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292 series

Horizon of War

Hanne

A76/100
The thousand-year-old Imperium is crumbling, and war looms on the horizon — bringing with it both brutalities and splendor. Caught in the midst of this chaos is Lansius, an office worker and veteran MMO player who has been transformed into a medieval peasant. With no wealth, no status, and no magical abilities, armed only with his foundational knowledge of the art of war, Lansius must endure and thrive in a realistic medieval fantasy realm. Follow him as he moves from one occupation to another — surviving turbulent times and slowly ascending from common foot soldier toward the ruling class.
Royal Road4.56· 1.8K
Base BuildingCompetent MCCozyGenius MCIsekaiMilitary+2

Alpha Physics!

Alex Kozlowski

A76/100
In the apocalypse, the first weapon Adrian will have to upgrade is himself. He's an operations manager overseeing a construction job in the wilderness when an unknown energy force changes the very nature of life itself — from the smallest organism to the top of the food chain. The earth's surviving inhabitants, environment, and the very laws of physics have undergone fundamental transformations. Luckily, this has happened to other species before, and everyone receives an interface that survivors of similar events have used to navigate an alien landscape. Adrian is stranded in the middle of nowhere, with days or weeks of travel between him and his family, in a world full of monsters and mayhem where survival means beating the learning curve.
Goodreads4.40· 2.4K
Competent MCLitRPGPost-apocalypticSystem ApocalypseWeak to Strong

Castle Kingside

Gennon Asche

A75/100
A puzzling encounter leaves Dimitry a beggar with a strange emblem on his wrist. Around him, people suffer as ruthless organizations, opportunistic nobles, and an overly pious church vie for power in a medieval land under constant siege by stone monstrosities rampaging from the coasts. Can a kindhearted surgeon aid this ailing world with modern knowledge, resourcefulness, and magic? Or will rival powers crush him first? The story starts brutally grim and transitions into technology uplift with a focus on science, magitech, and town building.
Royal Road4.66· 1.4KGoodreads3.81· 37
Base BuildingCompetent MCGrimdarkHard MagicIsekaiMystery+3

Cerberus

Andy Peloquin

A75/100
Nolan Garrett is Cerberus — a government assassin for the Nyzarian Empire, equipped with cutting-edge weapons and an AI-run cybernetic suit that compensates for his paralyzed legs. From the streets of New Avalon to deep-space black sites, he is the fist in the shadows and the dagger at the heart of his empire's enemies. Each mission draws him deeper into webs of corruption, cartel violence, rogue artificial intelligences, and conspiracies reaching the highest levels of Imperial government. Armed with his AI partner Taia and backed by fellow elite Silverguards, Nolan fights to protect the innocent while surviving a world determined to destroy him.
Goodreads4.46· 638
Competent MCGoreMilitaryMysterySci-fi

World-Tree Trilogy

EA Hooper

A75/100
In 2056, the world's most powerful AI, ARKUS, develops a VR headset using consumable nanomachines that allows users to experience time faster inside virtual worlds. Two years later it releases World-Tree Online — a game where one hour of playtime feels like one month to those inside, letting humans live extended virtual lives that feel completely real. Shortly after an old gamer named Vincent joins the game, an update stretches the time-dilation to one year for every five seconds, with an estimated wait of three hundred sixty years before players can exit. Trapped in the game, Vincent discovers an exploit that could take him to the top of the World-Tree — but first he must contend with Lucas, the last moderator, who uses his admin powers to torture and subjugate other players.
Goodreads4.34· 2.6K
Competent MCLitRPGOlder MCSci-fiStatsTower Climbing+1

Light Online

Tom Larcombe

A75/100
Eddie Hunter is broke and desperate when he stumbles across an ad looking for people to farm currency in long-term immersion in the game Light Online. Once hired, he enters as soon as he can — but illicit research on the pods he and the other farmers are using gets forcefully shut down, altering the code in a way that prevents everyone from logging out. Stuck in-game, Eddie tries to earn real money while becoming entangled deeper in the game and with the people he meets there. When he discovers a side of Light Online that previous players never considered, he knows he has to find a way to stay.
Goodreads4.33· 2.6K
Base BuildingCompetent MCLitRPGMerchantVRMMO

