OverXelous
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Update / Poll!
🕑 Added 2025-04-05 12:52:29 +0000 UTCGood morning everyone!
Hope you guys are having a great start to your weekend.
I officially finished Book 2 last week and you guys are about a month out from finishing it yourself. Absoltuely cannot wait to see your reactions to the climax and ending of the book. There will be NO BREAK between the end of Book 2 and Book 3. I did that last time and I felt like the story lost some momentum and while I could use the time, I don't feel like I need it.
Book 2 = 80 Chapters - 254,740 words
The last ten chapters average word count over 4k, so they're almost all double chapters, but I wanted to keep it moving and 80 chapters just feels so satisfying!
Now, onto the Poll!! I'm cleaning up the chapters from where RR is to where Patreon is, so I can schedule them all in one go ahead of time and just not worry about it. That being said, there has been quite a bit of feedback on Chatper 44. Thank you all for the constructive criticism and not being rude about it!
The poll is basically just talking about the gains that Alex gets to keep from his push with the Heavenly Eye + Ritual Insight combo.
Currently Alex Gains:
+2 Overall Levels
+3 Levels to Parallel Mind
+Runic Apprentice Amulet*
As of now this is what he loses:
***
Initiating Memory Modification.
Removing: Expert Ritual Schematic Knowledge…
Removing: Deity interaction…
Initiating Skill removal
Removing: Ritual Insight…
Initiating Title removal
Removing: Journeyman Ritual Knowledge…
Removing: Gifted Mage…
Removing: Adept Ritual Knowledge…
Removing: Expert Ritual Knowledge…
***
Vote on the options below to let me know what you think he should keep. This will just give me a bit better of an idea of what might "feel" better.
What Should Alex Keep in Ch. 44?
**The options below would be in addition to what he already keeps (levels and items)
Just adding a bit here to clarify for anyone who might want to change their vote or is reading later:
Alex would still need to lose the Ritual Insight skill here regardless. The System has deemed that if he keeps the skill, he can continue to use the combination. So the skill is gone regardless. This is also part of what pushes him to go into runes and eventually spell circles.
The poll is purely to see if you guys want him to gain MORE than he already gained/lost. Would he be keeping some of the titles? Or some of the titles + ritual knowledge.
Comments
OverXelous
Reuploading chapters as we speak. I'll make a change log post tomorrow mornign to include what was touched up. Thanks for the feedback!!
Rhyu
I'd vote for titles and knowledge up to adept. I've already mentioned much in a previous comment but keeping that knowledge and power feels more in line with the system goals as we've been given info. Having now read to chapter 70 I'd argue that giving him the knowledge back also would better integrate with the plot so far. His base mastery and general understanding of the ritual circles to integrate a whole 'nother school of magic... after all of a couple of hours of general instruction in spellcasting by a guy that can't even get his spell to manifest... needs to be pretty damn high. Pre the ritual/ eye incident he's figuring things out well, but honestly doesn't feel like he's anywhere near the mastery level to pull off the whole nodes thing with just a bit of inspiration. Even with access to the ritual circles that he drew during the skill use to expert knowledge, there is a massive difference between having access to a reference material and actually UNDERSTANDING it. Granting him back that knowledge makes his overall sudden increase in ability with manipulating ritual circles to incorporate nodes and spellcasting seem much more organic and logical. At least to me. Thank you for your work.
OverXelous
Not quite sure what you mean by test development or temporary title, sorry! Can you explain? The idea behind Gifted Mage as a title would be that he gained Magical Proficiency Knowledge one or two Ranks above his current rank. Almost like the Unbound Title, but instead of fighting a monster, it would be for learning a magical spell/creation a rank or two above where he is at (E Rank still).
PrimordialJay
What are the requirements for the Gifted Mage title? It feels like he should have earned it back after the test development at least. Edit: to clarify, it seems weird that he only got a temporary title.
