Deadfall [LitRPG Survival ]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Juan is thrust onto a mysterious island, armed with nothing but a stone axe and a cryptic Diary. The island is alive with monstrous creatures, hidden dangers, and an ever-looming sense of isolation.

Survival becomes a desperate fight as the Diary reveals itself to be more than just a magical artifact. It’s a character sheet, a blueprint for survival, and something far deadlier.

But the deeper he delves into its entries, the more unsettling truths emerge. The Diary once belonged to someone he knew—someone who endured the island’s horrors countless times and died every single time.

- A unique and well-balanced magic system.

- Third-person limited point of view.

- No deus ex machina or "power of friendship"

- Every character is at risk of dying

- No Harem

Release: M-W-F

A/N:Since the dawn of LMS, I have roamed these pages, a silent witness to countless journeys.

Now, I humbly offer you my story.

If you really like the story, please hit the follow and favorite button. Thank you.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: Memento

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 21
Views: 3,451

Chapters(9 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(4)

Chronicles.of.LuminaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I really enjoyed the story so far! It’s got a great mix of fantasy and mystery that really pulls you in.
The whole concept of the "Codex" is interesting—Juan's discovery of it and the shift from a diary format to something more fantasy-driven is a cool twist. It definitely keeps you guessing about what’s going on, especially with all the techy elements like the "character sheet" and mana system. I think it’s a smart way to build tension, especially when Juan is trying to figure it all out while dealing with his quickly draining mana.
The pacing of the story works well for the most part. I liked the shift from curiosity to horror when Juan witnesses Elmer’s death. It adds a lot of emotional depth and shows how brutal this new world is. The danger feels real, and the tension stays high. Derek’s actions at the end were definitely shocking, and the way you’re learning about the world at the same time as Juan is great. His experiment with the orbs and balancing the mana gives that “figuring it out on the fly” vibe, which works really well.
On the style side, the descriptions are solid and really help set the mood. The flickering light, rustling leaves, and other details make the world feel alive. But I think some parts of the prose could be tightened up a bit. Juan’s internal thoughts sometimes get repetitive, especially when he’s unsure about what's happening. It might help to condense some of that so the pacing stays tight. For instance, the section where he reacts to the situation could be more active instead of just reflecting on what’s going on.
The grammar's good overall, just a few minor things and some awkward phrasing here and there. It’s not a big deal, but smoothing out transitions between actions (like when Juan moves from reading the book to getting anxious) could make the flow feel a little more seamless.
As for the characters, I think Juan is pretty relatable—his confusion and fear are easy to connect with. That said, I’d love to see a bit more development
FalstaffRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Before heaping praise and compliments, I'm not usually a fan of litRPG stories. I don't understand them. Candidly, I don't like 'numbers go up' as character progression. So I may not be the best judge.
But this is one of the best litRPG stories I've ever read. The author knows the tropes and trusts the audience to know the tropes (if we're reading it here on RR, odds are we're familiar with the genre), so no time is wasted explaining the obvious. Thank you.
The author puts us immediately in the game with no brainwashing nonsense. They know we don't care about the character, so the writer does a fantastic job of not boring us with details of Juan's past life, while still dropping in snippits that make us want to know more about him. That's such a delicate balance to strike, and it's such a treat to see it done well.
Juan sneaks in as a great character in a genre that is not friendly to characters. Really impressive work.
The charts and spells and stuff aren't my cup of tea, but it's all handled clearly, and it's not a deluge of numbers (I hate that). The grammar is well-polished. Occasionally, a line break would confuse me and throw me from the story, but overall, there was so much story control displayed, it was easy to jump back in whenever I fell out.
I just wish there were more characters than just Juan. Already he's talking to himself like a crazy person. But it's early in the story, so I hope someone interesting shows up soon for Juan to bounce ideas off.
Great work.
RGloverRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Look, I'm not big on Survival LitRPG usually - just never been my thing. But man, this book's first chapter? It totally grabbed me. I honestly can't remember the last time an opening hooked me like this did, and I've been reading tons of stories on here.
The writing just flows really well. You can tell the authors really cared about making this story work, and it shows in every chapter. I especially love how they handle the action scenes - they're not just throwing stats at you or dragging things out forever. Everything moves at just the right pace to keep you clicking 'next chapter.'
The story itself keeps you wanting more - like, I actually found myself caring about what was going to happen next, you know? Nothing feels boring or forced. The whole survival aspect feels fresh, even though there's tons of those stories on Royal Road already.
Plus, the characters aren't just flat cutouts doing typical LitRPG stuff. You can tell there's more to them, and I'm pretty excited to see where they all end up as the story goes on. The MC especially feels like a real person, not just some OP character steamrolling through everything.s.
This might be the book that changes my mind about the whole genre. If you're thinking about giving it a try, seriously, go for it. Solid five stars from me, and I don't throw those around easily. Can't wait to see where the author takes this!
lenagelisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is my first time diving into LitRPG and I can say this story is very beginner friendly. I have a lot of experience with RPG videogames so it wasn't too hard to connect some dots.
The 'game' aspect of the story is really creative. It was a bit hard to follow at times but the author does a good job at making us discover the rules as Juan discovers them as well. Through perseverance and a lot of debugging, he figures out enough to get himself out of trouble.
It seems like we're only uncovering a fraction of Juan's backstory, making him an interesting character. The author doesn't bore you too much with irrelevant details, which is great. You are thrown into the action just as Juan is.
But for me the story itself doesn't move fast enough, sadly. After chapter 6 the main character is still stuck in the forest and hasn't really learned much about the world yet, which I wish he had by then. So I guess that part is what didn't really do it for me.
Otherwise the grammar is good. A few typos here and there and awkward phrasings but it doesn't distract too much from the story.
My current rating may be subject to change as I progress through the story.