New Web Novels

Start fresh with newly added web novels and recent series launches on NovelCult. This hub helps readers catch stories near the beginning of their public shelf life, before the catalog gets crowded and while early chapters, tags, and author signals are still easy to inspect.

Ten Thousand Fleets

Arc Sandhurst will become a mech pilot, even if it kills him. After his sister's ship is attacked by the Pirate Queen of Nepenthe with all hands lost, Arc enters the Imperial Mech Academy on the deathworld Vidako in order to get revenge. The academy is the only place that the son of a silk-worker can get the enhancements that are required to pilot a mech - but first, Arc will have to survive disagreeable roommates, hazing from upperclassmen, the friendship of an imperial princess, and the steaming jungles of Vidako. Regardless of what Arc wants, the Imperium Stellarum will need every good pilot it can get - because empires are built on a foundation of blood, and the sins of the first emperors are about to come due. Lost fleets lurk on the edge of known space; the ruins of ancient races are spread across long-dead worlds; and enemies thought defeated gather their strength once again. War is coming to the Imperium. What to Expect: An intelligent but imperfect MC who progresses in capability and rank over the course of the series. Think the story arc of a Richard Sharpe, Horatio Hornblower, or Honor Harrington. MC will begin as a 4th class cadet and climb the ranks, gaining more autonomy and political power as the years pass. If you want to watch someone climb from cadet to admiral, this is the story for you. Progression elements include genetic modifications, cybernetic implants, humans paired with AI partners, and, of course, upgrading and customizing mechs through battlefield salvage and cutting edge tech. The mech bits are where you'll find the crunch - expect lots of models, variants, and weapon loadouts. Multiple POVs will offer a view of what supporting characters and antagonists are up to, but the focus (and majority of the chapters) will always remain on Arc. The first volume is roughly 80% MC, 20% other POVs, with most of those being the deuteragonist. Power Couple: All characters are over the age of 18, and begin in a military academy environment designed to produce officers. It is my intent to build a relationship into the power couple trope, but expect political foolery and arranged marriage complications along the way, and keep in mind that the characters have to navigate the rules of serving in the Imperial Fleet. HFY: Humanity, and the Imperium Stellarum, are at their core a force for good in the universe. They are flawed, but trying to do the right thing and are in many ways exceptional / aspirational. Four alien species have joined the Imperium because they want to be part of what humanity is building, and see its potential. Slow Burn with character development, politics, conspiracies, and secrets which lead to brutal action. I intend to do at least a volume for each of the four years at the academy, and then a volume each per rank. If things follow the plan I've sketched out, expect 13+ volumes. Inspirations include Battletech, Gundam, Dune, Babylon 5, and Twilight Imperium, among others. Content Warnings: Graphic Violence - This story will feature science fiction battles with mechs as a primary element. Expect people, animals, and places to be lit on fire with enormous flamethrowers, cut in half with plasma swords, crushed under enormous metal feet, and otherwise dismembered. Profanity - The characters in this story are actively serving combat personnel. They will swear. Sensitive Content - Soldiers get PTSD. Alcohol and drugs exist in the universe. Some of those in power abuse their position to traffic or take advantage of those without power. Bad guys do bad guy things. Update Schedule: Five chapters a week, M-F. Any vacations will be announced in advance. Cover by Sarah Murphy. Mech Art by Victor Yañez. There is no use of AI, in any way, in this work. I use em-dashes because I like them, particularly when trying to create dialogue that starts and stops in the way people actually talk. This story is posted on Royal Road, Novelpedia, and my Patreon. If you find it anywhere else, it's been stolen.

