System Fantasy

These stories and more are featured in the third short story anthology for the System Apocalypse, continuing the saga of survival in a world transformed by the arrival of the System. Humanity has adapted to a new reality filled with Classes, magic and monsters, but the struggle for life, love and purpose never ends. This anthology brings together gripping tales from returning authors and two new short stories by Tao Wong.

Living with an advanced Werewolf System hasn't always been easy for Gary Dem. But it sure comes in handy. Without it, he would never have been able to take on—and literally devour—a lethal Altered and live to tell about it. With his new rank and abilities, Gary and his gang, the Howlers, are primed to finally wipe out the last remaining competition in Slough. As long as he can control himself and his growing werewolf pack, things might just turn out all right . . . But it's not bloody likely.

There has always been one last question, one driving motivation for John Lee. Having survived the System Apocalypse on Earth and travelled to the far reaches of the galaxy, the question has always been left unanswered.

Life comes at you fast, and no one knows that better than Mark Fields. In a few short months he’s gone from a lowly dishwasher to an empowered soldier, gained new powers and friends, and survived the deadly Exlian aliens in the wilderness. And now, he’s a prisoner. Framed for murder and thrown into the deadly Tomb, forgotten and alone—no master, no team, no friends save the enigmatic cat Mime—Mark can only rely on himself … and the strange voice that whispers inside him.

Su Fang arrives in a realm of cultivation unprepared—no skills, no knowledge, and no backing. Like everyone else in this new world, he is given a blessing from the Heavenly Dao to help him success, but Su Fang's blessing isn’t power over the elements or mastery of profound arts. No, it takes a brutal lesson to teach him that he’s been ‘blessed’ with repetition. Every time he dies, he returns to the moment of his arrival. The young cultivator uses each reset to grind skills, refine his inner essence, and empower his very soul, using only the memories of countless failures.

Unlikely hero Victor discovers the realm of Fanwath is even deadlier beneath the surface in the rollicking sequel to action-adventure fantasy Pit Fighter. Suddenly transported to the land of Fanwath, Victor had a hard time adapting to a reality controlled by an omniscient “System” that rewarded strength, skill, and savagery with increased “Energy,” which was necessary if one wished to continue breathing.

Not long ago, Gary was just another punk teenager living in a ramshackle house in a ramshackle town. To survive, he worked as a gofer for a brutal street gang—until a simple job went bad, and he ended up paired with a Werewolf System that enhanced his strength, stamina, and attitude. But as Gary quickly learned, this gift could also be a curse, costing anyone who got too close to him their life. Now, he's trying to figure out how to use his system to make things better for those around him. Unfortunately, before things get better, they're going to get much, much worse.

Urey Lotheric, Supreme Mage of the Cabal of the Broken Gate, has been vanquished, and the valley has been saved from certain destruction. But none of that will matter if John can’t find a way back to Candle Scholar Tower. Stranded in the void with Ferdie and Ellie, John has to find a way to get access to the valley, or risk being separated from his farm forever.

on Fanwath. But he had other ideas—bigger, bolder, bloodier ideas. Now known as Lord Victor after a hard-fought campaign to claim the newly christened Free Marches, his legend grows beyond his own lifetime. With yet another conquest, Victor must set order in his new realms, a task more daunting than battle with all it entails. But above all, he must somehow save his dear ally Edeya, whose spirit was stolen in the chaos of war.

Knox wants nothing more than to escape his small-town life as a woodcutter. He finally gets his chance to delve deep into a dungeon, and his world is forever changed! When disaster strikes, even in his new life as an Adventurer, can he survive long enough to walk the mysterious Path of the Titans? In the realm of Premar, where magic is wild and unbound, rules are about to be set forth. The Path of the Titans will unlock the Titan System, forcing all magic to obey the laws and rules set forth by the powerful Titans themselves.

Now the site of EBO’s first completed Red Cathedral, the Onyx Delta has become the center of the virtual world, and the entire player base is descending on Ned’s city to try their hand at the fearsome new raid and reap the game-changing rewards within. At the same time, a powerful, menacing guild is running roughshod over the western continents, razing every city in their wake and winning Frank’s obnoxiously loud approval from afar. But Ned knows that it’s only a matter of time before their forces sail east to the delta and attempt to burn down everything he’s built.

It’s not easy being a System Traveler. Well, the traveling part is hard, at least. But once Derek got his feet under him, he hit the ground running, saving an entire area from a massive dungeon overflow in the process. He even found some companions to help ease the massive hole inside him formed from spending decades alone in the void.

Victor has seen better days. He just barely survived a savage showdown with the lethal warrior woman Rellia, which left her minus a foot and apparently cost him the life essence of his trusted magical axe, Lifedrinker. Then, much to Victor's surprise, Rellia asks him to visit her. And she does so not as an enemy but as an honorable opponent who owes him for sparing her life. Rellia wishes Victor's aid in claiming her family's land stake in a dangerous far-off realm. In return, he'll receive his own land and a place among the elite.

When young Victor Sandoval was snatched from his abuela's home and thrust into a brutal existence as a pit fighter in the land of Fanwath, it took a long time—and a heck of a lot of acquired skills and levels—to survive and become a formidable warrior with anger issues to spare. And now he seems to be right back at the bottom of the barrel.

Since she arrived in the alternate dimension of Luliv, Alice Verianna's scientific exploration of its magical properties has yielded fascinating results. She has uncovered many secrets behind the mysterious construct—known as the System—that connects all of Luliv, and her own abilities to harness this magic have flourished in unexpected ways. But the System is failing. And as Alice desperately races to get to the bottom of why, she's finding more questions than answers while its people go mad and monster attacks become more frequent and deadlier than ever.

Bienvenue à Torith ! Cité de tous les mystères, où l'aristocratie intrigue sans relâche. Où les alliances se nouent dans le plus grand secret. Où les serments sont plus redoutables que le fil d'une épée. Derek Hunt est sorti victorieux du donjon des immortels. Ses statistiques sont hors du commun. Dans cette ville où il voudrait se faire un nom, ses pouvoirs attisent toutes les convoitises. À qui accorder sa confiance, dans ce jeu dont il ignore les règles ? Pour lui comme pour ceux qui ont juré sa perte, la partie ne fait que commencer.

Ever since he became gifted with the high-tech Werewolf System, Gary Dem's life has gone completely barking mad—but in a good way. He's risen from a nobody street scrapper to forming his own fighting gang, the Howlers, now dominating the low-tier burg of Slough. He's got respect, money, and some serious bite. Life is good. Just not good enough for Gary.

Life is the teacher. Death is the lesson. An undying cultivator is the result. Su Fang’s path of cultivation is a journey of countless deaths. As each new life pulls back the veil that covers the Nine Rivers Continent, he discovers both hidden truths and the chains that bind him.

Months after awakening in a new world—and body—Draka finds herself nearly settled and, dare she say it, happy. Her human life feeling more and more like a distant memory, now's the time to embrace her draconic side by growing her hoard, flexing her wings, and exploring the limits of her magic. Unfortunately, her peaceful contentment is destined to be far shorter lived than she might've hoped.

In this concluding volume of Neal Stephenson’s epic work, “Half-Cocked Jack” Shaftoe must escape the noose of Jack Ketch; the rivalry between Newton and Leibniz comes to a head; and Daniel Waterhouse pursues his dream to build the Logic Mill