Novels like The Top Player Returns, but as a Bard
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Top Player Returns, but as a Bard, best match first.
- 1 Avanti, You Dropped Your CP 阿凡提，你的cp掉了 The rating has only just come in, so it'll keep rising. Su Xiao, a graduate student in logic, wakes up transmigrated into Ah Fan Ti's world. Before she can figure out where she is, the greedy Lord Bayi harasses her in the street. Su Xiao calmly fires off three questions: “Where's the evidence? Where are the witnesses? Where's the land deed?” Lord Bayi: ??? This woman doesn't play by the rules. Ah Fan Ti, watching from the crowd, silently swallows the retort he'd been about to deliver. This girl 84Reads8.1Score—Shelves
- 2 Dreams Drift in Circles 虚梦洄游 [Ensemble cast, no female lead, infinite-level, modern alternate setting] The “Global Immersive Instance Chronicle” arrives without warning, and everyone chosen has something they want. Some seek wealth, some seek survival, and some only want to escape their dull lives. One man carries the secret of “reincarnation,” known to no one. He is a variable favored by the System itself, and an anomaly openly acknowledged by the gods. Beginning with a strange train that travels between reality and illusi —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 Beta Tester 002 内测玩家002 Infinite flow + horror + comedy + strong female lead + office worker + System + beta testing Ji Wuyou, 22, office drone. She works by day to support her younger brother and enters instances in her sleep at night. Her mother named her “Wuyou,” hoping she’d have a smooth and carefree life. Instead, her mother died when she was eight, her father was as good as absent, she started raising her younger brother at nineteen, and at twenty-two, a grinning pumpkin-headed System dragged her into the Eterna 75Reads—Score107Shelves
- 4 The Spirit Realm's Enigmatic Domain 灵境谜域 [Infinite Flow]+ [Original scenarios with a wide range of themes]+ [Ensemble cast] What would you do if one day you discovered that countless worlds existed? A wondrous place, and one extraordinary game after another. This is the awakening of the world's consciousness, and a contest between people. This is no paradise, and we are no tourists. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 734: Terror at the Haunted School, Countless Evil Ghosts in My Arms 734鬼校惊魂：万千恶鬼入我怀 [Infinite-World Survival] [Worldbuilding] [Ensemble Cast] [Human Nature] [Horror] [National Destiny] Have you ever wondered what would happen if evil spirits invaded your country and turned humanity into slaves? When internal strife and outside threats leave your homeland in ruins, where can humanity turn? Where can people truly find shelter? Have you ever wondered whether the world you live in is real, and whether it is truly under humanity's control? When fantasies and delusions turn to bubb —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 6 Infinite Awakening: A Life in the Spotlight 无限觉醒：开启闪耀人生 [No romance + supernatural powers + brotherhood + fated friendship + machinery + vampires] Read patiently through the first three chapters, and you’ll find a great story. No System, no cookie-cutter plot. Lu Xin opens his eyes and finds himself in an abandoned factory. The wounds on his body are healing at a visible speed. This is a world where technology and magic coexist. A mysterious force tugs at him, and his memories slowly return. His unfamiliar surroundings gradually begin to feel familia 19Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 Paradise Lost: The Never-Ending Game 失乐园，永无止境的游戏 Men and women are trapped inside a house. The killer keeps murdering people, and there's only one way out. When facing the living dead, never reveal that you're a player, or you'll die! Not smart enough? You'll die! Bad luck? You'll die! Ugly? You'll die! Cross Mu Ye? You'll die even faster! While everyone else struggles to survive, Mu Ye alone gradually becomes obsessed with the game, gradually becoming... a psychopath. In this world full of danger and unknowns, a police officer, a