Rise of the Living Forge - Chapter 321: Where

In a world transformed by the arrival of mana, Earth is no longer the domain of humanity alone. Magical beasts and three powerful humanoid species have claimed vast territories, forcing humanity into fortified cities protected by mana-infused barriers.The hope for survival lies with the awakened—those blessed with magical classes and the ability to wield mana.Victor Revenant, a hilarious and self-deprecating 16-year-old, has spent his life dreaming of joining their ranks. But on the day of his Awakening Test, his dreams are shattered. Like countless others, he fails to awaken, destined to remain ordinary in a world where mediocrity means irrelevance.Just as Victor hits rock bottom, his father gifts him a VRMMORPG game, Ascendant Realms: Cultivation Chronicles, as a consolation prize. The game promises an immersive cultivation experience, complete with mystical techniques, powerful bloodlines, and the journey to ascend to godhood. But when Victor logs in as his in-game persona, Fang Chen, he discovers something incredible: the cultivation techniques he learns in the game begin to manifest in the real world.Armed with the Primordial Chaos Constitution and the legendary Void Emperor Bloodline, Victor embarks on a dual journey—mastering the game’s cultivation system while using his newfound abilities to change his fate in the real world.What begins as an escape from his failures turns into a chance to rewrite his destiny. But Victor quickly learns that his unique ability may make him more than just an anomaly—it may make him a target...

...[Inside an underground basement]“You are going to die for nothing, hahahaha,” the old man's voice thundered through the room, sending chills down my spine.Step.With a swift and ruthless motion, he lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air and slashing my throat, crimson droplets staining the darkness.“We'll see,” I whispered defiantly, my final words escaping as a mere breath against the impending darkness.Slowly, inexorably, my consciousness slipped away, and I descended into a deep, unfathomable slumber.“Huh!?” My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself seated in a bustling tavern, the air thick with laughter and the clinking of glasses.In front of me stood a captivating lady, her beauty juxtaposed with an angry furrow upon her brow, threatening to shatter the harmony of the jovial scene.“Don't follow me around!” Her words pierced the air like shards of ice, the intensity of her emotions palpable as she cast a resentful glare in my direction, before swiftly departing from the tavern....Am I trapped within the confines of a game? The fragments of my shattered common sense scattered before me, leaving me to question the very fabric of my reality.

Ye Chu is a miserable supporting character from a novel (she transmigrated).

She’s the most famous socialite in Shanghai, but her existence was to emphasize the magnificence of the white lotus female lead.

In the previous life, Ye Chu died in an accident. After rebirth (still in the novel), she didn’t only want to get revenge, but also change her fate, allowing every side character to have the opportunity to shine. Ye Chu and Lu Huai are a fake couple in their previous lives but reunited in this life.

They probed each other at every turn and slowly got closer to each other. They two fell for each other and confronted their enemies together.

- Description from Novelupdates

“Now you see?” she shouted in a mix of annoyance and disappointment. “You can't outsmart Scrients! They're the most intelligent beings across the two realms.”“You're right,” I muttered, averting my gaze with a heavy sigh. “I made a mistake. I was too arrogant to think that a mere human like me could fool them.”—BOOM!!“Heik! Wh-What was that?”“Hmm? I'm not sure. Maybe you should go and ask the most intelligent beings across the two realms. Oh wait, you can't. I killed them all.”______My name is Samael Kaizer Theosbane.On the last day of high school, I got into a fight with a kid I used to bully.It was a stupid, pointless scuffle, and in the middle of it, I tripped and hit my head on a rock.That’s when the memories came flooding in - the memories of another life, of a different world.Suddenly, everything made a twisted kind of sense. I realized two things.First, I was in a game I used to play in my past life.Second, I was a villain. A villain!Not the cool and mysterious kind, either.No, my destiny was to be manipulated and die a dog's death!I was the worst type of cliché: an ungrateful, privileged, insufferable young master. The sort you'd find in those poorly written fantasy stories.The kind everyone hates — a snobby brat from a powerful noble family who thinks he owns the world just because he was born with a silver spoon lodged in his mouth.You know the type. The one the hero beats to a pulp to prove his worth.Yeah, I was that guy.And the hero? The hero was the kid I’d been bullying all this time. The same one I got into a fight with.He was the supposed savior of this damned world.A world teetering on the edge of destruction, beset by wars, calamities, and a grim future that only I knew.And at the end of it all, the final antagonist of the game, the undefeatable boss… the Spirit King, was waiting.But could I even make it to the end?Could I conquer a game where defeat was the only certainty?A game that was now my reality!“Ah, fuck it.”I had no idea if I could, but I sure as hell was going to try.Extorting extras, manipulating main characters, twisting the story to my advantage, stealing the hero’s cheat items, killing villains before they could become threats - nothing was beneath me.Would the main characters be affected? Who cares!Would the story change? Even better!All I cared about was me—my survival, my life, my choices.“I will live this life with no regrets.”…But as I soon discovered, fate was not easily changed.And the price of altering one's destiny was steep.