Systemless Villain - Chapter 18: The Secret Technique

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Lu Chen transmigrated to the Great Sum Dynasty, becoming the Ninth Prince of the dynasty.

Unlike the transmigrators in novels, Lu Chen didn’t have extensive engineering knowledge, nor did he remember much classical poetry.

In order to avoid getting involved in the succession struggle, Lu Chen could only lie low, planning to enjoy a quiet life of splendor and wealth.

Due to his mother’s status, Lu Chen was eventually granted a marriage by the Emperor and was assigned to be Prince over a bitterly cold territory in the north.

Just when Lu Chen thought he was going to decay in such a manner for the rest of his life, he activated a system on his wedding night.

As long as he sired a heir, Lu Chen would be able to receive rewards and even enhance his own power.

Years later.

Lu Chen marched into the capital with a million-strong army to support the Emperor, and everyone was dumbfounded.

“Wasn’t this guy a useless Prince? Where did he get a million-strong army from!”

“What’s happening, how could he possibly be a Grandmaster?”

“Turns out the Ninth Prince’s decadence was all an act!”

……………………………………………………………

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Shock! The Eye-Candy of the Entertainment Industry is Reborn as a Top Student!The niece of the Zhang family is said to be the reincarnation of the God of Literature. From childhood to adulthood, she has never scored second place in any exam. Even on the day of a test, when she had a fever of 39.9 degrees, she still effortlessly wrote like a supernatural being—truly amazing.When neighbors talked about this girl, their envy and astonishment were indescribable.This girl was nothing short of a Tsinghua or Peking University candidate; the Zhang family’s ancestors must be smiling from their graves.“Have you heard? That Zhang family girl topped the citywide high school entrance exam again. City No. 1 High School and Experimental High School nearly fought at the Zhang family’s door to recruit her...”“What’s that? The principal of Lanya Noble High School even came with a million yuan to visit her…”The world of a top student is beyond our understanding!——The world of a top student is very lonely!——When one possesses unparalleled beauty but lacks status and power to match it, this becomes the root of all suffering.In her past life, Shen You'an refused to compromise with the hidden rules of the entertainment industry. Her life was one of hardship and destitution, ultimately ending in her dying alone on a snowy winter's night on the streets.Once celebrated as the stunning but talentless beauty of the entertainment world, she left quietly and tragically, without drawing attention from anyone.When Shen You'an opened her eyes again, her firefighter father had just passed away in the line of duty.“Ding.” Your System for Top Students has arrived. Please sign for it.She cut her long hair, put on glasses, and concealed her beauty. Thus, she began her journey to becoming a top student.Until she gains the strength to protect her unrivaled beauty, she would rather let her brilliance be hidden than become a target of envy and harm.

After looking at a handsome man’s picture, he has transmigrated into another world. Rong Yi looked up at the sky, speechless. How unlucky could he be to have transmigrated into a loser + sissy’s body…

What’s worse, the original master of this body has been married to a man! And the worst thing is…

Rong Yi takes a deep breath and lowers his head to look at his chest! Flat! Check! Then he pulls open his pants and luckily see his ‘brother’ is still there, feeling much relieved…

He said to the little cute kid, “What did you say? Say it again.”

…