Small upgrade system - Chapter 1012 - Inside Danger Zone

When the enigmatic and overpowered Kieran Drayke awakens in a foreign magical world after a sudden transmigration, he brings along a system unlike any this realm has ever known. The “Sovereign Architect System” doesn’t just make him invincible—it gives him the tools to build something far greater.But Kieran isn’t interested in world domination. At least, not in the usual way.Disillusioned by the world's surface-level glimmer and the rot beneath it, Kieran sets his sights on the forsaken—those discarded by society, lost in the shadows of nobility and corruption. From slums, war zones, and forgotten ruins, he gathers orphan girls of various races—elves, beastkin, humans, and more—each with untapped potential and pain behind their eyes.He trains them in secret. Guides them. Empowers them. Not as soldiers, but as a family. A hidden organization that operates behind the curtains, shaping the world while appearing as ordinary students at the prestigious Aetherion Magic Academy.Kieran himself? Just a carefree, slightly lazy transfer student with a penchant for sweets, sarcasm, and sneaking naps between classes—on the surface, at least.With a slow-burning plot that weaves magical worldbuilding, deep friendships, training arcs, casual comedy, and a cast of unforgettable girls who grow into queens of the unseen, Chronicles of the Hidden Crown explores what happens when an OP MC doesn’t conquer the world with brute force…But builds a legacy from its forgotten pieces.No betrayal. No forced drama. Just the steady rise of a secret kingdom in the shadows of a crumbling empire.

Tang Qiu was a substitute bride–forced to take her half-sister’s place and marry the young master of the Jiang family, a deformed cripple with less than 6 months left to live.

“Who would have thought that even a sickly whelp like Jiang Shaocheng would find himself a bride?”

“I hear that he’s practically on his deathbed and he’s only marrying the Fengs’ daughter to improve his lifespan.”

Tang Qiu ignored the whispers around her and focused on her husband-to-be, who coughed violently in his wheelchair. At the altar, after they had said their vows, she lifted her veil and knelt in front of Jiang Shaocheng, pressing a hesitant kiss to his lips.

The marriage contract was signed. No matter his physical deformities, he was now her husband.

She wasn’t afraid of the scars that marked his face, nor was she repulsed by him being confined to a wheelchair. Every morning, she made him breakfast, attended to his needs, and thought of little else beyond her duties as a wife.

“Young Master Jiang is a cripple who can’t get it up,” her best friend argued. “When he dies, you’ll still be untouched. You should set your sights higher.”

“A sickly invalid like Jiang Shaocheng can’t give you happiness,” her ex-boyfriend insisted. “I’ll wait for you.”

But Young Master Jiang only scoffed. “I have plenty of time left to be with her.”

Later in their marriage, Jiang Shaocheng wanted to enjoy his little wife in all ways–the press of her lips against his, the brush of skin on skin; the way a husband and wife were supposed to. But Tang Qiu refused him, blushing. “No, we can’t. The doctor says you can’t exert yourself.”

Jiang Shaocheng’s desire was surging through him, a heat in his core that demanded to be satiated. He cursed, I should have gotten rid of that doctor and the wheelchair long ago.

But he yearned to make love to his little wife, and so he revealed his true identity. In the blink of an eye, the deformed cripple transformed into a powerful businessman–tall, dark, and handsome. He quieted Tang Qiu’s protests, his body positioned over hers, his arms caging her as she lay on the bed. His voice was low when he asked, “What about now?”

By coincidence, Li Yunmu found a super machine from humanity’s age of darkness. From that point onwards, his ordinary life would never be the same! Aptitude? Innate talent? What are these? Could they be eaten?

I have neither aptitude nor innate skill, but my shadow can level up using hacks. Experience, Ability points, battle prowess… all of them could be hacked. Even while he is asleep or tired, he could still increase his skills.

- Description from Novelupdates

This question every one kept asking themselves...“When we die, where do we go?”No living soul can answer.And the dead... are never given the chance.— — —Callum Drey lost everything in a single day.His beloved grandmother passed away just as he was about to gather the money for her life-saving surgery. Then came the cruelest betrayal: the girlfriend he sacrificed everything for abandoned him for another man. Broken, furious, and devastated, Callum picked a fight with the one who stole his love—only to meet a tragic end.But death... was just the beginning.When Callum opened his eyes, he uncovered a truth far darker than anyone could imagine.The afterlife was nothing like the world's religions preached.The Christians, the Muslims, the Buddhists... They were all wrong.The universe was not ruled by gods of mercy or enlightenment, but by the bizarre, cruel and pathetic God of Fun.In this twisted afterlife, every soul stands upon the Curtain Call, judged by how much they entertained the God of Fun during their mortal lives.Those who were amusing enough ascended to the realm of gods.Those who weren't? Erased into oblivion.Yet for a few, there was a second chance...A chance to prove their worth in a brutal new world.Callum Drey was one of them.Vowing never to be betrayed or helpless again, Callum was thrust into Glory Expanse—a savage world where magic, technology, and monsters collided.And though the odds were stacked against him, fate had other plans.[You have obtained Three SSS-Ranked Talents!][SSS-Ranked Gacha System!][SSS-Ranked Soulmancy!][SSS-Ranked Bloodline Talent: Blood of the Flamborne!]Armed with unprecedented powers, Callum’s legend began:— Pulled SSS-Ranked Summon: Taren of Chaos, the Lost Spear!— Pulled SSS-Ranked Summon: Nerissa, the Banished Daughter of the Gods, Bow of Balance!— Soulmancy Panel Activated: Soul Bank and Soul Lab Unlocked!—Crafted Weapon: Souls of Broodmother and Red Widow has been used to craft the red dagger: Broodwidow’s Kiss!With his Triple SSS-Ranked Talents, Callum would rise against a world far crueler than Earth—but soon, a greater calling would awaken...A destiny that even the God of Fun could not predict.