Rise of the Living Forge - Chapter 397: In the heart

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.

Mo Chu was reborn. She opened her eyes to find herself in a world where a thousand years had passed. The docile animals and plants became very aggressive, and elemental abilities that existed only in stories and legends now appeared before her eyes! Fortunately, upon waking up, Mo Chu gained a nice-guy brother who had a sister complex. Unfortunately, she had a one-in-a-million sensitive constitution, so she couldn’t consume 99% of the available food. However, there would always be a solution. If she couldn’t eat the food of this era, couldn’t she come up with new food? And so, she made fries, grilled fish, beggar’s chicken, and various other delicacies that were not available in this future world. As a glutton, Mo Chu was satisfied with this outcome. However…

[Disclaimer: Gore and Mature Content]Kaiser, an orphan, had left Germany to live with his uncle in Lewis Center, USA. Far from his tragic childhood, he befriended five unconventional boys. Together, they hung out, endured boring classes, and faced rejection from girls. Their ordinary lives took a drastic turn when Ben, one of them, was bitten and turned into a vampire by his crush.The revelations kept coming when Yuki, another member of the group, confessed to being a Zodiac—one of the last hunters tracking down Wunders, malevolent supernatural creatures.Kaiser soon discovered a dark world where all his suspicions turned out to be true… And the Mysterienkult was after him. His mother’s tragic death had not been an accident after all.

In a world where warriors and mages wield incredible power to battle monsters and conquer dungeons, Leon was just another hopeful teenager awaiting his awakening. At eighteen, he stepped forward to touch the Awakening Orb, dreaming of a legendary class—perhaps a powerful Mage or a fearsome Warrior.But fate had other plans.[You have awakened the F-Rank Class: Necromancer][Your subclass is: Zombie Lord]The world sneered. Necromancy was a taboo, a weak class fit for those who couldn't survive real combat. Zombies? Nothing more than mindless, slow-moving corpses. With no future in sight, Leon was cast aside as a failure.Until he actually used his ability.[Select Your Zombie Type]— Warrior Zombie— Mage Zombie— Healer ZombieUnlike traditional necromancers, Leon’s system let him create and customize zombies—giving them skills, equipping them with weapons, and even allowing them to evolve. With the right combination of magic, strategy, and firepower, his undead army could be unstoppable.Armed with a mana-powered magic gun, Leon fights alongside his growing legion of enhanced zombies, proving that an F-Rank class can become the most terrifying existence in the world.The dungeons will fall.The strong will kneel.And soon… the world will know the name Leon, The Zombie Lord