Dancing on the golden ashes - Chapter 253: The Million-Strong Army

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

“I Possessed the Academy’s Silver-Rank Examiner.”I was on the verge of becoming someone who’d be pushed around by students left and right…◎ [Silver Gatekeeper]“No one can pass without the Gatekeeper’s permission.”I awakened an absurdly overpowered trait.TN: This novel follows a protagonist who becomes a rank examiner, tasked with evaluating students at an academy to determine whether they are worthy of advancing from Bronze to Silver rank. Known as the Silver Gatekeeper, he has the authority to decide which students can progress. As a gatekeeper, he possesses overpowered abilities, making him powerful when fighting on the examination field.

Once a young business prodigy, Violetta’s company crumbled fast thanks to internal corruption and the greed of the more successful elites.Now, she’s a certified 31 year old dirt-poor shut-in, living her best (or worst?) life as a full-fledged otaku.With nothing but her anime merch and a shaky Wi-Fi connection, she scrapes by on streaming money, all while dodging the harsh reality outside her door.However, after an all-nighter to play Merlysian Realm, a newly released VR MMORPG, she died from her unhealthy lifestyle and passed out.[SYSTEM ERROR: 404 - ACCOUNT NOT FOUND][Rebooting...][Loading...[ERROR: SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. PLEASE WAIT.].....[SYSTEM MESSAGE][You Have Received A Legendary Class][User's account balance has been updated.][Balance: UNLIMITED][Class: Merchant][Rank: SSS]“Huh?!”Not only was she transmigrated into Merlysian Realms, she was reborn in a struggling farmer's family that lived in poverty from a poorly developed kingdom in medieval times!The real kicker? It’s crawling with corrupt nobles, dying crops, zero trade routes, and is so tiny it could probably fit on a map as a dot labeled “Who Knows Where.”Can our otaku-turned-financial wizard save this sinking ship of a kingdom, or is she doomed to relive her bankrupt nightmares?Watch as she proves those who doubted her to be wrong and be accepted as a genius by using her knowledge from the modern world!

Knowing she married a wrong guy, what would she do to deal with the subsequent marriage lives?

In order to pay for her brother’s medical expenses, she had to replace her own sister to marry the rich family's elder son . She always thought she was married to the elder one, but she did not know her husband was nominally the younger son He Yi Ning.

He Yi Ning, the real heir of the rich family, the ruthless business emperor, the ruthless workplace tyrant, and her sister’s dreaming husband. When she found out that the person who married her was He Yi Ning, she stunned and asked, “Shouldn’t i be your sister-in-law?” He smiled charmingly: “Are you unhappy with your husband?”