Tome of Troubled Times - Chapter 85: Honing the Saber

I died in my world… and woke up in someone else’s story.But not as the hero. Not as the villain. Not even as a side character who mattered. I’m… an NPC—a nobody, a background observer, invisible to everyone.At first, I thought I was powerless. But then I discovered something strange: I could leave notes, whisper hints, move objects… small nudges that subtly changed the story. Every tiny action rippled through the plot, shaping outcomes, saving lives, and altering the fate of heroines, heroes, and even villains.The catch? The story is alive. It resists interference. Push too hard, and accidents happen. Plot twists turn against me. Minor disasters loom. The more I try to influence, the more the story fights back.So I play carefully. I study. I manipulate quietly. I watch the heroines, heroes, and overlooked side characters, weaving invisible threads that guide them. I don’t fight. I don’t cheat. I survive—and maybe, just maybe, I can change the story from the shadows.From an unnoticed NPC to the hidden hand behind the world, I’ll prove that even a nobody can rewrite the story.

Yuuta was the weakest, most average guy on Earth—barely surviving college, working a part-time job, and raised in a quiet orphanage with no real family to call his own. But everything changed the night he had a vivid dream... of marrying a stunning, powerful Dragon Queen from another world.He woke up thinking it was just a dream. Until she showed up in his room—with wings, horns, and a daughter who calls him Papa.Turns out, it wasn’t a dream. And now Yuuta’s life is anything but normal.With half her power sealed, the Dragon Queen—Erza—is stuck living in the human world, adapting to cramped apartments, dishwashing shifts, and the chaos of Earth. Yuuta, once a lonely soul, suddenly finds himself with a family, a responsibility, and feelings he never knew he was capable of.As fatherhood, monsters, magical secrets, and mysterious enemies creep into his life, Yuuta must rise—not as a hero, but as a man who has something worth protecting.

“Who the hell are you!? What are you doing in my room?” Jennifer shouted when she saw the man sneaking inside her room out of nowhere, just a few minutes before the wedding.

Gun was pointed in her direction, straight into her heart with horror evident on her stunned face.

A smirk landed on the man's face when he answered back, “You have two options, Ms. Jennifer, either you die at this point or…escape with me!”

Jennifer Taylor, freshly graduated, was ready to be thrown into an unhappy marriage with the Mafia King of their state, Lucas Smith.

Everyone concluded that the man fell for her beauty and mind but nothing was true. No matter how much others tried to convince her but her heart never melted.

On the wedding day, she was all ready to execute her plan but suddenly, a mysterious man appeared inside her room, threatening to kill her.

Who is he? She is clueless but all she can do is to follow his lead and the adventure he is giving her, to safeguard herself from those who are waiting to take undue advantage out of her.

But later in her life, she discovers that whom she considered a threat all along, was her helping hand who tagged along for a very long period.

Moreover, with this stranger, she walks on the path of unveiling all the truths that were hidden deep in the grave.

*SneakPeak*

The man came near her, with a towel wrapped around his abdomen. But her eyes flew to his abs, those perfect figured abs…

A dangerous smirk passed by his lips when he asked, “Like what you see, Ms. Taylor?”

Realization drew over her when he caught her lingering gaze on his upper naked body. “What?! No! And don't you have any kind of shame? You're standing in front of an unmarried girl!”

“So what? I heard that girls get attracted to men who have good physique. You know it isn't difficult to accept that you like it..” he was still shamelessly provoking her.

“You!! I'm stuck with a shameless pervert for sure! Go and wear something before I hit you with my hands!” Jennifer was burning in the pit of anger but at the same time, her cheeks burned red.

At last, as per her wish, he wore the bathrobe and turned around to come to main point, “What do you wish to ask?”

“Tell me who changed my bridal dress?” Jennifer asked with a straight face, but Javier didn't look shocked. “Do you see anyone else in this house? If your pretty eyes can, let me know.”

“Except you, obviously no one else,” Jennifer answered in a hurry, but then her eyes turned wide when she realized what she just spoke in front of him.

Javier laughed at her innocent expressions, “Bingo! There you have your answer. Who would have changed your clothes except me?”

In 2120, the level of human science and technology has once again reached a new level.

The birth of a new race, the virtual metaverse world that can make consciousness immortal, the freezing technology that can use time to fight against terminal illness, and the brand-new capital arena… Dazzlingly appeared before the eyes of the natives of the earth.

How can humans and AI coexist? Which one is more dignified, life by idling or natural death?

Confusion, confrontation, venting, and shouting seem to have become the norm… On Zhang Yunxi’s eighteenth birthday, his whole family was killed by a nanny. He came to a place called Qingshan Theological Seminary full of doubts.

- Description from novelbuddy