Der-shing Helmer – författare

Nathaniel's bus ride was supposed to be just another boring commute. Wrong. Now, he, 23 fellow passengers, and a corgi named Biscuit, are stuck in a 'Hell Difficulty' Tutorial, battling monsters and leveling up to survive.Easy difficulty, anyone can handle. Normal difficulty, you've got to put up a fight to get by. Hard difficulty is where only the tough ones last. And Hell? That's where you have to be a bit out of your mind!With his terrifying talent for mana manipulation, Nathaniel decides to invest every stat point into mana. Attribute imbalance be damned. It will either kill him before the monsters and his enemies can, or turn him into one of the most powerful beings within the system.Never underestimate the guy who has so much Mana it should kill him...Follow Nathaniel's crazy journey as he takes on nightmarish foes and teams up with a far-from-normal group of bus passengers in this action-packed LitRPG Adventure. He must outsmart the odds, survive, and emerge stronger than anyone else!

The Dark Ages… Demon hordes plague Europe as Hell invades Earth. The Six Petals, a secret sect of The Knights Templar, pray for a holy weapon to drive back the scourge. What crashes to earth instead is The Rig, a fully loaded tractor trailer. In the aftermath of its arrival, the only man left standing is an enigmatic former priest. He will become Trucker and lead the fight against Hell - with 25 tons and 18 wheels of demon-slaying machine.Created by Post Malone. Written by Post Malone and Adrian Wassel. Drawn by Barbaric co-creator and Dark Knights of Steel artist Nathan Gooden'Big Rig is a crazy comic about three unlikely heroes battling wicked demons in medieval times using a massive eighteen-wheeler truck, and it's pretty fucking awesome.' – Post MaloneFor fans of: Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Mad Max: Fury Road, Blade, The Walking Dead, Fury, Chainsaw Man, Gantz, Spawn, and Vault’s These Savage ShoresHeaven. Hell. Horsepower.

You ever see that second Ewoks movie?The one where they suddenly kill off all the characters from the first movie?!And you were like 'Mommy! Whyyy, oh God, whyyy?'Well, this new MONEY SHOT arc is like that with a lot less body hair, somewhat more sex, and the same amount of people yelling for mommy. The XXX-plorers return just in time to witness the rise of an anti-sex death cult! Now it's a race against time and the relay team includes alien strippers!PATTON OSWALT, real life funny person, joins OG writer Tim Seeley and all new artist Garth Graham for a sexy new arc!

Let your imagination take flight with the eighth volume of this groundbreaking graphic novel fantasy anthology series, featuring short stories from some of today’s most legendary artists, including the series editor, Amulet creator Kazu Kibuishi!“The sheer force of creative energy on display is impressive.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review), on the Flight seriesFrom a runaway prince’s journey through mystical woods to a lost robot’s long trek home, this eighth volume of Flight collects the voices of brilliant illustrators and animators before they launched to fame.This reissued comics anthology is full of memorable and gorgeous tales from multiple New York Times bestselling authors and award-winning artists, including:• Kazu Kibuishi, New York Times bestselling author of the Amulet series• Tony Cliff, New York Times bestselling author of the Delilah Dirk series• Matthew S. Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author of The Chronicles of Narnia Pop-up• Leland Myrick, New York Times bestselling illustrator of Feynman• Der-shing Helmer, Ignatz Award–winning creator of The Meek• Sonny Liew, Eisner Award–winning author of The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye• And more!

From Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein (Everything’s Fine), and Lisa Sterle (The Modern Witch Tarot, Witchblood) comes the graphic novel about a chronically depressed girl who’s tired of fighting for her…death.Today is Ash’s big finale. And by finale, of course, she means exiting the stage permanently.Ash is a sixteen-year-old girl with more angst than Ian Curtis and Elliott Smith combined (her two idols). She’s apathetic and therefore believes death is the easiest route to relief. But nothing is more embarrassing than a lame death. Unfortunately, her meticulous plans — which include the perfect outfit, soundtrack, and method — are all ruined when the beautiful knife she buys off a webstore turns out to be charmed with a protection spell.Now, Ash has to track down the witch who turned her clocking out attempt into the worst gift imaginable: immortality. Turns out, the witch responsible is another sixteen-year-old-girl named (get this) Liv. The two vow to undo the charm together and fight for Ash’s death…even as things get increasingly entangled with a strange new antidepressant called Somnia and her mum’s gross boyfriend, Greg (ughh).DYING INSIDE is a musically immersive experience, featuring QR codes that lead the reader to:original lyrics and poetry from Pete Wentz, an integrated playlist from Pete Wentz and Hannah Klein, never-before-heard music from Daisy Grenadeand more!

