Instant Death - Interlude - Then, shall we try raising the degree of difficulty?

It was the year 2169. The apocalypse finally arrived.

Global warming, zombies, nuclear war, all at once. Just one tipping point and the world itself would crumble.

Then, Nova Corp, a hegemon of the corporate world, seemingly convinced the global super powers into doing the impossible: Taking everyone online.

And they did. Everyone, poor or rich, was taken into the VRMMORPG: World Online.

A fantasy world where anything was possible. A utopia, unlike everything that the real world was.

But what was supposed to become a method of existence, became a battleground for supremacy. Companies, world powers, and the rich battled to become the greatest.

The disparity between the poor and the rich grew. There was no justice in this world. It took Darwin's words further than any other.

Jake, as poor as one could get, was caught in the rift, torn apart by the unfair system.

He was a dog of the Shadow King Guild, and even though he was absolutely loyal, in the end, the guild cut him off.

He was without an anchor and left in the cruel world. He knew no Utopia like the others.

But one day, when he opened his eyes, nothing was the same anymore.

Opening his eyes, he found himself ten years in the past. He was done being the henchman now. He was not going to let himself be used anymore.

Now, it was time for him to fight back. So what if the strongest were going to stand in his way? He was going to be unstoppable.

When Demon Lord, Syryn Nigh'hart, found that he had gone back in time and turned into his child self, he had assumed to do better with his second life. Commit smaller crimes, keep away from burning villages and inciting other demons, contribute to society, abide by most laws, you know? But then the hero, his old friend, had to fall in love with him and ruin his plans.

Goddess, I cannot take responsibility for your champion, Rowan Windwalker, getting bent. Please don't strike me down!

#Gold Tier winner of WPC (forgot the contest number)#y'all this shit gay so don't go walking in expecting it to not have men sucking faces#N̶o̶ ̶h̶a̶r̶e̶m̶(my dumb self thought harem means mc marries many lovers)#Reformed and immature demon lord (but he's nice now okay. He isn't psycho.) #Hero is an extremely patient man for putting up with the demon lord's nonsense # MULTIPLE POTENTIAL LOVE INTERESTS #Slow Romance#Slow like you have to wait for around 40 chapters (smut too) before it starts #Patience is needed #Lots of it#alternate day updates because I have to study#english is neither my first nor second language so bear with me#The cat is not the ML ಥ‿ಥ some of you are getting the wrong idea.

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!

Cayena, the Imperial Princess, was known as the most beautiful woman in the Empire. She was a woman who knew nothing but evil and luxury.

However, she was destined for ruin: she would be used as a chess piece by her younger brother to secure his throne and killed by her crazy husband.

“I’ll make you the Emperor.”

“… Sister, are you referring to me?”

“In exchange, give me freedom.”

She had to change things before she became that Cayena.