Death God's Gambit [Dark Fantasy, LitRPG, Kingdom-Building]

They killed Death's son. It didn't stick. Now he's back for revenge and everything they've built. Kai was a swindler raised by the mob. He had simple dreams, like eating real meat, gaining arcane powers, and executing a hostile takeover. Then his boss betrayed him, sacrificing him to dark gods in a profane ritual. But that turned out to be a lucky break. Because Kai discovered he's Death God's son—and dying was a minor inconvenience. Even better, it made him stronger. Now, as an undead demon in disguise, Kai must master the Darklands' trials, claim his birthright, and gain the power to exact his revenge.  Eldritch abominations, calculating nobles, ruthless mobsters and scheming Gods stand in his way. But the gates connecting the Darklands to Earth threaten everything. Kai must decide: save a world that threw him away, or let it rot while he takes his throne. [160k+ words written for Book One] What to expect: - Political intrigue- Smart, rational MC- Weak to strong MC- OP MC (he gets strong fast, becomes OP eventually)- Strong companions- A friendly Spider God- Eldritch abominations- Kingdom building (later on)- Portal fantasy: Futuristic modern world & Dark Fantasy medieval world This story is for people who like: - Shadow Slave- The First Law- Lord Of The Mysteries And: - Fast pacing- A Grimdark world- Fleshed out characters Schedule: New chapters Fri. New chapters release at 15:07 BST, 10:07 EDT, 07:07 PDT & MST, 09:07 CDT. Read 5+ advanced chapters (over a month ahead of Royal Road) by subscribing to my Patreon. Join my Discord community for dark progression fantasy, grimdark, anti-hero/villain MC authors and readers here: https://jaycartere.com/discord Join my email list where I share what I've learned, book recommendations and story updates here: https://jaycartere.com System Details: Because LitRPG and Progression Fantasy labels can mean anything, here's more info on the system in this story. Don't read this if you wanna avoid minor spoilers: LitRPG / GameLit / Progression fantasy with a system like Shadow Slave (trials). A progression tree like Lord Of The Mysteries. And a vast array of abilities like the devil fruits in One Piece.  No stat numbers. Occasional status screens. Lore-revealing descriptions for artifacts.