The cult-cinema hero Deathstalker bursts into comics from an all-star lineup of creators including Slash (Guns N’ Roses), writer-director Steven Kostanski (The Void), Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash) and Jim Terry (West of Sundown).Hired to escort a perfect priestess and her to a celebration of purity, Deathstalker’s journey doesn’t go as planned (damn those good looks and big sword). Once again, Deathstalker is on the run caught between forces larger than himself, including the virgin-worshipping cult, a sorcerer hell-bent on saving the world through mad science, and the pissed-off army of the Abraxeon kingdom…not to mention his ex-lover, Princess Evie.Monsters, magic, and mayhem abound!Can’t a guy just swing his sword anymore?

Something wicked crawled out screaming.In the small Midwest town of Welling Grove, Edith 'Eddie' Miller has no grand plans or great prospects. She spends her days sleeping in and her nights working shifts at the local rest stop. But when her younger sister fails to come home, Eddie unearths a web of missing girls and rotting bodies. The police prove useless, so Eddie teams up with her best friend, Rainer, in a desperate hunt to find her sister. The only thing is…Eddie believes her best friend might be the Devil himself.SOMETHING CRAWLED OUT is a darkly disturbing tale of desire and brutality, desperation and devastation, and family.For readers of: The Autumnal (Daniel Kraus & Chris Shehan), Something is Killing the Children (James Tynion IV & Werther Dell’Edra), The Night Eaters (Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda), Home Sick Pilots (Dan Watters & Caspar Wijngaard), The Woods (James Tynion IV & Michael Dialynas), Nice House on the Lake (James Tynion & Alvaro Martino Bueno), The Me You Love in the Dark (Skottie Young & Jorge Corona), Let Me Out (Emmett Nahil & George Williams), I Hate This Place (Kyle Starks, Artyom Topilin, Lee Loughridge), Basketful of Heads (Joe Hill & Leomacs), My Best Friend’s Exorcism (Grady Hendrix), My Heart is a Chainsaw and Don’t Fear the Reaper (Stephen Graham Jones).For fans of: Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Fargo, A Clockwork Orange, The Green Room, Possessor, I Saw The Devil, and Prisoner.

