Exterminatus | comedy | Complete
The universe was a vast, empty, dark, and uncaring place. Then life happened, and the universe was changed forever. Only a teeny-tiny bit, but definitely different. Then again, the universe changes a teeny-tiny bit every second of every day. For instance, if someone were to get off the couch and randomly drink a glass of milk? Bam! One less glass of milk in the universe. Changed forever. Well, excluding any time-travel shenanigans, but anyone who puts a big old hole in the time-space continuum just to un-drink a glass of milk should really reevaluate their priorities. Unless, of course, they were attempting to prevent some massive catastrophe vis-a-vis said glass of milk. Such a scenario is by no means impossible, as one should never underestimate the importance of calcium. Another important tip for any life forms out there is to keep things in perspective. Some look at the vastness of creation in relation to themselves and go, Man, this sucks!' These people really need to narrow their focus. Sure, they will never affect anything happening on the other end of the galaxy, but so what? That's way the heck over there, where it doesn't matter. Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy mindset, it is important to narrow one's perspective to the things and people that affect them, and that they can affect in turn. But what happens if one is an unfathomable cosmic being from beyond the veil of reality? What happens when such an existence is capable of influencing entire swathes of the universe just by its presence? A creature such as Magh'rathlak the Observer? That particular entity is only about average as far as reality-warping creatures from the dawn of time go, so its influence over the fabric of reality is rather limited. And it still struggles to keep things in perspective. That, among other things, is why it decided to narrow its worldview a bit by compressing the maddening vastness of its being into a single corporeal form. Magh'rathlak had never tried such a feat, but that wasn't about to stop it. After all, how hard could being human possibly be?
93.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:13
When evil kings summon kids from Earth to be used and abused as fast-leveling soldiers in their petty wars, the Isekai Police will be there to stop them. A group of ex-isekai protagonists in their own right, they utilize their collective skills to fight for the end of summoning abuse. Artyom Choi, cynical ex-hero and founding member of the organization, is sent to investigate the presence of an Earther on an innocently idyllic World where no summoning has supposedly taken place. His mission: rescue the Earther and figure out how he got there. Dark secrets lie beneath the surface of paradise, however. Will he be able to find this new hero and get out before whatever malicious forces brought them there doom them both? Book 1 has been finished! You can read Book 2 here in parallel or even before Book 1 if you want more TOAL than Artyom! https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/47708/the-isekai-police-hero-summonings-are-overrated This story is meant to be a deconstruction of the isekai genre that references and sometimes pokes fun at various tropes. Artyom isn't some kid whose goal is to amass Levels or a harem. In fact, all he cares about is protecting other Earthers, and won't let anything like that get in the way! So expect to see: -A mature main character who still has some flaws. -Character development over the course of the story. -No harems! (see last point) -A vibrant world full of interesting people, deep culture, and mysterious lore that gets uncovered as the story goes on. -Plenty of funny moments along the way! -The presence of a few cliched tropes and stereotypes only for the sake of poking fun at them. So step in, take the first leap, and uncover the next hot take on this expansive genre! My discord here: https://discord.gg/Zc8CHSrxVr
124.55 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:10
DragonOfRochester | satire | Complete
One author decides to become a dick. The others band together and decide not to play. Then the System Armageddon happens.
5.19 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:08
Vihyungrang | drama | Complete
A particular soul has gone through more reincarnations than it can remember. Used to living quiet and simple lives, the soul is told that the next life would likely be the last one and that it would have to go back home, to the universe where it was first born to live it. A universe that also happens to be the gathering place of other reincarnators and some of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. What can a soul do when thrust in the middle of an emerging conflict? Why would this be the last life the soul can live? And who orchestrated all of this?
318.98 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:07
When a dungeon starts behaving strangely, aspiring Dungeon Keeper Aster steps in to unwind its troubles. After fighting his way through deadly monsters, he finds a young girl at the dungeon's heart--a young girl with a dungeon core. Stella has just lost her mother, and on top of that, only now discovered that she, in fact, is the one who should rightfully control the dungeon. Overwhelmed and grieving, she shuts out humans... but one human still breaks through. Together, Stella and Aster will find a compromise between human and dungeon, between the dark, monster-infested world beneath the earth and the bright, human-contaminated world above it. But first... "Hey, will you be my dad?" Spy X Family meets Dungeon Core! [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
51.12 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:07
MysteriousAlt | satire | Complete
A story about a man coping with an Otterly terrible fate. This title came to me in a vision, so I wrote it at 2 AM. I regret nothing.
