Avoid the Protagonist - Chapter 295: Zhuang Zhao and Zhong Qin (3)

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.

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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!

In the Tranquil Sun province of the empire, there exists an unremarkable lordship known as Xue Ying Territory! This is the home of the Dong Bo clan, the clan of our hero Xue Ying!

His father, a commoner turned noble; his mother, a noble who abandoned her clan for love, and his brother, an innocent toddler. But peace cannot last forever, Xue Ying’s peaceful life is shattered, and the only way to reclaim it is through power!

- Description from novelupdates

Gu Jin crossed into a novel as the supporting character and best friend of the main female lead, Cheng Xin.

Cheng Xin was frequently surrounded by men of status and quality. As Gu Jin was the female lead’s dearest friend, she doesn’t mind settling for the leftover meager soup if the female lead chose to eat the meat. The two sisters believed they’d enjoy this friendship for a lifetime.

But just as she was ready to latch firmly unto Cheng Xin’s golden thigh, she discovered the body she crossed into had memories of future events beyond the novel’s plot, finding out that her marriage would end in utter failure.

The female lead, Cheng Xin who often quarrelled with the male protagonist would head over to Shao Chong for comfort even though Shao Chong was married to Gu Jin. And after several incidences, Gu Jin advised Shao Chong to have a sense of propriety as her spouse but he told her not to think too much about it, claiming that he only maintained a pure friendship with Cheng Xin.

On the day Gu Jin was kidnapped, her good husband stayed by her cousin’s side and accompanied her to the hospital.

When Gu Jin transmigrated into this new world and learned of the truth, she did not wish to waste this new life as a supporting role for her cousin as the previous soul had done. She’d not live a life as a spectator in someone else’s love story. No. She would be the protagonist of her own romance in this new life.

- Description from Novelupdates

Don’t we all fantasize about our dream worlds, having us as the main character?

The Mc, Long Tao, got accidentally killed and is reincarnated. Accompany him in his journey through the unequal society of cultivation as he rises to the very top. Defeating adversities, fighting odds and enemies, making friends, and experiencing betrayals.

“An angel to my friends and a demon to my enemies.” A legend is hereby born; view his journey of rising from the dead ashes, spreading his wings and conquering the skies

“There is no path to the top of heaven except the one you forge with your own efforts.”