System Fiction Litrpg

These stories and more are featured in the third short story anthology for the System Apocalypse, continuing the saga of survival in a world transformed by the arrival of the System. Humanity has adapted to a new reality filled with Classes, magic and monsters, but the struggle for life, love and purpose never ends. This anthology brings together gripping tales from returning authors and two new short stories by Tao Wong.

Fight, survive, adapt, and rely only on yourself. That is Derek’s creed and what's got him through the System Integration on Earth. Everything changed when the System came. Cute bunnies and beautiful butterflies became savage killing machines. Then the Invaders arrived with a single goal: to obtain ownership of this new habitable planet. War has raged ever since. None of this mattered much to Derek, aside from making living a little more perilous.

Gary doesn’t have all that much going for him. He’s a teenage boy who lives in a Tier-3 town that’s barely hanging on, and his family’s just a rung above dirt poor. Which is why he’s taken the very dangerous step of becoming an errand boy for the savage Underdogs gang. He doesn’t like what they do, but if he tries to get out, he’s pretty sure he’ll get very dead.

Melvin Murphy is your average everyday teen... until he finds the System. Melvin has normal problems. High School. Tests. Trying to find a girlfriend (and failing... miserably). But one day he awakens with access to a System that governs all magic. In his attempt to summon a teacher to show him the ropes, he botches the ritual and accidentally summons a magic-wielding girl named Kalliphae. Sure, she's powerful and deadly. A femme fatale who's more intimidating than even the most popular girls at school.

Parker Wu’s life was cut short after a tragic encounter with a very large truck. But when one existence ended, another far more bizarre one began. Reincarnated and transported to the Continent—a world of swords and sorcery in which an all-powerful being known as the Eternal King reigns supreme—Parker is no longer a corporeal being. It seems the Continent has other plans for the late Earthling . . . As it turns out, Parker is now a System, a non-player entity whose purpose is to help a player succeed.

When the Doom System appeared, it shattered reality overnight. People took superhuman abilities, their only defense against a world that no longer made sense. But just as humanity began to adapt, the System changed the rules. Now, survival isn’t just a struggle. It’s a competition. For Hiro Johnson, staying alive has become a full-time job. The System twists the streets of New York into death traps, pitting survivors against monsters, hunters, and each other yet rewarding them with powerful skills and weapons.

After saying goodbye to his life on earth, he never expected to find a brand new world still awaiting for him. One where immortals flew through the clouds and ancient evils hid below the surface. One where fables, myths, and legends filled every corner. One where he could finally start anew. Now, however, John is about to learn a valuable lesson, for any place humanity rules will always be the same - a domain where sin and ambition can only be tamed by power. Will he have the strength to walk this road on his own or will he be unable to heal the old wounds hidden deep within his heart?

Derek has saved villages and maybe even cities from overflowing dungeons. He later helped with the capture of one of the most despicable noblemen in the entire kingdom. After that, he, at the request of Prince Edgar, helped prevent upcoming danger by clearing a raid dungeon and keeping it from overflowing into the kingdom. Then, he and Silvi joined a war effort that began while he was clearing the dungeon.

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.

Terry Fairway came back from the Underworld stronger, faster—changed. But the power he won came at a cost. He saved a world. He might have damned his own. All across the globe, incursion rifts split the sky, flooding Earth with Awakened invaders from distant worlds. Cities burn. Alliances crack. And Earth’s defenders race to seal the breaches—before the next city falls to ash.

House Gracefall wasn’t anything like what Derek had imagined it would be. Instead of rage and anger at the loss of one of their young masters, House Gracefall showed humility and even apologized. Despite one noble house exemplifying honor and nobility, another awaited to reinforce the negative stereotypes that Derek had been anticipating all along. Somehow, out of all that, Derek made a new friend, a new business partner, and learned some secrets, while Silvi got her first taste of the real world of cooking and loved it.

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.

The world ends in a slew of blue notification boxes, bringing with it a game-like existence including monsters and Classes. Now, John has to make his way from Kluane National Park in the Yukon to Whitehorse through monster infested forests. But, that's not enough; because he'll need to help rebuild civilization itself around the System, aliens and monsters. And, as always, humanity will be its own greatest enemy.

My life took a turn I never expected on the day the world ended. Suddenly forced to fight in a bloody arena by a faceless System, I find the only way to survive is to win. I’m told that ten victories in the arena will give me my freedom, but if I’m going to get there, I’ll need a crack team of hardened allies to fight with me. What I got instead was a bratty college girl with a jealousy streak, a momma’s boy roommate who now inhabits the body of a piglet, and a devastatingly gorgeous teacher whose sword is as sharp as her tongue.

The train station harbors danger. Each day, one portal opens, leading to daunting trials and battles of life and death commanded by masked facilitators. Asher is forced to rely on his instincts and his weapon. He must navigate this treacherous world, both solo and with teams, and contend with other players, each harboring their own motives and ambitions. Confronted with unimaginable challenges, every day unveils a new hurdle, and each victory is bitterly earned. In this world intent on crushing him, Asher must fight to survive.

Bienvenue à Torith ! Cité de tous les mystères, où l'aristocratie intrigue sans relâche. Où les alliances se nouent dans le plus grand secret. Où les serments sont plus redoutables que le fil d'une épée. Derek Hunt est sorti victorieux du donjon des immortels. Ses statistiques sont hors du commun. Dans cette ville où il voudrait se faire un nom, ses pouvoirs attisent toutes les convoitises. À qui accorder sa confiance, dans ce jeu dont il ignore les règles ? Pour lui comme pour ceux qui ont juré sa perte, la partie ne fait que commencer.

Savannah, carrefour de l'or, du pouvoir et de l'ambition ! Une ville où tout s'achète et tout se vend, mais où nul n'a droit à l'erreur. C'est dans cette cité où la compétition fait rage que Derek a choisi de s'établir, d'étendre son influence et de repousser les limites du système. Entre artisans hors pair, alchimistes audacieux et combattants capables de lui rendre coup pour coup, il y cherche des alliés à sa mesure. Toujours avide de puissance, il aiguise ses statistiques...tandis qu'un ennemi prépare sa vengeance.

The System Apocalypse has come to Australia, altering native organisms and importing even more menacing creatures to the most dangerous continent on Earth. For Kira Kent, plant biologist, the System arrives while she's pulling an all nighter at work with her pair of kids in tow. Now, instead of mundane parental concerns like childcare and paying the bills, she's got to figure out how to survive a world where already deadly flora and fauna have grown even more perilous.

At the mercy of an unknown entity, Clyde gets tossed into the anime world. Yes, it exists, we just don't know it. There, he's declared the Stone, the anime main character. One day, he must kill the Viper, or else it's good-bye, Earth. This is the comedic tale of a young man vs. cliche anime tropes.

Corporate flameout Ned Altimer dreams of leaving his world behind. So, when Earthblood Online splashes onto the VRMMO scene, he dives in and never looks back. His advantages are twofold: exclusive access to the game’s three-day Head Start period, and a ridiculously handsome talking axe named Frank who has knowledge of the game’s deepest secrets...if the magnificent Frank ever feels like sharing them.