Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 554: A Parlay(3)

9-Star Talent Awakened—Primordial Justice.Lex, a 'D' rank hero, struggled while trying to find a job after the sudden disappearance of the gates, dungeons, and towers where monsters used to come out.Dying by his lovely wife's sandal, who turned out to be the protagonist, Lex got reincarnated in a game-like world ruled by the Various Court's, which govern the Monarch's and make rules. In such troubling times, can he become the one who makes the rules, or does he have to bend them?A/N: The main character is mainly a selfish villain, so if you're here for burning town's and pillaging villages, you're in a perfect place. It will take time to develop his character, but he'll get there.

In the continent of Tiandi humans lived amongst beasts, demons, and spirits. Here warriors were as common as the clouds in the sky, and each expert could either cultivate their inner energy known as Qi, or their soul, to form Spiritual Energy.

In the village of Jinwei, Luo Xiao grew up like a beautiful bird locked in a cage. He was weak from birth and unable to leave his bed for an extended period of time, yet his beauty made him well-liked amongst the villagers.

One day disaster struck the village of Jinwei. A Corpse Puppet appeared wanting to eradicate all life. A seal was unlocked, and soon the Corpse Puppet was dead under the hand of the sickly Luo Xiao, but this was not the end of his misfortune.

Right when he thought that the end was coming, a man as handsome as a god descended to the mundane world and took him away.

For the sake of revenge, Luo Xiao sold his soul to this handsome man, but is it only his soul that this alluring stranger took from him?

All rights to the Cover Image belongs to me.

……………………………………………………………

Dear readers! Without any ads, maybe you will prefer .

I had nothing left to live for.No family. No friends. No future.Just a shattered soul wandering through a world that had already taken everything.Then I died.And that’s when everything changed.I woke in a world of light. A void between realms. A place where gods whisper and broken souls wait to be judged. There, I met Ashen Crimson—a man who had once been worshipped, then feared, and finally cursed by the very gods he had defied. A tyrant who had destroyed his own world.But now, he’s offering me something terrifying:His life. His past. His power. His chance to make things right.The catch?The world of Zerawell is fractured.Ashen’s name is soaked in blood.His fate is sealed—exile, ruin, and eternal hatred.And now, it’s my name.Because I’ve been reborn as Ashen Crimson, heir to a house that both reveres and reviles me. A noble with dormant shadow magic, a shattered reputation, and a cursed destiny I never asked for.But I’ve lived a life of pain. I’ve walked alone through hell already.And I won’t follow his footsteps into madness.With a divine system familiar in my soul, a second chance burning in my chest, and the memories of a monster as my burden—I will rewrite this fate.Let them call me villain, disgrace, or traitor.I didn’t choose this story.But I’ll finish it.Even if it kills me.

My name is Zhang Yanhang, just an ordinary Awakener and a part-time college student living a monotonous life, following the routine of school, cultivation, and home. I neither smoke nor drink; my only hobby is observing humanity during moments when time stands still.I thought my dull life would continue forever, but one night, as I lay in bed ready to sleep, I unexpectedly stumbled upon something interesting.【Enter the Ashen World?】【Option One: Yes (Successfully enter the Ashen World and gain the ability to digitize your body as well as ways to become stronger, the price might be oversleeping and being late for school tomorrow.)】【Option Two: No (Refuse to enter the Ashen World but feel it's a waste to sleep immediately, so decide to stay up all night gaming and cultivating, the price might be oversleeping and being late for school tomorrow.)】【Option Three: Ignore for Now (Suggested for those with difficulty making decisions, you will agonize over whether to enter the Ashen World and will only fall asleep at two in the morning, the price might be oversleeping and being late for school tomorrow.)】ps: The protagonist is not saintly, is decisive and ruthless, and thinks differently from the average person. Please refrain from criticism if this is not to your taste.