So are you looking for a LitRPG where respawns are available? Such as Dakota Krout's Completionist Chronicles?
The If you die in the game, you die for real trope is usually added because the author wants to raise the stakes and add tension to the story that wouldn't otherwise be there if dying had a low cost. It works in Krout's book because it's a more lighthearted story, though even then he struggles with ways to make deaths costly for the characters, and much of the tension for deaths comes from the fact that NPC's can die permanently.
> It is extremely obvious the MC is going to live...
The same could be said of virtually every book across all genres. Main characters tend to survive until the end of the story. Exceptions to this rule are rare and usually only happen when you have dozens of POV characters. And even then you want some core group to survive to the end. Most LitRPG's follow a single main character, and in such a story format it would be suicide to kill off your main character mid-story. Just because the character is going to survive however does not mean they will do so without the threat of death or some similar fate looming over them. Hence the need to add tension to the story by making failure a greater possibility for the protagonist. We know that the protagonist is going to overcome this obstacles and succeed, as that is part of the story promise, but there should still be the thread of failure.
I actually find it somewhat intriguing that you find stories that take this approach to be more boring than stories that allow for respawns, because in my experience the chief complaint I see from books that go for a very gaming-like experience is that the story is boring and dull because the stakes are too low.
Of the ones you've suggested, *definitely* read Mage Errant.
Additionally, maybe check out Dakota Krout's "The Completionist Chronicles" (Starting with RITUALIST https://www.amazon.com/Ritualist-Completionist-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07B27XQLF )
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Or maybe Aaron Osters' "Rise to Omniscience" (starting with SUPERMAGE https://www.amazon.com/Supermage-Rise-Omniscience-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07NWF3BX2 )
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and I also really enjoyed Luke Chmilenko's "Ascend Online" series (starting with the eponymous ASCEND ONLINE https://www.amazon.com/Ascend-Online-Luke-Chmilenko-ebook/dp/B01M01ET8E )
Lol on an amusing and unrelated note check out the litrpg novel the ritualist
Related to your comment but not the thread
https://www.amazon.com/Ritualist-Completionist-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07B27XQLF
Seems obvious, but how about the Bad Guys series?
That said, some more are:
BTDEM - Warning: The author has recently gotten wrapped around the axle with trying to monetize, audible-ize, etc. So the chapter quality has dropped (IMO). Hopefully this is a temporary issue.
Wandering Inn - Warning: Size DOES matter.
The Completionist Chronicles - Warning: The author has become "distracted" so new volumes are slow to appear.
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
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