hark the herald

Waking up inside the ruins of an orphanage, Alexander finds himself chained and sold to slavery. A modern metallurgist, trapped in ancient times, watch as he tries to play with the cards fate dealt him. He will make plate armor, invent paper, build roads, teach governance and many more, as he tries to carve a place for himself. But how can such things not attract jealous eyes? The naval superpower- Cantagena, The unstoppable army of- Exolas, The superpower of the east- Adhania, The mercantile confederation- Sybarsis, The religious fanatics- Iyizarid, And the ever-present- Barbarians of the Barren Forrest, All want something from each other. In this ocean of sharks, follow a small carp as it struggles to leap through the dragon gate and establish a dynasty to outlast them all. The cover is not mine. If you are the owner of this cover, comment and I will remove it.

For every 10 unique reviews there will be an extra chapter! ¡¡¡¡Castle = 5 extra chapters!!! ********* I feel hatred and resentment. It's such a bitter feeling that it consumes me from within, leaving a foul taste in my mouth. The smell emanating from my body is repugnant: yes, it's the smell of blood. I feel dizzy and very confused, and my entire body hurts. I'm scared, very scared. It's dark and I can't see anything. Lying on the cold ground, a pool of blood surrounds me completely. I'm not sure what I'm doing in this place. Vague memories pass through my mind, blurred and distant. Anguished and on the verge of despair, I try to get up, yearning to leave this place behind. The warmth begins to seep into my bones, and the gentle light of the sun envelops me. I don't know who I am, or what I am, a shadow is a world full of light, an anomaly, a fault, a being that should not have existed.

Haruto didn't choose to be summoned to another world. He definitely didn't choose to arrive broken. When the summoning ritual tore him from Earth and dropped him into Origio Lacus, he expected magic, adventure, maybe even power. What he got was a dying world, a violent arrival that left psychological scars, and the worst joke fate could play: in a realm where everyone has magical abilities granted at birth, Haruto has absolutely nothing. No Divine Protection. No magical core. He doesn't even exist in this world's metaphysical records. In a world of mages, warriors, and 33 different magical traditions, Haruto is utterly powerless. But he's not stupid. Magic users grow predictable in their strength. They rely on power, follow patterns, make assumptions about what threats look like. Haruto survives by being what they don't expect—someone who watches, learns, and exploits the weaknesses in systems everyone else takes for granted. He wins battles through preparation, not power. Through coordination, not combat. By staying ten moves ahead, because falling behind means dying. When powerful allies discover what he can do, they don't follow him out of prophecy or destiny. They follow because he's earned it—one impossible victory at a time. A found family forms in the margins of a dying world: people as broken as he is, learning to trust through action rather than words. They call him the Herald, a figure from prophecy meant to save or doom their world. But Haruto's not interested in prophecies. He's interested in survival, in the people who've become his reason to keep fighting, and in unraveling the mystery of why Origio Lacus—the magical heart of their world—is spreading corruption that devours everything it touches. No magic. No prophecy. Just one powerless human, a found family, and the strategic brilliance to turn disadvantage into the world's most dangerous weapon.

Nothing to lose, everything to gain. Cadin Cross was a respectable tactician and governor of his kingdom until he was betrayed by those he served, forcing him to turn to mercenary work until he met his final deadly fate in another betrayal. After his final moments of life, he met the Demon Lord that would turn his life of betrayal and misery to one of fame, glory, and conquest. And perhaps something more than that as time goes on..... This cover is not mine, if it's yours feel free to contact me and I'll remove it.

Hello, dear readers! Unfortunately, this novel is moving to a new page due to technical reasons. We will quickly catch up and republish the 56 chapters that have already been released. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and supporting this story. New link: [https://www.webnovel.com/book/36119604100856705] With respect, Tifala

Over a thousand years ago, the Byzantine Empire (Romans but Catholic) unified the world through a campaign known as the SANCTIFICATION. This conquest was made possible by the Prime Twelve. Immortal warriors blessed with CRESTS; Divine marks that granted them godlike powers. The Prime Twelve's true purpose, however, was to seal the Seven DIAVOLO. The sealing was successful, but it came at a cost. Dimensional tears called Rifts began opening across the world, unleashing VARIANTS; monsters that defied natural law. To combat this threat, the Prime Twelve founded Major Houses and spread Crests throughout humanity. Today, those born with Crests called TOPPLERS form the ruling class of society, while the Crestless, the ACHUSOI are treated as second-class citizens. Marcus Chen was Achusoi. He survived by taking whatever work he could find in the empire's margins, invisible to a world built for the powerful. His life ended when one job went sideways, murdered by Huey Cross—the youngest son of House Cross. One of the Prime Twelve lineages. Ironically, Huey himself was Crestless, and an embarrassment to his bloodline. Marcus wakes up in Huey's body with fragmented memories and a terrible realization: Huey DID have a Crest. Just not one that came from God. Now inhabiting his killer's body, Marcus must navigate VIRELIA INSTITUTE, a university for gifted Topplers, while investigating what happened eight months ago at St. Helena Hospital..... the incident that put him in this body. By night, he becomes the Blue Reaper, a vigilante hunting down secrets the empire buried. But as he digs deeper, Marcus discovers a horrifying truth: the Seven Diavolo were never truly sealed. Their Heralds walk among humanity and he is infact one of them. Armed with a kingdom of Apostles, maids, servants, foot soldiers and his very own palace REQUEIM within the dimension of death - LIMBO. Marcus comes to accept his new fate "I AM THE BLUE REAPER, AND I HERALD DEATH." --- NOTE: See auxiliary chapters for detailed world-building and power system information.

