Ashfall’s Anvil : Book One of the Forgotten Hollow series

Valdren Ashfall is dying. A master blacksmith with a degenerative neurological disease, Valdren has six months before his body fails him completely. His last, desperate hope is Aethelgard, experimental VR therapy that might just rewrite his dying nerves. But when he's given a single, cursed class choice, his fate takes an irreversible turn. He becomes a Dungeon Lord. Now, Valdren’s real-world life is tethered to a crumbling, desolate valley called Forgotten Hollow. Every building he raises, every resident he protects, and every battle he wins pumps vitality directly into his failing body. Fail, and he dies in both worlds. But the server’s most ruthless guild, the Bloodstone, has marked him as prey. Their leader, a vicious rogue named Shade, wants his dungeon heart shattered for loot, and he’ll bring a small army to do it. Trapped with a wounded goblin, a bitter alchemist, and the ghost of the previous failed Lord, Valdren must turn a ruined keep into a fortress, forge impossible weapons, and unlock the legendary power of the Soul Forge before the raid timer hits zero. In a world where every crafting table is a lifeline and every wall is a heartbeat, Valdren isn't just building a dungeon. He’s forging his own cure, one hammer swing at a time.