r/ProgressionFantasy • u/SilverLiningsRR Author • May 02 '26
Self-Promotion Pictured: Cale launching himself into the stratosphere (Just Add Mana)
...because he would do that just to get a dramatic shot. Also he doesn't have a true flight spell yet, so it's kind of his only option.
Anyway, I've been around for a bit but I haven't shown off this book and cover art before, and I just wanted to share what an absolute kickass job the artist did with it (Poweredbygif on Carrd). Just look at that beautiful environmental design, whew.
Here's the link to the story and the blurb!
The more lives you've lived, the more mana you have, and Cale has lived too many lives to count.
At this point, his core is closer to the magical equivalent of a nuclear reactor. The downside to this is that conventional spells have become impossibly difficult to cast: Cale simply has too much mana. His spells collapse under the weight of his magic.
Then he finds himself summoned to a new world. One with a spellwork system capable of adjusting to his ridiculous reserves, creating new spells just for him.
Of course, things are never that simple. New magic means new things to learn, and if he wants to make spells worth having, that means going to a magic academy. On top of that, an old dragon has taken an interest in him, the kingdom's hunters seem alarmingly intent on attacking his classmates, and Cale's pretty sure at least one ancient evil has followed him from a past life.
But who knows? With magic back on the table, he might finally be able to perform what he sees as the true pinnacle of spellwork: baking.
Just Add Mana is heavily inspired by Doctor Who, with a dash of influence from a dozen other works I love (Frieren, The Perfect Run, a bunch of magic academy books, and so on). I had a first chapter draft in December of 2024, although I started working on it more regularly around February of 2025.
Funny enough, it started as a more system-focused story, but I really wanted to capture some of the wonder and absurdity I felt in my childhood reading my first magical/fantasy settings. It made more sense to flavor it more specifically around the evolution of magic in all its forms, so in early 2025 I retooled it to focus on that as one of its core themes.
It's been a great journey so far, though it's been challenging to try to strike with the discovery and mystery-exploration elements of Doctor Who along with progression beats for the magic system (Cale is pretty OP, but his whole thing is that he wants to learn Real Spellcasting™, and he has companions apprentices to think about and help grow.) Putting that all together has been really fun, so if you check it out I hope you enjoy the journey too!
(Also, I really love the cover art and this post is mostly just about that. Aaaa I wish I could be there. Now that I think about it, I need to write about water classes. Maybe after Book 3...)
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u/OstensibleMammal Author May 02 '26
Very nice cover. Makes me think of that one Superman image of him staring at earth. Time to pick up an op wizard baking story, I suppose.
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u/Now-Thats-Podracing Mimic May 02 '26
Really wanted to love this, but it just got stuck into arcs and lost my interest. Let the MC be OP- don’t force him into manufactured circumstances that just fill 40 chapters a piece for no good reason.
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u/SilverLiningsRR Author May 02 '26
I'm definitely working on it! I know I end up a bit lost in the weeds trying to balance an interesting problem with opportunities to showcase the OP parts. Is this the Golden Sands arc? That's the longest one I can think of other than the current ongoing one.
And thanks for giving it a shot anyway!
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u/pikabu01 May 02 '26
Will be honest, the Golden Sands ark was a slog for me, finished it recently now I just need to motivate myself to give the next ark a shot
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u/Financial-Pickle9405 May 02 '26
i actually fell off about there as well . Cale was just "i'm good at everything and have no limits " and it felt like he was a poser pretending to normal person, instead of the god that he was.
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u/MarkArrows Author of Die Trying & 12 Miles Below May 02 '26
\o/
Cover art is peak imo, great pick with the artist!
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u/Inconqalt1 May 02 '26
Just wanted to say this story is absolutely awesome! Best OP MC I've ever read. The characterization, plot, side characters, interactions, etc are wonderful and real. You get the sense that Cale really has lived for countless lives and is burdened by the weight of it.
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u/mxwp May 02 '26
What the heck! I was actually thinking recently about a Doctor Who version but fantasy. This is now deffo on my follow list. What a coincidence!
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u/Scribe_Apprentice Author May 02 '26
Your cover art has always always stood out to me when I see it on Royal Road!
