Dungeon Diving 204

Dungeon Diving #8

by Bruce Sentar

Ken and company are back from the dungeon shuffle. Now on Earth once again, their levels outstrip the colleges they were attending.
However, that isn't stopping the Headmistress from trying to put them back into the classroom.
As they dive once again, going into Star City and beyond they are coming up against new races and Felin is reunited with the nekorian race, though the meeting doesn't go quite as planned.
Ken has to weave between uprooting the remainder of the SJS Financial web, following the rules of the Orkai and not collapsing under Crimson's renewed training efforts. At least he has his party of five once again, Penny filling in for Fayeth as she returns to the elven world to help her people recover from their own disaster.

Genres: Harem, Fantasy, Litrpg, Elves, Magic, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2025

About the author

Born and raised in the agricultural midwest, I moved every year after school even as far as Shanghai before settling down with my wife in Chicago.

I have always enjoyed Wuxia stories and became thrilled when I discovered harem stories spreading to western books. I've written down my day dreams for years as an idle hobby. Inspired by the harem genre I'm finally fleshing them out into full blown novels.

I'm excited to share my stories with you as I turn them into novels and series.

Connect with me on Facebook for updates on my latest books.
https://www.facebook.com/Bruce-Sentar...

Reviews

[Roberto Flores]

I didn't even finish this one, got about halfway through, and I am done with the series. This has let go of the setting storyline and is just focused on the relationship aspect, making this more of a romance book. Even the actions of the harem reinforce this with pointless childish behavior, making situations needlessly complicated.

[David Harriss]

Disappointing

This one left a bad impression, and that seems to be from the MC. Ken is a strange mash up of two characters - a magic ninja action hero, and a Gen X college sophomore from middle class America - that don't fit together despite being presented as the same character.
That dissonance made it difficult to ignore the other inconsistencies of the setting, culture, politics, and relationships. Inconsistencies that have been in the entire series, but I was previously able to overlook.

[Reader]

3. 9

[Kiba Snowpaw]

★★★★☆ — DUNGEON DIVING 204: THE WORLD GETS BIGGER, THE PARTY GETS STRONGER, BUT THE SERIES IS STARTING TO CARRY TOO MUCH ON ITS BACK

Audiobook review by Kiba Snowpaw — Alpha Ice Wolf of HowlStrom

Essential

Dungeon Diving 204 by Bruce Sentar is a fun continuation of a series that mixes dungeon progression, magic, college fantasy, extreme power scaling and haremlit into something dangerously easy to keep listening to, but Book 8 carries the accumulated weight of everything before it. Ken and his companions return from the dungeon shuffle and are technically back on Earth, yet there is no real return to normal because their experience has pushed them beyond ordinary college life. Crimson answers survival in the most Crimson way possible: apparently the cure for nearly dying is training hard enough to make death reconsider its schedule. Star City opens the setting outward, Felin meets other Nekorians, Penny enters the active party while Fayeth helps the elves, and SJS Financial leaves unfinished business. I like that the series refuses to remain trapped inside its original school structure. The map is broken, familiar routes are unreliable, and humanity looks small beside older races and larger civilizations. My concern is that the story sometimes creates the illusion of progress by moving the goalposts instead of allowing Ken's growth to permanently change his position. This is a good audiobook and an important bridge into a bigger world, but also a warning: expansion is not automatically evolution.

Hook and Thesis

The central contradiction of 204 is cruelly funny: Ken is becoming ridiculously powerful, but the story still wants him to enter each new room as the underdog. That was natural in Dungeon Diving 101, when he was inexperienced and discovering what his class could become. Eight books later, the same position is harder to sell. Ken survives Crimson's training, fights threats ordinary divers should flee, and operates at a level that makes college expectations absurd, yet each expansion introduces another hall full of people treating him like a puppy in the adult wolf den. Progression fantasy needs a new mountain after the old one is climbed, but Dungeon Diving 204 works best when it reveals a wider universe and weakest when it resets Ken's place on the power ladder. Star City, the Nekorians, the Orkai and the changed Dungeon are genuine expansion because they challenge humanity's understanding of reality. Another authority underestimating Ken before discovering that he is dangerous is an old encounter wearing new armor. As Kiba Snowpaw would put it, “Power is not proven by climbing forever. It is proven when the mountain behind you remains conquered.” I want the trail to lead somewhere new, because a taller version of the same hill is still the same hill.

