Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor) - Chapter 46: I Make the Rules

At the end of the road, in the throes of despair and impending death, Le Yu shouted defiantly:“If you have the guts, then kill me.”The enemy sneered and said:“I've never heard such a strange request.”Le Yu died.Then Le Yu came back to life, living in the enemy's body.This is a story where being killed means possessing the killer.“Why are the ones who kill me always some enigmatic, cunning figures with complicated backstories and numerous impending quests?Why aren't there some honest, wealthy, lady-charmer winners in life coming to kill me!?”

Shu Yu transmigrated to become a mob character, exiled into oblivion after appearing twice after helping the female side character who kept trying to dig a deeper hole for herself.Realizing she couldn't change the outcome, Shu Yu decided to just goof off.But even before the exile came, she was suddenly told that she was not a daughter of the Shu family.She was born to a farmer's family, who were so poor they couldn't afford to repair their leaking house. Having decided to eliminate the tarnishing of their good name, Shu Yu's adopted family decided to murder her.Shu Yu: Come on, see who dies.Returning to her biological family, the sight of a plate of salted vegetables, a barely-full bowl of rice, and her real parents' nervous looks, she finally sighed.No more goofing off, or she's going to starve to death.

Deep Sea, the mental network connecting the Five Continents, is rapidly propelling human civilization forward, but no one knows that eternal night is coming. When the transcendence awakens, the grand buildings will collapse. When flesh and blood are bitter and weak, how can people ascend? The tale begins with an encounter and the receiving of a ruler carrying truth. Gu Shen, an ordinary young man, unveils a corner of the truth about this transcendental world and becomes the largest moth among thousands being drawn to a flame. When the bitter winter comes… I will ascend against the tide, overturn the thrones of kings, shatter the crowns of hypocrisy, and destroy the scepters of injustice. I will become humanity’s final Light Barrier.

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!