Forbidden Affair with My Mafia Stepbrother R18 - Chapter 120: Shattering Truth

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.

Beta: Ahhh! Damn it... When will the good day come?

Author: Well, don't ask me, I just got here.

Beta: Fuck it! I want a good story.

Author: Junior, trust this senior, this is a good one

Beta: Arggh! Shut up! I hate it.

Author: courting death! Go and ask Yama how good this is.

Beta: Y-You, how dare you?

Author: I will give you 10 breaths of time, cripple your cultivation, and scram!!

Beta: Good! Very Good!

Author: *Raises his eyebrows and turns beta into useless dust particles*

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Chad: senior, I have been enlightened, I wish to know more about what you have in this ancient script.

Author: ah! An intelligent and wise junior, you have raised a very good question. Here are things this forbidden ancient script contains.

•Sinful activity: this book contains the profound sinful activity of balancing the Yin and Yang, by, shoving the mighty Yang rod in the Yin Hole.

•System - MC relationship: fuck... Ahem* Ahem* sorry for tongue slip. Forget the classic old system, here take this hot waifu tsundere system. ( not that edgy )

•Steal everything: junior! Are you tired of Mc only stealing the jade beauties that were created for the protagonist? Well, let's process further and add the Protagonist's mother, aunt, and sister, into Mc's harem.

Chad: oh! The senior really blessed me with such a divine forbidden Scripture, here take my money and give me the chapters.

Author: oh! Ho Ho! I haven't finished yet.

Here are a few more.

Saul traverses into a wizarding world filled with eerie mysteries and deadly crises.Determined to survive, he resolves t...Saul traverses into a wizarding world filled with eerie mysteries and deadly crises.Determined to survive, he resolves to overcome all obstacles and become a wizard. However, in this terrifying world, both apprentices and official wizards must constantly face the threat of death. Worse yet, Saul finds himself a prime target for persecution.Fortunately, he acquires a diary that can predict the future.But every prediction reads:[You bled out and died.][You turned into fertilizer and found great satisfaction in your new form.][You laughed yourself to death.][Three years later, you became someone else’s potion ingredient.]Saul: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ I don’t want this cheat anymore!Wait… Saul’s eyes suddenly lit up—Did I just rule out another wrong choice?Before long…Diary: (╯#-皿-)╯~~╧═╧ This isn’t what a diary is supposed to do!

Chen Xi was a jinx who radiated misfortune the way a torch radiated light, and everyone around him knew it. His entire clan was annihilated when he was young, and not too long after that his parents disappeared. His marriage contract? Poof. Torn to shreds and gone up in smoke before the eyes of everyone in the city, almost humiliating his grandfather to the point of suicide! Cultivation? No time for that, he had a family to take care of!

This is the story of Chen Xi, a youth forced to stop cultivating and instead craft talismans to pay for his younger brother’s tuition… and who, in the process, would rise to become known by all as the Talisman Emperor!