Basic Plot Summary

The story follows the dungeon shuffle, which disrupts the Dungeon's geography and destroys assumptions divers used as safety rails. Ken's party returns to Earth, but its experience exceeds what college was meant to prepare it for. Fayeth has responsibilities in the recovering elven world, opening a position for Penny, whose Frost Knight abilities place her inside Ken's five-person formation instead of at the narrative edge. Their dives reach Star City and beyond, revealing races, laws and powers far larger than the academy-focused books suggested. Felin's encounter with other Nekorians matters because reconnecting with her species is not a warm homecoming; what she may mean to them creates danger. SJS Financial also leaves a network to dismantle, forcing Ken to navigate conflict while obeying Orkai authority and enduring Crimson's attempt to turn training into warfare against her own students. There are fights, political pressures, trials of competence and flashes of the lethal Ken beneath the student surface, but no single boss or climax dominates the volume. It is a transitional campaign: many doors open, several blades leave their sheaths, and the greatest threats wait on the other side of tomorrow.

Praise and Critique

The strongest achievement is that the Dungeon finally feels larger than humanity's educational system. Progression series can turn their worlds into staircases where every culture exists to provide another ten levels, but Star City resists that pattern. Felin's Nekorian material gives her history, identity and importance independent of Ken, exactly what a supporting character in a long harem series needs. The Nekorians have their own motives for valuing her, creating tension that cannot be reduced to loot. The Orkai likewise show that Crimson being terrifying on Earth does not make her the final authority in the universe. Once protagonists grow powerful, the answer should not always be a creature with more health. A larger society can impose rules, debts, traditions and consequences that cannot be punched into surrender without cost. That pressure is more interesting than another damage check. In HowlStrom, strength can break an ice gate, but it cannot decide which starving clan receives shelter without beginning a feud that survives three winters. Authority, restraint and responsibility are also forms of power, and 204 becomes richer whenever it remembers that Ken must learn more than how to hit harder.

Penny's movement into the group works because she already has history with the series. She does not feel like a random romantic option generated to satisfy a quota, and her Frost Knight abilities alter the party mechanically; a new member should change tactics, not merely increase Ken's relationship count. She brings another shield, another set of instincts and another way of facing danger. The concern is what follows. There are now enough women around Ken that acceptance into the harem risks becoming the end of a character arc rather than its beginning. Penny should remain Penny—possessing ambitions, irritations, friendships, fears and reasons to disagree with Ken after intimacy removes the distance between them. My rule is simple: joining the pack should create more relationships to develop, not reduce someone to another pawprint surrounding the Alpha. I value a pack precisely because I have spent so much of life carrying things privately. When someone is finally welcomed beside the fire, I want that person seen, not counted. If each woman receives attention during recruitment and then fades, the harem stops resembling a family and becomes an inventory screen.

Criticism

The growing cast is the greatest structural danger facing Dungeon Diving. Fayeth leaving temporarily makes sense because the elven world has real problems that require her attention; characters should have obligations beyond accompanying Ken into every dungeon. However, when established harem members move away at roughly the same time new women approach, I begin seeing machinery behind the story. It can feel as though the party is clearing slots. Earlier volumes benefited from giving the women enough space to establish recognizable personalities, but a larger harem creates pressure to summarize people into traits: one is shy, one is sexual, one cooks, one fights in a specific manner. That is efficient, but efficiency kills intimacy. A large pack does not automatically create a stronger found family; it simply creates more names the author must keep alive. I would rather watch fewer relationships continue evolving than see established women disappear while each new romance receives its turn beneath the spotlight. I have lived with the fear of becoming background in other people's lives, and I know the colder opposite as well: filtering people and events into mental background layers simply so I can keep functioning. That is survival when a real mind is overloaded, but it should not become the permanent structure of a fictional relationship. A character placed in the background for too long does not feel protected; she feels forgotten.

