Soaring the Heavens - Chapter 18: Heart Facing the Blue Sea (4)

I was stuck in a dungeon explosion while working so hard that I actually died.

But when I opened my eyes, I was back to the time of 3 years ago!

Well, I will live differently in this life. Salary is goodbye to s*ave life. I quit immediately and set up a cafe in the store my grandmother left behind.

There are no customers because she is right in front of a dungeon, but it doesn’t matter. All I want is to work two days and play five days. But.

Also, the attractive regular customer who keeps bothering me is somehow unusual.

It doesn’t feel good. Isn’t it like the story of the main character of the RPG, who was just trying to run an errand, and ends up fighting the devil after getting caught up in something annoying?

Yes, I will not. I can not. I have no intention of playing more than the role of a novice innkeeper.”

Leon Vale’s world stopped when the chamber labeled him F-Rank, no spark, just Empty Core.One dozen sparks in a sea of a thousand chances. A near-miracle of failure, somehow flopped harder than flatlining.In Neo-Veridia, strength rules the game, no exceptions. Those who are tough get hailed as champions; others? They're stuck cleaning up messes. Might makes right here, plain and simple.Leon ended up on the ground. That’s where he landed, no surprise there.Later, the red moon climbed into view. Right after, creatures smashed past the shield. His siblings stood near death yet deep in his Empty Core, an old force stirred awake.[ SHADOW EXTRACTION SYSTEM ACTIVATED ]Leon takes energy from whatever he defeats. Each time a creature falls, he gains more strength. As shadows vanish into him, he drifts toward a mystery - something waits in a space beyond places: a seat atop no land, while a voiceless headpiece calls out to him through empty dark.Yet taking what’s not yours brings trouble.On top of everything else, the Evernight Alliance caught wind. Not just vampires - werewolves too. Old creatures that oughta be myths are poking at the city’s walls, messing up dungeon cores, chasing whatever’s pumping out that dark energy signal.Hunting for him.Leon’s stuck in a risky move, quietly getting stronger so he can shield his folks, hitting school while sneaking around to pull out shadows, acting powerless even though some old, grim force now names him successor.That F-Rank tag? Total fake. His Empty Core isn't broken, it fights. Each darkness he swallows drags him nearer to a reality he can’t face yetNot every seat of power fits a hero.Some crowns come from shadows, built on bones.Some kids just inherit stuff whether they like it or not.The Crimson Moon marked the start. What’s coming next? Things are about to heat up.

Zeph was your typical no-life gamer; always grinding, raiding, and flexing his perfect builds.Then one night, during a particularly intense game, the power cut. Some weird face wheel popped up, rolled like a gacha, and handed him a card: [Primordial Architect].Next second? ZAP. He had been electrocuted to death!Alas, respawns were real after all. Zeph woke up as a scrawny 13-year-old in a broken world where reality itself ran on game-like rules.People “awakened” to Systems, Classes, and Skills—power granted by the world itself. Those who adapted became superhumans. Those who didn’t… well, they didn’t last long.Three years later, the kid everyone thought was dead has become a legend in the ruins; taller, sharper, crueler, and carrying more memes than mercy.But on his sixteenth birthday, his System finally awakens. Pretty standard. Nothing flashy. Everyone gets something like it.Until…[Secondary Core Detected][Primordial Architect – ACTIVE]And then it happened.One breath = One Skill Point.Another breath. Another point. Endless power.While the rest of humanity bleeds for scraps, Zeph just… breathes. And the world? It’s about to choke on what he builds.⸻Genre: LitRPG | Tags: OP MC, System, Gamer Reincarnation, Post-Apocalypse, Genius Mc, Anti-hero

“He is the entertainment king who is in charge of everything. Been single for years, he had zero scandal. One day, a woman and a girl turned his life upside down.