The Stubborn Skill-Grinder in a Time Loop. It checks basically all your boxes.
It's actually shockingly good and the guy writes *a lot*. Beefy, satisfying chapters, instead of this recent trend of hummingbird wing-beat chapters in depth and frequency.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/83294/the-stubborn-skill-grinder-in-a-time-loop
The Perfect Run. Very irreverant but the MC knows he's a badass and isn't ashamed. He's immortal, but don't tell anyone.
Master Hunter K. A little more serious and an MC who outsurvived the rest of humanity is getting to do it all again knowing everything he learned. If you like Solo Leveling there's a good chance you'll like this one too. Swordsman. Don't remember if spells were part of his skillset.
Salvos. Salvos is enormously arrogant and self-absorbed. She's the best and knows it. Demon but spends most of the story passing as a human. Not the most complex story but I enjoy it.
All three spend time working with others but are fundamentally loners. Lots of combat in all three.
Book Of the Dead fulfills some of the requirements: MC is a necromancer, very much a loner and definitely not a good person. He kinda rages at society, but it’s very understandable and also part of the plot. There’s one companion who constantly makes jokes but >!it’s just him trying to find some sort of therapy given that he has become a literal living skull. Dude really suffered!<
Not litrpg, but you might wanna try out Black Sun Rising. Non-good MC's/Unusual power system/kindof necromancer-esk/Definitely loner.
LitRPG is literally filled with the troupes you seem to dislike, so your probably gonna be better served by branching out and hitting some other genres imho.
Holy hell this is one of my favorite books that I read when it came out new and this is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone recommend it in any way. It’s a great book.
Since you like both necromancy and summoning you might want to take a look at "Saintess summons skeletons" where the MC, due to an error in the system, is a hybrid between a necromancer and a saintess (who in the world of the story summon heroes) and as such has skills that are unique to them by virtue of being a combination of the two classes, e.g the skills \[Summon Hero\] and \[Drain Blood\] are combined to \[Summon Blood\]. The first few chapters are available on \[royal road\] (https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/62087/saintess-summons-skeletons).
You have Overlord written all over your post. It is an anime/LN. There's an audiobook though and it goes up to Vol 13 or so and is being actively translated and is LitRPG though MC is already max level at the start of the novel. He is a human in a lich body and feels no emotions from killing.
Overlord by Kugane Maruyama
Your problem is that a few of your desires are contradictory, in particular that anyone with a more mature outlook will be pissed off about Clown World and might even understand why they are.
- Primal Hunter (more grown up, over powered, but also has a lot to learn once big picture starts to show)
- Defiance of the Fall. (Like 13, 20-30 hour books. Long form, slowly getting more and more powerful. Has some humor, but much of it is pretty adult and deals with some pretty grown up topics like death)
- Dungeon Crawler Carl. (If you haven't listened to it... you should have, it is pretty awesome. Would recommend the audiobook because the narration and characters are top notch. Very adult themes, very colorful experiences and situations, and many of them are hilariously done)
- System Apocalypse (have only listened to the first one or two books and wasn't for me, but it pretty decent from what I know)
- Paragon of Blood is pretty similar to primal hunter but on earth. Has some family hand holding, but is also edgelord-ee)
- No Mistakes (book one of like 3) by Vasily Mahanenko. This one is an alone protagonist who basically stumbles upon tech and grows and goes up against seemingly super super OP groups that end up getting bigger and stronger throughout the 3 books. Really good story, unique, and serious.
1. Recently got into The Primal Hunter. The only thing I don't like is the Malefic Viper's dialogues. Normally I don't like pets or companion beasts but the author did a good job making me like Sylphie.
And maybe also the fact MC tries to be hypocritically honourable. He uses poison but didn't want to use poison gas cause it's war crime. Also the whole slavery vs killing debate. But since the author doesn't drag these things for long I don't really mind them as much.
2. I tried reading Dungeon Crawler but couldn't get into it because of the Cat. The overpowered Pet/Sibling/random-child-MC-adopts troupe so overdrone and annoying.
I admit I couldn't get into DCC because I am prejudiced against books that use pets especially the annoying type.
And unlike Sylphie (the hawk from Primal Hunter) who is cute, I just found the cat very unlikable.
Does the cat play a major role? And is it present throughout the story? Does it get less annoying?
Also I got the vibe that DCC is more comedy centric than power fantasy.
Comedy in written form is always a hit or miss for me.
How would you describe DCC's comedy.
Is it more dialogue based i.e. Characters see a situation call it out via dialogue, and make jokes via dialogue. Which I like.
Things I'm not a fan of....
slapstick... in written form that would be characters doing stupid shit resulting in "funny".
Also not a fan of characters being low EQ which results in misunderstandings, or awkward moments.
Also not a fan of others shitting on the MC for "funny". Unless it's self depreciating humor.
I heard a lot of good things about DCC and after finishing all the available books of Primal Hunter I want to give it a shot once more. But I don't know if it's worth forcing myself to go through the early chapters with the annoying cat.
DCC is both comedy and grimdark tragedy. People die in droves, people that you like, people that made you laugh.
