Death God's Gambit [Dark Fantasy, LitRPG, Kingdom-Building]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

They killed Death's son. It didn't stick. Now he's back for revenge and everything they've built. Kai was a swindler raised by the mob. He had simple dreams, like eating real meat, gaining arcane powers, and executing a hostile takeover. Then his boss betrayed him, sacrificing him to dark gods in a profane ritual. But that turned out to be a lucky break. Because Kai discovered he's Death God's son—and dying was a minor inconvenience. Even better, it made him stronger. Now, as an undead demon in disguise, Kai must master the Darklands' trials, claim his birthright, and gain the power to exact his revenge. Eldritch abominations, calculating nobles, ruthless mobsters and scheming Gods stand in his way. But the gates connecting the Darklands to Earth threaten everything. Kai must decide: save a world that threw him away, or let it rot while he takes his throne. [160k+ words written for Book One] What to expect: - Political intrigue- Smart, rational MC- Weak to strong MC- OP MC (he gets strong fast, becomes OP eventually)- Strong companions- A friendly Spider God- Eldritch abominations- Kingdom building (later on)- Portal fantasy: Futuristic modern world & Dark Fantasy medieval world This story is for people who like: - Shadow Slave- The First Law- Lord Of The Mysteries And: - Fast pacing- A Grimdark world- Fleshed out characters Schedule: New chapters Fri. New chapters release at 15:07BST, 10:07EDT, 07:07PDT&MST, 09:07CDT. Read 5+ advanced chapters (over a month aheadof Royal Road) by subscribing to myPatreon. Join my Discord community fordark progression fantasy, grimdark, anti-hero/villain MCauthors and readers here:https://jaycartere.com/discord Join my email list where I share what I've learned, book recommendations and story updates here: https://jaycartere.com System Details: Because LitRPG and Progression Fantasy labels can mean anything, here's more info on the system in this story. Don't read this if you wanna avoid minor spoilers: LitRPG / GameLit / Progression fantasy with a system like Shadow Slave (trials). A progression tree like Lord Of The Mysteries. And a vast array of abilities like the devil fruits in One Piece. No stat numbers. Occasional status screens. Lore-revealing descriptions for artifacts.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: Jay Cartere

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 679
Views: 88,307

Chapters(84 total)

What readers say about Death God's Gambit [Dark Fantasy, LitRPG, Kingdom-Building]

“Excellent story so far! I love the setting and the characters. Kai Rusk, Aira make a great and also humorous team. Kai was very varied and interesting. I will continue to read every chapter that will come out Royal Road requires a total of 50 words to w…”
daishiiRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“When you find a black book with a skull on it that gives off a dark aura, you run away screaming, right? Not if you’re Kai and Noll, and yeah, bad things happen after that. Or good things, depending on your perspective. ‘Cuz maybe you wanna be the villain i…”
Ayela ArcanaRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

daishiiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Excellent story so far! I love the setting and the characters. Kai Rusk, Aira make a great and also humorous team. Kai was very varied and interesting. I will continue to read every chapter that will come out
Royal Road requires a total of 50 words to write a review.
Ayela ArcanaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
When you find a black book with a skull on it that gives off a dark aura, you run away screaming, right? Not if you’re Kai and Noll, and yeah, bad things happen after that.
Or good things, depending on your perspective. ‘Cuz maybe you wanna be the villain in a fast-paced Litrpg with lots of intrigue and mystery.
That’s what I found when I opened Death God's Gambit, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Character: You know from the title that Kai is an MC villain, but you root for him anyway because he’s quite a likable fellow. His banter communicates the world building, so I wasn’t overburdened with info dumps while reading.
Story: It’s gripping, and there’s plenty of mystery to keep you scrolling the pages. What might seem like a straight-forward plot line (find the key to unlocking your magic powers) turns into a complex challenge laced with scheming, and it’s a page turner.
Grammar: I found no punctuation or spelling corrections, and only made one small verb edit suggestion, so this book is impeccable. That tells me how much the author cares about his readers.
Style: The story is very easy to follow, and the line breaks are used well so we can pick up between time jumps.
Death God’s Gambit is an enjoyable, well-crafted, fast-paced read, so if that’s what you’re in the mood for, you can stop looking and open its pages.
DrBuckerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Having a fun time. The characters are interesting and the magic system is different and not everyone is all powerful. I like reading about characters having g to actually try to survive rather than steamrolling the competition and this is scratching that itch. The world itself seems interesting although I could do with more descriptions of the world and its state as a whole to really set the setting for me personally but I do like more in depth dives into a world.
DracolupusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have not read too much yet, but I like it so far. Kai does not seen like too much of a azz hole do far. I will you all know when I get further into the book.
You go author. I hope this takes off for you. Woo hoo.
WriteMeNotRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Great story. Engaging, well paced, lots of action; the kind that makes you read rather than skim. Grammar and spelling is great. This is no AI drivel. One may find the first few chapters chaotic, but afterwards its engaging and smooth. Hell, I read the first 30 chapters in one sitting.
-marshypop-Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I am deeply familiar with the struggle of endlessly sifting through the hoards of mediocre stories on this platform in the hopes of discovering a gem. Well, you’re in luck because this story is one of those gems. So feel free to sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice binge.
As someone who is personally not the biggest fan of LitRPG (although I have seen it done well several times), I was a little worried going into this story, but the synopsis caught my attention, and so I figured why not give it a chance? Well I’m glad I did because this story has quickly become one of my favorites. While it technically is a LitRPG, there are no stats, and it is pretty light on the attribute boxes. That being said, this story definitely has something for the LitRPG fans… it is still a LitRPG after all.
Something to note about my reviews is that it takes a lot for me to write one. I only review a story if I think it’s worth my full marks. That being said, let’s get to the Advanced Review categories:
— Style —
I’ve always found this category to be extremely subjective and hard to pin down, so I won’t say much here. I approve of it. The author clearly knows how to write.
— Story —
This is where I get to talk about world-building, right? Well, I’m going to talk about world-building, because in my opinion, that’s where this story really shines. It starts off in a dystopian version of Earth that has been dramatically altered due to portals connecting it to a magical world called the Darklands. We know it, and the Darklands it seems, are ruled over by some sort of authoritarian government, but we don’t know much more than that. The main setting eventually moves to the Darklands, but Kai (the MC) has stated his intention of returning to Earth, if for nothing more than revenge. One of my favorite things about the world-building is that details are revealed slowly and naturally. We know just enough to get a sense of the richness and vastness of it, but still be left with many questions. There is
FredioRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I really like the main character he’s pretty cool and I really enjoy the power system. It’s also really cool. I also enjoy the riding style. It’s also pretty cool. Also, the book art is dope good luck on writing more. I will be reading it all voraciously and thank you for writing so much already. I have enjoyed it immensely
Hey GoatsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I really hope you keep the chapters coming! I haven't been able to stop. I'm on chapter 26 and If what you say about chapter 30 getting even better I can't wait! This is my first read on royal road and it's been a great introduction. Appreciate the hard work!
MycorrizalRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story has a deep plot, and this catches your attention right from the start. The MC is morally grey, but their character has consistent actions and beliefs. This only aids the depth of the plot. Along with the morre serious aspects of the story, humor is used at just the right times for a nice chuckle. The Grammer is flawless, and doesn't affect the reading experience at all. I don't find it difficult to follow the story, as characters are clearly indicated. There are many elements of the story that are currently unexplained, but it feels natural and is slowly being uncovered. Overall this is a high quality and interesting story that I hope flourishes.
WhitemanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It's a w book I didn't read it for a fat min cuaee I thought the title was cring and I thought the book was gon be like that but Na this book is sick as would read again cannot wait for more chapters prays. Be but also that fifty word limit gooooood daaaam