MTL - Those Years of Dressing As An Animal - Chapter 118

ICUWSA, the most popular web novel with the most loyal fan base that could be mistaken for an occult group.Out of all those fans, Seoyoung could proudly say he was at the top. But everything comes crashing down in one chapter.Just his normal boring day life but one chapter was enough to distort it.The death of the Protagonist. This one fact makes Seoyoung furious and he decides to abandon his boring life.“Today will be different.”As soon as Seoyoung calls his boss and quits his job, a new breath of life fills his lungs, but not for long.The world glitched, and in the next moment, he wasn't there anymore.“Where am I?”He wasn't on earth anymore; he was in the body of a no-name character in the first arc of his favourite novel.Noctis Academy.Just another extra like him, destined to live normally and maybe die after the academy.But he is determined not to live by the story but to break out of the shell of society and live a life worth living.“Just another extra. No, I don't think so.”Given a second chance at life, Seoyoung, now Kaiser Vanguard must navigate his way through this new world. Breaking the chains that bound him. While questioning the reason for this new life.“You can start the journey from the auxiliary chapter.”

One day when I was working as a low-ranking civil servant in a hopeless imperial palace department, I realized that I had reincarnated in a novel.“Oh my god, the villain is about to start a war, right? If a war breaks out, people like me will be the first to die!”An imminent war as per the original setting.If I want to live, I must first save the crown prince!To save the crown prince who dies first in the original story, I leaked the original’s information to catch the villains.Suddenly, I became the youngest minister.I didn’t really mean to get ahead, but there’s nothing wrong with that!Let’s just catch the villain.* * *It’s a lot of fun to ab*se the villains, and the taste of power is also very sweet.However…“His Highness the Crown Prince has a great sense of responsibility, but since he has nowhere to focus, he may want to run away sometimes.”The strange new intern is talking nonsense.No, how did I save the prince!“What? Run awaaaay?”With a glint in my eyes, I said grimly.“If His Highness runs away… I will personally chase him to the end of the continent. I will somehow drag him by the collar, stick tight next to him, and keep an eye on him.”Hmm?But intern, why are you shaking? Why are your ears red?

Genius, antisocial, solitary, intractable , maniacal.

At the turn of every era, it is he who raises the flag of the rebel cross.

Winners take it all, losers take the fall.

He who brings order to a chaotic world, assembles talents and masterminds.

He who hides among the crowd, yet stands on the top of the world.

— The one and only, him.

- Description from Novelupdates

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.