Book picks similar to
The Cub by Vasily Mahanenko


litrpg
fantasy
progression-fantasy
rpg

Lord of the Apocalypse


Michael Sisa - 2018
    Fate further kicks him on the chest when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an unannounced apocalypse, witnessing death by the thousands. After a desperate struggle, he dies only to find himself in the body of a Goblin..

Rebirth Online


Michael James Ploof - 2018
    Unable to afford the state of the art surgery needed to repair his spinal cord, Sam has lost all hope. But when the first fully immersive virtual reality game goes live, Sam is given a second chance at life. Rebirth Online offers players action, adventure, and a chance at real world riches. If Sam can rise through the ranks and claim his kingdom, he just might be able to earn enough money to afford the surgery he so badly needs. Sam enters Rebirth Online excited to begin his adventure, but within fifteen minutes of spawning in the game, he is robbed, beaten, and left for dead. He wakes to find himself in the care of Anna, a beautiful elf healer. Together they discover that he has an unbelievable special ability, one that allows him to instantly level. To use it, he must grind - literally - with the girls in his guild. The only problem - A twelve hour cool down. As Sam’s guild grows, he and Anna are joined by a beautiful human warrior, a feisty drow assassin, and a flighty female Furry. But when a run-in with a high level player named Kincaid ends with Anna’s kidnapping, Sam and his girls must pull all the punches to get their guild mate back. In the process, they uncover a secret with the potential to bring the entire game crashing down. ***Content Warning*** Rebirth Online is a litRPG Harem fantasy adventure with adult themes. Not intended for children.

AlterWorld


D. Rus - 2013
    Whenever you play your favorite online game, beware: your mind might merge with the virtual world and dump its comatose host. Woe be to those stuck forever in Tetris! And still they're the lucky ones compared to those burning alive eternally within the scorched hulls of tank simulators. But some unfortunates - the handicapped and the terminally ill, shell-shocked army vets, wronged crime victims and other society misfits - choose to flee real life willingly, escaping to the limitless world of online sword and sorcery MMORPGs. Once a seasoned gamer and now a terminal cancer patient, Max grasps at this final chance to preserve his life and identity. So he goes for it - goes for the promise of immortality shared with a few trusty friends and the woman he loves. Together they roam the roads of AlterWorld and sample its agony and ecstasy born of absolute freedom.

Jigsaw


Ted Miller Brogden - 2009
    On a rare, sober day he begins a casual search through college yearbooks and yellowed courthouse records in hopes of finding the one who got away. Instead, an unrecorded codicil suggests their one union was fruitful and reveals a possible heir to an old-moneyed family used to scams and scammers making claims against the estate. After run-ins with a cabal of bankers, lawyers, in-laws, outlaws, and even the F.A.A. Cape begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together...

Fragment of Divinity


Jamey Sultan - 2020
    But he knows he has to adapt quickly, as ending up in a spider’s belly was never high on his to-do listWith only a vague quest, a mysterious brand, and promises of help from a cantankerous old lady to guide him, James must level up into the warrior this strange, yet beautiful world so desperately needs. New allies join him on his journey, as they venture to the Dwarven City high in the Crimson Mountains in pursuit of the first clue.Can James figure out the rules of this land in time to save it from its prophecy? Or will the dark secrets contained in his mysterious brand consume him?Check out Fragment of Divinity to find out.

Mana Daemons


Chris Vines - 2020
    A dying alien brings a dire warning, information, and aid. Will it be enough? The group is informed that the Essence Wave of the Daemon invasion is coming. The friendly aliens have modified the incoming Daemon attack to give mankind a chance by turning it into an augmented reality game system, but their warning may be too late. Along with the warning, the aliens leave a final, inconceivable gift—magical nanotech armor that may just be the key to saving the world.

Dungeon Bunny


Richard J. Hansen - 2021
    Sometimes all fate gets is a bunny. She is a dungeon creature bound by the rules of the dungeon. Her job is to do bunny things, like eat and hop, and eventually fall prey to larger creatures. A bunny need do nothing more. However, she cannot help herself. Everyday as adventurers pass through the cave that she calls home, she sees them wielding strange and fascinating magic but more importantly hears them talking. Their words are wonderful, and she learns as many as she can while trying to ignore the epic tragedy of her life. She is just a bunny, and there is no way that a bunny could ever be like an adventurer, no matter how many words she knows. This story is inspired by the Dungeon Core and the litRPG/gameLit genres.

