Power and Wealth - Chapter 22

In an era where humanity has long conquered the stars, a girl with a restless heart yearns for more than the predictable comforts of galactic life—she wants to explore the cosmos for herself. But her dream is torn apart when she’s stranded on a forgotten planet, a dumping ground for criminals with no way out.Left to rot among the desperate and the damned, she stumbles upon a strange machine buried in the scrap heap of discarded tools by higher classed planets—one that fuses with her psyche and grants her access to a system unlike anything in known space. It doesn’t just guide her. It evolves with her. It builds. It changes everything.Now she’s on the run, pursued by the relentless interstellar police who want back what she stole. But with each escape, each discovery, and each battle, she pushes further into the unknown, reshaping the wreckage of the past into something new.Blending the inventive spirit of technical progression with the high-octane energy of cinematic battles, this is a story of survival, rebellion, and rebuilding—one shattered world at a time.

[WSA 2025 ENTRY]“Seriously? Of all the people I could’ve become, I get stuck as him?”Damien, a shut-in who spends his days cursing his favourite authors for every plot twist he didn’t like, meets his end at the hands of a mysterious woman.Just when he thinks his life is over, Damien wakes up as Alden Draven, an extra character inside his favourite novel.You know, the kind of character who shows up for one chapter, says nothing important, and dies tragically in the background to move the plot forward. Yeah, 'that' guy.And guess what? His death is scheduled to happen in the first few chapters.But just as he resolves to not die and change his fate, he notices something’s off. The plot is... wrong. The characters aren't acting as they were meant to be, and the plot is all messed up.“This wasn’t supposed to happen; the stupid hero was supposed to fail miserably right about now! Is it just me, or did the entire plot get hijacked?” He muttered as it hits him....“F*ck! ”Is there another transmigrator?”And if that wasn’t enough, there's a yandere girl, one of the characters he's meant to interact with, who’s developed an unnatural obsession with him.

“The masterminds are cooler than heroes,” I mutter as I stare at the chess pieces before me. It is easier to be the one who sits in the shadows and moves the pieces, likewise deciding the flow of the game.Heroes will foolishly sacrifice their lives for the good cause and villains will sacrifice the world for their own gain, but masterminds will use both the heroes and villains to their own benefit.Why, you ask? Well, that's because I've lost my life once while trying to be a hero so, I don't want that anymore. I'd rather be a mastermind who molds the world as per my convenience and live peacefully. Because, why not?***[Defender of Divine Glory says you are the hope of this world.]What?[Goddess of Wisdom believes that you will be the one to save the world.]Wait, what?![Propose the Grand Duke the idea of a fake marriage.]And, why would I do that?![Stop the assassination of Prince Eric.]Why would I save him?![The candidates for the throne are:... Who will you choose?]Ah! I give up...It seems like a curse that anyone who wishes for a slacker life in Isekai will have to go through the most troublesome things.In my past life, I died because of one rookie mistake but after being transmigrated in the world of fantasy I've gotten an opportunity to start afresh, but unlike the protagonists who look for their love and glory, I'd rather make money and live a life of a slacker.I have magic, I have power and I have money, what else do I need?Well, that was the plan but this damn system is getting on my nerves. I mean who in their sane mind would want to mess with the complicated royal family and political affairs? But that's not all though.I've also become the saviour of this world. Things just can't be anymore worse!Besides, the penalty of failing this quest is...[Failure: Destruction of the World.]It seems like if I screw up in selecting the right person then the destruction that is going to befall the world won't be stopped.If I speak of my reward then it's this vague thing.[Reward: Fulfillment of any wish.]“If that's the case then, I'd rather choose the person who would be the best fit for the throne.”And that's how I decided that I would become the Kingmaker.

“Hey, have you ever heard of the lunatic roaming around the tower?”“Are you kidding me? Who haven't heard of him yet!?”“Hey hey, are you talking about... that person?”Interesting news travels even faster than light, especially regarding the mysterious figure that everyone in the Ethereal Tower is curious about, the lunatic ascender whom thoughts and deeds are so off-place that even the greatest among them just couldn't grasp his intent, almost as if he is ascending a completely different tower than them.While everyone in the tower talks about the lunatic who lurks on each tower's floor more than he is supposed to, the person they are talking about just goes on his merry way to collecting treasures he wants, and while the world is talking about him.“Come on, give me some luck, maybe roll the hundred times multiplier again...”He's sitting while rubbing his palm together, gambling on something that will make everyone faint.