Cool. I like self-improvement chapters, and laying groundwork for future adventures.

 

What do you think the Red Mage's role in this is? It seems that it would get frustrating to actively intervene constantly knowing that at the end of the month it is going to end regardless, and it was shown during the battle at the Acadamy that the Necromancer has little respect for him implying not a substantial involvement in of itself.

So, what is he doing while Zorian is training so it Zorian kind of shooting himself in the foot as his enemies grow stronger and stronger?

I am also surprised his family isn't more involved in the story. During his time at the Academy he never once cared that his brother was there and likely died, nor has he gone of for training by his magically super skilled brother which one would think would provide great training and I personally assumed would happen after the Academy arc. Rather than gathering small fragments of knowledge everywhere, he could go to someone he has a relationship (even if it's not positive on his side, I'm unsure if Daimon has matured since) and is greatly skilled boosting his growth in numerous fields of magic.

 

I'd completely forgotten about Fortov and had to ctrl-f Ch1 before I could recall him.

I've been waiting for Daimen to enter the story too. With the time loops running out, I think that we're either going to be seeing him soon or not until the end. This story is Zorian's coming-of-age and about him standing on his own right, an individual, separate from his brothers.

I don't know what way the story will go. Will Zorian seek out and reconcile with his brothers because he needs their help before the end, or will he face the end on his own merits [and those of his friends] without his brothers overshadowing him?

I still can't believe I forgot about the charmingly irresponsible Fortov, let alone him being at the academy.

 

Not counting his sister (and even that is a result of the time loop), he doesn't really like his family all that much. As I recall, his original plan, before this whole thing hapened, was to finish his education, move away and never speak with them again.

Besides, living in a time loop probably gives you a different perspective on the whole dying thing. It's not like anybody stays dead. Well, except for the aranas obviously.

There are few obstacles for Daimen's involvement. First of all, he's on a different continent. I think I remember Zorian's mother saying he's leading a team digging through some old ruins, and that it would take them entire month to even get there, so he's kinda out of reach. Also, Zorian thinks he's an asshole.

But personally, I think Daimen might already be involved. Remember that fragmented message Matriarch left for Zorian in male aranas minds? He didn't get the whole thing, but I think one part mentioned ''...a whole other continent...''. The fact that we have this briliant, ambitious mage playing Indiana Jones around the time this whole thing started sounds suspicious. Who knows what he found there? For all we know he might be the Red Robe himself. It's a bit far-fetched, but I think there might be something to it.

 

IIRC he knows that the time loop is unstable, but has determined that it is not going to end anytime soon.

 

I just read the entire story in one sitting and am incredibly frustrated.

First off -- it's so well written. The author definitely has a knack for characterization and I found myself enjoying all the rabbit holes that Zorian goes down in each new episode. As a powerless protagonist, Zorian has put in a lot of hard work to get to where he is now: competent.

While his 'power-up' pace is realistic (I mean, how much can anyone power-up in a couple of years anyways?), it begs the question Where is this story going?

Even in the most recent restarts, Zorian can be defeated by any competent middle-aged mage. How is he ever going to match Red Robe's level of ability? Even Zach is still twenty times as powerful as him. Zorian's continued powerlessness, combined with the lack of a plan (now that the Arenea are gone) makes the end seem sooooo far away. Not exactly reassuring, after nearly a quarter million words.

My suspicion is that Zorian's going to come across a magic bullet soon that will catapult him into a relevant player again. If not, and this slow pace continues for another quarter million words, readers will get tired.

Overall -- 4.5/5. Brilliantly done. A joy to read... until it begins to drag.

 

I think Zach will always be 20 times more powerful than anyone. He's some sort of freak outlier.

Zorian, I expect, will never win by being more powerful than his opponents. He relies on trickery, deception, and skill. I actually like the fact that the story makes it pretty clear he's drastically outclassed in terms of raw power, and will always remain so despite his best efforts.

As far as the ending, I think the author has said he's something like 1/3rd of the way through. He's planned 3 arcs, and we're now in the beginning of the 2nd (first arc ended with the Red Robes confrontation that killed the Aranea).

Sooo.... yeah, your fear that it will drag on for a long time is pretty valid. But I think I'll stick with this fic for the long haul.

 

I suspect that Zorian's shaping skill will be a viable substitute for raw power, as he continues to master shaping techniques.

 

It better be. If he just got "raw power" from practicing in the loop for so long, it'd be a downer. I'd prefer to read about a skillful protagonist than one with a lot of muscle.

 

This is not even close to true. The people who we see smack him around are clearly portrayed as being far above average. Zorian is pretty clearly above average, but still a significant step below the top tier.

 

I would disagree with that. I think that any competent middle aged mage (competent meaning someone who actually practices battle magic like Kyron) should wipe the floor with Zorian in a fair fight (of course, Zorian does not fight fair). Time loop or no, they should have not only an innate power advantage (it is explicitly pointed out several times that only people with high-end mana reserves go on to become battle mages, and Zorian is actually below average in that regard), but also a few decades of experience on him.

Zorian has been practicing for years in the time loop- not decades.

 

Zorian has peculiar skills for his apparent age. He would likely beat any "average" middle-aged mage in a "fair fight" even - provided "mind-taps" are "fair". Being totally disoriented for even a second in a fight is all you need to win. Of course, most skilled mages could out-power him, but unless they barraged him hard and fast from the very beginning, he would likely win I think! He has his apparent age going for him, plus his odd skills, learning under a variety of weird teachers... and he is exceptionally skilled now for his age. I could also see him losing, but I think he wouldn't be a pushover.

 

I was thinking 2-4 years (24-48 cycles) -- did anyone keep track while reading and have an answer for certain?

 

So I ended up re-reading this fic, and here's a little bit that stuck out:

So, I'm guessing the girl has a cat, she goes after the bike, gets swept up by the river and drowns. Zorian doesn't realize this girl dies without his help, so now this girl dies at the start of every restart and the cat sits at the bridge feeling sad.

 

That was the impression I had of it. It's a pretty nice touch which I kind of expect to be revisited at some point down the line.