The progression system frustrates me whenever Ken's achievements stop matching their consequences. He receives exceptional training, unusual abilities and elite mentorship, and he defeats enemies who should be terrifying relative to his level, yet the narrative still needs him positioned beneath the next challenge. I do not require every victory to produce ten levels and a legendary weapon, but progression fantasy depends on trust that effort changes something. If Ken destroys a threat far above him and gains little that matters, the numbers become decoration. My gamer brain immediately rebels. Imagine preparing for a raid boss for hours, watching the party fall, spending the last potion, surviving with three health, opening the chest—and finding six copper coins and boots worse than those equipped twenty hours earlier. The Alpha Ice Wolf is not celebrating; he is growling at the loot table and considering whether the dungeon designer should be buried in a snowbank. The same problem exists emotionally. If every ordeal makes Ken stronger on paper while the world instantly reduces him to the same relative weakness, growth becomes a treadmill: his legs move faster, his lungs burn harder, but the horizon is programmed to retreat. “Do not call it a journey,” Kiba would say, “if the road erases every footprint before I can look back.”

The repeating antagonist structure is likewise easier to predict. Someone influential, arrogant or much stronger threatens Ken or his group. Institutional power complicates a direct response. Ken is pushed toward confrontation, reveals that underestimating him was a poor survival decision, and then moves toward the next problem. I enjoy this trope; there is primal satisfaction in watching a smug enemy kick what appears to be a harmless snowdrift and discover an Ice Wolf sleeping beneath it. I can picture the action in HowlStrom: the intruder crosses the frozen courtyard laughing, steel raised; my eyes ignite blue, frost races from my claws through every crack in the stone, the gate slams shut behind him, and the laughter dies when a spear shaped from winter stops against his throat. It is dramatic, satisfying—and unusable every week. SJS Financial is more interesting as a network because networks demand investigation, pressure and uncomfortable choices rather than one decisive strike. Felin's situation is stronger when identity and loyalty matter. Star City should create conflicts Ken cannot solve by becoming the strongest person in the room. If every civilization is only another arena awaiting its local boss fight, the world may become wider without becoming deeper.

Evaluation

Progression fantasy works on me because games trained my mind to find comfort in visible improvement. Practise, earn experience, unlock a tool, understand the system, and eventually accomplish what once seemed impossible. Real life rarely offers that mercy. I can wake around three in the morning, travel to work, carry a nine-hour shift, repeat the routine for years and receive no glowing message announcing that endurance increased. I can survive depression, anxiety, exhaustion and grief, yet still awaken feeling as if my level returned to one overnight. That difference is why internal consistency matters so much in a series like this. When a story gives me levels, classes, dungeon floors and measurable power, those systems become promises. Ken may fight above his level because tactics, teamwork and an unusual build are part of the pleasure, but the story must respect what the victory means. Otherwise, progression begins resembling the crueler parts of life: you struggle, bleed and continue, while the goal moves far enough away to deny you proof that continuing mattered. One original Kiba Snowpaw line captures my response: “If I am still walking after the storm, do not mistake that for being unhurt—and do not tell me the miles vanished because another mountain appeared.”

That is also why Ken's burden touches something deeper in me even when the novel itself does not explore the psychology as far as I would like. Becoming competent does not always reduce what people demand; sometimes it teaches them how much more weight they can place on your back. Ken returns from catastrophe stronger, and the reward is more training, more politics, more enemies, more people to protect and a larger world capable of crushing him. I understand that pattern. I have spent years making pressure look ordinary, pushing noise, disappointment and pain into background layers so I can finish what must be finished. Others may call that calmness or numbness, but numbness is not the absence of emotion; sometimes it is emotion frozen into armor because feeling everything at once would stop the body from moving. In HowlStrom we would say, “Cold is not emptiness. Cold is pain held still long enough for the wolf to reach shelter.” Ken's sarcasm and forward motion can therefore feel truthful, but the series could let the armor crack more often. I want more moments where survival has an emotional cost, where competence does not erase fear, and where the party recognizes the difference between Ken being able to carry something and Ken being unharmed by its weight.

