Gilded Ashes: When Shadows Reign - Chapter 23: The First Tear

There was a mysterious old man who approached the failed swordsman with the “100 million years button”. A magic button which can achieve the same effect as training for 100 million years if you push it.

The failed swordsman who pushed the button had his doubts, but immediately felt tremendous power rising in his body. So he pushed the button many times.

However it was a cursed button. The moment it was pushed, he was confined to the 100 million years prison of time. The first 100 years were devoted solely to training. After 1000 years he had forgotten why he swung his sword. He stopped thinking completely after 10,000 years had passed. After 100 million years he became crippled and finally managed to return to the real world. At the same time losing all his memories from the past 100 million years, the only thing that remained were his sword techniques. “I can become stronger just by pressing the button!” or so he thought and pushed the button many times after that. Foolishly trapping himself in that 100 million years of hell each time.

As he continued this loop, he began to think “If I destroy this world, will I get out of here?” A few billion years later, he finally escaped from the loop.

This is the story of a failed swordsman trying to make a name for himself in the world.

In a world where everyone awakens a Trait to start their cultivation, Rhys's was considered a joke: he would never age.In a world that worships raw combat power, a Trait granting eternal youth was worthless. To his powerful family, Rhys was a talentless failure, a stain on their name. With disgust, they cast him out onto the streets, leaving him with nothing.Alone and powerless, Rhys's life was shattered when he was caught in the crossfire of a terrifying battle between two god-like cultivators.Mortally wounded and left to bleed out in an alley, he faced a lonely, pathetic end.But as Rhys's vision faded and his last breath drew near, a new power roared to life within him.[Lifespan Burning System Activated]Suddenly, his useless Trait became Rhys's greatest weapon. His infinite lifespan was now the ultimate fuel source.A divine martial art that takes a genius a hundred years to master?[Consume 100 years of lifespan. Skill comprehended to Maximum Level.]A fatal wound that no healer can mend?[Consume 10 years of lifespan. Body restored to peak condition.]An ancient, unreadable text holding the world's greatest secrets?[Consume 500 years of lifespan. All knowledge unlocked and understood.]From the brink of death, Rhys rises with a burning purpose.The world saw him as trash, but now he will trade his endless years for the strength to stand above all.(Posting this on RR under pen name Unnikuttan)

[Welcome to the Magic Universe, a world where magical power reigns supreme.][Congratulations on awakening the Infinity Money System.][Feel free to splurge your money and prove to the entire universe that there's nothing money can't solve.][If there is, it simply means you don't pay enough money!]So, the show of your adventure begins![Detected: Host burned Forbidden rank Scrolls for warmth, rewarded with God rank bloodline: Heart of Origin!][Detected: Host used Temporal Shard to ripen grapes, rewarded with God rank talent: Master of Time!][Detected: Host fed Leaves of the World Tree to a rabbit, rewarded with Mythical Beast: Aetherlapis!][Dear Host, you now bought and own the entire Magic Universe.][Which universe would you like to conquer next?]Good, let’s move on![Ding! Abnormality detected.][Warning, Host, you are not the only system processor…]

A young man with an extraordinary mind is off on an exciting adventure when he mysteriously wakes up in the body of a feeble slave-guy in a different, rich in quirks world.

The main character, a selfish jerk, would use extreme means to achieve his goals. However, he never allows his base instincts to overrule his sense of decency. He always pays back both good and bad deeds.

Will his (terrible/excellent) mentality help him make a fresh start? Will he get through misfortunes and hardships of the new world?