Drama Fantasy Gender Bender Magic Progression Fantasy Psychological School Life Slice of Life

A Bright and Shiny Life

Name: A Bright and Shiny Life
Rating: 4.65 (148 reviews)
Author: Resigned Dilettante

Resigned Dilettante

4.65 148 Ratings

Ongoing Status

191.6k Views

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Synopsis

Malz is a terrorist. Perhaps ‘partisan’ would be a better word. ‘Freedom fighter’ would be a bit of a stretch.

Three years ago the Arkothan Empire invaded the Kingdom of Caethlon and crushed the main part of their army. The king surrendered, and ordered his subjects to lay down their arms — not everyone complied. Three years of ruthless partisan fighting later, terror and sudden violence have become the norm. Tactics once thought abhorrent are now basic, magic is applied in identity destroying ways, and the lines separating enemies are blurred.

An assassination goes wrong and Malz must flee the kingdom — sent on a mission to impersonate a noble and infiltrate a prestigious magic academy. The life of an imperial noble is bright beyond anything known before, and Malz will do anything to keep it. However, the allure of dark powers is not easy to put aside.

Updates on days that are multiples of five.

Chapters are usually between 2 and 3 thousand words

Books similar to A Bright and Shiny Life

CyberGene [Volume 1 Complete! 500k+ Words] [LitRPG w/ cybernetics + mutations]

★ 4.65

Sixbees2

Chapters M-W-F 9AM.
Volume 1 Blood and Steel: All Three Acts Complete!
Volume 2 Thunder and Webs: Act Two Ongoing!

Discord - Patreon - Spotify Playlist

Upgrade. Consume. Evolve. Whether it’s cybernetics or mutations, this world demands you be more than human.

Every century, the MALswarm invades — adaptive aliens of blood and steel led by Titans that decimate billions and leave behind raw Warp Energy. Humanity seizes this power, transforming into beings of mutated flesh and cybernetic might. Yet the promised utopia remains a lie, and New California’s underworld schemes to profit from the impending Fifth Swarm.

Amidst the chaos, two destinies collide. Ripley — a cybernetics savant battling to save his dying mother — operates in the shadows of a gang-owned nightclub. Diana, engineered for perfection, fights as an officer of the law to forget her past. When a monster is unleashed, they steal its infinite potential to warp their futures with their newfound powers.

In a city where salvation and damnation are inseparable, Ripley reinvents himself from the wreckage of his enemies' cybernetics as a mercenary who will one day become an architect of ruin. Diana's mutated blood crackles with lightning as she purges corruption, igniting into a storm of change. Against a grand conspiracy of aliens, rogue AIs, shady corporations, organized crime and centuries of forgotten history, their alliance — and conflict — determines if the world will plunge into darkness or embrace the light.

Wrong City? Wrong People? No. This is the right city, and they're the only ones who can save this dystopian future.

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What happens when you mix GodClads, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Akira and a dash of Blade Runner into the mix? This novel.

What to expect?

- Two MCs on opposite sides of the law. Crime vs Police. Mercenary vs Investigator.

- Superhero/Supervillain Themes. How far will they go to achieve their goals?

- Two distinct Power Systems. Cybernetics vs Mutations.

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- A long Sci-Fi Epic. Three Acts Per Volume. Ten Volumes.

- Eventual alien invasion and Kaiju fights.

Author's Note: This story can be pretty heavy at times. T/W's include: Gore, death, profanity, sexual themes (no descriptions), drugs. Honestly, my novel might be a list of war crimes one day. This story was highly influenced by some downer moments in my life as the characters learn that they can accept the darkness in them and embrace the light. As tragic as elements of this story might be, it is about overcoming tragedy. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Ideworld Chronicles: The Art Mage

★ 4.7

OneDropRain

"Does the art ever dream of you?"

I never had a destiny.

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And this is my story.

What to expect:

A sharp, flawed, and funny protagonist. A dangerous world split between modern Earth and a myth-twisted sister realm. Magic that’s inventive, unique, and deadly.

Alexa isn’t perfect. Far from it. She’s clever but burdened with trust issues, hubris, and greed. And she doesn’t start strong. She doesn’t gain her powers until a quarter into Act I, and even then, she fumbles more than she flourishes: building tools, not dominance. Her real magical growth doesn’t begin until midway through Act II, when the story’s pace and stakes surge.

The magic system is anything but ordinary. Forget fireballs. Think salt-armored warriors, flesh-twisting tentacles, or symphonies turned into weapons. Battles are fast, brutal, and surprising, with real consequences. Characters die. Sometimes even those you thought untouchable.

The world unfolds in layers: Earth as we know it, and Ideworld, where myths, dreams, and nightmares rule. The deeper introduction to Ideworld’s ruling powers and factions doesn’t fully arrive until Act II, but once it does, the scope widens dramatically.

