MTL - When I Bind the Plot Maintenance System - Chapter 89

My name is Joo In-gong. The name that my parents gave me meant ‘protagonist’ of the world. Really?

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!

She transmigrated into an orphan, thinking that she still had her boyfriend with her, yet in an instant, her world crashed. For the position of heir, he said, “Yao’er, why don’t you become my second wife?” A sentence destroyed her wishful thinking, causing her to end their relationship of two lives cruelly. Leaving the hustle bustle, she then lived in a forest, wanting to find an honest man to spend the rest of her life with. But not long after getting married, she realized that the honest man she married was a bit dishonest.

D-list celebrity Zhong Ruanxing had been embroiled in controversies over her sultry figure ever since her debut. Smear campaigns and malicious rumors clung to her like a shadow. Years of oppression from higher-ups and sabotage by rivals made it difficult for her to shake off her reputation as a femme fatale, severely hindering her career.

Song Jingxing, CEO of the prestigious Song Group, graduated top of his class and stirred up storms in the business world with his capabilities. An aloof presence at the pinnacle of power, his interpersonal relationships were a mess, with even family keeping their distance. People loathed his attitude.

A freak accident caused these two very different people to swap bodies.

What they thought would be an arduous ordeal turned out to be an unexpected boon. Each found they could easily resolve issues that had plagued the other.

The celebrity living the CEO’s daily life: Greeted his family affectionately, treated subordinates with care, gave employees benefits, complimented his secretary’s new hairstyle—starting the day with vigor!

The CEO as celebrity: Trampled over rivals, tore apart enemies, sent lawyers after antis. Whoever dared provoke him would die! The CEO was whipping the entertainment industry into shape!

Much later, netizens posted:

[Who is Zhong Ruanxing’s backer? Her resources are too good now. From nobody to A-lister, whose thighs did she hug to get here?]

Online influencers hurried to speculate about the magnate behind Zhong Ruanxing.

Until the famously aloof CEO of the Song Group responded: I’m pouring resources into my own girlfriend. Got a problem with that?