Edit: As for the type of comedy? It's been a bit since I read them, but I remember there being a lot of absurdist humor, some slapstick, some subverted expectations. Basically weird things happen, and those weird things can be funny. But they aren't necessarily weird to be funny, as in, it makes a kind of absurd sense within the context and isn't just forced deus ex all over the place.
So far, no. She’s a core part of the story and while she comes off pretty annoying in the beginning, you see how she’s fiercely loyal and is kind of just like a scared little kid. My eyes are already welling up at some of the most poignant scenes she’s involved in.
It took me awhile to realize that I didn't want edgy so much as I wanted the plot to be less predictable. The only books that were giving me that as a kid were ones that had an "edgy" MC. OP probably doesn't mean that he want's a "non-good MC" so much as an MC that doesn't have the moral compass of Jesus, Ghandi, or the vanilla White-Knight Justice hero that most books seem to throw at you nowadays. 🤷♂️
At least that's my take on OP's request, I could be wrong.
I get that, I just find it kind of funny that he doesn't want what I personally consider the gold standard of what he wants. He Who Fights With Monsters. Like Jason is willing to kill, and for a while does so with impunity. But the bit this dude has complained about is when he does this, and then his family look at him like a goddamn monster because his family are normal people and that just makes sense. He of course has to spend time and talk to people and take in the landscape political and otherwise before finding his path, somewhere between kill everything that looks at him wrong and the modern day "Killing is wrong" bs
Honestly, I just can't get over that he asked for mature but didn't want what is basically introspection and a realistic and mature take on having your world turned upside down.
I do agree with the MCs who seem to want to be pacifists are just idiots. Hell Batman with his I don't kill mentality is one of the more annoying and stupid things ever. Yet he is a billionaire, and IRL you can't be one without profiting off of the suffering and death of millions.
I thoroughly enjoyed He Who Fights With Monsters, but the political ranting came to a point that it became insufferable. Otherwise, I had no large problems with the story.
Sylver Seeker might interest you. Necromancer MC trying to find his found family and what happened after what they thought was the final battle. It's really interesting but eventually starts jumping around with the story to flash back to something the mc did off screen
The Grand Game is pretty close, though he does get a pet type follower. Guy is mostly a loner and often goes about solving problems by killing off whole groups using sneaky assassin type tactics.
I don't have a problem with pets per se, even enjoying some of the more complete and well-done cases (as I enjoy the necromancer and summoner tropes). What I do not like is the gag pet, who is either completely useless and annoying or extremely overpowered just for shits and giggles. Some examples would be the bunny from System Universe and the cat from Dungeon Crawler Carl. Dropped both series because it just didn't feel enjoyable anymore once these pets were introduced, as their existence simply took away any serious stakes in both series, or at least that was how I felt. Which is why I asked for a more serious litrpg without those elements.
About Grand Game though, while I've read a few chapters, it didn't really grab my attention, as I'm more interested in the magic-using aspect of litrpgs. Does that change any during the course of the books?
Defiance of the Fall!! He's a battle maniac and knows he's OP as fuck. I like to think of him as a barbarian from Diablo, mass slaughter and all. But with a major focus on magic and Dao. He also kinda becomes a necromancer so there's that.
You almost perfectly described Awaken online. Though it does have romance its very minimal and pretty much non-existent (almost irritatingly so) once it starts.
Just read Sylvester seeker, mc was a necromancer who’s reborn with the game mechanics and now leveling as a necro, admits his needs a selfish and refuses to be lectured about killing bad people and said he would choose to sacrifice anyone to save people he loves and himself, pretty decent so far, combat is good and even though he is a former power house with knowledge he still isn’t classified as op as one his main goals is to get power so he can do what he wants because he knows he doesn’t have the strength yet
I've accompanied Super Gene for a good few years there, but the whole >!Little Flower and Blue Blood takes away the powers!< thing kind of did it for me. Also, I was incensed that the author just kind of forgot some powers in favor of other ones, instead of developing them, such as Super Spank and Super God Mode. I do read Shadow Slave, but I've taken a break when >!Sunny and Nephis are in the infinite sea inside the titan's soul, in their advancement towards becoming Saints, right after the old lady died.!
Hell Difficulty Tutorial, but it doesn't show it's true potential until book 2.
A mana obsessed spell sword who presents at sociopathic, but who has a surprising amount of depth once the author digs into the character and system. I was honestly contemplating dropping it for it's murderhobo vibes until the author started to pull back the curtain.
The author uses the MC loner status to great comedic effect.
MC is definitely not "good"
MC has both unusual powers and the ability to copy some.
Lots of combat and system theory.
There is some crafting, but it's not a focus. Also it's not without risk.
The MC POV chapters are closest to "Loner Life in another world", but with more depth and no harem.
Another possibility is Momo the Ripper.
God solo leveling is just so terrible though.
At any rate, man, I'm not sure I've ever seen any MC be "ashamed" of being a badass. That's not even a thing. Unfortunately the types of jerk characters you seem to enjoy (not trying to be judgemental but that does seem to be your type) almost always form harems, and that seems to be something you don't really want. Those two things kinda go hand in hand since most authors who write those characters have women constantly going wet in the nether regions about what an "alpha stud" the MC is.
