Rich Family's Substitute Sweetheart - Chapter 26

When an era came to an end, various forces set foot in cultivation to compete for immortality. A young boy who spent most of the time sleeping got lucky in the troubled times and became an unparalleled immortal who could cover the sky with a snap of fingers. Was he going to live forever?

- Description from Novelupdates

“Look, I don’t need to be the strongest — I just need to be slightly stronger than the guy trying to kill me.”---Zayn Eldrake was nothing more than a nameless extra in the grand tale of summoned heroes — a disposable swordsman in the legendary Hero of Light’s party, fated to die in an early battle against the monsters of the Apocalypse.But when he awakens in this doomed body with memories of his past life, he refuses to meet the same pathetic end.He knows the story. He knows the heroes. He knows their strengths, their weaknesses… and most importantly, their women.With the power of [Devourer’s Pact], Zayn can consume the abilities of those he defeats, transforming himself into something far greater than a mere extra.Strength, magic, divine blessings — everything in this world is his for the taking. And if fate itself stands in his way? He’ll devour that too.

Birth rates are decreasing. Hope is vanishing. The world has gone gray.Humanity, drifting in quiet collapse, receives an email.Every person on Earth. Simultaneously.The Aegis Mandate.Disguised as a cosmic aptitude test, it triggers The Incident of Separation—a global psychic cataclysm that erases identities, wipes memories, and divides all survivors into three factions: Law, Neutral, and Chaos. Overnight, cities become battlegrounds. Apartments become dungeons. Ordinary people become monsters—or the ones who hunt them.Ragnar Vhagar was just a loner university student. Now, thanks to a system he didn’t ask for, he’s a newly minted Demon King, locked in a crumbling apartment with goblins under his sofa and a glowing soul crystal next to his frozen peas. His new job? Build a deadly domain, defend it from invading “Heroes,” and somehow level up fast enough to not die.Alongside him is Isabelle Thorne, a razor-sharp warrior of few words and one very sharp sword. Their reluctant alliance, born in blood and snark, evolves into trust—and maybe something dangerously close to affection—as they rise together through the layers of the game-like world they’re trapped in.With each conquered domain and defeated boss, Ragnar realizes the truth: the dungeons aren’t meant to crown a winner. They’re meant to break the players. The Law faction wants control. The Chaos faction craves destruction. But Ragnar? He wants something they’re all too afraid to say out loud:Freedom.In the ruins of Kanta’s ogre stronghold, Ragnar and his misfit warband take their biggest step yet—claiming a kingdom, unifying a fractured system, and preparing for what comes next. The Heroes are watching. The gods are stirring. The world is watching a war.And somewhere deep beneath it all... Ragnar is rewriting the rules.