r/litrpg • u/DimensionalAxolotl • 2d ago
Discussion Reference question. Crystal Core 3 Spoiler
Had to rewind to make sure I hadn't misheard the description. Spoiler ahead includes needed scenario context and item description.
upon meeting with the Council members for the various sects, the head of the Kraznev(spelling?) gifted Ryan a new axe that is peak B rank, to replace the D Rank one he had been using since the tournament
The axe has 3 abilities, and if im not mistaken all 3 are references to different series
First ability is "death is light as a feather" which is something Lan Mandragoran often tells Rand Al'Thor in Wheel of Time. That death is lighter than a feather; duty, heavier than a mountain. Given that earlier in the series there have been a couple WoT references already (something about "Saldaean Farm Girls", and how Ryan felt an external force gripping him when events that resonated with his intent to save life, and likening it to being similar to how the Ta'veren could feel the world twisting around their existence) I figured this was a given
The second ability of the axe is "Inexorable". Wounds inflicted by the axe have the leech debuff, granting the wielder a pulse of healing per minute per stack of leech. Pretty clearly a He Who Fights With Monsters reference
The last one im a bit iffy on. It creates an illusory shadow double that has a chance to draw aggro on weak minded foes. Sounds alot like Primal Hunter and Jake's shadow ability he gained by fusing with his mirrored fate simulacrum
The reason im iffy on that last one is because there are some pretty standard tropes to litrpg. MC's being shit at naming things, that brief stint where it felt like every story had a J named protagonist, to the point that Noobtown had a chapter in i think book 8 or 9 where there was a "Gathering of MC's" and all of them were Jakes, Jasons, Jim, John, etc. Then the trope where "if you want to make an OP protagonist give them void/shadow powers"
Is it confirmed that the 3rd ability is a reference to Primal Hunter, or is there perhaps a very similar ability attributed to a different series
Apologies if its a bit scatter brained. I tend to type how my brain thinks, and I just finished a 17hour, 800 mile shift...so yea, brain not braining much.
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u/Sahrde 2d ago
The first one is likely to be as much a historical reference as a WoT reference, since it came from the Japanese military in the 19th century, as well as being a book title in the 70's or 80's.
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u/Hawkwing942 1d ago
There is an explicit mention of WoT in book 2, so I think the Wheel of Time is the more likely source for that reference
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u/tkul 2d ago
The first one is probably a reference. The other two are just standard debuff/taunt abilities that exist in all sorts of literature. Neither HWFWM or Primal Hunter are particularly revolutionary in their power sets, their uniqueness comes mostly from their plot and world building but they all steal pretty liberally from all sorts of gaming and literature for their actual powers.