MTL - The Ugly Prince - ~ ☆ 、 27

When a struggling graduating student failed his capstone project, he got frustrated and attempted to take his own life. The moment he was about to take a leap, a voice stopped him and handed him a strange box and disappeared.As he got home, he opened the box and saw a strange usb device and a set of strange pills. Later he found out that the USB contained inventions from the 20th to 23rd century, and the pills were a nootopic drug.With this discovery, his life would soon change from an outcast of the family to the world’s powerful businessman that would create companies that would rival top companies around the world.

She, a renowned assassin of the 21st century, actually crossed over to become Su Manor’s most useless good-for-nothing Fourth Miss.

He, Jin Empire’s imperial highness, was an emotionless overbearing demonic tyrant with unrivaled talent.

Everyone knew that she was idiotic and good-for-nothing and bullied her as they pleased. But only he, the overbearing tyrant with the discerning eye, wouldn’t let go of her even if his life depended on it.

For the time being, let’s just see how the stubborn versus stubborn clash and play out in this good show of the chaser and the chased.

- Description from novelupdates

Five years ago, humanity’s strongest Tower Climber was betrayed at the peak of his conquest.Rael Arden, known only by his codename Phantom, was the silent genius who cleared impossible floors, crushed monsters with forbidden magic, and shaped the rules of Tower exploration. No one had ever seen his real face—yet his legend was feared across the world.But at the Tower’s summit, the teammates he carried to glory stabbed him in the back. For power. For godhood. For fear of what he might become.They thought he died.They were wrong.Reincarnated in secret, Rael awakens in a modern world that’s on the edge of collapse. Dungeons bleed into cities. Monsters evolve. The Tower is no longer just a gate—it’s infecting the world. And the very ones who betrayed him now rule from the shadows, hiding behind titles, guilds, and lies.But Rael isn’t alone. His soul split across hidden clone bodies, each designed to infiltrate, gather information, and prepare for war. As each clone reawakens, his power grows—and so does his rage.With him are three women tied to his fate:Selene, the shadow rogue who never betrayed him.Lyra, a curious researcher drawn to the legend of the Phantom.Aeris, the sword saint who still mourns his death… and may not be as loyal to the enemy as she seems.Now, Rael hunts the seven betrayers who destroyed his past.One by one, they will fall.But revenge is just the beginning.Because deep within the Tower, something else is waking—an ancient force that even Rael feared. And this time, the world may not survive unless the Phantom reigns again.

Waking up in an unfamiliar world with no memories, I had only one advantage—a mind filled with knowledge of fictional tropes, clichés, and common sense learned from countless novels.At first, I thought I was trapped in a romcom nightmare when I started triggering events like “Helping a Girl on a Rainy Day”, “Damsel in Distress”, and “Tripping Into the Heroine’s Arms.” Naturally, I shut those nonsense down before they could escalate. No forced romances. No misunderstandings. No cringe.But something was clearly off.The world wasn’t just a slice-of-life comedy.Beneath the cliché academy setting, there were whispers of awakening powers, hidden dangers, and a brutal magic academy entrance exam.And every challenge I prevented or manipulated was an opportunity to grow stronger.[Title Earned: Background Character.][Achievement Unlocked: Firm Mind.][New Skill Acquired: Background Character's Aura.][New Ability Acquired: Anti-Narrative Influence.]I may be just a background character, but if fate insists on throwing these events at me, I’ll turn them into stepping stones.Let the protagonists play their scripted roles—I have my own path to power.