Rise of The Infernal Paladin (A System Apocalypse LitRPG)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Now available in ebook, print, and audio on Amazon!Ambrose Severen lost more than just his world when the System integrated his universe—he lost his heart, his purpose, and the people he loved. All that remains is a burning desire for revenge. With nothing left to lose, Ambrose embarks on a relentless quest for power, determined to tear down everything the First Forerunner has built. No price is too high, no challenge too great, as he carves a path through a broken world, hunting those who wronged him.

What to Expect:

Weak to Strong Progression:Witness Ambrose’s steady evolution from vulnerable to unstoppable.

Deep Character Growth:Beyond levels and stats, Ambrose’s journey transforms who he is.

Detailed Stats System:Mid-to-heavy stats tracking to satisfy your inner number-cruncher.

Unique Advancement:A fresh twist on grade upgrades that keeps things interesting.

Skill Progression:From Common to Mythic, skills grow in surprising ways.

Bounty Hunter Vibes:Expect a gritty profession that takes Ambrose into the dark corners of the System.

Revenge-Driven Plot:A story fueled by loss, obsession, and the hunt for retribution.Intense Action:Heavy, pulse-pounding confrontations that never pull their punches.

If you love revenge stories with gritty action, complex character evolution, and a world rich in power dynamics, step into Ambrose’s journey.

****

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Information

Status
Ongoing
Year
2024
Author
L.R. Monroe (Emrys)

