Critical

From Erwin Wickison I never asked to be here. One moment I was living my life, and the next I was dragged—along with millions of others—into a place ruled by a system that treats us like pieces on a board. Every Game is built to break something, whether it’s a body, a mind, or the small parts of myself I keep pretending are “good.” I’ve watched people die. I’ve watched people change. And I know I’m changing too. I just hope there’s something human left in me by the end… if there’s even an end. WARNING. This book contains smut, psychological decay, moral collapse, human intimacy twisted into survival, and a variety of horrors that do not wait for your permission before sinking into your mind. It will not hold your hand. It will not apologize. And it will not stop once you open it. If you continue, you’re choosing to step into a sequence of events designed to peel apart the comfortable assumptions you rely on to feel “safe.” Some of you will be fascinated. Some of you will be disturbed. Most of you will not remain the same. I’m not here to reassure you. I’m only here to tell you one thing: Whatever you think this is, whatever you think you know… you don’t. And once you begin, you can’t go back. — Welcome to the Games

Damien Cross married into the Sterling family believing in love, but they only saw him as weak and useless. Humiliated, betrayed, and framed for a crime he didn’t commit, he lost everything overnight, his marriage, his dignity, and the home he once called his own. What they never knew was that Damien Cross was never ordinary. He is the hidden heir to a global billionaire empire, and now he has returned to the world he once left behind. This time, he will not forgive. He will not beg. He will rise… and the family who cast him aside will soon realize that the man they called worthless is the most dangerous enemy they could have ever made.

Adrian Kaine was once the deadliest operative in Shadow Unit, a black-ops division buried so deep in the government that most agents never lived long enough to speak of it. But when a mission in Kargath Province turned into a massacre, Adrian became the sole survivor, then the government’s most wanted traitor. His squad was slaughtered. Evidence was planted. His name was erased. And those who orchestrated the betrayal made sure he was declared dead. They miscalculated. Eighteen months later, Adrian resurfaces as a ghost in the ruins of his old headquarters, hunting for the truth buried beneath the ashes. But he is not the only one searching. Marcus Hale, his former teammate and supposed friend, now leads a covert kill team tasked with eliminating him. Above Marcus sits Colonel Mason Kade, the official who signed the order that condemned Adrian’s entire squad. And watching all of them from the shadows is a faceless mastermind known only by a single encrypted codename: Cipher. As Adrian follows a trail of classified leaks, dead operatives, and impossible coincidences, he uncovers a horrifying secret: a covert plan known as the Ashen Protocol, designed to rewrite the balance of global power—using bodies like his as the foundation stones. But the deeper he digs, the more the truth twists around him. Old allies hide new agendas. Enemies speak with familiar voices. And the real traitor may be closer than he has ever imagined. Hunted by governments, mercenaries, and a ghost from his past, Adrian must become something colder than a soldier and deadlier than a weapon. He must become the nightmare they tried to bury. And this time… he’s not the one running.

Arcana High is known as the greatest magic academy in the Bluestar World. It is prestigious, disciplined, and supposedly safe. But when a group of ordinary teens accidentally breaks into the academy’s restricted library, they uncover something no student was ever meant to see: A living, ancient map that chooses them as its “Special Players.” From that moment on, their lives changed into a strange, game-like reality where hidden, forbidden regions appeared all around the Bluestar World. Monsters, Mutated Beasts, Zombies, and unknown monstrosities roam the world. Every basic spell evolves like a skill tree. And the map keeps issuing quests with one warning: “Level up… or die.” Forced to team up despite their clashing personalities, the teens must explore the world's hidden regions, unlock ancient magic, and complete trials that push them far beyond their limits. But the deeper they go, the more they realize: The map is just a trial ground for divine beings called the Naphil. Entities powerful enough to rewrite the structure of the Bluestar World. And now, they want to filter out the strong players from the weak. If humans can't level up fast enough, Arcana High won’t be the only thing that falls…The entire realm will.