OVERLORD meets MONSTER HUNTER in the massively bestselling LitRPG Apocalyptic Fantasy Action Adventure The Primal Hunter – in print and as a Light Novel for the very first time with The Primal Hunter (Light Novel) Vol. 1 from Aethon & Vault!On just another average day, Jake finds himself in a forest filled with monsters, dangers, and opportunity.... It was a day like any other when suddenly the world changed. The universe reached a threshold humanity didn’t even know existed, and it was time to finally be integrated into the vast multiverse. A place where power is the only thing anyone can truly rely on. Jake, a seemingly average office worker, finds himself thrust into this new world. Into a tutorial filled with dangers and opportunities. His new reality should breed fear and concern. His fellow coworkers falter at every turn. Jake, however, finds himself thriving. Perhaps... This is the world Jake was meant to be born in. The Primal Hunter is an apocalyptic adventure LitRPG Light Novel in a dark fantasy setting, complete with levels, professions, skills, dungeons, loot, and all of the great traits of progression fantasy and LitRPG that fans and readers love and expect. Follow Jake as he explores a vast new multiverse filled with challenges and opportunities. As he grows in power, he slowly transforms from a bored office worker into a true apex hunter. The Primal Hunter (Light Novel) Volumes 1 – 3 narrative corresponds to The Primal Hunter Book 1 eBook from Aethon Books. It's perfect for fans of He Who Fights Monsters, Mark of the Fool, My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror, the Cradle Series, Iron Prince, Gleam, Mage Errant, System Universe, Defiance of the Fall, Infrasound Berserker, Azarinth Healer, Path of Ascension, Legend of Randidly Ghosthound, Dissonance (Unbound #1), Amelia the Level Zero Hero, Industrial Strength Magic, Darkblade, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Otherside Picnic, Solo Leveling, Branson Sanderson’s Cosmere Universe; The Space Between Worlds (Micaiah Johnson), and Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman), Zogarth is the author of the bestselling, mega-hit, 9 volume LitRPG adventure series The Primal Hunter from Aethon Books, and the best selling The Primal Hunter audiobook series, read by Travis Baldree from Aethon Audio! About Light Novels from Aethon & Vault: All Aethon & Vault Light Novels are based on mega-bestselling LitRPG and Progression Fantasy eBooks published by trailblazing digital Science Fiction and Fantasy publisher, Aethon Books. If you’ve read and enjoyed the Aethon eBooks, Aethon & Vault light novels have kept everything you love about those eBooks – and upped the game. By dividing each original Aethon eBook into two to four Light Novel volumes, Vault endeavors to enhance the reading experience by providing an easily-digestible print edition with illustrations and design details. Every Aethon & Vault light novel volume is produced in conjunction with and approved by the author/creator of the bestselling eBook. Each Aethon & Vault light novel volume contains seven original, exclusive illustrations – in both full color and black and white - from some of the most talented manga artists and illustrators from around the world, while every page of the book is meticulously designed and embellished with never-before-seen elements taken directly from the narrative heart of the story. If you’re already an existing fan and you’ve devoured the eBook, now is the time to grab the light novels in print format and widely distributed for the very first time! And if you’ve never read any of the bestselling eBooks, this is your opportunity to dive into the intersecting world of Light Novels, LitRPG, Progression Fantasy, Isekai, and Manga! LIGHT NOVELS FROM AETHON & VAULT: 2024 The Primal Hunter (Light Novel) Vol. 1 My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror (Light Novel) Vol. 1 2025 Mark of the Fool (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Path of Ascension (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Road to Mastery (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Hell Difficulty Tutorial (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Reborn as a Demonic Tree (Light Novel) Vol. 1 The Primal Hunter (Light Novel) Vol. 2, Vol. 3 My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror (Light Novel) Vol. 2, Vol. 3 Salvos (Light Novel) Vol. 1 An Unexpected Hero (Light Novel) Vol. 1

Something strange is bugging the residents of Pine Cove.Clayton Lowe is headed back to his small Southern hometown, despite his best efforts to leave it in the rearview mirror. Clay’s new friends from grad school are about to meet his old friends from high school and discover that something may have finally changed in the town where nothing ever changes: Pine Cove is ground zero for an infestation of body-snatching alien-bugs.Time to bury the past.And it ain’t gonna be easy.

Orphaned by monsters, Matt must power-up to save others from the same fate.Matt plans to delve the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and murdered his parents. But his dreams are crushed when his Tier 1 Talent is rated as detrimental and no guild or group will take him.Working at a nearby inn, he meets a mysterious and powerful couple who give him a chance to join the Path of Ascension, an empire-wide race to ascend the Tiers and become living legends.With their recommendation and a stolen Skill, Matt begins his journey to the peak of power. Maybe then, he can get vengeance he seeks...Experience the start of an action-packed fantasy adventure that blends the best of LitRPG and Progression Fantasy with Xianxia (Chinese for “immortal heroes” and is Chinese fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology). With more than 5 million views on Royal Road, this hit web serial is new-and-improved - and now in Light Novel format from Vault!

On just another average day, Jake finds himself in a forest filled with monsters, dangers, and opportunity....It was a day like any other when suddenly the world changed. The universe reached a threshold humanity didn’t even know existed, and it was time to finally be integrated into the vast multiverse. A place where power is the only thing anyone can truly rely on.Jake, a seemingly average office worker, finds himself thrust into this new world. Into a tutorial filled with dangers and opportunities.His new reality should breed fear and concern. His fellow coworkers falter at every turn. Jake, however, finds himself thriving.Perhaps... This is the world Jake was meant to be born in.

Damien nearly ended the world. Now, his mistake might be the only thing that can save it.Good things come to those who wait. Damien Vale didn’t, and he ended up bound to an Eldritch creature from beyond the reaches of space. It has lived since the dawn of time, seen the world born and destroyed countless times, and wants to be called Henry.Unusual companion or not, Damien was still determined to go to a mage college and study magic. He wants nothing more than to live a normal life as a researcher, but if Henry’s true nature is revealed, he’ll be killed.To top it all off, Damien’s teacher is a madman from the front lines of war, his alcoholic dean suspects something is awry with his companion, and Blackmist might possibly be the worst school in history. Damien has to prevent the end of the world, but he isn’t even sure he’s going to make it through Year One at Blackmist.

