Runeforged: Path of the Paladin (A Cultivation Portal Fantasy)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Book 1 Complete and Posted! An epic portal-fantasy for Progression Fantasy fans! Book 2 is posting now! | Sundays and Wednesdays! Ben Crawford shouldn't be here. One moment, he's on Earth. The next, he wakes up in an inescapable room that seems intent on erasing him. Then, just as suddenly, he's somewhere else. Saved by forces beyond his understanding and dropped onto a world where humanity is barely more than a myth. On Ark, power is everything, and Runebinding magic is the key to survival. Ben shouldn't be able to use it, but he can—and he's learning faster than anyone should. Fighting alongside monster hunters and wielding powers of Light that he shouldn’t have, Ben quickly discovers that being an anomaly comes with a price. Some see his strength as an opportunity. Others see it as a threat. As faction politics turn against him and ancient powers take notice, Ben must navigate a world that doesn't know what to do with him, all while something far more dangerous watches from beyond. Humanity was never meant to be part of this story. To survive what’s coming, Ben must forge a new path: one that could make him the first Paladin in a world that needs one. What to Expect: > Progression Fantasy with unique Runebinding cultivation system 20 years in the making > Portal fantasy with cosmic/multiverse elements > Monster hunting and faction politics > Steady power progression with creative magic system > Found family and friendship dynamics > Culinary Expertise that leads to literal fights over desserts > Updates: Wednesday, and Friday > Long-form serial with expansive world-building and a minimum of three books planned. Immerse yourself in theRuneforged Realms.Where knowledge is power, magic is earned, and the Multiverse fears what it can't control. This fiction was originally released as “Runebound: Rise of the Paladin” but has been completely re-written after developmental edits. Excellent for fans of: > Cradle: for cultivation and fast, meaningful progression. > Beware of Chicken: for Slice of Life cultivation, animal antics. > He Who Fights with Monsters: for found family and character development. > Defiance of the Fall: for cosmic scale and brutal fights. CHECK OUT MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND THE SERIES:https://www.runeforgedrealms.com

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: M.S. Davidson

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 1,876
Views: 419,963

What readers say about Runeforged: Path of the Paladin (A Cultivation Portal Fantasy)

“Give it a shot if you enjoy Isekai/portal fantasy. High quality writing for the genre. World building is solid and helped along by very evocative descriptions. I like the MC and we're assembling a great group of characters. Warm vibes but with a tinge of po…”
wabensRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I'm dropping a review even though I'm only up to chapter 7. I'll come back when I'm further through to drop an advanced review, because I am really enjoying this story and I think it deserves it.Prose/Grammar: Good. Better than good, really. Great, even. A…”
Hiria DunningRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

wabensRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Give it a shot if you enjoy Isekai/portal fantasy. High quality writing for the genre. World building is solid and helped along by very evocative descriptions. I like the MC and we're assembling a great group of characters. Warm vibes but with a tinge of potential darkness. My only concern is that the stakes are low but it's early and I'm going to keep reading.
Hiria DunningRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm dropping a review even though I'm only up to chapter 7. I'll come back when I'm further through to drop an advanced review, because I am really enjoying this story and I think it deserves it.Prose/Grammar: Good. Better than good, really. Great, even. A cut above the vast majority of works on this site.Story: Compelling. Will leave more of an opinion in time but there is a really interesting premise going on here.IF YOU LOVE GOOD CHARACTER DIALOGUE AND BANTER >>> Chapter 3 on, you'll be happy. The main band of characters introduce here feel like a well-established team, and their dialogue is charming and witty.IF YOU LOVE A WELL-WRITTEN ACTION SCENE >>> Chapter 5, seriously. I've never read anything like it. The action was clear and pacy, but more impressively it was poetic. This writer can turn a phrase.Also hot damn, the portal travel in Chapter 6. So well done.Just read it already!
PyraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Give this story a chance.
Good humor mixed with action in perfect proportions. I really enjoyed watching Ben navigate a completely new world. With each chapter, we get to know Ben's new world better, and each of the side characters is well-developed. Even a shop assistant or a passing child on the street breathes life into the story.
After a hard day, this story always managed to lift my spirits.
hcp56Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Just finished the rewrite. Well done! Well done! Can’t wait for the second book! This is an expanded review from my first submission.
Take a chance on this book. It’s a rewrite. Frankly, it was excellent the first time I read it. I enjoy the world building, the magic system and the characters. The pacing is good with a nice buildup of skills and a learning curve that’s reasonable.
Character building is good. Just the right amount of interpersonal conflict without it turning into a complete soap opera. The people have reasons for their actions even if they don’t always seem reasonable.
Ben’s growth as the main character is warranted. While he seems to do the impossible frequently, it is not without personal consequences. Since he hasn’t grown up in their magic system he tends to do things before people tell him he can’t or shouldn’t be able to.
Supporting characters are pretty well flushed out, with most having background stories that have been explored. There are still a few that there are questions about that hopefully will be explored more in the second book.
The plot has significant mystery and questions still abound.
The initial skills that the MC brings to the story are not over powered
***SPOILER*******
(except maybe his baking 🤣).
FieryCheetahRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
we haven’t actually seen much of the power system or the world yet but what we have seen is so amazing. I have always loved runes in fantasy worlds, no matter how they are used and in this one, the whole power system is runes. I’m so damn excited to see the whole power system fleshed out.
I also love Ben’s personality. He would be the friend who you look up to because of how they go through life but also feel a little jealous of. He tries his best in every situation he has been in, and even though he fails a few times, we never see him despair or fall, though he was close at times.
All in all, definitely give it a try if you have read the synopsis and you are even a little interested, the start is a little confusing but it picks up quickly after the first chapter or so.
BeyogiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
While this does seem to have the making of a pretty standard adventure/ISEKAI story on RRL it does have some pretty mystic undertones. It's not just the have mana, have system, have levels, become overpowered standard RRL recipe.
Instead we have a rune system for magic. There are some Xianxia like leanings with the general mysticism going on, but it doesn't feel like a chinese derived power fantasy.
I really like how this is different. It feels like I'm actually reading something new on RRL rather than the same wine in slightly altered bottles. The only criticism I have so far is that it may be a bit too much new. The situation isn't just overwhelming for the protag but also for the readers. Maybe it would help to have the protag reflect and order the information they have required about the new world. Repetition isn't a sin, it's necessary for proper understanding.
BiscuitMuncher12342Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Probably one of the better litrpg books I have read. The characters are awesome so far and it hasn’t felt boring compared to most training arcs. I’m quite excited to read the rest. there’s a 50 word minimum and I have to cover more than 50 why did this make me do this. I am a simple man
Brocsten0229Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This has been a wonderful and enjoyable series, the poetry and vulgarity, the principle and the core, the characters and the Setting, are all so well done I love it. chaos balanced with normalcy, it brings me along and engaged me for hours. I can't wait for more and all that in store. give it a try and push through the first chapters, its a great adventure that has only just begun.
HikinBearRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I dropped and picked this back up several times during the first nine chapters. Those are classic examples of ‘Overwrought’ writing where the author clubs the reader over the head with how clever they are. (some may enjoy it, I’m not a fan)
Example:
...The bird, though? Something about his chirping reminded me of a trucker after a dozen beers and a speeding ticket.
Once past that, the story becomes interesting where the MC interacts with the impossible world he’s dropped into. The pacing is uneven to OK while the grammar is excellent.
The characters are a mix. Only the Main Character is human, while all the others are not, yet they all sound the same with the same voice.
Overall an entertaining progression story.
King of SaxonyRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
Interesting power system, jank setting, lukewarm characters/plot lines (currently).
Of the novels it is compared to, He Who Fights with Monsters is the only close parallel imo; it has that very modern, ‘quirky’ dialogue that plagues many of these isekai. Where it is slightly worse is that this series seems too afraid to take itself seriously. There are extremely brief moments where the aura system has an influence or the characters have a conflict that you think will go somewhere interesting, but they quickly pivot out of it. As of this chapter I would argue there had not been a single substantive conflict at all, which is a shame.
I think the aura system fusing around and having an impact on the user against their will is actually very interesting, and the main reason why I still rate this above average. It is currently criminally underutilized because only the MC gets the plot armor of developing it meaningfully but I think there is strong potential in the future.