Showing results by author "Vasily Mahanenko" in All Categories

Is it easy to survive in the game world? You could say yes, if you didn't know what the additional conditions were. They are unusual: it's the real world in which you have lived all your life. The enemy, craving to destroy you. Your own class who couldn't care less about you. Are you still sure that survival is easy? Then welcome to The Game! It will prove you wrong.

The Magic Academy...an institution shrouded in mystery and secrets. People from all over the different empires want nothing more than to enroll, get their hands on the knowledge stored there, become those most respected in the world - mages. Tailyn Vlashich was one of the lucky few admitted without going through the entrance exams.

This fast-paced collection of novellas and short stories from leading Russian LitRPG authors sheds new light on their signature worlds. You're in Game! features works by Vasily Mahanenko, Andrei Livadny, Alexey Osadchuk, Michael Atamanov, Pavel Kornev, and Andrew Novak. Expect your favorite heroes to play second fiddle to an array of new main characters, once-minor plot lines to lead you in unexpected directions, and familiar story events to take surprising new turns.

Death is not the end. Maximilian Valevsky was slain, but rune magic has returned him to this reality. There are still enemies to destroy and evil forces to expel from this world. The only question is: what will he do with the person who finally did him in? Will he forgive and forget, or take action to ensure his killer can never pull of such a trick again?

Death had only ever been a small misunderstanding for the high mage. After his seventh reincarnation, he'd begun thinking of it differently, viewing it as nothing more than a slight hiccup in his plans. But he'd forgotten one thing: When those plans get in the way of those higher up the ladder, punishment is soon to follow. And one more death brought faint consolation.

Is there anything better than a quiet life? Well, there's a quiet life surrounded by people you care about, people who love you in return, of course. But Tailyn Vlashich knew nothing of the kind. His parents had died years before, the townspeople stayed well away from the god's favorite, and his guardian just wanted to be rid of him. That was the setting when Tailyn was again placed on the road to uncertainty, beset by terrifying lixes, and hounded by a harsh trainer it was impossible to please.

Reality is cruel. The rising level of technological development has led to a rising level of unemployment. They're laying off everybody, from teachers to technical servicemen. What's the point of holding onto a person if they can be replaced by an advanced mechanism? But what are the people to do? How are they to live? Where are they to get money from? There is only one answer - Barliona. The official government project is gathering steam, luring more and more people into its net.

What could possibly go wrong at a Tier Zero school of ascension when all the powerful foes have been vanquished and a bonded pair of Seekers can handle any adversary-not just at their current stage of ascension, but also from the initial ranks of the next one?

Earth was never the same after World of the Changed. Humanity was reduced to two camps: monsters thirsting to kill, and players doing everything they could to survive. The squabbles people had spent their time on before? Gone. If you wanted to live to see another sunrise, you had to work with everyone you could, from other players to game functions.

To make a clan does not necessarily mean to make it successful. First you have to walk the hard path from the foundations of your castle to victory in interclan conflicts. Only then will you be recognized. Only then can you be listed among the location's top clans. Your adversaries, however, will not be sitting around twiddling their thumbs. No dominant clan needs yet another wannabe competitor. Or its two founders. Which is why Kvalen and Eradani are being hunted down. Bugles sound as players sharpen swords and draw arrows. Bring on the show!

What would happen if a professional rock musician joined a virtual MMO in search of inspiration among its game world? What would happen if she decided to play as a biota bard, a brand-new race of humanoid flora as well as a new class? Whatever would happen, it would surely be fun....

What are you supposed to do when the whole world joins forces against you? Give up, find some hole to duck into, and beg for your life to be spared? But even despite how obvious the answer to that question might be, many an adult had been dashed on the rocks 12-year-old Tailyn Vlashich was supposed to climb. Ahead of him lay a secret laboratory belonging to the ancients; behind was a horde headed by his sworn enemy. But through it all, Tailyn had those who loved him, those who believed in him, and that support was enough to carry him to the ends of the Earth.

His initiation complete, Leg knew he had to prove himself worthy of the gift his totem had given him. The boy was facing a long and difficult journey to dangerous lands. Meanwhile, those with eyes set on ruling the Northern Empire were also making their move. But what was most important to Leg? His personal advancement or the integrity of the empire? Of course, it was possible the two priorities were inseparable, especially since a true wizard had been introduced to the world.

These were dark times for Tailyn Vlashich, the 12-year-old alchemist. He'd been banished from the empire. The academy had summarily dismissed him. A deadly killer had been dispatched to hunt him. He'd been dropped all the way down to level one. But while there weren't many adults who would have been able to cope with the litany of problems Tailyn was facing, they weren't him. And he had help - two mentors, his girl, and a friend.

The Game is in turmoil. All the players' strength and resources are invested in preparing for Restart: only 20 percent of the players will make it to the next era. Murders are becoming commonplace; bribes and nepotism are at their height. Betrayal is becoming an inherent part of everyday interactions. The Game has spread its perfidious influence to the farthest corners of the Universe, affecting every sentient being. Will the Dark Judge reach the right verdict? Will he follow the ideals of his class to the end or will he reject them, becoming an ordinary player?

Surviving in a tough situation is not always the best option; sometimes dying is much better than staying alive. The Academy showed Paladin Yaropolk what makes the world go round: pragmatism and personal gain. Restart was set in motion, but it only makes players more frantic. Now everyone plays only for themselves. Yaropolk faces the same dilemma: be like all of them, or keep his humanity and be known as an odd duck. Because there is only one rule in this world: kill or be killed....

What could be better than space adventures? Captain Surgeon knows the answer to this question - space piracy! Loot, pillage, plunder, and sell all the lucre - that's the motto of the Galactogon pirates, and Surgeon is doing his best to join their number. But what is to be done when the enigmatic Uldans do not want to leave our swashbuckler in peace and keep laying new mysteries in his path, distracting him from his main goal?

A check for a billion credits. The prize seemed lost forever, and here it glittered again with all its colors, drawing the couple like a magnet. The pirates, the Uldans, the Zatrathi - none of it mattered now. The final goal was so close. All they had to do was reach out and grasp it. Alas, fortune refuses to land in Surgeon's hand just like that, without a fight. Fortune only comes to those who can prove themselves. Will Alexis and Eunice find their inner strength and go to the end - or will the obstacles in their way force them to give up their search?

The law of the jungle declares: it's every man for himself! This principle applies not only to the human world, but also the domain of their greatest adversaries—the demons. Their world's Tier Zero differs little from the Tier Zero of the human world. The resources are just as scarce, the creatures just as vicious, and the absence of law just as blatant. Yet the Heavens show no mercy when the push comes to shove. When it's time to conquer the Tier Zero of an alien world, retreat is not an option. For the privilege of ascending to immortality is reserved only for the strong.

The World of the Changed, still going strong! A sister kidnapped, a powerful enemy right around the corner, and Earth under the thumb of the monsters. What else is it going to take to become a true hero and save humanity? The only problem is that Mark Derwin has bigger problems, focused as he is on finding Squirrel, his sister. And he has to make sure she's still the same person she always was rather than a chunk of noa. He's prepared to do anything, go to any lengths to make that happen, including working with the game.