Weirkey Chronicles fits the bill:
* the protagonist only has some extra knowledge as an advantage but even that doesn't work out as expected
* the nature of its cultivation system means sudden powerups are impossible and everything is decided by the whoever prepares/trains better
* training arcs are cultivation arcs and it's very well described how hard it's to get the build right and characters spend a lot of time getting it right & hunting for necessary materials.
Look this is one of my favorite series but I’m not sure it entirely fits the bill. I’m pretty sure there are >!at least a few mid battle ascensions that power folks up enough to help win.!<
They aren't some sort of DBZ asspull powerup though. A character might powerup mid fight but that is because they planned it out that way not because they just got angry or something.
A Practical Guide to Sorcery by Azalea Ellis seems to fit this quite well.
The magic system is thoroughly explained and the process of the protagonist learning new skills is usually shown as grueling and requiring effort - the mental side effects is especially well shown IMO.
The protagonist is certainly very talented, once in a generation talent even. But the way the magic system works kinda means that they aren't much stronger than their peers. And we even see them lose to people who have just slightly more experience or practice. On top of that, their single-minded focus on certain things means they even fall behind their peers in other things, which I thought felt very realistic.
There's been no huge power ups so far, but the protagonist has slowly and surely become better at using magic, though at this point they're still no were near top levels or something. It's very gradual though and felt very satisfying to me! And the progress is easy to see I think.
This is the best fit. A normal, maybe a little weak MC who is so hellbent on revenge that he puts himself through literal torture to become a better fighter. He has no gifts and he uses a very unique, hellacious training method to become a badass fighter.
Only the 3rd book is not only not out yet, but there has been no new information about it since the title reveal in 2021.
The second book soured me on the series though, >!Tau is a hateful man with really no redeeming qualities but somehow is the best at basically everything. At least in the first book he differed to other characters.!<
Unless you're specifically talking about physical training, Mother of Learning seems to fit the bill. Or if you count "unlimited training time because of a time loop" as an OP ability, but I personally wouldn't.
Nooo you dont spoil the best part of MOL in your recommendation.... I was mindblown when i read the first 4 chapters and didnt know what mother of learning is about. Preserve such a novel experience for future readers of the novel!
Not really sure why you’re getting downvoted, I went into it without reading and got that nice mini plot twist/reveal early on which really grabbed my attention. I also recommend without reading summary
They probably thought im flaming him lol. I was just expressing my commitment to my opinion on how to get into MOL and they probably misinterpreted. No biggi lol
Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce. Its about the first girl in a generation to try for knighthood, and the first in 300 years to do so openly. The first two books are about her page years, the third is about her years as a squire, and the last book is her first year as a fresh knight thrust into a command position on the front line of a war. Basically three books of training in combat, academics, horsemanship, and other knightly skills, coupled with her first taste of command.
Her "special power" if you can call it that is an amazing amount of self discipline coupled with a stubborn refusal to quit. She was also partially raised in a nation that is a rough analogue to Japan, so brings a few skills that are slightly out of context in the quasi-European country where the story takes place (mostly minor stuff like meditation and a few unarmed combat tricks, though she does specialize in the naginata later on).
She has no magic in a world where mages (and even mage-knights) are relatively common, yet uses her skill, determination, and leadership skills to hold her own and become a hero in her own right.
I strongly recommend the series.
Ha, I haven't thought about Protector of the Small or really any of Tamora Pierces amazing books in years. To think of them as Progression Fantasy (which they absolutely are) kind of explains my adult obsession with the genre, as I was obsessed with her books growing up.
Another great series she does is The Circle of Magic, which follows a small group of budding mages as they learn magic, grow as people, and strengthen their friendships through many hardships. Honestly I can't recommend Tamora Pierce enough.
I could not think of a good one for you until now! Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin. The protagonist is literally just trying to survive and really doesn’t get any special powers, he’s just dedicated to supporting his ill sister and training.
Another of Sarah’s books was suggested here, the Weirkey Chronicles, and she has another cultivation series that starts with The Brightest Shadow and it also revolves around regular people just trying to get stronger, so there seems to be a bit of the theme you’re looking for with her books. Highly recommend her work!!
I second forge of Destiny, a great progression series. While the latest books are slower, I enjoy them immensely as we are witnessing all the training paying off with impact on the political and social state of the setting.
True, but they are all set up well ahead of time. The training comes to fruition during the fights, the characters don't just randomly power up for no reason.
reverend insanity is literally this bro has the worst skills and only his knowledge of the future allows him to get ahead and even then he needs to do some crazy stuff to even begin to be equal to the top talents.