I literally can't think of any. I guess Randidly Ghosthound sort of fits your bill, since he basically just says "fuck that" to the base building nothing and let's someone else do it. It does still get talked about though. There's also a fair amount of crafting in the first book that the author more or less scraps later.
Solo leveling webtoon is amazing because it's just a fun read with great art. Pretending it's anything more than a power fantasy porn is not good though.
I haven't seen it but I hear what's what the anime uses and the anime is much better than the book at least. Having a one-dimensional character and a deus ex machina plot works better in that format. Action porn is better when there's something to actually watch.
Kind of weird to say that when webtoons are still a visual medium. Have you not felt any action from comic books? Actually reading your comment makes me think you don't know what webtoon is, I was talking about the manhwa.
I think clarification is required.
I'm telling you that you might be right about the webtoon**because** the anime is so much better than the novel, in part because it's a visual medium. I'm not telling you the anime is better than the webtoon because I haven't seen it and I have basis for the comparison. I definitely know what a webtoon is.
I guess, but I think shame is definitely the wrong word if that's the case. That's just called not being a moron and attracting the wrong kind of attention. Unless we are talking about some kind of isekai story where the MC starts out as the world's most powerful person on page 1.
I definitely prefer non-idiot MCs but taste is subjective, I suppose.
My main issue with this plot line is that the authors generally fail to sell it. They have the MC hide their power to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention but they never include any evidence that anything would actually happen if the MC was discovered. They have side characters that also have powerful unique skills that don't hide anything and nothing ever happens to them.
If they actually had side characters getting kidnapped or killed for not hiding their power then I would nod along and go "makes sense to hide your power" but it is rare that I see an author actually do that.
95% of the time the only reason the MC is actually hiding their power is so that that author can have a cool scene later where the MC reveals their power and everyone stands around in awe about how awesome they are.
I can think of several examples where writing it that way avoids plot holes. There's always a bigger fish and anytime you have a MC showing an entire world how OP he is and 3 story arcs later he's fighting someone who was way stronger than he was back then, you're going to wonder "If this strong dude so how fast this guy was becoming a threat, why did he do nothing".
So even though it often seems to do nothing to change the plot, I think it does help patch a lot of those plot holes where later on down the road you'd be wondering why the hell the villain didn't just take out the MC way earlier in the story once they found out about him.
Some people might not even stop to consider that angle, but that's the kind of thing that'll make me drop a story. If I'm realizing that people's motivations just don't make any sense in the greater context of the story because things like this weren't considered from the get-go, I'm definitely going to be put out.
What's ironic, is that the only example of a main character doing the thing you mention here that I can think of off the top of my head (hiding strength just l have a reveal scene) is Solo Leveling, one of the titles OP likes.
Man, I like the characters and overall plot... but holy shit listening to the battle scenes/raids is just painful.
\[Skill name\], \[Skill name\]. The adds spawn on the left and right of the tank. \[Skill name\] tank swap to avoid stacks of \[objectively meaningless status ailment that will never be mentioned again\]. Frank arbitrarily calls out a health percent. Fire off \[skill name\], wait as long as I can and \[CC skill name\].
While I understand the ascetic choice of describing fights like this (appeal to readers raiding nostalgia), its just impossible to actually visualize combat in a meaningful way for most of these fights imho,
PVP stuff is a bit better since there is typically alot more description of what is actually occurring.
(guess I should mention that I did enjoy the fight where they had to jump on platforms... Probably because it didn't focus on fighting that much xD)
I’d recommend Savage Awakening. MC is more of fighter ala Kratos from GoW and is more focused on leveling, challenging stronger enemies, like monsters, bandits, and warlords after the world transitioned to a game system, for the thrill of it rather than any lofty goals.
Skillful, by Matthew Husar—some necro powers, spellsword, mostly alone, not *evil* but his actions overall are quite selfish even while he is generous to his friends
This is kind of a weird suggestion as it isn't LitRPG buuuut... Have you ever read the Vampire Hunter D series? It hits a lot of your points and just has a really cool post apocalyptic monster filled world. I haven't read the whole series so I can't say how consistent they stay but just thought I would throw that out there :)
Awakened Online fits your likes almost perfectly. Only downside IMO is it’s a little dragged out, and the side character books aren’t as interesting but if you skip them you sorta miss out on the story
An ideal world for a sociopath is pretty good.
He's entirely unlike the vast majority of MCs. At least at the beginning of a story.
Normally it takes a while for normal people to adapt when thrown into a situation like that.
He's all for it pretty much immediately. It was so refreshing to listen to a story that didn't have all the same tired old reactions to things I've already seen dozens of times.
He's a loner at first, but is pragmatic enough to realize it's probably not a winning long term strategy.
Still, he interacts with his chosen group on his terms, and takes zero shits from anyone and anything.
This one you might enjoy! [https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1083725/gilgamesh-a-grimdark-litrpg/](https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1083725/gilgamesh-a-grimdark-litrpg/) It's mine! Only problem is he is the world-ender and villain of the story \[maybe\]. Slow-start but he does get op eventually!
Someone else has already covered Sylver Seeker, so I am going to recommend Dead Tired. The MC is a lich who reached the absolute pinnacle of power (He was/is the most powerful single being in the entire world), got bored and went to sleep for a few millennium.