teacher, a t —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 I Drew a Useless Talent, but It’s Actually Protecting You All 我抽到废物天赋，其实在保护你们 [Infinite Flow + No System + Maybe Not a Good Person + No Heroine + Mild Horror + Survival + Slow-Paced] [Paradise] can grant humanity every wish. So even though dying inside an instance means really dying, countless people still flock there. Peril at every turn? Bone-chilling terror? None of it can stop people from striving to fulfill their wishes. Unlike the others, Su Xing has no idea why he entered an instance, let alone what wish he wants to make. The talent card he drew literally calls him 66Reads—Score123Shelves
- 9 Why Does Everyone Here Know Me? 遍地都是熟人是为什么 [No romance] + [Ensemble cast] + [Family bonds and friendship] + [Troublemaking friends who constantly screw each other over] + [Feel-good power fantasy] An unconventional infinite-flow story. Every instance is original and serves the main plot. There are secondary couples, but they aren’t paired off just for the sake of it. Jiang Liang never really understood what it felt like to be walking to school when someone suddenly exploded. Now she does. “Is that any way to behave?” Jiang Liang wiped he 50Reads—Score103Shelves
- 10 Infinite: I'm Deaf, Cut Me Some Slack 无限：我一个聋子你让让我 (The issue with forms of address and references will improve from Chapter 54 onward. It’s a personal writing habit, and I’m sorry for the confusion. The earlier chapters have currently been revised through Chapter 11. The rating just came out, so there aren’t many votes and the score is low.) [Fairly traditional Infinite Flow + team + ensemble cast + a little livestreaming + no System, no romance + summoning] When the renowned ace investigator Gu Zhixi was asked whether anyone on his team was no 137Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 11 Myriad Worlds: From the Start, I Had Two Innate Golden Systems 诸天开局本命双金色系统 Lin San is born with two Systems: one lets him level up, and the other gives him a pocket dimension. On his very first transmigration, he lands a huge score! Across the Myriad Worlds, the only rule is to have fun. Just read it, and you’ll be left speechless... ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ 55kReads7.3Score5.2kShelves
- 12 Overtime Is Miserable Enough, and Now I've Been Thrown into a Reincarnation Dungeon! 加班够惨了，还被丢进轮回副本！ I accidentally entered a dungeon. One wrong move, and I could be facing the risk of instant death, but the rewards are incredibly generous. Whatever, this has to be better than going to work! 124Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 A Monster’s Meal 怪物家的饭 [Apocalypse + Savior + Abyss + Present Day + Humanity First + Alchemy + Foodie + No Romance] After the sun goes out, helpless people split apart and then band together. They establish safe zones, only to trap themselves within their walls. Some try to save the world, while others give in to despair; some try to rule, while others fight for freedom; some try to rebuild, while others seek to destroy… In this hopeless world with no future in sight, everyone struggles through confusion. But for Zhou 1.3kReads8.7Score104Shelves
- 14 Dimensional Ascension Game: Whose Priest Is Number One on the National Destiny Rankings? 升维游戏：谁家牧师是国运榜一？ [Survival Game + No Romance + Feel-Good Read + Not a Purely Good-Hearted Heroine + Base-Building and Upgrades + Everyone Must Survive] The moment she opened her eyes, Xu Qingmian, who had been in a vegetative state, miraculously woke up and returned to a peaceful, beautiful world. ...Why has Blue Star mutated? ...Why must everyone on Blue Star fight to survive? After someone snatched her gold card, she smiled calmly and bound herself to an ordinary blue card found everywhere: [Believer]. Ding! T 25.4kReads8.2Score3.3kShelves