Tags

LITRPGACTIONFANTASYADVENTUREANTI-HERO LEADDRAMAPOST APOCALYPTIC

Royal Road Stats

Rating
3.9/ 5.0
Followers
897
Views
50,820

Chapters(69 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

  • AuthorSeanHallRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    Wow, where do I even start with this one? The speed at which this story kicks off is absolutely insane. From the very first chapter, you're yanked into the depths of a man's hatred and thirst for revenge, and trust me, you're not going to want to escape. I mean, that first chapter? Easily one of the best I've ever read—and it only gets better from there.
    The style of this book is brutal. There's really no other way to describe it. It's a relentless tale of violence that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of its world. The pacing and description are on point, making this feel like the wildest roller coaster ride you never want to end.
    As for the grammar, it's solid. No glaring mistakes to yank you out of the experience—everything's readable and flows well. Capitalization is done right, periods are where they need to be, and the commas are there to keep things moving smoothly. No complaints here!
    Now, let's talk about the story.  Blood, death, and the sheer willpower of the main character, Ambrose, fuel his quest for revenge. The villain? Absolutely despicable—and I love it. You want a bad guy you can really hate? You’ve got it. Ambrose is not just about getting stronger for the sake of it; he's got real, driving motivations. This isn't your typical "numbers go brrr" situation—Ambrose is a force to be reckoned with, and he’s got the skills to back it up. If you love a ruthless protagonist with a dark edge, Ambrose is your guy.
    And the antagonist—oh, they're everything you want in a villain. Vile, wretched, and downright capable. This character adds layers to the story, giving our hero a truly formidable foe. There's a sense of a shattered past, maybe a not-so-legal background, that makes Ambrose's transformation into a devil’s bounty hunter all the more compelling. It’s like watching a knight of vengeance rise from the ashes, more fiery and furious than any soldier of justice could ever be.
    In short, this book is a must-read. If you're into intense, brutal narr
  • Dominick RRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    The speed in which this starts is wild, you are hooked by the end of the first chapter and willing to be dragged down to the depth of a mans hatred and desire for revenge. One of the best first chapters I've read and it only gets better from there.
    Style: Brutal. Like, there's no other word that can be used for it. This is a story of violence and it starts with it. The description and pacing is fantastic, a roller coaster that you don't want to get off of.
    Grammar: Capitalized words are capitalized. Periods are used, commas are common. There is no glaring errors in basic grammar that stand out, very readable.
    Story: Man, what can I say. John Wick meets DnD meets Spawn. Blood and death flow as he gathers the strength needed for revenge. A despicable villain that you love to hate and a MC who is willpower manifest.
    Character: There's two characters who are the main point i'm going to talk about. Our MC, Ambrose. Then the Antagonist. Ambrose is a fleshed out character with an actual driving motivation for getting strong rather than numbers go brrr. Skilled and deadly and so far a rather distinct lack of mercy. For fans of this style, Ambrose is your man.
    Our Antagonist is vile. They are wretched. They are capable. All of the best qualities for a villain to have.
  • NasnariethRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    An ex-gangster, now retired, get isekied into a new world where he vows to seek revenge on the killer of his pregnant wife.
    John Wick meets Bunny Girl Evolution. It's a really strong premise, and so far, the execution seems pretty decent. The protagonist has a motive and a drive to do whatever it takes to get revenge.
    This is LitRPG, and as such, stats abound. We follow our hero through the process of character design, and tag along as he levels on easy monsters and gains base skills. Initial levelling is satisfyingly quick. It's an interesting piece. I'm enjoying it.
  • SaviourRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    Saw this book recommended by someone (I can’t remember who) and thought that it looked quite interesting. After giving it a try I’m extremely impressed with how the story is progressing.
    It’s a usual system apocalypse where the MC has unique abilities, except that others have their own as well, and that he’s not magically picked as the chosen one, or forerunner in this case.
    The only small problem I have with the writing is sometimes it’s hard to know when Ambrose is having a flashback until he says a name from the past, maybe putting them in Italics? But it doesn’t take away from the story at all, just sometimes becomes weird to follow.
    There are no problems with grammar from what I can see, everything reads very well.
    Ambrose is a character I can understand as well, with his motivations and backstory. He’s a very personable character that I feel I can understand and root for. The grittiness of his backstory and how he wants to better himself for his wife is definitely something I like seeing in books, all too often MCs become murderhobos in System Apocalypse Novels for no apparent reason, so the humanity his wife brings him is nice to see.
    I also love the mythology that’s getting sprinkled in! Hope to see that being included more in the future. Arthurian legend is some of my favourite (as I am English) so I’m very happy to see this included!
  • Sum1whoismeRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    This story got off to a great start. Each chapter, a delicious nibble into an edgy dark urban fantasy revenge arc. These early chapters unapologetically lean into expected tropes, but also lay a solid foundation that promises potential. I'm here for it! Angry guy demolishes any roadblocks on the road to revenge. The hellcat is stylistically fun, but it's a shame it's an auto and not manual transmission lol
  • DBiss13Royal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    This novel’s got a sharp edge—like swapping from a cozy afternoon BBQ to full-on chaos in a heartbeat. It oscillates between feel-good, homey vibes and sudden, high-stakes action like a sci-fi flipbook. And let’s not forget the cosmic *System* that turns the "ordinary" upside down—world-building with *layers*. It’s *Black Mirror* meets *John Wick* with a galactic twist.
    It’s your classic revenge tale but with a fresh coat of alien tech. Ambrose, our grizzled anti-hero, is caught between his past life's *hit list* and his desire for peace. With the System adding some *next-gen gaming* NPC drama, it’s a clever update to the genre.
    Overall, it's pretty slick. The action scenes are *laser-focused*, but a few sentences could use a bit of recalibration to keep the flow smooth. Dialogue? On point. The descriptions just need a little tightening to make everything feel *warp-speed*.