Raiya: Starter Zone


Russell Wilbinski - 2018
    When he becomes the first player to reach level 100 in his favorite game, he is offered the chance to test a brand new game. Never one to read the fine print, he jumped at the chance to be the very first player to see the brand new game. But some opportunities are just too good to be true... Awaking to find himself trapped in a brand new world and struggling to survive, James must find a way to master the game and escape the world of Raiya. Angry wildlife, gargantuan monsters, and mysterious allies are not the only things he has to worry about. Will he have the backbone to do what is right and not what is easiest? Will the carefree Skree find something worth fighting for? Something worth dying for? "From the get-go it had me, I just don't want to put it down! So much Fun!" Sylvia - Amazon Customer

The Empress's Mage


Niall Teasdale - 2021
    Despite being sickly and weak, she has a talent for magic. It’s a shame that her family, her father in particular, doesn’t appreciate her talent, but Jessalyn still has plans. Even in her greatest imaginings, she never considered how far those plans would take her.

Dungeon Walkers 1


Daniel Schinhofen - 2021
    Perks are the main reason Walkers put their lives on the line. Every time a dungeon is cleared the first time, a Walker gets a choice of three perks that could change their lives.Not every Walker makes it out alive. When someone dies in the dungeon, their soul is fragmented into four shards, which can be purchased for dungeon points. Collecting all four shards and taking them to a temple of the Goddess means the dead can live again. There is a sub-sect of Walkers that makes it their goal to bring the dead back from the dungeons— they’re called the Rescue Squad.Stern is intent on joining the ranks of Rescue Squad. Finally done with his six months at the academy, he is about to make his first run through a dungeon. It will not be easy— he doesn’t have a crew, or a team, to run it with. Stern is an irregular— someone born with unusual perks— and unfortunately, looking like the blighted. Being seen as blighted has made Stern’s life hell, but he keeps pushing on, intent on making his goal real.Despite his hardships, he’s been blessed with the unusual perk of his life-long friend, Pawly. Pawly is a polydactyl Maine Coon, who is protective of her friend and eager to help him reach his goal. With his friend beside him, Stern is ready to start his adventure.(This book contains non-standard relationships and touches upon adult situations.)

Welcome to Probet


V. Moody - 2017
    Never mind finding the dragon’s treasure or defeating the Demon Lord, you only need to worry about one thing—how to stay alive.All the people summoned form parties and set off on their adventures, leaving behind the people who nobody wants in their group.Story of my life, thinks Colin.

The Trapped Mind Project


Michael Chatfield - 2017
    What Dave doesn’t know is that Earth as he knows it, is really a virtual reality simulation and Emerilia is a world imbued with futuristic technologies to mimic early MMORPG’s. He just wanted peace and quiet, to build a house, do some fishing, to take some time to find himself once again. What he found out instead was a cause, he found out the biggest lie of his life. He found out the truth about Emerilia and the lies of Earth. What's the best way to control slaves? Make them think that they're free.

Hell Mode: Volume 1


Hamuo - 2021
    He looks for a new game to fill it, but everything he finds is way too easy. The kind of game he likes—the kind punishing enough to make players want to spend thousands of hours on it—just isn’t around anymore.“What’s this? ‘You are invited to a game that will never end.’”Kenichi stumbles upon an untitled game, one promising incomparable challenge with unprecedented potential. Without hesitation, he selects the “Hell Mode” difficulty. Lo and behold, he finds himself reincarnated in another world as a serf!Now called Allen, he sets out to unlock the secrets of his mystery-laden Summoner class; without the convenience of walkthroughs, game guides, or online forums, he must grope his way to the top of his new world!

Dungeon Worlds (Reborn Online, #1)


Aurora Weiss - 2020
    Where “here” was felt like an impossible nightmare. I died, but this wasn’t what I’d expected to find when they said I’d meet my maker.The afterlife is just like a video game, except I didn’t start in a noob world like everybody else. I started out on one of the most challenging dungeon worlds meant only for ancient souls who’ve been dead much longer than I have…Welcome to Epoc.I don’t have the right stats for this place, not even a little bit. I’m in complete noob gear with the standard human sword and shield. I don’t even have any crafting skills to make a decent breakfast with the high tier ingredients in this place.Dying in the afterlife is even worse than dying on Earth. Earth, you only die once, but here, you can die over and over again and each one is just as miserable as the last.There’s only one way I can survive the cycle, one way to stay sane.I need a power leveler… and fast.Dungeon Worlds is Book 1 in a new LitRPG / GameLit series “Reborn Online” filled with unique monsters, challenging crafting quests, and skipping the grind with some much needed power leveling in an endgame world that’ll make you look forward to the afterlife! Just… we recommend building up those stats up first.

Slime Tamer's Chronicles: Volume 1 (Slime Tamer 's Chronicles)


Nata Valerio - 2017
    Our protagonist lives a closed off life but not a NEET's life. He trains everyday until finally he was ready. Killing his father he made sure that his mother who divorced was paid back for what his father did to them all. Walking away to who knows where and dying from an accident. Now follow the daily life of our MC as she tries to adapt to her new life in a new body and in a unique world. (This is not a translation. This is original in English)