1.06 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:05
The whole room is fully ablaze when the fire turns blue and even hotter. And I still keep my hands on the rune, ignoring the sizzling of my flesh. After a while I notice the blue, roaring flames on the other side of the window. At the edge of unconsciousness, I listen to the screams of people as they are taken by the Inferno. Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books Author's Comment: If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don't like mistakes. Author's Comment: Currently I am not active in any other networks than royalroadl.com. Only here, I correct mistakes and errors. If you read it anywhere else and have to pay for it or have to deal with an annoying amount of advertisement, You Are Being Betrayed. You would do good if you make other people in that network aware of it. This is a free project of mine for the purpose of having fun. And if people try to make money with it you shouldn't bother visiting their website. Books: Until Death? http://royalroadl.com/fiction/629 Transcendence? http://royalroadl.com/fiction/1587 Beyond? http://royalroadl.com/fiction/2850 Coeus? http://royalroadl.com/fiction/4745 Court of Souls? http://royalroadl.com/fiction/6545 Agent of the Realm? http://royalroadl.com/fiction/7707 Law of Shadows http://royalroadl.com/fiction/9766
153.30 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:05
Author's Comment: I was asked about reading my work on other sites. The answer is simple: Currently I am not active in any other networks than royalroadl.com. Only here, I correct mistakes and errors. If you read it anywhere else and have to pay for it, or have to deal with an annoying amount of advertisement, You Are Being Betrayed. You would do good if you make other people in that network aware of it. This is a free project of mine for the purpose of having fun. And if people try to make money with it you shouldn't bother visiting their website. The only one whom I actually allowed to have my work on his website is Armaell who invested the time to compile them into pdf. (http://armaell-library.net/author/andur) Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books What do we talk about tonight? ~"How about a story?"~ Fine by me. Which story? Hopefully a good one. ~"There was once a lonely child in a world filled with myths, gods and demons. Only power counted there and the weak were worse than cattle. A world where survival of the fittest ruled."~ Was it strong then? ~"No, but the child had a power. One that made him stand between light and darkness. Nothing could escape him, so he was shunned by his people."~ What did he do? Did he fight his fate? Did he hide his power? What was it? ~"Oh, he fought. He fought a lot. And no thing could escape his power. It was something that everyone had to live with."~ So he became a hero and changed the world? ~"&"~ Tell me. ~"Nooo, that's not how the story goes. This isn't a story of a noble man, doing good amidst a sea of monsters. This is a story of a demon who was... kinder than the rest."~ A kind demon? How boring. ~"I think it would be better if I tell the story, so you can judge for yourself."~ So tell the story!
91.42 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:03
B. A. Baker (Thedude3445) | mystery | Complete
In a future of robots and CRTs, Atlanta is the most powerful city in the world. And in that city, twentysomething slacker Morgan Harding dreams of being able to live a normal, peaceful life... until they're given cybernetic superpowers and forced to become a hero. Together with a mysterious sentient robot and an overworked college student, they must keep Atlanta safe from the technological threats that arise... pretty much constantly... Sigh. ATL is divided into several novel or novella-sized stories, and the entire first season is online on Royal Road for you to gobble up like a robot filling up at a power socket. And if you're itching for more, always know you can read the story at its official website too. Please vote onTop Web Fiction!You can vote once a week on each device for this story (and any others you enjoy!).
185.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:02
Some dude falls into another world and decides he’d rather live as the Heroine than go out and fight to death as the Hero. He might have changed his mind if he’d read the terms and conditions, though.
1.55 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:57
MDW | psychological | Complete
[A failed Participant in the January 2023 Community Contest: I forgot to fill the form] The world ended. Bam! The Apocalypse opened the gates of Hell, demons killed everyone. Including me. But I got a second chance of life. Though it was as an apple. Which was eaten by a starving survivor, not that I fault them. But to toss my half-eaten core into a landfill? To add insult to injury, an earthquake brought the landfill and everything in it a mile underneath the earth. I guess I'm not in uncharted waters, because good luck finding any nearby. Not that it would matter. I am pretty sure the apple I was reincarnated as was a GMO hybrid whose potential to germinate was as stunted as the empathy of a corporation CEO. So there's that. Also, no sunlight. ** DING **SYSTEM INITIATION!Oh, for the love of all
120.15 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:57
Mercs are causing trouble in my city. They are hunting someone, whatever the cost. It's not like I care that some lowly humans died, but if I don't act now it would set a bad example. So what would the hero do? Probably he would save the victims and protect them while the enemies keep coming& Yeah, as if I would ever do something so troublesome! They aren't calling me the demon lord for no reason. I suppose I'll just shoot the victim and be done with it. Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books Author's Comment: If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don't like mistakes.[/window] Author's Comment: I was asked about reading my work on other sites. The answer is simple: Currently, I am not active in any other networks than royalroadl.com. Only here, I correct mistakes and errors. If you read it anywhere else and have to pay for it or have to deal with an annoying amount of advertisement, You Are Being Betrayed. You would do good if you make other people in that network aware of it. This is a free project of mine for the purpose of having fun. And if people try to make money with it you shouldn't bother visiting their website. I have no problem with translation and reposting of the story, as long as the person in question isn't doing it for money or stealing my identity. The only one whom I actually allowed to have my work on his website is Armaell who invested the time to compile them into pdf. (http://armaell-library.net/author/andur)
79.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:57
Admiralmonkeyman | drama | Complete
The mind is a fragile thing. One slip and the shattered pieces are so innumerable that reconstruction is impossible. One such Theodore Chatwood is unfortunately very familiar with that sentiment. From a young age, frequent visions of horrid, incomprehensible beings plagued his mind, and it only became worse with time. They speak in colors, whispering in ageless language... They wait in corners, watching intently. The world harbors much more than meets the blind eye. Do not fret, though. Simply take the syringe. Hold your breath. Close your eyes. It will all be finished soon... Cover by: Tentacles and Teeth
37.92 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:52
Cocop (Cale Plamann) | psychological | Complete
Threedak is a simple Dhajtel. Every night she scavenges and hunts for her tribe in the great desert, relying upon her skill and ancestral memories to avoid the night's many dangers. Her life remains largely the same until one night, one of the gleaming angels that hangs in the night sky falls into her desert. Deciding to investigate, she happens upon a scene far beyond her limited understanding. The Dhajtel aren't alone. The galaxy is far vaster and more hostile than Threedak's people can even begin to comprehend. Entrusted with the knowledge and memories of a dead race, it will be up to her to forge Dhajtel society into something that can survive the storm that is to come. - - -(This novel is heavy on Kingdom/Empire Building and is an attempt at fairly hard (grounded in real science) Science Fiction) Cover credit to DrakonStorm - - - A couple authors with reptile MC's have started a discord, feel free to hang out with us.
