Short, Light, Free - Chapter 151: Smart Friend I

Guys here is my pitch.....In the sprawling world of fantasy, we’ve often been treated to tales of heroes reincarnated with divine blessings, legendary powers, or cheat-like abilities, thrust into magical lands as shining saviors—or chaotic terrors. But what happens when the very concept of reincarnation becomes a curse? When the divine boon is a big fat joke, and the “cheat system” doesn’t quite… cheat?Enter John, the unluckiest reincarnate. Blessed by a god and thrust into a fantasy world, he dreams of glory, power, and adventure—only to wake up as a normal, utterly powerless bird. Not a mythical phoenix, not an ancient thunder eagle. Just… a bird.To make matters worse, this world is no ordinary realm. It's a land scarred by the devastating legacies of past isekai’d heroes and villains, whose reckless exploits piled skeletons into mountains and turned their cheats into harbingers of chaos. Fed up with these unruly intruders, the ancients of the realm banded together to create a world-shaking seal: all reincarnated souls are trapped in the bodies of harmless animals, confined to isolated sanctuaries that function more like fantasy zoos.Here’s the twist: this isn’t mercy. It’s a resource grab. The powerful beast tamers of this realm have turned these reincarnated souls into exotic pets, prized for their cheat-like potential.John finds himself at the bottom of the food chain in every sense. His cheat doesn’t work. His human form is gone. And his world is filled with predatory cultivators who see him as either a snack or a tool.But John isn’t one to give up so easily. What starts as despair quickly turns into cunning survival. With wings and wit as his only tools, John must navigate layers of misfortune, dodge fate’s sharp talons, and cheat his way through a world determined to keep him grounded.Get ready to join John on a wildly unconventional journey—one where reincarnation isn’t a ticket to greatness, but a death sentence he’s determined to rewrite. His story is one of humor, wit, and persistence, as he explores a world where he is the joke and his survival is the punchline.Main tags: reincarnation/isekai, beast taming cultivation system, comedy, action, adventure.Of course No-harem!

Residing within the dense forest in Nore are the beautiful elves of Elune Forest. After the young elves began to be hunted by the humans to become slaves, the Queen of Elune decided that young elves could not leave the forest until after their adult ceremony at fifty years old. When Hai’an’s ceremony finally arrived, he was excited to be able to finally travel away from his home and see everything the world had to offer. However, he got more than he bargained for.

What was supposed to be a simple ceremony turned into Hai’an transmigating to the body of… a plant?!

Stuck as a small sapling called Shaking Grass, Hai’an was bought and given as a birthday gift to a retired Starfleet Marshal named Auguste.

After retiring due to political conflict, Auguste spends his time trying to find more of his missing race, the ancient dragons. Unexpectedly receiving Hai’an, Auguste believes him to be nothing more than a rare, exotic plant. To his surprise, he finds that this little plant is intelligent and learns more and more every day.

How will this stoic, unfeeling dragon fall in love with the little transmigrated elf who lost his body?

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“So, Diana, what's your excuse for betraying me?”

His amber glinted eyes bore into the woman with bloodied, broken blue hair, kneeling in complete disarray.

“... you're evil.”

“Oh, so, looking out for all of you makes me evil?”

The man narrowed his eyes, contemplating the echoes of protagonist halos and heroines' mentality, starkly real now.

Coming from a world far removed from such grim reality, he had read about these personalities in novels, but experiencing their shortcomings firsthand was a different story.

“How am I evil?”

He looked down at his foot where a young man, limbless and crushed, lay in a state of complete brokenness, mustering the little strength he had left to utter some words.

“... y.. you ba..stard, You killed millions.”

Hearing these words, the man's internal amusement grew at the absurdity of these hypocritical people.

He had eradicated all the evil organizations within the Empire after ascending to his throne.

Wars were waged to crush rebellious kingdoms that stood against his Empire, uniting the entire Heidal Continent under one flag—the Selvius Empire.

He shifted his gaze towards another woman with pink hair, her body completely broken, supported by a rock to maintain a semblance of balance amidst the devastation.

“Hmm, so what about you, Karina? Wasn't your family about to be executed by the Aidiac Royal family? Is it wrong for me to have intervened?”

“You killed them without mercy, and although you saved my family, it was not worth it.”

“I just saved—”

“It's bullshit. You could have solved everything peacefully without drawing so much blood.”

Hearing all this, the man began to understand why those novels depicted these people as hypocritical and low in intelligence.

If he hadn't saved them, they would have suffered the most gruesome fate.

Yet, despite being saved, these ungrateful individuals chose to blame him. The bitter irony of their ingratitude gnawed at him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Guess you all have the same reasons.”

The man looked towards the seven people, their disdainful gazes directed at him.

He had only aimed to change their fates, to rescue some from slavery, others from crippling circumstances, and a few from inevitable betrayal.

Yet, they all blamed him for saving them, unable to comprehend that he had severed the root causes that would have subjected them to excruciating suffering.

“Hahaha.”

“Indeed, now I see.”

He now understood what those novels had tried to convey—'these idiots think this whole world works like they think it would.'

'System.........

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It has been 10000 years. The tide of spiritual energy has returned.

The prosperous Tokyo has returned to the Edo Period and had hordes of supernatural creatures roaming the streets.

In the desert, the Pharaoh was leading his army and awakening from his eternal slumber.

Vampires and werewolves were locked in a constant battle in the Eastern European plains.

Witches and evil spirits were traversing through the markets of Europa.

The feathered serpent was stretching its body on the American Continent, opening its eyes during the cycle of death.

Humans had fallen from the top of the food chain as they remembered the fear that the legends carried.

In this world where demons and monsters roamed, Lester looked at the shadow of the ferocious worm cast on his body and told his system.

“Please give me a set of Sunfire Cape, Randuin's Omen, Frozen Heart, Spirit Visage, Warmog's Armor, Thornmail, oh yes, and the Gargoyle's Stoneplate, Force of Nature, Adaptive Helm, as well as Righteous Glory...”

He then brought his hands together against the trembling monsters.

“I am not talented, but I am going to bust your heads open today!”

“Grasp of the Undying!” Life Value +5

“Dark Harvest!”Damage Growth +5

“Overgrowth!” Life Value +2%

“Gathering Storm!” Spell Strength +100

What? You want me to eat these mutated creatures? Let me tell you! I, Lester, will rather die of starvation or jump down from here than to...

System: “Life Value +40”

“Wow, it tastes great!”