"I love Land of Steel so much. That sliver of tenderness in an otherwise hopeless world—ugh, my heart can't take it."
"The Angel and the Gun God pairing is pure heartbreak. Like chewing glass... I wish the Gun God hadn't died."
"It's such a shame he died. If only Tenshou could snipe from beyond visual range…"
"A scorched wasteland, subspecies that replaced humanity, endless war, and a single surviving human… Merlin-sensei truly painted a stark and despairing vision of reality."
"Honestly, more than the epic backdrop or high-level power scaling, I just love the everyday scenes."
"That blonde angel awkwardly strumming a guitar while the guy in black beside her sighs in exasperation…"
"If only time could freeze in that moment…"
"Even the ever-diligent gemstone mage, Magus Tohsaka, couldn't find a way to prevent the fall of the dead Earth. It really does feel like the convergence of the weekworldline…"
"Damn it. Knives. All of it. Knives!"
"Merlin, you heartless monster! Hiding behind the name of King Arthur's dearest mentor and friend, and yet you cliffhang like a demon—have you no shame?!"
"The real Merlin's spirit must be drawing summoning circles in the afterlife just to curse you."
"UPDATE OR I'M MAILING YOU A KNIFE!"
"Welp. There goes my sleep tonight."
---
While the readers were losing sleep…
Luo Shu slept soundly, a faint and content smile gracing his lips.
The moon sank, the sun rose—ushering in another day filled with hope.
"Haah~."
At Xingfu Manor, a boy clad in pale moonlight robes yawned and slowly woke up.
Grabbing the phone beside his pillow, he saw that it was already 8 a.m.—Monday, or "Getsuyōbi" as it was known in Nihon.
A few new messages popped up on his social app, all from people he'd added after yesterday's fortune-telling gig.
[Fallen Black Cat of Chiba]:
"Thank you, Mr. Luo! As you predicted, the SNS community really did propose an offline meetup. After your warning, I decided not to go—nearly fell into a tragic love trap!"
"If there's anything you ever need help with, don't hesitate to ask!"
[Miss Sachi]:
"I'll listen to you, Onii-chan Luo Shu! I won't get involved with that full-dive game Sword Art Online!"
[Higurashi Kagome]:
"There are seriously youkai appearing in my backyard's Bone-Eater's Well…"
Luo Shu scrolled through them all without emotion—and left them all on read.
He was a man on the path to godhood.
Career came first. These distracting pretty girls could wait. At least until he was strong enough to protect himself in this world—then he'd consider romance.
But when his eyes caught the final message, Luo Shu scratched his head.
[Yamashita Tetsuya]:
"'One shot, the world knows me. Two shots, the traitors lie dead.' …Thank you, Mage. Your words have given me clarity. If I can pull this off, then even my pitiful life will have meaning."
Luo Shu stared at the screen in silence, then slowly typed out a reply.
"May your martial destiny be triumphant."
Then he shut off the phone and fell into thought.
After a whole night of fermentation, he wondered if his doomsday short story had borne fruit.
"Void."
He whispered, and a silver ripple appeared at the edge of his vision, bringing up a detailed status panel.
[Creator: Luo Shu]
[Life Tier: Mortal Realm (Stage One)]
[Theoretical Lifespan: 70 years]
[Divine Authority Gems: 225.7]
"Hoooo—damn!"
Luo Shu gasped.
Yesterday at Makuhari Seaside Park, he'd posed as a street sorcerer, spouting vague prophecies from dawn till dusk. He'd managed to scam—ahem, "earn" barely 25.95 Gems.
But publishing a single apocalyptic novel on Twitter?
That alone netted him over nine times the amount—and it was effortless!
No wonder the girls in his past life loved posting long, emotional essays online. Talk about maximum profit for minimum effort!
This was amazing.
The corners of Luo Shu's lips curled up. He beamed with satisfaction.
As any man with sudden riches would, he felt that itch—the urge to try something new.
He'd always wanted to test physical enhancement, but Divine Authority Gems was too rare to risk. Now, though, he had wiggle room.
With a gentle smile, Luo Shu said:
"System, use 5% of my current Divine Authority Gems to heal hidden injuries, cure illnesses, and enhance my body."
Back in his past life, even as a rich kid obsessed with health, he'd never quite escaped the "sub-healthy" state. Between business stress and… vigorous interactions with beautiful women, he'd collected his fair share of minor ailments.
Now he had a chance to fix all that. No way he'd miss it.
"Shwaa~."
The silver ripple shimmered. The Divine Authority Gems began to drain as a soft radiance, invisible to others, enveloped Luo Shu. It permeated him—cleansing and refining his body.
"Haaaah~."
His eyes widened.
The sensation was indescribable. So blissful it felt like he might ascend on the spot.
As the glow gradually faded—
He slowly stood up, licking his lips with a lingering look of regret.
His body felt weightless, like the shackles of the flesh had been shattered. He was rejuvenated from the inside out. If a grizzly bear or a tiger stood in front of him right now, he felt like he could one-punch it.
Luo Shu subconsciously touched his face.
It felt smoother, more delicate than ever.
Just as he expected—his appearance had leveled up again after the life tier breakthrough.
A glance at his panel made his excitement boil over.
Theoretical Lifespan: 70 → 93 years
Not just looks—his lifespan had skyrocketed too!
He could clearly sense that his nerves, muscles, and mental faculties had all been revitalized. It was like he'd returned to his prime.
If he went back to playing League of Legends now, he definitely wouldn't be stuck in Silver—he'd rocket straight to Master tier!
And that was just from using 5% of 225.7 Divine Authority Gems.
What if he used more?
No. Calm down. If I blow it all in one go, I'll screw myself.
He took a deep breath.
This was just seed money—he had a bigger plan.
Inspired by viral fiction from his past life, he intended to create a massive sky projection spanning both hemispheres—visible to all of humanity. It would broadcast his own edited videos with a magical twist.
Sure, there were many technical challenges to work out.
But if it worked, he'd harvest the attention of the entire planet.
He had already asked the system—this celestial projector would cost at least 5,000 Divine Authority Gems.
This 225.7? It was the stepping stone to reaching that goal.
Luo Shu narrowed his eyes at the screen and spoke calmly.
"Void, help me create a video hosting site whose IP can't be traced by any nation."
"Bzzzz~ (As you wish)."
The silver ripple shimmered again.
Countless lines of code flashed across the screen.
Moments later, a new site appeared—its name glowing boldly at the top:
ObserverNet.