The Scum Emperor's Redemption System - Chapter 104: Paradox (1)

“Mana to breathe, mana to eat, mana to fucking live,”Inhale: -0.001 MP… oops! You're out of mana points.(Pay-to-breathe RPG.)Humanity's last walled stronghold._____In the world Elio lives, every gasp of air comes at a price.A floating indestructible book for every human, a magical system that turns survival into a pay-to-breathe RPG.Here, poverty isn't just being broke, it's choking.Surrounded by barren land and a sea of monsters on top of it (No water, just literal monsters), each day is a suffocating dance of survival, a balancing act between mana for air and mana for food.In this economy, holding your breath isn't just a game, it's a retirement plan.Driven by desperation (and the city's miserly rulers that don’t cut anyone a break), Elio dives into the Book System’s trials to save his family.Along the way, he unlocks powers he didn’t ask for and starts to figure out... Who he really is.Immerse yourself in an adventure where one young man's stubborn refusal to become a statistic could spark a revolution. Who knew being a pain in the system's rear could change the world?Because in Elio's world, breathing is just the beginning of the revolution and... he's gasping for change.But hey, who said saving the world had to be all doom and gloom? Join Elio as he kicks monster butt, uncovers ancient secrets, and maybe, just maybe, figures out how to grow a tree or two along the way.__________Warning:May contain traces of world domination, an unhealthy obsession with the periodic table, damage points, progression math, and yes, even a sprinkle of that old “power of friendship” magic. Because sometimes, you need a buddy to help you remember which element does what or even help you calculate those sweet, sweet stats.A quick heads-up:Despite what the cover might suggest, this isn’t a hack-and-slash adventure. Think more along the lines of a turn-based RPG, where strategy and choices matter as much as action. Get ready for a different kind of challenge!If you want to know more about the cover:Yep, that's our first FL crying and crossing the transparent barrier straight into a pixelated, indistinguishable sea of monsters. Because why not mix emotions with chaos? She's crazy like that! (Not really... or is she?)Discord to check the visuals: https://discord.gg/W3CjfC2cw4I’m still working on it in the little moments I find between writing, editing, making more character images, etc.Little by little, we’ll have a Poked... uh, a full SummonDex! Meanwhile, you can check out the ones on Fandom with their... funny descriptions? Or at least I hope so... orzWarning 2 (Privilege 4 and 5):I just wanted to stick to the novel’s level system, so I had to add those '0s'!!! Don’t be an elephant... unless you’re an enormous one... A whale! Seriously, nooooo!You’re going to make me die from the pressure, and I’ll feel terrible!! It’s just one chapter!!! You can wait... But if you’re dirty rich and really, Really, REALLY want to support, well... okay, though I’ll still feel bad!!! orz

Every night, he prayed. To every god on Earth.“Please, transport me to a fantasy world when I wake up tomorrow.”And then one day, his prayers were answered.Just not in the way he had hoped for.

Corvin Blackmoor was a man carved by war and betrayal.From the blood soaked deserts of Afghanistan to the shadowed corridors of British Intelligence, he served and watched ideals crumble into lies.Patriotism. Honor. Loyalty.He buried them all long before a Quds Force assassin silenced his final breath.But death was only the beginning.Dragged from the ruins of a dying world, Corvin awakens in Valtheris. A savage world ruled by magic, where gods are myths, and survival is written in blood.He is no longer human.He is the last of the Dark Parasytes, an extinct race once so feared that every kingdom, every empire, and every mage order hunted them to extinction.Armed with Shadow Siphon, the power to replicate the strengths of others, Corvin stands alone at the bottom of an alien food chain.Weaker than a wild beast, with enemies and predators lurking in every forest, every court, every throne.Weakness is temporary, patience is eternal.In a world fractured by ancient wars, between noble Elves, scheming Demons, ruthless Humans, primal Feralis and Aetherborn Corvin will climb.He will feast. He will conquer.And in the shadows of Valtheris, the last predator will rise.No gods. No masters.Only the cold ambition of a man who has nothing left to believe in… but power itself.

Ding Shan had been a hot topic for seventeen years —from the time she debuted at the age of three with her pure and cute look, all the way until she was twenty years old. She even took home three golden actress awards at her coming-of-age ceremony when she was eighteen years old. Her life seemed so beautiful and filled with applause. However, behind that beautiful scene was a grave filled with lice. Since she was three years old, her family had treated her as their cash cow.

Her parents’ wickedness caused her reputation to rapidly plummet when she was eighteen years old. What was more terrifying was that they even imprisoned her. They drugged her, beat her, used her younger sister as a threat against her, and turned her into a plaything for wealthy businessmen. Ding Shan endured the humiliation for her sister’s sake, then finally sent those beasts to prison two years later. Just as she thought she could finally clean up and live a good life with her sister, reality slapped her in the face. “Why?” Ding Shan asked her sister from where she was tied to a familiar iron bed.“No reason, really.

I just hate you, so I drugged you two years ago. I’m the one who pushed you into hell. I’m also the one who posted that viral video which exposed you back then,” Ding Yuan said as she happily inspected her red nails.“Oh, by the way, you’re not my real sister either. My parents kidnapped you from some ravine.

Your parents chased after you, but my father pushed them off a cliff and they died. I can’t really remember since it happened so long ago. Plus, I only heard about it occasionally, so I can’t remember the details anymore.“Also, you’re tied up here today because your boyfriend, Wen Xiu, sold you for 10 million. You’re still worth a lot of money, so you should perform well tonight. Ding Yuan reached out to pat Ding Shan’s face, then injected her with an aphrodisiac.

The fiery burn that coursed through her body made Ding Shan weak, but the hatred in her heart kept her mind clear and awake. Drugged and left unsupervised, she ended her life with a knife she found in the room. As her life came to an end, Ding Shan swore that if she could start over, she would make all those who had wronged her pay all that they owed her. When she opened her eyes, she had gone back in time to two years ago! So, let’s see how she’ll turn the tide in this life!