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After the End: Serenity
After the End: Serenity
452.1k Views 20597 Favorites 1064 Chapters 8 Chapters/Week 1012 Readers
4.5 (49 ratings)
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Synopsis

We all want to believe we are heroes of our own story - unless we want to be the villain, of course.

At the end of everything, the Final Reaper decided he hadn’t been a hero. Driven by a desire to right the wrongs he was subjected to, he killed everyone who wronged him or his people - which turned out to be everyone that wasn’t killed by someone else first. He'd won - but it was a hollow victory.

Eventually, Order’s Voice found a way out. If the only existing being would agree to give up most of his power, the Voice could reset the multiverse to an earlier time with a few minor changes. Of course, the Voice couldn't ask it that way. It could only ask if the Final Reaper was willing to start over from when Earth was first brought into Order.

It was an easy decision, and yet it wasn’t. Was he willing to go through eons of pain again to not be alone?

Yes. In a heartbeat.

Not that his heart beat anymore. Now it would. Perhaps he could even be a hero, this time.

When he landed in his old body - more or less - on Earth, the Final Reaper once again became Thomas. He was both and neither. He needed a new name for a new life.

Serenity.

------------------------------------------

While this is technically a System Apocalypse story, it's a System Apocalypse that is designed to have a large percentage of the population survive and prosper. There are a lot of problems that come with the appearance of the Voice, and it's entirely possible to lose. Earth has some special opportunities, but also special challenges.

The first time around, Earth won the first round and lost the second. Serenity has ten years from when the Voice arrives to prevent that from happening. It will be a group effort; Serenity can't win alone - which is difficult for someone who's been alone for as long as he has.

Of course, that's only his second priority.

-------------------------------------------

Updates Daily
Also available on RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/44593/after-the-end-serenity
If that's not enough, check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=61140045

A note on the nonhuman lead tag: He isn't human, and hasn't been human for a very, very long time (or maybe not long at all, depending on how you count it). He still thinks of himself as human, either way.

The content warnings are mostly to give me room to write; this fiction is not intended to be edgy, but once in a while a character will swear or someone will get seriously injured.

The cover image is a Chandra/Hubble composite image of VV 340 / Arp 302 / UGC 9618. While we're not going to space itself any time soon in the story, people from elsewhere are coming to Earth and Serenity will visit other planets. Plus, I like space imagery.

Genre
AdventureFantasyLitRPGSupernatural
Tags
Adventurers Alternate World Appearance Changes Awkward Protagonist Confident Protagonist Dungeon Master Dungeons Earth Invasion Fantasy Creatures Fantasy World Heroes Honest Protagonist Identity Crisis Modern Fantasy Non-human Protagonist Quiet Characters Quirky Characters Saving the World Second Chance Time Paradox
Table of Contents 1064
Reviews 5
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    New Zagaroth
    Status: chapter 1018 – transit

    Characters:The characters have a rich depth and consistent personalities. You can like them even when you disagree with them, and even the OP protagonist is far from perfect. These are real people. 

    Also, Serenity's non-standard view of the world (may or may not be a little on the spectrum) makes for an interesting reading PoV.

    I don't understand some of the hate thrown toward other characters who are reacting in perfectly reasonable if negative ways towards Serenity when their reactions make sense given their knowledge and emotions 

    Grammar:Lillene very rarely has any grammatical or punctuation errors, despite such a fast, consistent writing speed.

    Story:Serenity has primary two goals in this new life, and they stay consistent. As long as he meets these two objectives, he will at least be content. 

    Because of this pair of motivations, he takes actions that get him involved in a lot of other things, and some sub-objectives make his life happier or better, but he never loses sight of what he wants to protect.

    Yes, the story is slow. These were never going to be fast objectives to both achieve and sustain. There are multiple threats to be whittled down, and the last two potential threats loom on the horizon and are being worked toward, one fairly well-known and the other mostly mysterious beyond its existence and destructive nature.

