MTL - The Venerable Swordsman - Chapter 116 : Can you dare pick me up?

Zephyr Ashbourne has been a mage for two months. Following one eventful night where he accidentally made a pact with a werewolf deity, he's left with the ability to use magic - much to the dismay of his vampire ex-girlfriend who'd been seeking magic for herself. Now Zephyr is attending a small and selective university for mages half way across the world, the Midnight Court. Though quickly, he learns this new power comes with new problems. His ex-girlfriend, for one, wasn't thrilled when he skipped town without a word. And too, his new dueling partner, Aries de la Fel, seems to find new ways to push his buttons on the daily.A novelization of a playthrough of Covens of Midnight - a slice-of-life, magic school, enemies-to-lovers RPG.

In a world fractured by conflict and haunted by shadows of the past, Kokushibo—the first Upper Moon demon—meets his end, only to awaken in a new life. Reincarnated as Crimson, a child born into a different family, he carries the memories of a past he cannot escape. Burdened by centuries of guilt yet indifferent to the present, he resigns himself to duty—until an unexpected bond with his newfound family begins to thaw his hardened heart. As he struggles between the weight of his past and the weight of the new life, Crimson must decide whether he will remain shackled to his former sins or embrace the possibility of peace.

In her past life, Xia Chu lost her virginity before marriage and was scorned by her family as a wanton woman, forced to marry an old widower with a limp. Her aunt and mother died one after another because of her. Fleeing alone to the south to work, she suffered a hard life and eventually died tragically at the hands of a scoundrel.Reborn, she is determined to protect those who love her and those she loves, to rewrite destiny. Those who framed her, she will make them suffer the consequences; those who forced her, she will make them kneel and beg for mercy; and those who killed her, she will make them wish they were dead!By the way, that tall, stoic man with good looks, loyalty, and skills, I might as well marry you since you’ve got it all.

What if being the protagonist was actually the WORST possible choice?Li Hanfeng thought he'd gotten the short end of the reincarnation stick—transmigrated into a cultivation world with “only” Upper Grade spiritual roots. Sure, he joined the prestigious Shushan Sect, but compared to those Heavenly Grade chosen ones? He was clearly destined to be a background character.Then his golden finger awakened.The Karma Detection System.Suddenly, Li Hanfeng could see the true cost of every “opportunity” before him. That mysterious cave everyone's excited about?[Great Karma: Ancient Tomb][Death Rate: 97%].The beautiful junior sister asking him on a “simple” mission?[Path of Destiny][Triggers: Sect Destruction, Heavenly Tribulation, Outer Domain Demons].Wait... being the protagonist means a 90% chance of horrible death?!NOPE.While other disciples fight over “destiny” and “fortune,” Li Hanfeng discovers something incredible: his system doesn't just detect karma—it “rewards him for avoiding it”. Refuse a death flag mission? Get premium cultivation pills! Skip the mysterious inheritance? Unlock rare techniques! Dodge the protagonist route entirely?His cultivation speed actually INCREASES.“Junior Sister, I'm busy that day.”“Senior Brother, that treasure isn't for me.”“Sorry everyone, I'll pass on saving the world.”[Karma Severed Successfully! Reward: Immortal-Grade Technique]But there's a problem: the more protagonist flags he dodges, the stronger he becomes. And the stronger he becomes, the more the world tries to drag him into main character scenarios.Ancient masters want him as a disciple. Mysterious beauties keep appearing. Evil sects mark him as a threat. Even his own karma system seems shocked by how overpowered his “background character” route is becoming.Li Hanfeng just wanted to cultivate peacefully and avoid death flags.Instead, he accidentally became the most terrifying existence in the cultivation world.The kind of person who's so strong that destiny itself has given up trying to make him the protagonist.