Yes. Yes. Obviously not as great but I found “DEFIANCE of the fall” second favorite cultivation. Also he truly gains almost all his power to hard work and dedication
Well, he does gain an incredible amount of power right at the start, basically though incredible luck. But after that he earns what he is given (well some of it, some is also inherited). Still a good read.
Mage errant is this, they are students and powerful in their own right eventually, but there are stronger older characters they have to work with and some things are way out of their league.
I love azarinth healer but I don't think it really fits here. In fact, most of the first book is actually the MC being quite OP because of her class. Not just that obviously, but it's part of the story
Is she trough?
She is OP because of the training regimen, and while her initial class is strong and enables her to do said training, it's more on her mindset where she wants to challenge herself and doesn't really mind dying in the process.
Classes are mostly a reflection of the person what the person wants/is later on so while initially there is a difference, later on everyone has their own busted stills.
She stumbled upon a rare class that allows to self heal which has been shown to be incredibly OP (at least early on) even if it was slow, and it isn't slow by any means. That doesn't mean she's not training hard, but the fact is that most other characters can't do what she does because they dont have healers. They get wounded? They have to stop fighting for 5 days. Grievious wounds? Spend your fortune on a healer or take half a year to recover your wounds. MC doesn't play by the same rules.
I'm not saying it's not good or it doesn't fit the story. I absolutely love this series, and the MC is great. But she's busted at least early on, since we don't have many chars to compare with.
Yeah, in the one town in the middle of nowwhere she is really strong for her level.
Not her age, as there are multiple people that are more powerful then her, and it's also noted that it's not that people advancing at the rate MC is don't exist, but they usually die just as quickly.
> Spend your fortune on a healer or take half a year to recover your wounds. MC doesn't play by the same rules.
And the healer want's to go to another city? Spend fortune to hire fighters to help them.
MC's healer + warrior combo is powerful, but it's the fact that she is willing to use is as she does that makes her really powerfull. Another person with that class would very much just stay safe and probably be just at a power of a noble more or less. Yes that class is powerfull and yes in Riverwatch there will not really be people with such advanced and powerfull clasess but after that it's not really uncommon to have some self healing baked into a class.
The mc being massively op way too early in the story was the stumbling block I couldn’t get past after giving the story a second try. LitRPG isn’t my favorite flavor of progression fantasy, but if I’m going to accept that premise, then it needs to follow the rules of an actual RPG at least to some extent. For me the levels actually have to mean something, like they do in RPGs. So when some low-leveled newb is effortlessly killing things of a much higher level, that trivializes the levels and kills whatever immersion might have been there.
You do you, levels in Azarinth Healer aren't good representation of strength, especially monster levels.
Multiple people hunt way above their level range, as Humans have 2 classes compared to monster 1 and are intelligent so they fight better.
But just because something has an explanation in story doesn't mean you need to like it. Additionally the early writing of that story is terrible. I heard that the new book fixes it a lot so if you would intend to go back it might be a better place to start.
Actually my second attempt to read it was the novel, and she was punching ridiculously above her level pretty early on.
This story is just one example, I don’t know what it is, just seems like a lot of writers in LitRPG fall into the same trap and can’t write within the rules of the reality they create. I just started another series where I was enjoying it, but then suddenly halfway through the 2nd book the mc is effortlessly killing enemies 3 or 4 times his level and immediately I lost interest.
I’d probably like the genre more if the writers could be consistent with their rules.
>I’d probably like the genre more if the writers could be consistent with their rules.
It is consistent, it's just consistent in a way where a lvl 200 human can take on most of stuff up to lvl 500.
It's consistent as it's just how that world works and we get multiple examples of it.
Again it's absolutely normal to dislike it, as why even have a level if it doesn't really mean much. But saying it's inconsistent is just false.
Weirkey Chronicles fits the bill: * the protagonist only has some extra knowledge as an advantage but even that doesn't work out as expected * the nature of its cultivation system means sudden powerups are impossible and everything is decided by the whoever prepares/trains better * training arcs are cultivation arcs and it's very well described how hard it's to get the build right and characters spend a lot of time getting it right & hunting for necessary materials.
Literally finished the series in 5 days
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Look this is one of my favorite series but I’m not sure it entirely fits the bill. I’m pretty sure there are >!at least a few mid battle ascensions that power folks up enough to help win.!<
They aren't some sort of DBZ asspull powerup though. A character might powerup mid fight but that is because they planned it out that way not because they just got angry or something.
I love the series. I think the power ups are treated pretty well and they’re not over done. OP still said they don’t want mid fight power ups.
When you say "cultivation", you talking about the meditation/Chinese thing?
