MTL - History’s Strongest Shopkeeper - Chapter 175 Emperor

You shall become king—

Ruling over all “serpents” in the world…

Become the man who bears the brunt of dragonkind’s fear and hatred.

A modern era when humanity is threatened by attacks from giant dragons flying from beyond the sky.

Controlling “leviathans”—serpentine spiritual beings created through magic—humanity is locked in a protracted war of resistance against the dragons.

Fortunately, there exist witches known as “magi”—battle maidens of salvation who formed covenants with “serpents” in order to combat dragons.

Nicknamed Hal, the young man called Haruga Haruomi makes his living through facilitating the covenants of these girls.

At the (partially coercive) request of his childhood friend Asya, one of Europe’s top witches, Hal returns to Tokyo New Town after an absence of three years.

Accompanied by the beautiful Asya whose appearance rivaled a fairy’s, Hal is running all over the place to secure his base of operations and taking care of matters related to school transfer when the elite dragon Soth suddenly attacks—!?

Life has been breathed into a brand new myth between dragons and dragonslayers.

A grand opening to the “birth” of a top-class battle epic!

[WSA 2025 ENTRY]“What is this for??”Draven, a Pentagon champion, searches for a real challenge that will test his true strength. However, all his opponents bore him.Then, without warning, he's thrown into a magical world. Here, everything your power, status, and even your worth depends on the color of your Status System I.D.His given goal? Protect the Verdant and lift the curse using his skill, the Veilbreaker.Sounds easy for the likes of him?Think again.Verdants are cursed worse than commoners who have not even the slightest ability!He will bleed every time he lifts a curse!And he has to face beasts, monsters, high-breed animals, higher I.D.s and even gods![You unsealed Naisha skill: Stealth][You obtain Stealth skill.]Challenge accepted!

Destiny splits before me into two unrelated, straight lines:one leading to a palace and city ablaze, the Kingdom overthrown, the Earth bearing suffering, and Life enduring torment in this Fire.And the other leading to the pinnacle of Ancient Kings, where deities in the clouds personally crown me. I don the laurel wreath, basking in the cheers of the mountain. My gaze pierces through the mists of history, my Knights conquer lands for me, my Sword cleaves through obstacles, leading my people to victory.I take up this Scepter, holding the Authority of the World in my hands. I overlook the multitude, altering the course of history.I am Brand, King of Vorn, and this is my Legendary tale..........................Plain version synopsis: This is a story about a Senior Warrior with memories of rebirth, crossing back into the World he once fought for to alter the strands of history and make a mark in the sands of time.

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.