Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Sixty years ago, humanity was forced to retreat behind massive walls, clinging to survival in a broken world where the old rules no longer mattered.

Although anyone can become an "Awakener," Axel only dreams of taking his sister out of the slums and living a peaceful life within the safety of the walls. But the moment Axel climbed over that wall, everything he knew about his life was thrown into chaos.....

Why? It’s simple. He killed someone... and awakened.

.....

There’s always been an invisible hand in this world—pulling strings, rewriting fate.

In his journey to grow stronger, he didn’t just gain power—he found love, forged unbreakable bonds, and uncovered the truth behind his father’s mysterious disappearance. But the deeper he digs, the more twisted the world becomes.

By day, he's an admired awakener—respected, even envied.By night, he walks a darker path—breaking the rules, peeling back the lies, and unraveling secrets buried for generations. And always, she's there in the shadows—his silent guardian, his only constant.

But when the veil is torn, his secret is out by the invisible hand.Will he join those who rule from the dark? Or will he rise against them—and shatter everything?....

To survive, he’ll need to be ruthless.

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What to Expect:

* A slow-burn power climb with real stakes* A cunning, evolving protagonist* A vast, intricate world full of hidden truths* High-stakes intrigue and spell-slinging action* Shifting characters and alliances in every arc* Starts slow, then picks up speed

Updates on Tuesdays and Fridays, with random updates on Saturdays and Sundays.

I updated 25 chapters ahead of schedule onPatreon. Thank you all for your support, which motivates me to continue writing.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: Arthurwl

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 363
Views: 320,282

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(5)

42offsideRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Here we have a nice progression story, interesting characters, and even some detective flavor! The style reminds me more of an Agatha Christy novel with progression/cultivation fantasy elements.
I don't know if the author considers the current story arc the second, or third, or still just part of the first, but it's been awhile and I'd say there's no romance at all, really. There's certainly one chick who's interested, but little to no indication of interest returned. So 90 chapters in, and still only hints of "harem" and ZERO NSFW content. So don't be scared off by the harem tag, it's pretty neglected in this fic.
The detective story isn't, honestly, a detective story. Maybe more like a crime drama? The setting is a slum kid going to high school with wealthier kids, (school districts must be pretty odd... Or very large) and it really works for the dramatic tension. And gang warfare. Can't forget the gang warfare, because there turns out to be quite a bit of it.
Fight scenes flow quite nicely, and connect to the larger story very well indeed. And without taking over the story. There's LOTS of story here, not just fight scenes.
The personal interactions of the characters come off as deep, with everyone having their own motives and clashing plans and goals.
I've noticed a couple small grammar problems, mostly homophone mistakes, but nothing that broke immersion, and even those where rare.
BarnyBoyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a fairly interesting story where the mc has the common trope of losing his parents and needs to take care of his sister while surviving the slums. The trope isn't the interesting part, however. What I enjoyed was how he doesn't become op after five chapters. There is a gradual progression of the mc's powers that follows a logical growth. I get a real "numbers go up" feeling everytime he gets more powerful. It doesn't happen all of the time but usually only after he has earned it in some way, which makes it more meaningful.
Another thing I really like about this story is that the mc is a very strategic and tactical thinker. He doesn't win through plot armor. He wins through predicting his enemy's actions and countering them before they even know he has targeted them. I bet he plays a really mean game of chess.
crunchypastaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Great new story. Follows a young boy as he struggles in a post apocalyptic world.
Regular updates and a fast paced storyline.
A good entertaining read, I find myself waiting for the next instalment.
The main character isn't the strongest, although he has power well above his level, he is surrounded by threats far more powerful than himself, so he has to scurry like a rat to survive.
Castaway47Royal Road
★★★ 3.0
This story is all over the place.
MC has MC syndrome bad which is bad enough but then all the other characters treat him that way which is just weird.
There's a real tone problem with the story because of it.
Writing is choppy and pretty uneven.
Definitely could use an editor.
AlaqiRoyal Road
★★ 2.0
I was first attracted to this story because of it's high rating despite the low Follower count, and I must say I'm disappointed.
The style is decent but highly inconsistent. There are several moments where phrasing feels awkward or unnatural, like it is heavily edited by AI or just placed there with no consideration of the rest of the mood. There is a ton of generic filler like: "The silence stretched. X didn't speak, and neither did Y". The pacing seems stale, it doesn't speed up or slow down depending on the scene.
There are also a ton of errors that could be prevented by a simple re-read of the chapter or a simple pass through Grammarly or even Word.
The characters seem bland, you don't really get to know them, its just "X does this, X does that, X thinks like this", and most of the stuff doesn't have emotion besides something like "X became sad". Most characters seem to be created to just exist as their role with no extra personality, no extra thought behind them.
The story does have potential but it is clearly limited by the quality of the writing. Sudden switches between present and past tense, mild repetition, redundancy and awkward phrasing.
The fighting scenes are probably the best part in the whole story since they seem to have less of these errors.
All together, it looks a lot like the author wrote in one language, slammed it through a translator, and this is what came from the other side.