Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s - Chapter 12 - Swollen Hand

Noir, third son of a “beggar noble,” lost his job and was at a loss, but fortune struck just as he was contemplating becoming an adventurer.

“Congratulations, you're now a Handler. You'll serve the state with utmost loyalty and pledge your life to its causes.”That was what Trent heard just before being handed an envelope—and a whole lot of disrespect.Mocked for his poor combat performance and labeled pathetic by his superiors, Trent finishes Handler training humiliated and underestimated. But they made one mistake: they judged him by his strength, not his mind.What Trent lacks in brute force, he makes up for with a rare genius in finance.So when a mysterious voice speaks to him in the bathroom—“Hello, Host. This is Ave-511e69.”His world flips upside down.Now equipped with Ave, a mysterious financial system that seems to know everything, Trent is about to rise through the ranks in a way no Handler ever has.Through stock markets, black-market missions, and calculated chaos, he will prove that money is the greatest weapon of all.They looked down on him. Now, they’ll look up in fear.

Lane Allen, an A-rank Guide, got injured on an emergency mission suppressing a dungeon break, and perished in his almost-lover’s arms.As the remaining members of his team continued to fight for their lives, in a fancy apartment in a distant part of the city, a young man opened his eyes.“Phew… That hurt like hell…”“It’s a bit of a shame to switch so soon… But I guess it is what it is.”“Anyway, who should I become next?”Actually, Lane Allen was not a Guide, but rather an Esper with a mysterious Plunder ability! It allowed him to possess other people’s bodies, and steal their awakened abilities. Keeping his real body safe, Lane could enjoy life to the fullest, constantly swapping identities, and doing whatever he wanted without ever worrying about the consequences! How great was that?Except…Damien Lennox grabbed Lane’s arm, and pressed him against the wall, his clear green eyes staring down at Lane intently, as if he could see right through him. “There’s no one else whose guidance feels so harsh and chaotic, yet pleasing at the same time.”It seems that Damien was somehow able to recognize Lane even after switching identities, and is unwilling to let him go?

Leon was your typical guy, perceived as weak in his school because his skills hadn't awakened, even though they usually did at the coming of age. He attended the prestigious Milham's Magic Knight Academy, where snagging the top spot meant automatic entry into the esteemed position of a Magic Knight in the country. Unfortunately, Leon found himself in the lower caste, labeled the most useless student. To top it off, he was tossed into a class that served as a sanctuary for oddballs and delinquents. Yet, he couldn't care less, as becoming a Magic Knight wasn't his goal.Everything shifted when he crossed paths with Shredica, a woman hell-bent on becoming a Magic Knight at any cost. Observing Leon's lack of ambition and his apparent detachment from the academy's pursuits, Shredica saw an opportunity. She decided to exploit him as a pawn in her ascent through the academy's hierarchy.Yet, unbeknownst to Shredica, Leon was not the complacent, unremarkable figure she presumed him to be.