Embercore [Cultivation | Psychic Magic | Underdog ]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In a world of cultivators and magic, Pirin will rise and become a legend.

As a wizard-king from a powerful, ancient bloodline, Pirin should’ve had every advantage in life, but he is an Embercore—a magical cripple. His arcane techniques and mind-altering bloodline abilities are more likely to blow up in his face than work properly. His core will never burn, and he’ll always be a step behind.

But unstable magic can be the most devastating if usedjust right.

Crawling back from the edge of death, he vows to forge his own path and prove himself. To venture into foreign lands and push his abilities beyond what anyone thinks is possible. To exploit the absolute limits of his unstable magic.

The pursuit of magic is a deadly game, and his entire kingdom is on the line. The higher he climbs, the more powerful his enemies grow. If he can’t find a way to turn his broken magic to his advantage, he won’t be the only one who loses this rigged game.

He’ll show the world the true power of an Embercore.

What to expect:

- Weak to strong progression

- Cultivation-based progression

- Memory and mind magic

- Animal companions

- A western fantasy world

- Determined and persevering characters

- Grit, growth, and satisfying victories

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: kwerte

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.0/ 5.0
Followers: 867
Views: 57,773

Chapters(64 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(5)

OphetheosRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Top tier worldbuilding, interesting cast of characters, and well-paced opening. I started reading a few days ago and was immediately hooked—I read all 12 chapters up at the time in one go.
Without further ado, here is my review of Embercore as of Chapter 13!
Style — Kwerte has a very descriptive style. I find his use of imagery to be quite engaging. As a reader, I can definitely see where Kwerte draws inspiration but he adds new details that make the world unique. I especially like the consistency in the aesthetics—i.e. the autumn elves and the ambersteel.
Grammar — Solid grammar. So far haven’t noticed any errors in the writing. The author has also keen on quickly correcting ones that emerge. Kudos to that.
Story — Top tier worldbuilding. Kwerte’s world is remarkably well thought out. I really like how the first five chapters are paced. It really gets going with the inciting incident and provides a clear direction for where the story is going next. I would prefer if things progressed a bit quicker but I don’t mind Kwerte taking the time to really flesh out the world.
Character — The characters are good, Pirin is established as an underdog. It’s interesting to see someone in a position of power with that dynamic. I’m especially fond of Grey so far who is probably my favorite character. The cast is steadily expanding, (especially in the later chapters) but I think that new characters are introduced in a skillful manner that makes it clear who is who. Additionally, they have a fair amount of nuance that keeps them from feeling cliched/tropey.
anonymreader44Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Interesting wizard concept with a new take and a new system. Also the fact that he was hurt during one of his attempts leads us to discover his past at the same pace as him. We follow him in all his adventures to fix his situation so he can help his country. I can't wait for him to get more power to see what he will do against the Dominion with the wisdom of the previous Elven nobility :)
J. A. S.Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I just gotta start off by saying... I am somewhat endearing to the character archetype that Pirin falls under. A nervous, though brave young man who seeks power for a reason greater than himself. While he might not be as influential as the court needs him to be, he is more than willing to acquire the power and skill to prove he is capable of being their wizard king. His personality, as well as his actions, go hand-in-hand with making this sort of character shine. Especially during the more dramatic, and or action-filled ones.
While there may only be a handful of named characters near the start, the ones you get to know stick with you.
Especially the Red Hand.
Gray is adorable. Who doesn't like their large feathery Chocobo?
The story has a strong start, establishing the chilling, wintery setting, as well as Pirin's goals and his character. He makes good use of his limited power at the beginning, using whatever advantage he can to simply scrape by.
The style is easy to read, and it could be more exciting but nothing I would complain about.
Story starts out steady in the first few chapters, giving good snippets of world-building here and there. You get a sense of scope with the rivaling factions.
Grammar is good aside from the odd misspelling.
QuatsRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
A great start on a classic hero’s journey tale, nicely peppered with hints that will allow the story to grow in a number of different ways. Solid characterizations and setting, with just enough background slowly disclosed to both give depth and keep you reading to learn more. I’m enjoying this so far and looking forward to more!
roberestarkkRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This is a very well put together story, and if it's your cup of tea you'll love it.
The protagonist is likeable and relatable, serving as a good audience surrogate through which the world and story can be experienced.
The supporting cast (including the antagonists) are distinct and flavourful. I liked the ones I was meant to like, and disliked the ones I was meant to dislike. Even the baddies are interesting though.
The worldbuilding seems both deep and broad. The magic system seems fairly well fleshed out, but so too are the more mundane things like transport, history, and politics.
The general vibe of the story so far, has many many parallels with Eragon.
Big insurmountable badness throws its shadow across the land, and only the Chosen One can do anything about it, but the Chosen One is always seconds from defeat and underpowered for the challenge ahead. The textbook definition of an underdog story, the whole world is against them except for a handful of people, and even his own power base is mostly fuelled by desperation.
The prose seems effortless and flows so easily it's a pleasure to read. While there are the occasional grammatical issues, typos etc. They're few and far enough between to be easily forgivable.
That said, it is a bit slow for my taste. 50+ chapters in, a whole Volume down, and he's accomplished what feels like the equivalent of basically three tutorial quests and like half a level up. (Neither quests or levels actually appear in the text as a concept, but I figure the analogy is appropriate for the LitRPG fiction site lol)
I like my power fantasies a bit quicker to reach the point where the MC is not basically still a peasant.
So admittedly, I will stop reading after this point.
That said, if you're more patient than I, or enjoy the underdog being the underdog longer than I do, it is in all other respects very enjoyable.