Paradoxcloud

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New chapters every MWF at 5:15 EST.

Dylan is your average nerd. He works downtown for an architecture firm during the day and enjoys all manner of games and media in his spare time. But while Dylan likes all forms of sci-fi and fantasy, he really likes the genre of superheroes.

So when an indie company releases a virtual reality MMO where players choose to play as heroes or villains, Dylan immediately buys into it. He has a specific type of character he really enjoys watching, something that always makes his inner child laugh in delight. The Saturday morning cartoon villain.

Yes, those inept, bungling, yet highly dangerous villains found in so many of Dylan's cartoons as a child. He loves how they always come up with strange ways to conquer the world and how they get thwarted every weekend. He remembered laughing at every silly antic, every cliched shout of "Curses! Foiled again!" He loves it so much he decides to take this idea into the MMO.

But to grab a playerbase, the company has announced a promotion that players with a high enough reputation can get contacted to become permanent raid bosses in the game. Those chosen will be paid as if employees of the company. Serious players all hoping to live the dream of playing videogames all day rush to purchase copies of World of Supers!

What will happen when Dylan, someone playing the game for fun, clashes with these overly serious players?

Argus was a dungeon, sprawling for miles under the cities of man above all the way until a human, angry at the death of one of his companions, murdered him. 

When he discovered where he was, he found that he had come back to life as nothing more or less than a human being, complete with its own nervous system, organs, and brain. Worst of all, his precious System is gone, and he has to actually grow up.

How disgusting.

The apocalypse was not kind to humanity. The survivors of the system's arrival banded together as they could, but the harshness of the new reality they faced whittled away at their numbers. A decade later, only a few humans remained, holed up in the last stronghold left. Frank was one of them, his survival as much luck as it was ability. As the final assault broke through their defenses, he felt the end approach. He accepted his death, only to wake up at the beginning. Can he change his fate? The fate of his species?

The story begins with an elderly hermit mage living on the outskirts of a labyrinth town. Invoking spellwork that is trivial for a mage of his caliber, he creates a simple mud automaton to aid him in household chores. However, in the middle of his efforts, something goes wrong; his ancient heart finally fails. Now, half complete and with limited understanding of the world, an artificial being of mud stirs. Despite its limitations, it has a mission to fulfill. The last instructions of a dying creator. "Defend my home, and my possessions." To the mechanical mind of Mud, only absolute perfection is acceptable when fulfilling the orders of The Master. Mud will make sure nothing in the universe will ever threaten The Master's home! 

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This fiction contains RPG elements such as skills and levels. The protagonist has an inhuman mind and acts on instincts and preferences that are completely different from those of a normal human, and may at times fly in the face of common sense.

The general tone is lighthearted, but there are some scenes with disturbing content such as mind control and references to torture.

[Before you read - the story is officially dead. The reasons behind it are posted in the last chapter.]

In a magic world on the verge of an industrial revolution, Ari Ragnarsson must uncover the truth behind his parents' disappearance. They were part of an organization known as the Order, which protects mankind from various threats - both human and supernatural.

Now, after Ari's brands finally manifest, he leaves the safety of his village and travels to the continent. Strength is all that matters in this world and he must learn how to control his powers.

There, he meets a man from another world, who's being hunted for merely existing. Their fates become intertwined, but not in a way either of them would appreciate.

Author's note (contains minor non-story related spoilers about the MC and setting)

This is a progression fantasy with LITRPG elements sprinkled on top. The main character is not a spellsword, but a summoner/support mage hybrid. Since he wasn't ambushed by a random god, there's no cheat item/spell and he has to rely on his skills and wits to survive in a world full of monsters.

The story tries to show the moment when the old starts to be replaced by the new, with a healthy dose of magic and a little steampunk in the background. Also, it revolves around a party dynamic akin to RPG sessions.

No health/mana bars. Numbers are secondary and the LITRPG elements focus more on classes/spells/runes and their evolutions. Tables are sparse at the beginning, but from chapter 7 onwards they appear more often. Still, I won't be copy-pasting the whole character sheet dozens of times per chapter.

Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 1 is now on Amazon! 
mybook.to/dungeoncrawlercarl

Book 2 is also now available! 
mybook.to/dungeoncrawlercarl2

Royal Road and Patreon is where to get the newest chapters and releases. 

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.

DCC Discord! 

10/01/20

The first several chapters of DCC are now off of Royal Road because the book is on Amazon. I want to thank all of you for 9 months of amazing support. This is and Patreon will always be the place for the newest chapters and content, but to comply with Amazon's Kindle Unlimited policy, I can't have more than 10% of the story up here. 

This is a work in progress. Major editing will be done after the book is complete, so there will be egregious typos and parts that make no sense whatsoever. Please, please feel free to point any and all of these things out. Chapters WILL get edited, and that editing might break earlier chapters. I will attempt to keep readers apprised of all changes. Updates one-two days a week. 

What would a Xianxia MC do?

Seriously, what would they do? Asking for a friend.

What happens when you slap Sci-fi and tentacles with Fantasy and LitRPG? You get this.

Our poor alien just wanted to invade a planet. But of course, the pesky humans wouldn't have any of it, and crushed him before he can even land his ship. Now almost all of his survival supplies are gone, and he doesn't know where he is.

Maybe he should have picked a different planet to invade.

Other tag/s: Evolution (and more incoming)

Written for fun. 1300 - 1500 words chapters. Lazy writer, lazy writing. 2 chapters per week. Very lazy indeed.

[Author's Current Work]

>Writing the next chapter
>Lazing around in RR Discord   Spoiler:

[Next Plans]

>World Map (Fantasy Style)
>New cover for new Arc

When a down on his luck machine shop owner ends up coming into possession of a rundown suit of power-armor, he sees an opportunity to make some quick cash.

Unfortunately for him, the world of Capes is not one that you may enter and leave at will.

What should have been a quick sale to pay off his debts quickly grows into an ongoing series of events that serve only to drag him deeper and deeper into the criminal underbelly of the city he calls home...

Fortress City has Super Villains, who have evil lairs, and in them they make super weapons. But when a bioweapon is granted super powers of its own, will Fortress City be able to handle the Super Minion?

Cover by Vitaly S Alexius

Kragathor is the final guardian of the world’s deepest dungeon. He is an immortal pinnacle of existence that is otherwise known as an ancient dragon. And he is terribly bored. His sole source of amusement comes from scrying on the adventurer teams that are in the upper levels of his dungeon.

Through spying on adventurers, Kragathor hears of a new magic item, called a Virmo, that allows one to project their mind into a fictional world in some sort of grand-scale game.  Recognizing these Virmo games as a potential diversion for his endless boredom, he orders a minion to infiltrate the nearby town and acquire some of these games. Once the minion returns, he logs into a game set in a world that runs on the twin magics of ‘science’ and ‘technology’, and embarks on his new journey as Bob, the Level 1 Human with no class.

Release Schedule:  As I wrap up the end of the first major arc, I will publish the chapters as they're completed.  However, as I transition into the next arc, I will go with a two or three times a week release schedule, since I will be splitting time between this story and Chimera.

 Discord Server

It is an undeniable fact that good things come in small packages. More often than not, it is necessary to trim the fat in order to bring what really matters to the forefront. Having extra bulk may seem like a good idea, but in reality it is merely a crutch that will one day become a hindrance, as it is no substitute for personality nor ability. Indeed, often times it is the small things in life that brighten up our daily lives and constantly remind us exactly why we do the things we do.

However, it is important to keep an open mind, for while bigger is not always better, there are also times when it is. This holds especially true when it comes to hopes and dreams, which have been known to require a suitably large container from time to time. And while dreaming big could potentially lead to massive dissapointment, one will never truly reach fulfilment if they think too small.

A truth that one small woman with meager aspirations is about to find out.

DISCLAIMER: This is a spin-off/side story of my main series, Everybody Loves Large Chests, which is also mandatory reading to understand this one. It runs parallel to the main plot, branching off from the chapter titled Upheaval 2, so there will be spoilers for anyone who hasn't reached that point.