Name: Proving Grounds
Rating: 4.37 (1927 reviews)
Author: Apollos Thorne

Universe Online – Enter the Game: Complete Edition

★ 4.09

Ryan 'Viken' Henning

[Complete Edition includes Part 1 and Part 2, plus a bonus chapter!] My name is Allec Renn, and I was born with ALS. Even with our modern technology, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cannot be treated or cured. I've been bed or chair bound since I was a kid. The advent of Virtual Reality technology has given me a chance for a new life. Or rather dozens of them. Heh. I'm an avid gamer, and I wouldn't have it any other way. In the games I could be what I wanted to be, who I wanted to be. A mighty warrior, a powerful spellcaster, the charming rogue. The crafter. The builder. All of those and more have helped to greatly alleviated my problems. But a new game is coming out; one with the power to change the world. It uses a brand new technology, based around the first ever deep immersion Dive Pod. With it there is no more game lag or graphical limits. It is being heralded as the greatest breakthrough in Virtual Reality technologies since its founding. And the first and only game for Universe Online. No longer will players be stuck on a single large world to explore. No longer will there a limit to what you can do, what you can be. Fly spaceships between the stars, conquer planets, create custom technology. Mine, Build, Destroy. Explore. Rule. This is my story, and my path in Universe Online.

Level Up or Die!

★ 4.11

Apollos Thorne

A thousand year old succubus has grown tired of devouring men. With the help of a lich lord, she invents a new spell that will allow her to grow more powerful in a much less distasteful manner.

Elorion is just your average high school student lazing around during summer break and thinking about bacon. After a solid gaming session, he removes his VR headset to find a monster waiting to kidnap him.

He wakes to find that he’s not alone. Nineteen other students have also been taken. The last thing he expects happens next. He is given the ability to use magic and level up! There’s a catch. With his dormant talents unlocked he must grow in power to please his new master.

To level up he must face the monsters of the Underworld. If he doesn’t fight he will die. But if he does fight, will he survive?

Welcome to the Underworld!

Mage Tank: A LitRPG Adventure

★ 4.31

Cornman

A hilarious new Isekai LitRPG adventure perfect for fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl and Full Murderhobo.

Conquer ancient dungeons. Get rewarded. Grow stronger.
After being killed by a high-velocity tree-hug, Arlo is transported to a new world where those brave and talented enough to conquer ancient Delves are rewarded with incredible power and abilities.

Unfortunately for Arlo, there is no tutorial. He is immediately forced to tackle a Delve set to the highest difficulty with a party of adventurers who are not only strangers to him, but strangers to each other as well.

Arlo has no armor, no weapons, no knowledge of the world at large, and his party is growing increasingly suspicious of his lack of preparation and paper-thin excuses for how he got there.

There's also the fact that the System in charge seems to be treating Arlo's situation like a big, cosmic joke.

Determined not to die again, Arlo forgoes putting any points into his highest stat, Intelligence, and instead dumps everything he's got into Fortitude. After all, who needs equipment or fighting skills when you can eat fireballs for breakfast and still ask for more hot sauce?

Mage Tank begins a new Isekai LitRPG adventure that features steady progression, intelligent characters who spend time making intentional build choices, and tons of laughs. It’s not action all-the-time, but Arlo’s life is replete with danger and, more importantly, consequences.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic

★ 4.11

Andrew Rowe

Five years ago, Corin Cadence’s brother entered the Serpent Spire — a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire’s trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire’s goddess.

He never returned.

Now, it’s Corin’s turn. He’s headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.

If he can survive the trials, Corin will earn an attunement, but that won’t be sufficient to survive the dangers on the upper levels. For that, he’s going to need training, allies, and a lot of ingenuity.

The journey won’t be easy, but Corin won’t stop until he gets his brother back.

The Eternal Game

★ 4.55

Álex Gilbert

Ariane has finally adjusted to her new life as a vampire, hidden away from her kin in the Georgian countryside. She can now set her eyes on her next pursuit: her return to society as a rightful, free entity. Regaining her freedom will not be easy, however. Beyond the issues of cutthroat vampire politics, the protection of her territory will also bring surprising challenges. She will have to face them with the help of the friends she gathered around her: Loth the burly smith and scholar, her sassy human vassal Dalton and the Choctaw seer Nashoba. It will take that much, for the world is old and there are many ancient threats waiting to be unearthed.

