A Court of Lost Stars - Chapter 36: Battered Hearts and Shattered Dreams

"Locke transmigrated into an era where everyone had Battle Beasts. Daemons were rampant and humans were forced to build walls around their dwellings while depending on Beastmasters to keep those monsters at bay.

One day, a silver-haired goddess appeared before him.“Heaven-Defying Star. The one who goes against fate. The sole savior of a world doomed to end—”What the hell is this woman even talking about?“You must be the Regressor.”“… What?”No, I’m not.

“When you think everything is going well, the world will flip you the middle finger.”__I had a fantastic life: a loving family, amazing friends, a stable job... I had it all.But that wasn’t everything—I was also a writer. Writing was my passion, and my novel *'The Land of Survival'* had achieved remarkable success...Little did I know back then that it would become the very reason my life would be turned upside down. I was reborn inside my own novel, and to make things worse... inside the body of the utterly despised villain, *'Fray.'*That pathetic villain who dies right at the start. If the novel had 100 possible outcomes, he’d die in 99 of them... and I’m not exaggerating.But who cares about that? I don’t want this life... I already had everything... Save me the cliché of second chances... because one life is enough for me.Screw this world, and screw the son of a bitch who brought me here , I’ll find a way back to my world... to my life... no matter what it takes.

[ Loki, The God of Mischief, Jest, and Woe, is amused. ][ The Goddess of Fate and Luck is annoyed. ][ You are the cause and center of two gods fighting. ]Ethan Cross, a brilliant doctor in a futuristic Earth, was devastated when he realized that his entire life—and the life of the woman he loved—was nothing more than a source of amusement for a mischievous god.But when another god, the Goddess of Fate and Luck, intervened on his behalf, Ethan found himself at the center of a divine battle, gaining a dangerous but powerful gift.[ You’ve awakened the SSS-RANKED SKILL: Fate Breaker! ][ You’ve awakened a system: The Supreme Fate Breaker System. ]For a fleeting moment, hope returned. Ethan was offered a chance to save Claire, the woman he couldn’t bear to lose.[ You’ve been granted God-Level Authority for three seconds. ][ Do you wish to rewind Claire’s soul trajectory?]“Yes!”But fate had other plans.[ Bug detected. ][ Message included with bug. ][ “It’s from me, your favorite god—Loki, the God of Mischief.” ][ 1-second system override has been taken by the God of Mischief. ][ Your soul has been sent to an alternate universe. ]Now thrust into a world of magic and monsters, where gods toy with mortal lives, Ethan must adapt or perish.