- 15 Rule Horror: Shh, Don't Speak. The Goddess Is Listening 规则怪谈：嘘，别说话，女神在听 Rule Horror: Shh, Don't Speak. The Goddess Is Listening 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 16 Rule Horror: I'm the Food Safety Inspector. You're All Coming with Me! 规则怪谈：我，食安员，收你们来了！ Rule Horror: I’m a food safety inspector. I’m here to take you all in! —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 Rule Horror: Please Settle the Tutoring Fee for the Haunted Building's Cram School 规则怪谈：麻烦结一下鬼楼补习班补课费 Rule Horror: Please settle the tutoring fees for the haunted building cram school —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 When Ghostly Calamities Strike: A Paranormal Escape Begins with a Séance 诡灾降临：灵异逃生从招魂开始 [Infinite Flow + No Female Lead + Original Instances] “Welcome to the Supernatural Forbidden Zone, dear Apostles!” “This world is nearing its end, so struggle as much as you like!” As paper ash blankets the world, reality and the supernatural begin to overlap. In a dilapidated clan apartment building, a drowned ghost child knocks at the door. In the vanished School Building No. 7, a headless corpse wanders in confusion. In a dim Taoist temple, gleaming statues of the gods weep tears of blood... 975Reads8.1Score101Shelves
- 19 Cangyuan: Endless Conquests 苍渊之无尽征伐 The mortal world rises and falls, and humanity has endured a cataclysmic disaster. From ancient times to the present, countless noble and wise people have devoted themselves to plotting and preparing, throwing their flesh and blood into brutal, bloody battles. When the smoke cleared, all things in heaven and earth seemed to have come full circle, as if everything had returned to its original starting point. But nothing in this world is certain. How could the course of fate truly proceed in perf 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 20 The Gods Made Me Their Prisoner, So I'll Forge a New Path to Balance All Worlds 诸神为囚，我自当开万界平衡新道 Ye Wuchen was once an ordinary cultivator among the myriad realms. After countless brushes with death, he finally realized that the so-called “Heavenly Dao” was nothing more than an exquisitely crafted cage for the myriad realms. He broke free and became the bearer of the Heart of Balance, only to discover that he had stepped into an even greater game: the eternal war between order and chaos kept dragging the primordial chaos back into one reset after another. To end the cycle, Ye Wuchen resolut 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 After Sacrificing Our Teammates, We All Became Gods 献祭队友后，我们全员成神 A driverless Route 13 bus carries seven losers cast aside by reality into the Myriad Worlds. An unemployed planner, a teacher on the verge of a breakdown, a spineless doctor, a cowardly programmer, a boastful salesman, a taciturn stunt double, and a laid-off machinist. This is the worst starting team in history. But every “sacrifice” triggers a wild evolution. 🔹 Vehicle upgrade path: Rusty old bus → Mobile luxury apartment → Matte black-and-gold war chariot, the Xihe (with a red-gold Golden Crow 520Reads6.5Score106Shelves
- 22 Rule Horror: I Report This! The School's Teaching Aids Are All Made from Students 规则怪谈：我举报！这学校的教具都是拿学生做的 Rule Horror: I’m reporting this! The school’s teaching aids are all made from students 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 23 Roguelike: Pick One of Three 肉鸽三选一 [Infinite flow + survivor roguelike game + original world + one female lead] Liu Shui was an ordinary city office worker, but an accident sent his soul into the Imperial Candle Palace, where he gained an exceptionally rare, concept-level talent. How will he survive the endless waves of monsters? What will he do amid the treacherous power struggles? How will he find his place in a reality that shatters the boundary between what is real and what is not? How will he choose when the lives of his lov 1.3kReads—Score—Shelves
- 24 Thriller: All I Wanted at First Was a Free Egg 惊悚：一开始我就想领个免费鸡蛋 [Male lead with no romance, delusions of grandeur, ensemble cast, animal personas? The whole group’s darling? An original scenario unlike anything you’ve seen before!] It’s guaranteed to be good, so why not come in and take a look? Wu Dao has lived in a psychiatric hospital all his life, and he’s had a strange quirk since childhood: to him, people aren’t people. They’re animals. When hallucinations become the skill you rely on to survive, who can tell whether what you see is real or imagined? Th 339Reads8.7Score105Shelves
