DaRealMastalin - Profile

I have no issues with caution, but it comes across as bully those weaker you fear those stronger than you which equates to a weak mentality in an MC especially when it's the only action in every encounter. But as you say to each their own.

I'm not talking about a level up of a skill but him learning better ways to use his skills. Learning new ways to apply them. All of that requires fights where his life is on the line to spur growth in adverse situations. Application and usage is what I mean by getting stronger during fights. How much has his fights influenced his fighting style? How does one never learn anything about fighting while fighting?

It's not a romantic view it's how the Mafia is/was. Whether that La Cosa, the Sicilian commison, the 60s with Manzella or the 70s with Leggio it's always been about maintaining the pride and integrity of the family and the Don above all. The fact that he has his identity and sister to protect is all the more reason to fight as someone literally made him reveal himself because he wouldn't tell them no and protect his identity.

In all three cases, he does the work, and someone else takes something of his while some continue to exploit him, and he does nothing until later but gets angry. There is nothing Mafia like about that no matter how you try to say it. Also, it's not about liking or disliking it's simply the prevailing recurring happening in the book as has been stated by others. He gets threatened, loses something, and/or is made to work for someone else multiple times. As I said, he doesn't need to fight everyone when threatened, but he doesn't fight anyone. How many times during any of the fights has his abilities gotten better? How is his combat ability increasing during his fights? What growth has his abilities had or what he has learned during any fight? The short answer is that it doesn't because by the time he fights anyone, it's no longer of any relevance. Even outside of the non Mafioso issue, he doesn't fight people he needs to try against it just boils down to "I can't win".... how do you know you didn't even try.

The Syndicate, the random Academy members, The viscount and his son from his sister to the herb, the dark emissary who took all the things he did all the work for....at this point he has custom knee pads with the amount he bends the knee. Again, whether or not he solves the issue later is irrelevant to the fact that initially, it's just him getting things taken and doing nothing but shaking his fist at the air.

I'm saying his default setting is to capitulate to every single person that threatens him and then proceed to say, "I need to be stronger." He at some point needs to fight against the people who come and threaten him immediately to establish that he shouldn't be threatened even if there is a possibility of loss. He has weapons and powers that allow him to punch above his weight class but he will beat someone of a certain level one second and then a different person of the same level he says "I have no way of winning" and surrenders how is that even remotely true? Do I expect him to fight everyone every time? Absolutely not, but he BY FAR defaults to bending the knee way more than he fights against verbal threats. There is nothing mafia like about bowing down to everyone who threatens you. The mafia way is fighting and winning or fighting to die, but either way, a fight is happening. Death before dishonor has been moved through history and is incredibly prevalent in mafiaoso culture, hence why disloyalty and snitching are met with fatal consequences. they would rather fight than live in shame, and often, in this book, the MC chooses shame temporary or otherwise.

Initially, I had high hopes for this book, but through ~300 chapters, it devolves into " I'm not strong enough, let me get on my knees for this random person" every few chapter's. The MC has no actual conviction or challenging fights he only does anything months after he gets bullied and everything is taken from him and he NEVER fights anyone that could possibly beat him or even injure him he defaults to becoming their man servant and vowing revenge. Sadly, his backbone is non-existent. I get the author is trying to show growth, but he isn't actually doing anything in any confrontation to get better he just has a lucky encounter after getting threatened with words not actions just words.