Hey folks, trying to remember the name of some books I read pretty recently, here are some of the main points:

Post apocalyptic
People can be put into 'pods' to gain access with a system, high mortality rate
Orcs (or some other name for the same thing) capture the main character and his sister
After being thrown into a fire pit, the mc drags themselves into a pod
Comes out brutally scarred and with some fire powers thrown in the mix
Off to kill orcs and reclaim human territory
Without spoiling anything, has unexpected parentage

Let me know if that rings bells for anyone, thanks!

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/53366 ... t-heist-an

To do list for the post apocalypse:

1. Survive the orcs rampaging through your city.

2. Survive the pod trying to steal your mind.

3. Pull off the greatest heist of all time.



It still amazed Eric how much the world’s end mirrored the movie his obsessed mother had put into production… set to release just three days after the Apocalypse.

Only problem was, in the real world there were no chosen ones destined to fight the beast hordes now slaughtering countless millions in every major city on Earth.

But humanity wasn’t completely helpless.

You really could level up in this brave new world, and embrace magic, peril, and limitless power!

So long as you didn’t mind a 90% mortality rate in alien vegetative pods as happy to turn you into topsoil as give you any shot at mastering a System designed to benefit elite invaders. Not fragile humans just trying to survive.

But Eric was all about beating the odds…

Even if it killed him.

Do you mean this one?