What ties it all together is Alexa’s voice: humor laced with cynicism, keeping the story sharp even when the stakes turn deadly. The cast around her is just as layered: flawed, human, and compelling. No caricatures.

UPDATES:

New chapters on: Monday/Wednesday/Friday

Side stories: unscheduled

Read Ahead on Patreon!

Want to stay at least five chapters ahead in Ideworld Chronicles? Support the story and get exclusive early access over on Patreon:
patreon.com/IdeworldChronicles

Every bit of support helps keep the story alive and lets you dive deeper into Alexa May’s chaotic, magical world before anyone else.

*Ideworld Chronicles are posted exclusively on RoyalRoad and on Patreon. If you are reading it elsewhere, it is an unauthorized and stolen copy.

We also have our own Discord!

The Spoken Queen’s Swarm

★ 4.69

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The Vex are a monstrous species. A ruthless swarm of man-eaters and a plague upon any nation unlucky enough to find a hive within their borders. The world over, the Vex are to be killed on sight, lest they grow and consume all in their wake.

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What to expect:

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- Perspective shifts

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- Heavy action scenes do exist, but are uncommon.

- MC will lead from the back, not as a fighter.

- Lite LitRPG

We now have a small Discord server!

Sovereign’s Silent Path [Cultivation – Progression – Epic Fantasy]

★ 4.82

Idiot Muffin

UPDATES: Every Sunday & Thursday (Evenings)

Book One of the Epic Fantasy Series: Sovereign's Silent Path
Title: Sylas of Cindaleer

He was exiled as a prince, forgotten by a kingdom, but now, he is bound to a dead queen's will.

Sylas of Cindaleer doesn’t wield a sword; he wields a mind, honed by ancient philosophies that compel others to follow his will.

Raised in the shadows of a forsaken past, Sylas was meant to disappear. But a letter sealed in crimson wax, arriving from beyond the grave, pulled him into a world of deceit, schemes, and revenge. His mother’s final message is not a farewell; it’s a command for a grand new beginning.

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In a world governed by Laws and Marks, where Philosophers cultivate to conquer death and dominate souls, a lone Sovereign must uncover his true purpose...

To walk beside him, you must accept his Mark.

