Paragon
Luke Chmilenko
Paragon is a System-apocalypse progression fantasy by Luke Chmilenko (co-author of Ascendant). Auric Cain, a lowly D-Tier in the System's hierarchy, dreams of challenging an Ascension Gate to rise above the Gateborn hordes. When he seizes his chance, he triggers a chain that threatens Reality itself. The series follows Auric's tiered advancement through System Ranks and Paths — from D-Tier survival to unraveling the System's inner workings, mastering new Paths across shattered instances, and confronting the Administrator — with explicit power progression via Gate challenges, Path mastery, and reality-shaping abilities.
Progression: The System: alien, enigmatic entity that introduced hierarchical Tiers (D-Tier lowest) and Ascension Gates. Progression is gated by Gate challenges that grant Ascension; survivors gain Path mastery with unique abilities per Path. Later volumes delve into instance-based progression across purgatorial realities, requiring mastery of new Paths and understanding of the System's inner workings and the Administrator's design. Power growth is explicit, quantified by Tier/Path levels and Gate-driven advancement.
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