DavidNiemitz · Mecha · 117 ch

Death's Disciple [Sys Apoc, OP Villain MC, LitRPG]

150K+ Words Written So Far! Sometimes it’s the villain who has to be the hero. As Dungeons begin to open across Earth, Adam Pierce survives by facing blood, brutality, and murder, and he walks out of the Tutorial as the disciple of 'Death' itself. When it's discovered that these Dungeons are handing immense power to anyone ruthless enough to take it, Adam sees the catastrophe before anyone else. Humanity is greedy and weak. Without something to unite the species, it will kill itself. So Adam decides he will unite the world himself, by becoming the Villain of the System Apocalypse. It means he is hated, but also that humanity thrives while he wades through betrayal and murder. Because another, more powerful threat is coming. For the “System”, the Dungeons are only the opening move. Something far worse is on its way, and Earth will need to be ready. Adam will have to save humanity, all while being the villain that everyone wants dead. What to Expect: - Dungeon Portal Apocalypse (like Solo-Leveling, or Kill the Hero) - OP MC with Cheat-level Class/Ability - Anti-Hero/Villain MC (Like Code Geass) - Dungeon Dives, Secret Identities, Betrayal and Murder - No Harem, Very minimal/if any Romance Daily Chapter Drops for the first month of release, then M/W/F Schedule 2k- 3k word Chapters Shoutout to LitRPG Books FB Group for being awesome.

TTReynolds · Apocalypse · 115 ch

Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation]

Welcome to the Aetherios System, where the quests are mandatory and failure results in deletion! Alex Pierce thought the worst part of military life was eating stale MREs and getting screamed at by people who loved pushups more than oxygen. He was wrong. Caught in a nuclear blast and dumped into a world of magic, Alex and eleven other soldiers find themselves in a reality where stats rule, The System gives no mercy, and Alex discovers bigger problems than simple rations and the childhood trauma of living in his twin brother’s shadow. Problems like: - Forest badgers with bodybuilding addictions and very personal grudges. - A kobold village too dumb for diplomacy. - One cantankerous apothecary witch. - Smug elves. - And an undead dungeon that didn’t get the memo about staying dead. His fellow Isekai’d soldiers are a disaster, his power build is ruined thanks to one little magical oopsie, and his closest “ally” might be an evil talking river pebble. (It swears it isn’t evil. He’s not convinced.) The System doesn’t care if Alex is confused, terrified, or quietly crumbling under self-doubt. It only cares if he proves himself worthy to exist. Prove yourself or be erased. No pressure.

TTReynolds · Litrpg · 302 ch

Duality

Amid monsters and murderers, Lewnard Hollick lives on, fulfilling his duties as a Bearer. Shadows stalk the world, and it is the innocent and the weak who pay the price. The Apocalypse can only be prevented by the Bearers of the Astral Diaries, but nothing lasts forever. An endless war has stretched across the world's bloody and secret history, and it falls upon humanity to forge its own destiny.

FukugawaKen · Urban Fantasy · 15 ch

The Door That Was Never Meant to Be Opened

Two school friends stumble upon a hidden, sealed door tucked behind their school’s gym storage room — a door that clearly someone went to great lengths to keep forgotten. Curiosity gets the better of them. What lies behind it seems ordinary at first… but something ancient and patient has been waiting for exactly this moment. Once the door is opened, a game begins. And games like this don’t end easily.

The_lite · Horror · 3 ch

Overkill: Incarnations

The amnesiac Patchborn navigates through the Three Grand Mortal Realms, infested with corrupted Doxamorph creatures. A fortuitous encounter allows him to learn about his lost memories. A true-self he no longer remembered. In a race against time, he must ascend his Soul Body in both Status and Rank, to reclaim who he was and stall the progression of his mental decay... While the past begins to distort, gnawing at his sanity. Earth. Makai. Kenikin Sekai. Every step forward through these Mortal Realms threatens to shatter what remains of his mind... It leaves him to wonder if the person he seeks might be the salvation he needs, or a curse he'll loathe.

