Alpha

The Earth barely survived the Third World War. It isn't ready for the War of the Worlds. A beam of pure Chaos has descended, connecting Earth to the Labyrinth Universe. Monsters will spawn, heroes will level, and nations will fall. A new magical system combines LitRPG leveling and Wuxia cultivation in a world that always pushes its characters to the edge.

No empty child has ever survived to a year of age — yet he has reached thirteen. Frail in body but strong in mind, he has been a burden his clan has paid dearly to keep alive at the edge of civilization. He might have lived in this crippled state for many years. But when unexpected guests arrive at the estate, everything changes: he will either die at last — or learn to survive on his own.

Some say the Grove is the most dangerous land in the entire North — a perilous wound on the face of the planet, home to freakish mutants who carry within them a piece of Death's own nature. Reaching it is hard. Leaving it alive is harder. Escape, for those brought there unwillingly, is said to be impossible. He's no great hero. Just a level zero whose last life ended in frailty, failure, and flame. But he has never let the word 'impossible' stop him.

A carefully laid plan unravels when a cunning dwarf and two goons force him to act before he is ready. Now he must move against the scourge alone, without the army of helpers he'd prepared — and the town he seeks may conceal something he has been searching for his entire life, only to find it under siege. To make things worse, he's been mistaken for a spy — and a bloodthirsty maniac has just offered him a walk to a place used to frighten children.

A rough diamond needs the right lapidarist — and the one fitting the bill is truly excellent, if deeply eccentric. A recluse atop a tall, barren mountain, he does not take kindly to uninvited visitors and has plenty of secrets, the most unexpected of which leaves anyone gasping. The training begins — and it turns out even he can still be surprised.

For two years he has worked toward one goal: the door. Behind it lies what will make him truly powerful — but it cannot be bought with money. Access requires a special currency: rating points. The race to earn them begins now.

Rumor has it that this year's leaders will receive an unusual reward from the Emperor himself. No one knows its exact nature, but the number of prizes is limited and nearly everyone wants them. The battle for rankings plays out in hearts, minds, school walls, training grounds, and even city streets. It will be fair — and not. It will be bloodless — and the stuff of nightmares. The winner takes all.

An unexpected book makes hunting for treasure far easier — and reading into it what the authors never intended provides a welcome bonus. These are lucky waypoints on the journey toward the world's greatest mystery. But there is one problem: everyone and his brother has already been there, and even the worst losers know the way. Is this the end of the road — or have they all been knocking on the wrong door?

A city that seems to offer democracy in a feudal world turns out to be something far darker — a slum in a dry, inhospitable desert, rife with pervasive corruption and formidable enemies on all sides. The task at hand looks simple at first. It is not. And the price of failure is a certain unfortunate secret hallway in the local ruler's palace.

The enemy is strong and numerous, pressing their attack forward. He has no army, no supplies, no weapons. Corruption is rampant, the government is in free fall, and rioting mobs run free. And yet orders have come: pull out, save face, and leave no allies behind. It may simply be easier to win — and change the regime while he is at it.