Rise To Stardom - Chapter 9: Opposing Contestants

After being given up on by his family because his dantian was destroyed, Soh Woonhwi was kidnapped by the Blood Cult and lived as a third-rate spy.

One day, he died while being used to find a legendary sword immortal’s secret records. However, he returned to the day he was kidnapped ten years ago and obtained a mysterious ability that allowed him to hear the voice of swords.

Matthew, a 25-year-old otaku, never imagined his obsession with fantasy worlds would turn into reality—until a fatal gas leak ended his life and transported him to another world.But this wasn’t the second chance he hoped for. Born as the illegitimate son of an affair, his very existence was a stain on his family’s honor, and his father relentlessly sought to kill him.Yet Matthew, now Claude, survived, again and again, driven by an unyielding will to live.Until one day he discovered his power darkness. Feared and reviled in this world, dark mages were hunted and burned alive.Knowing his gift could become his downfall, he trained in secret under Theo, his true father.When he turned sixteen, he, his mother, Dalia, and Theo planned their escape from the small town.But their attempt was thwarted by knights and clerics from the Promised Land.Though he narrowly escaped with his life, the cost was high—his family’s safety shattered.Wounded and desperate, Matthew fled to the fabled Elysian Plains, the last hope for those like him.Just as he reached the border of the Elysian Plains at eighteen, an ambush left both him and his mother gravely injured.Collapsing on the sacred ground, he heard a voice echo in his mind:[Welcome to the Elysium of Darkness System, Lord of Calamity.][Your first quest is available!][Increase the number of dwellers in the Elysium using your seeds and blood! Spread your legacy by making demons and witches bear your children!]

Catching arrows, running up walls, crushing boulders and bending metal, these are but petty parlour tricks in the eyes of martial artists. But where can a genuine martial artist stand in an era where martial artists are nothing more than a myth?

In a world of countless schemes, where you are being manipulated at every moment,often without even knowing it.A world where you can't be sure if what you see is reality… or just another illusion crafted as part of a deeper scheme.This is the story of someone who survives it all kind of schemes both small and vast, some he understands, and others he never even realizes.Even he, who is constantly being schemed against, crafts schemes of his own against others.This is a world ruled by deception and Yuan will persevere it, shape it, and rise through it.------------English is not my native language, so please understand if there are any mistakes