Etsusa Bridge - Volume 3, Interlude 1: Every Dog has his Unlucky Day

Unite the Clans? Create an Empire?Atrox Soryu thought he was destined for greatness… until he wasn’t.Born into the smaller Soryu Clan, Atrox was a prodigy, praised for his unparalleled swordsmanship and relentless ambition. He vowed to become Emperor of the Eternal Skies, a title that hadn't been claimed in centuries. But on the day he was to manifest his Order Mark—the source of every knight’s power—everything went wrong.Instead of the revered Holy, Elemental, or Mystic Orders, Atrox was branded with a Forbidden Order: Something twisted and wrong. A death sentence in the eyes of the world. Branded a monster and exiled by his own father, Atrox was cast into a brutal labor camp where the weak are crushed, and the strong are barely tolerated.But exile isn’t the end—it’s the beginning. In the harshest of conditions, Atrox awakens the full potential of his forbidden powers, powers that could rival even the strongest Knights. He will forge alliances with the forgotten, turn his enemies into allies, and rise from the shadows to build an empire from nothing.Betrayed, exiled, and broken? No. Atrox Soryu is building an empire—and the Eternal Skies will bow to him.

I transmigrated and went through numerous hardships to become an official, but unexpectedly, I was falsely accused by my superior and thrown into prison.Then, I awakened the Eternity Mirror and began the cycle of cultivation. I could solidify my fate with [Dao Fruit], ensuring eternal enlightenment about Tao.Using parallel worlds as a way to avoid calamities, I sought blessings in the real world...In the first life, I joined the Heaven and Earth Society as an important mission to resist the Qing Dynasty. I condensed the fate of [Righteous Thief], performing righteous deeds, striving to conquer my destiny. Faced with threats from the imperial court, there was a chance to seek good luck and avoid misfortune. I also became a disciple of the Dragon Gate Sect's Daoist, learning the art of the Corpse Immortal.I condensed the fate of [Underground Lord], a third-class wandering ghost in the underworld without a ghost register or duties, the beginning of Corpse Immortals...What about the second life? I haven't decided yet...

Graduate student Yi-han finds himself reborn in another world as the youngest child of a mage family.

– I’m never attending school, ever again!

‘What do you wish to achieve in life?’

‘I wish to play around and live comforta-‘

‘You must be aware of your talent. Now go attend Einroguard!’

‘Patriarch!’

My future would be guaranteed once I graduate. For my future!

The labyrinth that swallowed humanity. Four choices were given to them.

Easy Mode, where anyone can survive. Normal Mode, where only those who fight survive. Hard Mode, where only 1% can survive. And the Solo Mode, where only one person survived.

The strongest returnee of humanity, Kang Taesan, was an Easy Mode player.

He heard countless times,

“What if you had chosen the Hard Mode, or even the Normal Mode?”

Regretting his cowardly choice while dying amidst destruction, he gets another chance to choose.

“This time, I won’t make the wrong choice.”

The strongest Easy Mode player has returned.