The world is in ruins.

Extreme sub-zero temperatures suffocate the surface, making even simple survival an ordeal. Frozen derelicts of bygone eras span across massive ice wastes. And the elite few hoard any technology rediscovered within.

The only escape from the deadly climate is beneath the surface. But it's another disaster underground. Monstrous machines lurk in the depths. Unhinged demigods war against them, dying over and over, treating it all like a game. The land itself shifts over time, more contraption than rock. And an ominous prophecy states that the key to everything waits at the last level - but nobody's ever reached that far.

When an expedition into the far uncharted north goes terribly wrong for Keith Winterscar, he finds himself trapped in a fight for survival. Stumbling upon an ancient power struggle of titanic scale; Keith will have to contend against gods, legends, and the secrets of the realm that lies below. Author's note: Currently have 60 chapters ready that completes the first arc. Updating Monday and Thursdays. This is a long planned out fic. If you're looking for a power fantasy where the MC gets everything right all the time, this ain't it. Fights get hairy, people get greedy. Bad descisions happen on incomplete information - and I don't write fake-failures where those mistakes don't matter. When the whammy moments come, they'll be earned.

[Dungeon-lite and gamelit-lite, though both start being relevant further down the line.]