MTL - To Hold One’s Joy - Chapter 208 speechless

I died in my world… and woke up in someone else’s story.But not as the hero. Not as the villain. Not even as a side character who mattered. I’m… an NPC—a nobody, a background observer, invisible to everyone.At first, I thought I was powerless. But then I discovered something strange: I could leave notes, whisper hints, move objects… small nudges that subtly changed the story. Every tiny action rippled through the plot, shaping outcomes, saving lives, and altering the fate of heroines, heroes, and even villains.The catch? The story is alive. It resists interference. Push too hard, and accidents happen. Plot twists turn against me. Minor disasters loom. The more I try to influence, the more the story fights back.So I play carefully. I study. I manipulate quietly. I watch the heroines, heroes, and overlooked side characters, weaving invisible threads that guide them. I don’t fight. I don’t cheat. I survive—and maybe, just maybe, I can change the story from the shadows.From an unnoticed NPC to the hidden hand behind the world, I’ll prove that even a nobody can rewrite the story.

As a wandering soul trapped in endless cycles of reincarnations, Claus must decide what to do in his current life.

In a world where might was magic, it was a crime to be a noble and magicless. And for this crime, the punishment was death.I grew up frail, bullied by my older siblings, but I thought I could finally turn things around on my sixteenth birthday, when as a noble I was supposed to awaken my magical abilities. The awakening orb, however, turned grey—and condemned me a dud.My father, a duke, could not believe he had fathered such a pathetic specimen. Calling me cursed, he ordered my death and had me thrown into a raging river.I hit the water hard. For a moment I lost consciousness, certain I would never wake again.But some time later, I opened my eyes to the agony of drowning, my body battered by the current. In front of me floated a curious blue sheet of light.[Base Trait: Deathless Acquired][Condition met: You have experienced death.][You can sustain injury, drowning, burning, poisoning, and all forms of bodily destruction—but you will not die. Pain and damage will persist until fully healed.]Thus began my journey—gaining outrageous traits from the suffering that seemed determined to follow me wherever I went.

I lived a mediocre life. Trapped in the simulation of everyday mundanity, the 'Matrix' you might call it. The world killed my dreams, hurt my innocence, but I moved on just fine, struggling everyday to keep living.Until it came out of nowhere, without warning: The Apocalypse.I fought to survive. I lived alone in a world where all dead humans turned to undead. But, there was only so little the average human could do against creatures with superhuman strength. So I died. It was the end.Or was it?“From one cage to another.”I opened my eyes to a world where normal reasoning was as good as garbage. A world ruled by men with superhuman strength. A medieval world with swords and... No magic. Just swords and weapons. But still, that medieval world was not so medieval. It was a crazy place, a world that I couldn't fully understand.So I decided. I'll live because I lack the resolve to end myself. I'll live because i'm a coward. I'll live because in the end, I'll die of old age anyway. But before I die, I'll figure out the truth and secrets of this world. Just for the sake of it.And what's the best way to see the world in its entirety? Of course, it's to stand at the highest summit. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. So watch me rise.