The Runic Alchemist - Chapter 27: Some Much Needed Rest

Why, seems like I’ve become a haunted portrait.

Five years ago, humanity’s strongest Tower Climber was betrayed at the peak of his conquest.Rael Arden, known only by his codename Phantom, was the silent genius who cleared impossible floors, crushed monsters with forbidden magic, and shaped the rules of Tower exploration. No one had ever seen his real face—yet his legend was feared across the world.But at the Tower’s summit, the teammates he carried to glory stabbed him in the back. For power. For godhood. For fear of what he might become.They thought he died.They were wrong.Reincarnated in secret, Rael awakens in a modern world that’s on the edge of collapse. Dungeons bleed into cities. Monsters evolve. The Tower is no longer just a gate—it’s infecting the world. And the very ones who betrayed him now rule from the shadows, hiding behind titles, guilds, and lies.But Rael isn’t alone. His soul split across hidden clone bodies, each designed to infiltrate, gather information, and prepare for war. As each clone reawakens, his power grows—and so does his rage.With him are three women tied to his fate:Selene, the shadow rogue who never betrayed him.Lyra, a curious researcher drawn to the legend of the Phantom.Aeris, the sword saint who still mourns his death… and may not be as loyal to the enemy as she seems.Now, Rael hunts the seven betrayers who destroyed his past.One by one, they will fall.But revenge is just the beginning.Because deep within the Tower, something else is waking—an ancient force that even Rael feared. And this time, the world may not survive unless the Phantom reigns again.

Nine soul pets, nine fetters.

A hall of robbery souls, a bizarre adventure.

I looked down at them and they called me by my name.

I look up to the sky and write my legend.

“My name is Xia Lin, and I am the Lord of the Soul of Myriad Tribulations!”

- Description from novelbuddy

Just as the name suggests, this is a book about a nefarious villain who ends up getting a system...Yikes.Lumian, considered to be the worst of the worst. A man unfettered by human morals, indifferent to justice and disgustingly evil at the very core of his being.On his death bed he is offered salvation, not the good kind. A faceless man extends an offer to him, an offer with a strange condition attached to it.Lumian accepts and escapes the clutches of death, a second chance at life. You’re DEAD wrong if you think turning a new leaf is an option on the table.What happens when power is given to a man with a black heart? Find out as you read.WHAT TO EXPECT?–A smart and cunning main character, with equally interesting side characters–Yes, there are R-18 scenes(No Yuri, No incest, No NTR)–Well structured storyline and epic fight scenes. Somewhere between fast pace and slow burn.Thank you very much for reading and please do well to support in any way possible…Muah