Department of Dungeon Studies (Book 3 stubs on the 26th)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Books 1 and 2 are strubbed and can only be found onAmazon/Kindle Unlimited.

Greatness isn't bred. Its molded in trials of fire and depths of desperation.

Nox is an alchemist by trade, but he dreams of magehood. Fate dealt him unfavorable cards but he has learnt to compensate for his shortcomings with scholarly pursuits, tenacity, and sheer grit. Fortunately, for him Woodson University and their scouts are always seeking individuals with his work ethic.

The Department of Dungeon Studies sees the value of the mind and its ability to overcome all limitations. After all, they stripped the divine of their titles. The department turned gods into Dungeon Lords and their domains into Dungeons. The department will teach Nox how to use divinity to stand strong in a broken world. It will give him the tools to achieve his ambitions and his limitations will push him to the forefront of arcane discovery.

Unfortunately, more immediate challenges await Nox, too. He lacks the means to pay the university’s ridiculous tuition. Only alchemy and smart business deals will earn him the hundreds of gold coins he needs.

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Why should you read this story?

—Magic university setting with a mature cast in their twenties—Protagonist with questionable morals—Unique magic system which involves cultivating a solar system in one's core—Unique MC powerset involving magical research, versatile spell work, alchemy, arcane archery (no spellblades or fireballs!)—Detailed spell crafting and alchemy—Dungeon diving—Journey from novice to archmage—5 chapters a week (Monday - Friday)

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: JPwrites

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 2,160
Views: 141,571

Chapters(15 total)

What readers say about Department of Dungeon Studies (Book 3 stubs on the 26th)

“I've been reading this story since it was first submitted on /r/HFY; and have enjoyed it immensely. Our protagonist uses his head for more than a place to keep a hat, and is making the best of a bad situation. The magic system in place has a fun concept tha…”
akoimeexxRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I'm not a LitRPG fan. The closest thing I like to the genre would be progression fantasy. So I was dubious when starting this book. Fortunately, the litrpg elements weren't overbearing and it mostly serves as a system of measuring the protagonist's distance…”
Caitlin GibsonRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

akoimeexxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've been reading this story since it was first submitted on /r/HFY; and have enjoyed it immensely.
Our protagonist uses his head for more than a place to keep a hat, and is making the best of a bad situation. The magic system in place has a fun concept that I look forward to being explored more thoroughly. Interesting companions that are being well-fleshed out, rather than the 2D supporting cast members of some other works.
Be ready to wait impatiently for the next chapter as you binge through this story. Updates are frequent and regular so far, so you shouldn't need to wait long.
Caitlin GibsonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm not a LitRPG fan. The closest thing I like to the genre would be progression fantasy. So I was dubious when starting this book.
Fortunately, the litrpg elements weren't overbearing and it mostly serves as a system of measuring the protagonist's distance from the next rank or his current energy levels.
The story has struck a nice balance with the primary magic system it's hard but still flexible, giving us a lot of variety in what's possible. There is also a secondary magic system in the form of sigils which isn't explored as much. I wish we got to see more of that. Discussions on the discord server suggest there is another system with warlock pacts but one of the coauthors plans to do a solo Slice of Life story with it so we might not see it in DoDS.
The characters are amazing. Nox and Lillin(his oldest friend) have an amazing dynamic which isn't always obvious at first glance. It has layers.
First they're best friends. Then we discover they have a contract. Then it comes out that they've also grown past the contract and would like to maintain their friendship even after it ends.
I wish there was a greater current plot than paying tuition and starting a business, but I feel that's saved for the subsequent booms.
The grammar quality dips at times but the author is quick to rectify issues. When someone highlights a major issue like cringey dialogue, author makes appropriate corrections.
UnDeadPuffRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
There are at times spelling or grammatical errors and mistakes, but other commenters are kind enough to suggest fixes and improvements to some areas that require such. Overall I am quite enjoying this story and hope to see more of it, as well as see if my assumption about Lilin's desire to enjoy being human proves true in the end.
Chatto12345Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a bit of a hidden gem and a pleasure to read. Reminds me of Sarah Lin's weirkey books in the richness of the magic system, which I enjoyed a lot. Great worldbuilding, largely believable characters, minimal reliance on old tropes to move the plot forward. And it gets better as it goes on. Things came a little too easily to the MC at some points, but overall excellent.
CiainaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The writing is good. Solid. But the characters? Ooooh boy. Those are on another level.
Don't expect some super deep dive into the human psyche, but they are believable. And pragmatical. And not stupid.
Maybe with the exception of the "evil step brothers". But the rest? Very, VERY good.
I especially like how they apply themselves to problem solving. Rationally, maybe making mistakes due to lack of information, correct said deficiency and actually LEARN from it.
This is a pleasure to read.
ElkirahcRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a very nice and different take on a high fantasy story. The magic system is different and varied and the world building is in many cases implied through the story and the interractions, instead of being dumped in big exposition paragraphs.
Really enjoying this read and curious to see where the story is taking us.
CannonbalrogRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a very solid story overall. Both the setting and the magic system are rather interesting spins on more conventional approaches. At the same time, it seems to be well-thought out and with a great deal of room for further exploration.
The characters are believable and well-written. I've seen no grammar mistakes throughout the entire story, and the prose is solid as well.
My only critiques are rather subjective, and I'd recommend this story regardless - I've seen stories with far worse issues that were much more popular.
1. Some portion of the conflict in the story thus far comes from the use of the arrogant but stupid nobility who hate the MC's guts. While not neccessarily a bad thing, they do come off as a bit 1-dimensional.
2. Somewhat spoilery, but one of the characters has a secret that got revealed relatively recently. However, the build-up to the reveal is a bit... lackluster, causing the reveal to be a "oh, that makes sense, alright then" situation. I have absolutely no idea how it would be changed to improve it, but as of now it lacks any real dramatic tension.
That being said, these are relatively minor things. Overall would recommend.
LickMYLiverRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I enjoy basically everything about the story, I don't really have any problems with any bit of it.
The world is beautifully crafted with a deep and rich history skillfully woven through it. The different interactions on a global scale are also done with a skilled art. The characters are well-written and interact with each other and the world in a great manner. The magic system is a one-of-a-kind I've seen and it is also beautifully crafted as well. The overarching goal of the MC is also one I can understand and sympathize with.
So overall, the writers are extremely talented and their story is a beautifully crafted masterpiece.
MooshieDRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This was fun because of good characters, writing, and surprising unexpected twists.
also super enjoying the system differences that I've not seen before in other stories.
plus the age and maturity seem to match for once. I'm enjoying not reading forced teenage angst and other stuff.
unmm.. more words and words for review count? Kinda a bit lazy at the moment, but do think this story is deserving of good reviews for sure and I'm looking forward to more!
gennirvanaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is very interesting and has good pacing, characters and fights are good too. The only negative thing is that the magic system is a little hard to understand specially if there is a big description and you haven’t read the story in a while.
I would recommend the author a more consistent schedule and I recommend any reader to read it.