Kudo Aosakka · Seinen · 19 ch

The Rise of the Unbound Sovereign Sect

Ten thousand years ago, the Ascended Masters abandoned this realm, leaving behind a saturated, chaotic wasteland. Now, the remnants—towering, violent giants bloated on stagnant Qi—rule the ruins of the golden age. They don't cultivate. They just exist, trapped in an endless, brutal loop of survival and stagnation. Julian didn't reincarnate with a magical system, a heavenly physique, or a mysterious master. He fell from the void as a hundred-and-twenty-pound mortal with a degree in Ethnobotany, a pocket of stainless steel acupuncture needles, and a terrifying realization: he is the weakest thing in a world of predators. To the giants, he is just a rabbit. A piece of soft meat. To survive, Julian must prove he is a useful tool, but not too useful. He can't fight them, and the tribe only wants to use him, but Julian didn’t dedicate his life to studying the lost arts of cultivation for nothing. Using forgotten mortal medicine to bypass overloaded meridians, he begins to systematically hack the anatomy of the world's monsters to forge his own foundation. But the giants are a dead end. Clinical, selfish, and obsessed with their own survival, they will never see Julian as anything more than an expendable asset. When forced to choose between the familiar cruelty of humanoid masters and the terrifying, toxic unknown of the deep wild, Julian walks into the dark. He chooses the monsters. Stepping into the domain of a dying, Sovereign-tier horror, Julian leaves humanity behind. He won't just hack his way to a foundation; he will engineer his own faction from the ground up. Julian is going to build the Unbound Sovereign Sect, and he won't use a single human to do it. <Author’s Note / Disclaimer:> The medical, anatomical, and acupuncture theories discussed in this novel are based on real-world traditional practices and botanical science. However, they are heavily dramatized for the sake of survival fantasy. Do not attempt to use two-inch surgical steel needles to vent your friend's stagnant Qi, treat snake bites with random ferns, or perform deep-tissue Shenshu point demolition on yourself. It will not give you the physical mass of a giant; it will just put you in the hospital. Read the fiction, leave the needles to the professionals.

Magic · Eastern Fantasy · 107 ch

Your D to Major

The story began between two prodigies from different backgrounds and may have evolved into something more... Yuri Yoshima, a 16-year-old 2nd-year high schooler with a good reputation. A valedictorian made her popular in academics. A Musical Muse, known for her talented and virtuosic musical abilities, with her flawless, gorgeous, unignorable appearance that made many boys in the school fall in love with her. A student council president. A girl who excels in some sports. And among all... She's a "Major". Behind all of that, she was known for her ego and fear of losing the spotlight despite being angelic and respectful. Jiro Arashi, a 17-year-old 2nd-year high school student who appears to be an average, calm, and introverted "D" student, has quietly been under pressure, dealing with tensions and an unfair school system and treatment since the middle school era, which affects him deeply. Yet his musical abilities made him push himself beyond his limits, a payback for his negatives.

Akai Mara · Romance · 7 ch

Crisis Point

A mountain-sized elephant, carrying a city on its back, strolls into horrifyingly dangerous territories one after another, facing hordes of monsters endlessly. Living in this city, among 40,000 humans, are a group of seven individuals trying to survive, by going against every Geneva Convention possible. Strap yourselves for this journey.

Anvelope · Adventure · 50 ch

THE SECOND CRADLE - BOOK TWO OF THE IRON CRADLE SAGA

The invasion of Earth has already started. The champions return to find the Roslyn research facility infiltrated by hostile humans and aliens alike, and that the AI ARi left to help run the facility was offline... In a desperate race to save their families the champions find themselves fighting on home just as hard as they did in The Ascendancy. When they finally do make it back into the competition hundreds of years had passed while they were on Earth. The landscape is now prowled by massive predatory monsters and some of the original team that was left behind are missing. Join Earth's Champions and some new friends as they fight for Adeya and Earth continue. The series promises more fights, more dinosaurs, new and scary monsters and of course more Kobolds! In a genre built on solo heroes grinding for power, Gavin and Earth's champions once again choose a different path: reincarnating the souls of Earth's dead as spirit-born warriors, building armies instead of going it alone, forging alliances with alien species, and refusing to treat war as a game. But those overseeing the Ascendancy aren't safeguarding peace--they're filtering threats. Culling potential rivals before they can rise. Can Earth's champions survive alien dinosaurs, and a universe that seems to want to crush them? Our only allies, a race that died on Earth before humanity ever took its first steps... Step into the cradle, champion, and find out. THE SECOND CRADLE - A LITRPG ADVENTURE If you haven't had a chance to read the first book yet you can find it here on Novelpedia! Just look for The First Cradle!

