Sophia Demiurge - Chapter 159: Sand and Lava

Rajesh Kusapari hopes to find a lifelong partner; Xie Yongqiang hopes to be with Wang Xiaomeng for a lifetime; Ji Xiaolan does not want to disappoint Du Xiaoyue’s love; Yuan Hua does not want to hand over Qiuya to others…

Awaken the system, travel through the world, and save the bachelors of the heavens!

I am Xiang Nan, I am working hard!

- Description from novelbuddy

Li Wei lived a dull, overworked life—until destiny (or a rogue truck) intervened, catapulting him into a world of mystical cultivators and deadly power struggles. Waking up in the body of Li Wei, the infamous and lazy heir of the Immortal Ice Sect, he finds himself in a precarious position: surrounded by enemies, burdened by a reputation for arrogance, and targeted for assassination. The only thing worse than inheriting this life? Realizing his new body’s cultivation potential is off the charts... if only the previous owner hadn’t been an idle narcissist.With the sect matriarch as his coldly disappointed mother, a stoic yet dangerously competent protector in the ice-cold beauty Leng Yue, and a mysterious “Young Master System” pushing him toward reckless behavior, Li Wei must balance survival with ambition. Every quest forces him to embrace the absurdities of an over-the-top cultivation world—whether humiliating enemies or accumulating riches—while concealing his true identity as a transmigrator.But as he’s exiled from the safety of his sect and thrown into the chaotic world below, Li Wei quickly learns that charisma, cunning, and a knack for manipulation might be even deadlier than swordsmanship. After all, why fight fair when you can command, deceive, and dominate?With ancient relics, feuding clans, and dangerous beauties complicating his journey, Li Wei's rise through the cultivation ranks is anything but conventional. What starts as a quest for survival may just become a path to unstoppable power... assuming his outrageous system quests don’t get him killed first.Will Li Wei overcome his past’s shameful legacy, outsmart his enemies, and become the true master of his destiny—or will his laziness, scheming rivals, and shameless arrogance bring him to ruin?

After struggling for three years in the apocalypse, because of her mother's act of kindness, Ji Wanwan and her family were harmed by their so-called relatives and died horribly to the countless gnashing of zombies. When she opened her eyes, she was back three days before the apocalypse began.At this time, she had awakened the Super Shelter System.While everyone was engulfed in the zombie crisis, Ji Wanwan was lying flat in the refuge, collecting rent and recruiting underlings...When her enemies came knocking and her softhearted family once again tried to morally blackmail her into taking in those relatives, Ji Wanwan said—We're not close, stop claiming relations!Want to stay? Sure!Hungry? Sure!Want to freeload? No way!!!What? Still want to cause trouble? Then let the underlings throw the troublemakers out, offering them as a human flesh gift package to the zombies outside the shelter!This time, Ji Wanwan made it clear that she lacked virtues in her life, so nobody should even think about morally blackmailing her!In her refuge, she made the rules!But wait, what's up with these underlings?Max-level Water Element Superpower big shot: Wanna play with water? Carrying a water gun and squirting zombies, the kind that doesn't make a peep?Max-level Gold Element Superpower big shot: Do you like gold? I'll take the crystal cores from the zombies and make gold jewelry for you!Max-level Wood Element Superpower big shot: Like orchids? Fine, I'll make the zombies' heads outside grow full of orchids!Max-level Fire Element Superpower big shot: Want to see fireworks? I'll blow up all the zombies outside for you!Max-level Earth Superpower big shot: Zombies too ugly, hurting your eyes? Bury, just bury them! If they're buried underground, you won't see them!Max-level All Elements Superpower big shot: Step aside, let me handle this!Ji Wanwan: “......”

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!