Welcome to the Man-Eating Dungeon - Chapter 67: Front Face, Back Face: Pulling Strings (Part 1)

On his 20th birthday, Asher's mother confessed something he never expected. After the truth was revealed, she died giving her last blessing to him. That's when Asher found himself all alone, confused about his own identity and worrying about his future.What did she say?-He was someone special?-Someone people would come after?She said he was coming from a very rare but also a very special race called omega where men could get pregnant. Was it real? At first, Asher strictly refused to accept his mother's confession. But in the end, he had to believe it. Because it was the bitter truth.If he was really coming from such a rare race, and had such a special body, did he have to live all his life hiding so he wouldn't get caught and become someone's plaything? Was that the only way to avoid getting the bad ending his father got?Why was he even born as someone like this?! He just wanted a peaceful life.So, it wouldn't be as dangerous as his mother said if he just forgot he was special and lived like a normal person, right? People would not notice. Alas, it's been a long time since people last saw an omega and they must be believing no omega exists now.At least that's what he thought...He thought people might have forgotten about his existence and he would not have to face any problems in the future. Whether he was special or not, he still became a target.When he was kidnapped and auctioned as a slave, he regretted ignoring his mother's last advice.“Don't trust anyone easily. Your safety is in your hands and protecting yourself is your duty.”He could only blame himself and expect for the worst if his special identity was to get revealed and meet the same end as his father did.However, his fate gave him a second chance along with a huge surprise which changed his life for the better.Hopefully, Asher was saved by the so-called 'bloodthirsty monster' duke and brought to his mansion to babysit his spoiled 10-year-old little sister who threw tantrums declaring she wants Asher to pat her head and comfort her.Just to babysit this adorable, little girl. He was safe. His secret was also secured within himself.Thanks to that chaotic sister and brother, Asher's life slowly took new turns and continued with almost no obstacles...till some point.The surprise?The duke happened to have some kind of a 'strange' illness that had no cure.Not long after when Asher discovered it, he ended up becoming the perfect cure for his illness.But how?-Remember? He was 'special'!Where would his specialty as an omega lead his life to?What kind of mysteries would he have to encounter with this duke wishing comfort from him? Will the duke's 'strange' illness ever get healed?How would their story flow to that perfect happy ending with the twist of love landing in the middle of their 'just a deal'?

Deceived into marriage, exploited for a lifetime as a nanny without pay, and finally beaten to death by her adoptive mother in front of her adoptive father's sickbed, Shen Mianmian's miserable life came to an end.When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back at fifteen. Shen Mianmian vowed to escape her past fate, punish her malicious cousin and adoptive mother, but accidentally shone too brightly in the process.The third-to-last student in school suddenly rose to the top, becoming the candidate fought over by prestigious universities, causing a sensation among all the teachers and students...While others were busy studying, Shen Mianmian was busy starting small businesses to make money...While others were preparing for the college entrance exams, Shen Mianmian purchased the two most notorious haunted houses in Beijing in one go... becoming an oddity in everyone's eyes, they mocked her that even if she had the fortune to buy them, she might not have the life to live in them.While others graduated and were busy looking for jobs, the haunted properties purchased by Shen Mianmian were requisitioned by the government, earning her a considerable amount of demolition compensation.Those who had mocked her couldn't help but slap themselves twice... inquiring everywhere where there might be haunted houses for sale.Shen Mianmian, originally needing to borrow money for tuition fees, used the demolition funds and leveraged her rebirth advantage to buy a suitable plot of land and built a rental building, transforming into a Beijing's wealthiest and most prosperous landlady...One day, Shen Mianmian, carrying a bag of keys and having just collected the rent, was dragged to the Civil Affairs Bureau.“Shen Mianmian, it's time for you to pay back what you owe me.”

Payload specialist, Tang Yue, who is a mechanical and electrical engineer by training, is left stranded on Mars when he receives news from his AI robot assistant, Old Cat, that Earth has exploded. He believes himself to be the last human in the Universe.

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!