JE PAYNE · Litrpg · 44 ch

Edwin Lunar

Living on the outskirts of the futuristic city of Vestella, Edwin survives by repairing broken machines and forgotten technology while carrying the pain of losing his parents at a young age. The only things left behind by them are a mysterious silver ring and an old scarf — relics from a past Edwin barely remembers. But everything changes when a hidden organization discovers him. Taken to the legendary moon-world of Noroel, Edwin enters the secretive Lunar Dominion Academy, a massive fortress where gifted children are trained to become elite warriors capable of controlling the power of the Eternal Flame — an ancient energy source that powers entire civilizations. As Edwin struggles to adapt to the dangerous academy life, he forms unexpected friendships with the intelligent Iris and the loyal Carl while facing powerful rivals, brutal training, and mysteries buried deep beneath the academy walls. Yet strange things begin happening around him. Systems malfunction in his presence. Ancient machines react to his father’s ring. And voices hidden inside forbidden networks begin calling his name. Soon Edwin uncovers the terrifying truth about Groader — a former academy prodigy whose obsession with the Eternal Flame nearly destroyed Noroel years ago. Though officially dead, rumors claim Groader’s consciousness still survives somewhere within hidden systems beneath the academy. When a sealed underground sector known as Sector Zero suddenly awakens after twelve years of silence, Edwin realizes his connection to Noroel runs far deeper than anyone imagined. And the truth about his parents’ deaths may change the future of the entire system forever.

MananTayal · Sci Fi · 106 ch

THE FIRST CRADLE - BOOK ONE OF THE IRON CRADLE SAGA

The Sun is dying, and there's no saving this world. Engineering grad student Gavin Daniels volunteers for experimental brain emulation technology--humanity's last chance to gain centuries of research time while only days pass on Earth. But the untested cradle connects him to something ancient: a galaxy-spanning competition called the Ascendancy, where Earth's survival is the prize. The rules are brutal. Earth is unrecognized, unprotected, and legally open for conquest. Win, and the planet gains galactic protection. Every victory captures alien technology to fuel humanity's desperate evacuation. Lose, and everything is forfeit. In a genre built on solo heroes grinding for power, Gavin and Earth's champions choose a different path: reincarnating the souls of Earth's dead as spirit-born warriors, building armies instead of going it alone, forging alliances with alien species, and refusing to treat war as a game. But those overseeing the Ascendancy aren't safeguarding peace--they're filtering threats. Culling potential rivals before they can rise. Can Earth's champions survive alien dinosaurs, and a universe that seems to want to crush them? Our only allies, a race that died on Earth before humanity ever took its first steps... Step into the cradle, champion, and find out. THE FIRST CRADLE - THE SECOND CRADLE - A LITRPG ADVENTURE

JE PAYNE · Litrpg · 40 ch

The Trinity Divide - The First Relic - Book One

THE TRINITY DIVIDE SERIES Jarek Donati was an enforcer for the family until he was set up to die while on a job. He relives his own death over and over in his own personal hell loop for over a century, until the very weapon he used on the monster of a man who was meant to kill him sets him free. Now he finds himself in 1920 St. Cloud, Minnesota, during the start of Prohibition. He's got an angel and devil on his shoulder, a Nephilim with perfect balance between grace and damnation. The Trinity Blade transformed him into something both Heaven and Hell want dead. St. Cloud runs on illegal moonshine, demon-possessed mobsters, and church corruption. Jay establishes cover as a private investigator and discovers he arrived at the exact moment both sides waged war over St. Mary's Cathedral and what's hidden beneath it. ———————◊——————— ☩ WHAT TO EXPECT: ☿ † LitRPG with stat progression and ability unlocks ⸸ Weak to Strong (starts Level 1, learns through survival) † Fast-paced noir mystery with frequent combat ⸸ MC + bound companions (angel and demon literally on his shoulders) † Hard magic - wards cost blood, abilities drain health ⸸ 1920s Prohibition setting meets theological horror † Both Heaven and Hell are antagonists ⸸ No harem, slow-burn romance Content Warnings: Violence, theological themes, moral complexity

