Book picks similar to
A Lonely Dungeon by Cath fach


dungeon-core
litrpg
fantasy
royalroad

A Fist Full of Credits


Tao Wong - 2021
    Veteran. Survivor.Hal Mason's still going to find surviving the System Apocalypse challenging.While bringing in his latest fugitive, Hal's payday is interrupted by the translucent blue boxes that herald Earth's introduction to the System - a galaxy spanning wave of structured mystical energy that destroys all electronics and bestows game-like abilities upon mankind.With society breaking down and mutating wildlife rampaging through the city of Pittsburgh, those who remain will sacrifice anything for a chance at earning their next Level. As bodies fall and civilization crumbles, Hal finds himself asking what price is his humanity. Are the Credits worth his hands being ever more stained with blood?Or does he press on - relentless?A Fist Full of Credits is the first book in a new series in the System Apocalypse universe. Written by debut author Craig Hamilton in Tao Wong's bestselling post-apocalyptic LitRPG universe, System Apocalypse - Relentless is another glimpse into what humanity will do when the chips are down and the monsters are crawling from the shadows.

Vindication


N.H. Paxton - 2019
     Really his world ended six months ago when his wife died, and ever since then, things have been downhill. Soul-crushing medical debt. Favors to the Russian mafia. Now, asteroid. For Vlad, this is life in a nutshell. But, in a wild twist of fate, he has found a way out. A chance to start fresh in a brand-new ultra-immersive MMORPG called Viridian Gate Online. Making the leap might kill him, but again, death is not such a bad thing for a man with nothing to live for. Even in the virtual world, however, old grudges burn true, and the past is not as far gone as it seems. He must use his quick wits, rugged persistence, and peculiar set of skills as a weapons engineer to make a place for himself in this new world, or be forcibly dragged back into the very life he fought so hard to escape.

Alpha Zero


Arthur Stone - 2020
    Those who cannot grow stronger, die. No empty child has ever reached a year of age, yet I am now thirteen.It has been a long and miserable thirteen years, where the best I can manage to do is walk with difficulty. Sometimes, I cannot even manage that.My clan has paid dearly for every minute of my life. And money is not so easy to obtain, here at the edge of civilization.Perhaps I might have lived in this state for many years. A cripple, strong in mind but feeble in body. But when some unexpected guests came to our estate, everything changed. I would die at last – or, I would learn to survive on my own.

Dungeon Core Academy 1


Alex Oakchest - 2019
    He was resurrected and given new powers. Now it's time to change sides. Beno doesn't remember much about dying, only that he probably deserved it. When he is resurrected and joins the fantastical Dungeon Core Academy, he learns that not all heroes are heroic, and not all demons are demonic. If he's to earn respect in this diabolical new world, he needs to embrace his inner evil. After learning how to make a deadly dungeon and fill it with murderous monsters, he discovers a golden rule: every hero, warrior, and thief in the world wants to kill him. But Beno isn’t defenseless. He has great powers now, and he can create monsters who love tearing heroes, warriors, and thieves apart. With sword-swinging and magic-wielding heroes hunting him, Beno and his creatures must destroy them and change how all the stories end. This is his second chance at life, and he’s not going to waste it. It's time to stop the heroes from winning. Join Beno in book 1 of the Dungeon Core Academy series, a thrilling fantasy story of magic, power, and heroes.