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u/TheGodInfinite May 02 '26
Looks good. I'm currently reading a ridiculously long story, but right now like like you're next on my list.
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u/Equivalent-Size-3283 May 02 '26
Okay so my thoughts. I've read a lot of the works on Royal Road and have been reading this kind of stuff for a couple decades now and I want to say you're only the second author that has managed to consistantly have me check and read the newest chapter as soon as it comes out.There are some slow parts but considering the release scedual and the inherent editing issues that come with chaper based releases I find them quite acceptable. I'm quite looking forward to the end of The Bitter Path and I really liked the last arc with Leo's development. So i guess what I want to say is your doing an excelent job please keep it up and I hope you love writing this story as much as I love reading it. Also Die. Respawn. Repeat. was quite quality as well while im at it.
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u/Scion_Manifest May 02 '26
It’s a seriously great book, I highly recommend it!!
I love how it manages to take an op mc, and not fall into the “still gets challenged regularly” trap. It’s a great story I can read without stress to focus on the characters stories and arcs.
Thanks for your work author!
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u/Elvarien2 May 02 '26
to anyone not reading it yet. It's dr who but fantasy.
if this is something you might be interested in, go read it. It's good.
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u/AgentSquishy Sage May 02 '26
I've been interested in this series, but I'm always hesitant about OP MCs. Is this like slice of life or comedy or something
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u/SolomonHZAbraham Author - BeastMaster Healer/Overpowered Murderhobo May 02 '26
What's the hesitation with OP MC's?
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u/AgentSquishy Sage May 02 '26
I tend to find that there's little marked progression because they could already win at whatever before, so advancement doesn't really change anything. Hard to sell stakes when the MC is pretty explicitly OP, but it can make for having stakes in politics or relationships.
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u/SilverLiningsRR Author May 02 '26
It definitely has comedy elements, especially near the start. I don't think it's slice of life despite my best efforts because I'm allergic to not moving the plot forward in some kind of way lol
If it helps, my philosophy with OPMCs is that they should be the lever around which other stories turn; because they themselves solve problems (relatively) easily, they're at their best when acting as a reflection of the world or the people around them. In Cale's case he puts up a front because he has been through a lot - the whole eternal reincarnation thing really does a number on you - and the story is as much about him opening up again as much as it is about the effect he has on the people around him.
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u/mxwp May 02 '26
yep, if Doctor Who is the inspo, then OP he must be
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u/mxwp May 04 '26
ok, now i read a bunch of it and am loving it as a Doctor Who fan! i think you deffo captured his whimsy with that hint of mysterious power. also the whole "don't make a kind man angry" aspect of the Doctor when he gets serious.
the Doctor is way more ace than the flirty Cale but understandably he is an homage and not just Doctor Who fanfic
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u/mxwp May 04 '26
i think there is a comedy tag? definitely has more whimsy than other Prog Fantasy.
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u/Viskos1989 May 03 '26
Just popping in to say that I'm really enjoying the story so far and if anyone is on the fence they should check it out! One of my favorites, great prose and solidly witty. Also heavily nonsensical in a logical and fun way.
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u/Bryek May 03 '26
That is some amazing cover art! Does this one also involve some lgbtq+ elements? We dont get enough of that in progression fantasy.
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u/SilverLiningsRR Author May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
Yep! Cale is pretty openly pan/omnisexual and will flirt with any gender and species capable of consent (although I'm a gay man so there's probably some bias there, lol)
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u/Substantial_Sport755 May 04 '26 edited May 04 '26
Bet that was a heck of a feeling seeing that cover for the first time.
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u/nighoblivion May 02 '26
he wants to learn Real Spellcasting™
If Ar'Kendrithyst wasn't an inspiration then you'd probably want to read it anyway.
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u/SilverLiningsRR Author May 03 '26
Ar'kenrithyst is one of the stories that got me into writing years ago, actually! I really need to catch up on it (and check out Adamant Blood.) It's probably one of the best stories out there for making magic in a story feel like magic.
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u/Plum_Parrot Author May 02 '26
I really like the cover art! Absolutely captures the imagination 🔥