MTL - This Star Doesn’t Work Overtime - ~ Happy Lantern Festival everyone

After annihilating Han, Zhao and Wei empires in succession, the dynasty of Qin is ushering in an unprecedented flourishing age with powerful cultivators emerging endlessly. People take pride in being part of the Qin dynasty. However, Ding Ning, a young lad of humble origin in Changling, Qin, is determined to subvert this dynasty and kill the emperor who breaks in the Eighth Realm.

Those people killed her grandmother, murdered her younger brother, trampled the people she deeply cared about, and even took her own life.

It was because she trusted her ambitious stepmother and half-sister;

because she mistakenly believed that womanly virtue is to have no talent;

because of her noble status and origin….This is what caused her death.

Buried in river water, Ouyang Nuan, gritted her teeth and spoke, “I, Ouyang Nuan was wronged in death. Even if it takes forever, I will become a devil, and in the next life, will not let you off!”

When she once again opened her eyes, Ouyang Nuan was sent back in time to when she was twelve years old. Around this age, her forehead was scarred, her brother fell into the water, and in three years she will be married…

In this life, she will try to change everything to guard and protect those she cares for from those with treacherous intentions. She will live a glorious life!

- Description from Novelupdates

[Sys--... ini--tializing...][Err0r: M3m0ry c0rru--ion d3tect3d. Pr0c33ding 4nyw4y.][Miss10n: Unkn0wn. Purp0s3: Und3f1n3d. Proc33d.]Laverne never believed in the supernatural. To him, life was already complicated enough without worrying about things like ghosts or reincarnation. But when a reckless act of bravery ends in fire and chaos, he wakes up to something far worse than death—an unfamiliar world governed by an unfathomable system.Marked as an Anomaly, an existence that shouldn't be, he finds himself entangled in forces beyond mortal comprehension. The world he is reborn into runs on the concept of Ka, the essence of life and fate itself. Yet, unlike others, his Ka does not conform—it rebels. The system that governs this world struggles to define him, its very framework warping around his presence.With each step forward, he realizes that his mere existence is enough to tip the scales of destiny. Some will seek to control him. Others will try to erase him. But one truth remains:'In a world where fate reigns supreme, what happens when something stands outside of its design?'

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!