Vae Victis [Progression LitRPG Apocalypse]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Take what they leave behind.

Sold to a cartel led by a vampire at a young age, Marianna’s life didn’t have the best start. She was turned so that she could be of greater use and served the cartel, all until a moment of anger led to a mistake. Sentenced to death by the cartel, her life was to end with a noose around her neck. Until a Spell, crafted by a being with a power of a god interfered, swallowing up Earth and assimilating it into a new reality ruled by a system under different rules.Marianna’s life was saved by the Spell, she was chosen as one of the thirty people called the Exemplars, and sent to this new reality ahead of the assimilation of her world. As a vampire, she was used to being the apex predator, but now she found herself in a place where she was nowhere near the top of the food-chain. A place where most things wanted and could kill her. Thrown into a dangerous new world, without any knowledge of the dangers or the rules, Marianna must adapt if she was to survive. On a deadline, she must figure out the secrets of this new reality and master the abilities granted to her by the mysterious Mask she obtained. All so that she would be ready for the return to Earth and the chaos that would follow once her world is fully integrated into the new reality.

This story is a Progression LitRPG set in a System Apocalypse on an alternate version of Earth with a slightly different history.

The story will be starting slowly and eventually getting very dark, with my plan being for it to turn into a grimdark feel eventually. It will explore themes of tough choices and lengths people are willing to go in order to survive or keep others alive. The first arc of the story is more of an Isekai, with the main character surviving in a new environment and exploring. The second arc will deal with return to System integrated Earth and struggle there. The arcs after will deal with the clash of cultures as other races from the already integrated worlds start interacting with Earth.

The system is in-depth but not numbers heavy. Worldbuilding is in-depth for both the alternate Earth and the other races and world.

Releases will eventually settle into two chapters a week, after I get through my backlog. Current releases will be a chapter a day for around two weeks.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: Ivan Kal

