The Tower of Ebon: The Returner’s Toll [LitRPG]

Title: The Returner from Death: The Tower of Ebon Every death makes him stronger. Every return costs a memory. How much can he lose before he forgets why he climbs? In the gaslit empire of Albion, where steam carriages rattle through fog-choked streets and aristocrats bear golden seals of power, the Great Clock rules all. It grants every soul a trade, a rank, and a path to ascension—or to oblivion. Ryder Vane is a Coal Bearer. First Rank. No pacts. No potential. The seal on his shoulder marks him as worthless, a servant to the truly gifted. He carries coal for Ascenders who leap through the Tower of Ebon, a hundred-floor monument to ambition and slaughter. Then he dies. And returns. A hidden class awakens: Returner from Death. Ryder can come back from any fatal wound—but each return demands a price. A memory. A piece of his soul. His mother's face. The taste of bread. The sound of his own name. With every death, he grows stronger. With every return, he becomes less human. Now, caught between the Ascension Guild that rules the Tower, the Shadow Parliament that trades in secrets and memories, and the Church of the Clock that brands him a heresy, Ryder must climb. Floor by floor. Death by death. Memory by memory. He will face shadow crawlers, fire spiders, and horrors that should not exist. He will bargain with witches, duel aristocrats, and uncover the truth behind the Great Clock itself. And all the while, the question gnaws at him: When he reaches the top, will there still be anyone left to claim it? What to expect: · LitRPG / Progression Fantasy with a dark twist · Victorian steampunk setting: gas lamps, airships, aristocrats, and eldritch horrors · A weak-to-strong protagonist who literally dies to grow · A unique system based on seals, pacts, and the Great Clock—no blue windows · Political intrigue, secret organizations, and a Tower full of nightmares · Hundreds of chapters planned, with each floor bringing new powers, new enemies, and new losses Follow Ryder Vane as he climbs the Tower of Ebon—one death at a time.