Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu‎ - Volume 10, The Final Question

“Ding!”“Congratulations on receiving the following Unique Skills:-–Appraisal (Basic)–Skill Absorption (Mythic)–Universal Synthesis (Ultimate)”_____________________________________“Synthesis Skills— Swift Sword Strike + Fire Toad's Breath.”“Ding!”“Congratulations! Your Skill Synthesis was successful.”“Your skills evolved into: Azula Sword Strike.‌”“Synthesis Materials— Titanium Runic Sword + Wyvern Bones”“Congratulations! You Synthesis was successful. Your Sword has evolved into Skeletal Dragon Sword.”-----In a heart-wrenching tale of loneliness and despair, Ethan Smith's life has been one of unending tragedy. Orphaned at a young age and tormented by a relentless terminal illness, he spent his final days confined to a cold, confined hospital room.As he takes his last breath, he awakened in a mysterious void, where Ethan is given the opportunity to choose three unique skills that will define his new existence. With millions of options but only three choices, he carefully selects his path, setting the stage for an extraordinary journey after death.Reincarnated into a fantastical world filled with magical Skills, powerful beings, and untold dangers, Ethan must navigate his new life, wielding the skills he chose to survive and thrive in a realm where anything is possible.But the question remains: Will this second life bring him the happiness and purpose he was denied in his first, or will it lead him down an even darker path?

All Chu Lian had done was to read a book where the female lead had cheated on her wonderful husband. While wondering why, before she knew it, she was waking up in the body of that very same female lead!

Wait, did that mean the handsome husband from the book was hers now? Chu Lian decided to welcome him with open arms!

However, what she got wasn’t the kind husband she had been expecting. Instead, his personality seemed to have been completely flipped! He left her all alone on their wedding night… and just five days into their marriage, her dear husband abandoned his loving wife and left to enlist in the army!

Fine! Be that way! She could pass her days perfectly well somehow, even if she had to do it alone!

Chu Lian put her household in order, charmed the rest of her new family, and did a little business on the side. She even opened up some new trade routes! Her days passed peacefully and leisurely… Until her dear husband got into trouble at the frontline of the war.

Hmph, isn’t he crawling back to me for help in the end? Forget it, I’ll go save him myself!

Iris Morris is by no means looking for any more drama in her life ( she has loads of it thanks to her mom). However, when Lucas Andrews pops up and ruins her interview, the drama she has been running away from unfolds in all the “wrong” ways, like him suddenly filling her small circle of influence. . .and her mind!For Lucas Andrews, nothing is as important to him as getting the Adder magazine to be number one on the bestsellers list worldwide. So when Iris comes to support the promise he made to his mother out of her sheer love for editing, he can't help but fall for hard for her, especially when a fake dating deal to ward off his possessive “fan girl” comes into play.

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!