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 1,755
Views: 157,000

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

book bossRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've had a lot of fun reading this so far and am definitely looking forward to more. This is my first review, so it might be a little rough around the edges.
As other reviews have mentioned, it feels slightly clunky at the start with words thrown around before they are introduced, making it hard to keep track of which is which. However, this is soon explained, and the story becomes a lot smoother. At the moment, it feels like there are a lot of plot points being set up.
Something I find interesting is how much we know about the new world Vs. this alternate Earth. While we have a guide to the new world that tells us the basics (I'm sure it is more complicated), it is increasingly obvious that the "Earth" the main character is from has many mysteries of its own to explore.
I am a huge fan of magic systems and was originally worried that all this one would amount to would be a re-vamped class system. Luckily, it looks like there are at least three different magic systems running in parallel, with varying levels of complexity.
At the moment the storyline does not look too different from a classic isekai, however, I am looking forward to the return to "Earth" as I expect that it will introduce a lot of interesting new elements.
I enjoyed the recent talk about morals and clashing views and hope it will continue throughout the series!
Thank you, Author!
WancekRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story starts on a pretty strong foot. Ivan Kal already has quite a few books under his belt and they deliver an engaging story.
The story shapes to be pretty interesting, it should be darker than the usual works of Kal, and well-written Grim stories that aren't grim in the usual way (I am a dark antihero and Dark is Cool) are something that I miss.
The story so far delivers on that, and the original touches on the alternate earth, the stuff happening there, and how it propagates onwards are really well done.
Stylistically I like this, the chapters are long. The story should be single MC which is a plus in my book, but there are already interludes that are great.
Grammatically I can't really complain since I am not a native speaker/reader but I have read a bunch of stuff and this reads well, I can't notice any glaring mistakes or similar things so full marks from me.
For how short this story is Marianna (the MC) is well fleshed, and everybody introduced so far had more background that is common in LITrpg these days I would say.
So overall this is a story that I would recommend. It already in my opinion is great, and it has the potential to be excellent. So the sooner you join the train the better.
moredreadRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It starts with your classic Isekai. Marianna gets plucked up and sent to a new world. She just happens to be a Vampire though. So an interesting plot twist.
The magic system is very original. Each person receives a mask based off their life experiences. And how they grow their mask is how they gain SKILLS. So for a Vampire i am looking forward to how it will be integrated with her vampire abilities.
The world building sounds great. Its a little early but what we have is very detailed. Have very high hopes for this will go.
Very much recommend this.
Fred FredsonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So I decided to make a early review while this series is still young and I must say that I haven't found anything to complain about. And believe me, I tried.
The fiction is quite well written and engaging which is a must for any book I read.
The story, which is still in it's early stages, promises to be a darker shade of fantasy which is a definite plus in my book. Especially since I am already getting the gritty feel from it that a story like this needs so that it doesn't get cheesy.
The progression system also is quite refreshing since it is chained to masks which get more and more elaborately carved the stronger you and your skills get. This gives it a nice asian touch while also showing an inherent creativity which is something a LitRPG needs to truly shine and stand out among the crowds of samey fictions.
So all in all I just have to recommend this and I am quite hyped for more.
EiferRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
As the title said, this book has a fairly original leveling system. It's not something I've encountered before at least. But I'm just me, so take that with a grain of salt I guess.
The story has a fairly short timeline for the "tutorial" phase, if you will, which was the last bit that encouraged me to write a review. I obviously can't give a number without spoiling anything, but it's interestingly short and results in a sense of urgency for the MC that makes sense.
We don't really know a lot about the MC at the moment, but what I have seen paints a unoriginal tragic background but with a rather more positive outcome, mentally, than I usually see. No murderhobo, not too many weird hangups and I find that she generally makes logical decisions when she isn't amped up on anger and other emotional stuff. The author has struck a decent balance between the two.
I'm very excited about the world building. Anyone that's familiar with S.T.Y.X. or Respawn will have a loose idea on that.
What's been revealed so far has shown us a universe rich with lore and I can't wait to read more about it.
Mattf8675Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A few chapters in and I find it really interesting. Looking forward to reading more. This is better than the standard "I am human, I will say human" isekai stories that are seen. As soon as I have enough words for this review I will get to go back to enjoying the story.
MedvedovRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The first few chapters felt really slow, but now the the world has expanded it's getting a lot more interesting.
The focus is clearly more on the world building rather than character development which I like. The characters themselves seem alright, I really like the third character that was introduced, and the second one is pretty cute too. The MC herself is clearly supposed to be grow more during the story, so I can't say much right now.
The action has been pretty cool too so far. It's detailed, rather brutal, even if I'm not a fan of the fighting style, but again, it's still early.
What I haven't had liked so far maybe a bit pendantic, but I really hate the use of the Spanish and Japanese for specific insults or emotional moments or whatever. I have no issue with fake words, but when it comes to real languages I'd rather it just stick to English only. But like I said, it's very pendantic.
Overall from what I've read it seems like the writer has an idea for where he's planning on taking this which is also a big plus, so I'll keep on eye on it, and update it as I read.
Nila JRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I am only a few chapters in, but am already neglecting my housework due to being pulled into this story. I admit I am easy to please, but already I on the edge of my seat to see how things turn out. The starting premise is unique enough to keep me reading. Keep up the good work, and thank you for sharing your world with me.
Serpentine13Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Just binged this story in a few days, I skimmed a few paragraphs here and there but overall it was quite enjoyable.
The protagonist seems to have quite a few advantages, which might be a turnoff for some. She also fits in a nice middle ground of morality that I don’t find cringe. The vampirism evolution and the system presented in this story is fascinating to explore and fun to theorize on how Marianna will progress.
This story seems like it’s going to be a long one, which is cool with me but I dread a big time skip and rushed ending or author burnout. Anyway, I’m eager for more and what will be will be.
Edit: Still enjoying this story, however it feels quite slow.
the one who carries the swordRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Muito bom, um sistema muito diferente do normal e não sendo chato que nem alguns que também tentam sair do padrão, também é raro a pessoagem ser um vampiro e se comportar como vampiro não um humano com comportamento fora do padrão, até agora os outros personagens são interessantes e esse mundo até agora também me interessa vou ler ansioso para saber o que vai acontecer no furo dessa história espero que você termine