![Sword & Maze: Long Shot Bet [Dystopian LitRPG, Dark Comedy Included.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalroadcdn.com%2Fpublic%2Fcovers-large%2Fsword-maze-long-shot-bet-aacafiaijrg.jpg%3Ftime%3D1773388054&w=640&q=75)
by Big Bad Rat
The RGN Multimedia Casino Presents… Sword & Maze Exclusive. The cutting edge of gambling entertainment, and the North American Union’s most popular bloodsport. Roy Devans, guilty of a crime he can never take back, is one of five hundred convicts that have been forced to compete in this over the top violent video game event. In the Maze, he feels very real pain, and there's no logging out, no quitting, or mercy of any kind. His debt to society is more than just the shame he feels, it's an actual number, a pool of money the Game Directors can use to pay for the in game torments he’ll have leveled against him. To top it off there’s a plotting psycho bunny mascot to contend with, corrupt Game Directors actively sabotaging his class and build, and his own pathological need to help people putting him in even more danger. Oh, and if he loses the casino will surgically remove his brain and use it to power any number of in game NPCs until his pink meat rots. So go on, join in, lay down your bets… Because there’s a lot of money riding on Roy not even making it through the tutorial. What to Expect: —Roy getting knocked down and getting back up again. —A harsh dystopia that has a working internal logic. —Roy getting stronger as the challenges get harder. —Roy actively fighting against a bad build to make it functional. —Some laughs along the way, because I can’t help myself. What not to expect: —An OP MC. There will always be danger waiting around the bend and Roy will have to use his head to get through it. —A cozy, leisurely story. Sword & Maze moves fast and bloody. —Everyone to make it. People will die. Updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.Advance chapters will be made available on Patreon
#13
7/12/2026
Peak #40
4d
#12
7/12/2026
Peak #50
0d
#11
7/9/2026
Peak #44
2d
#10
7/8/2026
Peak #48
0d
#9
7/8/2026
Peak #49
0d
Rank updated 13 Aug 2026, 14:28 UTC
Entry forecast updated 13 Aug 2026, 04:15 UTC
Overall Rising Stars shadow rank
deep field · ~#6000 of 7,531 · 5950 below #50
By genre
beats 78% of similar stories
beats 47% of similar stories
beats 71% of similar stories
Firing on all cylinders
Traffic and conversion are both strong for a story this size. Readers are finding it and sticking — if Rising Stars is the goal, this is the moment to push.
At this conversion, the Sci-fi Rising Stars bar (≈1 new followers/day) costs about 437 views/day — the story currently gets ~274.
Benchmarks: 8,060 active Royal Road stories, percentiles within the 50–149 chapters band, cohort of 2026-07-02. Conversion is measured as followers gained per 1,000 views over the recent window.
+22 more