Cycle of Calamity: An Apocalypse litRPG

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

As the year ends, so does the rest of the world.

Leon, a talented martial artist in his final year of high school, is out celebrating New Year's Eve when a nuclear bomb destroys half of the city. He tries to guide his friends to safety, but the explosions are too much for the fabric of reality to handle. Hordes of monsters flood the land, heralding the arrival of the System and its ability to guide people onto the path of cultivation.

But while everyone else struggles to adapt, Leon discovers that he's more than just talented.

He's a monster that shouldn't exist.

What to expect:

- Focus on the apocalypse scenario,

- Technique (skill) mastery on a set of abilities rather than mc gaining a million skills,

- Strong mc that grows into his power over the first book or two,

- Base building with other survivors,

- mc with unique ability/power.

- mc that masters a weapon over the course of the series.

There is a bit of gore but I wouldn't call this a horror. I am merely of the opinion that an apocalypse shouldn't be too PG. The gore dulls down after the first sixteen chapters, and since the intro is so hectic, thetone shiftsto be more relaxed and exploratory until the end of the first book.

There is a bit of Comedy/humour but that isn't really a focus either. It's more found in the slice of life sections where there is plenty of dialogue.

There will beNOharem. There will likely be romance, but it will not be the major focus of any one book.

Release Schedule:

5 chapters per week (2500 words average).

Cover generated using Canva.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: Juice (OJ)

