To Be a Power in the Shadows! - Chapter 2

Behind the calm smile lies a heart riddled with scars.Beneath the weight of fate burns an unyielding gaze.A body trapped in the abyss of despair—if it reaches out, can it grasp the light called hope?A soul locked upon the rack of destiny—if it prays sincerely, can it embrace the future called redemption?

“The Demon Lords are bringers of destruction, and among them, I am the strongest.”The Demon King has fallen, slain by the Hero in a battle that shook the heavens.After this, humanity knew a long era of peace and prosperity, with the hero now at the top of the world.Fifty years after the battle, the demon race is resurfacing, but now with the throne empty, they must fight for the emergence of the new Demon King. Meanwhile, the humans are preparing for the rise of the next hero who will oppose their archenemies.Born as a mere stable boy in a lower-class noble household, Bel has lived his life tending to the noble gardens, pruning roses for banquets he would never attend. He is nothing more than a lowly servant in a world ruled by noble bloodlines and magic.However, his fate changes when a demon attack devastates the household. As flames consume the estate, Bel is about to be executed in front of his master when their leader, a great demon, recognizes him as a member of a powerful species of monsters that had disappeared before the ascent of the previous Demon King.She calls him by his true name, awakening his true blood.The demon, intrigued by this discovery, decides to spare him out of curiosity and pity. Having learned about Bel’s true nature, his master, rather than executing him, chooses instead to bring him into the heart of his household, seeing in him an opportunity to elevate his family’s standing by binding a powerful being to his service.But power cannot be shackled forever, and among them, the one in Bel's blood is the most dangerous.

This is the story of a young man who was reincarnated as a dragon with a near-insatiable curiosity. Initially sparked by questioning his own reincarnation, he quickly gets lost in the endless world of magic, using his deep understanding of advanced sciences to learn the laws and properties of a new type of energy known as mana.However, soon enough, the table would flip, and he would begin using that very same energy to expand his knowledge of science, to the point that he would begin questioning his own understanding of the world.Although not his original intention, with the combination of his intelligence, expanding curiosity, and the 'miracles' that occurred to allow for his existence, he quickly found himself climbing the mountain of strength as if it were a small hill before eventually climbing to a point where it seemed as if he himself was the peak itself.Even if.. that was never the case...There is mild gore, and profanity is 'censored' toward the beginning, but not later in the story.

【Explosive Fantasy, Exhilarating Fiction】He had been beaten by his father into a cripple and kicked out of his home, yet he was the most badass genius in history. The Empress of the Divine World? She’s my woman! The Great Lord of the Demon World? He’s my disciple! The Dragon God of the Demon Realm? He’s my mount! Those who mess with Xu Nian will die! Those who touch Xu Nian’s Forbidden Lamella will wish they were dead!