Two years ago, Walden Maroon outgrew his small town slice of Americana known as Tiny Falls, his loving parents, and the low stakes mysteries involving missing butterflies and stolen cookies. Since then, he’s dwelled within the gritty, gangster-ridden cesspit of a city known as Crimeville, where murders, vice, and corruption are the city’s bread and butter. Where the unholy trinity of Greed, Squalor, and Despair permeates both the air the citizens breathe and the ground on which they walk – and die. But at 12 years old, Kid is weary. When a string of horrific killings and arsons spring up in the streets, can he crack the case with his quick wits and slingshot? Or does Kid Maroon secretly yearn for what he’s never gotten to be … a kid?From bestselling writer Christopher Cantwell (Iron Man, Doctor Doom, The Blue Flame, Halt and Catch Fire) and star artist Victor Santos (Polar, Violent Love)!

Dario Santini has lived a charmed life as an enforcer and debt collector for mob boss Niccolò Mechini. He’s had it all: respect, power, even the love of a good woman. But everything changes when he crosses a line and is shot dead on the sidewalk.Waking up in Hell, Dario faces a future of pain and suffering… unless he can turn eternal damnation into a business opportunity. The Devil is in the details, and Dario’s dealing a dangerous hand when it comes to gambling with the biggest guy in the down below: Satan himself. It’s a high-stakes game that he can’t afford to lose. Lose the play, lose your soul. Can this sinner become a winner?Just remember: It’s not personal – it’s strictly business. Mostly.Godfather of Hell: where gangster noir and exorcist terror collide!

Ashlock wakes in the courtyard of a demonic sect... as a tree. A tree that eats people.An odd start to a new life. Almost as strange as the cultivators flying through the skies on flaming swords and challenging the heavens. After all, this is a world where one can transcend mortality through cultivation.But Ashlock is a spirit tree. Despite being in a different body than the demonic young masters cultivating on the mountain peaks around him, he has the same goal - to be the strongest in all the realms and survive the beast tides.Thankfully, it turns out that spirit trees are well-suited for cultivation.Every day that passes, he grows continuously stronger as he spends the days cultivating and using a suspicious daily sign-in system that grants him powerful skills, mutations, summons, and items, all in exchange for credits earned from devouring flesh and watching the seasons pass.But his man-eating ways can only go unnoticed for so long, and those around him will soon grow suspicious. Ashlock's only chance of survival is to grow faster and stronger than any tree has ever done in the history of the nine realms.Don't miss the start to this unique reincarnation isekai LitRPG set in a Cultivator world. With millions of views and tens of thousands of followers, this was one of the most popular web serials of 2023. Now, experience the Light Novel version of the hit series!

Damien nearly ended the world. Now, his mistake might be the only thing that can save it.Good things come to those who wait. Damien Vale didn’t, and he ended up bound to an Eldritch creature from beyond the reaches of space. It has lived since the dawn of time, seen the world born and destroyed countless times, and wants to be called Henry.Unusual companion or not, Damien was still determined to go to a mage college and study magic. He wants nothing more than to live a normal life as a researcher, but if Henry’s true nature is revealed, he’ll be killed.To top it all off, Damien’s teacher is a madman from the front lines of war, his alcoholic dean suspects something is awry with his companion, and Blackmist might possibly be the worst school in history. Damien has to prevent the end of the world, but he isn’t even sure he’s going to make it through Year One at Blackmist.