- 25 The Supernatural Has Arrived! I’m a Helpful Citizen in the Game 诡异降临！我在游戏当热心市民 [No CP] + [Power Fantasy] + [Unconventional Protagonist] + [Infinite Flow] + [A Little Livestreaming] + [Role-Playing] Contaminants ran amok, and the paranormal descended upon the world. Chu Qian, a warmhearted citizen with the right upbringing, looked at the monster before him and smiled calmly... A mere mortal wound is nothing to worry about. When a delivery order arrived with a human head, Chu Qian immediately slapped it back and flew into a rage. "Did you steal food from my delivery order?!" 15Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 26 Apostle of the Door World 门世界的使徒 [Infinite Flow]+ [Genius-Level Intelligence]+ [No Torture for the Protagonist] For reasons unknown, some people pass through “doors” into one strange world after another. They embark on a series of bizarre, brutal, or legendary adventures. Why were these people chosen? What is the purpose behind their repeated, inexplicable experiences? Is someone controlling it all? Chu Wei is just one of them. He eats barbecue among primitive tribes, unleashes electric shocks at crime scenes, hunts ghosts and 380Reads7.4Score—Shelves
- 27 EN You Slaughter Wraiths by the Dozen? But I'm a Save-Scumming Wraith! 你杀诡如麻？可我是回档诡异！ [Infinite flow + game + mild horror + no heroine + turn-based resets + instances + protagonist is a monster] Readers have left plenty of positive reviews. No undercover troublemakers, so give it a try. Beneath the veil of the “city,” Xu Kai stood amid a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. His enemies fell one after another, their eyes filled with confusion as they died. His opponents weren’t especially strong. They were more like machines. Every turn, every gesture, was perfectly timed to de 2kReads6.5Score212Shelves
- 28 When I Enter Dreams, the Entire Instance Trembles 当我入梦：整个副本都将颤抖 [Infinite Flow, original instances, no System, logic-focused, suspense-focused, mind-bending, mild horror, Cthulhu, sequences, slightly slow-paced] "Su Wu has the special ability to enter dreams. He can freely enter and leave other people's dreams, probing their innermost secrets at will. According to statistics, he has used this ability to discover and kill 7,361 deep-sea corrupters and expose 18,396 evil god cultists. He is currently being held at the Qiantang District Investigation Bureau." 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 Dorm Girls’ Skills Loading 女寝技能加载中 [No romance, infinite flow, all-girl dorm, skills, ensemble cast, games] On New Year's Eve, Cen Yu'an is happily eating hot pot with her roommates when they're all pulled into an infinite-flow game called [Where's My Inspiration??!] Cen Yu'an, a drama student: Who let the end-of-term-week wailing out? Wait, could this stupid game have been summoned by their howling? No way... Loading E-rank scenario: "A Horde of Zombies Walks Beneath the School Dormitory. Come On, Come On, Count Them: Two, Four, 882Reads—Score168Shelves
- 30 Forbidden Horror: Don't Look in the Mirror at Night 禁忌怪谈：晚上不要照镜子 Taboo Horror: Don’t Look in the Mirror at Night —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 Horror Park: I Teach in the Ghost Realm, and the Boss Cries While Doing Homework 惊悚乐园：我在鬼域搞教育，BOSS哭着写作业 Horror Paradise: I Teach in the Ghost Realm, and the Boss Cries While Doing His Homework 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 32 Rule Horror: Help! My AI Miracle Doctor Says I Have to Die 规则怪谈：救命！我的AI神医说我必须死 Rule Horror: Help! My AI Miracle Doctor Says I Have to Die —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 33 Playing a Weak NPC, I Beg the Entire World to Stop Acting 扮演弱小NPC，全球求我别演了 [Mistaken assumptions + horror game + playing eerie NPCs + secret identities + powerful protagonist + infinite worlds + no romance] When the whole world thinks you're a powerful figure, your only rule for survival is to keep up the act! “I'm just an ordinary college student. How did I become the ultimate big boss in the eyes of every supernatural ability user on the planet?!” Shen Yan wakes up to discover that he has been forcibly bound to the Horror Game System, which requires him to play eerie 32Reads6.0Score—Shelves