    Style: While not quite 1st-person, the 3rd-person narrative voice cleaves extremely close to Serenity most of the time, so we generally see the world through him. I am good with this, but acknowledge that because of his personality, some things are given less emotional impact/weight than they would from another character's PoV.

    Occasionally, a climactic boss battle turns out less climactic than expected. While this can be a bit disappointing, it unfortunately makes 100% sense in context. Serenity does not have much flare for the dramatic, is very patient, and is very good at setting himself up for efficient victories when he has to do something dangerous. 

    Dramatic battles generally require catching him by surprise, otherwise, you get to see the real results of a meticulous planner executing a plan. 

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    RobotAlbatross
    Status: chapter 725 – to slip by

    I really want to enjoy this book, but MC’s extremely inconsistent power levels and abilities just makes me enjoy this less. Also the idea that he somehow has no idea who some people when he clearly should’ve known about them since he killed them in his past??? Maybe I’m misunderstanding something, but MC seems extremely inconsistent, as well as the world system itself. He is stated to have 20x more powerful stats than Raz (who I am using as a baseline human), but somehow has difficulty fighting people that very clearly shouldn’t be 20x more powerful than he is. Also the idea that at 800 stats in all physical attributes means that his jog is equal to a person with 1’s in their physiques sprint just doesn’t make sense.

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    Tajarim
    Status: c400

    Fair would be 2 stars, since the story sucks at the important parts. Progression isn't earned by the MC, its always something that happens to him. Also, his powers fluctuate in effectiveness, as in one encounter he manages to beat an opponent way above his level only to later be taken out by a poisoned dart, or being suddenly nerfed by some kind of easily avoidable injury. Also, the MC just loves to juggle idiot balls at every opportunity. 

    The author comments are another problem, as they are used to try to explain away glaring logic issues in the corresponding chapter, instead of just writing the information in the chapter itself. The author also writes out character motivations and potentially vital information in those author notes instead of the actual story, which makes characters often feel flat and disrupts the flow of reading. 

    If the author would exchange the unearned progression with actual fights, not include so many pointless tangents and stop nerfing the MC constantly, this story would easily earn the score I gave it. 

    I want this story to be rewritten as something worthwhile. 

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    6 Likes · Like
    ZeleniyKrokodil
    Status: chapter 835 – default?

    After the End: Serenity

    Author - Lillene

    Rated 5/5 863 or 831 Chapters

    Yes, this is certainly not a pure 5, but it's too close to give it a 4. Although there are definitely problems, even sometimes close to critical, the pros outweigh the cons. (And while reading, I was indignant at only one point).

    @@@

    Short:

    It's worth reading as it's one of the quality pieces with good worldbuilding and fairly good characters. The focus is always on how the protagonist's group travels and solves problems while exploring the world. The pace is slow, so it's best to read in arcs and as a whole. There is narration from different persons, but as a digression or as a character reveal, there is no repeated description of events.

    Not Leaps of logic; not excess plot armor; There are no suddenly added enemies. The logic is always consistent, the plot armor is justified, the enemies for the most part are already known or have hints of their existence.

    The main dissatisfaction with the novel is that the protagonist does not seek power over people. Which is dangerous for himself and his loved ones.

    @@@

    Size of the piece and Tempo

    The current 800 chapters potentially take up 3/30 - 10/30 of the work. That is, events can easily last up to 2000 chapters (I indicated only 2k - because I do not expect the protagonist to reach the pinnacle of power in this work). Since the beginning of the work, 1 year+ has passed for the world and 15+ years for the MC. The pace is not fast. I was bored only during one arc (the penultimate one. The last arch with the underwater ship is amazing.) out of about 10 arcs.

    &&&

    @@@

    Power Levels

    They are determined by 10+ factors, so it is natural that many people cannot understand the degree of power of the characters. (The sleeping pill darts worked because they pierced the skin and actually delivered the sleeping pill to the target, and the MC had no resistance to this at all, except for his attributes (there was also a clear overdose of a dozen times)).

