Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time - Chapter 12: Public Duel (2)

[This is your typical story where there is a System of unknown origin given to mankind, and the existence of Towers, Dungeons, and Constellations, the known or unknown ‘Gods and Demons’ of humanity’s collection of myths.]

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— Ding!

[Astronomical Event!]

An event called 'Emergence of Races' struck the human world where the planet Earth was stretched out like dough causing it to become seven times its original diameter.

Various Towers and Dungeons sprouted out of nowhere that caused an earthquake that broke the seismic scale.

Billions of humans died in the process that crumbled human society in an instant.

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And just like that, Russell Moon reincarnated in the world of his-considered-failure unpublished novel [The Forgotten Swordsman of Ruined Star], sixteen (16) years before the beginning of the ‘Main Story’ which was set forty (40) years after the Emergence of Races.

And due to that very reason, the existence of 'Untouched and Unknown elements' came back to bite him!

'Why did I write that way?'

Russell Moon lamented.

“You died.”That was what the mysterious figure told him, but then he was given a second chance for the good deeds that he did in his previous life.“Super Prodigal System!”“Cultivate to immortality by wasting as much money as you can!”For the former number one prodigal of Earth, this was the perfect system!

True evil needs no reason to exist.

“All living creatures must die, but I wont. ”

Once known as the most talented and knowledgeable scholar/philosopher across three continents, he basked in the praise and reverence of those around him. However, tragedy struck one fateful night when he bore witness to the cold-blooded murder of his entire family. Driven to madness, he embarked upon the path of power, the path of negative energy, and thus, The Great Demon, Badur, was born.

In a single day, a mountain of corpses were stacked, many of which fell to his blade. However, during his final pursuit of revenge, he met his untimely demise. His soul was extracted and cast into the void, where it would endure eternal suffering.

However, his jouney would not end here……

“What do you desire?”

A grotesque creature floating in the void asked while staring at the bruised and beaten soul of a young man.

[Ding!! Host has received Void grade Treasure]

[Ding!! Goal has been set : Attain True immortality]

A new lease at life is presented

A deal with a Demon filled with resentment

A new journey, a new Dawn

With that the great Demon, Badur is reborn

ps: the book won't progress the way other novels have been progressing. if you don't like a unique development then maybe this isn't the book for you.

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!