JE PAYNE · Litrpg · 35 ch

The Devil's Ante

What happens when the unluckiest man on Earth gets a class based purely on luck? I died in the most beautiful place a man could die - a shady gambling parlour run by a local thug. I'd never won anything in life, except for a couple of bucks in a pack of chips, and that luck was sure to follow me into the afterlife. Turns out heaven isn't as nice as they say. It's quite fucking awful, actually. A four-foot-in-heels goddess of luck took one look at my soul, decided I was a problem, and awakened something in me that dragged me into a whole new world. Now this awakened System has decided my entire combat class should be Gambler. Do you want to know how it works? I throw a punch, the System flips a coin, and if it comes up wrong, it bills me. And it does that by attacking me, not the guy I was trying to hit. Everyone keeps telling me to bet small. Bet safe. Survive. Yeah. We'll see.

Lerion · Litrpg · 7 ch

My Unicorn Thinks I’m His Maiden – A Dungeon Crawler World Story

The world ended while I was hungover… and dressed as a magical girl. It's not exactly how I planned to start my day. One minute I was waking up next to a bonfire with my friends, the next, everything, my home, my town, all of it, gone. Flattened. Stripped. Replaced with dirt and stone like it never existed. Then came the message, Earth had been claimed and harvested due to an error in paperwork. And the survivors? We were given a choice: Enter a massive, AI-controlled dungeon… or stay behind and figure out how long we could last with nothing left. I didn’t have supplies, didn’t have a plan, didn’t even have proper clothes, but I wasn’t about to sit around and starve so, I started walking. Now I’ve got my friends behind me, a horse that refuses to leave my side, and a countdown to get to the nearest entrance. I don’t know what’s waiting for us down there, but I do know one thing... If I’m going to survive the end of the world, I’m apparently doing it in heels. (Gonna be straight up with everyone, if you are familiar with the DCC novels then you should know what to generally expect. No, Carl and Donut will not make an appearance, this story happens at the same time and the dungeon is a big place. I am attempting to stay within the cannon though. Also, there will be a gender transformation, but it won’t happen until the start of the 3rd floor. However, that doesn't mean that the AI isn’t going to be trying to push the MC into it, after all, the AI finds the idea funny... Also, I hope this series inspires anyone who enjoys it and isn’t familiar with Dungeon Crawler Carl to pick up the first book and give it a try. Finally, a message to Matt Dinniman. I apologize in advance. At the very least, I hope if you ever come across this story it is weird enough for you.) (Credit where credit is due, the character design for the cover is by the talented Marudochi) (This novel is also being posted on Scribblehub and Royal Road)

PrincessArylin · Fanfiction · 25 ch

Leftover Legion

Expect: - Found family - A morally complex lead - DIY bunker takedowns that turn into something way deeper - An ensemble cast of survivors The wrong people survived the end of the world. Madeleine is going to fix that. Sixteen-year-old Madeleine has already lost everything. Her family. Her future. Her faith in humanity. The only thing left: revenge. And a book that delivers exactly what its title promises: 101 Doomsday Bunkers & How to Raid Them. When the apocalypse hits, Madeleine learns fast that surviving it was the easy part. Surviving those who survived it is a whole different beast. She saves her classmates, seizes the first doomsday bunker by locking its legitimate owners out to die, and forges the Leftover Legion—a bunch of kids who realize they're all orphans now. But they've found a new family. And a purpose: turning bunkers into a war machine on skates, leveling up with every raid, getting ready for the boss fortress, where only Madeleine knows what awaits them. They must learn to fight as family, knowing that every raid could take one of them away. A Psychological Survival LitRPG (Found Family - Ice Wasteland - Base-Building) saga where the apocalypse is only level one, and a bunch of ragtag kids fight to reclaim a world stolen by the rich and powerful.

