Urban Litrpg

This is the second volume collecting all of best-selling author Larry Correia's short stories, novelettes, and novellas. Correia's novels are known for their hard-hitting, no-holds-barred action sequences, in-depth worldbuilding, and vivid characterization. Now, Correia turns to the short form to deliver stories that take no prisoner.

After he died, conman Jake thought he made a good deal with the System. Turns out, the System swindled him. He woke up in an upside-down world with four furry legs and the powers of a mind-warping necromancer at his hoof tips. Humans are the servants, farm animals are the demon masters, and amid the mayhem, Jake finds meaning in his new life. Building out a barnyard kingdom and ritualizing the remains of his foes makes for some pretty sweet fire-breathing abilities.

An unexpected roadmap—or better yet, a book—makes looking for treasure so much easier. Reading into it what the authors have never even thought about makes for a welcome bonus. These are all but lucky waystations on my journey to the doorsteps of this world's greatest mystery. There's a catch: everyone and his brother has already been there, and even the worst losers know the way. So, is this the end of the road? The demise of the Great Plan? Or have they all knocked on the door the wrong way?

Rumor has it that this year's leaders will receive an unusual reward from the Emperor himself. The exact nature of that reward is a mystery to everyone. What is absolutely clear, though, is that the number of prizes is limited, and just about everyone wants them. So let the battle begin—in the hearts and minds, within the school walls, on training grounds, and even in the streets of the capital city. This will be the ultimate test of one's strength and cunning. It will be fair, and not. It will be bloodless and the stuff of one's worst gory nightmares. And the winner will take all.

Boyd Knight found his calling when he joined the Marines and qualified for the elite Force Recon. He'd found a tribe and a family, so when a hand grenade landed near his team, he jumped on it without thought or regret. But instead of winding up dead, he wakes up butt-naked in a cave full of monsters with a knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. He's been chosen by Raguel, the Five-Faced God of Justice, and entrusted with the power of the Vigil Bound.

So you want a brilliant cut for your rough diamond? In that case, you should get on with the cutting! That’s how I found myself looking for a suitable lapidarist. Since I was anything but your run-of-the-mill little rock, the master crafter also had to be special. The one fitting the bill happened to be truly excellent, but, alas, he did have his quirks, too. A recluse living on top of a tall, barren mountain, he did not take kindly to most uninvited intruders, sending them back rolling down the hill in the most unceremonious of manners. And he had plenty of secrets, too.

Underwater mayhem ensues when Ian, Stig, and Alaria fight her sixth evil ex-master deep on the ocean floor! The villain is a cheerfully insane artist who creates a sculpture garden of...well...you’ll just have to listen to believe it. There are beautiful nymphs...gorgeous mermaids...pirate ghosts...giant whirlpools...underwater dungeons...hidden treasure...and even a kraken.

No empty child has ever reached a year of age, yet I am now 13. It has been a long and miserable 13 years, where the best I can manage to do is walk with difficulty. Sometimes, I cannot even manage that.

For two years, I have been thinking of this place and how to get here. Every step in my grand masterplan was but a waystation en route to the main prize: the door. And what a special door it is! Behind it lies what will not only make me strong, but put me at the very top of this world...or at least close. At the moment, the door is as good as locked for me. Unapproachable. To get access, I will have to do my damnedest, because you cannot just buy your way to it using regular cash. One needs a special currency here: points. Rating points.

Sam hates his office job, but at least every night he can delve into Alterwhere and forget about stupid teamwork for a while. The world’s hottest new cerebral reality game is a fully immersive mash-up of the retro fantasy RPGs he used to play on his dad’s steam account back in the early 2030s—the kind where you can eat a bowl of stew in the middle of a battle, fire crossbows underwater, and steal all the plates from an NPC’s kitchen as long as they’re looking away at the time.

Waking up in a theme-park world run amok was a bit rough. But leveling up to be an epic hero, seizing a mountain of treasure, and romancing a bevy of beauties isn't too bad. My name is Danny Abbott. I went to bed thinking I had just another day at the office waiting for me. Instead, I find myself in Dungeon World, a planet-wide RPG-themed amusement park. The monsters are real, the perils are deadly, and the people in charge are long since gone.

This ain't no spaghetti Western. Cam and company are running for their lives with a UN superteam hot on their heels...not to mention one very pissed-off fae. With Lilith injured, and the UN closing in, there is only one person that can save them: Lilith's mom. Not only does Cam need to figure out how to impress a millennia-old succubus, but he's also got to figure out what to get the women in his life for Christmas. His problems are only going to get worse from there.

Sergeant Marcus Bola and his platoon flew to a newly uncovered temple in the desert while deployed overseas, an unheard-of mission. Something in the ruined holy place had killed many, and the survivors met an unfortunate ambush just before reaching safety. The attack left Marcus wounded and medically discharged from the only life he’s known...but something wasn’t right. None of it was.

The Tower of Isaiah spires toward the heavens above, coming closer and closer by the day. The gargantuan construct that towers over the world pierces the clouds like a threatening spear, held aloft to any higher powers above who might be watching this new era of turmoil. However, the precariousness of the situation is more than apparent as human society finds itself pushed to the brink because of the tower and what it represents. The Grand Crusade marches toward Isaiah's holy lands as the foul Witch Perchta and her strange associates conspire in secret to cause the fall of the paradise.

A mysterious entity decides to bestow certain individuals with a powerful tattoo. With it, anything becomes possible. The world is changing...and it has yet to be determined if it is for better or worse. Two friends who grew up together, Ace and Vincent, decide to use the tattoo to do what they always dreamed of.

It was supposed to be a carefree life. But because of the infamous scorpion, everything was broken. Lin Xiu is a transmigrator who found himself in a 12-year-old child's body. Before he transmigrated, he was at home re-watching the Special Forces series, until a red light shot from the television and shone on his body. He transmigrated into the world of I am a Special Forces 2, and was a child of solder parents.

After quitting her job as a therapist, Tess's life became pretty slow. A tad boring, even. It thus came as no small shock to her when she was chosen by a god. Suddenly thrust into a new world where magic, monsters, and character levels are par for the course, Tess will find that simply surviving can be a challenge. It doesn't help that dark forces are stirring, she's woefully underpowered, and spiders keep trying to claw her face off.

Via, aka “Empress,” used to be a Supervillain—powerful, cunning, manipulative, cruel—until one of her technological innovations glitched and stranded her and her nemesis, the Hero Electra, in an alternate realm. Now, despite her best world-dominating intentions, Via finds herself in a position she never thought she’d be in: local politician.

Embracing his new role as Champion of the Three-Fold Alliance, Tilly bought the newly established city precious time by establishing the protection of the Sovereign Crystal. But war is coming. Tilly only has a few weeks to master his new powers and weapons, all while the horizon darkens with a gathering horde of flesh-eating monsters. To make matters worse, he's been given a quest that will take him deep into enemy lands in search of a mysterious Primal Aspect.

Lukas Aguilar used to think he knew everything. Mainly because he believed only what he could prove for himself. No gods, fate, or any such nonsense for him. But that seems like a lifetime ago. Because when an earthquake destroyed his earthly home, he suddenly found himself in a dark dungeon world where gods and monsters are all too real—and supreme goddess Inanna had taken up residence in his mind. Upon learning the rules of his new existence—levels, skills, abilities—Lukas fought his way from victory to victory. That is, until he came up against an anomaly that got him killed.