Shadow of the Soul King [Complete On Patreon Symbiotic Advancement LitRPG]

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2023

Author

Thirteen_Life_Legion

• Chapter 100: Ready
  Jan 2, 2024
• Chapter 5: Oath
  Dec 11, 2023
• Chapter 4: Abilities
  Dec 11, 2023
• Chapter 3: Definitions
  Dec 11, 2023
• Chapter 2: RPG-Mechanics Verse
  Dec 11, 2023
• Chapter 1: Death Is Only The Beginning
  Dec 11, 2023

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• F_nRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Very nice. Much number crunch.
  Op mcs and power fantasy with messed up personal relationships. Just how I like my litrpgs
  So far the story seems great and is only going up. The characters(at the least the main ones) are very interesting, tho their background was kinda dumped on us. The side characters are also very well put together. Although they suffer from a mild case of xianxia expressiveness  (cold stares and what not)
  The system hierarchy with whole A - F ranks kinda gives me PTSD from all the bad and dropped stories with the same stuff. (Will update review when we actually know more about it). The skills are fine.
  Rn the world building is a tad bit confusing, but not in a bad way and actually spike curiousity.
  Overall will definitely follow the story for some time
• Raven AshbornRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is a great story. I have followed this novel since it first appeared on royalroad, and joined on patreon. I kept reading even as the story was removed from royalroad, and keep supporting as it returns. I am up to date till chapter 268.
  The story is form Mila's perspective, which is great. The relationship with Aalam has good history and develops in a great way, with ups and downs. The main characters are very op, but this has good in universe reasons for it.
  The beginning is slower, while later there are a lot more time skips. This however tracks with the perception of time so doesn't feel out of place.
  Its a great read and would recommend it to anyone on this site, and wish the Autor good luck!
• ChronusxRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  At the end of the day in a progression fantasy you want characters it feels good to cheer for as they get stronger and a reason for them to get stronger that you care about. This has both in spades.
  The other major characters are interesting too so far, there's plenty to explore with them. Minor characters who aren't going to stick around are also nicely developed so it doesn't suffer from a villian of the week/arc problem.
  Story wise it's a good mix of get stronger and reasons to get stronger. It may say antihero but it's closer to ruthless heroes. They may fight dirty but you always feel like the fights are justified and they're not torturing people and the like.
  I also want to say that the strong MC tag is accurate, they are strong but they aren't stupidly so. The author does a good job of maintaining an air of tension through multiple mechanisms. A ridiculous OP mc story this is not.
  I will say that the prologue is super important to read but does not immediately explore everything in it. Give it a three or four chapters before comitting to a decision.
• BlothrenRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The idea of the book is unique to say the least, having two main characters, of which the mainer MC is practically a leech on the other MC. The litRpg elements are less disturbing than usual, mainly because of the cultivation background. And the story is really good, although if killing on massive scales disturbs you, you'll have some hard parts to get over.
  The romance is interesting to say the least, starting out really hard due to same events from before the novel, but it'll also turn out good. There isn't really much slow development shown due to massive time skips, but it doesn't feel hurried or forced to me when we take the time that passed into account.
  As for the advanced review, the grammar is practically perfect, and I only substracted a star from story because I hate slaughters. The characters are well-made, even the usual OP MC isn't as jarring because of the leechy MC. As for the style, there are some extreme stat sheets and slightly unreasonable info dumps that all the characters know so they don't need it explained, only us, so I'd prefer the story being open about that, but otherwise I quite like even the stat sheets and don't know if there's a better way to solve it, thus the four stars.
  All in all, it's a nice story I recommend to anyone.
• nugito_bambinoRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is my personal favorite story I follow (and I have read a lot of Royal Road fiction and fan fiction). This is not because it's the best-written story on RR or similar sights, but because if this is the kind of story you enjoy (lots of abilities, theory crafting, sweet sweet numbers) then this story is phenomenal for its delivery on its core promise: an understandable, hard-fantasy power progression.
  While the writing starts a bit flat, it improves noticeably as the writing continues. The characters are well-written and interesting, with depth and character flaws that make their interactions engaging. The plot is fairly standard for a power-leveling novel but well executed. No real complaints, but not the aspect of this story that stands out.
  What makes this novel so fun, for the kind of readers who like this genre, is the depth of planning and internal consistency that's written into it. The reason I don't usually like cultivation novels or Lit-RPGs is because they are usually either a fairly soft-magic system, or there's minimal justification for an RPG system (or they go in the other extreme and that mystery is the point of the story, which I usually find boring). This story takes a different approach: the system is explained, and not that important, except as a tool. Characters know there was a time before the system, they know why the system was made, and they know it's supplementary to their development. The system doesn't make them powerful, it just helps them plan out their path to power and then makes it easier to execute that plan.
