The Delayed Tutorial

THE DELAYED TUTORIAL • BOOK ONE

The Delayed Tutorial

The System came late.
Humanity paid the price.

By Brian D. Schomp

COMING DECEMBER 15, 2026

About the Book

The Tutorial was supposed to prepare humanity. It showed up late.

When the world changes without warning, Jake Mercer has one priority: keep his family alive.

That would be easier if monsters weren’t appearing, people weren’t being forced to choose new lineages, and an ancient System wasn’t suddenly treating Jake like a candidate for a job he never applied for.

Every answer creates another problem. The Tutorial is broken. Old defenses are waking up. Something has been waiting a very long time for Earth to catch up.

What to Expect

Grounded LitRPG

A System Apocalypse where progression matters, but so do the consequences of living through it.

Family Survival

Jake is a husband and father first. Survival isn’t just about becoming stronger.

Broken System

Delayed rewards, overdue notifications, ancient defenses, and a Tutorial that clearly isn’t working as intended.

Ancient Mystery

Candidates, Wardens, forgotten civilizations, and questions that get worse every time Jake finds an answer.

Dark Humor

Because apparently the apocalypse can still come with administrative problems and terrible customer service.

No Harem

No harem and no romance focus. The story stays centered on survival, progression, monsters, family, and the larger mystery.

Book Details

TitleThe Delayed Tutorial
AuthorBrian D. Schomp
SeriesThe Delayed Tutorial, Book 1
GenreLitRPG / Progression Fantasy / System Apocalypse
Publication dateDecember 15, 2026
Publisher / ImprintSchomp Publishing
ISBN979-8-234-24576-2
FormatPaperback
Trim size6 × 9 inches
Page count622 pages
LanguageEnglish

Final cover artwork and retailer links will be added as they become available.

Read before release

Advance reader copies of The Delayed Tutorial are available free through BookFunnel while the ARC period is open.

If you read the ARC, an honest review is appreciated. Reviews are never required to be positive.

Go Behind the Tutorial

Book 1 is finished. The story isn’t.

On Patreon, you can read ahead of the Royal Road release and see more of what went into creating The Delayed Tutorial, including early sketches, character concepts, worldbuilding, lore, and ideas that changed along the way.

That includes Korthai, the language created for the series, with its words, translations, pronunciation, writing conventions, and the history behind it.

With Book 1 complete, Patreon is also where I’ll share more of what comes next as I move into Book 2 and continue building the world beyond the first book.

READ AHEAD • SKETCHES • CHARACTER CONCEPTS • WORLDBUILDING • KORTHAI • LORE • BOOK 2 • BEHIND THE SCENES