Yubens · Apocalypse · 30 ch

Arachnoextinction

On an uncharted island in the middle of the Pacific, Dr. Ivory Gale arrives for a routine inspection of a secret United States government cloning facility. His mission is to verify progress on a project to resurrect the woolly mammoth. Simple job. In and out. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. Literally everything. Dr. Kale, head scientist at the cloning facility and certified lunatic, has been keeping secrets from the United States government. Not the kind of secrets they can all giggle about later. These are the kind of secrets that awaken a long-extinct and highly murderous monstrous spider species. Armed with a gun he doesn't know how to use, a crippling case of arachnophobia, and the help of a ragtag group of survivors (including one who definitely wants to kill them all to protect the government's secrets), Dr. Gale must find a way to escape the facility before nightfall. Because once the sun goes down, the giant spiders come out to hunt. All of them. Welcome to Arachnoextinction.

ShowerKrogan · Comedy · 41 ch

Mortal Protection Services

The Earth wakes up to find itself surrounded by completely different stars. An announcement rings out across the planet: "We at Mortal Protection Services have relocated you to a foster system temporarily. Do not panic." . . Some of you are panicking, when we specifically asked you not to. What to expect: Sci-fi: Various densities, mostly soft. We got your warp drives and subspace enfuckulators, but also a touch of hard space reality. Who doesn't love a chewy candy with a hard shell? Comedy: From slapstick to erudite to troglodyte. We got stuff for any brow level you want. As well as many, many easter-eggs for sci-fi & fantasy nerds alike. Galactic horror: I'll leave the fully fleshy nature of that for you to discover a few chapters in, it's better that way. Fun with Letters: Silly little anagrams, and silly little acronyms. A Hyperspace Cat. (Proudly made by humans. No AI in Writing or Art. Cover by Instagram user: pedro_serpa_75)

B.T.Skull · Sci Fi · 54 ch

Not Quite Star Trek

A Man rides an experimental space ship engine that pushes him close to the speed of light, knowing he'll miss out on two hundred years before he returns to normal time. Turns out they invented warp drive like a week later, but he had become too valuable as a tourist attraction to pull him out of near light speed travel, so they just... didn't stop him until the ship stopped itself. He finds the future he arrives in not at all to his liking, so he goes for another round... and another... and another. Will he ever find the star trek future he's looking for? Or will he just meet strange new alien races, and try to bang them.

B.T.Skull · Sci Fi · 12 ch

The Doomsday Reaver

The Doomsday Trials had one purpose: forge the ultimate warrior with the ultimate progression system. Not one place, not one time. All of time, to fight across every age of man, from the brutal stone age to a future of demonic hordes and twenty foot mechs. But the plan failed. No-one advanced. Everyone died and the trials were forgotten. Then Felix falls from the sky. Naked. Broken. Five hit points. Oh, and there’s a sabretooth tiger about to decorate the jungle floor with his guts. Great. Blasted to the dawn of humanity, Felix awakes in the savage past. No tutorial, the system hasn’t even been updated in centuries. But this place has rules and stats, and Felix knows how to exploit the hell out of both. Suddenly he’s doing what hasn’t been done in centuries – winning, advancing. Because the trials never needed a perfect warrior. Just an obsessive gamer. Right, plan. First? Don’t die. Next? A working HUD. Maybe some pants Chapter release 5x week M-F. 20 ahead on patreon 300k already written across three volumes. Cover by Alan Gomes

icohalliday · Adventure · 34 ch