Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential ! - Chapter 199: Plaids are great. Who dares to laugh?

Ananya never expected death to bring her into another life.One moment, she was running her parents’ restaurant in the modern world.The next, she opened her eyes in silk robes, surrounded by hostile stares — the Queen Consort of the empire.But this body was cursed in everyone’s eyes.The Emperor loathed her.The mistress laughed at her.And the court whispered behind her back.Only she wasn’t truly alone.> “Finally, someone can see us!”“What kind of Queen Consort are you, so calm even with ghosts in your chamber?”“Shut up, Wei Rong, let her breathe. She looks like she’s about to faint.”Three ghosts — a stoic scholar, a brash general, and a mischievous noble girl — lingered at her side. They were invisible to all but her. And with them, she learned to survive the poisonous palace.When rumors spread that she was cursed, Ananya stood before the empire’s court.Instead of tears, she offered proof. Instead of fear, she offered dignity.> “If Heaven believes I am cursed, let the fire and smoke betray me. I will not hide.”And Heaven sided with her.Outside the palace, crises struck — starving soldiers, missing supplies, merchants growing fat from stolen grain. Inside, Lady Zhen, the Emperor’s favored mistress, grew bolder by the day, flaunting her beauty and mocking Ananya’s quiet grace.> “Sister, do you still dream of winning His Majesty’s heart? Look at you — plain, dull, unworthy.”“If simplicity is a crime, then let it be mine,” Ananya answered, unshaken.The Emperor indulged Lady Zhen openly… but in the silence of night, he tasted Ananya’s food, lingered at her table, and found himself unsettled by her calm.> “This is not palace fare,” he muttered.“It is lighter,” Ananya replied softly. “Easier to sleep after.”Step by step, conspiracy thickened. At a grand banquet, a poisoned cup was placed in Ananya’s hand. But a ghost’s laugh echoed in her ear — and the cup was swapped. A dancer collapsed instead.From that night on, the Emperor’s gaze changed. He began to notice the woman who never begged for favor, never fought for attention, yet always endured.Still, war brewed at the borders. Betrayals reached even the throne. Assassins crept through the palace halls. And the one person who seemed weakest became the calm at the center of the storm.Through whispered secrets, mischievous hauntings, and quiet resilience, Ananya carved her place in the empire.She would not simply survive.She would rise.And the Emperor who once despised her would one day whisper only her name.

Can't a man maintain his dignity while preparing for the end of the world? Is that too much to ask?

The Tower was all I knew... all any of us knew, and just like that, it was gone. Monsters the likes of which I'd never seen ravaged the land of my ancestors. They burst through the outer walls and stormed the city. No one could have been ready for that. But now... Now I have a second chance.

After the collapse of the known world, I woke up to find myself on the First Floor of the Tower. I was young and healthy, 18 again, and sitting in the same classroom that marked the worst days of my life. Confused and excited, I accepted this gift, deciding to use my vast knowledge of the future to climb the Tower in preparation for the end of the world.

Maybe I'll help some folks along the way? Who knows. Survival comes first.

The clock is ticking, and I'm left with only a century to build a Deck powerful enough to survive the end. Things to do... What's first? I need Essence, and I need power. I'll have to climb the Tower to acquire both of these. Some of the zealots will try to stop me, need to look out for those. What if-

“Hey, kid! Hand over the pouch or-”

Stab

Sorry, where was I? Ah... there's a spot of blood on my suit. What a lousy morning.

In this world of blood and fantasy, century-old Rowan Wilder has to not only survive, but thrive as he powers his way to the top of the Tower. The Demonic Plague that has twisted the creatures on the upper Floors is the least of his worries. Cane in hand and Summons by his side, he'll have to tear his way through the monsters, as well as the humans who want to stop his ascent. Of course, he can maintain a sense of decorum while he faces these trials, right?

I hatched from an egg in Hell with memories… and almost no power.Thirteen-year-old Knull Belial is the weakest trash in the Belial territory—bullied, ignored, and one year away from becoming cannon fodder against Heaven’s angels.Then the impossible happens.Overlord Elara Noctis Belial—the Goddess of Darkness and the mother who created him personally summons her most pathetic son for an ancient ritual.But why?*****I'm planning for a good plot and some r-18 too.MC IS ECCENTRIC KING. Sometimes even I have hard time keeping in control .

[Warning: 18+ CONTENT AHEAD]Primordial Demon King of mischief, bored out of his mind, and unable to grow any further in strength on the highest plane of hell; decides to escape that place by initiating a summoning of his primordial soul into a different plane of existence.He burned his own immortal and primordial essence and body as fuel in order to ignite the summoning ritual he had spent epochs perfecting.However, the summoning ritual didn't go quite as planned, as his soul is caught up in a different summoning which pulls it into the body of a young man who was summoned with his group of classmates to a different world and in a different dimension to help vanquish the demon king that plagued that world.As luck would have it. The one thing the primordial demon king of mischief has been searching for; a means to become stronger than he ever was; he has found on this new world.Now, using his Authority-Level abilities... He will do whatever it takes to achieve his new goal. All the while living a life he has been deprived of for epochs, a life deserving of a true primordial demon king of mischief.He will extract your most deeply buried desires..._______________Authority Of Mischief….. Desire. ~~~~~~~~~~If only I could find a dìck big enough to fill me up.~~~~~~~~~~_______________He will gladly fulfill your desires.... for just a little price, of course...________________Subject's Desire Has Been Met...Authority Of Mischief.... Fulfillment [Awakens...]Authority Of Mischief….. Fulfillment Resonates with Authority Of Mischief.... DesireAuthority Of Mischief..... Fulfillment is Reading Subject Of Desire...~~~~~~~~~~Replicating Most Potent Constitution Of Subject Of Desire...Successfully Replicated Divine Skill [ Infinite Penetration]...Now Generating Seed Of Subordination....Seed Of Subordination Successfully Deposited In Subject Of Desire...Time Of Germination For Seed Of Subordination [14DAYS: 10HR : 4MIN : 7SEC]~~~~~~~~~~_______________Now those who thought they have summoned a hero to save them; will themselves soon need saving from this hero.