Follow the path of Dao from infancy - Chapter 4 - Levels Three, Six, and Nine

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!

Shen Yuan, a normal human who was living his life peacefully on earth died mysteriously, only to get reincarnated into the world of cultivation with an unknown bloodline so powerful that it even surpassed his chest system....“Hmm, looks like becoming an alchemist might be good. System, purchase the Alchemy knowledge.”[Ding!][Congratulations Host, for acquiring Heaven Refining Alchemy Sutra.]...Follow to see the journey of how Shen Yuan creates the strongest harem since the Primordial times to journey the three thousand world.

[Wsa entry.]James Dohan, a famous author working for the government, suddenly died after an accident occurred at his workplace.Nothing could have prepared him for the events to come.[You have reincarnated.]James soon found himself reincarnated into the body of Jared, the son of the village's elder in a demon-infested wasteland.The North, abandoned by a cowardly kingdom after a brutal war, crawled with monsters and desperate survivors. Jared left to save his father with a miracle cure, but James arrived too late—the Elder was dead, the village was starving, and the title of Elder fell on his unprepared shoulders.Luckily, he had a cheat code to rely on.[You have awakened your Infinite Item Shop System.][Current balance: 0 Sp. Buy everything, Sell anything.]Jared found a way to save the people of his village from dying from their own weakness and the horrors of the world.[You have gained 50 Sp.][You have purchased a pistol.][13 Sp has been deducted.][You killed a Dire Wolf.][150 Sp has been added to your account.][The villagers' loyalty to you has risen.][You have earned 300 Sp.][You can now convert this world's money into Sp.]With this system, Jared was more than ready to conquer the North, money, power and women.

Idol show for dead people?Rayen was suddenly thrown into a supernatural idol show after meeting an untimely death at the peak of his career as a band vocalist.Upon waking up in a strange building, with a creepy stalker fan claiming to have written his entire biography, and a strange jukebox demanding him to perform, he learned of his death and found himself in a bizarre situation.[Please select a song to dance.]“What? Dance? I don't know how to dance!”[Select a song or disappear?]“Ain't no way I'm gonna dance!”[If you want to revive, become an idol.]“Screw revival! I don't want to dance!”