    Ambrose needs more *headspace*. Let him marinate in those intense moments to give us that sweet inner turmoil. Oh, and a deeper dive into the alien *System* would turn this good sci-fi into *stellar* sci-fi. Amping up the world-building will make the twists hit even harder.
    Blending *suburban bliss* with *cosmic chaos*? Love it. Ambrose’s character arc, flipping between his assassin past and a desire for redemption, adds depth. Plus, the pacing moves like a *high-speed chase*—smooth shifts from tender moments to explosive action.
    Flesh out that *System* a bit more—it’s a solid foundation, but I want to see the wiring behind the curtain. And let’s dive deeper into Ambrose’s psyche, because nothing complements action like a well-cooked existential crisis.
  • InkBladeRoyal Road
    ★★★★ 4.0
    This story has a good enough premise, good enough characters, and good enough plot. The issue is when everything is just good enough the story lacks weight or emphasis that drive the reader to keep going. Personally, I feel this is due to the pacing, as I feel most of the story is faster than it should be, causing a flatter turnout. Anyways, here is what I think of the aspects of this story.
    Style
    I have to say, this is where I think the story struggles the most. First and foremost, this story lacks the unique voice that makes so many other stories memorable, and without any stylistic methods to differ from the norm, the story falls very flat. That's not to say that it's bad, just that the current styling is somewhat bland. The problem with a basic style is paired with a faster approach it feels like details have no weight and events end up having no narrative backing.
    Story
    I have to say, this is where the story shines. The mix of the devil deals, heroes unique start, and an arthurian flair make for a great setting that draws attention. However, this story is limited by pacing. I found it hard to care about most of the side characters, especially since they were basically introduced so quick and thrown out the door after only a few chapters. There was no time to make them very likeable or Unique. Maybe that will change in the future though. I am also not a fan of the leveling speed, as it feels the numbers are arbitrary and there is nothing really important about them other than signifying something changed. Moreso since he doesn't focus on any stats, so it feels like they all come down to "he felt stronger". Maybe add a Little emphasis on which ones he chooses, as I feel having a specialty would make him better rounded.
    Grammar
    Honestly? No issues so far. Very clean. Moving on.
    Character
    Again, I feel the pacing is butchering the character development, especially with the main characters style. See post above. Furthermore, this issue is exacerbated by his limited
  • The OxRoyal Road
    ★★★★ 3.5
    I kind of blew through this story this morning, Rise of the Infernal Paladin is essentially a frenetically paced revenge themed LitRPG but I think the author should seriously rethink one scene involving Tic Tac Toe
    The entire plot and the title of the book hinges on Ambrose becoming an INFERNAL PALADIN which requires him to get this Grimoire from "Tom" the non-boy demon thing on the island.  Tom forces Ambrose to play two games with him, the first is a very well done ( IMO ) game of rock paper scissors which involves a lot of head games and Ambrose loses to Tom, I thought it quite well written.  The second game is TIC TAC TOE, which is such a plot flaw and author cop-out it almost completely ruins the story, especially this entire memory sequence of him beating his (supposedly smart) wife at TIC TAC TOE as if Ambrose was some kind of genius.  The problem is that tic tac toe is a SOLVED GAME, meaning no ancient demon should be stupid enough to choose a game that can ALWAYS END IN A TIE.  The game tree of tic tac toe is so small that if the first player plays without mistakes, the outcome is an inevitable win or tie.  If the second player plays without mistakes the outcome is ALWAYS A TIE.  This means the entire plot of Ambrose getting his INFERNAL title is based on an ancient demon basically handing the key to it to him for free, which is such ridiculous PLOT ARMOR.  Why would a demon that had supposedly been living on earth watching all of us and learning all of our ways choose Tic Tac Toe?  Tom is basically making his own win impossible against anyone who understands how to play the game without mistakes which is a huge number of people, tic tac toe is a widely understood game, even if most of the people who know how to play a flawless game don't understand what a Solved Game is mathematically.  It's almost the simplest solved game in existence.  Such a cheap way to hand your MC power.
    Besides the serious plot issue, the story is extremely well crafted technically.
  • EshmatarelRoyal Road
    ★★★ 3.0
    Tl;Dr - Worth a read if gratuitous angst doesn’t bother you. Fun combat, fast pace, but not a lot of character development for an angst-fueled story.
    A John Wick-esque revenge story in a system apocalypse, add in a deal with the devil, and hint at some hidden lore, and voila - Infernal Paladin.
    The angst and guilt believably drive the protagonist, and sometimes in really touching ways. However, that seems to be the status quo, no matter how mummy little or big failures and triumphs come along the way.
    That is, it’s hard to imagine the MC at the end of book one making drastically different choices than the MC at the start of it…
    Style: Mostly okay, sometimes there’s a big discrepancy in the prose between chapters or even within chapters - descriptions can be flowing, wordy, and poetic at one moment, then brusque right after. Either is fine, but the inconsistency is jarring.
    Thats also the case, to a lesser extent, with the 1st person PoV thoughts. Sometimes they come in the middle of a paragraph with no stylistic shift (maybe they were unitilicezed by mistake?) such that I have to think whether the story was always in first person.
    Story: On the one hand, the story progresses quickly, the pacing is very fast. On the other, the characters remain stagnant compared to the pace of the story. By the end of book 1 the protagonist is in a very different place in the world, but is very much the same person he was at the start.
    The villain is heinously evil, and the drive for revenge is justified to us readers. The end of book one pulls the rug out from under that though,
    The reveal that everything is the demon’s manipulation just diminishes the importance and significance of every other character and story beat.
    The really evil bad guy? Yeah he’s a jerk, but also the devil manipulated him onto collision with the MC.
    The MC? Now seems like a bumbling fool for making a deal with a devil.
    The MCs mother who mysteriously vanished? Held captive by that devil.
    The little girl who
  • rand0mG4m3rRoyal Road
    ★ 0.5
    The story is too fast paced at times but the characters (MC included) don't evolve. It starts somewhat ok but the MC is inconscient. He doesn't learn from his mistakes, doesn't do things he is supposed to do, has skills that he should take but never does over and over.
    And the villain, really ??