Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

He Brought a Gun to a Sword Fight. A life was tempered in the forge of struggle—an orphan fighting to survive, a soldier battling an alien plague, a protector who gave his life for those too weak to defend themselves. But death wasn’t the end of his war. Reborn in a world of immortal cultivators and ancient secrets, Jin Shu finds himself as the eldest son of the Jin family, masters of runesmithing. Armed with his modern military knowledge and an arsenal of runic-enhanced weapons, he’s ready to take on anyone who dares threaten his new life. This second life offers more than just battles. It’s an opportunity to experience parts of existence he never thought possible: the warmth of family, the joy of raising an adorable tiger cub who sees him as her father, even love. Now that he has felt the warmth of love, nothing in heaven or earth will stand in his way. Be it God, Buddha, or Demon, all will come to know the wrath behind the smoking barrel of his gun. What to Expect: Xianxia Meets Modern Weaponry(Powered by runic magic!) High-Octane Action and Hilarious Moments A Tiger Cub So Cute, She’ll Steal Your Heart Guns, Guns, and More Guns!(Did I mention sound effects?Bang! Boom!) An OP MC with a Purpose(Because pulling the trigger isn’t always enough) 1000+ Pages—over 300k words! (More onPatreon.) If you love explosive battles, heartfelt moments, and a touch of the absurd, this story is for you. Thank you for reading—or even just clicking!

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: MadFireGod

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 3.6/ 5.0
Followers: 1,951
Views: 681,461

What readers say about Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

“This is the toasty story of Lieutenant Jin Shu, a soldier who dies in a brutal war against monsters called the Diseased which can only be killed with Martian Metal. He’s then reborn in a fantasy world as the son of a blacksmith and a powerful cultivator. Fo…”
Vitaly S AlexiusRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“There's a certain amount of fun that comes with a story that treats readers like they know what's going on. R/R/R does a really good job at throwing you right into the thick of things and while the story could benefit from slowing down just a bit to add a b…”
ZEmersonWritesRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

