The Perfect Run - Chapter 32: Change of Plans

[Warning: Mature Content]Chuck was a 20-year-old professional body pillow reviewer who spent his days testing anime waifu pillows for online stores. His life was pathetic, lonely, and consisted mainly of rating the softness of fictional girlfriends.Then truck-kun struck.One evening while walking home from another humiliating day of pillow fondling, Chuck got obliterated by a speeding delivery truck. Instead of meeting his maker, he woke up as a newborn in a parallel world... a very different one from the one he knew. A second chance awaited, and he looks to make good use of it.However, he runs into the impossible; Chuck finds himself thrust into a society of proud lioness princesses, fierce wolf ladies, and noble panther heiresses, daughters of warlords.In hindsight, all those years of pathetic pillow fondling had been preparing him for this moment—a world where his wildest harem dreams weren't just possible, they were inevitable.

The Empire's forces retreated in desperation—trampled by faceless horrors bringing darkness and death to these once beautiful lands.Only the most courageous stood in defiance, forming a last defence to buy the people time to flee—fighting until the final embers of hope burned out.A man stands with a silver sword, like a beacon of hope to those around him. He roared with all his might drawing his blade against the overwhelming enemy!“You face Lancelot, Sword of the Empire! ”These horrors tested the Lord's grit and loyalty in the final moments.“Should my blade break, I will use my body!”The knights had fallen, broken swords for their tombstones, and lords fled, betraying the Empire to survive.“If my body breaks, I'll use my Soul!”Lancelot, the sword of the Empire, fought alone.All hope seemed lost.“And if my Soul fails...”What could a single man and his army do?He fights against the dark tide, blade in hand, heart on sleeve.“I will sell myself to the devil for revenge!”But he was too weak, too fragile.The last Lord of humanity stood against the enemy.Lancelot was a master of the sword, a mortal, neither a God nor a Saint.Miracles were beyond his reach.Now only a broken man impaled on his own destroyed throne.His blade shattered—now, like rose petals, it was scattered across the charred ground.Lancelot's soul was fated for the abyss as the light faded from his eyes.His last ounce of resistance used staring at the man who betrayed the Empire.Now with only the desire to kill, crush and seek revenge smouldering inside him.Now unwilling to die and desperate to fight once again.He desired to fight for the people who supported him.Lancelot refused to surrender, to fall like this.As quietly in the abyss, a voice whispered to him.It tried to entice the Lord, ignite his desire to win and fight again.“If given a second chance, to relive your life with a different choice... Would you Accept?”Blood gathered in his throat, forcing him to reply in his mind.A frail and broken voice'There is no reason to ask, of course!'“No matter the cost?”'Even if I were to lose everything...''If my people can live on. I would sacrifice everything I have!'“You will no longer be the same, a monster, twisted and vicious.”“Will you still accept?”The Lord's heart ached, taking great pride in his humanity.To lose that caused his mind to falter.Finally, out of power, unable to speak or reply with a trembling arm.Lancelot reached out.Towards the raspy voice.Towards the abyss.Towards a new future.[So you would accept after all...]'I must accept.''I must stand tall.''I must not break.''Because...''I am the Lord of humanity![Nay, you are the king of demons]

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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What if you spend your whole life like a vegetable in a hospital bed? Only being able to speak and listen. Just that. Would you go crazy? Unbalanced? What if it was all the fault of a degenerate madman looking for his parents' inheritance? Would you be angry? Would you be mentally broken?That was Kayden's life for 20 years and as quickly as it started, it ended, but luckily for him, reincarnation existed and by some miracle, he still had his memories of it. And....his new world had...magic.In the first moment of consciousness, Kayden made a promise to himself, in this life, he would achieve everything, he would reach the height of power, he wouldn't give a damn about women or money, futile things that would condemn him to mediocrity, his focus was to have the power to rule his destiny, this time he would not be a slave to his own life, he would be a monarch.