Rat's Guide to Survival [Book one complete+short hiatus]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Sixteen years old, with nothing to his name but a dark corner to rot in inside a pool of his own blood.It wasn’t exactly a great life, but even still, he wanted to live. He wanted to live so, so desperately… and despite that, it simply didn’t matter. For all the will in the world wouldn’t be enough to keep a broken body from coming apart at the seams.But even still,he reached forth, grasped desperately for the sun. For the light, ethereal and faint.…And yet despite his strength failing him, his lifeless palm hitting the sand, his hand meetssomething.Waking in a form not his own in a world alien to him in every way conceivable, Nile is thrown into an entirely new life. A brutal place that holds him in no regard, a meatgrinder that takes and takes and gives only to the strong. So, all in all… not too different from what he knows! It’s not exactly an ideal circumstance, especially given how his own body feels like a prison at times, but nothing ever is! At the very least though, there’s certainly one thing he can appreciate.Letters and numbers that, by all means, he should be completely incapable of understanding, seem to follow him everywhere. At a glance, they’re a curiosity, but as the time passes and his problems mount, Nile comes to realize one simple fact. In this world, even if the odds are stacked against him, even if he hates what he is and almost everything around him, growth is inevitable. Growth in strength, and growth in status. And with nobody to cage him but the very Labyrinth he resides in…If he could just survive, if he could justlive,freedom wasinevitable.With that prospect at the tips of his paws, he could overlook the rest of his problems. Rat’s Guide To Survival is equal parts number-go-up-yummy LitRPG fantasy, and an exploration into what it means to not merely survive, but to live your life to the fullest. For fans of LitRPG that find most works lacking in restraint, character, or both, RGtS will find a place in your heart. (Though in case that didn't satisfy you)What to expect!-2k long chapters at a baseline. Oftentimes much longer. Generally below 4k words.-2 Chapters per week unless specified otherwise. Tue/Thurs. +Correction Quota bonus chapters-Unbelievably weak to strong to stronger.-Environments and monsters are both problems.-Monster MC. And it stays that way thank you very much! At least, for the foreseeable future.-MC has preciselyzeroknowledge of LitRPG and any of its tropes. Or of gaming in general. Do not expect minmaxing.-Verytraumatized MC with a lot of baggage that’s avoidant of thinking about it. The story is not grimdark, or even close to it, and it has comedic moments, but it is not afraid to get down to business. (For the record, the "sensitive content" tag is a hesitant addition. It's notthatdeep.)-Extremely unreliable narrator that gets better from book to book. This includes descriptions of locations, creatures, and the MCs own state of mind.-Moderate pacing. RGtS is planned to be about 4 books long, 150k-200k each. With each individual arc (usually) being around 50k words/20 chapters.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: Boptodatop

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 1,094
Views: 226,861

What readers say about Rat's Guide to Survival [Book one complete+short hiatus]

“The style is quite good its a mc reborn in a monster inside a dungeon. The dungeon has quite the dept as its dark but There is more levels to it. You can see Basic system like stats levels skills. Story is slow to Quick in happening About mc in one episode…”
DelavechiaRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“As the title says, it's an original take on the trope with the MC having absolutely no prior knowledge of monsters, systems, dungeons, or anything else normally found in a lit-rpg. He is written as a realistically unreliable narrator and flawed character, s…”
Bad TaxidermyRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(7)

DelavechiaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The style is quite good its a mc reborn in a monster inside a dungeon. The dungeon has quite the dept as its dark but There is more levels to it. You can see Basic system like stats levels skills. Story is slow to Quick in happening About mc in one episode he is learning how to use skills then boom he is almost death because of not paying attention. I love it for now see a lot of potencial. Grammar is readable plus he fixes it if you tell him in comments.Character is Very self centered plus has some mental problems but is quite smart but slow About it from his begining
Bad TaxidermyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
As the title says, it's an original take on the trope with the MC having absolutely no prior knowledge of monsters, systems, dungeons, or anything else normally found in a lit-rpg. He is written as a realistically unreliable narrator and flawed character, so for people who are looking for optimisation or min/max-ing, this isn't that kind of story.
It is, however, a story that is written well, with an interesting premise, an MC who starts from a very bad place psychologically/emotionally (and only slightly less so, physically) with a lot of room for character and power growth, numbers that do go brrr, and an exploration of trauma without it being grimdark or depressing.
Written in 1st person PoV, with good grammar and pretty minimal typos.
5 stars, do recommend.
ChirpchirpmeowRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
We've got an interesting MC perspective, with Nile originally being a 16 yr old street rat from an (I think) vaguely egypt-inspired desert town where crime runs rampant and kids like Nile do what they gotta do to survive. That understandably means that Nile carries over a whole heap of baggage over from his past life into his new literal rat one, and a central focus of the story is how Nile stumbles and grows through and past these experiences while (currently) stuck in an underground labyrinth surrounded by creatures out to either kill him, use him, or run faster than him to escape danger. So not that different, really. Not exactly an environment conductive for forming meaningful bonds and healing trauma, but somehow he's getting there. And don't worry action lovers, there's plenty of that to go around in the free-for-all that is the labyrinth. If you like monster evolution, you'll like this. As for me, I'm especially curious to see how the story goes once we're out of the labyrinth and enter society (or at least something society adjacent), since I imagine it'll be quite the different experience from the simple violence of the labyrinth, for better or worse. I'd say my one minor criticism is that occasionally characters use modern-sounding language and it throws me off, since I don't think even Nile was from modern Earth.
So if you like monster evolution, weak to strong mc, some mysterious overarching plot we've only got crumbs of, changing environments, and an even more changing young MC who will charm you despite his occasional frustrating moments, this is for you.
RiptideVRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Awesome story. Character's are fun, author is sticking to the interesting concept. I can see this becoming big on this platform. Mr. Rat doing rat things never fails to amuse me.
Story: Story makes sense, not too much worldbuilding yet or main plot other then survival, but I think that's to be expected seeing the title.
Characters: Interesting MC, not many side characters at this point.
The whole split personality disorder is cool, I think it can be used very well later on.
Santino LastraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I really enjoy trading the caothic rat, author's notes are so funny and i really love the attention to detail and effort in MAKING IT MAKE SENSE there has not been a moment i thought the author pulled something out of their ass, it justo shows they care. Thanks for the rat
Apex121222Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
(Please note that I have read up to chapter 34, which means I'm writing this review ahead of the chapter posting schedule. While my actual rating would be 4.75 stars, I can't select that option. I believe every aspect of this story is excellent, except for the main character. However, I fully expect his character to be further developed later on.)
The author's advanced grammar skills and strong command of literary devices bring the story's world to life. While reading, I was able to easily visualize the setting thanks to the vivid descriptions. Despite the sophisticated grammar, the narration remains simple enough that it feels as though the main character is directly sharing their story with you, which helps maintain a steady sense of immersion. As expected from an experienced writer, the spelling and punctuation are flawless, so I won't dwell on those aspects.
The style of this piece is well thought out and in-depth, making the world feel original. Although I have limited points to discuss, the author demonstrates excellent word choice, and it seems that every element of the writing has been carefully considered.
Now, onto my personal favorite part of the story. The world feels alive and just a short distance away. The chapters filled with high stakes keep me on edge and worried, while the slower-paced chapters are a welcome relief that help expand the world for readers. This format creates a great contrast. It's clear that a lot of love has gone into the power system; the leveling-up function is very in-depth and thoughtfully designed, making the power-ups feel earned rather than simply given. Overall, I’m excited to see where the author will take this world and how they will expand upon it.
Finally, I want to address my strongest criticism. While I don’t think the protagonist is fully developed yet—(and it’s understandable since there are only like 50 chapters)—I appreciate how the author is gradually introducing more about him over time. He feels very original,
beetleheroRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is a compelling read for the right audience, I had the opportunity to read 10k and a little more before it was released.
If you are a fan of lit rpg, you don't need to read any more of this review, its energy you could have spent enjoying this book. It hits all the highs of the genre. Action is tight and setting specific. In this case, it feels claustrophobic and chaotic what with being a rat.
Style is descriptive. It spends time on each scene. Sometimes it can feel repetitive but this is rare, and for the most part it adds ambiance and voice to the story. It really shows the authors care for crafting their world.
Grammer is functional for the style. If there are any mistakes, the author is quick about correcting them. 5/5 stars.
The story is largely carried by the setting. This can help the reader feel like the protagonist in many ways, as they too are dropped into a world that is alien to them, and moves without their participation. It makes you the reader connect to the various plot points regardless of who or how it happens. Your interested in seeing the unique way it will play out and enjoying the execution.
However, this is where my main cticism emerges. While the setting is impecable, it swallows the protagonist. While this can feel compelling and realistic at points, at others it makes the protagonist feel shallow and underdeveloped. There is slow burn gains, and for invested readers looking for a long story this is actually a plus, thus the four stars. However, this means i cannot recommend this story to everyone, as the protagonist lacks critical development in early chapters. Though it is clear, development is coming.
Overall, this story is perfect for its audience. It doesn't shy away from what kind of story it is. A grim realistic setting that are absurd in its own brutal way. A main character who develops slowly and adapts to the story. It explodes lit rpg tropes in a fantastic execution, but is still fault to the failings of the genre. So if your