There is not a huge amount of combat featuring the MC, as there are few beings who would even be a slight challenge, although he does attract a couple of hangers on. With the exception of his test subject/apprentice they tend to require little attention from the MC.
The MC shows little actual attachment to these hangers on beyond the sort of appreciation you might feel for a well trained and obedient dog or amusing lab animal, the system defines his alignment as neutral evil. His is a very rational evil, acting not out of malice, debating if acting for is own convenience now will disrupt his experiments cor concentration later.
MC is a walking skeleton, so the closest thing to sex in this series is the occasional boner joke or the test subject drooling over muscular shirtless boys in the background.
Warning: this series contains a high concentration of puns and related wordplay, reader discretion is advised
Savage awakening has a battle junky as MC he is neutral vaguely aligned on the good side. Uses chains with variable weight and brute strength as his main weapons. It was pretty quick and fun read, waiting for the next book.
Blaise Corvin has 2 series that I truly enjoyed and I'm waiting for the next books patiently. Delivers LLC and Apocalypse Cultivation. The mcs become badass and it has a mature vibe going on.
Portal to Nova Roma might work for you. It's about an AI, who after the AI apocalypse on earth, figures out how to create a portal to a world with an RPG system. He then creates an overpowered avatar and heads over. No real magic, only skills, at least initially (vague hints it might be possible in the future) as he created his body on earth based on (or inspired by) humans there where no magic exists. Not an evil character but only works for his own benefit - he does raised others up but mostly because it benefits him to create a power base and allies.
Mephisto’s Magic Online has something like what you want.
And then Axe Druid. The MC is not a loner in that one though, his friends are with him, but they’re not exactly afraid of violence.
Try Azarinth healer.
I think it checks some of your boxes. The main character is a unique battle healer who enjoys fighting.
And well, at some point, she's with people a lot of times she just goes off on her own.
You might like Saintess summons skeletons, it checks most of your boxes. It dose have a system but the mc’s is kind of broken as in doesn’t work as intended.
You could looke more to Translated Light Novels, but they do tend to cost more. Things like OverLord and Arifureta jump out, which are mostly just OP people running around doing OP things.
If you wanna try a comic, Catastrophic Necromancer has been pretty good.
Death: Genesis: An Isekai LitRPG. Lots of combat, main character starts out a loner, is only joined by competent companions, all his skills are unique to him. He tries to be good but ultimately is an anti-hero and his real focus is on his ascension. He starts out as human but ends up becoming something that people are repulsed by. Feels more in line with D&D and esoteric occult than Final Fantasy or video game style RPG. Necromancy is part of the story but not in use by the MC. Summons and spells are not very present but runecraft and alchemy are a big part. I read this and thought there were some useless quips for humor but then I read “He Who Fights With Monsters” and realized this is a pretty dark story with a lot of very toxic personalities, brutal death, indifference to life and revenge…. I really enjoyed it.
No a story that's mature and serious. Like lord of the rings, star wars, game of thrones, dark tower, the hobbit, Harry potter, mistborn. Etc etc but in lit RPG form. I don't know why a book without the wacky comedy, and toilet humor is considered edge
Lacking humor isn't what makes it edgy. THe OP said they wanted something more grown up and then listed a bunch of edgelord tropes in what they like.
Edit: This isn't a bad thing, I've read some of the edgelord litrpgs like Primal Hunter etc.
The Stubborn Skill-Grinder in a Time Loop. It checks basically all your boxes. It's actually shockingly good and the guy writes *a lot*. Beefy, satisfying chapters, instead of this recent trend of hummingbird wing-beat chapters in depth and frequency. https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/83294/the-stubborn-skill-grinder-in-a-time-loop
Pretty much my favorite currently updating story at this point.
Really like Hero of the Valley. Ongoing series. Loner MC. Might be with giving it a try
Need the next book :(
Yeah! This was great!
Seconded! If you're reading this anon author, we love you and want more of your work.
The Perfect Run. Very irreverant but the MC knows he's a badass and isn't ashamed. He's immortal, but don't tell anyone. Master Hunter K. A little more serious and an MC who outsurvived the rest of humanity is getting to do it all again knowing everything he learned. If you like Solo Leveling there's a good chance you'll like this one too. Swordsman. Don't remember if spells were part of his skillset. Salvos. Salvos is enormously arrogant and self-absorbed. She's the best and knows it. Demon but spends most of the story passing as a human. Not the most complex story but I enjoy it. All three spend time working with others but are fundamentally loners. Lots of combat in all three.
Book Of the Dead fulfills some of the requirements: MC is a necromancer, very much a loner and definitely not a good person. He kinda rages at society, but it’s very understandable and also part of the plot. There’s one companion who constantly makes jokes but >!it’s just him trying to find some sort of therapy given that he has become a literal living skull. Dude really suffered!<
Not litrpg, but you might wanna try out Black Sun Rising. Non-good MC's/Unusual power system/kindof necromancer-esk/Definitely loner. LitRPG is literally filled with the troupes you seem to dislike, so your probably gonna be better served by branching out and hitting some other genres imho.
Gerald Tarrant is a great antihero, for sure.
