Stray Cat Strut - Chapter One - Armored Elegance Takes the Stage

Grace Lightsinger is just a simple farm girl.Ever since the death of her parents, she's been taking this slowly, one day at a time. That changes when she dies protecting a stranger. But instead of a peaceful afterlife, she finds herself reborn as an angel with a mysterious “Saintess System” that no one else can see. She's made to choose between three factions of gorgeous immortals: warrior angels who fight demons, healer angels who tend the wounded, and love angels who raise morale through very intriguing methods.However, unlike other angels who can only master one path, Grace discovers she has an affinity for all three. This hasn't happened since the goddess Eternia herself walked the heavens, which leads to Grace learning that she might be more than just a regular angel. She might be Eternia's chosen successor, herself.But not everyone in heaven is happy about Grace's arrival. The scholarly Choir questions her legitimacy, fallen angels show dangerous interest, and that's not to even begin talking about the demons she'll be fighting.Grace wanted a peaceful afterlife, but between training, fighting demons, and trying not to die of gay panic, she's about to discover that heaven is a lot more dangerous than she ever imagined.

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!

The more ruthless the Palace is, the more miserable the loser will end up—this he understands. But what he does not understand is, why the brother whom he lived together with peacefully in the past, would so heartlessly humiliate him today. Asking him to beg for mercy, asking him to succumb to his knees, and even… asking him to tactfully entertain him. “Yong Shan, ah, Yong Shan, as of today you are the one who qualifies to succeed as a Crown Prince, what exactly is it that you want?”

For the past 16 years, Yong Qi’s gaze was never set on him. Despite being twins with his younger brother, Yong Lin, Yong Qi has always been directing his smile and laughter towards Yong Lin, and to him, Yong Qi deliberately alienates him. He does not understand, they have the same features and looks, and he obviously is his brother too, but why won’t he be intimate with him… as if he is humiliating him. “Yong Qi, ah, Yong Qi, why won’t you understand, what I want is very simple…”

- Description from Novelupdates

After an accidental space warp, Xenos finds himself in a place known as the True Universe—a vast cosmos filled with countless races, yet devoid of humans. Longing for Earth and a home he can no longer reach, Xenos trains tirelessly for billions of years, eventually reaching the pinnacle of what the universe can offer.During his relentless cultivation, he uncovers conspiracies, hidden truths, and the devastating reason why the human race is absent among the many races of the True Universe. The weight of this knowledge pushes Xenos to the brink of despair. Refusing to give up, he resolves to take matters into his own hands to rewrite fate itself.However, the ruling powers of the True Universe catch wind of his intentions and launch a brutal attack. Though wounded, Xenos narrowly escapes. After an arduous journey, he finally returns to Earth—only to discover his home universe has been destroyed. Overwhelmed by grief and anger, Xenos uses his knowledge to travel back in time to January 1, 3038.Now in the past, Xenos must act carefully. Using his Paragon-level cultivation risks alerting other Paragon beings, so he remains in the shadows, guiding humanity from behind the scenes. His mission? To lead the human race on a perilous journey through the planes of existence to the True Universe, where they can reclaim their rightful place among the stars.Will Xenos succeed in his quest, or will the forces of the True Universe crush his dreams? Find out by reading his epic journey—one filled with trials, heartbreak, and the burning hope of restoring humanity’s legacy.From the Author (Comedic Edition):Let’s be real, we’ve all had that “Oh, it’s good, but I’ll bookmark it later” moment. Spoiler alert: you’ll forget. Just bookmark it now, save yourself the regret—and me the anxiety of wondering if you’ll ever come back!#Reincarnation, #TimeTravelAdventures, #PowerfulProtagonist #SectBuilding, #ParallelUniverses, #DifferentRealms, #MultiverseJourney, #AncientMysteries, #AncientRaces, #CosmicBattles, #FantasyWorlds.