Some men are born heroes. Others have heroism thrust upon them…Sorry... Really? Thrust? Anyway, Danny Kendrick was a down-on-his luck performer who always struggled to find his place. He certainly never wanted to be a hero. He just hoped to earn a living doing what he loved.That all changes when he pisses off the wrong guy and gets sucked into a fantasy realm straight out of a Renaissance Fair.Getting used to a new world is tough. It’s even tougher when you’re surrounded by axe-wielding barbarians, super hot elf assassins, strange magic, and a System AI that seems as interested in causing trouble as helping... or maybe just wasn't interested in being assigned yet another companion in the first place.Danny must adapt fast, turn on the charm, and learn to embrace his given Class if he hopes to master it and survive this dangerous new place.But he has a knack for finding trouble. Gifted what seems like an innocent ancient lute after making a questionable deal with a Hag, Danny becomes the target of mysterious factions who seek to claim its power.It's up to him, Screenie, and his new barbaric friend, Curr, to uncover the truth and become the heroes nobody knew they needed. And maybe, just maybe, Danny will finally find a place where he belongs. Perhaps, even where he'll thrive.Jump into this fantasy isekai LitRPG Adventure Light Novel filled with unforgettable characters, loveable companions, unlikely heroes, slice-of-life elements, and plenty of laughs. Perfect for fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl, Off to be the Wizard, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves, and Kings of the Wyld!

An action-packed fantasy following the evolution and adventures of a Demon girl as she learns to survive in a game-like Netherworld!The life of an Infant Demon is a bloody grind to the top. For Salvos, a curious newborn Demon with a penchant for making friends, surviving the swarms of wild Demons in the Netherworld was always going to be a difficult task. She will adapt, gain experience, and evolve to survive this hellish landscape with the help of her sole companion.But when her companion's life is threatened by a mysterious Demon King, she'll have to do what it takes to save him. Even if it means separating from him and being tossed into an unfamiliar world with humans, monsters, and a bright blue sky where she is scorned for being born a Demon.The law of evolution is survival of the fittest, and Salvos will survive.This novel is an action-packed monster evolution litrpg fantasy following the adventures of a Demon girl set inside a game-like world with Classes and Levels, but it is not inside the world of a video game. For the characters in the novel, the world is as real as the real world is to me and you.

After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry.Fate had other plans.On his eighteenth birthday, Alex is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is 'The Fool’.Worst of the marks.Rather than die or serve other Heroes like past Fools, he takes a stand, rejects divine decree…and leaves. With his little sister, his childhood friend, and her cerberus, Alex flees for the university, hoping to research the mystery of the Ravener. He’ll make lifelong friends, learn magic from mad wizards, practice alchemy, fight mana vampires, and try to pay tuition.There’s one small problem. The Mark insists on preventing the Fool from learning and casting spells, while enhancing skills outside of divinity, combat, and spellcraft……that is, unless he learns to exploit the hell out of it.

After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry.Fate had other plans.On his eighteenth birthday, Alex is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is 'The Fool’.Worst of the marks.Rather than die or serve other Heroes like past Fools, he takes a stand, rejects divine decree…and leaves. With his little sister, his childhood friend, and her cerberus, Alex flees for the university, hoping to research the mystery of the Ravener. He’ll make lifelong friends, learn magic from mad wizards, practice alchemy, fight mana vampires, and try to pay tuition.There’s one small problem. The Mark insists on preventing the Fool from learning and casting spells, while enhancing skills outside of divinity, combat, and spellcraft……that is, unless he learns to exploit the hell out of it.

Orphaned by monsters, Matt must power-up to save others from the same fate.Matt plans to delve the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and murdered his parents. But his dreams are crushed when his Tier 1 Talent is rated as detrimental and no guild or group will take him.Working at a nearby inn, he meets a mysterious and powerful couple who give him a chance to join the Path of Ascension, an empire-wide race to ascend the Tiers and become living legends.With their recommendation and a stolen Skill, Matt begins his journey to the peak of power. Maybe then, he can get vengeance he seeks...Experience the start of an action-packed fantasy adventure that blends the best of LitRPG and Progression Fantasy with Xianxia (Chinese for “immortal heroes” and is Chinese fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology). With more than 5 million views on Royal Road, this hit web serial is new-and-improved - and now in Light Novel format from Vault!

Orphaned by monsters, Matt must power-up to save others from the same fate.Matt plans to delve the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and murdered his parents. But his dreams are crushed when his Tier 1 Talent is rated as detrimental and no guild or group will take him.Working at a nearby inn, he meets a mysterious and powerful couple who give him a chance to join the Path of Ascension, an empire-wide race to ascend the Tiers and become living legends.With their recommendation and a stolen Skill, Matt begins his journey to the peak of power. Maybe then, he can get vengeance he seeks...Experience the start of an action-packed fantasy adventure that blends the best of LitRPG and Progression Fantasy with Xianxia (Chinese for “immortal heroes” and is Chinese fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology). With more than 5 million views on Royal Road, this hit web serial is new-and-improved - and now in Light Novel format from Vault!