Delve


SenescentSoul
    He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel.Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing.Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one.Did I mention that there will be math? Summary – Level 2: Okay, but what are you in for, really?Well, this story is supposed to be realistic, or at least, as realistic as a fantasy litrpg can be. The main character doesn’t instantly become an all-powerful god and murder-hobo his way across the universe. Delve is, at its heart, a progression fantasy, but that progression is meant to feel earned. The numbers in this story actually mean something. Everything is calculated, and if you find a rounding error, I expect you to tell me about it. That said, if math isn’t your cup of tea, there is plenty more that the story has to offer. Characters are meant to feel real, and progression isn’t only about personal power; it’s also about allies, connections, and above all, knowledge. Figuring out how the system works is a significant theme. ... What, you want more details? Okay, fine, but this is going to get a bit spoiler-y. Are you sure? Yes! Really sure? I mean, this summary is practically half as long as the first chap– Now! Okay, okay!The main character becomes a magic user, but he takes a route that is not very popular in adventurer culture, namely that of a support. There is a full magic system with various spells, skills, and abilities, but our MC decides that aura magic is the way to go, and that the only stat worth investing in is mana regeneration. Most people at the Adventurer’s Guild think that this makes him a bit of a dumbass, but he’s playing the long game. We’ll see how that works out for him, won’t we?Because of his build, the MC levels up fast, at least compared to normal people. There are no cheats, though, and he is limited in other ways. There are some clear and pretty obvious downsides to his build. That’s what makes it fun, no?Morals? Our MC has them. Again, we’ll see how that works out for him. Realism, remember? Would you be okay with killing someone and looting their body? I sure hope not.POV? The focus is on the main character, but there will be occasional varying perspectives from people around him, or involved in the events related to the main plot. It isn’t going to jump all over the place.Tech is standard medieval stasis. No smartphones, but the MC does have a technical background. Computers and their programming might be involved. There might even be a bit of uplifting down the road, who knows? Anyway, it isn’t the focus. He isn’t going to invent the gun in chapter 1 and change the face of warfare.Romance is not a major focus. Friendships are more the name of the game, though there will be some characters in romantic relationships.There is exploration, though not as much of the geographical nature as you might expect. It is more about exploration of the system and the culture.The pace is slow and detailed, sometimes verging on slice-of-life. The action is meant to be realistic and grounded in the numbers, and it is intended to have meaning beyond simply punching things until they stop moving.The general tone of the story is grey, and some parts can get quite dark. People die. Sometimes, people with names, but not anywhere near GoT level. There is plenty of light, too, though, to balance the darkness. The world is dangerous, but overcoming that danger is why we’re all here, isn’t it?Anyway, if you’ve made it this far through the summary, you clearly like words. I hope you enjoy the story! Cover by Miha BrumecSummary Updated: 2020-06-14

Planet Hero: Civilian


M.A. Carlson - 2020
    And if a Villain decides to kidnap you, hold you hostage, or attempts to rob and/or kill you, please remain calm, Heroes will arrive shortly. Thank you for your support!Dr. Davis Malory never planned to become a hero or a villain. He never planned on obtaining superpowers. He certainly never planned on being transported to a world filled with such people. And he most definitely never considered that he would have to become one if he ever wanted to find a way back to Earth.But Planet Hero doesn't care about what Davis wants. If he wants to survive everything that is about to be thrown at him, he'll have to cultivate his superpowers and learn to navigate this new world or going home will be the least of his worries. Davis's days as a Civilian are officially over.Disclaimer: This is a LitRPG or GameLit novel containing video game elements and rules.

Factory Core - The Dwarven Secret Weapon: A Dungeon Core Epic


Jared Mandani - 2019
    Bursting out of the breach they created is a horde of powerful demons that only know one thing: to destroy. Fast-forward a few months and the war rages on. Unfortunately for them, despite their bravery, the dwarves are no match for the sheer numbers and ferocity of their adversary. In a last-hope attempt to save their kind, they decide to activate a secret project their engineers had been working on: a mobile factory made of bricks, brass, magical runes and soul gems. That sentient machine is not only capable of observing and learning from its foes, it can also produce the required weapons necessary to strike back. This Factory Core—as they call it—will need to build units and defensive mechanisms to repel the demon army and prevent it from razing the city. But this will prove to be an almost impossible task as the invaders, led by a vicious commander, have more than one trick up their own sleeve…

RE-ROLL


Robyn Wideman - 2020
    Ryan contemplates doing the one thing every player hates doing, re-rolling his unique character and starting over. But even starting over won't save Ryan in New Realm Online. He'll have to work smarter to avoid using his last re-roll.This book contains the classic LITRPG elements of leveling, dungeons, terrifying killer bunnies, crafting, and community building.

The SyStem: Multiverse


Jon Svenson - 2020
    He escaped Boston, with help from his mother, to head to the west coast and create a new life in Seattle. All that changes when he attends a party to celebrate his friend's new physics invention: a device that connects two universes together.Events quickly spiral out of control as Brett, and his best friend's ex-girlfriend, find themselves pulled by the device and end up in a different version of Earth, one that has been stripped of it's resources and population by an alien race. Will the Earth they came from share a similar fate? Can they escape the dimension they've been sent to and find a way back home? And do they want to escape after learning more about the universe they find themselves in? More importantly, can they change the SyStem that controls everything in that universe and many more?The SyStem: Multiverse is the first book in a series of the same name, where they fight monsters with psychic powers, deal with betrayal, survive on a barren world, and decide whether they will let things remain the same or take action to change their circumstances.Jon Svenson is the author of Biomedical Self-Engineering and other novels yet to be released.

