Not praying for ten strings

In a world dominated by seven super-corporations, the Longevity Species that always occupied the pinnacle of power didn't allow for the enactment of written laws. The Floating Islands of prisons delimited by lines on the map, where resources would inevitably run out in the future...
People yearned for the birth of a true "Hero," yet they cynically awaited the fall of a Hero from grace.
As long as one was hailed by the media as a Hero, even murder could be forgiven, and every word they said would be adored. Even high and mighty Elves dared not provoke the edge of a Hero.
But if a Hero of the past committed even a minor offense, the moment their image crumbled, the forgiven sins would flare up like an inextinguishable furnace, and the stars of yesterday would instantly become unforgivable criminals...
"—Come become a Hero, Russell."
The most vicious criminal in the world thrust a knife into the boy's hand, whispering a low enticement.
——————
Solo female lead, Beast Ears, Spiritual Energy, Mechanical Angels, and other elements. Cyber-fantasy. Please refrain if not to your liking.

Tower of Overturn

Because of this, when Strangulation took Russell to explore the Dream Realm together, Russell's every night was fully occupied.


But after Strangulation left, Russell was a bit lost... He was also somewhat worried that without Strangulation leading the way, he might not be able to find his way back if he wandered too far from the Painful Furnace. He simply decided not to go out and just stay inside. After all, as long as he stayed in the Painful Furnace, even if he ended up in the neighboring area due to not moving for a long time, he could just find his way back.


Unfortunately, Teacher Zhong was the silent type, the sort you couldn't get a fart out of with three sticks—Russell often surrounded Teacher Zhong with inquiries about common knowledge in the Dream Realm. But if Russell asked ten questions, Teacher Zhong would answer nine of them with the silence of hammering, and the one he was willing to answer a bit more about would usually be with a cryptic, riddle-like response.


Chapter 3: Melting Furnace Spell_2