.̶̲̩͉͚̞̭̂́̔̈́.̷̭̭͋͗͗̔̓.̷̹̀̕.̷̪̪̝̣̜͈̻̹̱̅̿͋̏͆͂̈.̷̢̛̖͎̭̲̦̭̪̪̘̬̭̿̋͜.̵̱͑̂́̈́̒̃̀̔̊͝ͅ.̴̨̧̨̜̹̫̹͕̍̔͜.̶̳͓͂̈́̇̕͝͠.̴͙̬̦̪͈͆̇͒͗̈.̷̛͇̘̗̲̓̿̑̉̉̚͘͝.̶̧̩͎̘̹͕͕̘͉̯̱͛̾͆ͅ.̸̡͉͕̥͎̼̩̯̥̜̗̻̥̈̽͗͗̏͠͠.̵̛̗͖͍̼̲̮̉̓͂̀̑̒̽̽͝ͅ.̶̨̠͈̥̗̭̹̜̙̥͉̓̀͛̆̓̄̈́͛̀͛̚͝ͅ.̸̦͔̫͉͉̭̟͖̜̔̓.̵̛͙̹̓̂̍̑͋̋̓̉͊̓͝.̶̠̟̊́̿̾̋̃̓́́͊͂.̸̱͍͓͈̭̜̯͍̭̫͚͈̿.̶̡̡̛̝̹̥̘͈͖̲̼̼̹̓̀̓̀̎̀̇̈́̊͝.̶͍͈̳͌͐̊́.̴̨̡͎͚͓̥͎̀̉̊͒͊̆͛̾͂͂̈́̇͝.̸̬̟͔͖͕̻̲̏̄̈́́.̵̮͖̱̙̮͔̩̝͎̞͉͒͂͗̆̈́́.̷̧̡̡̨̜̝͖̹͈̳͇̼̹̎̏͛͒̑͒̋̈́̏̉̚.̵̖͕͓̖̖̑̈̊͋̎͊̏̏̿͆.̸̮̦̿͛̇̎̒̿́̔.̶͔̭͍̟̩̖̲̜͚͇̹͎͘.̶̘̫̹̪̭͙̪̆̄̓̊̍̐̇̅͐̂͠.̷̡̰̐͋͌̊͗̏̍̚͠͝͠.̵̢̔̏͂̆̃̍͒̌̂̚͝.̴̨̨̡̛̛̣̮̠̞͚͙͔͍͗̿̏͂͊̈́.̷̡͈̼̼̘̈́̔̓.̸̢̡͎̪̖̜̠̣̳̥̠̬͍̉́̋.̸͉͓̙̠̘̋͂̃̓̕̚͘͠ͅ.̶̘͎͙̘̦̹̺͓̝̩̥̱̬̿͆̀̍̿̎͒͊̽̓̕.̸̠͖̟̱͉͓͍͇̰̥̖̑͑͆̌̇̍͜͜.̶̢̡̝̰̰̗̬̖̠̆̏̉̾̏͊̕.̸̢͙̗̠͙̙̈́͐̉̆̓.̶̢̛̲͚̙̝̤̮͓̆̂̑̈́́̈́͋͛͊̃͠͠.̷̧̛̝̗̦͔̦̈́̌̀̆̀.̶̹̱͑̇̾́͋͑̏̆̃̄͂̑͘.̵̳̜̞͎̲̻̻̮͕͗͒͊̍̅̎̀̽̑̑.̴̡̨̛̭͕̗̼̹͙͎̖̈́͒͋̀̆͠.̸̨̢̞̩̳͍̯̪̻͍̣̀̀͛̌͜.̵̧̫͍͍̭̯̟͎͈̠́̔̑̓̑̆̾̋͗̓̑̀͘.̴̡̲̲̩̤͈͍̱͓͕̱̥̏̄.̷̡̲̯̪̰͙͉̣̦͚̼̰̌̈͂͆͊͌͋̉̊̉̈̊͝.̴̳͙̗͇̈͒.̷̻͈͎̥̞̺͚͓̉̓͂͂͋̅͘͜͠͝ͅ.̸̡̨̡̲̼̹̬̺̮̰͉̞̳̋̽̏̋́̓̇̕͝.̷̧̛̬͙̹̤̦̱̼̪̺̤̀̋̃̅͊̀̒̈́̈̕.̴̢̞̠̘̲̜͔̖͔͙̲̬̺̽.̵̬̳̤̤̬͔̰̩̬̹͉̒͝ͅͅ.̶͎͚́͆͆͗̚.̵̧̘̤̥́.̵̠̰̣͉̈̌̈́͆̽͝ͅ.̷̹̦̱̩̗̻͔̏̅̀̒́̕.̵̡̛̞̯̭̻̅̑̆̀͒̌͛͂̃̅̕.̸̡̮̼̺͔͖͈͍̦͇͖̒͊.̴̠̱̱͍͔̗̂̇͛̉̍̾̈́̀̿̀̓͝.̸̡̡̪̭̜̯̞̠̝͈̹̅̄́̀̎̅͝.̴̨͚̤̥͍̘̞̆̉̎͛̄̃̈̊͘͝.̵͈͙̗̘̺͙̥̺̖͋͒̓̚.̸̼͇̥͇͉͕̮͎͔̈́̇.̵̡̨̥̻͍̗̞͚̟̮͕͍͍͂̉̅.̷͖̰̜̥͚͈̟̤̜̇̂̅̿̿̂̿̒͝͝ͅ.̵̡̲̫͕͇̞̰̲̱̹͔̲̥̇̅̓̒̿̈́͋͘͝.̴̬̫̺͚̝̩͖͎̤̝̠̘͊̆́̓͋̏̿͊̎̚ͅ.̶̛̛͔͇̩͈̰͚͉̓̆̈́̑̇̃͋͐̈́̽͠ͅ.̵͎̙̟̼̱̠̝̻̀̊͐̅̑͐̾̐̉̒̒̉͜.̵̘̗͔͙̰̈́͗.̶̧̗̰͓̩͍̖̐̋͗.̶̡̼͙̭̙̙͙̖̏̓͆̌̔̔̈́̊̔̚̕̚.̵̺̠̫̰̈́̈́̽͑͋͗́̎́̚͝.̴̘̲̪̈́̆̅̈̓̎̈́̓̚̕.̴̨̨̜̤̘̪͊.̴̡̗͎̝̞̹͙̼̅̏̐̊͊̔̌́̽́̽̚̕.̸̡̡̛̞͍͉̦̗͍̝͙̭͕̼̀̐̋̅̊̓̑́̍̌̑̕

(Note: This novel is originally published in Royal Road, so if you are reading it anywhere else, please come to Royal Road to read it and support me. Thankyou.)
What to expect from this novel:

1) Unconventional cultivation rooted in philosophy.
2) Dual protagonists mirrored across two worlds.
3) 21+ Laws of World and the abstract Laws of Mind, unlocked layer by layer.
(Training arc for Laws of World starts from Volume 2)
4) Schemes, masks, and identity plays.
5) Characters who feel, enemies that think, and tension that bites.
6) An emotionally charged descent into ruin in search of meaning.
7) Devoted passion from the author ^^

Epilogue

★ 4.63

Etzoli

Revised version now available! Amazon paperback, ebook, audiobook, Kobo, B&N, Google

In the war-torn land of Cyraveil, four heroes strove to overthrow an empire. By cold steel and elemental sorcery, they brought peace to a warring land on the brink of destruction. As the flames died, the realm needed strong leadership, and who better than the champions who had saved the kingdom? But when the people sought out their saviors... they vanished.