The dungeon shuffle becomes especially powerful to me when read as grief. In HowlStrom, I imagine it as an avalanche tearing through a mountain pass used for generations. Safe caves collapse, markers disappear, familiar scents vanish beneath new snow, and experienced Ice Wolves must admit that the map no longer matches the land. I learned a version of that when my father died after years in which illness had already changed the shape of daily life. Grief did not merely remove one person; it altered routes, habits, meanings and the sense of where “home” was located. Practical tasks still demanded movement, so the paws moved even when the mind had not caught up. Ken and his party return to Earth, but return is only a geographic fact. They survived, yet the Dungeon changed, the wider world intruded, members of the party took different paths, and the old scale of danger stopped meaning what it once meant. That is genuine transformation. You can master an old trail and wake to discover the mountain has moved. The answer is not to memorize the former route more fiercely. It is to mourn what vanished, protect whoever remains and build a new map without pretending the avalanche was merely another training exercise.

Audiobook Evaluation

The audiobook gains strength from Christopher Boucher and Jessica Threet, because by Book 8 the cast is large enough that weak narration could turn everything into vocal fog. Boucher sells Ken's contradiction: he remains young enough for sarcasm and awkwardness, yet dangerous enough to enter situations no ordinary student should survive. Threet's range matters even more as the number of women grows, since distinct voices preserve individuality across banter, romance, politics and combat. Their performance sharpens jokes and energizes confrontations, helping slower setup feel like motion even while the plot arranges pieces for later books. At 11 hours and 48 minutes, the unabridged production is substantial without becoming a twenty-five-hour progression volume that makes me feel I aged a winter through skill descriptions. It remains clear at my faster pace and offers breathing space to an overcrowded mind. The narration cannot solve harem sprawl, inconsistent rewards or the missing central climax, but it gives the pack distinct voices—and in a story at risk of reducing people to roles, that is not a small achievement.

Conclusion

Dungeon Diving 204 is a good volume standing at a dangerous point in a long series. Its world expands in the direction I want: Star City, the Nekorians, Orkai authority, the post-shuffle Dungeon and the realization that humanity's strongest adventurers are still small beside what exists farther out. Penny's larger role has history behind it, Felin receives material connected to her own people, Crimson remains an entertaining force of nature, and SJS Financial supplies unfinished business rather than disappearing between installments. Yet cracks are spreading under the ice. The harem is large enough that older members risk becoming background archetypes. Ken's progression does not always feel proportional to his victories. Several conflicts entertain without cutting deeply, and the book preserves its underdog fantasy by placing Ken inside another hierarchy rather than fully exploring how his achievements should change how he sees himself and how others see him. My four stars therefore contain real affection and real warning. I am not standing outside the den throwing stones at a series I dislike; I am inside it, close to the fire, hearing the ice complain beneath everyone I have come to care about. Criticism is not rejection. Sometimes it is the howl that warns the pack before the frozen lake breaks.

Standing at the gates of HowlStrom, I would still welcome this party into my frozen den. Penny earns a place by the icefire. Felin can explain why the Nekorians outside are making my guards reach for their spears. Crimson is forbidden from calling what she does to Ken “training” near the younger wolves unless she signs a liability agreement in blood. When enemies reach the outer wall, I will rise from the Alpha's throne, blue eyes burning through the snow, draw a frost-star spear from the air and fight beside Ken until the courtyard shines with shattered ice. But when the battle ends, I will not praise him merely for surviving another repetition. I will point one claw toward the mountains remade by the avalanche and tell him: “You survived the old trail, pup. Good. Now stop proving that you can climb the same hill every winter. The map changed. Show me something I have never seen before.” That is where the audiobook leaves me. I still enjoy the climb, I still care about the party, and the larger universe has my attention. But after eight books, the next stage cannot merely be a taller copy of the last one. The world has finally become bigger than Ken's college, bigger than Earth and perhaps even bigger than Crimson's reputation. Now the story must become bigger too.

