Archived Story

Information

Status

Ongoing

Author

Bluesycobalt

What readers say about Archived Story

• “I dunno why I started this story. A story seemingly about a NPC AI in a video game, why would I even care about it? There was some weird mystery to the synopsis that got me curious I suppose. Good that I did! This story has it all! And more! It's hard to de…”

  superlloydRoyal Road5.0 / 5

• “I'll preface this with the fact that I don't really read LitRPGs. This is only the third such story I've ever read, and the first one that's not in audiobook form. Some of my observations may be colored by this. This is also a review in progress. I will com…”

  C. M. ANTALRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• superlloydRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I dunno why I started this story. A story seemingly about a NPC AI in a video game, why would I even care about it? There was some weird mystery to the synopsis that got me curious I suppose.
  Good that I did! This story has it all! And more!
  It's hard to describe, I am just going to blurb some interesting fact that make the soul of this story.
  Oh, and let me preface by saying writing style is flawless, clear, concise and has just the right pace.
  First it has a mix of humor and natural science like, for example, when Shuixing was observing her friend Natsuko cooking, mixing crab piece, algae, rice and then you get beautiful sushi plates, but where do the plate come from wondered Shuixing?
  It has poetry and emotion. It built up slowly. But it brings up the emotion of the characters to the front with poignant force. To give a late spoiler (around chapter 100 something) but when Natsuko gazed at the sea and reflected on past mistake and forever lost opportunity. And made her first poem to the memory of a friend she regretfully ignored until it was too late, just thinking about it again makes me cry again.
  It has a large cast of opiniated brooding yet childish character slowly and meticulously developed and evolving - the AIs are learning!
  The overall big plot (mini spoiler paragraph below) takes its time to develop but the story keeps us entertained with many lighthearted and fun subplots that takes us from place to place and let us acquaint ourselves with many different protagonists.
  Spoiler: The overall big plot culminates in the AI/MCs discovering the real nature of their world and trying to avoid the impending doom of their world and trying to defy the very Gods (the game developers). I have to say the suspense is riveting, I want to know what happens next!
• C. M. ANTALRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I'll preface this with the fact that I don't really read LitRPGs. This is only the third such story I've ever read, and the first one that's not in audiobook form. Some of my observations may be colored by this.
  This is also a review in progress. I will come back to it as I move forward with the story. Some ratings may change as the story progresses.
  That being said... I'm enjoying this story quite a bit more than I expected I would. It's a fun romp so far, of mismatched partners going on an ill-advised adventure with minimal preparation and full chaos energy propelling them forward. It works gangbusters as a concept and so far the execution is peppy enough that it's kept me reading and coming back for more.
  As things stand by Chapter 7, the story is only just now beginning in earnest - which is fine, I enjoy a slow burn that takes its time in putting pieces in position - and the worldbuilding is rearing its head nicely. The last gameworld that I actually cared for in fiction has been Magic Knight Rayearth, so I can confidently say that I'm not an easy lay for worlds with systems attached to them.
  Nonetheless, I'm enjoying my time here.
  I have two main quibbles with the execution.
  1. The characters are very little more than their tropes at the moment. Genki girl, doctor girl, and classy-but-not-really femboy. 7 chapters in and I can't say they've brought any surprises for me, especially as their dialogue often relies on tried and true formulas that don't do much to separate the characters from their archetypes.
  I expect they'll grow over time and develop - and a particular bit in Chapter 3 has me quite confident that things will improve. But for now... you can see the rating.
  2. I am really not a fan of the head hopping going on. The author seems to switch POVs mid-scene depending on who's the most viable to have an observation just then. It's a choice, of course, but I'm personally rabidly against it. It serves to add very little - especially as the switch can be o
• Doctor ZeroRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I love this book!  I love the poetry in it!!  And I don't normally get poetry!
  A liked it from the beginning, though I was initially disappointed that I knew what a gacha game was, because the mystery would have been mind blowing if I didn't know.  But slowly, me knowing what was happening ceased to matter and everything got perfectly weird anyway.
  Pechorin is the best cowboy ever.  Mad respect.
• DungeonEnvyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I play a lot of gachas, because they're made to feed dopamine into my brain and I'm really shit at making my own. Eventually, I get tired of the grind and the power creep, and I move on. A few years later, I see some fanart of the characters I started off with and I check their place in the rankings and I feel a little sad that my friends fell off like that.
  This story is that feeling distilled into webnovel form and it's a banger from start to finish. The inspirations are easy to spot and it's clear that the author also enjoys the tropes of the gacha genre, and has the same frustrations with it that most long term gacha fiends do.
  This story is FUN, it's got FEELINGS, it's an instant fave for me
• Eli'sPencilRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Grammar
  First and foremost, the grammar is practically perfect, which is the number one most important part of any story in my opinion. It doesn’t matter how good the premise is, if it’s illegible for me, I simply will stay away. When it comes to this story, you can tell the author truly cares about what they put out.
  Characters and Style
  The next thing I want to talk about is characters and dialogue. The author has curated a great cast of characters, each with unique personalities. When it comes to dialogue, it all feels very human which I love. All of the characters genuinely feel like they are friends with each other, which a lot of stories fail to do.
  Story
  When it comes to world-building, the author has created a unique and understandable world in such few chapters (there are six chapters in this review) I love when authors craft worlds where I as the reader want to learn more about it as the story goes on. So much is explained, but at the same time, so much is left ambiguous and allows the reader to use their own imagination.
  Overall it’s a great unique story and a breath of fresh air from a lot of the low-quality stuff in this genre. It’s a 5/5 for me.
• FJBRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Forgotten Girl is good. How good? It's 'these characters are amazing!" good. Top-tier worldbuilding good. "I binge read the first twelve chapters in a single sitting' good. Seriously, this is the kind of quality story you hope to find but rarely do.
  My only real complaint is that there are sections of this story that feel like they require already possessing knowledge of these gatcha games in general, and Genshin Impact in specific. Not enough to ruin immersion, but enough that I'd have loved a bit of explanation as to some of the mechanics. As the story is now, the actual litRPG elements are barebones to the extreme.
• Florian HannemannRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style: The prose is very clear and down to what matters. There is no unnecessary fluff. The descriptions are vivid and everything just has a nice vibe to it. I really like the way the exposition is done and how background informations doesn't feel spoonfed to the reader, but is rather integrated into the character's introspection. The dialogue feels very real with characters having distinct voices and mannerisms. This is definitely a whole level higher than the usual Royal Road stories.
  Story: The premise is fresh and exciting. I don't need to talk about the world in detail, since the author has done a great job of giving the gist in their blurb, but the "Underpowered MC with an overpowered ability" is done in a very clever way here. The world feels straight out of a game and I'm genuinely interested to uncover more of it.
  Characters: We have a colorful and interesting cast. The MC is very down to earth and easy to symphasize with. The other characters are just perfect additions to the MC and contradict the MC in interesting ways. I especially like the interaction between Natsuko and Sofi ;).
  While Natsuko seems a little cold hearted from the outside, we can definitely see that her heart is at the right place. The author does a wonderful job of using events, like the wyvern attack, to not just show us the world, but also reveal something about our MC and their powers. I saw multiple instances of that in the first few chapters, where the author has managed to give the events of the story meaning on multiple levels. Kudos!
  Grammar: I don't think I found a single sentence that didn't flow nicely. I was impressed by the prose and the editing actually.
• LuminstateRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  STORY
  This is a delightfully character-driven story, combined with all the weird stuff that happens when gameplay mechanics meet actual players. We meet the characters long after they have been ground down by the unfair nature of the reality they find themselves in, and at first everything seems hopeless until they come across a secret which they think will give them an edge … It makes a change from the normal litRPG/isekai tropes. I’m really curious about the thing they’ve found, and how it fits into the world. It seems to be something completely new and different compared to the tightly controlled, cyclical and repetitive reality they have spent the last five years in. I love the idea of expanding to new horizons. Really great story hooks, can’t wait to read more!
  CHARACTERS
  A hilarious portrait of three very different characters, all contrasting with each other to create tension and humour. One veers between headstrong fearlessness and apathetic insobriety, one is serious and focused, and the third is arrogant, prickly and obsessive about retaining his Top 40 spot. They all bounce off each other in a very entertaining way.
  STYLE
  It’s well written, and the prose is funny and fluent. Occasionally it swaps character POVs in a jarring way, but otherwise it is a pleasure to read.
  GRAMMAR
  Excellent grammar, very few typos or mistakes.
• Mr Alex666Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  You know all the cliches and recurring things in most games, especially MMORPGs? Where with every update, the power-level creeps a little bit up, or where do you have the weekly special event? Again?
  Or in written fiction, where the next MC has to be a little bit more edgy, than the last?
  Or anime with the standardized archetypes?
  This story has everything! And a bit more.
  Characters: the main cast is a bunch of lazy, bordering-on-useless wash-out Heros, who became obsolete by the constant power-creep. They have only two objectives: 1, raise their popularity with the Gods (done with little enthusiasm) and 2, getting drunk and don't care about the world (done with much more energy). We get to know the cast well past the date, when they became useless, so we don't exactly know, why they don't even try anymore, they probably just gave up in the past. Every one of them is of a classical archetype, and while they pretend to not give a damn, they are still ones. Absolute cliche! LOVE IT! 5/5
  Story: basically a bunch of wash-outs trying (not very hard) to do something to get back on the leaderbord. The story delivers what was on the can. Hilarious! 5/5
  Style: if you like light-hearted comedy, AND ever thought about game-logics (WHY exactly does rubble disappear?!) this story is one for you. I especially liked the scientific dilemma about game logic, and the little asides about rocks respawning in the exact spot. Or the weekly Ice Wyvern, where nobody gives a f** anymore. Very good comedic style! 5/5
  Grammar: nuffin to say. Not a native speaker, but I haven't found any glaring mistakes.
  All in all a rare gem in the comedic department! I can only recommend it!
• One Way JusticeRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is a lovely blend of satire and fantasy, with some clever social commentary thrown in the mix!
  The writing style is deliberately kept accessible, but still has some nice flourishes—clearly written by a competent hand. It all has a chill vibe, with modern slang and a good bit of humour to offset the often serious settings in fantasy works.
  I could find no faults in the grammar... there are some funny colloquialisms, which give the characters more personality (tavern setting and all), and I did not find them grating.
  Characters is where the novel really shines. Natsuko and Sofiane have great chemistry, like they were destined to meet (past glory and current hotshot). The scholarly Shuixing, medico-mage on duty, is also a great addition to the cast... she is the shyest of the lot, like a reserved modern-day academic; intellectually inclined vs. Natsuko who is more brash and outgoing. I liked their interactions a lot because the yin and yang of their personalities add flavour to every encounter.
  The LitRPG mechanics are used cleverly to explore deeper themes, with the Use-number serving as a superficial metric  of success (that is perhaps not far off the social media of our day)... it poses the question: what is worth more, fame and popularity, or self-worth and deep personal connections?
  Summary: This is a great story that breaks some LitRPG expectations in all the right ways!