Ar'Kendrithyst - 239, 2/2

Ye Chen, once the unrivaled immortal standing at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, fell at the final hurdle—his last heavenly tribulation. Struck down by the wrath of the heavens, his body was destroyed, his cultivation shattered. Yet, instead of vanishing into oblivion, his soul defied fate itself.When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the vast cultivation realms but in the familiar yet distant world of modern Earth—inside the body of his younger self during his high school days. Armed with the knowledge and power of an immortal, he would rise once more, overturn destiny, and reclaim his supremacy in this new world.

Ye Bai was cryogenically frozen ten thousand years ago, and upon awakening, she found that Earth had entered the interstellar era.As an ancient human, merely surviving required exorbitant costs to filter out various viruses and radiation.At her wit’s end, she looked up and saw a massive game advertisement spanning half the sky—In her time, Ye Bai had been a renowned game developer.The ad displayed her unreleased game, *Boundless Realms*, which she had created before being frozen.Three years ago, *Boundless Realms* burst onto the scene, causing a massive stir across the universe.This was because the game could actually enhance players’ real-world mental and physical abilities, leading interstellar scholars to believe it might hold secrets of a higher civilization.However, the game was notoriously difficult. Despite investing immense effort, players couldn’t even complete their first class advancement.That is, until Ye Bai decided to enter the game to monetize her insider knowledge…Not long after, interstellar players received an unprecedented server-wide announcement, the first in the game’s three-year history:【Congratulations to the Milky Way Region’s Earth player ‘Baiye’ for becoming the first Lord in the game!】The entire universe was in an uproar!Who was this reclusive Earth-based expert? How did they unlock the method to become a Lord? After all, players had been wandering and adventuring for three years, only to be labeled as drifters by NPCs!Meanwhile, Ye Bai: “…Wait, was everyone in the universe playing on guest accounts before?!”

Michael, formerly a military veteran turned mercenary, was living quite a peaceful and slightly eventful life. That was until an accident happened that caused him great misfortune, rendering him unable to continue being a mercenary. After that point, his life spiraled into that of an alcoholic, eventually leading to his demise. Before he died, he saw something odd; it was a blue hologram with the words ’Do you wish to start anew?’ Michael readily accepted and was thrust into a fantasy world with a mysterious system companion that seemed to be hell bent on making him the best healer in the world. However, as he began unraveling mysteries, he found out his identity was not as simple as it seemed.

Who’s a hero, really?Is it someone willing to risk everything for the greater good?Someone who forgives easily, no matter the wrong?Someone always ready to lend a hand when trouble shows up?Or maybe it’s the one who’d sacrifice one to save all?If that’s what makes a hero… then why do I have his power?Why am I the one with the system that was meant for him?I’m not a hero. I’m not even close.I wouldn’t throw away everything for some noble cause.I wouldn’t give up what matters to me, not my life, not my goal, just to play some role.Because I didn’t come to this world to save it.I came here as an extra, not the protagonist.I’ve read the story—Hero’s Vow.It was your typical chosen-one tale.Orphaned child, gets a cheat power, makes some friends, defeats the demon lord, yadda yadda.Predictable. Familiar. Boring, even.But then… after what happened to me…I woke up as Kai Lorne.Just a background character.A commoner with no ambition, no purpose—just an extra meant to a die a brutal death in Chapter 3.His death wasn’t even for himself. It was just there to spark the hero’s rage.But here’s the twist.I didn’t die.I got the hero’s power.I got the system.The cheat. The Narrative Override.The one thing that lets you alter the story itself. The power only the author of the said story would have.And now, I’m stuck asking myself the same question, over and over:If I’m not the hero…Then why the hell do I have his power?-----------------------------------------additional tags: Transmigration, Slice Of Life, Mana Cultivation, No-yuri, No-NTR, Genius MC, Hidden Identity and Power, Magic, Weak to Godlike, Story Alteration, Cheat system, Demons, Dragons, Beast girls, Swords, Tragedy, Grim dark.