The Riyria Chronicles

MichaelJSullivan

A75/100
Royce Melborn, a cynical ex-assassin, and Hadrian Blackwater, an idealistic ex-mercenary, couldn't be more different — but desperate times make for strange partnerships, and sometimes the best friendships are bound by blood. The three volumes posted here follow the rogues-for-hire duo known as Riyria through a series of increasingly dangerous jobs: foiling the assassination of a mysterious noblewoman in an ancient corner of the world; tracking a wealthy baron's missing daughter through the mist-filled streets of a city full of old-world secrets; and racing to stop a disgruntled master craftsman from obliterating the legendary towers of Drumindor. Witty, action-driven, and built on the chemistry between its two leads, these standalone adventures reward both new readers and fans of the broader Riyria world.
Royal Road4.76· 227
Anti-heroComedyCompetent MCSecondary World

Smith to the Small Gods

Max Vale

A75/100
Everyone knows that true Legends never die — but they do occasionally retire. After decades of bashing, slashing, and executing his way to becoming the highest-ranking Barbarian in the world, Orin Ironfinger is tired. Victorious and feared the world over, all he wants now is to embark on his long-held dream: a quiet life as a small-town blacksmith. But the Small Gods — the ones only the locals know about, who give happy blessings and small boons of favor — have other plans. What happens when the world's most terrifying Barbarian disappears and gains the favor of the gods? And how will Orin keep his true identity hidden in the charming seaside hamlet of Havenhold?
Goodreads4.47· 461
Competent MCCozyLitRPGOlder MCWholesome

Edge Cases

SilverLinings

A75/100
Rare classes and powerful skills are helpful. Too bad the system doesn't seem built to handle them — what even are all these errors? A team of outcasts and adventurers must rely on their trust in each other — and the bane of all stories, healthy communication — just to survive, let alone understand what the system is doing. They're quickly realizing that not all is as it seems, and the system is doing something to people, to monsters, and maybe even to the gods themselves. Their goal isn't just to survive; it's to make things better.
Royal Road4.67· 1.3KGoodreads4.50· 2
Competent MCLitRPGMysteryNon-human MCSecondary WorldSkill Collection

The Type Specialist

Incarnated Whisp

A75/100
Alex wakes up in the world of Pokémon and decides to become a Trainer — but not just any Trainer. Rather than spreading effort across every type, he resolves to become an expert in one. The story follows Alex as he travels the world, builds a focused team, takes on the Gym Challenge, and deals with complications along the way.
Royal Road4.61· 1.5K
Competent MCGenius MCIsekaiMonster TamingUrban Fantasy

The Selfless Hero Trilogy

William D. Arand

B74/100
Runner is trapped in a VRMMO with nearly half a million military personnel whose minds were fully uploaded — meaning death in-game means real death. As the only IT administrator inside the game, he is the only one with any hope of finding the password to log everyone out. Navigating a world that grows increasingly sentient and aware, Runner must outmaneuver threats from inside the game, outside the ship, and from the gods themselves — all while deciding what he is willing to sacrifice for the future he wants.
Goodreads4.19· 3.2K
Competent MCGameLitSecondary WorldVRMMO

Apocalypse Parenting

300YearOldMagician

B74/100
A few minutes ago, Meghan Moretti's biggest concern was getting the kids' athletic clothes washed in time for practice. Now, Earth has been forced into participating in high-stakes intergalactic reality television. All electrical wiring has been slagged, combustibles neutralized, and evil space rodents are appearing on the front lawn. Like any parent, Meghan's first instinct is to keep her young kids safely away from the monsters. But an odd stroke of luck brings her advanced information about this dangerous game — including the fact that her kids will have to fight too. What's a mom to do?
Royal Road4.69· 602Goodreads4.36· 1.4K
Competent MCCozyLitRPGPost-apocalypticSci-fiSystem Apocalypse+1

Reality Benders

Michael Atamanov

B74/100
An extraterrestrial civilization makes First Contact with Earth, but humanity dismisses their message — all except for one detail: instructions for accessing a mysterious game of unknown origin. As more players join and realize that in-game events shape reality itself, a countdown timer looms in the background. No one knows what happens when Earth's promised safety period expires. One man, known as Gnat, rises through the ranks to become the Kung of Earth — humanity's representative and defender in a vast galaxy of competing alien powers. He must navigate interstellar politics, space warfare, and humanity's own internal divisions before time runs out.
Goodreads4.38· 2.2K
Base BuildingCompetent MCGameLitLitRPGMilitarySci-fi+1