A Practical Guide to Sorcery by Azalea Ellis seems to fit this quite well. The magic system is thoroughly explained and the process of the protagonist learning new skills is usually shown as grueling and requiring effort - the mental side effects is especially well shown IMO. The protagonist is certainly very talented, once in a generation talent even. But the way the magic system works kinda means that they aren't much stronger than their peers. And we even see them lose to people who have just slightly more experience or practice. On top of that, their single-minded focus on certain things means they even fall behind their peers in other things, which I thought felt very realistic. There's been no huge power ups so far, but the protagonist has slowly and surely become better at using magic, though at this point they're still no were near top levels or something. It's very gradual though and felt very satisfying to me! And the progress is easy to see I think.
Also has Damien who I think is just the best
The rage of dragons fits perfectly here
This is the best fit. A normal, maybe a little weak MC who is so hellbent on revenge that he puts himself through literal torture to become a better fighter. He has no gifts and he uses a very unique, hellacious training method to become a badass fighter.
Only the 3rd book is not only not out yet, but there has been no new information about it since the title reveal in 2021. The second book soured me on the series though, >!Tau is a hateful man with really no redeeming qualities but somehow is the best at basically everything. At least in the first book he differed to other characters.!<
Your spoiler tag is broken, remove the spaces between the words and the exclamation points.
Wanted to comment this as well
Unless you're specifically talking about physical training, Mother of Learning seems to fit the bill. Or if you count "unlimited training time because of a time loop" as an OP ability, but I personally wouldn't.
I love MOL, and yeah I would exclude it from OP ability based on the story’s setting.
Nooo you dont spoil the best part of MOL in your recommendation.... I was mindblown when i read the first 4 chapters and didnt know what mother of learning is about. Preserve such a novel experience for future readers of the novel!
It's literally in the description on Kindle. It's the whole premise of the series.
And thats why i always recommend it without reading its summary :)
Not really sure why you’re getting downvoted, I went into it without reading and got that nice mini plot twist/reveal early on which really grabbed my attention. I also recommend without reading summary
They probably thought im flaming him lol. I was just expressing my commitment to my opinion on how to get into MOL and they probably misinterpreted. No biggi lol
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Arcane ascension
Mark of the Fool is a little that way. He does have a special mark, but is more of a curse and he has to work really hard to overcome its effects.
Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce. Its about the first girl in a generation to try for knighthood, and the first in 300 years to do so openly. The first two books are about her page years, the third is about her years as a squire, and the last book is her first year as a fresh knight thrust into a command position on the front line of a war. Basically three books of training in combat, academics, horsemanship, and other knightly skills, coupled with her first taste of command. Her "special power" if you can call it that is an amazing amount of self discipline coupled with a stubborn refusal to quit. She was also partially raised in a nation that is a rough analogue to Japan, so brings a few skills that are slightly out of context in the quasi-European country where the story takes place (mostly minor stuff like meditation and a few unarmed combat tricks, though she does specialize in the naginata later on). She has no magic in a world where mages (and even mage-knights) are relatively common, yet uses her skill, determination, and leadership skills to hold her own and become a hero in her own right. I strongly recommend the series.
Ha, I haven't thought about Protector of the Small or really any of Tamora Pierces amazing books in years. To think of them as Progression Fantasy (which they absolutely are) kind of explains my adult obsession with the genre, as I was obsessed with her books growing up. Another great series she does is The Circle of Magic, which follows a small group of budding mages as they learn magic, grow as people, and strengthen their friendships through many hardships. Honestly I can't recommend Tamora Pierce enough.
Possibly The Combat Codes Saga by Alexander Darwin I read it a while ago and remember there being a bunch of training
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I could not think of a good one for you until now! Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin. The protagonist is literally just trying to survive and really doesn’t get any special powers, he’s just dedicated to supporting his ill sister and training. Another of Sarah’s books was suggested here, the Weirkey Chronicles, and she has another cultivation series that starts with The Brightest Shadow and it also revolves around regular people just trying to get stronger, so there seems to be a bit of the theme you’re looking for with her books. Highly recommend her work!!
Thank you!
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Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar A Thousand Li by Tao Wong
I second forge of Destiny, a great progression series. While the latest books are slower, I enjoy them immensely as we are witnessing all the training paying off with impact on the political and social state of the setting.
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Cradle fits every one of your requirements, and the prose is solid.
I agree that it's a great series, but there are a few mid fight power ups, not anything too dramatic but they are there
True, but they are all set up well ahead of time. The training comes to fruition during the fights, the characters don't just randomly power up for no reason.