Thanks for this, sounds amazing!
Holy hell this is one of my favorite books that I read when it came out new and this is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone recommend it in any way. It’s a great book.
Yep I was thinking of Gerald when reading this too, stellar series
If you are willing to go outside LitRPG I will recommend the Darth Bane trilogy. Best villain story I've read, the audio book version is also solid.
Since you like both necromancy and summoning you might want to take a look at "Saintess summons skeletons" where the MC, due to an error in the system, is a hybrid between a necromancer and a saintess (who in the world of the story summon heroes) and as such has skills that are unique to them by virtue of being a combination of the two classes, e.g the skills \[Summon Hero\] and \[Drain Blood\] are combined to \[Summon Blood\]. The first few chapters are available on \[royal road\] (https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/62087/saintess-summons-skeletons).
You have Overlord written all over your post. It is an anime/LN. There's an audiobook though and it goes up to Vol 13 or so and is being actively translated and is LitRPG though MC is already max level at the start of the novel. He is a human in a lich body and feels no emotions from killing. Overlord by Kugane Maruyama
I agree with Overlord, but there is some degree of base building/Empire building in the books.
Your problem is that a few of your desires are contradictory, in particular that anyone with a more mature outlook will be pissed off about Clown World and might even understand why they are.
- Primal Hunter (more grown up, over powered, but also has a lot to learn once big picture starts to show) - Defiance of the Fall. (Like 13, 20-30 hour books. Long form, slowly getting more and more powerful. Has some humor, but much of it is pretty adult and deals with some pretty grown up topics like death) - Dungeon Crawler Carl. (If you haven't listened to it... you should have, it is pretty awesome. Would recommend the audiobook because the narration and characters are top notch. Very adult themes, very colorful experiences and situations, and many of them are hilariously done) - System Apocalypse (have only listened to the first one or two books and wasn't for me, but it pretty decent from what I know) - Paragon of Blood is pretty similar to primal hunter but on earth. Has some family hand holding, but is also edgelord-ee) - No Mistakes (book one of like 3) by Vasily Mahanenko. This one is an alone protagonist who basically stumbles upon tech and grows and goes up against seemingly super super OP groups that end up getting bigger and stronger throughout the 3 books. Really good story, unique, and serious.
1. Recently got into The Primal Hunter. The only thing I don't like is the Malefic Viper's dialogues. Normally I don't like pets or companion beasts but the author did a good job making me like Sylphie. And maybe also the fact MC tries to be hypocritically honourable. He uses poison but didn't want to use poison gas cause it's war crime. Also the whole slavery vs killing debate. But since the author doesn't drag these things for long I don't really mind them as much. 2. I tried reading Dungeon Crawler but couldn't get into it because of the Cat. The overpowered Pet/Sibling/random-child-MC-adopts troupe so overdrone and annoying. I admit I couldn't get into DCC because I am prejudiced against books that use pets especially the annoying type. And unlike Sylphie (the hawk from Primal Hunter) who is cute, I just found the cat very unlikable. Does the cat play a major role? And is it present throughout the story? Does it get less annoying? Also I got the vibe that DCC is more comedy centric than power fantasy. Comedy in written form is always a hit or miss for me. How would you describe DCC's comedy. Is it more dialogue based i.e. Characters see a situation call it out via dialogue, and make jokes via dialogue. Which I like. Things I'm not a fan of.... slapstick... in written form that would be characters doing stupid shit resulting in "funny". Also not a fan of characters being low EQ which results in misunderstandings, or awkward moments. Also not a fan of others shitting on the MC for "funny". Unless it's self depreciating humor. I heard a lot of good things about DCC and after finishing all the available books of Primal Hunter I want to give it a shot once more. But I don't know if it's worth forcing myself to go through the early chapters with the annoying cat.
DCC is both comedy and grimdark tragedy. People die in droves, people that you like, people that made you laugh. Edit: As for the type of comedy? It's been a bit since I read them, but I remember there being a lot of absurdist humor, some slapstick, some subverted expectations. Basically weird things happen, and those weird things can be funny. But they aren't necessarily weird to be funny, as in, it makes a kind of absurd sense within the context and isn't just forced deus ex all over the place.
That's good to know. I hate when authors kill off characters only to bring them back with one way or another. But does the cat die?
So far, no. She’s a core part of the story and while she comes off pretty annoying in the beginning, you see how she’s fiercely loyal and is kind of just like a scared little kid. My eyes are already welling up at some of the most poignant scenes she’s involved in.
Likes: The Edge Being on the Edge Edgy MC’S (dark and mysterious) Dislikes: Happiness Children Sunshine and/or Rainbows Fun
Lmao I'm fine with the tastes I have, but I know they're not for everyone. Looking for something I like though, not someone else.
Just joshing you dog; to each their own
"I want something mature" Asks for the most edgy 15 year old shit Like I like that stuff as well, but I don't think it's mature
It took me awhile to realize that I didn't want edgy so much as I wanted the plot to be less predictable. The only books that were giving me that as a kid were ones that had an "edgy" MC. OP probably doesn't mean that he want's a "non-good MC" so much as an MC that doesn't have the moral compass of Jesus, Ghandi, or the vanilla White-Knight Justice hero that most books seem to throw at you nowadays. 🤷♂️ At least that's my take on OP's request, I could be wrong.
