The SSS Ranked Villain's Return - Chapter 22: An Item’s Worth

[You have inherited The Class Huntsman Of Death.]Deathborne.An RPG that I couldn’t stop playing in my free time. A game that hooked me to the core. A game that I was determined to finish and achieve the true happy ending by hook or crook.Why?Because no matter what choices I made, no matter how much I tried, it always ended with a bad ending.Not the bad ending in the traditional sense where the world comes to an end, but something worse. The protagonist would win, yes, but only at the unacceptable cost—sacrifices so immense that they left humanity and the world broken.And honestly? I didn't like it.Would you enjoy a movie, novel, or game that ends with only the protagonist surviving?Neither could I.That's why I tried my hardest and kept trying. Alas, despite all my efforts, I have yet to reach the true end but…Until today…It started just like any normal day for me.I returned home, greeted my mother, had my lunch, and was about to start yet another grind. Just as I was about to start, my screen flashed with a blood-red message:[Congratulations, player Mr. Per781, for clearing all hidden conditions. You are now eligible to access the hidden route, as deemed by the game developer.] [Do you want to proceed?] [Yes] [No] Before I could even think about my answer, a hand emerged from the screen and pulled me into the game.And when I regained consciousness, I wasn't myself anymore. I was in the body of a side character as Lukas Star, one of the weakest and nearly forgotten Hunter of the Archeon Academy.

Ding![The Host has died!]A system message popped up in front of Nell's body after his last dying breath.Ding![Dark Evolution has been activated to absorb the death essence of the host.]And then he opened his eyes to find himself in the past right before the battle started.'Ah! Am I back to the past?'Ding![Please choose a partner to start the Dark Evolution process.][Partner Condition: Must be a living creature from the Monster category, not the Human category][Partner Gender has to be Female.]'Partner? A monster?'Nell's heart pounded in his chest, and he felt a cold sweat coming on.'A female monster?'

Chu Chen brought the temple in his heart to the Dachang Heavenly Dynasty and worshipped the Taoist gate.

Refining alchemy inside, repairing talisman outside;

Reciting sutras and convincing the spirit, fasting ceremony.

Palm thunder method, pinch sword art, step on Yu step, pray for sunshine and rain, call gods to send generals, relieve Erdu people, cut demons and demons…

- Description from novelbuddy

Noah Carter wasn't special. A broke programmer working from his cluttered studio apartment, he spent his days applying for jobs, getting rejected, and scraping by with low-paying freelance gigs.One ordinary Tuesday, while debugging code at 3 AM surrounded by energy drink cans and ramen cups, Noah accidentally broke reality.He didn't mean to... it just sort of... happened.A system message appeared, floating in his vision. The Idle Tycoon System had chosen him. His first shop: a small bakery in a Magical Medieval world where demons, dragons and half-humans exist.Every sale generated automatic income, day after day. Every new world unlocked new opportunities.Noah brought it all back to Earth, selling what he could, keeping what he couldn't. One shop became two. Two became a hundred. A network spanning dimensions, time periods, and realities—all generating income while he slept.Countless years later, Noah raised his head from his pillow and realized something unexpected. The broke programmer who couldn't land an interview had become the richest man in the universe!