- 34 Lord God's Paradise: I Got the Dread Throne from the Start 主神乐园：开局获得惊悚王座 (No female lead + ruthless and decisive + horror-game king + theme-park growth + infinite flow) Su Yue is the first “workplace emperor” in the history of horror games to clear an S-rank mission a hundred times. He's had enough of those unkillable ghosts that can only be dealt with by playing along with their rules. At last, he returns to reality, thinking he can lie flat. Then the Lord God's Paradise invitation lands right in his face! Good news: The monsters in this new world have health bars o 1.9kReads7.6Score168Shelves
- 35 Escape from the Cube World 逃离魔方世界 An otherworldly tale, a transmigration story, an imaginative adventure, a Backrooms story, and a fantasy epic, with an enormous setting and a sweeping world. The author promises to flesh out every detail and fill in every plot hole. The male lead is neither a self-sacrificing saint nor cold-blooded. He’s an ordinary person who can tell right from wrong and good from evil, but he’s also steadfast and strong-willed. His golden finger is hardly overpowered; in fact, for much of the early story, he 8Reads—Score—Shelves
- 36 Mysterious Tales: Stop Crying! Smile, Damn It! 诡秘怪谈：别哭了！给老子笑！ Weird Tales of the Mysterious: Stop crying! Give me a damn smile! —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 37 Rule Horror: Feeding Records from No. 7 Huaiyin Lane 规则怪谈：槐荫里7号进食记录 Rule Horror: Feeding Records from No. 7, Huaiyin Lane —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 38 Young Master, This Time You Can Finally Forget Your Ex 太子爷，这回终于可以忘记前女友 [A cold-faced, devoted young master vs. a beautiful, clever top student] [The substitute takes her place + brothers turn against each other + the real and fake heiresses] Before her biological parents found her, Shang Yanchi went by another name. This one seemed to bring her good luck. The fake heiress schemed to steal her place, but she took the fake heiress’s arranged-marriage match without even breaking a sweat. The love meant for her was delayed, but it came at last! 170Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 That's Right! I'm a Psychopath 对啊！我就是神经病 (Infinite Flow + no heroine + horror and suspense + a touch of Lovecraftian horror) I, Ruan Xunwen, am a mental patient. One night, unable to sleep, I accidentally opened Door No. 13. Everyone in the world behind it looked like they were in much worse shape than I was. 26Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 Eerie Descent: It Turns Out I'm the Calamity 诡异降临：原来我才是灾厄啊 [Infinite Flow + Mild Thrills + Emotionless + Post-Apocalypse + Villain] Xu Yuan boards a dilapidated bus and travels endlessly through the [Misty World]. When the bizarre descent occurred seven years ago, he sealed away his emotions and memories. Now he has broken free of his shackles and, as [Calamity], has returned to take control of this game! 13Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 You Were Supposed to Handle Rule Contamination, So Why Are You Going, “For Real?” 让你处理规则污染，你搁这“尊嘟假嘟”？ You were supposed to handle the rule contamination, so why are you over here going, “For real, though?” 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 Eerie Revival: Obstetrician to an S-Rank Haunted Hospital 诡异复苏：给S级鬼楼当产科医生 Eerie Revival: Obstetrician to an S-Rank Haunted Building 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 Above the Ninth Floor, Starting with a Skinning Game! 九层之上，从剥皮游戏开始！ Infinite Flow + Gu Cultivation + Horror + Mind Games + Combat + Cool-Headedness + Unhinged Male Lead He thought he was a gaming expert. Only after dying did he realize this wasn't a game at all, but an ancient god's furnace for cultivating Gu. You call yourself a god, and we desperately climb the tower, hoping to use your power to bring our loved ones back to life. Little did we know you were the one who set a trap that destroyed my family, using my gaming talent to nourish your soul with Gu. I 33Reads—Score101Shelves