Matt, Blake, Jen, and Carl: the four mysterious companions, who together had deposed an insane ruler and saved countless lives, were gone—spirited back in a whirlwind of magic to a sleepy suburb in Mellbridge, Oregon, never to return. The friends found themselves home in the real world, exactly as they'd been the night they were taken, as if no time had passed... except only three came back.

Hi there! This was my entry for National Novel Writing Month, because why only write one series at a time? The more the merrier! (meanwhile, my keyboard bursts into flames...)

I'm also the writer of The Last Science, an ongoing low-fantasy/speculative sci-fi series. If you're familiar with that, you know what to expect here: lots of character-focused drama and dialogue, not a whole lot of traditional action. However, I'm writing a bit differently than usual here, and in a very different structure, so there should be some surprises for returning readers. I hope you enjoy it!

[Discord] — for those of you who want to hang out and chat.

Cover art (fullsize): Path of Revelation, by taenaron (Tobias Roetsch), modified by Etzoli. Normally I like to do my own cover art from scratch, but I was in a rush for the contest. Might be replaced down the line if I get time.

[winner of the NaNoWriMo Royal Road 2018 challenge—Most Favorites]

Hell Hound Evolution [LITRPG]

★ 4.77

Winter Knights

What to expect

-Early slice of life chapters with puppy family.

-Villain arc?

-EVOLUTION!

-Her skillset will revolve around her nature as a predator and have a lot to do with hunting prey.

BLURB

She’s a puppy. She’s a girl. And she’s going to evolve.

Waking up one day in a litter of puppies, her human life a fading memory, she quickly falls into the flow of things.

Playing and hunting with her pack, taking naps at all hours of the day, and most importantly, leveling up and evolving!

With five brothers and sisters who all have their own unique powers, a protective Dog Mom and Cerberus Dad with three heads, she was sure nothing could ever go wrong in her new life.

That is, until human hunters show up and attack her family and kidnap her brothers and sisters.

Now she’s by herself in a world that is so much harsher to face alone. But she won’t give up. She’ll continue to level and evolve, and become powerful enough to take revenge on those damned humans and get her family back!

Updates Mon/Wen/Fri before 8pm Us eastern

Shadows Over Arcadia

★ 4.64

Zacheas

The unwanted second prince of a powerful but corrupt Kingdom in a world of monsters and magic is set on the dangerous path of vengeance. Prince Ren Drakemore, under the protection and guidance of his demonic maid, works to covertly gain power, influence, and allies in hopes of eventually killing his own father, brother, and anyone else who stands in his way. Initially he hopes to right the evils perpetrated by his kingdom, but as he grows in power, he will also struggle to maintain his own humanity. Will he be the hero to save them all or the monster that consumes them? Only time will tell.

Tyrants of Earth – The Legend of Artigan

★ 4.64

Purveilor

Ryan Robinson had one dream: to be an adventurer.
Quests, skills, quirky teammates and streaming on Realmnet. What’s not to love?

Instead he’s broke, working at a Manaburger, and System slots cost more than his paycheck times ten thousand.

Then he gets shot.
Then the Trial System chooses him.
Then he ends up in a Trial, with hostile Earth soldiers—from his own country no less.

Ryan just wanted to play adventurer. Instead, he’s fighting with every authority figure, stabbing a sword prodigy in a deathmatch, and… immediately getting blacklisted from the Adventurer’s Guild?

Suddenly Ryan's no longer just a fry cook. He's a rare Destined, tasked with figuring out how to save not one, but two worlds. It just doesn't seem that way to anyone else.

But hey, in a world ruled by Tyrants, what’s a villain but a hero adventurer with an attitude?

What to expect:

+ Ryan is a lovable [Rogue]. Weak to strong to op.

+ Power and choice, choice and power. Progression in both skills and character.

+ arrogant mages, intelligent monsters, guns, drones, selfies, [Meteors], covens, cults, shitposting epigraphs and a Gamielle.

+ World hopping between The Realm and Earth through gates/skills. A lot of the initial focus will be on The Realm.

+ A Witch Tyrant who will hex people through the internet for very mean comments.

+ No harem.

Updates everyday (2.5k-3.5k chapters) while we're on rising stars! Then we'll go back to 5 a day schedule with [BEGONE CLIFF] for extra chapters (Check out chapter 27 author's notes).

Long time reader, first time storyteller. I've been working on Ryan's tale for a while now and it's finally at the stage where I'm proud to share it. There's a lot of inspirations here. From system apocalypses to world hopping to cultivation and just epic fantasy. You'll find elements of all of them here, blended into something that I believe is fairly unique.