Crystal Shards Online
Rick Scott
Two centuries after nuclear war, the remnants of humanity live below ground, with the only escape from reality being the massive VR world of Crystal Shards Online. Disabled miner Ryan discovers an item granting the ability to dodge any attack and rises as an elite Dodge Tank to afford the operation that will save his mother. As death ingame becomes all too real, Ryan and his friends must level up, conquer world bosses and dungeons, and find the lost home city of Citadel before time runs out.
Progression: VRMMO LitRPG ladder verified from Goodreads synopses: explicit levels and combat classes (Dodge Tank, Shard Warrior, Shard Wraith, Gun Blade), RPG mechanics with detailed party combat and boss fights (book 1 WARNING tag), serious leveling to face stronger foes (book 2: serious leveling up as a Dodge Tank), and a level cap raised to 99 that the party must reach to survive (book 5: raising the level cap to 99, must reach the new level cap). Leveling, classes, stats and level caps are central to every volume.
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