The Beginning After the End Audiobook: Official Books vs Free Listening

There are two real ways to listen to The Beginning After the End, and they are different products. The official audiobooks — narrated by Travis Baldree, published by Podium Audio, sold on Audible — are the performed edition of the edited books. And the original web serial is narrated chapter by chapter on Arcwave, where 523 of its 529 chapters are in audio (99%), about 190h 29m. The first 10 chapters are free, no account.

What The Beginning After the End is about (no spoilers)

King Grey ruled a world through strength alone and died with nothing to show for it but the throne. He is reborn as Arthur Leywin, an infant in a continent where mana runs through everything and a child’s awakening decides the shape of a life — and he arrives with an adult’s memories, an adult’s regrets, and a second chance to be something other than a weapon. The opening arc is a childhood: family, first magic, first friends, and the slow discovery of what this new world expects of him. That is the premise, and as far as this page goes.

Written by TurtleMe, it is one of the defining English-language webnovels of the last decade — the story that turned a web serial into a comic, a book series, an audiobook series, and an anime. The emotional register is warmer than most progression fantasy: the power climb is there, but the family is the point.

The official audiobooks (paid, human-narrated)

Podium Audio publishes the official audiobooks, all narrated by Travis Baldree — twelve numbered books as of September 2026, from Early Years to Apotheosis, plus a side-story volume, with the early books also sold as publisher’s packs. Baldree’s performance is a large part of why the series took off in audio; if you have heard Arthur’s voice in your head, it is probably his. They are sold per book on Audible and the usual stores, or with an Audible credit each.

If you want the story performed, edited, and in the form the author stands behind, the official audiobooks are the answer, and buying them pays the author directly. The trade-offs are the usual ones: it is a long series to buy book by book, and the books trail the serial.

The free option (the web serial, narrated)

Arcwave narrates the web serial — the chapter-by-chapter text as readers first met it — with a consistent generated voice, disclosed on every page. 523 chapters are in audio today, about 190h 29m, contiguous from chapter 1. The first 10 chapters stream free with no account; after that a free account adds daily listening time and the Listener plan removes the cap.

This is not a performance, and we do not pretend it is. It is the serial, narrated cleanly, resumable from any chapter, free to start — the way to find out whether Arthur Leywin is your protagonist before you spend a credit, or to keep going past where the books currently stop. The count on the novel page is live; check it rather than take it on faith.

Which should you pick?

Buy the official audiobooks if you already love the series, want Travis Baldree’s performance, or want the polished edition. Listen free on Arcwave if you are deciding, want the serial text, or listen at commute volume where generated narration reads clean. Plenty of listeners do both: sample free, then buy the books — and the anime, on Crunchyroll, is the third door in if you would rather watch the opening first.

How to start

Open the Beginning After the End novel page and press play — the first 10 chapters need no account. If you have read the comic or watched the anime, jump to your chapter number; playback resumes where you stop, on any device, including the lock screen.

If you like The Beginning After the End

The nearest neighbours in audio are He Who Fights with Monsters (another English-original serial with official audiobooks and a free start here) and Shadow Slave. The LitRPG and progression shelf and the full catalog have the rest — every title opens with 10 free chapters.

Browse by genre: cultivation & xianxia, LitRPG & progression, sci-fi & mecha, romance — or the full list of webnovels with audiobooks.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an audiobook of The Beginning After the End?

Two kinds. The official audiobooks, narrated by Travis Baldree and published by Podium Audio, adapt the edited books and are sold on Audible and other stores. And the original web serial is narrated chapter by chapter on Arcwave, where 523 of its 529 chapters are in audio (99%) — about 190h 29m, with the first 10 chapters free and no account needed.

How many Beginning After the End audiobooks are there?

Twelve official audiobooks as of September 2026, from Early Years (Book 1) to Apotheosis (Book 12), narrated by Travis Baldree for Podium Audio (with Elizabeth Evans joining on a later volume), plus a side-story volume. Audible also bundles the early books as publisher packs.

Is The Beginning After the End audiobook free?

The official audiobooks are paid, per book or with an Audible credit. On Arcwave the first 10 chapters of the web serial are free to stream with no sign-up; a free account adds daily listening time after the sample, and the Listener plan removes the cap.

Is the narration AI or a human voice?

The official audiobooks are a human performance by Travis Baldree, one of the most listened-to narrators in the genre. Arcwave narrates the web serial with a consistent generated voice, disclosed on every page. Sample the free chapters and judge with your own ears.

Is the anime the same story?

The 2024 anime adaptation, streaming on Crunchyroll, covers the opening of the story and is a watch, not a listen. The web serial runs far past it; the narration on Arcwave follows the serial in the author’s chapter order.