Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) - Book 1 - 1-5. Fortress City Life Begin!

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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Oliver Patrick, the Greatest General in Stormfront's history has a secret - a secret not many know. They think that his Iron WIll was built overnight. They know not the path of suffering he walked, as the slave Beam, to reach his destiny as King, and then Emperor.This is that story. A true story, of progress, struggle, hardship and strength. A story of greatness achieved without a system. A story of how one unknown boy's struggle transformed a continent forever.//ExtractThe arm dropped to the floor, as did the head. Spear points raced past the falling corpse as the goblins sought to take advantage of his momentary lapse in attention. But the tide had already shifted. The equilibrium that had kept the battle going for so long was shattered. With no bruiser to take care of their front lines and distract his attention, the goblins in front of him were no match for his speed.He employed his misdirection as he normally might, feigning the same backwards step that he had practised over and over, before leaping forward, catching the goblin off guard, twisting his body to avoid its spear and forcing his blade into its throat.It let out a high-pitched squeal as it dropped its spear and attempted to stem the tide of blood that was spurting from the wound. The goblin next to it squealed too, in fear this time, as its eyes widened, seeing two of its comrades dealt with so easily in quick succession. Beam saw it take a backwards step, as it attempted to turn and run away. But he was on it before it had a chance. He wrapped his arm around its neck and drove a sword through its back.Rather than let the corpse fall to the floor as he normally might, he held onto this one, enduring its death throes. Once life had finally left its body, he shifted it into place as a meat shield. Two arrows thudded against it, almost piercing it straight through. But the time they reached Beam the momentum was entirely gone – though they touched him, they did not even pierce his clothes.Slowly, with his meat shield in place, Beam advanced on the remaining goblins. They both shared a glance with each other as they dared to fire another volley, before turning on their heels and attempting to sprint away.“Stay,” a brief moment of eye contact, and one of the goblins was rooted in place. Beam tossed his shield aside and picked up a spear instead. With a twist of his hips and shoulder, the spear went soaring, impaling the running goblin straight through its stomach. Its bow fell to the ground, as strength left its hands. It then fell to its knees, before falling face down to the floor, pushing the spear back through itself.

Hasami Tatsuro and Yashiki Ai, two ordinary teenagers, experienced an earthquake while on the way home from school.The earthquake cracked space and transported the two to another world.Landing in an unknown forest, the two initially began to grieve. However, unbeknownst to them, a system had installed itself into their bodies, granting them the ability to gain skills and statuses.Hasami Tatsuro obtained the “Level Eater” skill. “Level Eater” allowed the host to devour others’ levels/skills and make it his own.Yashiki Ai obtained the “Valkyrie” skill. “Valkyrie” allowed the host to obtain and use any offensive skills from different classes, without the need to specialize.With their cheat skills and teamwork, they managed to venture out of the forest and explore the new world.This is a story of two ordinary kids.

“The fallen, the near extinction, those who wish to die, the rich, those who have been loved by life, and those who have been chosen. Are you ready to leave everything you have behind? Are you, the ones chosen by the gods themselves, ready to write history?”“Are you, the reason for the creation of the line between life and death, ready to become holy beings? Are you ready to climb beside Zeus, Odin, Archangel Michael, Lucifer the Fallen Angel, Buddha and others? Are you ready to become a God?”“You've been chosen!” These words would be the words James would hear the most from the moment he entered the tower.Behind the strange events, special feelings and dozens of things lost, James would have only one thing on his mind:“I will break through the tower and meet Chaos himself.”