Evolution of a Healer

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Programmer. Video game enthusiast. Chronic MMO healer. Cynthia “Cyn” Price is no stranger to DPS calculations, working as a team, or the kinds of weird dreams you get after a particularly intense dungeon binge. So when she has a dream that makes her pick from mostly standard RPG classes, she barely even questions the premise before choosing magic in hopes that healing is an option.

But when she is then thrown into what looks like a literal dungeon with four total strangers who also chose a class moments before, things get weird quickly. With limited resources, questionable magic, and an army of unanswered questions, they might be in trouble. Good thing this is just a dream…right?

Because if it’s not, Cyn is now responsible for keeping herself and these people alive until they find a way home.

Readers should expect:~2500 words per chapter on averageParty-based dungeons and combat (A healer without a party isn't much of a healer)Lulls without action for character development and worldbuildingSingle lead character, with occasional viewpoints from supporting castFrog

1 chapter per week, usually Monday afternoon ESTEnglish is my only language, so if you see any mistakes roast me I guess.Content warnings are for future writing freedomCover art commissioned by author, made byRizal Abdillah on Fiverr

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: Maethrya

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 446
Views: 138,049

Reviews

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Community Reviews(5)

BardLyreRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Cyn's adventure in this new, game-like world is a delightful blend of excitement and discovery. From the moment she first encounters the floating text, the narrative grabs you with its unique blend of humour and tension. The environment, described with just the right amount of detail, creates an immersive experience that leaves you feeling both intrigued and slightly on edge—just the way a good fantasy should.
The story’s pacing is spot on, balancing moments of quiet introspection with bursts of action. Cyn’s character is refreshingly relatable; her reactions, tinged with wry humour and occasional doubt, make her an easy protagonist to root for. Her interactions with the other party members are entertaining, each character bringing their own quirks to the table, making the group dynamic feel lively and real.
The RPG elements are seamlessly integrated into the narrative, giving it a familiar yet novel feel. Levelling up, gaining new skills, and strategising with stat points all add an engaging layer of complexity without overwhelming the reader. The story does a great job of capturing the essence of a role-playing game, but with enough originality to keep things fresh.
Overall, this is a highly enjoyable read, perfect for fans of LitRPGs and anyone who loves a good adventure with a touch of the unexpected. Cyn’s journey is just beginning, and it’s one you’ll definitely want to follow.
The CuratorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I enjoyed the first ten chapters immensely! The descriptions and explanations make you feel like you’re standing right beside Cyn. The author has considered every tiny detail, creating a true masterpiece. I was skeptical about a healer taking the lead role, but now I have no daubt anymore. Often, I struggle to care about multiple characters in a new book, but here I love them all and hope Cyn can keep everyone alive as the awesome healer she is.
The story has a classic LitRPG beginning (so far), but it works perfectly—the interactions within the group are entertaining, and the author expertly maintains the tension. I’d love to see a bigger plot emerge and I am curious about where Cyn’s journey will lead her. If she gains illusion or movement skills to stay in the thick of things while the enemy desperately tries to kill her, could create exciting and funny moments! I do worry that if she evolves in the typical healer battles might be a bit boring from her point of view, relying solely on her teammates for excitement.
Verdict:
Overall, I absolutely recommend giving this novel a chance. It defies the stereotype of healers being dull main characters and will have you hooked in no time!
ZenolixRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A healer story from a new author! I highly recommend trying it.
It being a healing story is the first thing that attracted me to this book, as there aren't many of these around. Right now it isn't a core focus for the main character, but it's still early days and her powers are developing.
I haven't spotted any problems with spelling or grammar, it all looks good. Some paragraphs in the newer chapters have been a bit overly descriptive to me, with some drawn out moments that I feel could have been skipped in order to speed up the story. That said, I'm the sort of reader that prefers lots of regular fast paced action, and these moments do help to flesh out the other characters in the party. It's certainly not stopping me from enjoying the story.
As expected we're focused on the main character, Cyn, who I find to be very relatable likely due to some neurodivergent traits, and that she is also a programmer. The author did a great job writing her. She's in a party with several others, and while they're all distinct in their own ways, there's not a lot of emotional connection between them right now. I don't know if that will continue to be the case as the story progresses, and I think it would hard to include more of that depth this early on without slowing down the pace of the plot, but the sections that involve them do sometimes feel a bit flat as a result
While it may seem like there aren't many chapters posted it's a bit deceiving. Each one is around 3000 words, and with two of these a week (I really appreciate a release schedule, especially for a new author), that's a decent amount of content. It's currently sat at 17000 words with 6 chapters. The author also mentioned having a large backlog, so I'm not concerned about it being dropped either!
Overall I'm really looking forward to keeping up with new chapters and seeing how Cyn develops, the author is doing an amazing job.
Plop146Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
As far as I have read, Evolution of a Healer is not particularly unique when it comes to LitRPG stories, but the fiction is well-written and interesting.
Style:
I very much enjoy the Style of the story. Everything necessary is easy to understand. By exploring the world and the system alongside the MC, there is still plenty of mystery preserved though.
Story:
The story offers nothing that I have not read before so far. Then again I have only read a few chapters and this is not necessarily bad - there are reasons why certain tropes are so popular after all.
Grammar:
There's not much to say here, the grammar seems great.
Character:
We are introduced to a bunch of different but interesting characters right at the beginning, each with unique and fleshed-out personalities.
The main character in particular is certainly relatable and so far very well written.
Conclusion:
An interesting story with great execution. I will not quite give the full 5 stars, because Evolution of a Healer has not offered anything truly unique so far.
Then again, I might just have read far too many LitRPGs. Someone a little newer to the genre will probably have a different opinion here.
KiokuRoyal Road
★★ 2.0
This story presents a relatable character put in an interesting situation played at least somewhat realistically, with a good story idea for the first several chapters. However, about a dozen chapters in, a trend starts of the main character demonstrating unbelievably poor decision making skills - in her actions, in class choices, in skill choices, in stat distribution... really across the board. Some questionable decisions were made earlier - possibly foreshadowing this? - but could've been easily passed off as the stress of the new situation, unlike the far-reaching permanent options taken when given a chance to rest.
On top of that, it begins to be a bit of a slog to read through. The writing remains alright, but the action and descriptions are a struggle to wade through. A brief skim of later chapters demonstrates very, very little of the healer archetype promised and that one would likely read this story for, and significantly more focus on the results of the professional class choice made earlier on.