Zaren saved the world once, and it cost him everything. But when a goddess seeks him out offering something impossible, he has to set aside his hatred for the divine. A threat from another realm threatens their world, and only a goddess whose domain is far too intimate for Zaren’s liking is convinced of its existence. She needs Zaren to prepare the world for a war nobody believes is coming before its too late. The only problem? Her deal involves resetting Zaren’s level back nearly to one.
Alone and with only a shadow of his former power, Zaren has to collect both levels and allies in the hopes he might stand a chance against the looming threat. But the world he’s trying to save isn’t quite the one he left behind. The rules have changed, and he needs to learn how and why before he stands a chance of saving anyone.
But if Zaren wants to have a chance at completing his impossible task, he’s going to have confront the scars of his past and unravel the darkness that lurks within him. A task that might have more to do with his mission than he previously thought. Luckily, those put on his path, seemingly by fate itself, seem more than willing to offer a helping hand. And, if he plays his cards right, quite a bit more.
(All characters involved in explicit scenes are 18 years or older)
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What to expect:
-Overall plot driven with a serious tone
-While not the first story I've ever written, it is the first erotica I've ever attempted so expect me to be somewhat inexperienced in those areas. Feedback is always appreciated.
-Dark themes, traumatic pasts mixed with lighter moments that will slowly head towards happier waters as Zaren fights against the world he finds himself in.
-Longer chapters, almost always over 5k words
-A competent MC with a tortured past doing his best to move forward
-Occasional other POVs from various characters, sometimes not immediately relating to the current characters (though they will always factor in eventually)
-Plenty of smut. Though it isn't the main focus of the story and doesn't start too strong, it will ramp up over time.
-LitRPG elements with less emphasis on number crunching and more on the end results so as to not bog the reader down with numbers and data
-A wide cast of characters, races, skills, classes, etc.
-A world that isn't openly smut-themed in nature, but there might be some secrets Zaren uncovers as he explores it...
-No NTR, incest, furry, or generally taboo kinks
-Current Update Schedule is Tuesday/Friday at 6pm CST.
(Cover art courtesy of img2go AI generator)
- Another DelayFeb 14, 2025
- Chapter 112: Splitting the PartyFeb 12, 2025
- Chapter 111: GriefFeb 1, 2025
- Chapter 110: Making doJan 30, 2025
- Chapter 109: A Final GambitJan 25, 2025
- Chapter 108: From Bad to WorseJan 22, 2025
- Chapter 107: The Other ShoeJan 18, 2025
- Chapter 106: Planning and PleasureJan 15, 2025
- Chapter 105: AftermathJan 8, 2025
- Updates on Holiday ChaptersDec 11, 2024
- Chapter 104: Fiery RetributionDec 7, 2024
- Chapter 103: Shattered DreamsDec 4, 2024
- Chapter 102: A Wing and a PrayerNov 23, 2024
- Chapter 101: ExplanationsNov 21, 2024
- Chapter One Hundred: Team Building ExercisesNov 16, 2024
- 1221 reading
- 303 plan to read
- 31 completed
- 45 paused
- 73 dropped
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Came for smut. Stayed for the story. MC is excellent. The world is interesting to want to know about.
Update:
Blatantly sits at the top of my favourite list. That list is short. And of titles on SH, there is only one other title on that list.
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This is really good. Character development is fantastic. Pancakes are delicious. World building is adequate. Some of the perspective or timeline changes can be a little jarring, which is my biggest criticism. However, those changes also ultimately make sense, so I can forgive. Overall this is a fantastic story. Eagerly awaiting each new release.
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Amazing story. I love the litrpg side of it which the author has stated takes influence from another amazing story on SH. Character development is well done, even if I did get a little annoyed at times (MC gets a little emo, emotional scars!). Incredibly will written, with some fantastic smut generously spread about the story. Harem members are not forgotten and left behind, and get their own development as well.
Stop reading my awful writing and try the story instead, so much better than my substandard review!
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I am shocked that this isn't more popular.
The story is solid. The MC isn't a dense fool. The premise is pretty good. The grammar is near flawless.
The first arc, while long, wasn't bad. This is probably because it reads better when marathon-ed rather than hanging on cliffs twice a week. When you're reading dozens of chapters at a time you get a different experience from the poor slobs that had to wait for releases.
I wish there were another hundred chapters already out. Now I am one of the poor slobs that will be edged all week.
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So normally I struggle to write a review on stories I like because I usually end up just focused on the bad things even when I love the story I struggle with how to say what it is that makes it a great read.
This one, oh boy, I love it and I can actually figure out some of the reasons that I love it so much. It helps greatly that there really isn't much I can say negatively about it either.
So to start with or MC isn't actually an idiot and actually does sensible sh*t, when he doesn't there is a valid reason for it too. That's really my favourite thing about this story, everything has a reason for it, all the f**ked up sh*t/torture etc genuinely has a reason for it happening. There's no so and so is evil so he stabs babies for sh*ts and giggles. It all has a logical reason, it does have a lot of messed up stuff going on but it has a god damn reason and I love it.
All the characters in general are great while some aren't as fleshed out as I would like I feel like I know them all fairly well.
I will warn anyone who doesn't like yuri in the harem to stay away, while I'm fine with it there's a lot of it, speaking of the harem the smut is pretty damn good and I don't think it takes away from the story at all.
on the the few negative things I have to say, the first part felt like it dragged abit, the journey to the capital really did take a while but I really don't know what could have been done to speed it up, there was a lot of character development but the time that had passed in world was about 2 weeks by the time we were at chapter 50. I think that's the story's biggest issue is the time in world, for example
Noelle is traumatized and it only takes her like a week before she not only fully trusts and loves zaren but is pretty damn functional in general, she isn't 'fixed' but it is just awfully quick to recover as much as she has in such a short time I feel, that said I ain't a psychologist so I could be talking out my ass.
Honestly read it its great.
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Great story! Would recommend.
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If you don't like erotica, you won't enjoy this one. But if you do, it's one of the best I have read. This story is about Zaren, a guy who has been kicked in the butt by life. The story starts with a deal, and the chance to turn his luck around. Dude reminds me of Guts from Berserk. Used and abused by life, always trying to improve, but not without stumbling again, because of the demons that haunt him.
The relationships he has with other characters are all substantial and have different aspects to them. It's not just about s*x, but about intimacy, and how people can help one another deal with trauma. To rely on each other. To build trust.
The fighting scenes and the System aspect is good as well. Not too much focus on the System, as it is not really the main focus, but enough to get an idea of how it works and what freedom and restraints it places on people.
To finish this review, I would add that the author is very generous with his chapters (word count).
If you like erotica and dark fantasy, I seriously recommend Shadowborn!
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I am the 69th rating and as such I feel I must say this story is pretty good. Smut with the actual plot.
The pacing is neither too fast or flow, to me at least, the characters feel real and the emotions displayed are handled pretty well. I kind of binged all of this in the last two or three days and now I wait for new chapters to see how the story will develop.
I recomment you give it a try.
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I really enjoyed the story for a while, but it just stayed too dark for me. If dark is your thing I can see why people give it five stars.
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Great Read. I binged it in 4 days.
Love the characters and especially all the backstories and depths given to them. I hate stories where the protagonist just collects harem members to f**k and go for the next one. Unlike those this story has clear progression to each relationship (even minor ones) and they are maintained throughout the story with none of the members loosing relevance.
Even the smut is intervoven with plot that it doesn't feel boring. Also love the darker aspect of the story they can get very emotional.
This is my first review on this website, and thank you author for continuing to write this story
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