    Damage and its effectiveness are highly dependent on 3 things: Affinity, Concept, Resistance. And the character's ability to create this damage is highly dependent on: attributes, knowledge, wealth. Also, all this also depends on: body size, Species/Race (dragon or human), innate skills. As a result, the enemy's shooting gallery says very little about his real strength. And this does not take into account such things as: Aspect, Incarnation, Divinity.

    Rough Example:

    A Tier 10 personality (not a unique creature and not an aspect, incarnation or deity) is capable of significantly influencing an area with a radius of about 100+ meters with one ultimate spell without using external help (objects, divine power, etc.). It is extremely likely that he could be killed by modern artillery or at least rockets (the level of energy release on this scale) if this person has no resistance to this energy and if the projectile does not miss.

    That is, if this Tier 10 character has a high level of resistance, then this attack will not harm him more than a burn to the whole body, yes it hurts, but it can actually be healed, sometimes on its own.

    @@@

    Deities:

    This is not a rank of power, it is closer to recognizing that you are a deity. Although this recognition will ultimately give you strength. In any case, the difference between them can reach the difference between a preschool child and a special forces veteran wearing the most modern weapons.

    Incarnations and aspects:

    Closer to power rank than deity, but only in a specific area.

    @@@

    Fights

    As such, there are no large-scale "army against army" battles in the work. And if there is, then they usually come down to battles of special groups, rituals, bases, etc. A large ritual working with the forces of nature and resources is capable of a lot, at the same time, the characters themselves are not so strong. A rare existence with minimum+maximum evolution is also capable of much, but only in its specialty.

    @@@

    Strength and degree of danger for MC.

    The protagonist is OP for everyone who is not: a force of nature, an incarnation, a deity, or himself (yes, he damaged himself more than once). Although this may be difficult to understand.

    Features of MC are versatility, high durability, and relatively low damage during battle.

    Build MC - a tenacious regenerating tank with fewer weak points.

    The greatest danger to the protagonist so far was the protagonist himself. He often experiments and often unintentionally uses forces beyond what his body can handle. Not to mention that he does not have an ordinary existence and the path for him was not paved by someone else.

    @@@

    Protagonist

    The MC has a "superior existence (in terms of power) " mentality, but the body is not at all a "superior existence", added to this is something like mental trauma from too much killing and an attempt to get rid of killing as a way of solving problems.

    These two things create the effect that the protagonist often takes actions that seem stupid to some people, and sometimes, after the fact, to the protagonist himself. Also, the MC sometimes makes common mistakes, which are usually something like a sub-optimal or rash decision, etc. Although in most cases he is able to avoid making these mistakes.

    He also has deep knowledge in some areas of knowledge, at the same time, the breadth of his knowledge about the world is not so high.

    The protagonist has no desire to rule, etc.

    The protagonist's mentality receives new colors throughout the work, but the core remains the same.

    In any case, I did not see any illogical actions from him. There were irrational and hasty actions, but none that were illogical.

    @@@

    Secrets

    The protagonist has no interest in hiding everything about himself (so he often accidentally reveals things through his actions), and many pieces of information that some would consider secret are not so to him. And although with such a characteristic one could say that everyone knows his secrets, this is not so. Although much is revealed, even more remains in the shadows.

    His lover knows 90% of the information about MC. His and her parents up to 80%. Friends in high circles 70% (about 100% for two unsociable ones). Friends 60%.  Buddies up to 40-50%. Enemies up to 30% Local security forces and politics up to 20%. Strangers in the area of influence up to 10%. Strangers 5%.

    And even then, this information is mixed with misunderstandings and ignorance of what this information means.

    &&&

    ###

    Logics

    I don't know why people say that there are a lot of logical errors in this work, but I wouldn't say that. All characters move within their mentality and abilities, all of them

    ###

    Text from the author.

    I don't think that the author's skill: "to show (and not tell) an event in the work itself, and then further explain the details for those less perceptive" is something that is worth reproaching. No experienced reader will like an author who is unable to show rather than tell.