Life on Mars…No man is an island entire of itself, but Dr. Michael Fisher, a disgraced planetary geologist living on Mars, has never felt more isolated. The situation worsens when both he and Dr. Bex Egunsola, the station's newest biologist, accidentally break through the floor of an unstable lava tube into an ancient subterranean world... and they are not alone.Is this purgatorial abyss a prison or a sanctuary? Genuine or constructed? How thin runs the line between life and death? And is there a chance for the fallen to return to the world of the living?For fans of: Terra Formars (Yu Sasuga), The Weatherman (Jody LeHeup/Nathan Fox), The Space Between (Corinna Bechko/Danny Luckert), DUNE: House Astreides, The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury), Sentient, Mars, Inc. (Ben Bova), The Strange (Nathan Ballingrud), Doom 3: Worlds on Fire (Matthew Costello), The MARS Trilogy (Kim Stanley Robinson), The Expanse, The Martian, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Red Rising , 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ghosts of Mars, The Expanse, The Martian, Scavengers Reign, Red Planet, and The Haunting of Hill House.Written, illustrated, colored, and lettered by Eisner-nominated and critically-acclaimed writer/artist/editor Der-shing Helmer, The Internal Sea: Mare Internum, was an acclaimed webcomic that ran 2015-2019.

Western xianxia meets isekai in Reborn As a Demonic Tree (Light Novel) Vol. 2!The roots of power run deep... and so do the secrets they unearth.In a world teetering on the edge of disaster, Ashlock-a sentient spirit tree-discovers ancient mines, manipulates Qi with terrifying precision, and unlocks abilities once thought impossible for a rooted being. Meanwhile, cultivators Stella and Diana wrestle with their own demons while preparing for the cataclysmic beast tide.As ancient powers awaken and terrifying new cultivators arrive to challenge them, and monsters both real and internal close in, the trio must decide what kind of legacy they'll leave behind-if they survive!Reborn as a Demonic Tree (Light Novel) Volumes 1-3 narrative corresponds to Reborn as a Demonic Tree, Book 1 eBook from Aethon Books.

Where others see doom, he sees opportunity. Hell Difficulty? More like a chance to thrive.Trapped in a world ruled by stats, monsters, and logic, Nathaniel Gwyn is still playing on Hell Difficulty - and it’s a game he intends to win. Thrown from an ordinary bus ride into a deadly new world, Nathaniel and his group of survivors continue to navigate brutal creatures, portals to strange lands, and fractured alliances. As others cling to hope and fear, he continues to focus on mana manipulation and embraces the chaos with cold strategy, carving his path forward through sheer willpower.In a system where hesitation means death, the only way out is through - and Nathaniel plans to master it one step at a time.

Alone. Surrounded by monsters. Armed only with his fists... Time to fight.Jack Rust was a disillusioned biologist with a PhD - When an extraterrestrial AI calling itself, the System invaded Earth and thrust it into a world of aliens, magic, and violence, Jack hoped to at least get some magic himself.Nope.Even worse, the System spawned a forest dungeon around him and a goblin in his face...Armed with nothing but his fists, Jack must grow strong enough to survive hordes of monsters. He needs to return to civilisation and find out what the heck is going on. He might even get magic - or not. Surprising himself, Jack discovers that violence is fun.In this battle-ridden new world, Jack finds the life he always dreamed about. He won’t just survive. He will thrive.

Damien nearly ended the world. Now, his mistake might be the only thing that can save it.Good things come to those who wait. Damien Vale didn’t, and he ended up bound to an Eldritch creature from beyond the reaches of space. It has lived since the dawn of time, seen the world born and destroyed countless times, and wants to be called Henry.Unusual companion or not, Damien was still determined to go to a mage college and study magic. He wants nothing more than to live a normal life as a researcher, but if Henry’s true nature is revealed, he’ll be killed.To top it all off, Damien’s teacher is a madman from the front lines of war, his alcoholic dean suspects something is awry with his companion, and Blackmist might possibly be the worst school in history. Damien has to prevent the end of the world, but he isn’t even sure he’s going to make it through Year One at Blackmist.