Holding On to My Man - Chapter 87

The world had changed when the System arrived, alongside the Cataclysm that filled the world with monsters. The technology was gone, replaced by classes and skills that allowed the people to fight back. When Devon ended up as a Blacksmith, a class that didn’t grant Intelligence, he had to face the reality, that his old career that he loved - mathematical sociologist - was over. Instead, he had ended up as yet another discarded member of the production class, overshadowed by the existence of the System Shops to the point of total marginalization. But, what if all he needed was to reapply his scientific thinking to the System...

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

Having been reincarnated, Shen Changqing became a member of the Great Qin's Demon-Subduing Division during an era infested with Demon Evils and rampant Strange Monsters—After slaying a Ghostly Level Fiend, his Pure Yang Technique reached Perfection!After slaying a Resentment Level Monster, his Heavenly Martial Gang Qi reached Perfection!After slaying a powerful Demon Evil, he broke through his own limits!After slaying—Years later, Shen Changqing became the Defender of the Human Clan, and all sorts of Demon Evils and Strange Monsters bowed their heads in submission!“As long as I live, the Human Clan shall not perish!”

Nijigen is a freshman and Banri’s friend. He gains his nickname at the tea ceremony club’s welcoming party after declaring his despair of the three-dimensional world and that he would live for the two-dimensional world from then on. His nickname in high school was “Satoutaka”.