Final Rating: ★★★★☆

Story: ★★★★☆ | Ken: ★★★★☆ | Penny: ★★★★☆ | Felin/Nekorian Material: ★★★★½ | Crimson: ★★★★½ | World Expansion: ★★★★½ | Dungeon Progression: ★★★½☆ | Harem Development: ★★★½☆ | Action: ★★★★☆ | Pacing: ★★★★☆ | Narration: ★★★★★ | Emotional Depth: ★★★★☆ | Series Momentum: ★★★★☆

[Arumbaya]

I think Bruce need to take some time off because his last books are a bit of. Whether it's the action the plot or the relationships nothing really feels satisfying. What really feels not satisfying is the girls that tend to stop existing and evolving after joining the group, after 8 books, Charlotte whole personality is being shy. Des is horny, Fayeth cooks...
I love these characters and I don't like when they disappear and now there are hints of at least 4 new girl that can potentially join. I wish this serie would add more depth to existing characters rather than stockpiling girls as if they were Pokemons.
Plus, Ken's personality is really different from before and I'm not sure if it's character development or bad writing, which is weird because Bruce isn't.
I've been a Patreon member for almost 2 years, and now it's the fourth book in a row that I give a bad grade below average. What is happening?

[Robin]

This series is somewhat spiraling out of control.
AFAIK this is Bruce Sentar's first LitRPG and it has been a struggle to have the MC get the best training opportunities, cheat skills, ungodly lucky finds, victories over insanely strong opponents (he should have no way of beating) etc. All the while he is not progressing faster any faster than any given classmate. This and the sheer abundance of training sequences, about 1/3 of the book, make the lack of progression even more frustrating.
Once, he beats an opponent that is literally twice his level, an enemy that could single-handedly kill everyone on earth, and receives all their belongings. Not only does this not net him any levels or experience, their belongings also seem to be so worthless that it doesn't even need to be mentioned. The cake is a lie.
The story seems to be somewhat stuck, we are now doing the same thing over and over again: Some asshole presents him or herself and harasses Ken and/or party-members, this person is always influential and stronger than Ken, we build up to a confrontation. Ken wins and gets patted on the back. Repeat. The next asshole is already lined up for 301.
This whole Star City thing was a solid miss for me, I was hopeful that we would shift focus to Dungeon Diving (remember the name of the series?) and adventures once Ken's party was considered one of humanities strongest and he would be able to fight on the frontier. But alas all progress has been reset and we are doing the underdog thing again.

[Jeffrey]

I enjoy this series and it looks like there will be a 301 through 304 keeping with the college way of labeling classes. This will put our adventurers in their Junior year of college. There is one main thing that I found odd or should have been explored more in the book. Seeing that humans are constantly having problems with the Naga, I would have thought that there would have been a bigger deal on having a friendly powerful Naga brood-mother to help. There is so much potential there that I was disappointed that not more was done political wise with this. I do like how there are relationships in the harem, it is not just about sex. This one focused less on the college aspect, though it did say that most graduates from the college don't have the experience, nor levels that they have. The last of the book was more assassin style and I felt it went a little bit dark.
The story starts off where the other left off in the rest area known as Star City. There is a possibility of adding an Angel to the group. In their farming levels for energy gems they run into an another group of Neko's who have access to their home planet. Felin is very valuable to the other group and this causes problems, when they try to take her. With the whole dungeon shake up, causing levels to move and safe zones to move as well, where nothing connects like it used to, has created opportunities for SJS to exploit, ruthlessly if they need to. The adding of Penny the Frost knight added a new wrinkle, as the two elves Fayeth and the emperess needed to go back to their home-world during this unstable time. I don't know why diving groups have to be capped at five members.

[Steven]

This series seems to alternate major and minor episodes. 203 was clearly a main one, with lots of new stuff, and this one is minor, basically the second part of 203 instead of a whole new story. We get some interesting developments regarding the Nekorians, and Penny, and the wrapup with the SJS Financial company. In general I noticed that the plots in this series are satisfying but shallow, usually resolved through quick combat rather than prolonged investigation etc. Partly this is caused by both Ken and Crimson being so overpowered. Some of the plot twists and hooks are also not very subtle, e.g. the two cute elves leaving the party so Ken has room for new romantic endeavors, or two of the high level elves, Mirjam and Tish, staying lost for two whole books now despite both Ken and Crimson specializing in quickly finding lost people thanks to their special Eyes of Wisdom skill (probably a hook for one of the next plot lines, perhaps to bring back the elves into the story). So again, satisfying but shallow.