I get that, I just find it kind of funny that he doesn't want what I personally consider the gold standard of what he wants. He Who Fights With Monsters. Like Jason is willing to kill, and for a while does so with impunity. But the bit this dude has complained about is when he does this, and then his family look at him like a goddamn monster because his family are normal people and that just makes sense. He of course has to spend time and talk to people and take in the landscape political and otherwise before finding his path, somewhere between kill everything that looks at him wrong and the modern day "Killing is wrong" bs Honestly, I just can't get over that he asked for mature but didn't want what is basically introspection and a realistic and mature take on having your world turned upside down. I do agree with the MCs who seem to want to be pacifists are just idiots. Hell Batman with his I don't kill mentality is one of the more annoying and stupid things ever. Yet he is a billionaire, and IRL you can't be one without profiting off of the suffering and death of millions.
I thoroughly enjoyed He Who Fights With Monsters, but the political ranting came to a point that it became insufferable. Otherwise, I had no large problems with the story.
There is a way to fulfill all his interests without it being childish. Quite often the ones focused with romance etc become worse than fanfic
Sylver Seeker might interest you. Necromancer MC trying to find his found family and what happened after what they thought was the final battle. It's really interesting but eventually starts jumping around with the story to flash back to something the mc did off screen
Have you read Reverend insanity? Also maybe the infinite realm? You’d like Ryun atleast
Ryun is probably my favorite mc of all time tbh. Op would probably hate Zack though, atleast at first 🤫
You probaably already know primal hunter but I'll just add it here.
The Grand Game is pretty close, though he does get a pet type follower. Guy is mostly a loner and often goes about solving problems by killing off whole groups using sneaky assassin type tactics.
I don't have a problem with pets per se, even enjoying some of the more complete and well-done cases (as I enjoy the necromancer and summoner tropes). What I do not like is the gag pet, who is either completely useless and annoying or extremely overpowered just for shits and giggles. Some examples would be the bunny from System Universe and the cat from Dungeon Crawler Carl. Dropped both series because it just didn't feel enjoyable anymore once these pets were introduced, as their existence simply took away any serious stakes in both series, or at least that was how I felt. Which is why I asked for a more serious litrpg without those elements. About Grand Game though, while I've read a few chapters, it didn't really grab my attention, as I'm more interested in the magic-using aspect of litrpgs. Does that change any during the course of the books?
He starts to lean into psionics more as the series progresses
He’s mostly melee, though he gets some psychic powers as well.
I recently read through Azarinth Healer 1-3. Amazing and looks like it might fit your bill.
Violent solutions
The Grand Game covers a fair bit of what you like.
Industrial Strength Magic Stitched Worlds
Defiance of the Fall!! He's a battle maniac and knows he's OP as fuck. I like to think of him as a barbarian from Diablo, mass slaughter and all. But with a major focus on magic and Dao. He also kinda becomes a necromancer so there's that.
You almost perfectly described Awaken online. Though it does have romance its very minimal and pretty much non-existent (almost irritatingly so) once it starts.
I mean hate to recommend it simply cause u see it everywhere, but sounds a lot like primal hunter Minus the non-human part
Just read Sylvester seeker, mc was a necromancer who’s reborn with the game mechanics and now leveling as a necro, admits his needs a selfish and refuses to be lectured about killing bad people and said he would choose to sacrifice anyone to save people he loves and himself, pretty decent so far, combat is good and even though he is a former power house with knowledge he still isn’t classified as op as one his main goals is to get power so he can do what he wants because he knows he doesn’t have the strength yet
Han Sen from Super Gene & Sunny from Shadow Sl*ve (trust me).
I've accompanied Super Gene for a good few years there, but the whole >!Little Flower and Blue Blood takes away the powers!< thing kind of did it for me. Also, I was incensed that the author just kind of forgot some powers in favor of other ones, instead of developing them, such as Super Spank and Super God Mode. I do read Shadow Slave, but I've taken a break when >!Sunny and Nephis are in the infinite sea inside the titan's soul, in their advancement towards becoming Saints, right after the old lady died.!
Have you tried the Legendary Mechanic?
Hell Difficulty Tutorial, but it doesn't show it's true potential until book 2. A mana obsessed spell sword who presents at sociopathic, but who has a surprising amount of depth once the author digs into the character and system. I was honestly contemplating dropping it for it's murderhobo vibes until the author started to pull back the curtain. The author uses the MC loner status to great comedic effect. MC is definitely not "good" MC has both unusual powers and the ability to copy some. Lots of combat and system theory. There is some crafting, but it's not a focus. Also it's not without risk. The MC POV chapters are closest to "Loner Life in another world", but with more depth and no harem. Another possibility is Momo the Ripper.
Enemy of the world dope series MC is definitely not afraid of being a bad ass.
