The Duke's Masked Wife - Chapter 435 - Found (1)

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.

During the demon-summoning ceremony, Aiwass finally recalled his past life's memories.This should be an online game that his family's company had released and operated for six years. Now, his foster father was the leader of the latest version's antagonist organization.He would expose his identity six years later, hesitate and then defect from the protagonist's side. Ultimately, because he decided to take a fatal strike meant for the player character, he was killed by his upright older brother in a transitional CG without even a chance to enter the main content.——But the problem was not too significant. Aiwass also knew many secret advancement routes exclusive to the player character, as well as the Nurturing Secret Sequel regulations of the various Paths. He believed he could reverse his unfortunate fate……So now there was only one issue left.“According to the original plot, shouldn't I have been rescued by the protagonist before this lousy ceremony even began?”Tied to the ceremonial altar as a sacrifice, Aiwass fell into contemplation.

One day, I woke up only find out that I’d become a Demon Lord, an individual responsible for protecting a dungeon. The world I’d been spirited away to was one filled with violence. Gigantic monsters wandered through it and competed with each other each and every day for the right to survive. I had no choice but to strengthen my dungeon’s defenses in hopes of living another day—or at least that was what I’d thought. For some odd reason, I instead ended up spending my days in relaxation and bliss.

“How did it go?” Lily asked the next morning when Ava got to the living room.“Terribly.” Ava replied flatly, dropping into one of the sofas.Sarah entered almost immediately and sent Ava a teasing and wicked smile.“Really? That bad? Lucas is really great in matters of the bedroom. Did you do something wrong?”“Our little new concubine here is a virgin.” Sarah announced. Lily gasped and covered her mouth.“Oh God. That is not the kind of man you want to lose your virginity with,” Lily said.Sarah burst into laughter at Lily's comment.“It's not funny,” Ava scowled.“Actually it is. Better warm up to the idea because when Alpha Lucas Raventhorn wants to take you, he will in the roughest way possible.” Sarah advised.“You mean like last night? I thought he was going to rip you in half.” Ava rolled her eyes.“I like my men rough.”“Well, I don't.” Ava retorted.“If you are looking for flowers, love, and vanilla sex. You are a concubine to the wrong alpha.”“Ain't that the truth.” Ava murmured under her breath