Genres
Progression fantasy
Fiction in which the accumulation of power or skill is the primary narrative engine.
Progression fantasy makes the accumulation of power or skill the story's primary engine: the protagonist starts low and climbs, with each step structurally meaningful. It does not require explicit game mechanics. Three branches are commonly recognized: Eastern-style cultivation, Western-style progression, and LitRPG. All LitRPG qualifies as progression fantasy; not all progression fantasy is LitRPG.
The genre's conventional pattern: defined tiers with clear thresholds, a visible next milestone, training arcs treated as full narrative beats, and power gains that carry costs.