A Black Market LitRPG - Chapter 3: Carving Out A Market

“So... well... I died as it seems?Then I woke up as a character from an online science fiction game...And the craziest thing was that I was in my personal spaceship...Aside from that, I have this weird gaming system bugging me with missions and stuff...So... finally, something interesting happened in my life at last.At least now, I am unbound by anything and can do as I wish.”- Acturus Al-Yesod Crawford“In the grim darkness of the endless space, there is only one sole constant that has ruled the space since immemorial, that dictated the life and death, the order and chaos of every single living being.Power.This is the story of one of the most controversial people in the history of the Known Universe, Arcturus Al-Yesod Crawford, the Star Mercenary, Bounty Hunter, Trader and many other titles...”- Prologue Chronicles of the Known Universe: Chapter Star Citizen, Star Date: Unknown***Tags: Aliens, Androids, Army, Army Building, Automatons, Assassins, Artificial Intelligence, Cosmic Wars, Fleet Battles, Futuristic Setting, Male Protagonist, Mercenaries, Monsters, Outer Space, Nobles, Late Romance, Slow Romance, Money Grubber, Supernatural Powers, Psychic Powers, System, Game Elements, Strategic Battles, Strong to Stronger, Transported into a Game World, Wars, Evolution, Genetic Modifications, Industrialization, Military, Politics, Poor to Rich, Strength-Based Social Hierarchy, Time Skip

Reincarnated into a poor youth in an unnamed mountain village in another world, Lu Qing expressed deep helplessness. Fortunately, he awakened an ability to see through the information of objects, giving him a bit of capital for survival. He looked at a patch of grass by the roadside.【Cow Bone Grass, average quality, medicinal, quite effective in treating bone injuries.】He looked at a red carp in the river.【Red Moon Carp, excellent quality, delicious meat, a top-grade tonic.】He glanced at a wild rabbit in the mountains.【Gray Rabbit, common wild rabbit, edible.】…Relying on his innate ability, Lu Qing gradually found his footing in the village, able to survive. Just when he thought he would spend his life peacefully in this ancient world with low productivity, one day, he suddenly saw a figure flying across the sky…

Mimizuku, a small girl with chains on her wrists and ankles and the numbers “332” branded onto her forehead, wanders into the Forest of Night seeking to be eaten by a monster. However, when the ruler of the monsters, the mysterious and beautiful “King of Night,” refuses to eat her, she tries to formulate a way to convince him otherwise.

Warning This fiction contains:

Graphic Violence Profanity Sensitive Content

Summary – Level 1:

Delve is an isekai litrpg that follows an average guy who just happened to wake up in a forest one day. He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel.

Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing.

Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one.

Did I mention that there will be math?

Summary – Level 2:

Okay, but what are you in for, really?

Well, this story is supposed to be realistic, or at least, as realistic as a fantasy litrpg can be. The main character doesn’t instantly become an all-powerful god and murder-hobo his way across the universe. Delve is, at its heart, a progression fantasy, but that progression is meant to feel earned. The numbers in this story actually mean something. Everything is calculated, and if you find a rounding error, I expect you to tell me about it. That said, if math isn’t your cup of tea, there is plenty more that the story has to offer. Characters are meant to feel real, and progression isn’t only about personal power; it’s also about allies, connections, and above all, knowledge. Figuring out how the system works is a significant theme.

...

What, you want more details? Okay, fine, but this is going to get a bit spoiler-y. Are you sure?

Yes!

Really sure? I mean, this summary is practically half as long as the first chap–

Now!

Okay, okay!

The main character becomes a magic user, but he takes a route that is not very popular in adventurer culture, namely that of a support. There is a full magic system with various spells, skills, and abilities, but our MC decides that aura magic is the way to go, and that the only stat worth investing in is mana regeneration. Most people at the Adventurer’s Guild think that this makes him a bit of a dumbass, but he’s playing the long game. We’ll see how that works out for him, won’t we?

Because of his build, the MC levels up fast, at least compared to normal people. There are no cheats, though, and he is limited in other ways. There are some clear and pretty obvious downsides to his build. That’s what makes it fun, no?

Morals? Our MC has them. Again, we’ll see how that works out for him. Realism, remember? Would you be okay with killing someone and looting their body? I sure hope not.

POV? The focus is on the main character, but there will be occasional varying perspectives from people around him, or involved in the events related to the main plot. It isn’t going to jump all over the place.

Tech is standard medieval stasis. No smartphones, but the MC does have a technical background. Computers and their programming might be involved. There might even be a bit of uplifting down the road, who knows? Anyway, it isn’t the focus. He isn’t going to invent the gun in chapter 1 and change the face of warfare.

Romance is not a major focus. Friendships are more the name of the game, though there will be some characters in romantic relationships.

There is exploration, though not as much of the geographical nature as you might expect. It is more about exploration of the system and the culture.

The pace is slow and detailed, sometimes verging on slice-of-life. The action is meant to be realistic and grounded in the numbers, and it is intended to have meaning beyond simply punching things until they stop moving.

The general tone of the story is grey, and some parts can get quite dark. People die. Sometimes, people with names, but not anywhere near GoT level. There is plenty of light, too, though, to balance the darkness. The world is dangerous, but overcoming that danger is why we’re all here, isn’t it?

Anyway, if you’ve made it this far through the summary, you clearly like words. I hope you enjoy the story!