Follow the path of Dao from infancy - Chapter 946 - 192: It Is Indeed I

“It’s true… So why does no one believe me?”Sometimes, I play small pranks, but they’re really just small ones.I’m not the mastermind at all.

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!

The world ended.Zombies and monsters rose. Cities crumbled.And Merek? He woke up in the apocalypse with a job that lets him create armor for lingering souls—spirits without bodies, desperate for purpose.Turns out, the dead don’t rest easy. Some are angry. Some vengeful. Others? Just lost. When Merek binds them into steel warframes, they don’t just fight... they evolve.Now, he leads a legion of the undead—ghosts in armor, bound to him by oath and fate.Faction leaders call him mad. Warlords want him dead. And God? If He’s watching, He’s not talking.Merek was supposed to die with everyone else.Instead, he got a support type job no one’s heard of... and a shot at rewriting his pathetic Earth-life.In this world, only the fittest survive.And Merek? He’s got undeads in steel at his side.

Qiao Jinniang's parents passed away the moment she came of age.For the sake of inheriting a restaurant, she had no choice but to ‘recruit’ a husband who would take her family name.Who knew that her husband, who looked like a banished immortal, was an ingrate? He snatched her child away and left behind a divorce letter.Qiao Jinniang became the butt of every joke in Lin’an City. Seeing that her uncle was about to take her parents' blood, sweat, and tears for himself, the son of the Prefect of the Superior Prefecture wanted to take her in as a concubine.However, a horse carriage sent from the Marquis arrived in Chang'an City. An old lady servant clad in an embroidered robe walked up to her and called her "Young Miss".It was only then that Qiao Jinniang realized that she was the eldest daughter of the principal wife of Marquis Anyuan. Back then, when the marchioness gave birth to her, she encountered a robber. At that time, a jealous concubine switched out her daughter with the chef's daughter.Therefore, a divorced female chef who had already given birth entered the capital. Everyone was waiting to see this real heiress make a fool of herself.They were secretly guessing when the real heiress would be abandoned by the Marquis.Yet, they failed to expect Qiao Jinniang to open up a restaurant in Chang'an using her amazing culinary skills. Even His Majesty showered her with praise. She was pampered by everyone in the Marquis' residence.Those long-tongued women in Chang'an City said sourly, "So what if a woman gets pampered at home? She's long past the age of 18 and has already given birth. Who will marry her?"The Marquis found Qiao Jinniang quite a few husbands. However, despite many marriages being in discussion, none of them went smoothly.As the marchioness's face was covered in tears, the fake daughter said she wanted to give Qiao Jinniang her husband instead.Qiao Jinniang took the rolling pin and kicked open the Eastern Palace's main door. "Since you've already divorced me, why are you still ruining my marriage?"A certain crown prince said, "How can we let the mother of the royal grandson marry someone else?!"