A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 27Book 1: : A Bid for True Freedom

In a world ruled by mana and bloodlines, John White was born with none.Reborn from Earth into a noble family, he became the forsaken son of a duke (a bastard) bullied by siblings, ignored by servants, and banished at fifteen like trash.Two years later, he's dragged to a mana mine to be quietly killed by his brother's lackey. But fate has other plans.Deep underground, an ancient abyss-grade ring awakens. It merges with Earth’s forgotten technology with the world’s magic. Fueled by pure mana, it unlocks the Black Hole magic, granting him power never seen before.From a worthless outcast to a terrifying Void Lord, John begins crafting magical tech tools that warp reality itself. His enemies have no idea what’s coming.Will he burn his past to ashes… or rebuild the world in his own image?

A broken man who ended his own life finds himself reincarnated into the game he used to play. However, instead of becoming the protagonist or a powerful antagonist, fate places him in the role of a minor villain—a mere stepping stone for the protagonist in the game's first arc.

“It’s not a lie, my family is really an ordinary family, I really don’t know any big people”

As a sophomore in high school, Chen Chu really didn’t feel that he was special, an ordinary family, an ordinary student.

Until a rich man in this city donated 10 million yuan to the school to install air conditioners for the whole school, build teaching buildings and sports fields.

In front of the teachers and students of the whole school, the rich man put his arms around his shoulders affectionately, and the leaders, teachers and students of the school were all surprised.

Chen Churen was dumbfounded: “Listen to my explanation, my family is really an ordinary family, and I really don’t know the richest people in this city!”

…

The city leaders came to the school for inspection, patted him on the shoulder kindly, asked him about his studies and how his campus life was, and invited him to visit him.

Looking at the strange eyes of all the school leaders, teachers and classmates who said “you are just an ordinary family”.

Chen Chu was numb: “I’m not lying, my family is really an ordinary family, how can I know the city leaders!”

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