolves around the MC, a side character destined to die can only bring bad omens.He's given a near-impossible task by the trial system of this world—along with no option to reject other than death.And in a novel where characters were once one-dimensional, they’re now being seen from every side and perspective—things are far more complicated than he ever imagined.A world where heroes are hidden psychopaths, villains are deeply misunderstood,teachers are unstable, and teenagers are... Let's just say hormonal.What could possibly go wrong?