Mage Tank

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Book 4 is releasing on Amazon on January 28th and will be stubbing here on January 20th-ish. (Chapters 217 to 287 plus the Epilogues)

After being killed by a high-velocity tree-hug, Arlo is transported to a new world of skills, stats, and levels where those brave and talented enough to conquer ancient Delves are rewarded with incredible supernatural power. Unfortunately for Arlo, there is no tutorial, and he is immediately forced to tackle a Delve set to the highest difficulty with a party of adventurers who are not only strangers to him, but strangers to each other as well. Arlo has no armor, no weapons, no knowledge of the world at large, and his party is growing increasingly suspicious of his lack of preparation and paper-thin excuses for how he got there.

There's also the fact that the System seems to be treating Arlo's situation like a big, cosmic joke.

Determined not to dieagain, Arlo forgoes putting any points into his highest stat, Intelligence, and instead dumps everything he's got into Fortitude. After all, who needs equipment or fighting skills when you can eat fireballs for breakfast and still ask for more hot sauce?

Mage Tank is a comedic LitRPG adventure set in an epic fantasy world that is rapidly evolving as new and powerful secrets of the Delves are uncovered. There are strong horror themes, graphic violence, overindulgent use of naughty language, and poorly constructed jokes. Mage Tank features slow progression and intelligent characters who spend time making intentional build choices. It’s not action all-the-time, but Arlo’s life is replete with danger and, more importantly, consequences.

Cover art generated with MidJourney and Canva.

Maps and world-building support by Sir Raiu Koren.

3 chapters per week on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: Cornman8700