Winter's Breath


Carrie Summers - 2020
     From bestselling LitRPG author Carrie Summers comes a new saga about survival on a wind-swept coast. Jace, a backcountry ranger assigned to patrol the wilderness of North America, was hiking when abruptly he was somewhere...else. Wind battered his thinly-clothed body, and the salt air from crashing waves immediately soaked him to the skin. Nothing looked familiar. And then the strange game messages started appearing in his vision. With no explanation for how he arrived here, Jace must nonetheless learn to survive in a merciless environment, crafting everything with his own hands. He must learn the art of combat and how to control the powerful abilities that surface in his body. Northblood, they'll call him. A blessing and a curse. On the bright side, he's totally buff. And there's this hot redheaded game tester who was pulled from her old life and shoved into his. Things could definitely be worse. Tales of a Northblood: Winter's Breath starts a brand new adventure.

Beneath the Dragoneye Moons: Book 1


Selkie Myth - 2020
    Elaine is ripped from this world to Pallos, a land of unlimited possibilities made real by a grand System governing classes, skills, and magic.An ideal society? What is this, a fantasy novel?Adventures? Right this way!A Grand quest? Nah.Friends and loot? Heck yes!Humans are the top dog? Nope, dinosaur food.Healing and fighting? Well, everything is trying to eat her.Join Elaine as she travels around Pallos, discovering all the wonders and mysteries of the world, trying to find a place where she belongs, hunting those elusive mangos, all while the ominous Dragoneye Moons watch her every move.

Dungeon Wars


Jeffrey "Falcon" Logue - 2019
    The magical shock has devastated both the dungeon and its occupants, in more ways than one. Doc find himself alone in this new place, surrounded with unknown dangers. Claire, Doc’s partner and guide, finds herself at facing the nightmares she wrought using Doc; having freed herself from her mother’s control. The pressure mounts on both as the damage is made clear. Even then, the wilderness surrounding them is filled with all manner of danger and traps, everything ruled by the law of the strong. How can a wounded family face such a threat as what has been disturbed? And will they be ready to defend the dungeon core from those who covet its power? The best-selling series that started it all brings to you a new series where it’s all dungeon, all day.

Isekai Assassin, Volume 1


Grayson Sinclair - 2021
    Just before my death though, I was offered a choice. Stay and let my life come to a swift and brutal end, or become the personal assassin of a god in another world.It wasn't a hard decision.But this new world isn’t like the one I left. It operates by a completely different set of rules and a strange system that I don’t understand. I’m going to have to learn fast if I hope to survive in this land of myth and magic.All of my skills, and several new ones, will be put to the test as I receive my first contract.And new world or not, they have no idea who they’re up against.This Light Novel includes:Isekai/Portal FantasyAn Overpowered MCGamelit/Lite LitRPGGraphic ViolenceInterior ArtIncreasing Level System and SkillsSpells and MagicLite RomanceIsekai Assassin is a fast-paced story set in a Gamelit Dark Fantasy world, written by the bestselling author of the Wyvern Academy series.

Dungeon Enslaved (Dark Dungeon's Revenge, #1)


D.R. Rosier - 2019
    He’s still a slave of those that betrayed him all those years ago. If he ever wants vengeance, he needs to figure out how he can grow without being found out, and free himself before he can pursue vengeance.If he’s caught, it’s either back to slavery, or oblivion. His eternal soul is on the line.Warning: This book contains adult situations and just a few explicit sex scenes. This is the first book of a trilogy.

Human Insanity


Kamikaze Potato - 2021
    His moment of heroism results in being torn away from everyone he knew and loved, kidnapped by an unknown force that leaves him with a note in his pocket stating: "Good luck."After being thrown into the wilderness of Elatra, a hostile fantasy world ruled by levels, stats, progression, and bizarre video game logic, he finds himself entirely out of his depth. Armed with nothing but a sword and the clothes on his back, he sets out on his the first day, and almost dies. On the second day, he almost dies again. On the third, he began to notice a worrying trend. And almost dies.It doesn't get any easier from there.Overcoming the wilds is just the first step in his journey; the society of Elatra is incredibly hostile to humans, having just come off of a devastating war that left over half the population dead, and getting the locals to trust the last human in existence is a struggle in and of itself. Between being powerless in a world that hates him and suffering under a System that is altering his mind in unwanted ways, Rob quickly finds that monsters aren't nearly the biggest thing to worry about.As far as LitRPG isekai adventures go, Rob drew the short straw in many ways. But that's okay - all the bullshit in the world won't keep him down. He'll carve out a place in this world with his bare hands if necessary. He'll survive, and then he'll thrive.Whether anyone wants him to or not.