From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel - Chapter 45: Maze (1)

“What, how the hell did I get here?” Vorden a normal 20 year old guy in an urban world gets trapped in a video game. He goes through trying times, life and death battles in the hope that he can find his mom. Don't miss out on the most eventful Urban Fantasy story with twists and turns, with friends and foes, and with love and hate.

Born to a mother on death row and subsequently raised in the prison, Gu Tianyou did not have what most people would consider a ‘normal’ childhood. Instead of the usual math and history one might learn at a public school, he had criminals for tutors. He received regular lessons from notorious serial killer, Dr. Miao, and earned protection from the respected Master Long.

With such a unique background, Gu Tianyou graduated from the Police Academy with little difficulty, and was assigned as an undercover cop. But will the skills he learned from a lifetime of being cared for by criminals be enough to help him take criminals down?

Summoning ceremonies can freely call forth even “those which lurk in the depths beyond the gods”. One boy has top-level abilities even among the cutting-edge summoners who can use those ceremonies. He is Alice (with) Rabbit aka Shiroyama Kyousuke. But this strongest boy summoner has a single fatal weakness. Certain “cursed words” spoken by girls: “Help me.”

When Kyousuke hears those words from Meinokawa Higan, a girl brought to the verge of death, he throws himself into a city where three great summoner forces clash!

After being killed by a high-velocity tree-hug, Arlo is transported to a new world of skills, stats, and levels where those brave and talented enough to conquer ancient Delves are rewarded with incredible supernatural power. Unfortunately for Arlo, there is no tutorial, and he is immediately forced to tackle a Delve set to the highest difficulty with a party of adventurers who are not only strangers to him, but strangers to each other as well. Arlo has no armor, no weapons, no knowledge of the world at large, and his party is growing increasingly suspicious of his lack of preparation and paper-thin excuses for how he got there.There's also the fact that the System seems to be treating Arlo's situation like a big, cosmic joke.Determined not to die again, Arlo forgoes putting any points into his highest stat, Intelligence, and instead dumps everything he's got into Fortitude. After all, who needs equipment or fighting skills when you can eat fireballs for breakfast and still ask for more hot sauce?Mage Tank is a comedic LitRPG adventure set in an epic fantasy world that is rapidly evolving as new and powerful secrets of the Delves are uncovered. There are strong horror themes, graphic violence, overindulgent use of naughty language, and poorly constructed jokes. Mage Tank features slow progression and intelligent characters who spend time making intentional build choices. It’s not action all-the-time, but Arlo’s life is replete with danger and, more importantly, consequences.Cover art generated with MidJourney and Canva.Maps and world-building support by Sir Raiu Koren.