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1  The Perfect Run puts a unique twist on time loops by having the loop move forward in time as the main character establishes new “save” points. This format allows for the mystery of the plot to be explored from many different angles without feeling repetitive. The series features a lot of humor, a unique apocalyptic setting and meaningful character development for both the protagonist and a large cast of side characters. This completed series rivals Mother of Learning in both quality and all time popularity on Royal Road. Completed The Perfect Run
Ryan "Quicksave" Romano is an eccentric adventurer with a strange power: he can create a save-point in time and redo his life whenever he dies. Arriving in New Rome, the glitzy capital of sin of a rebuilding Europe, he finds the city torn between mega-corporations, sponsored heroes, superpowered criminals, and true monsters. It's a time of chaos, where potions can grant the power to rule the world and dangers lurk everywhere. Ryan only sees different routes; and from Hero to Villain, he has to try them all. Only then will he achieve his perfect ending... no matter how many loops it takes.
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2  Completed Mother of Learning
Zorian Kazinski has all the time in the world to get stronger, and he plans on taking full advantage of it. A teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, Zorian is attending his third year of education at Cyoria's magical academy. A driven and quiet young man, he is consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, resenting the Kazinskis for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, Zorian has no time for pointless distractions, much less other people's problems. As it happens, though, time is something he is about to get plenty of. On the eve of Cyoria's annual summer festival, Zorian is murdered, then abruptly brought back to the beginning of the month, just before he was about to take the train to school. Finding himself trapped in a time loop with no clear end or exit, he will have to look both within and without to unravel the mystery set before him. He does have to unravel it, too, because the loop clearly wasn’t made for his sake, and in a world of magic even a time traveler isn't safe from those who wish him ill. Fortunately for Zorian, repetition is the mother of learning…
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3 This epic length series follows a reluctant protagonist as he is forced into a system that is plaguing humanity called the “Nightmare Spell” and tracks his (and his friends’) meteoric rise to the top of the “Awakened” hierarchy. The depth of the world building is incredible, and countless mysteries arise as he explores the fantasy realm of the Nightmare Spell. This series is optimized for serialization by the chapter. Because of the pacing, I’d recommend reading this series in large doses rather than as each new chapter comes out. Right now there are over 1000 chapters to get started with! Ongoing Shadow Slave
Growing up in poverty, Sunny never expected anything good from life. However, even he did not anticipate being chosen by the Nightmare Spell and becoming one of the Awakened - an elite group of people gifted with supernatural powers. Transported into a ruined magical world, he found himself facing against terrible monsters - and other Awakened - in a deadly battle of survival. What's worse, the shadow powers he received happened to possess a small, but potentially fatal side effect...
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4 The MC is a likable everyman, the series is filled with dark humor and each book manages to create a completely unique feel as the MC and his sidekick — his ex-girlfriend’s cat — carve their way deeper into the dungeon. It is very violent with some body horror, so it might not be a good pick for the squeamish. This series is one of the most popular LitRPGs in recent years, even reportedly receiving interest in a TV/Film adaptation and published traditionally. Ongoing Dungeon Crawler Carl
The apocalypse will be televised! A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible. In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground. The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe. Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style. You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big. You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game—with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.
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5  Attempting to briefly summarize this series has been a challenge, but here’s my attempt: What if Scooby Doo was set in a Chinese fantasy world and all the characters solving mysteries were Gods in a pantheon with more drama than a reality television show and the whole thing manages to raise and solve compelling mysteries, have massive amounts of complex character development, and contains one of the most compelling romances I’ve ever encountered in a story? If that sounds like a lot, well it is. But it’s a wild and very fun ride. This is one of my all time favorite series. It was recently completed with the release of its 8th and final English translated installment. It also has received a fantastic anime adaptation that is currently airing its 2nd season which I highly recommend as well. Completed Heaven Official's Blessing
Born the crown prince of a prosperous kingdom, Xie Lian was renowned for his beauty, strength, and purity. His years of dedicated study and noble deeds allowed him to ascend to godhood. But those who rise may also fall, and fall he does--cast from the heavens and banished to the world below. Eight hundred years after his mortal life, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for the third time, angering most of the gods in the process. To repay his debts, he is sent to the Mortal Realm to hunt down violent ghosts and troublemaking spirits who prey on the living. Along his travels, he meets the fascinating and brilliant San Lang, a young man with whom he feels an instant connection. Yet San Lang is clearly more than he appears... What mysteries lie behind that carefree smile?
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6  An excellent entry into the growing “Deckbuilding” subgenre where humans gain magical abilities through acquiring cards and pair with dragons to augment those abilities. The MC’s fast paced progression from absolute rock bottom is immensely satisfying and the story winds its way through explosive aerial battles to high court schemes and intricate heists. Ongoing All the Skills
In a world where all magical spells have been captured into cards, those who can build a deck have the most power. The most Arthur could ever hope for was to someday earn a trash-tier spell card. When fate grants him a legendary Master of Skills card, he's thrust into a world of opportunity and danger. To survive and grow strong, Arthur must learn skills. All the skills.
