The Alchemist
Roman Romanovich
In his world, he was the last remaining alchemist, one of the few survivors living amidst the ruins of a once-great civilization. After years of research he devises a ritual to escape to another world, undergoing rebirth into a new body within an ancient empire ruled by aristocrats and populated by gifted individuals — demons who regenerate, Walkers who teleport, shapeshifters who mimic, and other gifted bloodlines. Edgar retains his alchemic knowledge and intelligence, using alchemy as a systematic, research-driven progression path to navigate imperial politics, Lyceum academy training, the Emperor's patronage, and nation-scale threats, while building artifacts, founding a city, and unlocking deeper alchemical secrets. Blurb and reviews explicitly market the series as 'A Portal Progression Fantasy Series' with 9 primary works, where each book represents advancement in alchemical mastery, political standing, and control over gifted abilities.
Progression: Portal progression fantasy centered on alchemy as a rigorous, research-based advancement system. Edgar (Ed) is a reincarnated master alchemist who progresses through demonstrable tiers: recovering and expanding alchemical knowledge, crafting increasingly potent potions/artifacts, mastering defenses against gifted abilities (demon regeneration, Walker teleportation, shapeshifter mimicry, beast powers), and rising through imperial/academic ranks (Lyceum student to Emperor's alchemist to city founder). Gifted abilities form an external power ladder (demons, Walkers, shapeshifters, new gifted variants) that the alchemist counters and eventually nullifies via alchemy, including the ability to block others' powers (Book 9). Progression is explicit per volume — each book adds new alchemical breakthroughs, larger-scale projects (portal project, city founding), and political advancement, verified via Goodreads subtitle 'A Portal Progression Fantasy Series' and descriptions detailing growth, rank, and new powers per installment.
Goodreads
