Castle of Black Iron - Chapter 25: Belief

I’m a proud NEET who’s devoured every romance novel, manga, webtoon, and otome game out there.Just when I thought I’d conquered it all, a black bunny appeared in my dream.“Congrats! You’ve been chosen to help villains win across multiple worlds!”“Like a game?”“Uh . . . sure.”“Great, I’m in!”And just like that, I became an agent of the Villain System.Time to rewrite some happily-ever-afters—villain style.**[NOTE!]** This novel features multiple short arcs, each exploring different tropes such as ancient China, the modern world, beasts, werewolves, vampires, fantasy, school romance, idol groups—you name it! The twist? Each arc focuses on our MC making the villain (male) triumph over the male and female leads.The story is written primarily in 2nd and 3rd person POV for a dynamic and immersive experience.|| Excerpt ||[WARNING! MATURE Content Ahead!]“Then serve me . . . properly.”The command was both sensual and authoritative, and Xue Li’s pulse quickened under his intense gaze. The air between them grew heavy, her trembling hands faltering as she began to run the sponge across his chest, her touch featherlight against his scars.“Y-yes your majesty.”Xue Li’s hand trembled slightly as she dipped the towel into the warm, fragrant water, her breath catching as she squeezed it out over Han Feng’s shoulders.The water cascaded down his chiseled frame, tracing every ridge and contour of his muscles. She swallowed hard, focusing intently on her task, though her heart raced like a drum in her chest.She began at his shoulders, her touch gentle as the towel glided over his skin. His scars, a mix of old battles and untold stories, caught her attention, and she hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.The warmth of the water mixed with the heat radiating from his body, and the intimacy of the moment sent a shiver up her spine.Han Feng leaned back slightly, watching her through half-lidded eyes, his expression unreadable. “Slower,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that made her pulse skip.Xue Li obeyed, her movements becoming more deliberate as she ran the sponge across his chest, down the defined lines of his abdomen. Each stroke felt unbearably sensual, her fingers brushing his skin as she worked.She tried to maintain her composure, but the proximity to him, the sheer physicality of his presence, made her feel as though the air had thickened.When she reached his arms, he extended one lazily, letting her clean him as though it were his divine right. Her hand moved carefully, trailing down his forearm to his wrist, her touch so soft it almost tickled.Han Feng’s silence was oppressive yet charged, the pressure of his gaze pinning her in place.As she lowered the sponge to his torso again, her hand faltered briefly near the sharp line of his hipbone. The water ran over his skin like liquid fire, and her breath hitched when she noticed the slight curve of his lips, a hint of satisfaction playing there.“You’re trembling,” he said, his voice velvet smooth, making her flinch.“I-It’s the steam, Your Majesty,” she stammered, though she knew it was a poor excuse.Han Feng chuckled softly, the sound deep and rich. “Hmm . . . Is that so? Then you have no problem cleaning my cock right?”Xue Li's eyes trembled, on the verge of tears, which seemed to please Han Feng. His smile grew wider as he urged her on.“Go on. You're going to serve me properly, aren't you?”

After mistakenly contributing all of his attribute points to the drop rate, Xiao Shi found that every time he killed, he would get an item.

Slapping a mosquito to death, drop a pill.

Killing an evil spirit, drop a secret book.

Slashing a martial artist to death, drop the opponent’s cultivation tips.

….

When killing, Xiao Shi was shocked… “How did I become invincible?”

When Fang Yuan was transmigrated into a world where Gu Breeder was the main profession, he found that he was not gifted.

Not only that, the Gu in his body could cultivate on their own.

[Your Iron Skin Gu has trained profoundly and has achieved the Gold-grade!]

[Your Bloodthirsty Gu has begun to multiply itself into a swarm of Bloodthirsty Gus!]

[Your Sunlight Gu has been absorbing the power of the sun for years and has gathered the Truth Flame of the Sun!]

[Your Drunken Gu has evolved into a Soul-reaping Gu. Your control over it has risen by 100 folds!]

[Your Flying Sword Gu was hurt in battle. Amid its desperation, it has evolved into a Sword God Gu!]

“Heck, even Gu undergoes involution as well now?” Fang Yuan let out a sigh.

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!