The Path of Ascension 6

Matt, Liz and their Bond, the Arctic fox Aster, head for Minkalla, a planet that lets in only climbers below Tier 15. Its rule runs backwards from the usual one: the weaker a team enters, the bigger the rewards. The three choose to go in at Tier 11, well under the cap, and accept the added danger for a larger payout.

Seven floors lie beneath the surface. Each holds a prize stronger than the one before it, and Tier 14 monsters patrol every level. The Empire's climbers are not the only ones inside, because all eight Great Powers have sent people into the planet's depths. Each floor is a fight to survive and a contest over who leaves with the loot.

This is the sixth of twelve volumes in the Path of Ascension series by C. Mantis, a progression fantasy that sets LitRPG systems (dungeons, skills, Tiers) over xianxia-style cultivation. Matt lost his family in a monster attack that came through a rift, and his Talent is officially rated detrimental. He joined the Empire's Path of Ascension regardless. Liz is his partner, and Aster grows in power beside him.

The book was first serialized on Royal Road and published by Aethon Books in 2024. Expect a consistent power system, fights that are reasoned out step by step, and steady advancement alongside a widening look at the Empire and its rivals.