Technological Empire Starts From Shanzhai System - Chapter 24: Let go, I’m going to pretend!

What if you met a teacher who was once a surgeon? When you were thirteen years old, both his and your mother were being rescued in the same hospital. However, six to seven years later, he can no longer hear any sound and unable to work in the surgery theatre anymore. Holding a book, he has become an ordinary university lecturer.

What if he is the same as you – abandoned by his mother, and a father who he can’t talk about?

What if he lost his health because he tried to save the nation?

What if, he loves you?

Can you bear not to love him?

“To have Ping Sheng in your life, life has no regrets.”

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!

Gazing at the Starbucks café at the airports had become a ritual for her. A desperate attempt as she hoped against hope to see him again, probably get one more chance to kiss him again.

Looking at the store all lost, she walked ahead, but stumbled and bumped against someone.

The cup of coffee that he had in his hand spilled all over just like the first time when she had met him.

“Jesus Christ”, he muttered.

The moment she heard the voice she looked up and saw his face. It was the same face that had promised to stay next to her, till death did them apart.

Tears flooded her eyes and she could barely speak, “I knew you would come back for me Raymond”. She raised herself on her toes in an attempt to kiss him, but he blocked her lips with his palm.

“Whoa, whoa, Miss !!! I guess you have mistaken me for someone else.”

“What are you saying, Raymond? It's me, your Akira. The love of your life, your fiancée,” she said and stretched her hand showing the ring on her finger.

He stared at the ring for quite some time and then looked at her face apologetically and said,

“Miss please, I am already a married man.”

And then he silently walked away.

**Mature Content**[I hope the day never comes when I can’t find a reason to keep loving you, for you are my every reason.]*********************Yoon Haeun, a quirky 27-year-old chaebol heir and who runs a game company, is often pestered by his unconventional mother about settling down and having children. As an omega who has never experienced his heat cycle, Haeun is constantly set up with alphas by his mother. Unfortunately, the pheromones of these alphas usually make him nauseous and disgusted.Everything changes when Haeun meets Cheon Yeongsoo a third-generation heir whom he has previously disliked. When Haeun encounters Yeongsoo’s pheromones, he is unexpectedly enveloped in a sense of safety and comfort—a feeling he’s never experienced before. As Haeun’s heat cycle arrives, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to Yeongsoo.Three days later, Haeun wakes up disoriented in Yeongsoo’s bed, his mind racing with confusion and a surge of panic. The room is unfamiliar, and the scent of Yeongsoo’s pheromones is overpowering. He tried to piece together the fragments of his memory from the night before, only to realize the gravity of his situation. The man he’s long disliked is now his unlikely savior, and the last thing Haeun wanted was to admit how much he had grown to need Yeongsoo.**Excerpt**Haeun looked up at Yeongsoo with a pout, his hand resting on his pregnant belly. “Will you still love me if I weigh 200kg and become very ugly?”Yeongsoo chuckled, pulling Haeun close and gently hugging his bulging stomach. “You’re already displeasing to the eyes, so it doesn’t really matter.”Haeun’s eyes welled up as he looked at Yeongsoo,obviously hurt. “Are you saying I’m ugly?”Yeongsoo’s smile softened as he held Haeun, brushing his fingers through his hair. “Whether you weigh 200kg or become ugly, you’ll always be the prettiest person in my eyes. Why? Because I love you. You’re my everything, Haeun. And no matter what, that won’t ever change.”Haeun’s heart swelled, a tear slipping down his cheek as he snuggled closer. “You really know how to make everything feel okay.”Yeongsoo kissed his forehead tenderly. “That’s because being with you is the best part of my life.”