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 947
Views: 233,257

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

Henrik SaetreRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Delightfully horrific.
Gut wrenching.
Packs a punch.
Story + style
The writing is excellent, painting pictures is n a way that is truly horrific. This story is not for the faint hearted or those who minds blood and guts. This is horror with plenty of body gore.
If you like that, then you’ll love this.
The story is intriguing and makes plenty of promises in the opening chapters to pull you forward as the mc and friends work to survive the opening catalyst.
(It reminded me of a specific call of duty scene. If you’ve played it, you’ll know. It involved mushrooms.)
This is post-apocalyptic + fantasy + horror, and it is done really well.
Characters
Enough is said to make me curious of how they will develop, and they feel way more than stock. But Leon is quite mysterious, which does add to the promise of the story. What’s his deal and what happened to him to make him this way?
I wouldn’t mind a tad more colour to the painting already, but that probably just means it has made me really Curious :)
Grammar
I haven’t noticed any specific problems in the story. It comes of as polished and well-written. This is no amateur creation, it is an excellent novel in the making.
Overall it has a balanced portrayal of realistic reactions to a (hopefully) unrealistic situation and events, done in such a way that it elicits visceral reactions in me.
Well done to the author!
Laura_AyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Interesting blend of cultivation and apocalypse that feels incredibly thought out and polished. There is a shift in tone and pacing where the story changes from a fast-paced horror apocalypse story it begins as to have slower pacing and greater focus on the cultivation.
Style: The descriptions are great, not too lengthy, but give a clear picture of what is going on and how it affects the characters. The dialogue is well-written. The author is skilled at setting a tone that makes this apocalypse feel real and consequential. Fair share of well-described gore, but like the author says in the blurb, it is not a focus of the story. But it is very effective at setting the tone. Great job at drawing readers in and keeping them on the edge of their seats.
Story: The pacing, in the beginning, is fast and fits well with the events of the apocalypse. Then, it slows down as the story focuses more on the system and figuring out the mechanisms of cultivation. It seems like this is the greater focus of the story overall, although there are enough open-ended details from the chaotic apocalypse and war to hint at a larger plot.
Grammar: Excellent. No errors that jumped out to my admittedly untrained eye.
Characters: The MC has some insecurities and reacts to all the horrifying things that happen in the first few chapters with a reasonable amount of panic while still remaining a strong character. He reads like an actual person with insecurities and trauma that he has to battle. The cast of supporting characters so far feels just like that – supporting characters. They have individual personalities but have not been explored enough to make them stand out much, especially in comparison to the MC. Hopefully, we learn more about them as the story progresses! I enjoy seeing a cast of characters trying to navigate the end of the world as they know it.
bobfisherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The first 20 chapters are just an introduction to the situation and the cultivation system. It's not until chapter 20 that the MC learns the system's mechanics and how to knowingly advance. My favourite part of the story that I don't think a lot of other authors explore properly is the weapon mastery system. I urge you to continue reading past chapter 20 because even I was skeptical about the first mini-arc (before being separated from his friends), but afterwards, this has easily become one of my favourite novels on the site.
caerulexRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
There are quite a lot of system apocalypse type novels. This one is definitely one of the best I’ve read. The prose isn’t clunky, the MC is likable, and I like the way his skill set is going.
If you want to know what his powers are shaping up to be…
Sword mastery + devouring demonic arm
MC isn’t edgy and is optimistic about the future — he wants to help people. He hasn’t really been in any situations where he’s had to make tough decisions about whether to kill evil humans, but I get the general sense that he will be able to do what needs to be done.
Highly recommended.
stormblessed369Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I don’t usually write reviews as I always struggle to put my thoughts into words but I’m going tot try for this book. I found this book a couple months ago but was waiting for a couple more chapters to come out so I could binge it all at once, and I’ve finally bit the bullet today and read it all wow was good. It doesn’t do anything crazy different than other litrpg cultivation apocalypse books but that’s why i love it. I see other reviewers who give detailed descriptions of how the author writes and their style and all that. I’m not that guy, either I like how it’s written or I don’t, and this author writes spectacularly. The story gives you enough information to light up your imagination but there’s still plenty of mystery and foreshadowing that leaves you starving for more. As of writing this the author is currently on hiatus, and when I reached the last chapter I actually died a little inside as the story had me hook line and sinker. If you’re looking for a good book but are hesitant about the hiatus, please just add it to your read later. This book is so worth it and I can’t wait for the author to come back and continue to blow my mind
Tarvis K'maraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
If you want a protagonist who is bright, confident, never doubts himself and is a perfect example of a human being then maybe this story isn't for you.
If you want a flawed yet realistic character who perseverance despite his doubts leads to his success then keep reading.
Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, imposter syndrome, abandonment issues, helicopter parenting, grief and loss. These are just some of the issues that the main character might have. And that's BEFORE the apocalypse. But hey, maybe being a little crazy isn't that bad when the whole world's gone nuts.
Multi dimensional, complex characters. I almost feel sorry for those ppeople saying nasty stuff in the comment section and saying they were dropping the book. They are missing out on well written character growth and insights
Oh yeah story also has interesting cultivation/progression elements. Worth giving a try
bausparvertragRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
So I really liked the first arc. But after that it felt like the story totally shifted in tone.
Plus, I realy, really dont like Claire.
Anyway, thats just my opinion and other than my personal preferences, this is a well written story wich clearly many people enjoy. Just try it out and see for yourself if you like it or not.
Krakenkllr123Royal Road
★★★ 3.0
Now take my opinion with a grain of salt, I am no professional critic, however, the story just came off as bland... The prose just couldn't hold my attention for long.
A technical inspection into the aspects of the "Mystery force, be it magic or Qi, often is quite uninteresting, in addition, the transitions from one period to another are rather abrupt.
fegzzxcRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
Thé story was good AT thé start but thé author wantee to play too much on giving enough information to the readers that even if i wanted to keep going having to skip chapters just to make a sensé of what thé author IS trying to "Cook" as hé day himself.
For now that's my early review and not a good impression on it
Moonkiller24Royal Road
★★★ 3.0
Story starts out really good.
Intreasting characters, cool plot and a very good dipiction of what an Aplocypse would be like and how people react to it.
Then chapter 19 happens.
No more apoclypse, completely new characters, pacing slows down too much and thr story focus far too much on Cultavition.