Pick Me Up! - Chapter 13: Laying the Groundwork (1) Part 2

Dual Cultivation is an art. The more you focus on doing the art, the worse it becomes. Only when doing it becomes part of the art itself, does one truly experience it to its fullest.

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!

The 'Black Phantom'. A name when uttered would send chills down the spines of anyone who worked in the underground world. That name was akin to a boogeyman to every rich and powerful individual. No one knew his face or his identity as everyone who met him never lived to tell the tale.

It was said that if the Black Phantom was to target you, you have two choices. Either commit suicide or pray that you get a quick, painless death.

However, in unknown circumstances, that legendary hitman suddenly vanished from the underworld, never to be seen again. The reasons were a mystery and the uproar it created was nothing short of historical.

***

Kai Miller, a normal high school boy, lived his life in obscurity. He didn't have any particular hobbies, friends, or a girlfriend. Even in school, no one gave him a glance as he was the 'quiet kid' of the class. However, when a mysterious person appears in his class, a secret that the boy had tried to hide for years was going to be revealed and along with it, his past comes back to try and pull him back into the darkness.

However, Kai had one simple goal, to protect his peaceful daily life... Even if it means he will have to eliminate every enemy he had and will have.

***

If you like a badass MC and likable female leads each with her unique character, goals, and actions, set in a mysterious and intriguing world that keeps getting more and more interesting as the story develops then this book is for you.

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Dear readers! Without any ads, maybe you will prefer .

He Zening had always felt that novels depicting the life of a Company President were good for passing time, but insulting to the IQ. Still, having read countless novels of this genre, never did she imagine that someday she would transmigrate into one of them. To make matters worse, the plots were so similar that she could not remember which novel it was. She was left with no choice but to assume the role of a secretary to the President.

The secretaries in novels ran errands for the President, assisted him in pursuing women, helped him keep the flames of love burning, and even took the blame for him if necessary. But a real-life secretary? They were blamed by those in power, sometimes hurt and reprimanded wrongly.

If it were not for the excellent pay and necessity, she would have already bolted out of the door. And like all curious bystanders, He Zening wanted to see the plot happen before her eyes; the President meeting the protagonist! A villain standing between the love of the leads! The side characters!

This is the second life of a level-headed, diligent secretary working hard to achieve a carefree life, whilst being dragged into the plot.

- Description from Novelupdates