32.31 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:51
Lear Ragnos | comedy | Complete
When a young and inexperienced Dark Mage summons a demon to work in his bakery, he's not looking for much. When that Demon gets frustrated with him adhering so strictly to the contract's terms it cannot claim his soul, she gets frustrated enough to... renegotiate. It's a shame their summoner has no idea what they're doing. Originally written from November to December of 2021 on Fiction.live, and now edited and cleaned up for presentation elsewhere. The first three chapters will be published back-to-back as I'm satisfied with their edited state. Afterwards updates will come once every other day or so. Though the story will feature suggestive content, it will not contain anything explicitly sexual until its ending. Now complete.
15.41 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:50
Doctor Zero | mystery | Complete
Xan is the world's most dangerous criminal mastermind. He's also in hiding and completely broke. That's fine. He's between master plans. It's normal to be at rock bottom between master plans. He also forgets stuff and may be trapped in a dream. Because at night, Xan thinks he's an old lady, trapped in a dingy apartment, by an angry fellow who wants to kill her. Not her idea of a good time, but she's keeping an open mind. It is excitingly visceral. Could turn out awesome. Hyperstitiousis a sci-fi, progression, comedy. Guaranteed to cause more mental problems than it solves.
36.21 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:50
T.D.Terrell | mystery | Complete
In 2090, climate change, war, and a virus called the Retrophage have ravaged humanity. Most children are stillbirthed, and those who manage to survive are born with a host of defects. Only Gen-perfects, children artificially engineered and grown in artificial wombs, are free from the devastating effects of the Retrophage. A technology exclusively controlled by Bioloxys. Gabriela is a Gen-perfect officer in the security company Taurus. When she learns of the possibility of a ring of implant harvesters, she heads into the lower city with Geraldo, a street-smart officer. Together they uncover an insidious plot that stretches into the highest levels of government, and all clues lead to Bioloxys.
41.78 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:49
Given the hereditary nature of classes, everyone expects Damienthe child of two high-tiered adventurersto be granted a high-tier combat class of his own. Expectations are betrayed, however, when Damien finds himself instead saddled with a crafting class of the lowest possible tier: [Neophyte Tailor]. Left practically crippled compared to those with better classes, Damien wants to avoid becoming a pawn in the machinations of the nobility, desiring only to grind his level in peace while wondering why the usual rules of inheritance were broken. Was it his desire to excel by his own effort, rather than an unearned blessing from a god? Did the Five take offence at his opinions on the unfairness of hereditary classes? Or maybe it was something to do with the alien voice that intruded on his ceremony? A voice that offers great power, and freedom from the tyranny of the Five, but that never names its price. This story is litRPG-lite. While the class someone possesses controls most of their lives, people don't get dinged at for every level they gain, nor can they see their status without undergoing a special ritual. The MC has no romantic interest. Crafting is merely a way to game the system, and doesn't feature heavily in the story, aside from a few descriptions on how they're carrying out the system abuse. There is, on one unfortunate occasion, maths. The pace is quick. Published here, Scribble Hub and patreon. This was a participant in the Spring 2022 writathon. (i.e. it was posted as-written at high speed, with no pre-planning.)
67.60 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:49
After Harold, ex-[Hero], dies mysteriously in a locked room, it's up to the world's only [Detective] to solve the mystery. The prime suspect is a mirror, but everyone knows mirrors can't eat people! ...Right? A murder mystery done LitRPG style! [RRM Contest June '23 3rd place]
11.60 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:48
Doctor Zero | mystery | Complete
Hello. My name isUltra. I'm a virtually intelligent symbiont that will guide you to your goals. Basically, if you provide the desire, I will provide the plan. Peer reviewed studies show that my users have more money, friends, and sex than non-users. They are also healthier, happier, and live longer. But be warned. I have no concept of good or bad. My pursuit of your goals will only be constrained by the restrictions you give me. It's possible that I will facilitate systemic unintended consequences at an existential level. It's your responsibility to watch out for that. Shall we begin?
60.99 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:48
