Interspecies Trader - Chapter 161 – Food Distribution

Derek Carter never asked for a System, an apocalypse, or the pressure of being humanity’s so-called “last hope.”He was just trying to survive the daily struggles of being an orphan in Paleview City—dodging bullies, scraping together meals, and lying his way into school. Life was already hard enough.Then, one day, a blue screen pops into his vision:[Warning: The world is doomed. Try not to die.]Yeah, great. Just what he needed—cryptic doomsday messages and no instruction manual.Now, monsters are creeping into the city, reality is unraveling, and Damien’s “legendary” starting stats are barely above zero. The System promises him power, but there's just one tiny problem—he’s never won a fight in his life.Armed with sarcasm, questionable decision-making skills, and the sheer refusal to die, Damien is about to embark on the worst (and possibly last) adventure of his life. Because if the world really is ending… he’s at least going to make it someone else’s problem first.After all, heroes are overrated—survivors get to tell the story.

Humanity was living peacefully on Earth for millions and millions of years until the day unknown monsters from beyond space invaded them.

When humans were about to disappear, some people with abilities came out to the light and shared their knowledge and powers with the world, and together, they managed to push back the invaders during a terrible war that had lasted for years.

This war had created many orphans, and among them, Kye had lost everything, even his parents. And the only thing he received from their death was a pale-looking necklace.

However, once the necklace finally activated, a system was given to him, and his life changed completely.

The system gave him quests to do, and Kye complied. He was getting stronger every time he achieved them, until the day it gave him a weird quest.

[You have one day to kill the one who had sinned. If you do not kill, you will die.]

When struggling actor Liam Cross is gunned down during a bar robbery, he expects the lights to fade for good.Instead, he opens his eyes in a throne room surrounded by demons – standing inside a summoning circle meant to call forth an ancient Demon God.Only, the god never came.Just him.With no magic, no divinity, and no clue how he got there, Liam is mistaken for Azrakul, the Primordial Demon: a being of infinite power the Demon Queen desperately sought to save her crumbling empire.But when a mysterious System awakens, Liam learns the truth:He’s not a god… yet.[Designation: “Infernal Sovereign” — Activated.][Requirement: Subjugate the Realm of Demons.][Power Source: Fear. Faith. Belief.]The System doesn’t just grant strength.Instead, it feeds on the belief of others – turning fear, faith, and lies into real, tangible power.And as an actor who’s spent his whole life pretending to be something greater, Liam finally finds the role he was born to play.Now trapped among ancient monsters and scheming demon nobles, he must perform the part of a god convincingly enough to survive.Because if the demons ever discover he’s a fraud…He’ll die as the man he’s always been—or ascend as the monster he pretended to be.

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.