Strayer [Runic Lifeforce]

Need some Tags?  World-Hopping, Xianxia, Unique Power, Survival, Dungeons, Kingdom Building, Strategic Combat, Anti-Hero, Hidden-OP, Slow-Burn Power Progression, LitRPG.

The world shattered and reformed, merging with eight others in a chaotic patchwork of biomes, instances and dungeons governed by a greedy, incomplete system.

Pulled back into the fray without any explanation about what's going on, university supply manager Vincent must rely on his cynical wit (and unorthodox gaming skills) to survive. Starting without even a proper stat sheet (forget leveling up or distributing stats), Vincent must leverage his unique ability to exploit game mechanics (and anything that might resemble them) to eventually navigate treacherous dungeons that connect worlds, and ultimately replace the broken system with something better.

Are there loopholes to be exploited when reality folds itself under the control of a system?

* The story starts even before the ‘tutorial’ stage. The system won’t waste resources on those deemed unworthy. Survive first, prove yourself, and then, maybe, learn how to thrive.

* The crappy system will be replaced by a proper one after the ‘integration’ phase. Newbies don’t get to explore their potential properly unless they reach the ‘tutorial’. (No stat sheet at first.)

* Xianxia, cultivation and the discovery of inner potential, no stat increase by gaining experience and leveling up (indirect approach: gather stuff, craft stuff, use stuff, improve. That’s how stats grow).

* Dungeons will be a core element of worldbuilding (and world-hopping), connecting many worlds (told ya) through a whole different ‘layer’ of reality accessible only through dungeons. They are not meant to be just “cleared” for resources, they are strategic resources.

* Instances (temporal instances) are exclusive to integrating worlds, better not get attached to them as a mechanic, dungeons will replace them completely later (but they aren’t that different).

* There will be adventurers, hunters, delvers and cultivators. Guilds, Clans, Sects, etc. But those will only come into play after the ‘tutorial’ phase, upon reaching the ‘starting cities’. It might take a while.

* No harem. No murder hobos. No sex scenes. No plot armor powerup. No leaving enemies alive for them to come back and annoy you over and over, and might as well get rid of most of their families while at it just to be sure (too specific?).

* Content warnings are mostly for creative freedom. English isn’t my native language, any feedback on that (and on any other topic for that matter) is welcomed. This novel is only posted on Royalroad (and Patreon), if you find anywhere else then it’s pirated.

Release Schedule: at least 2 chapters a week (Tuesday and Friday, before 4mp est).

Average chapter length: 2500 words.