An Alchemist's Path to Eternity - Chapter 101: Spirit Sight Rooting, Gazing Through Earth Veins (II)

「Shimizu-san, you dyed your hair black.」「Ah, yes.」「Why did you dye it all of a sudden?」「Because…yesterday…」Shimizu-san, who sat next to me and had dyed her hair from blonde to black gradually lowered her voice, slightly blushed, and laid her face down on the desk.

Can't a man maintain his dignity while preparing for the end of the world? Is that too much to ask?

The Tower was all I knew... all any of us knew, and just like that, it was gone. Monsters the likes of which I'd never seen ravaged the land of my ancestors. They burst through the outer walls and stormed the city. No one could have been ready for that. But now... Now I have a second chance.

After the collapse of the known world, I woke up to find myself on the First Floor of the Tower. I was young and healthy, 18 again, and sitting in the same classroom that marked the worst days of my life. Confused and excited, I accepted this gift, deciding to use my vast knowledge of the future to climb the Tower in preparation for the end of the world.

Maybe I'll help some folks along the way? Who knows. Survival comes first.

The clock is ticking, and I'm left with only a century to build a Deck powerful enough to survive the end. Things to do... What's first? I need Essence, and I need power. I'll have to climb the Tower to acquire both of these. Some of the zealots will try to stop me, need to look out for those. What if-

“Hey, kid! Hand over the pouch or-”

Stab

Sorry, where was I? Ah... there's a spot of blood on my suit. What a lousy morning.

In this world of blood and fantasy, century-old Rowan Wilder has to not only survive, but thrive as he powers his way to the top of the Tower. The Demonic Plague that has twisted the creatures on the upper Floors is the least of his worries. Cane in hand and Summons by his side, he'll have to tear his way through the monsters, as well as the humans who want to stop his ascent. Of course, he can maintain a sense of decorum while he faces these trials, right?

Su Shi was once a platinum-level host with the highest survival rate. One day, his misdeeds of constantly shifting his blame onto others was found out and reported. Convicted of violating the rules, he was bound to an Automatic Blame Shouldering System and exiled to lower-level worlds.

Now, not only does he have to take the blame from others and shoulder it himself, he must also carry that blame and rush to his death in order to earn enough points to quickly unbind from the system.

Su Shi only wants to get rid of the system by shouldering the blame until death. However, he finds that trying to hold onto the blame is even harder than passing it on, and rushing to his death is even harder than running for his life.

As Su Shi lies dying in the protagonist’s arms with red-rimmed eyes and a weak and helpless countenance, an uninvited third guest suddenly rushes out to explain the misunderstanding for him.

Su Shi: “I beg you, just let me shoulder this blame, otherwise, it will all be a waste of effort…”

- Description from Novelupdates

“How did you board the Astral Express, walk the Path of the Stars?”“Because I ended the Honkai, altered everyone's fate.”“So your first step on this path was becoming a hero?”“No, it was for survival, searching for a thigh to cling to.”“And then?”Ryan adjusted his glasses, his voice resounding.“I became the thigh.”