Jack is violently pulled into a game-like universe and dumped into a seaside town on the brink of destruction. When the people of Blackmoor Cove begin to ask about his combat role, Jack discovers his odd Hero Class and finds that parts of his game interface are riddled with exposed coding errors.
He quickly learns that the only way the town can grow and push back the unknown substance threatening to consume it is if brave Heroes venture into an infinitely high, ever-changing tower, kill bizarre monsters for their valuable equipment drops, and then deposit those items into a special chest.
As Jack struggles to level up and help save the people he has grown to care for, he learns the true nature of this simulated word and his destiny... But can he overcome his reckless nature and become the leader this strange world needs?
My Opinion: 316 pages, $4.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
An entertaining tower crawl, which is just a dungeon crawl in a tower. There are some sci-fi subplots but it’s just an excuse to kill monsters and get new gear.
Game mechanic wise, the story tries to be a little different by omitting the XP in the progression system and instead basing the main characters (MC) level solely on clearing levels in the tower. MC beats the level 2 boss, he’s now level 3, gets upgrades to HP, Mana, and can use up to level 3 gear. Progression isn’t tied directly to killing monsters and increased damage and def is more gear oriented with level restrictions. The MC has a couple of cheat abilities, but he’s not over powered.
The storyline is a bit convoluted and comes down to clearing tower levels and feeding items to the RPG town to help it grow so it is not be overcome by the ‘corruption’. There’s supposed to be a bigger sci-fi impact on the universe for defeating these monsters too, but it’s all just an excuse to kill stuff. There are some character development sub plots which include a minor romance, but they feel forced and there are some big plot holes in the story if you look too hard. But just treat this as a slice of life dungeon crawl and it’s entertaining enough.
Score: 7.1 out of 10