A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 14Book 1: : The Characters of a Slave

Damian, a Centurion of the Punishment Unit of the Baroque Kingdom. “Damn it.” Just once. If I were given just one more chance… ‘I would have truly conquered the battlefield with these guys.’ At the age of 30, he closed his eyes on a nameless battlefield. But when he opened them, he found himself back 17 years in the past. And this time, he had a perfectly functioning mana core that could wield magic. ‘This time.’ I will rise higher than anyone else. I won’t be swept away by the turbulent times. ‘I will conquer.’ Damian, who has returned to the past, wields his spear toward the world.

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.

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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!

As one of the world’s top hackers, Yu Han suddenly died because she stayed up late launching an attack on a certain country’s firewall! She did not expect to transmigrate into a romance novel that her friend had arranged for her to read and become a female supporting character with the same name in the novel. Yu Han expressed her dissatisfaction. What right did others have to transmigrate into the female protagonist while she could only be a female supporting character? Wait a minute! Yu Han was suddenly excited because, in the novel, her fiancé was the top celebrity in the novel, Ji Jun.

He was also her favorite man in the novel because he was the only one who did not have a brainless crush on the female protagonist in the novel. Now, this man was her fiancé! It was rumored that the top male idol in showbiz, Ji Jun, had a crush on someone. His fans, “Impossible, I don’t believe it. Brother loves us!” When they heard that the person Ji Jun had a crush on was Yu Han, his fans, “ It’s impossible. Brother only treats Yu Han as his junior that he wants to promote!” During a variety show, Heartthrob Ji lost in a game of truth or dare and chose truth. The host, “I heard you have a crush on someone. Is it Yu Han?” Yu Han gave him a cold glare. Ji Jun answered, “No.” Snap! The red lights on the lie detector’s glared red. Yu Han, “…?” His fans, “…?” She was the star in the sky, while he was the star-picker.

Epilogue 1: “Shocking! The popular female star, Yu Han, sold her body to seduce a seventy-year-old man for the sake of stardom. Here is a picture as proof!” While the entire internet criticized Yu Han for her shamelessness, Ji Jun’s trust in her never faltered. He tagged the reporter and replied to him with two words, “F*ck you!” Yu Han read Ji Jun’s protective words in shock and was overjoyed. With the entire screen filled with curses, Yu Han started a live stream and taught the netizens how to photoshop photos and videos. At the same time, she also restored the photos that were circulating on the internet. The netizens were shocked that Yu Han actually had such skills! At the same time, after restoring the photo to the originals, everyone wondered how the man in the photo resembled Prince Charming Ji Jun so much!

Epilogue 2: The transmigrated Queen Yu had a headache. Yu Han knew that the Ji Jun in the book had a serious obsession with cleanliness. “Can we ask the director to do a cheat cut for this kissing scene? Aren’t you a clean freak?” The smile on Ji Jun’s face widened. “We’re not canceling that scene. Are you doubting my professional ethics?” Yu Han, “…” A certain female star in the same production crew just finished shooting a scene where she fell into the water. She looked at Ji Jun pitifully. “Brother Jun, I don’t have any strength left. Can you help me?” Ji Jun did not even look at her. “Sorry, I have issues with cleanliness.” Yu Han, “…?”

The most unlike Slytherin.

There is a saying in the Slytherin common room, “The little wizard who disobeys will be eaten by the Night Stalker.”

He is the master of the stars that shines at Hogwarts, the Night Stalker who is feared by his enemies.

The glory made him the pride of Slytherin.

When the Dark Lord arrived, he said those words,

“Weapons, I need a lot of weapons.”

With a staff in his left hand and a sword in his right hand, everyone would shout for him: “Damn the Sorting Hat, is this Slytherin?”

When the stars return to Hogwarts, John Wick’s light will shine on the entire wizarding world.

- Description from novelbuddy