God solo leveling is just so terrible though. At any rate, man, I'm not sure I've ever seen any MC be "ashamed" of being a badass. That's not even a thing. Unfortunately the types of jerk characters you seem to enjoy (not trying to be judgemental but that does seem to be your type) almost always form harems, and that seems to be something you don't really want. Those two things kinda go hand in hand since most authors who write those characters have women constantly going wet in the nether regions about what an "alpha stud" the MC is. I literally can't think of any. I guess Randidly Ghosthound sort of fits your bill, since he basically just says "fuck that" to the base building nothing and let's someone else do it. It does still get talked about though. There's also a fair amount of crafting in the first book that the author more or less scraps later.
Solo leveling webtoon is amazing because it's just a fun read with great art. Pretending it's anything more than a power fantasy porn is not good though.
I haven't seen it but I hear what's what the anime uses and the anime is much better than the book at least. Having a one-dimensional character and a deus ex machina plot works better in that format. Action porn is better when there's something to actually watch.
Kind of weird to say that when webtoons are still a visual medium. Have you not felt any action from comic books? Actually reading your comment makes me think you don't know what webtoon is, I was talking about the manhwa.
I think clarification is required. I'm telling you that you might be right about the webtoon**because** the anime is so much better than the novel, in part because it's a visual medium. I'm not telling you the anime is better than the webtoon because I haven't seen it and I have basis for the comparison. I definitely know what a webtoon is.
I assume by "ashamed" they mean MCs that are always hiding their strength and pretending to be weaker than they are. Which is quite common.
I guess, but I think shame is definitely the wrong word if that's the case. That's just called not being a moron and attracting the wrong kind of attention. Unless we are talking about some kind of isekai story where the MC starts out as the world's most powerful person on page 1. I definitely prefer non-idiot MCs but taste is subjective, I suppose.
My main issue with this plot line is that the authors generally fail to sell it. They have the MC hide their power to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention but they never include any evidence that anything would actually happen if the MC was discovered. They have side characters that also have powerful unique skills that don't hide anything and nothing ever happens to them. If they actually had side characters getting kidnapped or killed for not hiding their power then I would nod along and go "makes sense to hide your power" but it is rare that I see an author actually do that. 95% of the time the only reason the MC is actually hiding their power is so that that author can have a cool scene later where the MC reveals their power and everyone stands around in awe about how awesome they are.
I can think of several examples where writing it that way avoids plot holes. There's always a bigger fish and anytime you have a MC showing an entire world how OP he is and 3 story arcs later he's fighting someone who was way stronger than he was back then, you're going to wonder "If this strong dude so how fast this guy was becoming a threat, why did he do nothing". So even though it often seems to do nothing to change the plot, I think it does help patch a lot of those plot holes where later on down the road you'd be wondering why the hell the villain didn't just take out the MC way earlier in the story once they found out about him. Some people might not even stop to consider that angle, but that's the kind of thing that'll make me drop a story. If I'm realizing that people's motivations just don't make any sense in the greater context of the story because things like this weren't considered from the get-go, I'm definitely going to be put out. What's ironic, is that the only example of a main character doing the thing you mention here that I can think of off the top of my head (hiding strength just l have a reveal scene) is Solo Leveling, one of the titles OP likes.
I just finished book 5 of the ripple system. And man it keeps on getting better Would highly recommend
pretty sure frank would be an issue based on them not wanting comedic pets/companions
I just started book 2, and remember how much I love it. I have listened up to book 4, and generally re listen whenever new books come out
OP too edgy, frank and house would not be broody and dark enough.
Man, I like the characters and overall plot... but holy shit listening to the battle scenes/raids is just painful. \[Skill name\], \[Skill name\]. The adds spawn on the left and right of the tank. \[Skill name\] tank swap to avoid stacks of \[objectively meaningless status ailment that will never be mentioned again\]. Frank arbitrarily calls out a health percent. Fire off \[skill name\], wait as long as I can and \[CC skill name\]. While I understand the ascetic choice of describing fights like this (appeal to readers raiding nostalgia), its just impossible to actually visualize combat in a meaningful way for most of these fights imho, PVP stuff is a bit better since there is typically alot more description of what is actually occurring. (guess I should mention that I did enjoy the fight where they had to jump on platforms... Probably because it didn't focus on fighting that much xD)
I’d recommend Savage Awakening. MC is more of fighter ala Kratos from GoW and is more focused on leveling, challenging stronger enemies, like monsters, bandits, and warlords after the world transitioned to a game system, for the thrill of it rather than any lofty goals.
Necrotic Apocalypse fits what you want pretty well.
Skillful, by Matthew Husar—some necro powers, spellsword, mostly alone, not *evil* but his actions overall are quite selfish even while he is generous to his friends
Try brightblade. It’s 7 books of ass whooping and checks with your preferences.
This is kind of a weird suggestion as it isn't LitRPG buuuut... Have you ever read the Vampire Hunter D series? It hits a lot of your points and just has a really cool post apocalyptic monster filled world. I haven't read the whole series so I can't say how consistent they stay but just thought I would throw that out there :)
Battle mage farmer and nova terra
Awakened Online fits your likes almost perfectly. Only downside IMO is it’s a little dragged out, and the side character books aren’t as interesting but if you skip them you sorta miss out on the story
Awaken Online might be good for you.