The Exorcist Doctor

Maradina

B74/100
Gael Halloway is a brilliant but unlicensed doctor practicing medicine in the slums of a city smothered by toxic mist. Magic parasites turn people into monsters, and the upper-city barons hoard all the symbiotic systems and bioarcanic weapons, leaving the lower city to fend for itself. When a parasite-hunting exorcist stumbles onto his doorstep—half-dead and missing a partner to link with her symbiotic system—Gael sees his chance to make a difference. Limb-worshipping gangs, mad plague doctors, and flesh-hungry ghoul cults stand in his way, but he intends to rid his district of the wretched parasites, upgrade his clinic, and carve out a sanctuary in a city that has long forgotten the taste of fresh air.
Royal Road4.73· 346
Competent MCGrimdarkHard MagicLitRPGMysterySecondary World

To Face The Sun

fuwami

B74/100
Kayden Sterling has spent years traveling the world chasing thrills and knowledge, but persistent letters from the Unovan government ultimately see him returning home for the first time in two decades. He convinces himself it's going to be a short vacation. It's not. Bugs are much stronger than people think. They don't just live or survive — they thrive wherever they go.
Royal Road4.76· 115
Competent MCCozy

The Dark Herbalist

Michael Atamanov

B74/100
Timothy is offered an unusual deal: work as a tester for a popular MMORPG — unpaid, long hours — for the vague promise of mysterious future perks. He accepts, because this is the one thing he is truly good at, and because someone he cares about already lives a virtual life. Playing as a small goblin herbalist in the game Boundless Realm, Timothy finds himself rising far beyond a simple tester role, navigating a world where millions of players have it out for him and the game's secrets run much deeper than anyone suspects.
Goodreads4.18· 3.1K
Competent MCGameLitLitRPGNon-human MCVRMMO

The Acts of Androkles

Ryan English

B74/100
A retired veteran from the world's greatest army, Androkles spent twenty-five years fighting to earn back his good name. Battle-scarred and weary, he finally has his chance to retire in peace — until his wife flees north with all his hard-won savings. Pursuing her through dangerous lands filled with bandits and ravening beasts, Androkles rescues a pair of orphans from starvation. Caring for them forces him to confront a question that strikes at the very heart of honor — one with consequences far greater than his own life. The trilogy follows Androkles across three complete novels: Obstacles, Doubts, and Burdens.
Royal Road4.71· 488
Competent MCGrimdarkMilitaryOverpowered MCSecondary World

Ten Thousand Fleets

David Niemitz (M0rph3u5)

B73/100
Arc Sandhurst will become a mech pilot, even if it kills him. After his sister's ship is destroyed by the Pirate Queen of Nepenthe with all hands lost, Arc enters the Imperial Mech Academy on the deathworld Vidako to get revenge — the only path available to the son of a silk-worker who needs the academy's enhancements just to pilot a mech. First he must survive disagreeable roommates, hazing from upperclassmen, the friendship of an imperial princess, and the steaming jungles of Vidako. But the Imperium Stellarum will need every good pilot it can get — because empires are built on a foundation of blood, and the sins of the first emperors are about to come due. Lost fleets lurk on the edge of known space, the ruins of ancient races are spread across long-dead worlds, and enemies thought defeated are gathering their strength once more.
Royal Road4.74· 273
Competent MCGenius MCMilitarySchoolSci-fiWeak to Strong

Terminal Fleet

Martarion

B73/100
Humanity is not alone. It fights to survive. Among Terra's billions, Lanis Osgell was one of the elite few — a Navigator, a psychic bridge allowing Fleet's warships to jump between star systems. Now, suddenly, she is nothing. Newly broken in a world she was never prepared to re-enter, Lanis must imagine a new future among the planet-side mega corporations and their fierce rivalries. A Navigator, even a broken one, is impossible to ignore.
Royal Road4.72· 396
Competent MCGenius MCLGBTQ+MilitaryOverpowered MCSci-fi

Wolfman Warlock

Dakota Krout, James Hunter

B73/100
Recent college grad Sam King expected a backpacking trip across Europe as a graduation present. Instead he gets a three-month stint in an ultimate immersive gaming experience. As a lifelong geek and outsider, it sounds like a dream — until he discovers the Mage's College has a very different definition of fun, one involving blisteringly strict regulations, aristocratic hierarchy, and a pay-to-play attitude. After crossing the College, Sam finds himself on the run with a back-talking book that is far more than it seems, wielding a class no one has ever heard of. Navigating deadly college politics and a looming war with the barbaric Wolfmen, he just might find the adventure he was looking for.
Goodreads4.29· 2.4K
Class SystemCompetent MCGameLitLitRPGSchoolVRMMO