- 44 Apocalypse Survival: I Have Countless Top-Tier Talents 全民逃生：我有无数顶级天赋 [Global Rankings + Infinite-Flow + Scavenge, Fight, Extract + Ensemble Cast] A global escape game has appeared! The world is collapsing! People everywhere are being randomly dropped into different worlds and forced to take on escape missions! Scavenge supplies, fight for your life, and escape successfully! Biological horror, ancient martial arts, terror, immortal cultivation, fantasy, magic... In these different worlds, death and opportunity go hand in hand, and success or failure can hinge on t 8.9kReads7.8Score748Shelves
- 45 Tower of the End: The Supreme Climber 终焉塔：至高无上的攀登者 [Decisive and Ruthless] + [Infinite Flow] + [No Female Lead] + [Despair] + [Apocalypse] + [Utterly Brutal] + [Sacrifice Yourself for the Greater Good] + [High-Level Narrative] + [Low-Level Narrative] Climber, welcome to the Tower of the End. Choose your faction. This decision is extremely important. Please consider it carefully. The White King asks three questions of life. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Before finding out who he was, the White King set out on the path of asce 30Reads—Score—Shelves
- 46 Infinite Loot Runs: Scavenging, Fighting, and Escaping Through Myriad Realm Dungeons! 无限跑刀：我在万界副本搜打撤！ [Infinite Flow] [Paradise Flow] [Reincarnators] [Derivative + Original Instances] Xiao Ye's soul is captured by the Infinite Paradise and forced to become a Reincarnator in this game of endless raids, looting, combat, and extraction. The Infinite Paradise contains countless instance worlds: [Naruto Instance], [Armor Hero], [Jackie Chan Adventures], [Unofficial History of the Three Kingdoms], [Bizarre: Shrek Academy]...and many more. These instances are full of danger, but they also conceal endle 488Reads5.9Score—Shelves
- 47 Three Million in Debt, I Make a Comeback by Devouring and Evolving 负债三百万，我靠吞噬进化逆袭 [Newly rated, infinite flow, devouring and evolution, no System, power progression, no female lead] Also known as: Evolution Engine A Permanent Fixture in the Infinite Flow Gu Yan was once a proud warrior of a Level Two space, until he ran into the tentacles of an Outer God during a mission. When he woke up, all his equipment was gone, and the space administrator handed him a medical bill for three million challenge points. “You're awake. The operation was a success. Here, take your bill.” So Gu 121Reads8.0Score538Shelves
- 48 Nightmare Game 梦魇游戏 [Mystery + Semi-Infinite Flow + No Female Lead + Light Ensemble Cast + Original Setting + Protagonist Is an NPC + Faction Conflict + Everyone Is Smart + Slow Burn + Light Lovecraftian Horror + Decisive and Ruthless] Reporters deliver the news. [Reporters] report the truth. Yin Lu transmigrated. He ended up in Nightmare Game, a full-immersion horror game with an official reported death rate of 3% but an actual death rate of fifty-fifty, and became an NPC. The good news: He's a five-star mini-bos 11.3kReads9.0Score1.6kShelves
- 49 Please Let Me Keep All the Experience Points to Myself, Thanks 请让我独享经验，谢谢 [Unsatisfying Story] [Slow Burn] [Growth-Oriented Protagonist] Years later, gazing at the scenery of a new world, Su Zhen would remember that distant afternoon when he clicked on an obscure little link. 465Reads8.6Score106Shelves
- 50 Train Survival: The Path to Godhood Begins with Foresight 列车求生：从预知开始的封神之路 [Train Survival + Late-Game Teamwork + Light Stockpiling + Foresight + No Romance] Xi Miao was an ordinary office worker. The only unusual thing about her was her love of dreams, especially train-adventure dreams that played out like TV dramas. In her dreams, she searched for treasure chests, stockpiled supplies, upgraded trains, and raised Oddlings. She even had enough energy left to practice life skills. She was a regular near the top of the rankings and an undisputed powerhouse. She treated 22.5kReads8.2Score4.3kShelves
