A Dungeon That Kills [ BOOK 1 & 2 COMPLETED!!! ]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The dungeon must grow. The stolen power must be reclaimed. Everything else is of no consequence. Viktor had been called many names: the Impaler, the Tyrant, the Dark Emperor. And he couldn’t have cared less. Those who dared oppose him all met swift and brutal ends. Kingdoms fell as he carved out his own empire. With his unparalleled power, he brought the entire world to its knees. Yet, even the mightiest could fall. One day, he made a mistake, a mistake that cost him everything. His reign abruptly ended when he was slain by a group called the Six Heroes, who not only took his life but also stole his power and divided it among themselves. Three hundred years later, Viktor came back to life. He awoke in the body of a young boy named Quinn and found himself in a world changed beyond recognition. His castle had been left in ruins, his capital had been razed to the ground, and the once-prosperous Central Plains had become a wild land ruled by trees and beasts. Of all the treasures he once possessed, the only thing he had found was a Dungeon Core, small and underdeveloped, buried under rubble, forgotten by everyone. His power was now scattered among the Six Heroes’ descendants, who reigned as kings and queens of this new world. And he wanted it back. With a fledgling Dungeon Core as his only ally, he set out to exact vengeance on his enemies and reclaim what was rightfully his. What to expect: - A competent, ruthless MC who stops at nothing to achieve his goal - A long and epic story - Book 2 completed on Royal Road Schedule: - 3 chapters per week (M/W/F) + bonus chapters if any -New chapters drop at 3 pm UTC You can support me and read20 chapters aheadof Royal Road by subscribing to myPatreon.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: Hitenma

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 1,990
Views: 539,457

Chapters(160 total)

What readers say about A Dungeon That Kills [ BOOK 1 & 2 COMPLETED!!! ]

“To preface my review, I decided on a whim to check this story out. It's popped up as an ad in another story i was reading. I do not regret my moment of "huh, this looks potentially interesting" as I clicked that ad. While this isn't necessarily entirely uni…”
thrawn53Royal Road5.0 / 5
“What I was looking for. Binge read it for the chaaracter development, interarction, writing and choice of protagonist archetype. A ruthless, vicious but surprisingly caring individual who wnts to obtain his old status back. While understanding the world aro…”
Dragon FireRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

