Power of Runes - Chapter 5: Flame Empress

On Terra, everyone has a 58% chance to “Awaken” as a Traveler—a chosen few who can access mystical portals called Flumes, allowing them to travel to Genovia, a world filled with unimaginable power, chaos, and danger. But not everyone gets to be a hero.Born into a struggling family with nothing but ragged clothes and a bleak future, Aoni Thurston, a total nobody with a humiliating One-Star Potential and G- stats across the board, knows his only chance at survival hinges on unlocking his hidden ability, something which all Traveler’s are gifted “Attributes.”But Aoni’s Attribute, “Progression,” holds a secret—a power to bend the rules of his ruthless reality. Each small victory, every step forward, earns him mysterious Progress Points, enabling him to transform his weaknesses into strength. Surviving the unforgiving snows of his desolate Territory, he faces isolation, despair, and near-death, all while unraveling the potential of his Attribute.In a world where power is everything, can Aoni claw his way from obscurity to greatness, or will the system grind him into dust? His future is uncertain, but one thing is clear—everything in his world can change through his Attribute: Progression.

Standing before you are:

Guardian and patron of darkness,

Disruptors and Reshapers of Order,

creator and persecutor of licking dogs,

The tea master, the goddess of the dark night, the nightmares and gravediggers of the gods,

The true ancestor of blood – Charlotte de Castel.

With madness, with blood, with curse, with destruction.

This is a legend belonging to the blood family…

- Description from novelbuddy

The protagonist, Winnie (文尼), confesses his love to his childhood friend—the princess he’s been secretly in love with for years—but is brutally rejected in public. His heart shatters, he’s humiliated and ridiculed, and he collapses unconscious. When he wakes up, he vaguely remembers his past life’s memories and realizes he has transmigrated into the world of an otome game he played before. At first, he’s thrilled, thinking, “Nice! I must have been reincarnated as a villainous side character who disrupts the protagonist’s romance, right?” But then… surprise! He’s not just the villain—he’s the “Saintess”!

When he came to his senses, Hirasawa Kazuki, a normal university student, found himself in possession of the body of a game’s character.

Moreover, it was Harold Stokes, the story’s most hated character who was even given the title 『King of trash』by the players. Myriads of landmines are just waiting for him to step on them, like death flags!

Will Harold be able to clear the survival route while avoiding the countless death flags in his way?!