Ryo thought moderating online drama was the worst part of his job. 

After years of night shifts, caffeine, and defending the Internet's most polarizing figure — Llewellyn, the world's most famous hero, the System's golden boy, and the only person alive with Transcendent-level Elemental Mastery — Ryo figured he'd seen it all. Conspiracy theories? Fan petitions? Cult-like followers? All in a night's work. 

What he didn't expect was the System deciding his online arguments counted as combat experience and dropping him straight into battle with Llewellyn himself! 

He also didn't expect the Internet to start shipping them! 

And he certainly didn't expect the System's idea of "combat partner" to involve an absurd amount of physical contact disguised as Healing Bonuses, shared body heat, Dungeon environments that look like dates, or being randomly teleported onto Llewellyn's lap! 

Llewellyn might be the strongest person on Earth, but he has no one to watch his back. Luckily for him, Ryo has had to deal with the unhinged online backlash around him for years… and he is more than willing to get his hands dirty in person.

💡 What you'll find: 

BL | Magic | System | 18+

• M/M Romance
• Night-shift comment moderator x Overpowered hero
• Mutual "I'd die for him" energy
• Protective ML whose love language is pinning him down
• Slow burn that doesn't feel like slow burn
• Character-driven
• Feral Partnership
• The System is a Shipper 
• Banter

• Magical Combat

• Power Couple 
• Mutual attraction 
• Only one bed 
• Non-toxic yaoi that's still unhinged 
• Smut + Ropes
• Aphrodisiacs + (Safe!) Semi-Public Places
• Enthusiastic consent!
• Soul bonds + Telepathy
• Online drama 
• System mechanics 
• Elemental magic 
• VR games 
• Slice of life downtime 
• A penguin!
• Accidental domesticity
• Found family
• Everybody ships them including Grandma
• The apocalypse is already happening, and the Internet is not handling it well
• The strongest hero alive, possessive over one man

🚫 What you won't find:

• Non-con 
• Miscommunication tropes 
• Love triangles 
• Harem anything 
• Sappy anyone 
• A protagonist who’s ever had a normal sleep schedule 

🎐 Tone: 

A mix of serious and funny, with both romance and high-stakes action. The world might be ending, but people are still annoying online, and Ryo is extremely tired (and increasingly attracted to Llewellyn). 

Content Note: 

🌶️ This is the explicit, 18+ version of the novel! The rating goes up a lot as the story progresses. Expect mutual attraction, sexual tension, and explicit scenes between consenting adults. 

🌸 A non-explicit version is also in the works, with chapters currently available through a dedicated Patreon tier and the novel's Reader's Companion App. I was planning on posting it on Tapas, but since it's shutting down, I'm going to have to scrap that plan 🥲 That said, I will find a home for it somewhere. Feel free to join my Patreon as a free member for updates.

🗡️ This story also features fantasy combat, monster attacks, and action-based injury typical of the genre. Blood occasionally appears in fight scenes. 

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Cover art by @twinayaume

Welcome, welcome! ✨ 

Thanks so much for checking out The System Runs on Magic. This webnovel currently updates 2x/week:

Update schedule:

📅 2x/week (FREE) on Tapas, Webnovel, Inkitt, AO3.
📅 2-3x/week (Early Access) on Patreon. 

Patreon is 25+ chapters ahead. Patrons also get access to the novel's Reader's Companion App and an exclusive Discord role.

Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

I'm so excited to share this story with you. 

🖋️🥞