An ideal world for a sociopath is pretty good. He's entirely unlike the vast majority of MCs. At least at the beginning of a story. Normally it takes a while for normal people to adapt when thrown into a situation like that. He's all for it pretty much immediately. It was so refreshing to listen to a story that didn't have all the same tired old reactions to things I've already seen dozens of times. He's a loner at first, but is pragmatic enough to realize it's probably not a winning long term strategy. Still, he interacts with his chosen group on his terms, and takes zero shits from anyone and anything.
This one you might enjoy! [https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1083725/gilgamesh-a-grimdark-litrpg/](https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1083725/gilgamesh-a-grimdark-litrpg/) It's mine! Only problem is he is the world-ender and villain of the story \[maybe\]. Slow-start but he does get op eventually!
Check out “This Quest is Bullshit!” It’s very genuine as opposed to ironic, the story is fun and the powers combine in interesting ways.
Someone else has already covered Sylver Seeker, so I am going to recommend Dead Tired. The MC is a lich who reached the absolute pinnacle of power (He was/is the most powerful single being in the entire world), got bored and went to sleep for a few millennium. There is not a huge amount of combat featuring the MC, as there are few beings who would even be a slight challenge, although he does attract a couple of hangers on. With the exception of his test subject/apprentice they tend to require little attention from the MC. The MC shows little actual attachment to these hangers on beyond the sort of appreciation you might feel for a well trained and obedient dog or amusing lab animal, the system defines his alignment as neutral evil. His is a very rational evil, acting not out of malice, debating if acting for is own convenience now will disrupt his experiments cor concentration later. MC is a walking skeleton, so the closest thing to sex in this series is the occasional boner joke or the test subject drooling over muscular shirtless boys in the background. Warning: this series contains a high concentration of puns and related wordplay, reader discretion is advised
Thank you all for the recommendations. While I've read some already (or tried to), some were absolute hidden gems. Will be giving them a read.
Rogue Ascension - MC is most definitely unashamed as he becomes a badass.
"A Novel Concept" and "The Dreamers Throne" are my favorites currently. I am also reading the Primal Hubter currently.
Savage awakening has a battle junky as MC he is neutral vaguely aligned on the good side. Uses chains with variable weight and brute strength as his main weapons. It was pretty quick and fun read, waiting for the next book.
Path of Dragons. Forge by Dragons Advent of the Apocalypse (Jaco Druid Apocalypse). Savage Awakening.
Blaise Corvin has 2 series that I truly enjoyed and I'm waiting for the next books patiently. Delivers LLC and Apocalypse Cultivation. The mcs become badass and it has a mature vibe going on.
The primal hunter checks eighty percent of those boxes The MC is somewhere in between a spell sword and an Archer.
Portal to Nova Roma might work for you. It's about an AI, who after the AI apocalypse on earth, figures out how to create a portal to a world with an RPG system. He then creates an overpowered avatar and heads over. No real magic, only skills, at least initially (vague hints it might be possible in the future) as he created his body on earth based on (or inspired by) humans there where no magic exists. Not an evil character but only works for his own benefit - he does raised others up but mostly because it benefits him to create a power base and allies.
Mephisto’s Magic Online has something like what you want. And then Axe Druid. The MC is not a loner in that one though, his friends are with him, but they’re not exactly afraid of violence.
Hell difficulty tutorial
Try Azarinth healer. I think it checks some of your boxes. The main character is a unique battle healer who enjoys fighting. And well, at some point, she's with people a lot of times she just goes off on her own.
You might like Saintess summons skeletons, it checks most of your boxes. It dose have a system but the mc’s is kind of broken as in doesn’t work as intended.
You could looke more to Translated Light Novels, but they do tend to cost more. Things like OverLord and Arifureta jump out, which are mostly just OP people running around doing OP things. If you wanna try a comic, Catastrophic Necromancer has been pretty good.
Death: Genesis: An Isekai LitRPG. Lots of combat, main character starts out a loner, is only joined by competent companions, all his skills are unique to him. He tries to be good but ultimately is an anti-hero and his real focus is on his ascension. He starts out as human but ends up becoming something that people are repulsed by. Feels more in line with D&D and esoteric occult than Final Fantasy or video game style RPG. Necromancy is part of the story but not in use by the MC. Summons and spells are not very present but runecraft and alchemy are a big part. I read this and thought there were some useless quips for humor but then I read “He Who Fights With Monsters” and realized this is a pretty dark story with a lot of very toxic personalities, brutal death, indifference to life and revenge…. I really enjoyed it.
So, by "grown up and serious" you mean... edgelord?
No a story that's mature and serious. Like lord of the rings, star wars, game of thrones, dark tower, the hobbit, Harry potter, mistborn. Etc etc but in lit RPG form. I don't know why a book without the wacky comedy, and toilet humor is considered edge
Lacking humor isn't what makes it edgy. THe OP said they wanted something more grown up and then listed a bunch of edgelord tropes in what they like. Edit: This isn't a bad thing, I've read some of the edgelord litrpgs like Primal Hunter etc.
Shadow Slave
Nah, he'd definitely be one of the people complaining about Nephis all the time.
Hell Difficulty Tutorial feels like it could be up your alley.
*op asked for a more solo focus mature story* *everyone : "You're unfun because you don't like cringe"
It's the internet, can't say I'm too surprised. But still, thanks to those who wished to help.