I Quit Being The Male Lead’s Rival - Chapter 111: Qualifications of the Mind (16)

In his previous life, An Ji seemed to have the word “unlucky” written on his forehead.

He was born into nobility, but ended up living on the streets for ten years. He found a beta boyfriend, but the scumbag tricked him into cutting out his glands. He dedicated his life to the omega cause, but ended up dying without an intact corpse.

It wasn’t until later that he found out that everyone described people like him as “beautiful, strong, and tragic.” The difference was that the beautiful, strong, and tragic characters in stories all have happy endings, but he only got death.

An Ji: “WTF.”

Then he is reborn.

In this second life, An Ji expresses that he will only be beautiful and strong. As for tragic? f*ck that shit!

But can someone tell him why his previously polite fiancé suddenly changed personalities?

Star history states that Emperor Rongwu had a brutal nature and outstanding ability. He ruled with an iron fist and created a prosperous world that lasted for hundreds of years after the war.

Everyone thought that he was too focused on his career to spare any attention for love. Very few people knew that he was always thinking about his fiancée, the true love that he let get away because of his ridiculous notions of kindness.

The great, unmarried emperor ended his long and lonely life after choosing a successor for the throne.

When he opens his eyes again, Li Rong has returned to his youth.

The young puppy Li Rong believes that if you love someone, you must give that person freedom.

The old dog Li Rong says that is all nonsense. If you love someone, you must possess that person at all costs.

Much later on, An Ji rubs his sore waist and thinks that his new life is still tragic to some extent.

The young puppy and the old dog come in turns. Even the strongest omega wouldn’t be able to stand it… ORZ

- Description from Novelupdates

Suddenly exposed on all the top news websites and social media platforms globally, 'Return Order's Notes' leads to a revolutionary virtual reality game.Game Name: 'Dark Sand'Game Type: Oriental fantasy historical theme, featuring a certain degree of soulslike difficulty and roguelike gameplay in a role-playing game.Requirements for recruiting beta players: Good mindset, quick reactions, strong stress resilience, a certain amount of historical knowledge, excellent physical condition.The most crucial requirement: superb acting skills, preferably at an Oscar-winner level!Special Reward: Among the beta players, the one with the most excellent simulated completion performance can undergo the ultimate trial and, after a perfect recording, have it presented to the public in film form, fulfilling your dream of becoming an Oscar winner!Players are complaining, they have never seen a game with such high entry barriers!What they don't know is that their every action in the game will truly affect both history and reality.

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!

On an ordinary day, Lucius stumbled upon a strange, run-down shop. At first, he assumed it was abandoned—until he stepped inside.[You have entered the Universal Alchemy Store.][Congratulations! You are now the store’s owner.][Please craft your first potion.]Lucius blinked. 'What kind of joke is this?' But as if guided by an unseen force, he followed the instructions. Minutes later, his first creation was complete.[Love Potion: The drinker will fall in love with the first person they lay eyes on.]Lucius swallowed hard. 'Wait… does this actually work?'Before he could process it, the shop’s door swung open.Standing in the entrance was no ordinary customer—she was an elf. Long, pointed ears, mesmerizing green eyes, and a body sculpted by the gods. A visitor from another world.A dangerous thought crept into his mind.'Should I test it on her?'