Tunnel Rat

In "Tunnel Rat" by The Walrus King, protagonist Milo inhabits a world of steel, a cave within a man-made mountain of concrete and metal. His days are dedicated to maintaining the essential machinery that sustains his environment and to modifying the prosthetics that aid his movement through the confined tunnels and air shafts that constitute his reality. Milo feels a kinship with the discarded equipment he repairs, seeing himself as much a part of the system as the machines he tends. A chance arises for him to become someone different, to leave his current existence and potentially become a hero in the sunlight. This beckoning light, however, is shadowed by buried secrets and ancient mysteries left by long-gone subterranean races. Perhaps only a creature of the tunnels, like Milo, can uncover them. This grimdark LitRPG features a male, non-human protagonist undergoing character growth, transitioning from a weak to strong position within a modern-day setting that blends virtual reality and magic. The narrative is noted for its fantastical craftsmanship, balancing seriousness with humor, and presenting a rich, consistent lore with believable physics for both machines and magic.