From Bullets To Billions - Chapter 538: Strategic Retreat

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️THIS NOVEL PARTICIPATED IN WSA 2025!---Nero Vaelheim. A name etched in history as that of a fleeting antagonist, a mere stepping stone for the heroes.But what if the pawn refused to be sacrificed?When a devoted reader is reborn in the body of this doomed villain, he has only one goal: to break the script, rewrite his fate… and bend this world to his own rules.After all, why settle for being an obstacle when you can become the ultimate threat?

He fell, but he did not die.At least, not in the way he expected.The world he hated spat him out into another, a place where the sky bleeds, where gods are fractured, and where names weigh heavier than lives.Here, he is someone else.Someone cursed.Someone forgotten.Yet in the ruins of memory and the echo of laughter that was never his, a strange truth coils:that death is not an ending,but a beginning far crueler.A book without pages.A family without love.A body that doesn’t belong to him,and a voice in the dark that whispers of eternity.

In a realm where power is determined by affinities—elemental forces that shape magic, combat, and survival—Ethan is an anomaly. While most people are born with a single affinity, Ethan stands apart, wielding a vast range of abilities granted by a mysterious Ancestral-line System. This unique system taps into the untapped potential of his vampire and dwarven bloodline, unlocking ancestral powers far beyond the norm.At just 18 years old, Ethan's journey begins when he accidentally awakens this system, discovering that he is the heir to a forgotten lineage that blends the strength, resilience, and mysticism of both vampire and dwarven ancestors, a perfect hybrid of both. Though he must awaken and evolve to harness their power. However, the more power he gains, the more he learns about the dark secrets of his lineage—secrets that others would kill to possess.Unlike everyone else, Ethan's affinities are not innate; they are granted by the system based on his bloodline’s ancient heritage. As he levels up, he acquires abilities that no one in the current era has ever seen: the Psychic powers of telekinesis and telepathy from ancient vampire lords, the earth-shaping skills of dwarf warriors, and a host of hidden abilities that challenge the world’s very understanding of magic.But power comes with a price. Ethan quickly finds himself targeted by powerful factions and hidden enemies who fear what his bloodline could mean for the balance of the world. Ancient forces tied to his ancestry awaken, each with their own agenda—some seeing him as a threat to be eliminated, others as a tool to be used.Accompanied by a diverse group of companions, each with their own affinities and secrets, Ethan embarks on a perilous journey. Together, they traverse beast-filled forests, ancient ruins, worlds and perilous dungeons, all while facing foes who seek to exploit or destroy Ethan’s unique powers. Along the way, bonds are forged, fates are entwined, and the line between friend and foe blurs as Ethan learns that his destiny is far greater than he ever imagined.But with every new ability comes a deeper question: What is the true purpose of the Ancestral-line System? As he battles monstrous creatures, rival affinity users, and ancient curses, Ethan must confront the reality that his bloodline holds the key to either the salvation or the destruction of their world or something else entirely.In a world governed by affinities, Ethan’s unmatched power sets him on a path that could change everything—or lead to his downfall.Will he master the secrets of his ancestry and forge his own fate, or will the weight of his heritage drag him into the depths of a history best left forgotten?

Leo had a problem. Don't be like Leo!It wasn't that he was poor. It wasn't that he was unlucky. It was that he had been cursed, or blessed by the Accidental Tycoon System.The rules were deceptively simple. Any money he lost on an investment would be returned to him, doubled. And any money he gained, aside from system reimbursement couldn't be used by him on himself.His life's new mission was crystal clear. He had to go bankrupt.In a high-tech world of S-Rank Heroes, magic, and newly-contacted alien civilizations, this should have been the easiest thing to achieve in the galaxy. He just had to become the biggest, most spectacular loser the universe had ever seen.So, he tried. Oh, how he tried...He threw billions at publishing a dungeon guide written by a 10-year-old. The maps were in crayon, and it listed the final boss as a Big Grumpy Badger.[Breaking: New S-Rank dungeon called 'The Whispering Labyrinth' appears! All high-tech mapping drones fail. A lost F-Rank porter used the crayon guide... and it's 100% accurate. The final boss is a 50-foot divine badger. The Galactic Union has declared the guide a 'holy text' for exploration!]He bought the galaxy's most useless moon, planning to build a 'Museum of Paint'.[Alert: Ancient magical ley-lines discovered under the moon's surface! It's the only place in the universe that can safely grow the 'Star-Lotus,' the key ingredient for immortality!]To the Intergalactic Hero's Guild, the Magic Academies, and the Alien Federations, Leo was the god of investment whose every move was like 5D chess that ordinary people couldn't understand.Heroes would soar with his sponsorship. Alien emperors offered him their daughters' hands in marriage for a single 'tip'.But Leo just stared at his bank account, which now displayed his wealth that he couldn't use on himself, with tears streaming down his face.“Please,” he cried, “I'm trying to fail! Why won't you just let me be poor?!”