In a world of heroes, hunters and monsters, join Shiro, a high school boy who was born without 'Spark Essence', a magical energy used to determine the skill level of an individual and their grade class. Being the only individual born without a 'skill essence' in over 100 years, Shiro has always been bullied and abused by society his entire life, not being able to produce the one thing that he can use to defend himself from villains and Phantoms. The Phantoms are creatures sent to destroy all of mankind, and can only be killed by Spark Essence, which Shiro is unable to manifest. One faithful day, Shiro meets a strange individual, who at first thought was a foreign hero, told him what it really means to be a hero, rather than him thinking that someone can only be called a hero because of having spark essence, in which case, the man tells him he was wrong, but a true hero is someone who puts his life on the line to protect others, the stranger left Shiro with the thought in his head who a true hero is, of course this left Shiro in surprise, because he had never heard that before. After the encounter with the strange man, Shiro boards a train to go home, only to magically appear in a cave, where he finds an old man, who told him he had been chosen to become the new champion and protector of the earth. At first, Shiro thought all this was a joke or a dream, only to find out a few moments later, after receiving the power of the old man, his appearance changed and he felt completely different, like stronger. The strange man whom Shiro earlier met, was there to explain everything that had happened, and later on revealed that he was the Greek mythology God known as HERMES, of course, Shiro was shocked and surprised for not knowing that he was at the presence of a God this whole time. Hermes' later on told Shiro he would like for him to meet with the other Gods and deities, and they both went to Olympus, where all the deities had gathered to meet the new champion and tested him, to see if he was worthy of such a title and power. In which case, he was, so Shiro was chosen to be Earth's new protector to save the planet from the coming doom that is soon to fall upon planet Earth. Join Shiro as he fights to save the world and get some companion along his way, and also unexpectedly builds his heram without realizing it. Check my discord server for characters illustrations: https://discord.com/invite/pqWN8skNvp I hope you all enjoy my story. Thank you.

In a world where magic decides status, wealth, and survival, those born without talent are treated as little more than tools. Aluric, the Seventh Prince of the Kray Empire, was born with a name, a title, and a claim to power. But during his talent examination, the Mana Stone reveals him as giftless before the entire Empire. In a single day, he loses everything. His title is stripped away. His engagement is broken. His claim to the throne is revoked. Even his own name is taken from him. Exiled from the Kray Empire, he is sent to Arkin Academy under a new identity: Trey. A nobody. A former prince. A boy with no magic in a world ruled by mages. But during the Academy’s swordsman assessment, Trey awakens a power that should not exist. A forbidden talent unseen in recorded history. A path connected to the lost truth of the Exodus of the Five Races, vanished gods, and warriors feared as the Cursed Swordsmen. Inside the Academy, strength is everything. Mages, nobles, monsters, ranking battles, deadly duels, political conspiracies, and enemies hiding behind smiling faces await him. To survive, Trey must grow stronger, uncover the truth behind his power, and prove one thing to the world that discarded him: The greatest monsters are not always born with magic. Sometimes, they are created by it.

"When the first light fades and shadows rise, the harbinger shall walk among us—neither savior nor destroyer, but the choice between them." In the fractured realms of Erythoria, seven kingdoms face the oncoming tide of darkness. Whispers of ruin carry tales of relentless sorcerers, ancient prophecies, and kingdoms burned to ash. The only hope lies in the rise of seven heroes—bearers of legendary relics, chosen to wield unparalleled power. Yet, within the storm of fate stands a prince. Born under an ill-starred prophecy and branded as the harbinger of doom, his very existence threatens to tip the balance. Haunted by the world's hatred and the weight of his destiny, he must navigate a perilous path between light and shadow. As darkness consumes the land and alliances crumble, the prince’s journey unfolds—fraught with treachery, desperation, and the delicate whisper of hope. Can he defy his foretold fate and emerge as a beacon of light? Or will he succumb to the shadow that beckons, becoming the villain that prophecy demands? In a world teetering on the edge of ruin, the line between savior and destroyer blurs. Destiny calls, but will it be answered? On Hiatus for Now...

Everyone understood the concept of death, to some it means the end of all things, to some it meant the beginning of a new life. But what if death represented something new, something called salvation. The Anunaki has infiltrated the seven realms and it is Chen's duty to purge the world of their scourge.