A Stepmother's Marchen - Chapter 36

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!

Ding—Congratulations on unlocking the hidden profession “Teacher”.Ding—Congratulations on acquiring three SSS talents:“Divine Library”: As a teacher, your being harbors a Divine Library, granting you the ability to see the unseen about individuals and objects alike, be it strengths or weaknesses. Furthermore, you have the capability to amend these shortcomings.“Get 1st student”: As a teacher, you're entitled to mentor x number of apprentices (x increases as you level up), establishing a bond that allows you to monitor their loyalty.“Pass on the Torch”: Your role as a teacher entails not only imparting knowledge but nurturing souls. Sharing skills or bestowing gifts upon your apprentices could lead to unexpected rewards, courtesy of a probabilistic system return....The world as we know it has been thrown into chaos, with the lines between game and reality blurring.Mankind has stepped into the age of career transformation.With monsters on the loose, the emergence of dungeons, hidden realms, and instances marks an era of both peril and potential.Survival dictates that humans embrace this new calling, striving for power and progression.Upon his arrival at the age of eighteen, Alex Watson is gifted with the extraordinary “Divine Library System”!Thus begins the meteoric rise of Alex Watson!He sets out to teach, to mentor, to elevate the elite, and to share his wisdom with the world.

As childhood sweethearts, they were made to engage under the manipulations of their families. It involved having to to live in the same room and sleep together.

One night, she is accidentally made drunk, and in his delirium, he kisses her only to realize he enjoys it. From time to time, he would sneak a kiss on her, but his “crime” is eventually discovered in an accident. After being accused by her, he says with a smile, “You are my wife, why can’t I kiss you?”

The two people’s daily routine is full of bickering and mutual discrediting of each other.

Although he claims to disparage, he actually cares intensely about her. He feels crazily jealous when she is close to other men, to the point of tying her to his side, so that she becomes exclusively his.

- Description from web

Banaza was summoned to The Magical Kingdom of Kryrode as a Hero Candidate, however, due to having only the abilities of a regular citizen, he was treated as a disqualified Hero. He, who was originally supposed to be returned to his original world, became unable to return, due to the Magical Kingdom’s mistake, and, inevitably, had to live in this world. However, the moment he became Lv2, Banaza acquired every attainable skill and magical ability, and he became a Super-Cheat with Stats that transcend normal limits! Even so, Banaza , who does things at his own pace with an easygoing smile, takes Lys of the Demon race as his wife, and fully enjoys his newlywed life. He then changes his name to Furio and leads an even more laid-back life! However, chaos is in store for the Furio household; on top of a strange pet and four, freeloading Female-Knights, even a Devil and Former Demon King join in. Despite his circumstances, even with his life becoming increasingly chaotic, Banaza continues to enjoy his laid-back lifestyle. Please enjoy the story of the everyday life of the Furio family, which, with the birth of the twins, gets ever increasingly laid-back. Included is also the story of the man who became a Hero in Banaza’s place!