thrawn53Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
To preface my review, I decided on a whim to check this story out. It's popped up as an ad in another story i was reading. I do not regret my moment of "huh, this looks potentially interesting" as I clicked that ad.
While this isn't necessarily entirely unique and revolutionary in the Dungeon/Reincarnation genres, it is well-written, well-paced(so far), and has a good MC. I'd give him a decent 7.8/10 on the Villain-o-meter. I will definitely continue to read new entries as they come!
If you're not sure about this story, try reading the first 3 chapters; they aren't that long. I was in the fence until my third chapter and then I was hooked, so my advice is to give it a chance to hook you too!
Dragon FireRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What I was looking for. Binge read it for the chaaracter development, interarction, writing and choice of protagonist archetype. A ruthless, vicious but surprisingly caring individual who wnts to obtain his old status back. While understanding the world around him, he bonds with the normal human and while he's not exactly a saint, he does try to help them. It's a slow burn novel but great stuff really.
NyksonT CostaVRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A Dungeon That Kills è una web novel che comprende qualcosa che molte storie ambientate nei dungeon ignorano: le meccaniche contano solo quando hanno conseguenze reali. Qui, la morte non è una punizione temporanea, i dungeon non sono parchi di divertimento e la costruzione del mondo non esiste solo per giustificare la progressione del potere.
Il più grande successo dell'opera è trattare la prigione come una cancellazione, non come un ostacolo. Morire al suo interno significa la fine dell'anima, punto. Questo crea una tensione autentica che sostiene l'intera narrazione e impedisce facili soluzioni. Quando sorgono delle eccezioni, non indeboliscono il sistema, ma lo affrontano.
L'introduzione di Nakhran come figura mitica ne è un chiaro esempio. Invece di infrangere le regole, agisce dopo la fine, ricreando qualcosa di nuovo da ciò che rimane. La situazione di Brynhildr è particolarmente potente: non è "salvata", non è regredita, non è protetta per comodità narrativa. L'anima originale è scomparsa. Ciò che ritorna è una continuità ricostruita, funzionale e inquietante. Questo conferisce un vero peso filosofico al concetto di identità e destino.
I personaggi sono un altro punto forte. Brynhildr non è definita solo dalla forza, ma anche da legami, sensi di colpa, scelte e perdite. I suoi rapporti con la sorella, il nipote, il re e il sistema di potere creano un dramma che va oltre il combattimento. Persino le figure divine o mitologiche non sembrano entità astratte: hanno un'ideologia, un'intenzione e un conflitto.
Anche il ritmo merita un elogio. La storia sa quando andare avanti, quando trattenere informazioni e quando lasciare che il lettore metta insieme i pezzi del puzzle da solo. Molte risposte non sono spiegate, ma implicite, il che premia una lettura attenta.
Grazie per la storia!!!
Mi scuso per aver scritto in modo errato.
SneakyFrogRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I must admit I started out by skimming the first chapter or two, but it quickly grabbed my attention and picked up the pace. Great storytelling without infodumps or such.Also, there were many small tidbits and elements that make me expect quite a lot of depth from the characters moving forward!I hope the author can deliver on that, so far it's great :)EDIT: As I expected, most of the characters get quite a bit of added complexity further down the line. So yea, this rating is earned and stays!
Vidarr AesirRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is dark in a way that perfectly scratches a itch I didn't know I had.
The Mc is an "evil" guy inhabiting the body of a twelve yr old. And man, the descriptions of a gleeful kid destroying his enemies is something else.
Probably need mental help, but this is a fun read.
As far as the story goes the pacing is perfect the characters get fleshed out well without straying too far into gushing about someone random, and I love the details about the dungeon.
The author went to a lot of effort and you can tell!
Definitely check it out
YottawattsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I saw a new chapter came out and there's two more for me to read which is awesome I absolutely love this story it is so fun to read and I absolutely enjoy diving into new chapter so happens next.The storyline for the book is captivating and I like the background for the story The genre aka the dungeon building is very fun and the author does a great job of describing the action and battles that happen in the book.The main characters background could be a little more flushed out it was a little confusing at first as he just seemed to have been some sort of emperor guy and a little bit of his backstory was revealed earlier but not much is known about him.However the main character stays true to his personality and the supporting characters are somewhat flushed out there's also some really cool lore about the surrounding area and kingdoms.If anyone wants a fun book to read with lots of combat action and some fun character development between the chapters I would totally recommend this I can't wait to see where it goes looking forward to Future releases.The best of luck writing bro.
Milos16 Niros12Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Personally, I've really liked it, although I still don't enjoy the systems. I love the story and the mystery that the novel weaves with incredible skill. A true gem in these repetitive times.
That said, and without meaning to tell anyone how to write their own story: if the MC doesn't feel anything for the townspeople and only acts out of pure convenience, then why are there so many chapters involving so many secondary characters? If in the end the MC does feel something for them and has trouble admitting it to himself, the best thing would be to write a chapter as soon as possible that signals this, and then work on leaving behind the childish coldness that the Black Emperor sometimes shows when dealing with teenage situations. No matter how much trauma he has from the loss of his past family, Victor is an adult man who conquered a continent. Even if he tries to hide behind the idea that he's not on the same page as his feelings, the constant hints show that his problem is exactly that: a disconnect between his feelings of past loss and his feelings for his current life. It's about time he took a path regarding that. Because the truth is, the character's inaction dilutes his effort to show maturity and commitment to his cause.
DalotRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Read up to chapter 21 so far and the story is pretty good I think. The development is logical with a good progression in the power level. I'm enjoying my time reading it and hope it will continue on this track.
The MC assume more of a strategic role than a direct one which change of the traditionnal litRPG. Giving an interesting vibe to the story
The style is good by giving enough details to imagine a situation without being overwhelming. That's a very good point for me. The time advanced are also well done, avoiding waiting situation.
The story is doing well in the progression by giving challenge giving sense to the MC, allowing a logical progression. It also evolve in a well contrusct world (so far I think it is) nursing curiosity about what happened in the World and how the MC will evolve into it.
Grammar: I'm not an english native so I may be not the more accurate but didn't see any problems on this side.
Character: Good character with a lot of potentiel. I hope we will see more development on his side. The side character are less interesting, but it does well with the MC's intention.
Mac48Royal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I must say this story is great! I personally like Kazyk. I especially like the feeling I get from the writing style. It's nothing mind blowing but the feeling of Quinn being emotionally detached or just not really caring about others much unless he gains something from it is nice.The thing that makes this not a 4.5 or 5 star is that the author does not describe the dungeon good enough. I don't need a super detailed description but more than "A large room with islands". Is the water a nice light blue colour or is it a dark murky water.I still find this story extremely entertaining and I hope this book and it's author gets more attention!
AvidReadererRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
The MC is 100% Irredeemable with zero admirable character traits. Loyalty shown to those loyal to him: none. This character has zero empathy, which is odd given his background. Dude's just evil for the sake of evil, and has zero guilt of murdering innocent people if it aligns with his poorly conceived goals. If you like truly villainous characters with zero growth personality wise this story is for you, alas for me it's not.
It's well written, and has good grammar. The story just isn't for me.