Facing an Ancient God for a Year - Chapter 1869 - 1864: Seedbed of Artifacts (19)

“From my viewpoint, this so-called supreme bastard’s body will serve as a valuable asset to simplify my life.”Dane was a carefree slacker until a deadly virus turned humanity into flesh-eating monsters—his own roommate included. After being devoured, he mysteriously awakens inside a simulated LitRPG world as a hidden extra, far stronger than the protagonist. Gifted with Adaptation and a heavenly beast, he rises through Soul Academy, defying expectations. However, a mysterious hindrance threatens his newfound power, forcing him to fight for survival.‘…One… Two… Three… Wake up!’

Su Qinglan sat cross-legged on the grass, holding the chubbiest tiger cub she’d ever seen.“Aww… Look at you,” she whispered, booping its tiny nose. “So cute I could eat you up...”A sudden shadow loomed over her.“What’s so good about this stinky cub?” a deep, amused voice asked.She blinked up… and froze.Towering above her was a tall tiger beast man, his golden eyes narrowed in a lazy, predatory smile.“Let’s have ours,” he said.Su Qinglan’s brain short-circuited.… Ours? OURS?!Before she could process, in the next moment she was hoisted up onto his broad shoulder like a sack of grain and carried straight toward the cave.Su Qinglan was so choked by the suddenness of it all… she forgot to even complain.***Su Qinglan’s knees knocked together as she stared up at the enormous serpent.Its cold, red eyes narrowed, the flick of its tongue tasting the air between them.“D-Don’t eat me,” she stammered, hugging herself. “I...I’m not tasty… really, I’m stringy and full of… uh… bad cholesterol.”The snake’s head lowered until it was mere inches from her face. Her fox ears twitched wildly.And then, before she could blink...its massive body shimmered, scales turning into bronzed skin and lean muscle.Standing before her was a man so breathtakingly handsome that Su Qinglan’s poor fox eyes watered just looking at him.Su Qinglan swallowed hard, her tail fluffing up in panic.“I… I…” Her voice cracked.Okay, new problem… the snake is hot.She squeezed her eyes shut.“If you… if you really want…” She blurted, her face burning, “…y-you can… take me.”***One moment Su Qinglan was fighting with the zombie king with all her might.Boom!The next, she woke up in a bizarre beast world… inside the body of a lazy, pampered, fat local tyrant everyone hated.The “original” Su Qinglan had been an arrogant, scheming villainess who spent her days bullying weaker beast women, chasing after handsome males, and terrorizing the tribe kids. Now, thanks to fate’s twisted sense of humor, Qinglan had inherited the body and the bad reputation.But honestly? Being fat in a beast world was still better than starving in the apocalypse. At least here, she could eat.The only problem? In this world, men weren’t just men, they were beastmen. Tall, strong, dangerous… And apparently, every beast woman was expected to have several husbands. The catch? The “original” Qinglan’s antics had scared away every decent male within a ten-mile radius.Armed with her apocalyptic survival instincts, a sharp tongue, and a mysterious system that suddenly activated...“Binding with host…“”Congratulations, host, for successfully arriving in the beast world.“Qinglan decided she wasn’t going to cry about fate.If she had to live here, then she’d live big, literally.

Born and raised as a nameless shadow guard for his kingdom’s crown prince, his life’s purpose was to be used and discarded at the whims of his liege.

And his meaningless life ended when the gaze of a princess lingered on him for too long. The crown prince had him beheaded without a second thought, as if throwing out trash.

Transmigrating into the body of a baby girl, the nameless shadow finally had a name, a family, and a place to call her own. Throwing away his past, the shadow guard was now called ‘Emilia’, and walked on a new path to seek fulfillment.

It was not meant to be, however, as the girl whom she had loved with all her heart and soul ended up mercilessly plunging a dagger through Emilia's love-struck heart at the highest point in her life.

The crowd clamored at the ‘deserved death of the villainess’, and at that moment, the shadow could only wonder… why?

Why am I always the one to dedicate myself fully to someone, only to be thrown away like trash in the end?

And thus, as her soul floated away while cursing in resentment, ‘Emilia’ vowed to herself that in her next life she shall never be the one to fully dedicate herself.

Whatever she likes shall be held in her palm, and shall never escape.

The moment the vow was made, a self-proclaimed villainess system proposed to partner with her, to explore and conquer the worlds through their anchors—the heroes and heroines.

And by cultivating this energy, she shall one day go back. Back to the world she was born as ‘Emilia’ in, and face the so-called heroine once more.

The second time they meet, Emilia won’t be the one drowning in regret!

...

Author's Note: The heroines are not just trophies she’s collecting, only to be forgotten once she collects them. Each of them will remain relevant throughout the story. And it won’t become a mess, promise!

To save the hopeless Dark Fantasy World, I held back my tears and destroyed the world, then killed the Demon King and returned.

Now, I’m trying to save the world using the ‘System’ I gained as the ‘Regressor’s Privilege’… but the Main Heroines have also awakened their memories of the previous timeline.

God damnit.