The Gamble King [A Mage, Time-loop, Isekai litRPG]

After fourteen years of obsessively following a webnovel, Max was left disappointed by the ending, by life, and by a day that only got worse the longer it went on. Then he received a message. From the novel’s mysterious and long-silent author. Claiming the world he read about was real. Inviting him in. Max accepted. Reluctantly. He woke up not as Bjorn, the barbarian hero he’d followed since childhood, but as someone entirely unfamiliar: Harek, firstborn of a Great House and notoriously known as the Gamble King. Not for good reasons. Even stranger, it’s been seven years since the final chapter of the book. The world has changed. Harek’s body holds secrets of its own. Ones Max will come to understand through much repetition and he will have to use everything at his disposal to survive, navigate rising dangers, and carve out a new place for himself in a story that didn’t end when the book did. What to expect:  So, this is a time-loop progression fantasy with light LitRPG elements. It’s not quite a slow burn, but it does take its time, so I’d say the pacing sits right in the middle. There are three magic systems at play. Two are in-world: one inspired by xianxia cultivation, the other original and tied to the deeper setting. The third belongs to the MC alone (a function of his looping). Also, chapters can range anywhere from 2.5k to 25k words.  [Note: The Gamble King is getting polished and rewritten in some parts, and I'll post the newer version as soon as possible. Thank you all, to everyone who's been reading and sticking with the stor, really appreciate it!]