Tainted Reflections (A Litrpg Portal Apocalypse)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Books 1 and 2 complete!

Thirty-five years ago, the world ended. A small subsection of humanity was sent to a brand new world with a game-like system that 'ensured' our survival, and the rest simply disappeared. I fought my way to the upper echelon of levels, made and lost friends over the years, and it finally felt like humanity had carved itself a small foothold in this Godforsaken place.

Until one final person died. Until the system reset, and took everything I'd worked so damn hard for with it. I found myself staring at a face I barely recognized as my own, and the Earth began to end once again.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2022
Author: CyberCinder

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 1,740
Views: 1,172,305

What readers say about Tainted Reflections (A Litrpg Portal Apocalypse)

“There's a distinct lack of recent reviews, so I figured I should fix that. Seb is a world-weary man damaged by the life he's led since Earth's death ... until he finds out that it was a training run that he's not supposed to remember because he's not one of…”
LilleneRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“So far the story has been great, it has an extremely novel system with tons of potential. The author also managed to write a companion that quickly had me invested in her character, whilst also avoiding the trap of making the female character into a love in…”
MechslimeRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

LilleneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
There's a distinct lack of recent reviews, so I figured I should fix that.
Seb is a world-weary man damaged by the life he's led since Earth's death ... until he finds out that it was a training run that he's not supposed to remember because he's not one of the 'chosen ones'. Instead, his 'core function' (in another fiction, this would be called a 'personal ability' or something like that) was taken from him to be given to one of the 'chosen ones', leaving him damaged.
He's saved (wouldn't be much of a story otherwise), but the way he's saved sends him into a place that he shouldn't be in. A place that isn't based on humanity but on an alien species.
From there, he has to figure out who he is and what he's willing to do to reach his goals.
Figuring out what those goals are would be a good start.
By the point I'm at in the story, he's made a very good start on that; he has some short term goals, some long term goals, some allies - and naturally at least one enemy.
Oh, and the being that saved him? They're powerful but also powerfully limited. A major character in their own right (and one I really rather like).
Style: Overall, I enjoy the style. I docked a star because of unintended confusion; this seems like an area where CyberCinder has been improving as the newer chapters are significantly clearer and easier to follow, but there are a few things earlier on that need some cleanup work.
Grammar: It's good. It's easy to read and it flows; that's all I ask of grammar.
Story: The plot is enjoyable. It's hard to say more than that without just repeating a summary, but I can say that it's driven by both the characters acting naturally and the outside world; in that way, it feels very realistic and also keeps moving forward. There are fantastical elements, which are required by the setting, but they aren't there to be deus ex machina; they're integral to the setting and the story.
The pace is reasonable; if anything, it may be a bit fast early on (but I already took off th
MechslimeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So far the story has been great, it has an extremely novel system with tons of potential.
The author also managed to write a companion that quickly had me invested in her character, whilst also avoiding the trap of making the female character into a love interest.
I'd recommend this story to anyone who is reading this.
YohaoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is still at it's beginning but it's already really interesting.
The characters have a good characterization and the dialogue is really well used to show us that.
The story is really interesting, instead of being a chosen one or something like that, the mc is actually has his abilities and friends robbed from him.
The world is really really interesting, the mix of magic and tech and nature in the monsters and ambients that we are presented gives a really nice vibe to the story.
Lots of mysteries ahead ! So thanks for writing and let's go !!!
NaelmaeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An easy read that kept me riveted the entire time so far. I love how refreshing it is to read about industrial/mechanical fantasy where it's normally swords and magic only.
Can confirm, the proportion of status character sheet updates vs story is balanced. Not too many numbers or status pages clogging up chapters, but you still understand how and when the upgrades/changes are happening.
Pretty happy how this story doesn't hold your hand and there were moments when I was like "What's happening?". But in a good way :) Like you need to maybe pay more attention, or re-read a section because stuff is happening really fast. Some may think that sounds bad, but I think it added to the emotions at the time that the character was feeling - because if I'm a bit lost, then how do they feel?
wolfeflowRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
For those of you prowling RR for new content to read, I highly recommend this story - at the very least under "Read Later" as you wait for more pages to release.
The author's done a great job introducing the world and key characters, and the plot has moved along at just the right clip to keep me engaged without overwhelming with new information, places and things.
If you're a fan of crafty protagonists in a bit over their heads, or are looking for a new take on litrpg, this is a story for you.
TajarimRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
The intro to the story is pleasing to read. For about three sentences. Then the utter confusion sets in. This story is like reading an instruction manual for highly specialised software without ever being offered an introductory course. When the story progresses one can add "while being drunk" to the metaphor. At least the grammar is OK.
ImmelstronRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
Its a decent read but with a few problems that makes it very hard for me to keep interest in it.
The interesting plot of this story that prologue and N years of MC life after the end of the Earth take in some sort of "test run" that "Gods" made for their Chosens and by the end of it everyones memories besides selected few have been wiped clean.
One of the Gods premamently crippled MC but some Entity took liking to him and he got to keep his memories.
MC doesn't have clear goal, there is no rewinding \ future knowledge (because 'test run' only took a small part of population). So its more integration story with MC knowing some mechanics and combat experience.
1) Author came up with pretty complex system, but there are almost no clear descriptions, or at least basic pictures. So the whole system feels like "Its magic, Harry".
2) The same goes for equipment that should have taken quite a big part of the story as most of the MC power comes from it.
3) There is a feeling like reading throught a blur. I was often forced to reread paragraphs just to understand what is going on. It feels like author chases some details and forgets to describe what actually happens.
4) I don't really like when some Overpowered Entity suddenly becomes best friend ever with MC for no real reason. But maybe its just me.
TwilightWings21Royal Road
★★★ 3.0
Seems like a fairly good premise, but is incredibly confusing in its execution. Don’t consider the rating accurate due to the minimal amount I read, but do know that I will be dropping this story
Filler f illerf illerf ille rfillerfil lerfil lerfill erfi llerfil lerfil lerfil lerfil lerfille rfiller filler filler filler fille r
halycon404Royal Road
★★★ 3.0
A lot of this story just... is. It's well thought out and it works together, so far at least. It's just really badly explained.
The story works on game rules, and I really mean that. It's not just the system, the encounters and dungeons are designed on game logic and puzzles. Multi chapter long encounters all running on the types of puzzles found in Zelda that fit together. That is interesting. Unfortunately the author often rushes through the setup so the MC can get to the action part of the encounter. Instead of being with the MC I'm often watching the MC solve a puzzle I'm not actually sure of yet. This does make the MC seem smart to an extent since he instantly looks at something and solves it. Unfortunately it's also a cheap sorta smart. The MC looks smart because we're being withheld information. That's aggrivating. And most of the time I don't actually think it's the authors intention. What I think is happening is the author is used to specific types of puzzles in games so just glosses over the descriptions, thinking what they've giving is enough for the reader to instantly know what is going on.
The system needs some work in the explination portion as well. There's a lot of moments were I find myself asking where something came from. Not big Deus Ex Machina moments either. Little stuff that the author did a bad job of setting up before hand. Leaves the whole thing feeling disjointed and like a badly translated anime from the early 00s.
It's not a bad story. There's just some serious rough edges.
TLFRoyal Road
★★ 2.0
This story have a few new ideas but is otherwise just a straight system apocalypse story.
The writing is below average and spends too long trying to explain everything (bloated Language). As such the pace is fairly slow and not much happen even after 30+ chapters. The little action there is is poorly described and confusing (even when it takes place over multiple chapters).
The biggest problem though is that the author is forcing a lot of things. The author doesn't seem to know how to make the characters actions make sense in and of themselves. As such a lot of stuff just happen in a way that forces the character to act (or not act) in specific ways. It ultimately end up making the MC feel like a puppet rather than an actual person.