A town put to the sword. The young forcibly recruited. An old man out for revenge. After his town is put to the sword and the children are taken to replace the fallen, an old man is out for revenge. He's ready to fail at the most difficult challenge in the world: cultivation. Too corrupted to even take the first steps, the sly old elder simply agreed with those who told him that it was impossible. Then he quietly ignored them, rubbed his hands together, and started anyway. He had always failed in what he did: he lost his way from the academy, his command was devastated by a Mage, he lost his town, and now his last hopes for the future had been stolen by a group of raiders. The only thing that had never failed him was his sharp mind and philosophy. He would cultivate... no matter what it cost him. A lifetime of failure can dull and dampen a soul. A reason to live, a goal, can change that in an instant. It is always darkest just before the dawn.

An academy that scrapes the sky. Blight that fills the earth. Two codgers duking it out. Artorian has decided to live, all in order to save his lost village children. His recent battle against a simple raider Captain has proven that if he tries to charge ahead... he'll die. With the help of his captors, who quickly turn into close friends, Artorian takes the first steps onto the path of a true cultivator. Finesse, skill, fine-tuned cultivation techniques, and more is within his grasp. Artorian is more than willing to learn; after all, that's his specialty! This knowledge has strings attached. After meeting the ancient enemy of his trainers, Artorian returns to the place he first studied his true passion of philosophy: the Skyspear. It's under new management, and the alumni have very different ideas about how the students should be trained.

An Instant New York Times Bestseller A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2022 A Library Reads Pick An Indie Next Pick A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high fantasy and low stakes. *This new edition includes a very special, never-before-seen bonus story, 'Pages to Fill.'* After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone. But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed. “Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read.”—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

An end of the world. The start of a new one. A thousand places to be. Artorian has survived his encounter at the Ziggurat, but at a sharp cost. However, the powers in the world are moving and there is no time to rest. Even if Artorian doesn't realize his part in it, the next stage of the great plan is set in motion. In a place of mountains and dales, the old scholar must seek new information in order to puzzle out the last pieces and gather victory with his own two hands. For his loved ones, his humanity may need to be left behind. Yet, becoming something else is a small price to pay for an old man on a mission. Life comes at a price, but success comes with Ascension. War and Moonfall loom on the horizon. It matters little. Artorian will build his arsenal.

Only one man can cheat to create change in the dungeon of Order. Old evils lurk within. Love will smite them. Artorian gave up his administrator privileges only to be thrust into a new role. The Law he is bound to allows him to slip past Eternium's ironclad rules and break things once thought immutable. For his family, for all of their futures, he must boldly go where few in Cal like to venture: the game world of Eternia. Most of the people that have come to test this world hate being here: dying in days and returning home in disarray. Artorian agrees with them: a body based entirely on hard numbers and increasingly potent limiters is a stark difference from the intent-based Essence user he has always been. Eternia is no final product, riddled with more holes than a wheel of dire cheese. This wireframe of a world is seemingly held together with glue, tape, and moody pylons. He vows to dig into the construction, finding and fixing where it went wrong. Yet, why meander through scaffolding when one can parkour through the rafters? It's speedrun time!

Weapons, power, wealth! All of this can be found within the dungeons of the world. You just need to survive long enough to claim them.

New world. Old problems. Even gods must die. Artorian has been given the lovely opportunity to run a realm and sort out all of its inherent issues. Not only does he get to chase around people with world-shattering abilities and force them into hibernation, he gets to break up his days by living through the worst portions of his life all over again. Nothing like trauma to fuel personal growth! Nasty creatures Artorian thought were gone forever have begun appearing in the dark corners of the world, smiling at him with too many teeth. Between constant battles, Cal's newfound love for math and pylons, the early stages of a world-spanning game system, and grumpy supervisors who refuse their bedtime...the sunny administrator has his now-tiny hands full. Exactly how he likes it.