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 8,010
Views: 826,001

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

joshybokRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is shaping up to be AMAZING. The characters are fantastic. The story and world is intriguing. It’s really well written, too. Just read it and you will see. I think umi-doo and Lito are my favorite characters so far. Lito is badass. All the side characters are great tbh
Mo astrayRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Read it, you won't regret it, the story is fun because it has characters with PERSONALITY (who would say) unlike many stories on this site
In addition, the guy has a stylish and "daring" suit (if you understand me :p) he also has a malevolent entity (a sweet spot for cruel and utilitarian) along with a simple but interesting construction... I already mentioned that he has a suit with style????
In short, this is the best novel ever written in the history of humanity (sources: believe me)
RunnerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Picked this up from the Rising Stars on the home page of RR.
Completely worth the time to read. Great MC if a bit OP compared to everyone else of his level. Has a strong comedic aspect with the warped humor of the MC and the overblown ego of the familiar he picks up. All with plenty of action in the story.
Very good writing and would like to see this published in the future.
Thiago_Gomes_333Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is, without a doubt, a singular and unexpected masterpiece. From the very first pages, I was swept away by a narrative that masterfully blends humor, action, and moments of genuine seriousness. The author guides the story with remarkable finesse, turning each scene into a spectacle of creativity. I laughed out loud, felt deeply moved, and, above all, had an incredible time following the characters’ insane and unpredictable adventures.
If you're looking for a book that breaks away from the conventional, defies expectations, and offers a refreshing experience amid a sea of repetitive stories, Mage Tank is an absolute must-read.
Style – 10/10
The narrative pace is fast and engaging, yet it never feels rushed or poorly executed. The author knows exactly how to balance essential information and plot development, ensuring that each chapter flows naturally, with no gaps or unnecessary excesses. The result is a smooth, enjoyable reading experience that keeps the reader immersed from beginning to end.
Story – 10/10
The world-building and plot structure are simply brilliant. Mage Tank not only delivers a well-crafted story but does so with sharp humor and impressive originality. The battle and action scenes are electrifying, perfectly spaced to avoid becoming repetitive or tiresome.
However, one of the book’s greatest triumphs is its impeccable humor. The jokes are genuinely funny, cleverly integrated, and never feel forced or out of place. The author has mastered the art of balancing comedy with seriousness, ensuring that the humorous moments never diminish the emotional weight of the story. Additionally, the skill system is well-thought-out, functional, and never excessive, further enriching the narrative.
Grammar – 10/10
The writing is solid and well-polished. I found no errors that disrupted immersion, which highlights the author's meticulous attention to quality. A smooth and enjoyable reading experience is always a major plus, and this book certainly delivers
hungryshinRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Just finished binge reading book 4 and there's just so much MAGE TANKing. This book really goes back to it's title/roots in so many rewarding ways. I loved every moment of it. Can't wait for book 5
I'd absolutely place this at the top of my list next to DCC in quality. What Mage Tank lacks in commentary on the capitalist exploitation machine, it more than makes up for with a soul magic fueled dive into the human psyche and explorations of identity and relationships. And did I say MAGE TANKing? No spoilers, but one of the best named passive skills ever. As someone who typically is a tank main, I appreciate all the considerations to proper positioning too.
To Cornman:
This series is just therapeutic in so many ways. Your writing is like cool crisp apple juice on a summer day. All the magic is so creatively applied and deeply interconnected and competent, and you also profoundly connect with your characters on a genuine psychological and empathic level. And on top of all that you are able to weave everything together with a level of humor that is so natural and memorable that I found myself grinning about moments in this book anytime I wasn't reading.
EmmylouRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Couldn't stop reading, great pace, believable characters. Love it so far and really looking forward to reading more 😀 really struggling to find other words, I wish there wasn't a mandatory 50 word limit for reviews. Just trying to fill space now, only wanted to express how much I liked it!
deep_indiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Chapters 71 through to 75 are not in the recently published book, nor are they here on RR. Was there a mistake with the stubbing? Or do I instead need to join the Patreon to get access?
Anyway, fun read so far. The magic, System and world building are all pretty satisfying.
Thank you for conjuring up this literature from your brain 😁
Please share the missing chapters somehow
ShadowsDiscipleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Isekai fantasy with blood and comedy. Overall a good read, character development and backstory are all there and the new edited version trims it down so that the prose flows more evenly through the story. I you like a good restart in another world weak to strong give this a try.
Wolfram1Royal Road
★★★★ 4.0
it's fairly well written and an interesting concept, especially the powers. equaly the world feels fleshed out and alive, good stuff.
however if i had known there was going to be a talking pet i would have stayed away, i just can't stand these things...
the jokes are a mixed bag, they are crude but not bad, i feel like there are just too many, a bread with too many slices of ham, so much so some chapters appear to not progress at all because of the tidal wave of jokes you need to get through first
more tanking and less talking pls, that may have made me read further
BMBanditRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I've given this review 3.5 stars mostly because I feel that a large part of my distaste is my own personal biases. Not sure if RR will show the correct chapter but I'm at ~chapter 90.
Though the book is well written from a technical perspective it lost me shortly into book 2. It's humorous and there's quite a bit of the world to explore, but it also feels like the MC is kind of pointless. There's already been something like 3 times where a character shows up that can only be explained as "We need to remind you how useless the MC is" due to them being completely unstoppable. It may feel like i'm exaggerating but there has been multiple instances of fights in the story that the only way the MC stood a chance was in a "rocks fall, everyone dies" manner. For example:
In the first book the primary antagonist is a literal god, and that fight goes about how you'd expect a fight between a god and mortals to go. They come with people that are ~level 20 while they themselves are level 1 and the god kills 2 of them and beats the others unconscious without even trying. Then beats (offscreen) 2 level 50ish characters without even trying.
This is (i think at least) ultimately personal taste, but it just really feels to me like the MC could be replaced by an enchanted shield and the plot would be no different except there would be less pop culture references mid-battle.
I would also agree with some of the other reviewers that "Mage Tank" is kind of a nonsense name. He's a tank that knows how to cast a couple of spells. He literally wades in with a hammer and draws the attention of everything, and has like 2 spells that he can cast. One of which is a melee range spell by default. All the rest of his abilities are either utility, or an ability that a tank class would get (like passive HP regen).
Aside from that it's mostly smaller things that are entirely personal taste. It revolves heavily around "delves" which are akin to dungeons in other novels and individuals have a hard set nu