ON ASTRAL TIDES: FROM HUMBLE FREELANCER TO ASTRAL EMPEROR

What would you do if one day you were told you were one of the chosen who would have to battle to save the world? Akio was an average guy, having moved to the big city from his humble town in the mountains. Sure, his IT freelancing job wasn't making him big money, and he wasn't exactly a hit with the ladies, but life wasn't all that bad... until one day a mysterious angel-like being visited him to tell him the Earth was in danger. Many would be chosen to fight this fate, but would any succeed? Of course, if one could have the usual cheat skills everything would work out, wouldn't it? So why was his skill like a garbage pay-to-win mobile game? Akio would have to not only hone his skills and build his Astral Empire, but he would need to raise money, secure land and become a player on Earth too! Facing this challenging task alone would surely be impossible, so Akio needs to make strong and beautiful allies to take on all those who would oppose him. Who would that be, you ask? The old myths of Earth are returning, alien invaders are waiting outside on the Astral Tides, Cultivators are looking for their next faces to slap, Demons are whispering poison into the ears of anyone who would listen, and whoever was trying to save Earth by granting various people powers were making some really awful choices... Join Akio as he starts at the bottom of the ladder, clawing his way to the top and discovering one can change their destiny, so long as they work hard (and have a boat-load of money!). [This story is a modern world LitRPG where I try and balance the real world, the other world and various character-development scenarios. The pace can be described as 'measured', as there is a lot of 'slice-of-life' style events to balance 'number-go-up' and Territory capture] What can you expect from this story? MC and side characters who are flawed and make mistakes, but ultimately grow and change, bettering themselves and the world around them. Yes, the MC does start off a bit weak and whiny, but he does get over it as the story progresses. It's a slow burn though. Likewise Harem and romance. it is most definitely harem, though again it's a slow burn and not easy to reach. There are some r18 scenes with them, but these don't happen until a fair way into the story. Real-world consequences of power. I'm trying to explore this slowly, so expect politics down the line. Base-building in both the real and the other world, growing power, money, influence and more. it's a slow burn but a focus. Cultivators, Faeries, Demons, Gods and more, though again, it takes a while for more and more of these to appear.