Hi there! This is my new release and my first time writing both progression and science-fantasy. Apparently I like to challenge myself doing new things.
I took a lot of inspiration from anime when coming up with the concept and at least 1 reader has called it Naruto meets Spacehulk… which is pretty much exactly what I was going for. :D
Here’s the blurb and a link.
Courage Iro will shatter the Gates of Power to protect his fleet.
Born talentless, Iro has all but resigned himself to a life of drudgery, watching his sister hop across to the massive space titan for supplies. But when the titan explodes and his sister is killed, Iro finds a new determination to take her place. He’s not about to let weakness prevent him.
When the fleet encounters a new titan, filled with powerful monsters, deadly traps, and mysterious cloaked figures, Iro is the first to spontaneously manifest a new talent. Now sent to a different ship, to train with others far beyond his strength, Iro will have to train twice as hard just to catch up.
To protect his fleet, and to uncover the mysteries of the titans, Iro won’t just open the Gates of Power. He’ll break them.
You've already mentioned Mage Errant being on your list, so I'd actually recommend you check out the recent Titan Hoppers by Rob J. Hayes.
A Thousand Li by Tao Wong hits somewhat similar slow burn cultivation notes to Forge of Destiny (though people are angry at the author at the moment).
If you haven't read the mainstream progression titles like Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss, The The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher or Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, definitely check those out.
It's also probably worth trying Reborn: Apocalypse by LM Kerr, which can be a lot of fun, if you don't mind OP protagonist/cheat code style novels - it's got a premise that is heavily influential on a number of titles.
If you're interested in dipping your toe further into the webnovel side of things, these series are worth a look: