The Ascent: A Kingdom-Builder/Military History Survival LitRPG

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2022

Author

Strif3

• Chapter 9 - A Tad Heated
  Nov 15, 2022
• Chapter 8 - Assault On The Burrow
  Nov 12, 2022
• Chapter 7 - Fucking Meerkats
  Nov 10, 2022
• Chapter 6 - The Bigger Fish
  Nov 9, 2022
• Chapter 5 - Not That Easy
  Nov 8, 2022
• Chapter 4 - A Laughing Matter
  Nov 7, 2022
• Chapter 3 - Hubris
  Nov 5, 2022
• Chapter 2 - Sheep's Clothing
  Nov 4, 2022
• Chapter 1 - Integration
  Nov 4, 2022

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• TharsultRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is a "system" style story, and starts, in many ways, like most do. The quality is quite high.
  But this was an odd story for me.
  The vast majority of my opnion is "pro." The writing is very good. Most of the time,everything is clear and concise. The scene is easily visible. The reasons for the characters actions are clear. The sentences are easy to read, and the grammer is great.
  Dialogue is interesting. Enough local language is used to sound like a different place, and different people, which is good. And most of it feels realistic and not forced.
  The characters are well done, with clear personlaities. There goals are nascent, but start crystalizing early. Characters are in logical conflict. This is also a story of people that are at the top of the natural talent chart, but young and untested, which I like quite a bit.
  The system imposed is quite interesting, but I can't grasp any of the numbers behind it yet--I don't think they've been outlined at all, so it still feels a biut arbitray even if very cool.
  So why, after all that praise, am I feeling odd about the story? One reason only. The MC feels treacherous. I personally don't mind a straight up honorable evil MC, but one that allows others--supposed allies--to be harmed to have power himself, quietly and in the background, and who politics to place himself up and others down, I find... questionable.
  This is a kingdom building story, and it seems its going to be a realpolitic kingdom building story, zero-sum, to a degree. Its a very high quality story, and deserves its five stars easily. But I think the MC's attitude might turn a few off.
  Still, fantasitcally written, and both familiar enough in style to be comfortbale and new enough to be exciting. If you like a more morally gray MC, you'll love this story. And again, totally deserves the 5 stars for character, style, grammer, and story.
• PizzaPizzaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Imagine one day, you're just kind of out there minding your own business.
  You and your friends are about to finish secondary school / high school in South Africa and you decide to throw a party. You’re just some African kid of ostensibly Zulu heritage, and your best friend Kave is a naive teenaged boy named who’s head over heels over a bit of a rising star genius named Nicola.
  You throw a party, inviting all the cool kids to a park, and some (entities) out there decide to have some fun with planet earth. They give everyone LitRPG powers and a choice of class, and turn all the animals across the planet into hulked out apocalypse RPG monsters. Now you’re stuck in the park with rampaging killer hyenas that can tank a full assault rifle clip, a couple of people with LitRPG classes, and a whole lot of vulnerable teenagers, and you have to get out safely.
  That’s the premise of this story in a nutshell.
  Characters: The story follows Mandla, a South African teenager who, like the people around him, is given a choice of a typical litRPG class to specialize in. His best friend Kaveh, as well as Kaveh’s core ‘love interest’ Nicola (I say that loosely) are the core main characters, and form a pretty typical power trio dynamic. Nicola is a bit of a utilitarian, who’s slated to go away overseas to an Ivy League and she is very overtly cunning, manipulative, and Machiavellian. Kaveh is more of a moralist, and the heart of the trio, who Nicola takes advantage of and leads along actively.
  It’s an interesting spin on the Id, superego, and ego power trio trope where Kaveh represents the superego, Nicola represents the id, and the protagonist Mandla has a bit of a middle ground as a genre savvy ego. Their worldviews open up a ton of interesting dynamics and moral dilemmas. A big plus here? Mandla and Nicola are both incredibly genre savvy and competent, and their social as well as tactical awareness is through the roof.
  The main characters and supporting characters are given choices of
• Ellen TaylorRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I was seriously impressed with this story. It was nice to see familiar aspects, and also see how the author took it in new directions.
  Grammar was great. There was nothing that stood out to me, and nothing that broke my immersion. Excellent job.
  The style was great. It flowed well, and the descriptions were fantastic. It really did feel like we were in a jungle. I'm not sure if this counts as something under style, but I just wanted to stay I really appreaciated the pictures in the author notes. I felt like it added a lot to the story, for those of us (me) who are not familiar with South African weapons and armor. But the way it was described, it certainly made me more curious about it.
  The story was intense! It got my heart rate up at times, and the descriptions really sold it for me. I was worried for these characters I barely knew. The idea of a group of party goers stuck in a jungle full of creatures that would undoubtably kill them definitely got me concerned. It was well done.
  The characters were well done. At least the ones getting developed for as far as I read, they felt real and fleshed out. The dynamic between the two friends was fun to watch, and the addition of the female character brought an interesting angle to the other two's relationship. It was facinating to watch unfold.
  Overall, this is an excellent story, and should check it out!
• Laulau20Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  imagine if you are camping in the middle of the woods and then suddenly you are given the option to change classes and become warriors.
  this is pretty much the story and quite standard for litRPG. there are a lot of possibilites here since the the setting is in africa which is nonstandard. some of the "hero classes" also uses several history real life people. while common classes includes western ones such as swordsman.
  the protagonist is also not the standard all loving heroes of justice because it is implicitly said that their environment they grew up has some corrupt government in it.
  it is a litRPG with many possibilities which is exciting.
• cheesebunRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  A breath of fresh air. Do you know how long I've waited? For something like this to come into my life and fill the empty void that usually only subpar LitRPGs and trash xianxias take up? I have waited for years. Years. And now, finally, the wait is over.
  Finally, there is a LitRPG that does not have the same plot or cookie-cutter system, the same Eurocentric or Cultivation World Heavily Based On Ancient China setting, but instead has a whole new culture (by "new" I mean not shown in LitRPGs at all), a whole new system, and characters that are not just extremely dramatized manga tropes.
  Reading this story feels like eating a good meal after years of only eating junky fast food; feels like opening your eyes to a sunlit meadow or a beautiful painting after decades of not being able to see.
  But I'm getting ahead of myself, of course.
  The characters, first of all; the characters that are so wonderfully relatable. So nicely rounded, and so sensible in their actions (even though I do admit that it doesn't seem fitting for a group of teens). They are not just 2d mirrors for the mc to reflect on. They are their own people. It's so refreshing to see.
  And then goes on to the style. The perfect combination of dialogue, action, and prose. If the balance of the style was to be depicted in some sort of symbol, I would say it would be an equilateral triangle, since all of the components are satisfyingly equal. I find myself sinking into it, and before I knew it, I was already at chapter 12.
  The story. A world of opportunity, and the author does take these opportunities. The anxieties, worries, and conflicts of the teenagers are depicted well. Not just anyone can pull off the attitudes of normal people thrust into an apocalyptic setting so easily, nor so accurately too. I admit the system layout does seem a bit too technical, but I like to believe that's the charm of it. After all, I have been waiting for a system that doesn't just make the MC more op, and that's what's been given t
• MezzoCatorceRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This story is a great find, and I was very impressed by it. I found it while poking around the forums, and do have to say that I was lied to, because I was given to understand that the main character would literally be climbing a ladder. If this was your experience, I am sorry to spoil it, but I am 14 chapters in and still no climbing of actual ladders (although they did climb some ropes).
  With that out of the way, it's a great story! The 'ladder' that I was ranting at above is more about 'Rungs' on an apocalyptic system. One of my big requirements for LitRPGs is that the World System should actually matter, and have some purpose or reason, rather than just being an arbitrary 'numbers-go-up' device. While we haven't found out much about the Ascent or its reason for existing, so far it definitely seems to fit the bill.
  Getting into the categories:
  Story:
  5/5 - Extremely unique World System, nice progression and character dynamics
  So far, it's been pretty great. Since the story is following a group, there's a lot going on with power dynamics and kingdom-building, along with some progression, but the big place that this shines is in the worldbuilding (literally) of the Ascent itself.
  Rather than arbitrarily plunging our heroes into a fantasy world, or making tropy monsters appear, the main enemies are mutated versions of actual animals endemic to the area. The classes and powers derive from historical warriors. The environment itself has been altered to become far more dangerous and extreme. Each encounter with a new creature, each foray into a new area, and each new ability is a delight to the sense.
  Style:
  4.5/5 - The prose flows well, the structure of events is well organized, and the use of historic and cultural terminology adds a nice touch, even if it can sometimes interrupt the flow.
  The style works quite well, and part of the Ascent's whole deal is that it seems to draw on history, so expect to see a lot of specific weapon names, and a few other terms. This is
• BellaArtzRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I am not a LitRPG person, infact it is a gerne I usually avoid not because it's bad but because I never really found it an interesting concept.
  Yet nothing could prepare me for the work of art this was. I might be biased cause I'm black but thos story is great in its own right.
  From the style to the characters, everything gets high marks and I can tell the writer has a lot to offer us by how diverse the premise is from the usual LitRPG stories I've pulled myself through.
  This one feels fresh and I'm happy to say that because I really get to see African characters really potraryed in these kinds of works.
  The inclusion of historical events is also something new I stumbled upon and this gives the story a real-er vibe to things and grounds it to reality, making you feel like these characters are actually losing themselves to a new world that they don't understand.
  In respect to the characters, they're all well written, there seem to be tropes but they're not done badly and have the writer's uniqueness shining through. I feel the urge to get invested in their stories and I urge the writer to build them up more in future chapters as the characters are just as important as the plot.
  The plot of the story is well paced considering how far I've read and I have no problems with it.
  Overall, I enjoyed reading it and look forward to coming back for more once my schedule frees up. Give this story a try if your interested in different perspective on on your usual niche.
  You won't be disappointed.
• GBScallyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  This story is a refreshingly new take on the LitRPG apocalypse genre. It's set in South Africa—something rare in itself—and features interesting classes and terrifying creatures. The action starts early on and doesn't let up once it gets going.
  Style  - The story is impeccably written, with snappy dialogue, and a good flow to it. This makes it easy to read and the chapters just fly by. The only problem I had was that there's several terms from South Africa that I didn't recognize in the first few chapters. But its becomes less of a problem after Chapter 2.
  Grammar - The grammar is incredibly solid, and aside from a handful of typos which don't detract from the story, there's nothing to mention here.
  Story - The story is definitely the highlight here, and the desperate situation the protagonist and his friends find themselves in makes you want to read further. And the system seems to have a lot of unique twists and nteresting aspects to it. I've only reached chapter 4 so far, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
  Character - The characters are well developed and you get to know the protagonist quite well in the first few chapters. And eveyrone else is well fleshed out, which is a nice change from most LitRPG. There also seems to be some setup for conflict later on, and I find myself caring about what happens to the characters.
• SvenwritesbooksRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Truth be told, I'm not much of a LitRPG reader, but this story was certainly engaging and far from the usual tropes that tend to chase me away from the genre. Instead of a typical Lit with an overpowered, stale MC, this story offers up some great character work. The story really shines in this aspect. Each of the characters feel real and posess a level of dimension that most writers struggle to convey. The tension and conflict between them is great and I look forward to seeing how their relationships develope overtime.
  The African setting unique and engaging and while I didn't jive with some of the lingo, I was easily able to follow along and enjoy myself.  It isn't often that I come across a fantasy story of any kind that isn't set in a European or  Asian setting. The author also provides photo references that are fantastic, so you get an idea of what things are and how they should look rather easily. There could be a bit more description within the story itself, but that's a mild knit pick. There isn't an overabundance of info dumping, which is nice.
  Overall, the dialogue was also solid. I wasn't a huge fan of the amount of swearing that went on, but that's more personal taste and doesn't detract from the story overall. Aside from a few typos here and there, the gramar is also on point.
  I can't get into the system itself very much, largely because I don't have much experience with those lovely blue charts, but they were easy to follow and I thought were pretty solid.
• storybookknightRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I really enjoyed what I've seen of this story. My initial review got taken down, and I'm not quite sure why, but I'm going to be a bit vaguer just in case it was something spoiler-related.
  One of the main things I liked about this story was the choice of setting. There are quite a lot of LitRPGs with a vaguely European bent, so you see a lot of wizards and knights facing off against wolves and bears. Setting the story in Africa opens up a wide range of possibilities, infusing the narrative with an almost safari-like quality as the protagonists face off against enhanced, deadlier versions of creatures found in the African wilderness.
  Specifically because it's South Africa as well, the colonial legacy of that country also gives the author a lot of options in the choices of his protagonists, and they have so far used those options to excellent effect.
  So far, there isn't a huge departure from the typical tropes of the LitRPG genre, but the writing is competent, characters in the setting have narrative tension between them and aren't all there just to make the protagonist look good by comparison, action scenes pop nicely with descriptive language, and overall I find myself quite enjoying it.
  I do wish there was a little bit more 'crunch' in how the main character approaches the system and how it works, as of the current chapter there hasn't been a lot of in-depth exploration as to how exactly the whole system works, but there's plenty of time for that to develop later.
  Looking forward to future developments!