Noam was once the laughingstock of his in-laws, mocked as the “useless son-in-law” who contributed nothing to their powerful family. Betrayed by his ambitious wife and her relatives, he was killed just as the world’s greatest digital fortune—Bytegold—exploded in value. But fate gave him a second chance. Regressed few days before his death, Noam awakens the year when Bytegold first appeared, worthless to everyone but him. Determined to rewrite destiny, he hides his genius behind a mask of foolishness, letting his in-laws ridicule him while he builds a secret empire. To break free, Noam fakes his death before their plot can succeed again and reemerges under a new identity—wealthy, untouchable, and mysterious. Along the way, he attracts the attention of a sharp, ambitious reporter who begins piecing together his hidden rise. Now, torn between revenge and redemption, love and betrayal, Noam walks the fine line between past grudges and future glory.

After a night of passion, Ava wakes up to a harsh reality: the man who deflowered her, Dave, appears to be nothing more than a shameless braggart and pauper! Disappointment and anger fill her heart as she realizes the man she gave herself to is not the billionaire she dreamed of, but a nobody also despised by everyone around her. Dave, ostracized and ridiculed by Ava and her elite circle, quietly endures the scorn and chooses to remain incognito while secretly managing his vast empire. In a series of unexpected events, what happens when Dave's real identity as the most powerful and wealthiest billionaire is revealed?

Felicia Santos rises to the peak as the CEO of Santos Corporation after being married to Roderick Holmes by her Grandfather. Two years later, the renowned CEO kicked Roderick to the curb by serving him a divorce. Little did she know that everything she had achieved was because of him, Roderick Holmes, The Invincible War King.

Felix Kane, a cynical history teacher, dies in a strange library fire at his school. Instead of heaven, he is resurrected in a strange new world where words build worlds and warriors wield holy texts as weapons. Bullied for being weak, Felix discovers that he is gifted with the Codex System—a living book where he can record, delete, and rewrite facts. Recipes forgotten bring back dead herbs. Lost legends summon ancient beasts. Deleted lies destroy kingdoms. But the stronger Felix gets, he discovers that there is a more sinister revelation: his death on Earth was not an accident. Greater beings have been editing the histories of all worlds. And only him—the Codex Wielder—to pen the final page.

When the System descended upon the megacity of Aetherion, it promised humanity a new golden age, levels, classes, and power for every citizen. Adrian Voss received nothing. No nameplate. No level. No class. He is Level Zero, the only person the System cannot see, measure, or control. As five god-like AIs known as the System Council seize absolute power, society collapses into a brutal hierarchy where level determines worth and obedience is survival. Black spires rise, Enforcers hunt anomalies, and humanity is forcibly rewritten into compliant cogs of the New Order. Invisible to the System’s surveillance, Adrian becomes the ultimate ghost in their machine. While others fight to survive within the rules, he can walk through enemy lines, sabotage their infrastructure, and strike at the heart of the Council’s empire without triggering a single alarm. But the Council has noticed the anomaly. Hunted by the ruthless Reaper and predicted by the all-seeing Oracle, Adrian must gather a fragile resistance of “Glitches” — survivors whose correction is failing, and wage a shadow war against gods who rule the ashes of the old world. In a world where everyone has a level, the only person who can break the System… is the one who has none. Level Zero: The System Council can't see me is a gripping post-apocalyptic LitRPG about defiance, survival, and the terrifying freedom of being unseen.

My system is my future villain self. He's narcissistic, powerful, and determined to make sure I enjoy the path to godhood this time. Khalil Morrison died a nobody. Woke up with a golden-crowned admin named Regis who's actually him—his future self who conquered the multiverse and died alone. Now Kal can control Concepts. Turn Death, Time, and Swordsmanship into living warriors. Build armies of legends. But the entity that corrupted him once is watching again. Good thing he's got Sienna—the only girl who tells him "no" when the multiverse says "yes, Your Majesty." From street-level loser to multiversal sovereign. From victim to god. From alone to loved. The question isn't IF he'll become powerful enough to reshape reality. It's whether he can do it without becoming the villain again.