Vitaly S AlexiusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is the toasty story of Lieutenant Jin Shu, a soldier who dies in a brutal war against monsters called the Diseased which can only be killed with Martian Metal. He’s then reborn in a fantasy world as the son of a blacksmith and a powerful cultivator. For years, he lives this new life until a strange bullet from his old world awakens his past memories. Now, he has to figure out how to live as both a modern soldier and a cultivator in a world of magic, all while protecting his new family and uncovering the mystery of how his two lives are connected.
The author’s writing style is a huge strength because it changes to fit the mood of the scene perfectly. In the beginning, during the battle in the ruined city, the writing is fast, blunt, and full of punchy military action. You feel the chaos as Jin Shu slams magazines into his XM7 and barks orders. The description of the Diseased turning into "gleaming silver" statues after being shot with Martian Metal is quite vivid. The style is sharp and efficient.
Then, when Jin Shu is in his new life in Black Mountain City, the narrative becomes warmer and more focused on character. The scene where Jin Shu is in the forge with his father, Jin Chen, feels warm. The author uses humor well, like when Jin Shu laughs at the memory of his powerful mother, Sun Mei'er, beating up his muscular dad. The narrator lets you connect with Jin Shu's new life well.
The plot is fantastic because it’s built on a great mystery. It's not just "a soldier ends up in a fantasy world"; it's about how and why. The bullet Jin Shu finds isn't just a random item, it's from the year 2042, a year after he died, which raises a multitude of curious questions. This bullet turns out to contain Nano, an AI that becomes his System, which is a clever way to blend sci-fi edge with the cultivation fantasy setting.
The plot is full of hooks that make you want to know what happens next!
For example, Jin Shu's fight with the Winged Tiger in the forest leads him directly
ZEmersonWritesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
There's a certain amount of fun that comes with a story that treats readers like they know what's going on. R/R/R does a really good job at throwing you right into the thick of things and while the story could benefit from slowing down just a bit to add a bit more description on some of the elements, MadFireGod has a fun start to his story.
Whether you wait to binge or jump in now to read and keep up with it, give this one a shot cause it's truly a diamond waiting to be found.
Style and Story:
There's a certain cadence to the story so far that I appreciate. Scenes are incredibly easy to follow and the narration, while limited in some aspects, brings the action to life. MadFire trusts you to keep up with the story and while some of the changes from one scene to next might trip you up, I think that's part of the charm of discovery with reincarnation stories.
Grammar:
There are a few sentences that feel a bit clunky, but the overall grammar, punctuation, and spelling are all readable. There's never a spot where I am unsure what MadFire is trying to say even if I might have personally worded it differently myself.
Characters:
Although he's the main Character, it's a bit hard to put a finger on Jin Shu so far and I think that's intended. With two separate but distinct lives for the story to pull from I think this is something that will benefit from being explored. Some of the side characters could absolutely benefit from greater attention and I hope we get to see them get fleshed out further.
warriorblade 909Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
For me I have fallen in love with this story. It is one of the few original cultivation novels that I've read. The other one being douluo dalu(soul land). And I've rated this novel just as highly. If I could I'd give it 100 Stars not just 5. Please keep up the amazing work.
LeafgRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
As expected of an author who came up with an unusual premise of guns in xianxia and has “mad” in their name, the plot comes out of the left field. While the wackiness initially left me wary, the author comes right back to making sense (and jumping back into eccentricity right after). If nothing else, this unusual amalgam of tropes and unique ideas make this story of breath of fresh air. Though I’m probably going to stack chapters so the story arcs make more sense as a whole rather than piecemeal.
NeoSyncRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Loved it until the cross dressing which I could handle within reason but the comment where the author said the guy was forced to take an actually female form and that combined with all the kissing from Li Xue who I thought was a love interest but should be as well... "She's for the streets" beyond that I love the book.... But knowing the female form thing combined with the well essentially the semi NTR (from the lady who was only into women and only liked the mc because well.... Crossdressing...)
whatisthisanoveleforantsRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I've gotten a handful of chapters into this so far and I'm still not entirely sure where I stand on it. The story is interesting and I like the concept, but I feel like I can see the A.I. assistance in the grammar. I like the main character, but all of the side characters feel a little bit one note.
I think the story might have potential and it could still inspire a 5 star for me if the chapters continue to hold my attention, but for right now it's missing just a little something.
trasen56Royal Road
★★★★ 3.5
This is a pretty interesting concept held back by lacking execution.
The initial set up is interesting, with the MC having memories of a soldier and being born into a family famed for runecrafting.
It seems like the direction the story will go is the MC combining his knowledge of modern firearms with runecrafting to create a unique cultivation path, something that would require lots of hard work and innovation.
Additionally, there would be some mystery as to how he was reincarnated, the mechanism of his memories being awoken, and the connection between the two worlds.
Instead, the author seems too impatient to allow the story to naturally play out. The MC recieves a bunch of deus ex machinas that immediately invalidate his background and eliminate nearly any interesting struggle for progress.
As an example,
At one point the MC realizes he has been acting incredibly irrationally, and his personal, integrated, nanomachine AI (one of the multiple ex machinas from the beginning of the book) tells him it is because the personalities of his two lives are in conflict.
He then easily enters a spiritual state where he can see the two arguing and fighting, clearly hating each ither completely.
He then says, "Hey, we're all the same person and should get along."
The two immediately stop fighting and merge, at the same time revealing another special rune to him which he instinctually knows will be incredibly important to his cultivation path.
CatgurlRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
I was liking it until I realized it was harem. Tiger cub is adorable. Story started out ok, then went off track and started using plot devices that made zero sense. Like why would mc NOT tell his uncle that his Mom has disappeared and may be in danger? Gets worse from there. Oh well.
KodiakGMRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
I don't usually rate books I read so low, because I don't often start a book I don't end up liking.
But I feel the need to explain why this book got a low rating from me.
Grammer and spelling 5 stars.
Overall story composition 5 stars
...
I realize this genre comes with certain tropes, but even accounting for tropes.
You are trying to say with a straight face that the maturity, self control, and general life experience of a 35+ man is utterly powerless when faced with the hormones of a 16 year old boy. I call BS, 2 stars.
Further...you are telling me with a straight face that a golden finger skill like an ai supercomputer that is also capable of rapid healing and regeneration is incapable of suppression of teenage "urges" for one hour per day for five days...or else the host will loose the ability to procreate. I call BS, 2 stars.
I am not saying that others should not read this book, I am saying that this is not my kind of book and I regret even starting to read it.
I doubt I will be missed when I leave in the middle of the story, because I like to believe there are enough people that DO enjoy this.
Lurker LuuuurkRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
The MC is too dumb to live. He's apparently in the military, but it must be a peace time one. Or maybe he was the officer that decided to put flammable warning stickers on the side of fuel trucks in Iraq. Either way, apparently decided to stop for a piss or something. When he knew he shouldn't. Which is what gets everyone killed.
Then when it starts going down decides to threaten to kill a dude because he has a gun, that he doesn't want to give the guy effective bullets for. Reducing the overall firepower of the side that isn't drooling monstrosities, rather than making use of a potential resource by just sticking him off to the side or in front.
And then when everyone dies, because apparently he was also in charge of their training. He manages to take out an armored monstrosity that apparently required AT... because he was able to get a shot into it's mouth... with a small arm. Ok. Whatever. I just can't with this 🤣 80's action hero got the gomer treatment.