Second World Novel - Chapter 19 - 19. Mad Grinding

Our straight (?) bottom woke up ten years into the future and found himself on the bed of his childhood friend… At the start, the bottom was shocked to his very bones, but he soon quickly accepted this premise and found the whole situation to be rather amusing. Precisely then, the bottom once again went back to his timeline — back to when he and the top were just platonic childhood friends.

Waking up in an unfamiliar world with no memories, I had only one advantage—a mind filled with knowledge of fictional tropes, clichés, and common sense learned from countless novels.At first, I thought I was trapped in a romcom nightmare when I started triggering events like “Helping a Girl on a Rainy Day”, “Damsel in Distress”, and “Tripping Into the Heroine’s Arms.” Naturally, I shut those nonsense down before they could escalate. No forced romances. No misunderstandings. No cringe.But something was clearly off.The world wasn’t just a slice-of-life comedy.Beneath the cliché academy setting, there were whispers of awakening powers, hidden dangers, and a brutal magic academy entrance exam.And every challenge I prevented or manipulated was an opportunity to grow stronger.[Title Earned: Background Character.][Achievement Unlocked: Firm Mind.][New Skill Acquired: Background Character's Aura.][New Ability Acquired: Anti-Narrative Influence.]I may be just a background character, but if fate insists on throwing these events at me, I’ll turn them into stepping stones.Let the protagonists play their scripted roles—I have my own path to power.

Are you afraid of death?For Jie Fu Lian, who had already come to terms with his death, the thought of being alive was scarier.Although his death was quite tragic, he still lived a fulfilling life. He had done everything that he had wanted to do and he had achieved everything that he had strived for.Even as he died, he only had a single regret.He regretted the fact that he couldn't thank Hua Tianshu, an enemy who had stood up for him till the end.His death was quite painful but he wasn't unhappy with it.However, it should have ended right there.Why the hell was he now possessing the body of a tyrannical demon king?!The heavens above were certainly playing with him and laughing at his misfortune!As if possessing the body of his enemy wasn't enough, out of all the people that he could run into, why did he have to run into Hua Tianshu?!Just when Jie Fu Lian thought his luck couldn't get any worse, Hua Tianshu just had to go and recognize him as well!“Is this what an ill-fated relationship means?” Jie Fu Lian's lips twitched.It was as if even death couldn't break the red strings that had tied the two of them together.“Why are you so nice to me?”“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you the reason,” Hua Tianshu sighed.“You are falsely accusing me. I trust everything you tell me.”“I like you.”“I like you too, brother,” Jie Fu Lian beamed, however, this response only disappointed Hua Tianshu whose words had been misunderstood once again.“We are clearly not on the same page,” Hua Tianshu sighed as he turned around and left.Jie Fu Lian frowned as he tilted his head cluelessly.The new demon king is a thick-headed idiot who can’t even take a hint!

I created a game character.Instead of taking several perks, I added restrictions.▶Restriction (I): “Curse of Sensory Seal”─Permanently seals a chosen sense.─Choice: Sight, Taste, Smell▶Restriction (II): “Curse of Short Life”─You are born with a body doomed to a short life.▶Restriction (III): “Curse of Silence”─Speaking causes you pain.When the next day came, I couldn’t see anything.