[Debo]

While still fun in concept, this series is going downhill. I was incredibly disappointed in the romance with Penny who I thought had earned more consideration from Ken based on her role in the series so far. But Ken shows basically no real interest, and she feels extremely perfunctory. She barely even showed up until the latter part of the book.

As the harem grows, the existing characters get very left behind. Which is a shame, because what made 101-104 (and even 201) good was the time given to the characters. I still laugh a lot during the read, and I am enjoying the plot that happens. There were some reveals in this book that are a welcome and interesting change and more story possibilities that were very intriguing. But for character reasons this is sadly a downgrade from what came before and I don't see that trend reversing anytime soon.

[GrumpyOldMan]

This was another strong book in this series.

One thing I'm concerned about is the author has a tendency to create overly large harems. As part of that, he tends to ship some harem members off to other locations for extended periods of time, under the guise of them having duties elsewhere they need to handle.

Two harem members are shuffled off in this book, his two elves. Sure, there is a logical reason for the parting. They have real responsibilities to handle. But this splitting of the harem to make room for new members never sits well with me.

If the harem keeps being fractured, the ratings on these books will drop to 4 or even possibly 3.

[Chad Martin]

I continue to enjoy the Dungeon Diving series. Now that Ken and the students escaped the dungeon shift, we get to see more of their adventure path. The temporary loss of the Elves did allow the further introduction of Penny and seemed a good organic way to allow for more party construction and exploration of new powers and strategies.
The books continue to grab my attention and are quick and fun to read. The involvement of Star City and introduction of new races and higher powers allows Mr. Sentar to provide a good foil to Crimson and show that her and Ken's diving days have a much better shelf life and the potential for becoming to overpowered has less chance.

[Jennifer King]

It's good

If you enjoyed the previous books in this series you're going to have a good time with this one . The author does a good job of adding backstory and developing the characters of the entire cast and does a good job of throwing out and growing the world and tying together some small pot points that had been dangling in previous books. The greater world adds a greater sense of danger and consequence for the main characters and really adds a sense of suspense that was lacking previously. Looking forward to the next book.

[Carlos Redmon]

Keep em coming!

Another great addition to the Dungeon Diving series. I can't wait to see what is in-store for the next book! Will we see some new addition to Ken's harem? A sexy angel? Or maybe a curious naga matriarch? Maybe a muscle mommy orkai? Or perhaps some new yet to be discovered race for Ken to rez up! You know he has to live up to the 74 wives books Penny has been writing. Maybe as a side quest Bruce can give us an installment of the 74 wives for us to read while waiting for the next book.

[DavidO]

Can't take it

I just can't take it anymore. For the first r books I thought that maybe there would eventually be a plot, that the whole thing was going somewhere. But now I see that the series is just a bunch of stuff that happens with little story. Sometimes each individual book has a climax, sometimes it doesn't. After a certain point the spicy elements got boring, and I got tired of the "gotta catch em all" style of having girlfriends.

To summarize, Bruce Sentar is a good writer but these aren't really good books and the series clearly isn't going anywhere.

[Ben Martin]

It's still an amazing series.

This series has not died off at all, I love all of Bruce's books, but this is one of the few that when a new one comes out, it gets binged immediately. Definitely missing our Elf girls in this one as they are both some of my favorite characters, but Penny is great too, and I hope we see more of her now along with our new Angel friend in the next one.

[Vishal Patel]

Very good

This book finally completes the breakdown of the school plot that the series began with. With that, it dramatically enhances its world building and non-romantic relationships. It also manages the balance between the romance and adventure plots well.

New romantic options are a little overly common, probably as a side effect of the sheer number new characters. Sex scenes are well integrated into both plots.

I have high hopes for the next one as well.

[Kevin Appelbaum]

Another great addition but was mild on the progression and big event

Overall progression and more lore was good but kinda felt somewhat hollow with the gear, lvling, and a big danger or boss to take down not included to the same lvl as other books on the series, I have a feeling this was a bridging book for the next arc which is fine. I’m only complaining bc I want more and this book didn’t scratch the itch like normal. Thanks Bruce!

[Tom Tarr]

And Now We Wait

Finished it. But, DD 204 just came out. That means 4 or 5 more months, at least, before the next one is released. Waiting will be hard, as this is a Great series. Worth the wait for sure. And...Thank you Bruce for no horrible cliff hanger ending. Just a promise for a bright and interesting future. Can't wait. Guess I'll have to though. I'll happily re-read DD 204 in the meantime.

[anita]

Masterful writing

This is an absolutely fantastic series! The characters are sharp, humorous, full of life, and have so much room for more growth. There is so much more of the characters story to tell that finishing in four more books seems a shame. I hope the series continues past four more books. Very, very enjoyable writing Mr. Sentar and I do not say that lightly or often!

[Justin Chesnut]

Yesir.

One of the few authors that can still get a five star from me.
This was exciting arc in this series, which adds to the hope there is always more.
My only bleh comes from how stark the powercreep was, especially when it kills the enjoyment of the main character becoming powerful. From stronger than 80% of those around him to weaker than 70% of those around him. Kinda sucks.
Some spoilerish things were very cool though, ideas that you don't see often.

[tester]

It has it's moments, but the chemistry can be lacking in some areas. How the mc handled the safe zone situation didn't sit right with me, he should have just killed them all, the fact he comes to this realization after the fact doesn't feel like good writing to me, it felt like the most obvious solution. The plot and everything is keeping me invested now, the idea of seeing more of the dungeon world and what the dungeon is will keep me reading to find out.

[virgil]

Great Series Continues

I enjoyed the flow of this volume very much. It seemed to be in less of a hurry than the previous volume. The personal relationships within the harem felt exciting, relaxed and less forced. Crimson returned with the confidence we had seen in the earlier books. The progression of the relationship with Penny and her inclusion into the harem was very well done.

[Justin Bryan]

A 5 Star teaser

Love what this book is setting up for in the future, only complaint I have is while alot of stuff happens it feels like it was a bit of a setup book for future epicness which leaves me disappointed because I want the excitement now not later. Beyond that the book was awesome as usual and I look forward to our next installment.

[nicholas doyle]

It was wonderful.

I do really like this series. Seeing Penny on the cover was exactly what I was hoping for. It's an odd compliment, but every time I am nearing the end of these books I get a bit sad. I won't be traveling with Ken, or Ard, or Bran for a while. Gives me something to look forward to though. :)

[slugbiscuit]

It was ok overall. Still feels pretty aimless, and Ken's character is often inconsistent. The sex was pretty tame this time also (has one of the most boring threesomes ever). I'm not sure if Penny does it for me, though we get some additional prospects. Naga Matriarch? Maybe this is the end of second year, it wasn't really clear.

[Dannan Tavona]

It's the details

Alternate universe, LitRPG, portals, dungeon diving, save the world, harem adult situations

Wrapping up the second year at Halyon, Crimson continues to mentor those students, pushing them to train hard while they encounter more new races in the dungeon. Excellent editing. Absorbing series.

[Kevin]

I still don't like this series, but I'm reading to pass the time. Would love the author to finish this and start a new series, but that isn't happening anytime soon.

It seems this is going to be one of those "a new girl a book". While putting some of the current selection on ice somewhere.

"Sigh". Really don't like these harems.

Meh. Will pick up the sequel.

3/5 Stars

[nick]

Greatness

I really enjoy this story and the only downside is I wish the books could be magically longer. Looking forward to ambrosia enrolling haylon too. That seems to be the next step. And maybe the Naga.

[James Marshall]

very good book

I like this book better the the last it was more in-depth of what the story has been from the beginning of this series. Love the new love interest that where brought to life in the story.

[Izak]

The story is progressing

There were no major events in this book. However, the insights into the world of the Dungeon and the other races in Star City have picked up. All in all another great book