MTL - My Stand-in is Steve - Chapter 101 Customize Steve!

“If you intended to die anyway, don't die quietly like a pussy! Go out in a fucking blaze of glory!”That was the statement that changed my world forever.I was a loser in life. I died and got reincarnated into a Revenant. Revenants were people who defended the living from the dead. In exchange for a second life, they had one task and were blessed with one cheat ability.The task? To kick as much zombie ass as possible.Unfortunately, my cheat just made me “Rewind”. It didn't give me super strength, speed or the ability to fly. Hell, it didn't even give me a way to fight!Without any way to kill zombies, I nearly died on my first day on the job! Back then I remember crying and puking all over the place like a little bitch.But while I started out like a little bitch, I didn't stay one.Dying full of regrets changed me you see. So much so that I made a promise.I refused to repeat my mistakes when I was human. Reborn as a Revenant, I will never bow down to anyone ever again.Unfortunately, these Revenant bastards were old school. Like they hacked zombies with swords and all that crap old school. As a man born in the USA, I saw no reason why I needed to follow their outdated way of thinking.The modern world had the superpower of gun powder and lead. So instead of swords, I came after every zombie I saw with guns. Like countries in the middle east, I proceeded to blow the motherfuckers to kingdom come.And surprisingly because of “Rewind”, I found out I could never run out of ammunition.$200 for each kill. Hefty bonus for each area of hell liberated.What scared normal people shitless suddenly allowed me to earn millions every day. The richer I got the more “Freedom” I could unleash! Mortars, tank, air strikes to even nukes. Backed by modern science and technology, I slowly but surely drove the undead back.Along the way, I met and saved seven heavenly beauties. And all of them fell in love with me.They were a little obsessive, scratch that, they were all fucking insane. My precious harem was comprised of nothing but Yanderes in every sense of the word. Still, I would willingly burn the entire world for just one of them.For when I called, only my battle harem answered.And that was even before I learned of another secret.Exchanging bodily fluids with my girls gave me their cheats. Suddenly, in contrast to every Revenant in the world who only had one, I alone wielded eight. One from each girl plus my own.And so unfolded my 2nd life.Which eventually became my legend.Who am I you ask?I was born as John Smith.But these days not even my girls use that name.Both on Earth and in Hell everyone else just calls me Limitless.And I am the Strongest Revenant.

Xu Youyou rebirthed to when she was 16 years old and chose a path different from her previous life and met Qiao Mu ten years earlier. The youth who had braved the wind and snow protecting her till death — and who had confessed to her.

And she realized, the Qiao Mu ten years earlier and the Qiao Mu she knew were completely different people. He didn’t have his smile that could radiate sunlight, he didn’t have his courage that could penetrate snowstorms, and he certainly didn’t have his perfect eight pack. He was like a short mushroom, quietly growing in the corner’s shadow.

Xu Youyou: If you dare be like this when you confess to me, you are so dead.

Qiao Mu was a teenage Weiqi genius, he loved Weiqi, but because of his shadow of youth was unable to enter the competition arena. And because of the fear, he was unable to become a professional player and could only return to a typical school life.

Until he met Xu Youyou.

A widely known reckless and fearless girl, who was the complete opposite of him. She was good at everything, except things relating to love. Clearly he wasn’t her type, yet she always provoked him. But the biggest joke was himself, he clearly knew everything, yet could not help but fall into the hands of the enemy.

- Description from Novelupdates

[Disclaimer:This is not a story for the faint-hearted. It explores the darkest aspects of humanity—where morality is shattered, and power takes its place. Most readers won’t have the courage to face this unrelenting descent into shadows.I'm once again telling you if you can't handle deaths and violence and you seek happiness then please do not even touch this Novel.But maybe, just maybe, you’re different. Strong enough to confront the abyss and see what lies beyond.if so Prove it.][Synopsis]:In a world teetering on the edge of chaos, seven empires vie for dominance, each more ruthless than the last. At the heart of this dark tapestry lies Narzan, a nation feared and despised, where cruelty is law and ambition a deadly game. The lands of mortals are but a fragile sanctuary, bordered by forbidden realms—the infernal Demon Realm, where nightmares are born; the accursed Lost Soul Realm, where the damned wander endlessly; and the enigmatic Elven Kingdom, shrouded in secrets and ancient power. These realms whisper of horrors and treasures that could reshape the very fabric of existence.Above it all looms the Weave of Magic, an ancient force that binds life, death, and destiny. It stirs ominously, its threads tangling with shadows of betrayal, vengeance, and destruction. In this world where the strong devour the weak, hope is a fleeting illusion, and mercy is a tale for the foolish.Veythor is a man cursed by the fates, his existence a relentless cycle of suffering. Across three lives, he has endured betrayal, torment, and death. On Earth, he was a man broken by those he trusted—betrayed by family, ruined by love, and condemned to die in despair. In his second life, he met an even crueler fate, falling prey to monsters in human form. But Thalvoria, his third life, is the cruelest of all.A vast and merciless world, Thalvoria is ruled by beings of unimaginable power. Here, mages can sunder mountains with a thought, empires rise and fall in rivers of blood, and forgotten gods slumber beneath the earth. Mythical beasts stalk cursed forests, and the lands themselves seem to hunger for suffering. In Thalvoria, even the heavens cast shadows, and every choice is a gamble with damnation.Yet Veythor, battered and scarred, refuses to succumb. Haunted by memories of his past lives, he begins to weave his pain into something more dangerous. Every betrayal fuels his resolve, every scar sharpens his will. As the balance of power begins to shift and the Weave of Magic tightens its grip on the world, Veythor sets his sights on a singular goal: to seize control of his cursed destiny, no matter the cost.But in a land where salvation and damnation are two sides of the same coin, what will remain of a man who refuses to die?When the world itself hungers for blood, Veythor will rise—or he will drag all of Thalvoria into the abyss with him.

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.