The Arena

★ 4.24

Edward Brody

Edgewood is under attack, and the threat of war lingers across the Serpent Sea.

In order to protect their village, the members of Unity will need to work together to level-up and find better gear. They'll need to lay the foundation of a castle that can serve as a fortification from intruders.

But what if there's a better way?

When Gunnar learns that the King of Highcastle will grant an audience to anyone who wins an Arena championship, he decides to enter the competition as a gladiator. If he can earn a meeting with the ailing King and persuade him to stop Dryden Bloodletter, he can save Edgewood and potentially countless lives. He'll also get his name posted in every Arena which could lead Rachel one step closer to finding him.

The Arena is a spectacle where people gather to watch fighters put their skills to the test, earn fame, and take home gold. Does Gunnar have what it takes to become a champion or has he bitten off more than he can chew?

Resurgence

★ 4.1

Joshua W. Nelson

This is an alternate cover edition for B01IO4H1AU

Pay to play. Since the beginning of online gaming this has always been the norm; you paid the company and they let you play their game. So it's no surprise that Alex Stanton was living every gamer's dream. It was the opposite for him. He was getting payed to play.

The latest generation of virtual reality gaming, in both appearance and hardware, was being beta tested by the largest retailer of online gaming, AltCon. Never before seen graphical detail, joined with a first-time, fully functional, whole body immersion system was likely to put AltCon entirely out of reach of their competitors. But before they could go live, they wanted Beta testers. Serious Beta testers. So serious, AltCon was willing to pay a salary to each tester, ensuring their lives revolved around the Beta, and the Beta only.

Beta testers join for one reason, to experience new content never seen by another player. Alex, along with his group mates Dan, Jason, and Wayne will experience every nuance the game has to offer, and all before the rest of the world.
The entire scenario is unreal; from the tests to be selected as a Beta candidate, to the six month wait to qualify, to the almost life-like quality of the game itself. The company pulled out all the stops. If there was a heaven for gamers, it would look exactly like this game: Resurgence.

But odd things start happening from the outset. Things Alex can't explain. But like every hard-core gamer, Alex has no problem ignoring the little things to focus on the grander design; winning the game. Whether that be discovering new content, finishing epic quests, or finding the rarest of items.

In time, even the littlest of things can pile up, and Alex is forced to ask himself, “What’s really going on in Resurgence?”

Supermage

★ 4.14

Aaron Oster

Morgan's life is not easy. Growing up on the streets of City Four, he is constantly shunned by the other citizens. Morgan doesn't mind being ignored. What he does mind, though, are the constant beatings from the city guards due to his friendship with Sarah, the city lord's only daughter. Lord Simon wants him dead, but the laws of the kingdom are on Morgan’s side and even the guards won't kill him, just for being seen near his manor.

Morgan’s time is running out, though. Lord Simon has deep pockets and his last visit to the manor may just have put him over the edge. Worse, he is nearing his sixteenth birthday, and has yet to awaken any abilities. In a world where might makes right, he has never been one of the mighty. What will he do when faced with a life altering decision and just how will his decision impact those around him?

Warning: This book contains profanity, gore and content that may not be suitable for children. This book also contains GameLit elements such as stat sheets, and a form of leveling and experience gain.

Proving Grounds

More in Underworld Series

Level Up or Die!

Through the Belly of the Beast

Sanctuary

Vampire Gate

Scorching Sun

Books similar to Proving Grounds

Universe Online – Enter the Game: Complete Edition

Level Up or Die!

Mage Tank: A LitRPG Adventure

Sufficiently Advanced Magic

The Eternal Game

The Arena

Resurgence

Supermage

Proving Grounds

More in Underworld Series

Level Up or Die!

Through the Belly of the Beast

Sanctuary

Vampire Gate

Scorching Sun

Books similar to Proving Grounds

Universe Online – Enter the Game: Complete Edition

Level Up or Die!

Mage Tank: A LitRPG Adventure

Sufficiently Advanced Magic

The Eternal Game

The Arena

Resurgence

Supermage

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