  Furthermore, while this is a clear power-progression fantasy (i.e. OP characters), the power leveling of the characters is well demonstrated and justified. The characters may be the strongest for their level, but it's explained and shown that if they try to mess with anyone at a higher level of power, they'll very likely get utterly crushed. Since we see them making choices as they 'cultivate' their overpowered nature (at a
• KvotheRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is one of my favorite stories. It's logical, structured, and well thought out. The elders and other old monsters actually act in a logical manner instead of acting like arrogant 12 year olds. Power ups are are explained within the context of the story, and the author keeps track of the skills that the characters get. The skills actually get used instead of being put aside in favor of the newest skill. The characters start strong and get stronger, but not in an unexpected manner. I love this story.
• DoctorWhiteRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  From start to chapter 307....I loved it.
  It seems like it is ending soon. :O
  I do get a bit... Overwhelmed by the data dumps and it seems like some chapters are just that. But still really enjoyable.
  Going to subscribe to patreon to read more. Really really enjoyed it.
• phat_jsiRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I feel the story is equivalent to a decent translated Chinese novel, but without the problematic idiosyncrasies that make reading those novels tiresome.
  The good: The author stays true to the synopsis, and while the characters are OP, they do have genuine and interesting personality flaws they need to work around. The story is compelling and checks a lot of the boxes for the tropes readers want in this kind of novel.
  The critiques: The author asks a lot from the reader in order to read this story. The reader has to already be familiar with LIT-RPGs and cultivation stories to follow what is happening and why. Not unusual for stories on Royal Road, but this one takes it farther than most. There are Law Eggs, stats, percentages, letter grades of power, rarity designations, cores to cultivate, Gods, leveling, and more. Then all of these are multiplied by the number of POVs. Again, it's a lot for a reader to keep track of in their head, or between chapter postings.
  The early chapters are unrefined voice and style wise, but the author improves as the story continues.
  I gave it 4.5 stars, but its closer to 4. I like to limit the impact of my rating on novels with low review count.
  I want this story to succeed and for the author to produce more content, as I think they have good ideas and direction, even if the execution is lacking a bit.
• GreenGRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I initially dropped the story after reading a few chapters at the start, only to pick it up again maybe half a year later and binge it all the way to the last updated chapter.
  This is a good story with complicated characters and a world that tries its best to be harsh. But the main cast fights back in interesting ways against their enemies, sometimes winning and other times losing in unpredictable ways.
  My favorite characters are Mila, Izzy, and Krysta, since they’re some of the few main cast members who are more relatable or just interesting to read.
  Out of the many LitRPG stories I’ve read, this is one of the better ones, with decent character development—at least for most of the released story. I usually skim over stat blocks unless they’re particularly engaging, so this was a bit of a hard read for me, given the number of info dumps. (I’m guilty of just skimming them, grabbing the general idea.)
  I’m also not a big fan of the timeskips in this story, since they made it harder to stay connected and keep up with the flow. Sometimes the dialogue was a little hard to follow, making it tough to tell who was speaking—but you get used to it after a while.
  Still, I’d say give the story a read, even if the first few chapters feel confusing. You’ll get used to it and might even understand why things are the way they are.
  And don’t completely believe others when they say that one character is a leech on another. Even if you think so yourself (I did), you’ll find that most of the main cast become interesting and fun to read in their own way. That said, the male protagonist does frustrate me sometimes.
  The grammar is great. The character voices are nice. The worldbuilding is awesome. The writing style is good. The characters are well done.
• Mojo703Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I'm rereading this story. I first read it on here as well, but before it was removed maybe a year ago, then reposted recently. I don't think the current story is any further than it used to be, but I was still engaged when reading.
  Style and Grammar:
  The description of the world is good, though I think the author could improve the description of the people. For example, we never really get to feel how tall everyone is.
  Nothing stands out for me about the prose or word choice. I can't remember ever seeing a spelling mistake.
  Nothing in this category should turn you off of this novel.
  Story:
  I like the concept of this novel. It's as if you told the story of a powerful party leader, but from the viewpoint of the rogue. Though the simile doesn't work that well, since the story is more unique and less cliche than that.
  Sometimes it feels like the story is dragging you along, but I think that ties to the highly driven main characters.
  The most prominent thing in this story for me compared to other similar novels is how well thought out the energy system is. Every part seems intentional.
  Character:
  The characterization is above average. Everyone is unique, and the major characters have depth to them. The lens of the novel only focuses on the overpowered people though, which I think is an area the writer could improve, to give a better sense of scale in the world. In addition, I can imagine some people not enjoying the main personalities, so I'm giving this category a reduced score.