Power and Wealth - Chapter 85

Young and skilled warrior Jincheon finds himself at the heart of chaos when his hometown is suddenly attacked. Amid brutal and deadly battles, he faces an impossible choice – life or death.Surrounded by the flashing, glowing swords of his bodyguards and the shadows of the attackers, Jincheon desperately searches for an escape, only to realize that in this world, there are no easy answers. As he tries to flee through the kitchen of a small, strange, and unusually dark inn, he discovers an even greater danger: the exit is hidden, and the only way out is through a dirty, old drain.But his path is not so simple. Along the way, he encounters a mysterious man whose intentions remain unclear, but who seems to know exactly how to help Jincheon. With time running out and death looming ever closer, Jincheon must decide whether to trust this stranger or face even greater dangers alone.How far is he willing to go to survive? And who will turn out to be an ally, and who an enemy, when every step is a battle between life and death?

“The masterminds are cooler than heroes,” I mutter as I stare at the chess pieces before me. It is easier to be the one who sits in the shadows and moves the pieces, likewise deciding the flow of the game.Heroes will foolishly sacrifice their lives for the good cause and villains will sacrifice the world for their own gain, but masterminds will use both the heroes and villains to their own benefit.Why, you ask? Well, that's because I've lost my life once while trying to be a hero so, I don't want that anymore. I'd rather be a mastermind who molds the world as per my convenience and live peacefully. Because, why not?***[Defender of Divine Glory says you are the hope of this world.]What?[Goddess of Wisdom believes that you will be the one to save the world.]Wait, what?![Propose the Grand Duke the idea of a fake marriage.]And, why would I do that?![Stop the assassination of Prince Eric.]Why would I save him?![The candidates for the throne are:... Who will you choose?]Ah! I give up...It seems like a curse that anyone who wishes for a slacker life in Isekai will have to go through the most troublesome things.In my past life, I died because of one rookie mistake but after being transmigrated in the world of fantasy I've gotten an opportunity to start afresh, but unlike the protagonists who look for their love and glory, I'd rather make money and live a life of a slacker.I have magic, I have power and I have money, what else do I need?Well, that was the plan but this damn system is getting on my nerves. I mean who in their sane mind would want to mess with the complicated royal family and political affairs? But that's not all though.I've also become the saviour of this world. Things just can't be anymore worse!Besides, the penalty of failing this quest is...[Failure: Destruction of the World.]It seems like if I screw up in selecting the right person then the destruction that is going to befall the world won't be stopped.If I speak of my reward then it's this vague thing.[Reward: Fulfillment of any wish.]“If that's the case then, I'd rather choose the person who would be the best fit for the throne.”And that's how I decided that I would become the Kingmaker.

Jiang Xiaoman was bound to a system when she was three years old. The system told her that she was the lost daughter of a wealthy family assigned to play the cannon fodder in this script. The fake daughter that her parents adopted was the heroine of the story. 

Jiang Xiaoman blinked her eyes and asked, “What is a cannon fodder?” 　 

System: “You all live in a book, and everyone is assigned their role. From now on, you should keep on blackening and be a bad child. Do you see that little boy? He has a bigger role than you, in the future, he will become the big bad villain. Why don’t you bully him now, and show him up real good!” 

The naïve Jiang Xiaoman picked a handful of colorful flowers and stuffed them into his hands. “I’m showing you something really good!” 

System: “…”

Darling, you got it all wrong! Not showing him something good that way!

The little boy: “I don’t need friends, I don’t need company. I’m just a burden that no one wants. It’s my destiny to be abandoned.” 

Jiang Xiaoman: “That’s wrong. Everyone’s existences have meaning. System said you are especially important, even more important than me. You’ll be a really really useful person in the future!” 

System: “…??”

Did it say that?? 

Later on, the system stopped giving Jiang Xiaoman any tasks. Jiang Xiaoman was very sorry and said, “Mr. System, why won’t you play with me anymore?” 

System: “… just try to grow up first and learn to understand every word! You’re killing me!!” 

Jiang Xiaoman worked hard to blacken (not really) under the system’s supervision until she was reunited with her wealthy parents. She scratched her little head and asked, “Mr. System, what about the task? Didn’t you say that we should fight over the family’s wealth?” 

System: “What kind of wealth do you still want to fight over? You already have more money than your wealthy parents!”

She choked to death after drinking a mouthful of cold water. Was there anything more unlucky than this?

Of course, there was! When she reopened her eyes, she found herself transmigrated into a three-hundred-pound fatty.

Not only was she fat and round, but she also had a palm-sized black spot on her body.

She looked down at the layers of swimming floats on her body and swore to exercise and lose weight.

She had just lifted her leg when she collapsed to the ground. This time, she was prepared to go on a diet and lose weight.

When she heard the earth-shattering rumbles from her stomach, she held herself back.

She had not eaten for three days, but she realized that she had only lost one tael.

She instantly broke down. Sensing that something was wrong, she checked and realized that she had been poisoned.

As a descendant of a family that practiced traditional Chinese medicine, this was a small matter.

With acupuncture techniques in her hands, why would she be afraid of a little poison?

Before she could succeed in losing weight, the scumbag canceled their engagement and her stepsister came to provoke her.

‘It’s fine. Staying calm is more important. What? Does he dare to call me an ugly pig, a fat woman, a fatty? This is intolerable!’ With her acupuncture skills, she was able to detoxify the poison and become beautiful.

Using her competence, she managed to face-slap everyone and lose weight while torturing scum.

After accidentally rescuing a chronically ill uncle, he turned out to be her scumbag ex-fiance’s uncle.

She smiled maliciously and said, “Uncle, you should give yourself to me in return for rescuing your life!” When she saw the scumbag again, she said warmly, “My good nephew, call me Auntie.”

Persona:

Song Jiaren: Vengeful for the smallest grievance, naughty, and cheeky.

Yan Cheng: Two-faced, strong, patient, and cunning.