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7 As others have said, these books have a great premise but are too long and have fights that drag out. It’s the book equivalent of watching an anime with filler arcs. Ongoing Iron Prince
Reidon Ward will become a god. He doesn't know it yet, of course. Reidon was born weak, sickly and small. Afflicted with a painful disease and abandoned by his parents because of it, he has had to fight tooth and nail for every minor advantage life has allowed him. His perseverance has not gone unnoticed, however, and when the most powerful artificial intelligence in human history takes an interest in him, things began to change quickly. Granted a CAD—a Combat Assistance Device—with awful specs but an infinite potential for growth, Reidon finds himself at the bottom of his class at the Galens Institute, one of the top military academies in the Collective. Along with his best friend, Viviana Arada, Reidon will have to start his long climb through the school rankings, and on to the combat tournament circuits that have become humanity's greatest source of excitement and entertainment. So begins the rise of a god. So begins the ascent of the Stormweaver.
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8  This genre-bending “daopocalypse” is an incredibly fun read with dense world building and a hardcore underdog MC. It’s got it all: tournament arcs, power leveling, evil cultivation sects, and arrogant young masters! Ongoing Path of the Berserker
When the cultivators came to Earth, they destroyed our entire civilization in a matter of hours. Armies fell, cities burned, and that was before the moon turned red and filled our world with monsters. Now, over a decade later, what’s left of humanity slaves under the heels of our Qi-infused masters. The luckiest of us might even become one of them, they say—if we serve the Dynasty well enough and harness the power of Qi. But I want none of that. I’m sick of serving and I want nothing to do with their world. Instead, I want them to pay for what they did to mine. Maybe that’s why she found me. The fearsome, angry goddess who showed me a different path. Apparently, Qi is not the only route to power. Now I’ll fight to take back my planet, to grow strong enough to beat the cultivators at their own game. Through the power of blood, sweat, and pain, I will free humanity or die trying. For that’s the Path of a Berserker.
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9  When I started this novel, I thought to myself that the "adventure" the protagonist finds thrust upon him is quite dour and might not an enjoyable read. It's like thinking you're at 0, finding out you're actually at -100 and your reward for risking life and limb is maybe getting to claw your way back to 0. But I kept with it, and was in awe at the world building. Early in the book when he visits the Queen's court was when things really changed for me. The sense of dread I felt as new details kept getting revealed, each one more revolting than the last. That particular scene is going to stick with me for a long time. And how the protagonist Auric changes during the whole plot really stood out to me. At the end, one of the characters remarks on how much he accomplished and for no material gain (with one notable exception), but what he really accomplished was picking up the pieces and finding a way to live again. I feel like I only see this kind of character growth in so called "coming of age" stories, but I think that's kind of a silly way of thinking. You go from child to adult and then you're just frozen, doomed to repeat the same patterns over and over. This was so refreshing and inspiring. Life isn't just this linear progression, it has ups, downs, lefts and rights. Even in this dreary world going slowly mad. It's not a perfect book. Pacing is uneven, the middle was probably too long and the end perhaps a bit on the light side. And I think some of the side characters were a bit one dimensional, mostly because the narrative seemed to focus more on Auric's interior life and his quest. But still HIGHLY worth reading. Completed Aching God
The days of adventure are passed for Auric Manteo. Retired to the countryside and isolated with his scars and riches, he no longer delves into forbidden ruins seeking dark wisdom and treasure. But just as old nightmares begin plaguing his sleep, he receives an urgent summons back to that old life. To save his only daughter, he must return to the place of his greatest trauma: the haunted Barrowlands. Along with a group of inexperienced companions and an old soldier, he must confront the dangers of the ancient and wicked Djao civilization. He has survived fell beasts, insidious traps, and deadly hazards before. But how can he contend with the malice of a bloodthirsty living god?
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10 A notable entry into the pantheon of the genre of Progression Fantasy. Bastion has a very unique setting, great magic system, and the sheer amount of progression the MC goes through against impossible odds was really remarkable, especially in the first book. Ongoing Bastion
Scorio will rise from the ashes to conquer the ten layers of hell. Reborn without memories, Scorio learns that he is a Great Soul, a legendary defender of the ancient city of Bastion. That within the hallowed halls of the Academy and under the stern eyes of the underworld’s greatest instructors he will enjoy enormous privilege, rediscover unique and wondrous powers, and one day return to the millennium-old battle against their infernal foes. Until he is betrayed. Singled out and sentenced to die for crimes he can't remember, Scorio is hurled to his doom—and forgotten. But from even the dimmest spark an inferno may one day rage. Clawing his way back from oblivion, Scorio vows to return to the Academy at any cost. To emerge from the ruins and within those golden walls defeat his elite classmates in a quest to ascend the ranks and change the course of history. For only then will he learn about his forgotten past, and why his enemies have rightly feared him since the day he was reborn.
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