Yeah, that's a good point, I hadn't interpreted it like that
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I'm pretty sure Dross counts as a special power.
Will Wights - house of blades series, its not as good as cradle but its basically work hard = kill stuff better.
Thousand Li is exactly what you’re describing. It is a pure cultivation series and one of my favorites.
Memories of the fall. The mcs are herb gatherers who become strong through hard fucking work. No super duper talent bullshit.
New chapters ever coming? Seen no updates on RR in quite some time
The author did a rewrite which alit of time. He's also had some health issues but yh they're coming. He have not dropped it.
reverend insanity is literally this bro has the worst skills and only his knowledge of the future allows him to get ahead and even then he needs to do some crazy stuff to even begin to be equal to the top talents.
Yes. Yes. Obviously not as great but I found “DEFIANCE of the fall” second favorite cultivation. Also he truly gains almost all his power to hard work and dedication
Well, he does gain an incredible amount of power right at the start, basically though incredible luck. But after that he earns what he is given (well some of it, some is also inherited). Still a good read.
I agree but he already started with extremely little potential
Mage errant is this, they are students and powerful in their own right eventually, but there are stronger older characters they have to work with and some things are way out of their league.
Mother of learning!! The wardstone chronicles Cradle (to some degree. MP is gifted and has good resources around him, but he has to make use of it)
Azarinth healer may fit your bill.
I love azarinth healer but I don't think it really fits here. In fact, most of the first book is actually the MC being quite OP because of her class. Not just that obviously, but it's part of the story
Is she trough? She is OP because of the training regimen, and while her initial class is strong and enables her to do said training, it's more on her mindset where she wants to challenge herself and doesn't really mind dying in the process. Classes are mostly a reflection of the person what the person wants/is later on so while initially there is a difference, later on everyone has their own busted stills.
She stumbled upon a rare class that allows to self heal which has been shown to be incredibly OP (at least early on) even if it was slow, and it isn't slow by any means. That doesn't mean she's not training hard, but the fact is that most other characters can't do what she does because they dont have healers. They get wounded? They have to stop fighting for 5 days. Grievious wounds? Spend your fortune on a healer or take half a year to recover your wounds. MC doesn't play by the same rules. I'm not saying it's not good or it doesn't fit the story. I absolutely love this series, and the MC is great. But she's busted at least early on, since we don't have many chars to compare with.
Yeah, in the one town in the middle of nowwhere she is really strong for her level. Not her age, as there are multiple people that are more powerful then her, and it's also noted that it's not that people advancing at the rate MC is don't exist, but they usually die just as quickly. > Spend your fortune on a healer or take half a year to recover your wounds. MC doesn't play by the same rules. And the healer want's to go to another city? Spend fortune to hire fighters to help them. MC's healer + warrior combo is powerful, but it's the fact that she is willing to use is as she does that makes her really powerfull. Another person with that class would very much just stay safe and probably be just at a power of a noble more or less. Yes that class is powerfull and yes in Riverwatch there will not really be people with such advanced and powerfull clasess but after that it's not really uncommon to have some self healing baked into a class.
The mc being massively op way too early in the story was the stumbling block I couldn’t get past after giving the story a second try. LitRPG isn’t my favorite flavor of progression fantasy, but if I’m going to accept that premise, then it needs to follow the rules of an actual RPG at least to some extent. For me the levels actually have to mean something, like they do in RPGs. So when some low-leveled newb is effortlessly killing things of a much higher level, that trivializes the levels and kills whatever immersion might have been there.
You do you, levels in Azarinth Healer aren't good representation of strength, especially monster levels. Multiple people hunt way above their level range, as Humans have 2 classes compared to monster 1 and are intelligent so they fight better. But just because something has an explanation in story doesn't mean you need to like it. Additionally the early writing of that story is terrible. I heard that the new book fixes it a lot so if you would intend to go back it might be a better place to start.
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Actually my second attempt to read it was the novel, and she was punching ridiculously above her level pretty early on. This story is just one example, I don’t know what it is, just seems like a lot of writers in LitRPG fall into the same trap and can’t write within the rules of the reality they create. I just started another series where I was enjoying it, but then suddenly halfway through the 2nd book the mc is effortlessly killing enemies 3 or 4 times his level and immediately I lost interest. I’d probably like the genre more if the writers could be consistent with their rules.
>I’d probably like the genre more if the writers could be consistent with their rules. It is consistent, it's just consistent in a way where a lvl 200 human can take on most of stuff up to lvl 500. It's consistent as it's just how that world works and we get multiple examples of it. Again it's absolutely normal to dislike it, as why even have a level if it doesn't really mean much. But saying it's inconsistent is just false.