Chapter 49 - A Protagonist…?
"Hahaha!"
The old spirit laughed heartily as he looked at the young man standing before him.
"You’ve done well. I quite like that little evil hidden inside you, child."
The young man remained silent.
Long black hair, darker than the night itself, rested behind his back.
His golden eyes appeared strangely hollow, yet they shone with an unsettling brilliance, as though they wished to devour everything reflected within them.
His face was so flawlessly beautiful that it seemed less like something born naturally and more like a masterpiece patiently crafted by the gods themselves.
Yet what truly drew attention wasn’t his appearance.
It was the aura surrounding him.
He stood there calmly, but the space itself seemed to acknowledge his existence.
A faint draconic arrogance mixed with overwhelming fortune naturally gathered around him, giving him the presence of someone whom heaven itself favored.
After a brief silence, the young man finally spoke.
"Are you not planning to give me your inheritance?"
His voice remained perfectly calm, almost emotionless.
The old spirit stroked his invisible beard.
"Before that, why don’t you return to your original appearance?"
His smile widened.
"I am also rather curious, how exactly did you fool my other fragment?"
The young man looked at him without changing expression.
"I refuse, you have already received enough cooperation from me."
The old spirit clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. You youngsters nowadays really don’t respect your elders."
The young man simply ignored the complaint.
Meanwhile, the old spirit quietly observed him.
A Dragon. A Demon. And now an Ourainan.
The old spirit’s eyes carried increasing anticipation.
Three extraordinary races.
Three impossible backers.
How far would this child climb?
Or perhaps...
’How far would she climb?’
The thought amused him.
After a long pause, the old spirit chuckled.
"Originally, I was considering letting you fight an immortal beast, but I don’t want that now."
The young man’s brows rose ever so slightly.
"What do you mean?"
The old spirit smiled mysteriously.
"It means your trial has changed and you won’t be completing it alone. Another participant will be joining you as for who,"
He shook his head.
"I won’t spoil the surprise."
The young man narrowed his eyes.
’Someone nearby must have arrived here.’
That was the only logical explanation.
It didn’t concern him much.
Once he left this place, he could simply mobilize his forces and investigate everyone around the island.
Finding the other participant wouldn’t be difficult.
Whether to recruit them, threaten them, or eliminate them.
That decision could wait until later.
The old spirit watched countless thoughts pass through the young man’s eyes before smiling knowingly.
"What are you waiting for, old man?"
The old spirit almost burst into laughter.
’Children... they never realize how dramatically a single encounter can alter the course of their lives.’
With that thought in mind, he gently raised his hand.
And the young man fell unconscious.
***
"Haa..."
I slowly opened my eyes, feeling strangely refreshed.
For some reason, the first thought that surfaced in my mind wasn’t about breakfast.
Instead...
"Why the fuck did the settings suddenly turn eastern?"
I looked around in confusion.
"..."
Something definitely wasn’t right.
My name was Evren Sorin.
At least, I was fairly certain it was.
A rather strange name for someone living here.
As for my current location, it was a small village in Fu County.
For some inexplicable reason, the surname Fu stirred a sense of familiarity inside me, as though I had once known someone important bearing that name.
But no matter how hard I tried.
I couldn’t remember anything beyond that vague feeling.
"Forget it."
I stretched lazily before another thought suddenly exploded inside my head.
"Fuck those nobles and their stupid laws! I am making my harem no matter what!"
I proudly declared my ambition to absolutely nobody.
Fortunately, my house was a lonely little hut built on the edge of the village.
Very few people ever came this way.
Otherwise, someone would have probably reported me to the authorities for treason.
The reason for my outrage was simple.
This world had a ridiculous law.
Or rather, a law upheld by every noble family.
Only nobles were permitted to have harems.
The common folks can only have one wife.
"Ridiculous! Hypocrisy should also have its limits!"
I clenched my fists.
"Though I am already noble as a man, I somehow need to become a noble!"
That sounded perfectly reasonable to me.
After giving myself an encouraging nod, I stepped outside.
The village had already awakened.
Smoke rose from chimneys.
Farmers prepared their tools.
Women chatted while washing clothes by the river.
Children chased one another through the dirt roads.
Everything looked peaceful.
But as always, peace never lasted long.
"There he is!"
"Our village’s lover boy has finally left seclusion!"
"Hahahaha!"
Several children burst into laughter.
I looked toward them.
There they stood.
The Four troublemakers of our village.
Lin Fan.
Ye Chen.
Long Aotian.
Jiang Chen.
"..."
For some reason, the moment I thought about them.
My fists started itching.
Without warning.
WHOOSH!
I shot forward.
"HUH–?!"
THUD!
My foot connected squarely with Lin Fan’s backside, sending him rolling across the ground.
"LIN FAN!"
The other three immediately charged at me.
"You bastard!"
At least they were comrades with each other.
But I didn’t hesitate.
What followed was an intense battle involving punches, kicks, rolling in the dirt, biting, screaming, and one highly questionable attack involving someone’s sandal.
Several minutes later.
The four bullies fled with tears in their eyes.
"You just wait!"
"We’ll get revenge!"
I dusted off my clothes before pointing dramatically at their retreating figures.
"You bastards! The next time we meet, I will destroy your third leg!"
My declaration echoed majestically throughout the village.
That should keep them away for a while.
An old farmer passing nearby quietly changed direction.
This had nothing to do with me.
"Hmph." I proudly walked away.
Though, I honestly had no idea why I disliked those names so much.
It simply felt... natural.
Eventually, I arrived beneath a large olive tree standing on a small hill overlooking the village.
The cool shade was pleasant.
I sat down and looked toward the rising sun.
Perhaps, contemplating life would reveal my purpose.
Five minutes passed and nothing happened.
"This is boring."
I immediately abandoned philosophy.
Instead, I instinctively began doing Kegel exercises.
"One! Two! One! Two!"
A man should always remain prepared for everything.
Especially battle or other important activities in life!
Sadly, destiny seemed determined to fight me today.
Before I could complete another set, panicked screams suddenly echoed across the village.
"Help!"
"Someone save us!"
"There are bandits!"
I immediately sprang to my feet.
"Finally! My time to shine has come!"