Hard Enough - Chapter 205: Harsh shake down

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

Noa’s life turned into a disaster.He was fired for no reason, betrayed by the woman he loved, and left drowning in debt for a wedding that would never happen.Then a truck almost killed him.And just before the world went black—time froze.Suddenly, Noa is no longer an average human—he is a Dimensional Tycoon, capable of buying and selling planets at market price.When gods need immortality, Noa sells them elixirs. When demon kings want weapons of mass destruction, they pay in cash. When heavens fall, he buys the land. When empires collapse, he auctions the ashes.Noa can trade anything, as long as the price is fair.He doesn’t conquer realms, because in this world, money is the greatest power—and Noa controls the market.After all, even divine beings knock on his door—not to fight, but to ask for a discount.But every tycoon has to start somewhere.For Noa, it began with selling shampoo to bald cultivators.

In the future timeline, Humankind had developed things that brought a revolution to the world. But their best invention was fully immersive VR games that became more and more advanced as time passed. They could create new worlds— in virtual reality, that was more beautiful and profound than the real world they lived in.

I am going to die.That’s how the game goes.The less I know, the better—a hardcore otome game where the tragic villain, Johan Von Matilda, is fated to fall by his own daughter’s sword.A mere stepping stone for the protagonist to win the main heroine’s heart.And now? I’m him.“…Are you kidding me? I won’t let my daughter become a simp with no personality!”The problem is, I am just a healer with money and influence; my daughter hates me and is obsessed with him.The protagonist is obviously the one with unlimited plot armor. Blessed with Schrodinger’s Cat—an overpowered skill that makes him literally unkillable.Ding![System: Gambler’s Gambit Initiating…][All choices lead to a different ‘ending’… Choose wisely.][Earn points based on your choices. Points can be used to gamble.]“Hahaha! Be prepared to be broke, system! People don’t call me the Gacha God for nothing!”[Quest 3 Triggered: Fate had another plan][1. Actually become a traitor and betray the kingdom] (Rewards: 5,00,000 points)[2. Start twerking aggressively towards attacking Selene] (Rewards: 1 Million points)[3. Kill yourself dramatically: Yell to Leonard that “they will come after you too old friend” and bite your tongue.] (Rewards: A massive civil war will break, killing millions all over the world)[4. Beg for mercy while calling Leor your father. Kneel and ask if he’s proud.] (Rewards: Two million points and a possibility of survival.)[5. Accept your fate] (Rewards: Death)“...WTF!!”Yet a devious grin appeared on his face.This time, he will decide the ending, no matter what.“What?”“She’s still alive?”“…Wait. This isn’t how it was in the game. Why is the protagonist… changing?”[Warning: Even though at face it appears like any normal webnovel, I will warn ya there are many uncomfortable things and strong topics, grimdark stuff, and tragedy, more like Reverbed Inanity, but with dark humor, not everyone can read it with straight face, so be prepared, but I think even if you never read books like this, you will like this, cause it's done in a pretty fresh way.]