Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 2: Small men have great shadows()

❗[Current Writing Contest-WebNovel Spirity Awards 2025 Fantas]❗Flain grew up in a futuristic world. When he was born his parents didn't want him because he didn't live up to their expectations and so he ended up very badly.Flain was employed as a slave. He was forced to mine radioactive iron deep in the mines. It was drilled into his head that he existed only to obey orders.Young Flain was obedient. He doubted some of it but knew nothing else. For years, he never saw a single ray of light; light was only spoken of among the others as a legend.The routine was the same: in the morning, he would take a nutrient tablet and water. Then he would mine all day, sleep eight hours, and repeat.Flain worked like this from childhood until he was ten years old. He even found a friend, but that friend died of radiation poisoning right in front of Flain. Flain couldn't stop mining. He kept mining with tears streaming down his face.Before bed, Flain cried. “I will become the strongest. I will kill you all, and you will become my slaves.”Flain stopped crying, stared blankly at the rocky ceiling, then looked ahead. A manic grin appeared on his face, one that would often adorn it from that moment on.At the age of ten, Flain was assigned to a military camp due to his endurance in the mines and his survival against radiation.In the camp, Flain was trained. The regime was much looser; he even had an hour of free time each day. However, Flain didn't make any more friends. Even during his free time, he trained with a smile. He would achieve his goal at any cost, even if it meant training himself to death.Experiments were conducted on Flain. He lost his hair, two long gray arms grew on his back, and a third red eye appeared. Flain became a mutant.Flain was then sent to war. He fought with sharp katabas. He performed quite well in the war, earning himself command of ten soldiers and becoming a small commander.But one day, everything changed.Flain then dies, is swallowed by darkness, and Flain refuses to die, thus appearing as a skeleton in a fantasy world.

Grandpa Yu often repeated beside the ear of Yu Zhen, saying that he(YZ) has a soul in his body. If he doesn’t properly train in asceticism, and raise then send away the powerful soul, in this lifetime he would have to live as a bachelor. In his next lifetime he would be reborn as a lifestock animal.

Yu Zhen played on his mobile and nodded. On the surface he replied, “Uh-huh”. In his heart he laughed, “hahaha”. Keeping his grandfather in the dark was amusing so the lie was repeated for over ten years without Yu Zhen getting tired of it.

After some years, Grandpa Yu passed away and a cold-faced handsome guy came to his door in a luxury car – with a household register in his hands.

…..

Yu Zhen: The soul in my body reincarnated into someone else’s body to demand repayment, what should I do!

- Description from Novelupdates

In Zhenhai City, the Chu Family receives an imperial decree that revives the hope of reclaiming their ancestral title, but only if a descendant places in the top three of the Martial Examination. For young Chu Yangxiang, who unexpectedly discovers he has Grade 1 Martial Dao Talent, this honor seems within reach. Yet, as he rises, envy and family rivalries emerge, with the privileged Chu Xiaoxiang demanding loyalty—or threatening to ruin him. Determined and battered, Chu Yangxiang faces a brutal choice: submit or fight for his family’s legacy. Will he overcome these powerful?

In the silent solace of a forest on an unknown island, a middle-aged man awoke to a world brimming with vibrant life. A stark difference between the preceding sceneries of the concrete jungle that shrouded his life.As his mind emerged from the murky depths of unconsciousness, he was greeted by the gentle sunlight filtering through the lush canopy above.His name was Abraham Shepherd, an office worker.When he salvaged a tinge of his lucidness and calm, Abraham found himself grappling with the fog of memory and the weight of his recent demise. However, he found comfortin the tranquility of his surroundings.Though initially disoriented by his newfound state, he gradually reclaimed his composure and clarity of mind.But Abraham's respite was short-lived, for he soon realized the extraordinary circumstances of his existence.Transmigration.Transmigrated from his former life as an ordinary office worker, he now stood at the threshold of an unfamiliar realm, teeming with possibilities and unknown dangers.Recalling the horrific experience of his untimely demise during a heated gaming session, the helplessness, fear, and loneliness. A flicker of determination soon ignited within his soul.Driven by a newfound resolve to seize control of his destiny, Abraham embarked on a journey of self-discovery and survival. With each step forward, he embraced the uncertainty of his new reality, determined to carve out a place for himself in this fantastical world.But as fate would have it, Abraham's path would intersect with a revelation beyond his wildest imagination yet should have been expected to come.| Initializing Naval Building System… |―――――Do you want to read a story about a protagonist summoning modern warships into a fantasy world? Well, here it is! The Naval Gacha System: It's Time To Monopolize The Seven Seas!