    Despite the fact that it clarifies some things in the author's words, almost all the details indicated by the author can be discovered by yourself by analyzing the character's behavior. And those that are not allowed are additions to information about the world that are simply stated off-screen, without interfering with the plot or creating chapters simply to dump this information. And there will definitely be people shouting about these chapters: "empty chapter"; "no plot"; "chapter to increase the word count", etc. Although this will once again not correspond to reality.

    ###

    Plot

    This novel can be compared to a classic RPG.

    This is mainly: visiting various dungeons; adventures; actions to save the world; revealing secrets; interaction with different cultures; deities; archeology and myths.

    Creating a kingdom, a dungeon, a base is not the main topic. War and armies are not the main topic. Crafting and technology, as well as magical research, are present in significant quantities, but the protagonist is neither a craftsman nor a scientist, although he is likely capable of being one.

    The main problem with the plot is the protagonist's reluctance to become a ruler. This is literally one of the recipes for a problem - when you are strong, but do not rule, then you are always a problem, and they want to eliminate the problem.

    @@@

    World

    The main advantage of this world-building is the idea that "magic depends on intention, " "the specified framework is a general model." This allows you to use a very wide range of tools to create the world. It also allows you to create unusual situations based on these ideas.

    As a result, the world is full of secrets, to which more and more new secrets are added, and great power does not equal omniscience.

    In any case, the author can be blamed for anything, but not for the fact that he knows how to create realistic worlds filled with magic and secrets that have yet to be revealed.

    @@@

    Characters

    On the spectrum of realism, the characters in this work are close to realism. And while reading, you don't get the feeling that the characters don't have personality, etc.

    @@@

    Tags

    Eat:

    One love interest;

    Powerful but not OP protagonist;

    Adventures;

    Saving the World;

    ... (Maybe I'll add it later, in any case, there are already so many tags).

    The protagonist is capable, but out of focus:

    Healer, Artisan, Scholar, Dungeon Master, Lord (of a city, etc.).

    &&&

    ###

    Moments that can be called problems in the work:

    There are no current wars and chaos on Earth or there is no talk of these wars. Of course, this can be explained by the existence of the protagonist with his extremely high positive reputation and his words about how bad the situation really is. But... I don't believe it. Groups of extremists and fanatics will definitely begin to appear, who have finally received power and weapons into their hands. And these groups will not always act openly. In any case, there are few such groups, which is anomalous, given how little rationality such people have. Not to mention the usual criminal groups and world crime centers. (In short, there is too little chaos. So little that it's hard to believe. And the summaries are not enough to show the level of the problem.)

    Some characters, despite the high level of description of their features, disappeared from the work. Well, although this is realistic, if this happens in a work it can be called a problem (or it may not be called a problem) (His group is from the textbook).

    The protagonist's lack of desire to become a true sovereign. Yes it's a hassle, etc., but I wouldn't risk not trying it. Not everything can be done alone, and not everything can be negotiated. His reputation is a shield only from open actions, and even then it's not such a good shield. Moreover, there is such a thing as the kinship of reason and faith.

    Agreement to work within certain frameworks that create different ruling structures. The only reason this isn't a problem is because it really is one of the best options out there right now. Although that doesn't mean it's a good option.

    MC is forgetful. Yes it is realistic and it can just be annoying.

    One chapter in which there is a description of the distant future. I would like to be polite, but for me such "visions" of the distant future, not as a prophecy, but as an ordinary summary, are simply disgusting. I have never liked such things, and I doubt I will.

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    calico
    Status: c22

    5 stars for me. I suck at reviews but I wanted this here so people wouldn't skip this story because of the lack. 

    Honestly not sure how this is here with so many chapters and no review. So far I'm liking it, descriptive, good grammar. Feels a bit slow here in the beginning with a so far op MC (that doesn't feel insane op), but that's not something bad. MC seems to have trouble connecting with people but is slowly learning how to be social again. I look forward to binging and catching up.

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