Skybound Throne - Chapter 29: Battle stages I

This is a time of great powers: The vast Persia, Sparta that was founded by force, Athens with its trade and business, Thebes the rising star, The ambitious Macedonia, The twin heroes of the Western Mediterranean, The rising Rome and so on.

This is an era of brilliant stars: Agesilaus II – the last king of Sparta, Epaminondas – the Rising General of Thebes, Philip II – the founder of Macedonian’s hegemon, Dionysius – the tyrant of Syracuse, Camillus – the Roman dictator and savior…

This is an era of contention among a hundred schools of thought: Plato – the great philosopher, Antisthenes – founder of cynicism, Pythagoras – school of number, Democritus – the encyclopedia scholar, Hippocrates – the father of western medicine, Aristophanes – the great dramatist…

What will the hero bring to the world when he comes to this age as a humble mercenary through rebirth?

Extraordinary and decadent world.

Individual power determines order.

The family masters knowledge, monopolizes resources, and increases its heritage from generation to generation.

Fate, physique, spiritual consciousness, comprehension, spiritual roots, Taoist tools…

All elements leading to the avenue have been cut off.

Mortals can’t breathe.

For thousands of years, the order is eternal, and only the true immortals overlook the world.

It was not until a modern man who was constantly reincarnated and enhanced his talents came and discovered the mystery of this world that the world was turned upside down!

Let’s see him walking in history, exhausting time and accumulation, breaking this eternal order, and shining brightly.

Going against fate and killing immortals is on the way!

- Description from novelbuddy

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!

Crossers invaded the world and thrust Humanity into an interworld conflict.Humanity's instinct for survival was stimulated—rekindling the ancestral bloodline's legacy that lies dormant within them. Vampires, Elves, and even Demons were not mere figures of fantasy, but rather the true ancestors of Humanity in ages past.Thus, Hybrids were reintroduced to the world.Lucivar Asarafall, a man of humble origin—failed to awaken his bloodline. Despite his good deeds, his family loathed him. In his final trial, he swore to succeed but fate intervened, he was chosen as the monthly sacrifice for his city.In a near-death experience, his bloodline awakened, an Angel.A turning point in his life, but soon he realized that he was not the Angel he thought to be.In a world where the rulers were descendants of Dracula, the Dark Prince—or Chi Long, the Inferno King, the bloodline of malevolent beings from realms beyond mortal comprehension coursed through Lucivar's veins.While others became Hybrids, Lucivar became the messenger of Evil Gods, a False Angel.“Who cares about good or evil? If I kill someone wicked, it's a win, one less rival in my way. If I kill someone noble, it is still a win—the world would've consumed them sooner or later. So why not let it happen by my hand? After all, I'm more practical. I became stronger and you get a painless death, win-win”———Very manipulative and unhinged MC, be warned. He's a slave to the Evil Gods.A trickster God.An arrogant God.A chaotic God.A wrathful God.A puritanical God.Read to find who these Gods are!———