Grim Reaper in the Apocalypse: Reaping Immortals - Chapter 32 - 2nd Street

I have a childhood friend.

When the goddamn story leaves you no choice but to walk the path of the villain,The heroes aren't enough to save the world, as the calamity ultimately kills everyone and everything.Then, only by becoming the demon king can you survive, and only the demon king can save the world, but how?Of course, by conquering every other race, obviously.Can Axel become the demon king and survive, maybe save the world in the process?

July, 1946. The existence of an alternate world was confirmed.

It was supposed to be a new world for mankind.

However, the enormous cost, the annihilation of the advance troops, and fierce public opposition led to the signing of a non-aggression treaty.

Mankind turned their eyes towards space.

Half a century later.

A certain company formed a team in order to explore the alternate world’s dungeon.

Five professionals and three artificial intelligences. And one reserve member.

With modern weapons and technology, the adventure was expected to be easy.

However, the ones who had arrived in the alternate world were a defective artificial intelligence and a non-professional.

Through trial and error, they lived, ate, and fought. And, they explored the dungeon.

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.